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F E AT U R E
HAINAN TO EXPLORE HORSERACING breeding, jockey clubs, equestrianism, horse dancing, equine
LOTTERY veterinary, equipment, jockey training and horseracing-
Proposals like the guidelines’ ‘(Hainan to) explore the related commodities. Horseracing’s development will bring
development of sports lottery and instant lottery on large- benefits to transportation, advertisement, hotels, restaurants,
scale international games’ have already been mooted communication and tourism as well.
– as early as August 2017 in Haikou City, the General
Administration of Sport of China (GASC) and Hainan Horseracing betting is granted by the government of Hong
Provincial Government signed a Strategic Co-operation Kong SAR to the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). HKJC
Frame Agreement in which the description of sports lottery manages races but it is a not-for-profit organisation and is
is in line with that in the guidelines. Hong Kong’s biggest charity donor. Eighty-one per cent
of HKJC’s revenue is for dividends, 14% is paid in tax to
In fact, there already are horseracing development in other HKSAR government and the remaining 5% is reserved for
regions before that. HKJC’s own management and charity. HKJC generates
HKD1 billion for charity annually.
The Guangzhou Municipal Government made clear in
2016 the necessity of making breakthroughs by successfully In the 13th Five-Year Plan, there is a call to explore
hosting major sports events, creating opportunity for horseracing betting research. Nonetheless, Zeng
international flat racing to come to Guangzhou, as well as Fanrong, founder of Caitong Consultancy, said it would
liaising effectively with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. take a long time for horseracing betting to materialise.
Expert agencies predict that, by 2020, the horseracing
In 2003, Wuhan City began hosting the China Wuhan betting market in China will amount to R MB47.97
International Horseracing Festival. In November 2008, billion. Horseracing betting, along with its influence on
Wuhan’s trial races for the China Open Flat Racing were other businesses, will serve as a major driver of Hainan’s
run, with a purse of RMB120,000. By following the example tourism.
of Hong Kong, the acclaimed ‘First Commercial Horseracing
in China since 1949’ was considered a milestone toward the IMPROVE HAINAN’S SERVICE BUSINESS AND
opening of horseracing betting in China. TOURISM
Horses are the soul of horseracing and they need a
Nevertheless, these explorations were not like horseracing comprehensive support system in terms of breeding and
in Hong Kong, but focused more on races themselves. feeding, all the way to the racetrack. Horseracing has high
Hainan’s exploration of the instant lottery is what Hong standards for horses as well as related services. Hainan’s
Kong is doing and it is another reform of the increasingly plan to promote horseracing will provide new needs for
mature horseracing industry in China. It is learned that local horse breeding and farm maintenance, which is good
horseracing betting has an entire industry chain, such as news for local agriculture.
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