The CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has opined that mainland China could one day allow betting on horse racing, via a lottery.
In comments to the South China Morning Post, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges stated “When you look carefully in the National Equine Industry Development Plan, there is one passage which says there could be, maybe in a pilot zone, a horse race sports lottery”.
This was in response to an inquiry as to whether the HKJC could host betting in Hong Kong based upon races being held at the Conghua Racecourse, located in nearby Guangzhou.
The track was opened in August of 2018 and is the first ‘world-class racecourse and thoroughbred training center in the Mainland’, according to the HKJC. It operates as part of a ‘dual-site model’ in conjunction with the training center in Hong Kong’s Sha Tin area.
Its opening was timed perfectly, ahead of the National Equine Industry Development Plan (2020-2025), with the HKJC offering guidance to mainland Chinese authorities in their expansion of horse racing standards and horse welfare.
Now, it could lead the way in integrating horse racing into the sports lottery.
Speaking to the SCMP, Engelbrecht-Breges noted that “one of the key elements of the sport is you have to demonstrate you have the highest integrity, because this is one of the biggest concerns – that you have a sport, who could be maybe linked to a sports lottery, who has integrity issues.”
The HKJC CEO opined that there would be a “racing and breeding industry in China, […] in five years, 10 years [or] 15 years,” furthering that the HKJC has “had visits from very senior people who looked at how we manage integrity. How we are able to manage what happens in illegal markets on our races and how we have integrity as a key value proposition in our apprentice training”.
Looking ahead, the HKJC CEO notes that there will be a quarantine facility ready in Conghua in 2027, “which will enable the export of horses from Hong Kong into China. He opines that later the “best horses” could utilize the quarantine station, allowing them to run in Conghua, Happy Valley and Sha Tin.
“With this, we could create a massive stimulus of a racing and breeding industry. You could have auctions on these horses. This is why we think long term”.
Conghua is currently set to start its horse racing program in April of 2026, with up to six race meetings per season, indicates Engelbrecht-Breges. This will be accompanied by equestrian programs every weekend and other entertainment. “It’s a destination,” he indicated to the SCMP.
The HKJC has invested some HK$8.5 billion ($1.09 billion) into the transformation of Conghua into a racecourse since 2015 in a bid to promote the sport and possibly open up betting options.
