SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Hong Kong gaming regulators will not follow the recently implemented Singapore measures relating to the blocking of access to unlicensed online gambling sites.
The Hong Kong Bureau of Home Affairs told local media outlets, that it did not intend to follow Singaporean practices with regards to the policing and monitoring of online gambling in the region.
The Bureau wished to separate itself from unpopular internet policies with regards to citizen privacy, which have proved polemic in other Asian states. A Bureau statement said that sufficient legislation was in place for Hong Kong to not follow Singapore’s practices.
A spokesperson commented “Respecting freedom to access information, we do not block one’s internet access, We have adopted a multipronged strategy which includes regulation, law enforcement, public education and provision of counselling and treatment services.”
The decision not to follow Singapore’s lead and block access to unlicensed gambling websites, has come under fire from political and business section of Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Director of Security and Integrity Martin Purbrick commented on record that Hong Kong citizens lose HK$12 million (£1 million) a year betting online and that the business was key to the “international expansion and legitimisation of organised crime within the region”.
The Hong Kong Bureau of Home Affairs stated that it remained concerned with illegal gambling, but that it would look to tackle the issue using other more effective measures. The Bureau had implemented blocking of websites in the past, blocking a reported 100 unlicensed gambling sites targeting Hong Kong citizens.
