Legislator Vincent Cheng Wing-shun seeks tighter control on betting by youngsters as soccer gambling turnover looks set to overtake spending on horses

Hong Kong people love the 2018 World Cup, one of the most celebrated global events, more so because they enjoy predicting match results. However, this hobby is challenging; no one expected Germany to drop out at group stage and England to advance to the semi-finals. As a result, many lost their money in gambles, some of whom are teens without income. In extreme cases, youngsters not only built up huge debts by gambling but also committed suicide in an attempt to dodge them.

The number of teens gambling on soccer is on the rise. In May, I filed a written question on curbing gambling among adolescents in the Legislative Council. The government response reveals that in recent years, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's soccer betting income has risen considerably, to HK$92.7 billion during the 2016-17 period, up about 7 percent from the previous year. This amount comprises almost half the Jockey Club's betting turnover and is swiftly closing in on the amount bet on horses.

Hence it comes as no surprise that the Jockey Club is introducing new types of gambling for soccer such as betting on the total number of goals scored and whether the amount of goals scored is an odd or even number. The Jockey Club has further expanded its gambling matches to include those from the sub-league and enabled online betting. In the middle of last month, I - together with the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Family Affairs Committee - released a survey on Hong Kong people's gambling habits. It shows that one out of three people have gambled and 10 percent of youngsters under 18 have already bet on soccer games. Moreover, a third of the interviewees said they would bet during the World Cup, 28 percent of whom planned to bet HK$1,000 to HK$4,999 while almost one-tenth planned a HK$5,000 to HK$10,000 punt. Slightly over half, meanwhile, are in favor of raising the legal betting age to 21, with 19 percent against the notion and a third with no opinion.

In order to curb this increasingly prevalent issue, we need to adopt a multi-pronged approach.

First of all, the administration must recognize the issue's severity. I proposed to raise the legal gambling age to 21 so teens would be less likely to incur gambling debts. The government, however, is worried that the suggestion would encourage those aged 18 to 21 to resort to illegal gambling. In order to formulate more effective solutions, the administration should commission studies on the current situation such as what are the gamblers' ages and gambling habits. Further and equally importantly, the government ought to enhance anti-gambling publicity. Instead of advertising on TV and public transport, officials may consider other forms of media more frequently visited by youngsters such as YouTube and Facebook so more can receive the message.

During competition seasons, it is necessary for the police to strengthen methods to combat illegal gambling. Since some illegal gambling organizations are headquartered outside Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Police Force needs to enhance their cooperation with Interpol to collect related intelligence. Another shocking finding by our survey is that more than 80 percent of interviewees are not aware of the Ping Wo Fund. This fund subsidizes preventive measures against gambling; it needs to further advertise the harm of gambling and raise its reputation by appointing a mascot with a healthy and positive public image. The Jockey Club, as a charitable organization, should stop viewing its gambling income as a business. Besides warning visitors to its website not to gamble illegally, it should also state the harm of gambling, especially to financially dependent teens so they will not be cornered by debts. On the same note, the Jockey Club ought to set a gambling limit to control betting impulses and gradually cancel addictive gambling modes, such as instant betting through smartphone applications.

"Enjoy the game, say no to gambling", the World Cup is not the only soccer competition which teens place bets on; I hope the community can pay closer attention to this issue and provide greater support to our future pillars.

(HK Edition 07/13/2018 page12)