New report claims illegal betting has mushroomed during the pandemic
Global business with illegal betting operators, especially those based in Asia but using online facilities to attract customers from around the world including Britain, has mushroomed during the coronavirus pandemic, as punters starved of traditional opportunities flocked to black-market sites offering alternative products.
In Hong Kong alone, illegal betting on horseracing and other sports increased by between ten and 20 per cent in 2020, according to a new report produced by the Asian Racing Federation Council on Anti-illegal Betting & Related Financial Crime.
Council chairman Martin Purbrick, the former director of security and integrity at the Hong Kong Jockey Club who has retained his ARF position following his retirement to his native Scotland last summer, explained: "That's in a single city which has a pretty strong betting market. Based on the evidence of multiple data points, it equates to HK$2-3 billion (£182m-£272m) – and that's profit, not turnover."
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
inFeatures
- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results
- Government says it is working 'at pace' to have white paper measures in force by the summer
- 'The only thing you can do is lie fallow and regroup' - Meades to return with scaled-back operation following blank period
- The Gambling Commission has launched its new corporate strategy - but what are the key points?
- 'It was tragic it happened to Paddy but it was a good thing for the jockeys who followed - good came out of bad'
- Acquisitions, exits and retail resilience - what we learned from Flutter and 888's results