Wagering Increases 3% Over Hong Kong Racing Season

In total, Hong Kong racing fans enjoyed 88 race meetings this season, including seven summer series fixtures, comprising 847 Hong Kong races and 393 overseas simulcast races. Total racing wagering turnover for the season was HK$138.85 billion, representing a 3.0% increase on the 2023/24 season. This is a very encouraging return to growth after the 4.5% decline last season, and reflects the success of strategies introduced last year. The growth in racing turnover was driven primarily by optimised jackpot offerings, improved field sizes, increased Mainland and international sports tourism, and the continued success of globalising Hong Kong Racing via commingling combined with the Club's international simulcast under World Pool Strategy. Hong Kong has developed into a centre of excellence for global racing wagering. Notably, Hong Kong races attracted record commingling turnover of HK$31.76 billion, a 10.1% increase on the 2023/24 season. This strong trend reflects the high profile of Hong Kong racing internationally, with 26 countries and more than 70 partners now commingling on Hong Kong racing. A notable highlight was achieved at the Chinese New Year Raceday in January, with commingling turnover surging by 23.7% to HK$510.4 million, setting a new record in the process and surpassing HK$500 million for the first time. Hong Kong fans were able to enjoy more of the world's finest races this season thanks to the Government's approval of additional simulcasts. The Club offered 393 simulcast races in 2024/25 season, a 7% increase on the 368 during the previous 12 months, with enhanced racing information being provided for overseas customers. The simulcast schedule focused on showcasing the world's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races, highlighting the global nature of Hong Kong wagering. In total, 71 overseas races that had been in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Top 100 at least once during the previous three years were simulcast, up from 61 the previous season. Overall, turnover on simulcasting (including World Pool commingling) for the season was up by 2.3% to HK$13.11 billion. With the approval of the HKSAR Government to progressively increase the number of simulcast events over the coming two racing seasons, starting from 2025/26, the maximum number of simulcast days will be increased from 37 to 53 in 2025/26 and to 70 in 2026/27, while the maximum number of simulcast races will be increased from 25 currently to 40 from 2025/26 and to 55 from 2026/27. This will enable the Club's simulcast fixtures to cover most of the IFHA's World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races and subsequently enhance our ability to combat illegal horse race betting and solidify Hong Kong's position in global horse racing wagering. Through the World Pool, the Club aims to offer global parimutuel wagering with deep liquidity on the very best international races. This season, the number of World Pool races increased from 258 to 296 including, for the first time, all 12 of the Club's Group 1 races as well as top races from New Zealand. Commingling turnover into the World Pool (excluding Club races) recorded an 8.4% increase over last season.