Asia
LONGINES Hong Kong International Races prize money rises to £11.9 million
Prize money for the 2023 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) will be worth an unprecedented £11.9 million (HK$118 million) as the December showpiece meeting continues to host the world’s richest Group 1 turf races over six furlongs (1200m), a mile (1600m) and a mile and a quarter (2000m).
The G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m) – the jurisdiction’s richest race – receives a 5.9% increase to £3.63 million (HK$36 million), the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) is boosted by 8.3% to £2.62 million (HK$26 million), the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) grows by 6.7% to £3.22 million (HK$32 million) and the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m / 1m4f) advances 9.1% to £2.42 million (HK$24 million).
LONGINES Hong Kong International Races | Distance
(metres) |
2022/23
(HK$) |
2023/24 (HK$) |
Increase
(HK$) |
% Increase |
Hong Kong Sprint | 1200 | $24M | $26M | $2M | 8.3% |
Hong Kong Mile | 1600 | $30M | $32M | $2M | 6.7% |
Hong Kong Cup | 2000 | $34M | $36M | $2M | 5.9% |
Hong Kong Vase | 2400 | $22M | $24M | $2M | 9.1% |
Underlining their elite quality, three of last year’s G1 LONGINES HKIR features – the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint – figured in the LONGINES World’s Top 100 G1 Races in 2022.
With the glittering LONGINES HKIR meeting highlighting Hong Kong’s stunning prize money growth, each of the city’s 12 Group 1 races will rise by a minimum of HK$1 million (£100,000) – a combined HK$20 million boost (£2 million) – as part of an overall prize money increase of 10%.
The enhancements cap Hong Kong’s record prize money and incentive structure of an estimated HK$1.73 billion (£174.5 million) across the 2023/24 season.
In addition to the lucrative purses on offer at LONGINES HKIR, Hong Kong will also stage the richest Group 1 turf race over 1400m with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) to carry HK$13 million (£1.31 million) in prize money, while the Club has also lifted Group 2 and Group 3 races to HK$5.35 million (£540,000) and HK$4.2 million (£423,000) – hikes of 7.0% and 7.7%, respectively.
Charlie Appleby has entered four in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m), the final G1 of the Hong Kong season on Sunday 28 May at Sha Tin Racecourse. Global Storm, Rebel’s Romance, Siskany and Yibir could line up in the £1.2 million (HK$12 million) contest over a mile and a half (2400m).
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “The LONGINES Hong Kong International Races continue to be widely recognised as the ‘Turf World Championships’ and the HK$118 million total prize money on offer next season also underscores the Club’s commitment to attracting and rewarding the world’s best horses and their connections.
“With growing competition around the world, it is crucial that Hong Kong’s two international race days – LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and FWD Champions Day – continue to be destinations of choice for owners, trainers and jockeys from around the world.
“As we saw in December with the successful staging of 2022 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and again with the latest wonderful FWD Champions Day meeting, these prestigious international meetings allow us to showcase Hong Kong’s world-class racing on the global stage.”
Including substantial increases to the PP and PPG bonus scheme, Hong Kong’s domestic racing prize money pool will rise by 8% alone next season – with an additional HK$94 million (£9.48 million) on offer – to HK$1.38 billion (£139 million).
“Before the 2022/23 season, we undertook a thorough review of our prize money and incentive structure and decided then to commit to continuous investments into the future, which has resulted once more in the significant prize money and additional incentives outlined over the past two weeks,” said Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“Providing attractive incentives and increasing returns on investments for our Owners are central to these enhancements and we believe that these increases will provide additional support proportionate to their investments.”
As a result of these substantial prize money boosts for 2023/24, the Club has also approved an extension of the closing date for the 2023 Horse Ballot until 5pm Thursday, 11 May.
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Asia
Delasport Signs a Sports Deal with Philippines’ Leading Regulated Operator OKBET
Award-winning iGaming supplier in regulated markets Delasport has just signed a sports deal with Philippines’s number 1 operator OKBET.
The leading software developer will provide sports-services to their new partner, enhancing the experience of sports bettors in the Philippines even further.
“We’re proud to supply our services to such a strong partner as OKBET, and to an exciting and steadily growing market as the Philippines”, Delasport’s CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz comments on the agreement.
Regulated Philippines is marking a stable 5% year-to-year growth with the number of users expected to reach almost 6 million by 2029.
This is yet another deal for Delasport, with the global supplier’s expansion in regulated markets happening at full force.
Same goes for OKBET who have been holding the number one operator spot in iGaming in the Philippines for a long time now.
“I’m excited that OKBET and Delasports are joining forces to redefine the landscape of online sports gaming in the Philippines”, OKBET’s COO Wayne Thong also comments on the deal. “This partnership combines OKBET’s local market expertise with Delasports’ global industry leadership, creating new opportunities for innovation and customer satisfaction. OKBET and Delasports share a common vision for the future: a vibrant and dynamic platform that caters to the diverse interests of sports enthusiasts. By combining cutting-edge technology with a deep understanding of user preferences, this collaboration aims to set new standards for the industry.”
The post Delasport Signs a Sports Deal with Philippines’ Leading Regulated Operator OKBET appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Uzbekistan Legalises Online Betting and Lotteries
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree on April 19 titled “On Measures to Improve the Regulation of the Organization and Conduct of Lotteries and Risk-Based Games in the Republic of Uzbekistan”. The document abolishes the ban starting from January 1, 2025, and introduces a legal framework for the organisation of risk-based games online and betting activities.
The issue of legalising betting activities has been a long-standing topic in Uzbekistan. In December 2019, the president signed a decree to legalise bookmakers, but this decision was revised in April 2022. In April 2023, the head of state instructed the development of a regulatory framework for betting activities.
The National Agency for Advanced Projects (NAAP), the authorised state body for regulating and licensing activities in this sector, provided insights on the necessity of introducing state regulation in the gambling sector in Uzbekistan. The agency emphasised the need to prevent illegal gambling businesses, protect players’ rights and generate additional income for the state budget.
The president’s decree aims to introduce advanced foreign experience and modern technologies in regulating the organisation of risk-based games and lotteries to increase investment attractiveness, tourist potential and attract additional funds to the country.
The measures outlined in the decree include the creation of legal foundations for the legalisation of activities related to risk-based games online, betting activities, and lotteries, implementation of mechanisms to protect citizens’ rights and interests, prevention of gambling addiction and the generation of additional state budget revenue.
Starting from January 1, 2025, a taxation system will be introduced for license holders, where organisers of online games, betting activities and lotteries will pay a turnover tax. This system aims to prevent the concealment of taxable revenue and is expected to generate additional tax revenues for the state budget.
Overall, the implementation of the decree is intended to establish a reliable foundation for the legal regulation of activities related to organising risk-based games online, betting activities and lotteries in Uzbekistan, protect citizens’ interests, combat gambling addiction and provide additional sources of income for the state budget.
The post Uzbekistan Legalises Online Betting and Lotteries appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
Indonesia Establishes Task Force to Combat Online Gambling
Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (Kominfo) has revealed plans to establish a task force to combat online gambling.
In a statement, Kominfo said the task force would comprise representatives of multiple government agencies including the Financial Services Authority (OJK), Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) and the police.
It will also work with Interpol to combat cross-border cases given the government’s lack of past success in blocking foreign operators.
“Kominfo will oversee the digital space, OJK will manage accounts and PPATK will handle fund flows, and the police will carry out arrest and investigation duties,” said Usman Kansong, the Ministry’s Information and Public Communications Director.
Minister Budi Arie said: “The Ministry has also issued a warning to all social media platforms, cellular operators and internet service providers not to facilitate any form of online gambling promotion. We have done everything within the authority of Kominfo.
“We from the Ministry of Communication and Information are fully determined. At the beginning of the week I gathered all our teams at Kominfo to work together to eradicate online gambling.”
The post Indonesia Establishes Task Force to Combat Online Gambling appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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