Hong Kong Gambling Laws: What Is Prohibited and What Is Licensed

Is Online Gambling Legal in Hong Kong?

Is online gambling legal in Hong Kong? Hong Kong gambling laws start from a prohibition: under the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148), gambling is unlawful except where the Ordinance provides otherwise. The licences that the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108) provides for do not cover casino games, online or offline, so no online casino holds a Hong Kong licence.

The legal status of online gambling therefore does not turn on whether a website can be reached from Hong Kong. A site that loads has gained no authorisation by doing so, and a licence issued in another jurisdiction is not a Hong Kong licence. Among online gambling laws by country, Hong Kong is one of the places where gambling is prohibited by default and licences are granted for named activities, none of them a casino game.

What the Law Says

Gambling laws in Hong Kong rest on two pieces of legislation with different roles. The Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148) sets the prohibition and the offences, while the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108) holds the powers to license specified betting and lotteries. A question about legality therefore needs both texts: the first says what is forbidden and who commits an offence, the second what can be licensed and by whom.

So is gambling legal in Hong Kong? According to the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, all gambling activities are illegal except those expressly authorised by the Government, and the policy is to restrict gambling to a limited number of authorised and regulated outlets. Legality therefore depends on an express authorisation, which the Government grants to a short list of named activities.

The Gambling Ordinance also reaches people who never take or place a bet. Section 16B makes it an offence to knowingly promote or facilitate bookmaking or betting with a bookmaker, other than lawful betting, and section 16C counts advertising as promotion. Publishing an advertisement for bookmaking is therefore a form of promotion under the Ordinance, so the offence is not confined to the bookmaker and the bettor.

Online Gambling Restrictions in Hong Kong

Online gambling restrictions in Hong Kong begin with the definition of bookmaking. Taking bets as a business includes doing so over the Internet, and receiving outside Hong Kong a bet placed from Hong Kong is an offence. A bookmaker whose office or servers are abroad does not take an Internet bet from Hong Kong outside the Ordinance by being located elsewhere, since the offence turns on a bet placed from Hong Kong.

The person placing the bet is covered too. Under section 8 of the Gambling Ordinance, a person who bets with a bookmaker commits an offence, whether the bet is received within or outside Hong Kong. That offence is the bettor’s own, separate from the bookmaker’s, so a bet placed from Hong Kong with a bookmaker based elsewhere is prohibited on both sides of the transaction.

Access to a website is a separate matter from its legality. In a 2024 reply to the Legislative Council, the Government said it would ask telecommunications providers to help block and filter suspicious calls and website links. Betting websites and online casinos that have not been blocked gain no legal standing from that, just as being reachable from Hong Kong is not an authorisation.

Which Forms of Gambling Are Licensed in Hong Kong?

In practice, the authorised forms of gambling in Hong Kong are horse racing betting, football betting and the Mark Six Lottery. They rest on the Betting Duty Ordinance (Cap. 108), under which the Secretary may license a company to conduct betting on horse races, football matches and basketball matches, and to conduct lotteries. None of these categories is a casino game, whether the game is dealt at a table or, as how online casinos work shows, run from a website.

Horse Racing Betting

Horse racing betting is one of the authorised forms of gambling in Hong Kong. It rests on the licence the Secretary may issue under the Betting Duty Ordinance for betting on horse races, a category the Ordinance lists on its own, separately from football, basketball and lotteries. The authorisation is for that activity, so it does not extend to betting on other kinds of event or to other forms of gambling.

Football Betting

Football betting is the second authorised form of betting on sport. The Betting Duty Ordinance gives it a licence category of its own, betting on football matches, separate from horse races and from basketball. The permission is tied to football rather than to sports betting in general, so the authorised status of football betting does not carry over to matches in other sports that the Ordinance does not name.

Mark Six Lottery

The Mark Six Lottery is the authorised form of gambling that is not a bet on sport. It falls under the lottery licence of the Betting Duty Ordinance, which allows the Secretary to license a company to conduct lotteries. The lottery licence is a category of its own, separate from the betting licences for horse races, football and basketball, so the authorised status of the Mark Six rests on that licence alone.

Basketball Betting

A 2025 amendment to the Betting Duty Ordinance allows the Secretary to license betting on basketball matches. The amendment creates a power to license, which is a different thing from a licence in use. The forms of gambling authorised in practice are horse racing betting, football betting and the Mark Six Lottery, a list in which basketball betting does not appear alongside the other two sports.

Responsible Gambling

Responsible gambling starts with protecting essential spending, time and personal wellbeing, rather than measuring how much a person wins or loses. Personal limits should leave housing, food, bills and other commitments untouched. A person can use responsible gambling tools to reinforce those boundaries, but gambling should stop when the activity begins to affect finances, sleep, mood or relationships.

Limits, self-exclusion and blocking software serve different purposes, so the choice depends on whether a person needs boundaries or a stronger barrier. Knowing what self-exclusion is helps distinguish a restriction on participation from a spending limit, and how to block gambling sites covers the barrier that sits on a device rather than in an account. The coverage and conditions of each measure differ.

Money and time boundaries need to be decided away from the pressure of a gambling session. A spending limit should reflect an amount a person can lose without affecting essential commitments, not an amount they expect to recover. A time boundary should also protect rest and responsibilities. Repeatedly changing either boundary during play is a reason to stop and reassess.

Recognising a pattern matters more than waiting for a dramatic financial loss. Gambling may already be causing harm when a person feels preoccupied, conceals activity or struggles to keep ordinary commitments, and nobody needs every sign, or a diagnosis, to decide that stopping is necessary. The following behaviours can be signs of gambling-related harm; they are not a diagnosis:

• Continuing to gamble after losses in an attempt to recover the money.
• Spending beyond a planned limit or using money needed for essential expenses.
• Hiding gambling activity, spending or losses from other people.
• Missing work, household tasks or other daily responsibilities because of gambling.
• Experiencing disrupted sleep, persistent worry or conflict linked to gambling.

Gambling Self-Exclusion Explained

Self-exclusion is a responsible gambling measure intended to create a barrier between a person and gambling. A person requests exclusion from gambling covered by a particular arrangement, rather than relying solely on a decision to stop. The purpose is harm reduction, but the protection depends on the arrangement’s scope and conditions, so self-exclusion is best understood through its specific terms, without assuming universal coverage or a guaranteed outcome.

Scope and conditions deserve attention before a person relies on an exclusion: which gambling activities and services it covers, whether it applies across channels, how long it lasts and how it can end. A restriction covering one service should not be treated as covering every other service or form of gambling, and a fixed exclusion period is distinct from any conditions that apply after it ends.

Self-exclusion can support a decision to stop, but enrolling is not proof that gambling-related harm has ended. If a restriction does not work as expected, the response should focus on protection rather than on testing its limits. Any decision taken after an exclusion ends deserves a look back at the original reasons for stopping, not simply at the time that has passed.

Gambling Blocking Software

Gambling blocking software can add a practical barrier between an urge to gamble and opening an online gambling website. The purpose is to make acting on that urge less immediate, rather than relying entirely on a decision made in the moment. As part of responsible gambling, a blocker is an additional protective measure, not a replacement for help with gambling harm.

The scope of a blocker depends on the particular software and its settings, and a restriction on one device should not be assumed to cover every device a person uses. Before choosing one, it is worth checking what it is intended to block, whether it supports the devices in use, what permissions it requests and whether any charge applies, since none of these can be assumed across all blockers.

Blocking software does not resolve the distress or circumstances behind an urge to gamble, so the barrier works best alongside human support. A person who continues to feel pressure to gamble can seek help while the software remains active. Difficulty keeping a block in place is a reason to strengthen support, rather than a test of willpower or a sign that the software alone should be enough.

Seeking Support for Gambling Harm

You do not need to wait for severe financial consequences before seeking support for gambling harm. A conversation is appropriate whenever gambling is causing concern, even if you are unsure how to describe the problem. Responsible gambling includes recognising when support is needed, rather than treating every difficulty as something to manage alone. You can begin by explaining what is worrying you and what you would like to change.

Choose a trusted person who can listen without turning the conversation into blame or an argument about money. Ask for a quiet moment and explain whether you want someone to listen, help arrange an appointment or provide practical support. You might say, “I am worried about my gambling and would like help talking it through.” If the first conversation feels unhelpful, another trusted person is a valid next step.

Before speaking with a qualified healthcare professional, consider writing down how gambling fits into your daily life, what feels difficult and whether you have already tried to change anything. You do not need to diagnose yourself first. During the appointment, ask about suitable next steps, whether specialist gambling support would be appropriate and how confidentiality works, and raise any concerns about cost before agreeing to a plan.

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