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Recreation, Sport, Culture and the Arts
In 2018-19, the club returned 78.1 per cent of its wagering and lottery revenue to Hong Kong, paying $23.3 billion in tax and approving $4.3 billion in donations to 294 charity and community projects. It is the territory's largest single taxpayer.
These returns, which set a new record for the club, are the result of a systematic strategy to bring world-class racing to Hong Kong. Today, Hong Kong is home to 12 international Group One races, including the Hong Kong International Races, widely recognised as the Turf World Championships, and Champions Day, which enjoyed a highly successful second edition in 2019. Ten of these races ranked in the World's Top 100 Group One/Grade One Races for 2019, with five being in the top 25. Hong Kong also had 20 horses in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2019, including Beauty Generation, the world's top miler.
The success of the club's strategy is manifest in the growing popularity of Hong Kong racing. overseas, with commingling, first introduced in 2014-15, accounting for 15 per cent of total racing turnover in 2018-19. With partners in 14 countries and jurisdictions, Hong Kong is fast emerging as a global hub for commingling.
Laying the foundation for the next phase of growth is Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou. Opened in 2018, it provides state-of-the-art training and care to the club's horses. Conghua also has great potential to support development of the equine industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The club is authorised by the government to provide responsible horse racing and football wagering services and to operate the Mark Six lottery. In doing so, it helps meet public demand for betting and assists the government in combating illegal gambling. It holds the highest Level 4 accreditation under the World Lottery Organisation's Responsible Gambling Framework.
The club's business success has enabled the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to quadruple its donations over the last 11 years. It is now one of the world's top 10 charity donors. In 2018-19, the club donated 95 per cent of its operating surplus after tax to the trust.
These donations contribute to 10 areas of social need: arts, culture and heritage; education and training; elderly services; emergency and poverty relief; environmental protection; family services; medicine and health; rehabilitation; sports and recreation; and youth development.
One major project, the restoration of the Central Police Station compound and its revitalisation as Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts, celebrated its first anniversary in 2019. With 3.4 million visitors in its first year, Tai Kwun also received the Award of Excellence, the highest possible, in the 2019 Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Drawing on its sporting expertise, the club promotes community football and equestrian sport. Notably, club-supported riders won gold for Hong Kong at the 2018 Asian Games and a gold, three silvers and a bronze at the 2019 FEI Asian Championships.
The club looks forward to more sporting success and, above all, to maintaining its support for the betterment of society, which is, and always will be, its purpose.
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