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Gambling licence fees to be revised
Licence fees covering lotteries, tombolas, amusements with prizes, trade promotion competitions and mahjong/tin kau will be revised from November 9.
Details of the increases are listed in the Gambling (Amendment) Regulation 1995 published in the Gazette today (Friday).
A spokesman for the Home Affairs Branch said it was government policy that fees should in general be set at levels sufficient to recover the full costs of providing the services. He pointed out that the revision of licence fees for lotteries, tombolas, amusements with prizes and trade promotion competitions had been based on inflation only since 1989.
"A recent costing exercise showed that increases are necessary to bring these fees to their full cost," the spokesman said.
As to the licence fee on mahjong/tin kau, the Administration had proposed to raise it to cover the cost increase since its last revision last year, he added.
The new licence fees are set as follows:
Lottery
$2,690
Tombola
$11,000
Amusement with prizes
$2,610
Trade promotion competition
$1,360
Mahjong /tin kau
$985 per table
The spokesman believed that the revised fees would not substantially increase the operating costs of the licensees, adding that charitable organisations would continue to qualify for a waiver or reduction of the fees under section 6 of the Gambling Regulation.
End/Friday, October 6, 1995