Hong Kong saw no uptick in youth gambling in the last five years while the legalization of football betting since 2003 has diverted over HK$1.58 trillion ($201 billion) in betting turnover to legal channels, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said Wednesday.

Answering a query at the Legislative Council, Mak said the number of youths aged 18 or below made up only 1-2 percent of those who received assistance in the last five years from the four counselling and treatment centers funded by the Ping Wo Fund, which helps city residents with gambling-related problems,

“These data indicate that there has been no substantial change in the prevalence of gambling among young people,” Mak said.

She said data from the Hong Kong Jockey Club also showed that the proportion of bettors in the 18-21 age group has “consistently remained below 2 percent” in the past five years.

Mak was answering questions posed by lawmaker Starry Lee Wai-king, who had raised concerns from the community about the gambling craze intensifying, particularly among the youth, if basketball betting is regulated, even as the SAR government cracks down on illegal gambling.

“As a matter of policy, the government does not encourage gambling,” Mak said.

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To address the possible problems brought by gambling, the SAR government adopts a multi-pronged strategy, including law enforcement against illegal gambling activities, public education about gambling addiction, and counselling and support services, she added.

Mak said restricting betting activities to a limited number of authorized HKJC outlets is meant to address the “actual and persistent public demand for certain gambling activities which is being satisfied by illegal means and the issue cannot be tackled by law enforcement alone.”

She also noted that HKJC data showed that the amount of football betting turnover ranged from HK$92.5 billion to HK$160.3 billion in the past five years.

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“In addition, since the legalization of football betting in 2003, it has diverted back to the legal channel over $1,581 billion of turnover, which would have continued to flow into the unregulated and illegal gambling market without the regulation,” she said.

The SAR government in April launched a public consultation on the proposed regulation of basketball betting activities after members of the public had expressed concerns about the problem in recent years.

Based on the latest assessment of the HKJC, the turnover of illegal basketball betting reached HK$70 billion to HK$90 billion in 2024.