Legislation
Mongolia – Government proposes legalising sports-betting
By Lewis - 13 May 2014
The Mongolia government is to propose new laws that would allow professional horse racing and legalise sports-betting in a move to attract Chinese punters looking for sports-betting activities during the Hong Kong horse racing closed season.
The Mongolian government plans to approach the Hong Kong Jockey Club to utilise their horses and jockeys during the closed season, staging their own horse race meetings. The Hong Kong season commences in September and runs until mid-July. The proposals from the Mongolian Government would take advantage of the two month break to stage race meeting and facilitate sports-betting on races to help generate tax income.
Government officials have stated that the legislation is due to be submitted to parliament in the next three months, and follow the same rules and regulations as the Hong Kong Jockey Club. An element of the new proposals submitted to the Mongolian parliament will specifically relate to online gambling and land-based casinos, although it remains unclear as to the current state of this policy and whether approval will be gained alongside the introduction of horse racing and sports-betting.
