Hong Kong’s world-renowned horse racing will continue to be broadcast in Australia after the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and s36my reached a truce, resolving months of tension sparked by fixed-odds betting promotions.
Hong Kong’s world-renowned horse racing will continue to be broadcast in Australia after the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and s36my reached a truce, resolving months of tension sparked by fixed-odds betting promotions.
HKJC executive director Richard Cheung confirmed that s36my will carry Hong Kong races until the end of the current season under a revised confidentiality agreement. The arrangement prevents a collapse of the partnership, which was initially designed to enhance Hong Kong racing’s global visibility.
The collaboration was originally intended to showcase Hong Kong racing to Australian audiences while boosting overseas betting through TABCorp, Australia’s state-owned betting giant.
Boosting Turnover Through TABCorp
TABCorp’s Sky Channel remains one of Australia’s leading racing broadcasters. Wagers placed by Australian viewers are merged into Hong Kong’s pari-mutuel pools, generating direct revenue for HKJC. In the 2014–15 financial year, combined turnover from TABCorp and partners in New Zealand and South Africa was estimated at HK$34 billion (€3.6 billion).
However, the relationship soured in late 2015, shortly after s36my began coverage. HKJC expressed concern over the heavy presence of CrownBet advertising during broadcasts. Unlike the pari-mutuel system, CrownBet offered fixed-odds betting, from which HKJC received no benefit.
Cheung said such promotions risked misleading viewers and undermining the credibility of Hong Kong racing, as they gave the impression that HKJC endorsed fixed-odds wagering.
CrownBet Ads Spark Tensions
The HKJC viewed CrownBet’s marketing on s36my as contrary to the spirit of the partnership, stressing its longstanding opposition to fixed-odds betting linked to its races.
The dispute escalated when Sky Channel briefly blocked s36my’s Hong Kong feeds. Combined with HKJC’s frustration over lost revenue to non-pool operators, the deal appeared on the verge of collapse.
