{"id":307220,"date":"2024-01-19T10:30:45","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T16:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=307220"},"modified":"2024-01-19T11:01:42","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T17:01:42","slug":"horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Macau Horse Racing to End as Jockey Club Calls it a Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Macau<\/a> government has announced the termination of its contract with the Macau Jockey Club (MJC), effectively ending horse racing in the gambling hub.<\/p>\n

\"Macau
Macau\u2019s Taipa Racecourse, pictured, will be returned to the government and repurposed once racing ceases for good at the end of March this year. (Image: Sky Racing World)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng Chon told reporters this week the termination was by mutual consent and would be effective as of April 1. The Macau Horse Racing Company, which runs MJC, has been experiencing financial difficulties since the pandemic. It asked the government to be freed from the contract last year.<\/p>\n

Cheong cited the \u201cimpossibility of aligning horse racing activities with the current developmental needs of society.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering that these activities have progressively lost their appeal to local residents and tourists in recent years, the government, after thorough research, decided to accept the application from the Macau Horse Race Company,\u201d he said Monday.<\/p>\n

The land presently occupied by the club, including the Taipa Racecourse, will be returned to the government, which has no plans to offer tenders for racing in the future.<\/p>\n

Financial Trouble<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The writing had been on the wall for some time. In 2022, the club reported accumulated losses of US$261 million, and it had recently been forced to shave the number of races from 15 per day to just five because of its weak financial position.<\/p>\n

Despite the diminishing popularity of horse racing in the gambling hub, MJC remains one of Macau\u2019s biggest private employers with around 800 full-time workers and 300 part-timers. The government said these employees would receive severance pay in accordance with the law.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, MJC has agreed to transport its horses to other locations by March 31 next year.<\/p>\n

\n

The jockey club signed a 24-year contract with the government in 2018. At the time, it pledged to invest millions into improving infrastructure and expanding its offerings, none of which materialized.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cheong said the government will research possible other uses for the facilities. Lawmakers have previously raised the possibility that the track could be transformed into a stadium for international sports events.<\/p>\n

44-Year Monopoly <\/strong><\/h2>\n

MJC has held the exclusive rights to offer horse racing and horse betting in Macau since its formation in 1980. The club was initially formed as the Macau Trotting Club with the aim of popularizing harness racing in Asia. But harness racing failed to take off in the region and the club pivoted to thoroughbred racing.<\/p>\n

In 1991, it was acquired by the Macau Horse Racing Company, a consortium led by late gambling tycoon Stanley Ho<\/a>, who held the casino monopoly in Macau until 2002.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Macau government has announced the termination of its contract with the Macau Jockey Club (MJC), effectively ending horse racing in the gambling hub. Secretary for Administration and Justice Cheong Weng Chon told reporters this week the termination was by mutual consent and would be effective as of April 1. The Macau Horse Racing Company, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":307221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69069,14577],"tags":[89526,89527,89528],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHorse Racing to End in Macau as Jockey Club Calls it a Day<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Macau Jockey Club contract to supply Macau horse racing has been terminated by the government. 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All racing will cease from April 1.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-19T16:30:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-19T17:01:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taipa.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@casinoorgphilc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philip Conneller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/\",\"name\":\"Horse Racing to End in Macau as Jockey Club Calls it a Day\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/horse-racing-to-end-in-macau-as-jockey-club-calls-it-a-day\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Taipa.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-19T16:30:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-19T17:01:42+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/58769b72851c8cf117fb58ca150ebf8b\"},\"description\":\"Macau Jockey Club contract to supply Macau horse racing has been terminated by the government. 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