HONG KONG: AROUND 80,000 PEOPLE TURN UP FOR THE BIGGEST PAY-OUT IN THE HISTORY OF HORSERACING IN HONG KONG

Record ID: 646185

  • Title: HONG KONG: AROUND 80,000 PEOPLE TURN UP FOR THE BIGGEST PAY-OUT IN THE HISTORY OF HORSERACING IN HONG KONG
  • Date: 15th June 1997
  • Summary: HONG KONG (JUNE 15, 1997) 1. START OF RACE 2. CROWD WATCHING 3. MAN PEERING THROUGH BINOCULARS 4. RACE PROPER 5. HUGE BOARD SHOWING TOTAL WINS AND OTHER FIGURES 6. TV MONITOR SHOWING TOTAL WINS 7. MAN LOOKING UP AT THE MONITOR 8. PEOPLE LOOKING UP AT THE MONITOR INSIDE THE BETTING AREA 9. MAN LOOKING AT MONITOR 10. MAN ON THE FLOOR, READING BETS 11. MAN PLACING BET AT THE COUNTER 12. PEOPLE QUEUING UP FOR SELF VENDING TERMINAL 13. MAN LOOKING AT RACE LIST 14. RACE LIST 15. PEOPLE WATCHING THE RACE AT THE STADIUM 16. HORSES CROSSING THE FINISH LINE 17. VINCENT WONG, SAYING : "I JUST WANT TO WIN SOME MONEY. THAT'S THE MAIN PURPOSE." (ENGLISH) 18. BILL CHUNG SAYING : "IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT. BUT IT'S THE LAST RACE OF THE SEASON SO WHY NOT." (ENGLISH) 19. PEOPLE WATCHING THE RACE 20. HORSES CROSSING THE FINISH LINE 21. HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB OFFICIALS POSING WITH THE WINNERS 22. HUGE BILLBOARD SHOWING TOTAL WINS 23. BILL BOARD AND EMPTY RACE TRACK Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 30th June 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: HONG KONG
  • City:
  • Country: Hong Kong
  • Reuters ID: LVACIAJCH7W9CUY86HHTDT4B0E2S
  • Story Text: Around 80,000 people turned up for the biggest pay-out in the history of horseracing in Hong Kong on Sunday (June 15).

    The Hong Kong Jockey Club will pay more than 400 million Hong Kong dollars or 51.6 million U.S. dollars to holders of a 10 Hong Kong dollars (1.30 U.S. dollars) winning ticket for a Triple Trio wager.

    The South China Morning Post Sunday edition said the pot could reach a world record 700 million Hong Kong dollars (90.5 million U.S. dollars) by the start of the races in the afternoon.

    The races at Sha Tin are also the last before Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule at midnight on June 30, ending more than 150 years of colonial rule.

    The Jockey Club, which has a monopoly on gambling in the British colony, already had a staggering Triple Trio pool of 435.8 million Hong Kong dollars by Saturday night, the newspaper said.

    To win the Triple Trio, punters must choose the first three horses across the line in any order in three selected races, a wager that has more than 48 million possibilities.

    Dreams of winning the huge purse has gripped the territory, leading to long queues at Jockey Club off-track betting outlets on Saturday.

    The races are the only legal outlet for a flutter in gambling-mad Hong Kong. The track is one of the biggest businesses in the territory of 6.4 million people, outperforming some weighty blue-chip stocks in turnover.

    Betting turnover in the 1995/96 season was 80 billion Hong Kong dollars (11 billion U.S. dollars) believed the highest per capita in the world.


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