The government on Tuesday said it will launch a new booking system for sports facilities later this year, and that the allocations for some facilities will be by balloting to prevent touting.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said from October, members of the public can book sports and recreation facilities online or through a mobile app.

It said users can start creating an account for themselves on the new SmartPLAY system from July 3.

The acting director of the department, Winnie Chui, said under a new arrangement, football pitches will be allocated through balloting rather than first-come-first-served.

“We realise that football pitches, in particular the grass turfs, is one of the most popular venues subject to touting activities," she said.

"There are other measures to prevent touting, for example, we will set a quota for booking under each person every day so that will release more slots for booking by different users."

Chui said the system will require real-name registration and people need to declare that the booking will not be transferred to other people.

She warned that violators may face imprisonment of up to 14 years under the Theft Ordinance.