Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak on Sunday said the government is likely to issue a basketball betting licence to the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Her remarks came after 94 percent of over 1,000 participants in a public consultation said they backed such a move.

Speaking after a radio programme, Mak said the government does not encourage gambling but that it also wanted to divert money away from illegal betting.

“We can see it as the last resort when the illegal gambling problem is so serious that we need to channel the illegal gambling to a regulated gambling regime,” she said.

Mak said she would report on the public consultation results and the government's next step, to the Legislative Council’s Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports on Monday.