Seven people have been arrested for alleged involvement in illegal bookmaking and betting at the Happy Valley Racecourse this month.

The arrests were made following complaints by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Their arrests happened a day after the start of an anti-triad operation between July 7 and 20 that saw raids carried out on several locations, and the seizure of drugs worth about HK$500,000, as well as 78 arrests.

The 78 – aged 16 to 68 – were alleged to be involved in crimes such as operating unlawful gambling establishments, claiming to be a member of a triad society and money laundering.

Chief Inspector Lo Kin-pong said on Tuesday the Happy Valley Racecourse operation was made on July 8 and that one of the seven men arrested was a local, with the rest from the mainland who were here on two-way permits.

"Our investigations showed that from 2025, the suspects had consistently reserved seats in relatively secluded sections of the grandstand on race days to openly engage in illegal gambling inside the racecourse by using their phones to place bets with offshore betting sites," he said.

The seven suspects were released on bail, with investigations on whether they are controlled by a criminal syndicate still ongoing.

Officers also raided a gambling establishment in a residential unit in North Point.

Lo said the unit is believed to be controlled by triads and that preliminary investigations suggested that gambling activities at the site involved more than HK$400,000 per month.


Edited by Aaron Tam