Chapter 1208 – Hong Kong Jockey Club (II)
“Dad, what does this Jockey Club do? Specializing in horse racing?”
After Zhuang Rui heard the name of the Jockey Club from the mouth of the fourth wife the day before yesterday, he kept hearing people mention it, even Qin Xuan Bing had said it in his ear a few times, taking this opportunity, Zhuang Rui asked.
“Well, it’s also correct to say that it’s specifically in charge of horse racing, but it’s a non-profit club organization that has great influence in Hong Kong, and it can be said that if anything goes wrong in Hong Kong on the day of the race, it’s no less than a magnitude seven earthquake.”
Qin Haoran gave Zhuang Rui some answers, in Hong Kong, horse racing has penetrated into the heart of every Hong Kong citizen, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, is the creator and organizer of this movement.
Hong Kong Jockey Club approved by the Hong Kong government, specializing in Hong Kong horse racing charitable organizations, the establishment of the early horse racing activities for the amateur nature, since 1971, Hong Kong horse racing to professional activities, now the Hong Kong Jockey Club held about 700 races each year, respectively, in Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourse.
In addition to on-track betting, the HKJC also accepts off-track, telephone and self-service terminal bets, with more than 100 off-track betting centers and over 1 million telephone betting accounts. Perhaps the popularity of horse racing in Hong Kong can be better illustrated from the following figures.
During the 2001-2002 season, the HKJC had 1,144 owners, 24 trainers, 35 jockeys and 1,435 racehorses, and the total horse racing turnover for the year was HK$71 billion.
Excluding the $58 billion payout and $9.5 billion betting duty, the Jockey Club’s revenue was about HK$3.9 billion. The betting duty paid by the HKJC amounted to 11.7% of Hong Kong’s tax revenue. It is not an exaggeration to say that the betting duty paid by the HKJC supports the operation of the Hong Kong Government’s work to a large extent.
After deducting the operating expenses from the proceeds of the HKJC, all the surplus will be managed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust under the HKJC, which will mainly be used for sports, recreation and culture, education, social services and medical purposes.
If you are unemployed in Hong Kong, you can receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA), and if you seek medical treatment in Hong Kong, as long as you have a Hong Kong Identity Card and a medical card, all diagnoses, examinations and medicines are free of charge, including visits to psychologists, and all these services are provided thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s charitable funds.
“Incredible, this is the real take from the people and use for the people ah?”
Zhuang Rui knew that Hong Kong’s public welfare treatment was very good, but he could not imagine that all these treatments actually came from the gaming industry?
Compared to those casino tycoons in Macau who pocket the money they win from betting, Hong Kong’s approach is undoubtedly more capable of sustaining this betting sport for a long time, for the simple reason that all the people involved in betting and gambling understand that even if they lose their money, in the end it will still benefit them. It can be said that horse racing in Hong Kong is probably the only gambling sport in the world that is welcomed by all the people.
In Hong Kong, there is even a horse racing museum, which covers an area of more than 600 ping, and the exhibition hall will show short videos of the lives of the early Chinese Mongolian ponies that traveled south from the north to Hong Kong and the Australian horses every day without interruption.
Visitors to the museum can design their own jockey’s colorful clothes at the “Color Coat Design Station” and take photos to remember the occasion. In addition, they can also taste what it’s like to be the owner of a champion horse at the “Moment of Splendor”, where they can take a photo of the horse pulling the lead.
Many factors have made Hong Kong horse racing more and more important to the world horse racing community. Every year, some races are classified as international races, attracting a large number of horse racing experts from all over the world to come to participate in the races with their own BMWs.
This also makes Hong Kong is gradually becoming a center of the world horse racing, and to go to the racecourse to watch horse racing, has become a must-see excursion project for foreign tourists who come to Hong Kong.
“Dad, seeing as you are so proficient in horse racing, do you often gamble? Mom, don’t you care?”
Qin Haoran’s excitement when he introduced horse racing to Zhuang Rui was very different from his usual elegant image, Zhuang Rui really couldn’t imagine what the old man would look like when he was excitedly waving the lottery ticket.
Before Zhuang Rui’s words fell, Qin Xuanbing beamed and said: “My mom? She doesn’t care, when I was a kid at home, the two of them, in addition to work, their free time is used to bet on horse racing, that would be my mom is even better than my dad!”
“This …… this, cough cough, Xuan Bing, not allowed to talk about mom and dad like that.”
Zhuang Rui pretended to say Qin Xuan Bing, out of the mouth to the mother-in-law to relieve the siege, but the smile on his lips, but revealed his heart.
“This child, still remembers that time, now your father is already a member of the Horse Club, when Xuan Bing his grandfather retires, it’s very likely that he’ll be elected as a director of the Horse Club.”
Although Zhuang Rui’s mother-in-law was scolding her daughter, she couldn’t help but show a trace of pride on her face when she said that her husband would be a director of the Horse Club.
Zhuang Rui was a bit unimpressed by what he heard and spoke, “A director of the Horse Society? A director of a charity organization shouldn’t have much to do, right?”
After hearing Zhuang Rui’s words, Qin Haoran immediately could not sit still, as if Zhuang Rui looked down on the director, he more loss of face in general, at that moment also do not care in front of Zhuang Rui to maintain the image of the elders, opened his mouth and said: “Hey, I say small Rui, this director is not the average person can be, the old man is also in recent years when the director, I estimate that I still have to wait a few years. ”
“Yeah! Xiao Rui, that’s because you don’t understand the composition of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, these directors are not ordinary people.”
Mother-in-law was also very dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui’s words, and at that moment gave Zhuang Rui another popularization of the composition of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
In Hong Kong, Hong Kong Jockey Club by the board of directors, the board of directors to the chairman as the head, a total of 12 in Hong Kong prestigious directors, each director is obliged to serve, and does not receive honorarium.
The day-to-day management of the Club is carried out by a Management Committee under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer. The Club is the largest employment organization in Hong Kong, employing 4,150 full-time and 14,000 part-time staff.
Someone once said jokingly that the largest association in Hong Kong is not the Triad, but the Jockey Club, which is truly the number one power in Hong Kong.
The members of the board of directors of the Jockey Club, as Qin Haoran said, are not ordinary people who can serve on the board, including the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Donald Tsang, the Chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings, Li Ka-shing, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Yam Chi-kwong, the Chairman of Sun Hung Kai, Walter Kwok Ping-sheung, the Chairman of CITIC Pacific, Ronald Luong Chi Kin, and other leaders of the business and political sectors.
Not to mention the directors of the Board of Directors, even the Club membership is highly respected, members applying for membership, are required to be recommended by the selection of members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Club a total of 200 selection of members, the number of members recommended each year have a limit.
Members in addition to having competition horses, but also in the comfortable environment of the Twin Fish River Country Club to enjoy the fun of horseback riding, Justice Lee Kwok-nang, Legislative Council President Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, university presidents, doctors, and other social sages are members of the Horse Club.
When he heard this, Zhuang Rui couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cool air, “Boy, this is simply a net of Hong Kong’s upper class, if the development doesn’t work, that’s really no God!”
Compared to Superman Lee those super rich people in Hong Kong, Qin old man can become a board director, it is really not easy, whether it is from the family wealth or social influence to judge, Qin’s jewelry than those who can be called the business leaders of the Chinese circle but it is far from it.
“Okay, Zhuang Rui, don’t listen to the two of them in that talk about horse scripture, three days and three nights are not tired of talking, go, let’s take Timur big brother and Qiqiqi go to their room to see, these days are nothing, let’s have a good time in Hong Kong.”
Sitting on the side of Qin Xuan Bing a little impatient parents say horse betting things, afraid that Zhuang Rui also became a gambler, only she does not know, if Zhuang Rui set his mind to gambling, it is estimated that before he dies, no one can call it the King of Gamblers again.
Of course, there is another possibility, that is Zhuang Rui domination of the gambling world in a few years, will be assassinated, but where fishing for the side door of the line, there are not many people can end well.
Especially in the eyes of Zhuang Rui, some strange and inexplicable, he dared not do something against heaven and things, even if from the gambling table to win some money, Zhuang Rui also most of them are dispersed, the reason why he agreed to participate in the opening ceremony of the new gambling company, in fact, or stored another mind.
Zhuang Rui, who had always been responsive to Qin Xuan Bing’s requests, shook his head and said, “Xuan Bing, you first take Brother Timur and Qiqiqi upstairs, Mom and Dad and I still have to talk about some business matters.”
“Alright! But you’re not allowed to bet on horses.”
Qin Xuan Bing stood up and glared at Zhuang Rui, before taking her son and daughter who were tired of playing and Timur and the two of them upstairs, it seems that what happened when she was a child has left a deep shadow in Qin Xuan Bing’s heart.
“Xiao Rui? What is the matter ah? Is not the hand funds are tight?”
Hear Zhuang Rui want to talk about business with himself, Qin Haoran a little surprised, Qin’s jewelry and Zhuang Rui does not have any business dealings, in the domestic diamond import and export business after liberalization, even the capital “Qin Ruilin” store, in the past few years are independent procurement, rarely by the Qin’s jewelry to provide sources of goods.
“Dad, what do you think of the three new companies that have been added to Macau?”
Macau has always had only two kinds of companies, one is a finance company, that is, loan sharks, and the other is naturally a gambling company, Zhuang Rui believes that his old husband can understand his words.
“You’re talking about the three companies that newly got their gambling licenses?”
After Qin Haoran thought for a while, he said, “Macau’s regulation of the gaming industry has been very effective over the past few years, as long as you can get a gambling license, it’s definitely a sure thing, Xiao Rui, are you worried about the shares inside that company?”
Zhuang Rui shook his head and said, “No, Dad, I want to transfer the shares of the Macau company to Qin’s Jewelry, what do you think?”
“This …… this, Xiao Rui, but other people can’t even buy those shares with money?”
Sparing Qin Haoran’s long experience in the shopping mall, he was also stood up from the sofa by Zhuang Rui’s words, and a shocked look appeared on his face.