The Macao Jockey Club
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Members accuse troubled Macau Jockey Club of mismanagement Letter from disgruntled members accuses racing body of 'appalling' management amid losses and worsening decline in sport's popularity
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 28 June, 2015, 2:37am UPDATED : Sunday, 28 June, 2015, 8:34am Bosses at the Macau Jockey Club have been accused of mismanagement by a group of disgruntled members who claim budget cuts have left it in a dire state. The claims - outlined in an open letter to club management signed by 19 members - come after the Sunday Morning Post revealed concerns over the well-being of Hong Kong's most successful racehorse, the now- retired Viva Pataca, which is housed in a spartan stable. A spokesman for the Macau Jockey Club rejected the claims, saying the members' concerns had been addressed. At their heart lies the collapse in popularity of horse racing in Macau and what some claim is the need for new management to revive the sport's fortunes. The club has failed to make a profit since 2004, racking up losses of 3.8 billion patacas. In 2013 alone, high costs ate up revenue of 365 million patacas, leading to losses of 41.4 million patacas. In the letter, the members say they want to "reclaim our rights", and turn fire on the Macau government, asking what conditions franchises get despite the Jockey Club's management being "appalling", overseeing "long-standing deficits" that have caused harm to "the public and horse owners' interests". Chief among the concerns is the dwindling number of top-class races hosted in Macau. Racehorse owners have said that too few events means large numbers of Class 1 horses cannot race for months, potentially affecting their long-term performance. "We horse owners are entitled to premier membership … We want to express our disappointment and exasperation," the letter states. "Despite having raised our concerns and been given advice … until now we still have not received any response or seen any improvement." The club "only knows how to cut budgets but doesn't know how to open more opportunities to recruit more new members; it is a vicious cycle", it adds. The letter comes amid fresh evidence of substandard facilities. Macau Derby winner The Alfonso suffered serious injuries after a large piece of concrete collapsed on the horse in the club stables earlier this month. "We have replied those members via written document. They are satisfied and no further complaints," club spokeswoman Amanda Savage said. However Francis Tin, a member representing all 19 signatories, said once the letter was signed several months ago, it failed to receive any response from the club. "Everything [the club said] is untrue," Tin said. A successful Macau racehorse owner, who declined to be named, hit back at the club. "First, this is not the first time of a falling ceiling. It happened many times before but just lucky no horses were hit," the owner said. "Second, the owners who complained were not satisfied at all, otherwise this letter would not be sent to the Sunday Morning Post. Macau Jockey Club has never improved." Vincent Li Hoi-yuen, chairman of the Macau Race Horse Owners Association, said: "If you asked members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club [about issues] you'll get the same comments from members and owners." The association had "not received any complaint or request for help to voice a certain opinion", he said. But with the scale of the Macau membership there would be "truth and exaggeration" in claims and allegations. The Jockey Club has reapplied for its licence with the government and awaits a decision.
Macau Jockey Club revenues continue to drop
Although prospects for Macau’s dog racing enthusiasts may not be bright, the Macau Jockey Club & Racing Complex (MJC) seems to be positioning for a rebirth of the horse racing industry in the former Portuguese enclave. Business Daily of Macau reports that Macau Horse Racing Co. Ltd, wich has held a monopoly on horse racing in the city since 1989 (1978 under previous consortium) will announce new strategies for the racetrack in the new season which begins in September and runs through August 2017. Angela Leong On Kei, vice chair of Macau Horse Racing, and Executive Director of SJM Holdings, talked with reporters Sunday telling them that the ongoing declines in revenue at the track are the result of the economic environment of the SAR, according to Teledifusão de Macau, a local television and radio broadcaster. Animal sports such as horse racing have seen a global decline with the advent of integrated resorts and the proliferation of casinos outside of tourist-centric destinations like Macau or Las Vegas The Macau Jockey Club has not posted an annual profit since 2005. The first U.S. owned casino, Sands Macau, opened in 2004. The entire Macau economy has been on a downturn recently with 24 straight months of declining gross gaming revenue when compared to revenues one year before. By January 2016 about $US130 billion in market value had been lost over the previous 24 months. While nobody notable expects a dramatic or immediate return to the GGR of $US45 billion seen in Macau’s peak year of 2013, there are signs that the market is stabilizing and may return to growth in 2017. It is unclear whether the rising tide would float all ships, however, as animal sports such as horse racing have seen a global decline with the advent of integrated resorts and the proliferation of casinos outside of tourist-centric destinations like Macau or Las Vegas. As noted, Macau Jockey Club’s revenues have continued to decline, year on year since the opening of Sands Macau. In 2015 total revenues for the Club were down almost 60 percent from the previous year. Although the MJC is still able to attract visitors with their Triple Crown series and the Hong Kong Macau Interport, last year a cadre of members complained that there are not enough overall events and that some Class 1 horses are not able to race for months, rendering them unable to clock a peak performance when they do get to race. Some also complained of sub-standard facilities, noting that a Macau Derby Winner had been injured when part of the ceiling in his stable collapsed. Ms. Leong told reporters Sunday that although, “we haven’t come up with a certain proposal,” the company has told MJC’s chief executive, Thomas Li Chu Kwan, to be more innovative and to consider introducing, “more diversified offers to improve the revenues,” Ms. Leong said. Many racetracks in other regions have gone out of business. In the U.S. some have been able to stay open by attracting better trainers, jockeys, and horses as well as increased purses by being subsidized by attached casinos, with the resultant facilities being known as “racinos”. Some U.S. jurisdictions go so far as to levy taxes on un-associated casino properties to subsidize the animal sports, with varying degrees of success. This is usually achieved by effectively lobbying legislators to convince them that horse racing has historic and cultural value, with less focus on the economy of racing. Last year, Macau Horse Racing’s 10 year contract expired after a decade of business losses. A new 2-year extension was granted with the current contract expiring August 31, 2017. Animal rights groups complained, claiming that the concession should not be granted without improved conditions for the animals there. Albano Martins, president of Anima | Society for the Protection of Animals Macau, said at the time, “The stables are very badly managed, everything is dirty, and the retired animals have nowhere to go. They can be stuck in the stable for five months and never go outside.” In related news, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau director, Paulo Martins Chan, noted that the government will decide by year’s end whether or not to renew the existing concession for Macau (Yat Yuen) Canidrome. That facility has been under fire for years for alleged mistreatment of Greyhound racing dogs. According to local media, Mr. Chan said the government has received the results of a study requested by the University of Macau “on the importance and influence of the Canidrome on the territory as a World Centre for Tourism and Leisure” commissioned more than a year ago. Mr. Chan also told reporters Sunday that the government is considering all opinions on the matter and that a decision will be made before the Canidrome’s license expires at the end of the year. Macau Business Daily reports that Angela Leong On Kei, managing director of the Canidrome, has stated that SJM would cooperate with the decision.
Macau Jockey Club bolsters betting provisions with Sportech Racing
Posted by: Ted Menmuir September 27, 2016 in Asia, Europe, Latest News, Retail, Technology Comments Off on Macau Jockey Club bolsters betting provisions with Sportech Racing The Macau Jockey Club (MJC) has restructured its pari-mutuel betting provisions integrating Sportech Racing Digital technologies delivered through the firm’s Quantum TM System. Partnering with Sportech, MJC properties will be supplied with ‘BetJet’ teller and self-service operated betting terminals. Furthermore, MJC also received a new betting website with Sportech’s G4 digital framework, the first implementation of G4 within the Asian betting market. Updating the market, MJC governance stated that Sportech Racing provisions would help it improve customer trackside engagement and wagering efficiencies. QuantumTM System offers Macau Jockey Club a significantly expanded list of pools and bet types, and opens the door to seamless direct commingling with international betting partners including Hong Kong Jockey Club. Thomas Li, Macau Jockey Club Chief Executive commented on its Sportech provisions “Today marks the beginning of a very meaningful venture and partnership between Sportech and Macau Jockey Club. With the dynamic Quantum System, MJC is better positioned with opportunities to reach out to more racing enthusiasts and customers in the coming years.” Andrew Gaughan, President of Sportech Racing // Digital, commented on the partnership: “We are very happy to welcome the Macau Jockey Club to the Sportech Racing // Digital family of customers and are very excited to see the further expansion of our QuantumTM System software and our terminal and digital betting technologies into the Asian market. We are committed to investing in the region and the establishment of our new Sportech Operations Center Asia is evidence of that commitment.
Knowledge Graph
Examples
1 The Macau Jockey Club is an organization providing horse racing and betting entertainment in Macau, China.
2 MJC is one of the largest private employers of Macau with around 1,400 employees and around 1,100 part-timers.
3 The Macau Jockey Club began as the Macau Trotting Club in 1980 in an attempt to introduce harness racing in Asia, but it was not a popular sporting event and gave way to the formation of the current thoroughbred racing club in 1989.