Macau’s horse racing track hosted final races after 40 years

The last horse races were held at Macao’s track on Saturday, after more than 40 years. This was the end of the sport in the city famous for its huge casinos.

After the Macau Horse Race Company asked, the local government said in January that it would be ending its contract with the Macau Jockey Club in April. One of the reasons given was operating problems.

People who liked to gamble met in the half-full stands on Saturday to place their last bets. Some visitors also went to the track.

Mai Wan-zun, a student from mainland China in Macau, said she wanted to enjoy the atmosphere because horse racing isn’t allowed in mainland China.

Helena Chong, who was born and raised in Macau, went to the races for the first and only time. She was sad that the betting and leisure scene was over.

The government of Macau said in January that the sport had lost favor and could no longer meet the “current development needs of society.”

In the former Portuguese region, horse racing has had money problems lately, and the industry still hasn’t fully recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 virus. The Macau News Agency had said before that the horse club had lost more than US$311 million in business.

The government says that as part of the deal to fire the horse racing business, the company agreed to move owners’ horses to new homes by March 2025 and to treat its employees fairly.

In neighboring Hong Kong, horse racing is still famous and profitable, and the jockey club puts on a lot of game events and gives a lot of money to charity groups in the city.

Original story by: South China Morning Post