Editorial | Growing Hong Kong sporting culture means beating booking touts
Beating Hong Kong’s notorious booking touts is necessary to improve access and ensure a thriving sports culture develops
Hong Kong’s reputation as a sporting city has strengthened in recent years, with strong performances from the city’s athletes and the hosting of elite international events, but the successful development of sport also depends on wider public participation. Easy access to facilities is essential, but venues are in short supply and demand is high, providing fertile ground for touts.
Over the years, the government has introduced a series of measures to combat touting. These include real-name registration for bookings, the use of ballots, tighter restrictions and tougher penalties.
New anti-bot technology was introduced to the SmartPLAY booking system, launched in 2023, which also uses artificial intelligence to intercept suspicious activity. More than 5 million login attempts by suspected bots were intercepted by the system during peak periods last year.
Touting syndicates have proved adept at adapting to new measures. There is a need for constant monitoring and more initiatives to keep pace.
The best way to beat the touts is to increase the supply of venues. A 10-year blueprint for the development of facilities, featuring about 30 projects, was announced in the 2022 policy address. New facilities are in the pipeline, but the process takes time.