A Historical Evolutionary Perspective on China’s Open Horse Racing Problems and Choice Strategies

Abstract

There have been horse races for many centuries. Horse racing is closely related to horse betting, which is illegal in China, and strictly speaking, horse betting is regarded as gambling. If horse racing opens up in China, “horse betting”, legally, will likely be included as a part of the process. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China has banned horse racing at the beginning of its development. After China’s reforms and opening up, it was tacitly approved and then refused until now. Several provinces in China have made pioneering contributions in this area since the 1990s. Nevertheless, the Chinese authorities are cautious about such plans for various reasons. Until now, the central government has not liberalized the scheme except for a few local trials of speed horse racing, which do not have the property of “betting on the horse”. This paper explores its problems in terms of both historical evolution and realistic development. Then, it proposes practical options for horse racing development based on summarizing the expansion of existing policies to promote horse racing. These options are in response to the lack of development models not mentioned in the guidelines.

Chinese equestrian policy development: a narrative review

“…With political supervision and pressing economic benefits, commercial horse racing was carried out in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other coastal cities. However, there were many problems, and the relevant government departments tried to stop it several times ( 48 ). Until 2002, five ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Supervision, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the GAS, and the National Tourism Administration, jointly issued a document stating that the operation of horse racing activities with gambling was strictly prohibited ( 49 ).…”