According to the estimation of the HKSAR Gambling Consultation Paper, about 340,000 Hong Kong people take part in illegal gambling on soccer matches. The estimated annual turnover is around HK$20 billion which is more than one quarter of that of Hong Kong horse racing.

The Hong Kong government recently passed the law to make wagers with offshore bookmakers and Internet gambling site illegal, in order to protect the hundreds of millions of dollars in betting revenue being drawn from the Hong Kong Jockey Club. It is estimated that around 300,000 Hong Kong males aged between 18 and 55 are the most frequent soccer gamblers, and accounted for a bet total of more than HK$1 billion during the World Cup, mostly illegal. With the assistance of the legislation, the Hong Kong police have adopted a strong policy toward illegal bookmaking and co-operated with their counterparts in Macau and in China's Guangdong province to crack down on triads and betting syndicates.