Australian Jockey Chris Munce arrested by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdogs

Posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2006

IT is widely accepted that if a jockey or trainer wants to engage in corrupt or unlawful activities, Hong Kong is one of the last places to try to do it.

Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Chris Munce has fallen foul of one of the strictest racing regimes in the world. He is waiting to hear what charge he may face after being arrested by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdog on Monday night for allegedly providing racing tips to illegal bookmakers in return for them placing bets of $HK600,000 ($103,000) on his behalf.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club stipendiary stewards are among the best-equipped racing police in the world.

The technology available to them on race day, and their rigid protocols, leave little room for the unscrupulous to get away with anything untoward. Chief stipendiary steward Jamie Stier has said the technological tools available to the jockey club were the equal of, if not superior to, anywhere else in the world.

Horses are closely monitored through closed-circuit television as they are prepared for races. Stewards have access to the latest computer-tracking programs to pick up anything suspicious in the line a jockey takes during the race.

But it’s not just at the track that jockeys and trainers are under the microscope.

Jockey Club security also uses phone taps and video surveillance to track the movement of licenced personnel, with a view to ensuring contact with undesirables - which can happen unwittingly, especially with foreign participants - is limited.

Jockeys and trainers are well aware of the intense scrutiny and endeavour to avoid trouble spots and the shady figures who frequent them.

Gambling represents a huge market in Hong Kong.

The Jockey Club is a not-for-profit organisation that hosts all legalised gambling - on horses, sport and through lotteries - with the proceeds, after tax, going to charities.

There are no on-course bookmakers, just the totalisator and a small number of off-track betting shops as well as the internet. Horse racing turnover is $HK60billion ($10.5bn), compared with $6.6bn in Australia.

Illegal bookmakers in Hong Kong hold about $4bn on football and also operate on racing. Unauthorised offshore corporate bookmakers also field on the Hong Kong races. None of the money bet with these operators flows back to Hong Kong in taxes - hence the close attention from the Jockey Club and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

Hong Kong’s ICAC was established in 1974 to bring a corrupt police officer to justice. It has since spearheaded many corruption investigations, not only in the racing world but also in other elements of the community.

A large proportion of those arrested in connection with illegal bookmaking have Triad connections and their operations are associated with money laundering and fraud. The proceeds can often be used to fund other criminal activity.

The penalties for corruption in Hong Kong are severe. On Monday, a 51-year-old woman was jailed for four months for offering a $HK500 bribe to a driving examiner at the Transport Department to act favourably toward her in a driving test.

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"Australian Jockey Chris Munce arrested by Hong Kong’s anti-corruption watchdogs" was posted on Thursday, July 6th, 2006 at 1:32 pm and is filed under Asia Horse Racing, Australia Horse Racing, Horse Racing Industry, Jockeys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.