HK won’t block access to illegal gambling sites

Hong Kong won’t block online gambling sites despite the loss of revenue to legitimate gambling operators. Singapore has recently moved to do so, but a spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau quoted by the South China Morning Post says Hong Kong does “not block one’s internet access” out of respect for the “freedom to access information.”
Gambling operators including the influential Hong Kong Jockey Club have been pushing for curbs alleging links between the unauthorized operators and organized crime.
Most online gambling operations are based in the Philippines whose government issues licenses allowing them to operate but prohibits gaming by residents. Illegal online operators based in Hong Kong can be jailed for up to seven years.