How a betting monopoly fuels social work through digital transformation
In short: The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a massive community benefactor, but its impact goes far beyond the racetrack. Through specialized digital platforms, it is actively driving the technological evolution of social services, helping professionals navigate the shift from face-to-face meetings to essential online support systems.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) operates as a unique non-profit entity, holding a government-granted monopoly on pari-mutuel horse racing betting, the Mark Six lottery, and fixed-odds football betting. This business model allows it to act as a major community benefactor. During 2022/2023, the club reached a new high by giving HK$35.9 billion to society, featuring HK$7.3 billion for sanctioned charitable gifts.
One such initiative is the SMART Family-Link Project, which launched an innovative web-based platform called i-TLS on July 1, 2019. This platform was designed to support social workers through three components: i-Training, i-Learning, and i-Sharing. By July 31, 2020, the platform had 313 registered social workers. The COVID-19 outbreak in December 2019 acted as a catalyst, forcing a digital transformation in social work as face-to-face services became limited.
The impact of this digital shift was significant. Research indicates that during the pandemic, perceived ICT use in conducting programs and casework increased by between 33.9% and 54.5%. The i-TLS platform facilitated this by providing 41 mini-modules on ICT application, with approximately 70% of users completing them to earn digital mini-certificates. Data shows that frequent users of the platform reported higher knowledge increases, with mean scores of 5.84 compared to 4.09 for light users.
While the club's philanthropic reach is vast, its business model faces political scrutiny. In early 2023, debates emerged regarding potential tax increases on football betting revenue, with the club warning such moves could jeopardize its ability to serve the public interest.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Web-Based Training, Learning, and Sharing Platform for Social Workers (Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project): Mixed Methods Evaluation Study.
- Also: Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Also: Use of Information and Communications Technology in Family Services and Its Perceived Benefits amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in Hong Kong-Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project.
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