互相博彩在澳門：賽馬、賽狗及回力球賭博的興衰

Abstract

16世紀中葉葡人租居澳門以來，此地逐漸發展成對外貿易樞紐與中西文化交匯之地。鴉片戰爭後，澳門對外貿易及中轉港的地位漸被取代。澳葡政府為另闢財源，遂於1847年將賭稅正式納入稅收體系，賭博業因此得以合法，更成為政府財政之重要來源。1930年代後，作為互相博彩一類的賽馬、賽狗及回力球賭博被陸續引入。在賽馬方面，受香港及上海賽馬文化影響，1927年首個由澳門資本投資的賽馬場正式開幕，後因太平洋戰爭爆發，中止營業。1980年復辦後，引進澳洲之賽馬車，1989年轉型為平地賽馬。賽狗方面，亦受上海影響，在1932年引進澳門，雖一度停辦，然而，自1963年復業後持續至2018年，成為發展時間最長的互相博彩。至於回力球賭博方面，1974年由香港資本引入，作為唯一以人為賽事主體的互相博彩，則在1990年結束經營，近年轉型為具本地特色的回力球文化。三者在引進初期雖曾吸引大量港澳民眾參與，帶來可觀收益，但熱潮退卻後各自面臨不少經營困難，尤以財務問題為甚，發展狀況逐漸不如幸運博彩。特別是澳門於2001年進一步開放博彩市場後，大量國際資本競相湧入，以新奇體驗吸引遊客、涵蓋多元休閒娛樂的幸運博彩娛樂場紛紛出現，使澳門迅速成為亞洲的博彩中心。在此情況下，賽馬、賽狗及回力球賭博，由於自身性質及經營條件所限，演變成以本地市場為主的邊緣博彩，漸趨沒落，呈現與幸運博彩迥異的發展命運。就此而言，賽馬、賽狗及回力球賭博在澳門的興衰歷程，也可說是資本主義的全球性擴張浪潮在澳門之具體展現。Since the mid-16th century, when the Portuguese leased Macau, the region gradually developed into a hub for foreign trade and a crossroads of Chinese and Western cultures. After the Opium War, Macau's role as a center for foreign trade and a transit port was gradually overshadowed. To seek alternative sources of revenue, the Macau Portuguese government officially incorporated gambling taxes into its fiscal system in 1847, legalizing the gambling industry and making it a crucial source of government income. By the 1930s, forms of Apostas Mútuas such as Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, and Jai Alai were successively introduced. In terms of Horse Racing, influenced by the racing cultures of Hong Kong and Shanghai, the first racecourse funded by Macau capital opened in 1927. However, operations were suspended due to the outbreak of the Pacific War. After resuming in 1980, the sport introduced Harness Racing from Australia and transitioned to Horse racing in 1989. As for Greyhound Racing, it was introduced to Macau in 1932, also influenced by Shanghai. Although it was temporarily discontinued, it resumed in 1963 and continued until 2018, becoming the longest-running form of Apostas Mútuas in the region. Regarding Jai Alai, it was introduced in 1974 by Hong Kong capital as the only form of Apostas Mútuas centered on human competition. It ceased operations in 1990 but has since evolved into a local cultural activity with distinctive characteristics.Although the introduction of these three forms of gambling initially attracted significant participation from residents of Hong Kong and Macau, generating considerable revenue, their popularity waned over time, and each faced numerous operational challenges—particularly financial difficulties—leading to a gradual decline in their development compared to Jogos de Fortuna ou Azar. Especially after Macau further liberalized its gambling market in 2001, an influx of international capital poured in, bringing novelty experiences and diversified leisure entertainment to Jogos de Fortuna ou Azar casinos. This rapidly transformed Macau into Asia's gambling hub. Under these circumstances, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, and Jai Alai, constrained by their inherent nature and operational limitations, evolved into niche forms of gambling primarily catering to the local market. They gradually declined, embodying a starkly different trajectory from Jogos de Fortuna ou Azar. In this sense, the rise and fall of Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, and Jai Alai in Macau can also be seen as a localized manifestation of the global expansion of Capitalism.