The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Betting Henry Chan was elected Vice President of the World Lottery Association (WLA) at its Annual General Meeting in Greece yesterday (23 October). This is the first time a candidate from Asia has assumed the Vice Presidency of WLA.
Thanking WLA members for their support, Mr Chan said he felt very honoured to be the first Asian representative to take up this important role. "Having been involved in the lottery business for more than three decades and chaired the Asia Pacific Lottery Association for four years, I believe I can contribute a lot of valuable knowledge and experience of this market," he said. "I will endeavour to use this experience to help all members worldwide accomplish their common goal, which is to benefit their home communities and people at large from lottery development."
The Vice Presidency of WLA is also the most prominent position that Hong Kong has held in an international lottery authority. The WLA, a global professional association of state-licensed and regulated lottery organisations, represents 143 state lotteries from 76 countries across five continents, with combined annual revenues in excess of US$180 billion.
Mr Chan added: "This is indeed a great honour for Hong Kong, reflecting the international recognition that Hong Kong's lottery has earned for its quality, reputation and customer service, as well as its charitable nature. I am proud that our lottery has achieved such a standing within the world authority."
The WLA 2008 Convention and Trade Show was held in Greece from 19 to 24 October. This year's theme was "Sharing the Values of Fortune". A new Executive Committee was formed and the President and Vice President elected during the Annual General Meeting, which was held on 23 October.
Brief Biography of Henry Chan
Since joining The Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1974, Henry Chan has taken leading roles in a number of major projects of the Club, including the setting-up of Off-Course Betting Branches in 1974, the opening of Sha Tin Racecourse in 1978, the automation of the Club's betting operations in the '80s and introducing football betting in 2003.
In his current role as Executive Director of Betting, Mr Chan heads the Betting Division responsible for the development of the Club's three core products: horse race betting, football betting and the Mark Six Lottery, which generated a total turnover of more than US$14 billion in the 2007/08 season.
He was elected Vice Chairman of the Asia Pacific Lottery Association on its foundation in 2000 and became its Chairman in 2004, being re-elected for a second term in 2006. Mr Chan has also been active in the World Lottery Association for many years and was appointed to its New Media/Cross Border Committee in 2001. He became an Executive Committee member of the WLA in 2004.
About the World Lottery Association
Formed in August 1999, the World Lottery Association (WLA) represents 143 state-licensed and regulated lottery organisations from 76 countries across five continents. All members should contribute the majority of net revenues to good causes for community benefits of their own countries. The WLA aims to exchange technical and operational information between members, establish industry codes of conduct and standards, and advance the collective interests of its members. The WLA also represents 58 lottery industry suppliers as associate members.
