Club-house Subsidy Scheme, Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme and Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme to open for application
The Club-house Subsidy Scheme, the Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme and the Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme under the fresh round of the Anti-epidemic Fund will open for application on January 17.
Under the directions issued by the Secretary for Food and Health pursuant to the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), certain premises, including all bars/pubs, clubs/nightclubs, karaoke establishments, amusement game centres and mahjong/tin kau premises, have been ordered to be closed since January 7, 2022 due to the drastic changes in the epidemic situation. Catering premises are also required to cease evening dine-in services. The businesses of clubhouses providing the above services or facilities, amusement game centres and mahjong/tin kau premises have thus been affected.
The Club-house Subsidy Scheme provides a subsidy of $50,000 to each of the eligible holders of a valid Certificate of Compliance (CoC) issued under the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance (Cap. 376), and an additional subsidy of $25,000 for each permit/licence for CoC holders who also operate karaoke establishments, nightclubs or bars/pubs in their clubhouse premises.
The Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme provides a subsidy of $50,000 to each of the eligible operators of Amusement Game Centres licensed under the Amusement Game Centres Ordinance (Cap. 435), eligible operators of e-sports venues that have been duly exempted (or have applied for but not yet obtained exemption) from the same ordinance and eligible operators of Internet computer services centres registered with the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department.
The Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme provides a subsidy of $50,000 to each eligible holder of a Mahjong/Tin Kau licence issued under the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148).
The application forms and guides to apply for the above three subsidy schemes can be downloaded from the website of the OLA (www.hadla.gov.hk). The OLA will also send letters to the relevant CoC/licence holders or persons-in-charge of the premises to advise them about the subsidy schemes. The application deadline is February 17, 2022. Upon receipt of completed application forms and the required supporting documents, the disbursement of subsidies could generally be made in around two weeks. For details, please contact the OLA at 3620 3062 (Club-house Subsidy Scheme), 2116 5230 (Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme) or 2117 2977 (Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme), or visit the website of the OLA.