Guidance Note on Application for Exemption of E-Sports Venues from the Licence Requirement under the Amusement Game Centres Ordinance (Cap. 435) published

     Further to the briefing held by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Home Affairs Department (HAD) for the trade on the exemption of electronic sports (e-sports) venues from the requirement of the Amusement Game Centre (AGC) Licence on March 30, the HAD published the Guidance Note on Application for Exemption of E-Sports Venues from the Licence Requirement under the Amusement Game Centres Ordinance (Cap. 435) today (April 8). The Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the HAD will now accept applications for exemption.

     The Guidance Note sets out the definition of e-sports and e-sports venues, general considerations to be taken into account when processing the applications for exemption, safety requirements of the premises and other requirements, application procedures, etc. To facilitate the submission of applications by the trade, the OLA will provide one-stop services to process exemption applications. The Guidance Note and the application form are available on the homepage of the OLA.
   
     The Government strives to promote the development of e-sports. Considering that e-sports venues, depending on their business operation, may be subject to regulation under the Amusement Game Centres Ordinance (Cap. 435), but applying some of the licensing requirements under the ordinance to e-sports venues may hinder the long-term development of the e-sports industry, the Government adopts an appropriate mechanism to exempt e-sports venues from the requirements of AGC Licence. 

     An HAD spokesman said, "In implementing the exemption mechanism and processing exemption applications, the OLA will uphold three principles: business facilitation, removing red tape and barriers, and ensuring safety of premises."

     For enquiries, please contact the OLA at 2116 5230 or email hadlaenq@had.gov.hk.