Blaze at Fa Yuen Street betting station disrupts HK$188m Mark Six Jackpot ticket sales

Ticket buyers heading to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Off-course Betting Branch on Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok were forced to seek alternative locations as a fire broke out on Sunday afternoon.   

Long queues formed outside various Jockey Club betting centers today as lottery enthusiasts were keen to try their luck at the record-breaking HK$188 million Mark Six jackpot. However, many were turned away from the Fa Yuen Street branch due to the fire.   

At 3.31 pm, a suspected short circuit involving cables caused smoke to emanate from the betting center, located on the ground floor of the Ho King Shopping Centre.  

Staff quickly reported the incident, prompting firefighters to respond and extinguish the fire within approximately six minutes.   

Fortunately, there were no injuries, and evacuations were not necessary.   

Following the incident, police and firefighters investigated, and access to the betting station was restricted for many hopeful ticket buyers.   

As a result of the fire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced that the Off-course Betting Branch on Fa Yuen Street would remain closed. The closure was also communicated through the club's mobile applications, and ticket buyers were recommended to purchase their tickets via other channels.   

The club announced that the Mark Six Lunar New Year snowball draw will feature a record-high snowball of HK$150 million, with the first prize potentially reaching HK$188 million for a single HK$10 winning unit that matches all six numbers.   

This event marks the largest-ever Chinese New Year Snowball in the history of the Mark Six, promising an unprecedented dividend payout for a single HK$10 winning unit. 

As of Sunday afternoon, the turnover for the snowball draw had already surpassed HK$270 million.