Two men involved in unauthorised transfer of bookings of recreation and sports facilities sentenced to community service orders
Two men involved in the unauthorised transfer of bookings of recreation and sports facilities, charged with "using an identity card relating to another person" and "transferring an identity card to another person" and having pleaded guilty to the charges earlier, were sentenced to community service orders of 80 hours respectively at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (January 16). One of them was the original hirer, and his booking right for the use of recreation and sports facilities had already been suspended by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) for 360 days.
The Shatin Magistrates' Courts, the Shatin Law Courts Building
The LCSD conducted a joint operation with law enforcement agencies at the tennis courts in Victoria Park on July 13, 2024, to combat unauthorised transfer of bookings of recreation and sports facilities and other illegal activities. During the operation, one man suspected of using and possessing another person's identity card without reasonable excuse was arrested. Another man involved was subsequently charged with "transferring an identity card to another person".
The LCSD appeals to the public not to engage in any unauthorised transfer of bookings of recreation and sports facilities. Users should not pay scalpers for facility bookings, use another person's identity card, or lend their own identification documents to another person for check-in to use facilities. Users breaching the LCSD's "General Conditions of Use of Leisure and Sports Facilities" or the law will have their rights for booking recreation and sports facilities suspended for 360 days.
SmartPLAY has already incorporated conditions prohibiting the use of computer programmes or other automated tools to make bookings. Starting from January 21, 2026, if users breach the said conditions, the LCSD will immediately suspend their accounts for 360 days without giving any prior notice. The LCSD once again reminds users of the necessity of complying with the "Conditions of Use of SmartPLAY", properly managing the information of their SmartPLAY accounts, and not disclosing their user account numbers and passwords to others. Users having provided their user account numbers and passwords to a third party are advised to change their passwords as soon as possible and regularly to prevent unauthorised use of their accounts.
The LCSD will continue to combat unauthorised transfer and touting of leisure venues and enhance SmartPLAY, as well as implement further anti-touting measures as necessary.
The LCSD, Photo by Bastille Post
