Wang Shenshun, deputy head of Wuhan sports administration in China, has said that the thoroughbred horse racing event at Orient Lucky City Racecourse on Saturday, November 29 was a test run for an official event.

"The test run was a preparation for an official event," Shenshun was quoted as saying in an article on chinadaily.com. "If approved, horse racing can be upgraded to regular events once or twice a week."

During the event this past Saturday, spectators were allowed to place free bets on two of the four races at the Orient Lucky City Racecourse, and those who won were given 20 instant scratch-off tickets by the local sports lottery administration.

"It's not important for me to earn money (this way) ... The event is important because it boosts the interest of spectators and encourages public participation," said Zhu Ping, a teacher at the Wuhan University of Technology, who won 12 yuan from the scratch-off tickets.

According to the article, Qin Zunwen, of the Hubei provincial academy of social sciences, said the horse racing industry could create three million jobs once a nationwide betting network was in place. The annual lottery sales could reach a whopping 100 billion yuan ($14.65 billion) and yield 40 billion yuan in tax revenue.

"A legal channel to bet on horse racing could eliminate illegal online gambling (from the country)," Qin said.

Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, was China's horse racing center in the early 1900s, but racing was banned in the country after the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

To read the chinadaily.com article in its entirety, click here.

(With files from chinadaily.com)