2009 may be the year for the Chinese when it comes to horse race betting. The announcement is seen as the beginning of horse race gambling on the Chinese mainland and would be a milestone since the Communist Party came into power in 1949.

The races would be held at the Orient Lucy City Racecourse in Wuhan in September of this year, according to a senior manager with the Orient Lucky Horse Group Cooperation. However, betting on the races would not be introduced on a trial basis until 2009.

“Initially about 250 horses from different jockey clubs around the country will participate in the races,” said the manager, “but betting can only be officially launched when the races draw at least 2,000 horses.”

An expert in the study of horserace betting, Qin Zunwen, said the business, once fully operational nationwide, could end up creating close to 3 million jobs a year.

Hubei Academy of Social Sciences revealed conducted a survey that 83.3% of Wuhan residents believed that the introduction of betting would have a positive social impact. 51% of those surveyed also said they were “interested” or “very interested” in gambling on the races.