Opportunities are sparse for China's small-time speculators. So it was with a certain ebullience that 7,000 residents of Wuhan recently gathered at the Orient Lucky City racecourse to indulge in what the central leadership terms a "social evil". They were the first people in mainland China to be given official approval to win money from horse races since the Communist Party outlawed gambling in 1949.rnTo the disappointment of hardened punters, depravity was lacking. No gambling, as such, was allowed. Racegoers could pick a horse for nothing in two of the five races and, if it won, were awarded 20 lottery scratch cards, giving them the chance to win 30,000 yuan ($4,400). One lucky winner scooped 4,000 yuan; most won less than a taxi fare home. The big hitters who had flown in from Sichuan could be heard cursing the impotence of their bulging wallets.
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