SOURCE: chinapost.com

Taiwan is due to launch sports gambling next year to stimulate economic development in central and southern Taiwan, a sports official said Monday.

Yang Chung-ho, director of the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, said that if everything went smoothly, Taiwan would open sports gambling on April 15, 2008.

On Sept. 10, 2007, the council is due to decide which institution should be in charge of issuing sports lottery tickets.

Sports officials have said earlier that Taiwan intended to introduce three kinds of sports gambling in central and southern Taiwan, including car and horse racing.

Car racing could be the first to be introduced because Taiwan does not need to change the law for it. Horse racing would have to be launched later.

Under Taiwan's Animal Production Law, animals cannot be used for gambling purposes, directly or indirectly.