Macau sees decline in number of gambling adults

According to a recent survey done by the University of Macau and released by the Social Welfare Bureau of Macau (IAS), it has been found that 30.1% of the adult population in Macau engaged in betting activities in the year 2022. Among the individuals comprising this particular cohort, a prevalence rate of 0.45% was ascertained for adults afflicted with a gambling condition.

The survey revealed a significant decrease in the participation rate in comparison to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, whereby the rate was recorded at 40.9%. This indicates a substantial decline of 10.8 percentage points.

Among the citizens of Macau, the prevalent kinds of betting activities were social gaming, constituting 15.6% of participation, followed by the Mark Six lottery at 13.0%. Casino gaming accounted for 5.6% of participation, while slot machine parlors and soccer or basketball betting accounted for 3.0% and 2.5% respectively.

Out of the total sample size of 2,033 participants who took part in the survey, a mere nine people were recognized as potentially exhibiting symptoms of a gambling disease. This subset accounts for a little 0.45% of the whole sample population.

According to Ms. Wu I Mui, a representative from the Social Welfare Bureau, who provided an explanation on Radio TDM, there has been a notable decrease in the number of persons seeking help for gambling-related concerns throughout the three-year period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the number of individuals seeking such assistance has declined to around 60% of the levels seen prior to the pandemic. The speaker further observed that in the first six months of the present year, there were a total of 19 instances when individuals sought assistance for gambling disorders. It is worth noting that there is now no discernible rise in the prevalence of these diseases.

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Original story by: IAG