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Macau reports lowest problem gambling statistics ever

One would expect that problem gambling in Macau, one of the top gambling hotspots of the world, would be very high. Well, the latest statistics might surprise you. Macau’s Central Registry System of Individuals with Gambling Disorder saw a total of 133 people registered with it in 2018, 15.3 percent less from the previous year’s numbers.

The news was put out first by Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau. This is the lowest number of cases registered with the aforesaid registry since 2011, when it was first inaugurated. An average of 1,146 people have registered with the system in the past eight years, the statistic showed.

Macau’s central government uses the register to collate information and numbers about those gamblers that seek help and attention for their addictive gambling behaviour. The authorities said that the purpose of the registry is to understand the individual’s gambling habits and actions and profile them effectively.

According to the report put out by the bureau, around 81 percent of those seeking help from the government were Macau residents. Roughly 81 percent of the total were people who had jobs, out of which nearly 12 percent worked in a ‘dealer/croupier’ role in one of Macau’s many casinos.

The bureau’s report stated that most of these problem gamblers fell within the 40-to-49-year-old range, averaging at 39.1 years among all registrants. The report also showed that about 36 percent of those registered were classified as having a ‘moderate’ gambling disorder while around 35 percent of the cases showed ‘severe’ gambling disorder.

Around 65 percent of the problem gamblers on the register had unpaid debts and among these, 24 percent stated that their debts were in the range of MOP 100k (~INR 8.6 Lakhs) to MOP 250k (~INR 21.48 Lakhs).

The report is a welcome one since it essentially shows that the problem gambling issue is starting to decrease for the best. Earlier in December last year, Macau’s Legislative Assembly passed a draft bill that banned casino workers from entering casinos post work hours, going in line with its efforts to reduce this number even further.

Keep reading GutshotMagazine.com for more such news and for general gaming/gambling news from around the world.

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