Number of Gamblers in Macau Tumble’s to Record Low in 2019

The number of gamblers in Macau has dipped to a record low in 2019. According to a survey commissioned by the Social Welfare Bureau, the number of people identifying as problem gamblers also declined.

Based on the answers from 2003 respondents, the report from the University of Macau estimates that 40.9% of people in the Chinese administrative region gambled in 2019, down from 51.5% in 2016.

The Mark Six Lottery game was the most popular form of gambling in the past 12 months with 26.5% of respondents taking part, while social gambling ranked second on 12.6%.

Betting on football and basketball, and the number of people playing Chinese lottery, both increased, but there were drops elsewhere. Participation in lottery games, social gambling, slot machine parlour, casinos and horse racing betting all saw declines. Online gambling participation, meanwhile, remained unchanged.

In terms of problem gambling, just 16 of the 2003 respondents were classified as being “probable disordered gamblers,” down from a share of 2.5% of respondents in 2016. However, while 73.7% said that they had heard of the local gambling disorder prevention and treatment centres, this was down from 78.3% in 2016 and 83.0% in 2013.