The 2016 rate however was still lower than the first three studies focused on Macau people’s participation in gambling activities, noted the report.
The study was commissioned last year by Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau in a bid to help the government better to plan its services to prevent and treat gambling disorders. The survey was based on a total of 2,000 telephone interviews with Macau residents aged 18 or above.
Among the 2,000 respondents, only 892 – or 44.6 % – had participated in commercial gambling in the past 12 months, higher than the 41.6 % participation rate in the 2013 survey.
The 2016 survey found that the median monthly expenditure on the five most popular forms of gambling increased by 60 percent compared to the previous survey. The average monthly spent on gambling last year increased to US$ 100 from US$ 61 in 2013.
The survey found that male respondents, aged between 25 and 34, with an employment and with higher monthly personal income "were more likely to participate in gambling activities”.
The results revealed that among the 2,000 respondents, 51 of them – or 2.5 % of the sample – were classified as "probable disordered gamblers”. The results also showed that only 43 percent of the respondents were able to explain "gambling disorder” or "problem gambling” accurately.
Source: GMB / GGR Asia
