Inside Asian Gaming

December 2014 inside asian gaming 31 monopoly they had been unable to gamble at any casino in the city. That changed after the industry was liberalized in 2002, paving the way for five new operators to open a string of venues beginning 2004. Now, employees of one operator are free to gamble at the properties of any rival operator. Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau dealt with 134 problem gamblers last year, one out of four of whom were casino dealers. Considering dealers only constitute 6.8% of the city’s employed population, that suggests they are a highly susceptible group. Furthermore, more than one-third of the problem gamblers recorded by the bureau worked for casino operators, although the industry only employs 23.4% of Macau’s workforce. The official statistics are likely to vastly understate the problem. The Macau Gaming Industry Workers Association published a survey this year that concluded 59.3% of casino employees, 285 out of 481 subjects polled, had participated in some form of gaming—ranging from mahjong to casino gambling—in the past 12 months. The survey notes that 77% of the gaming workers who showed symptoms of addiction have not sought help. Casey Wong Im Fong, supervisor of labor group Gaming Employees Home, says, “When employees with gambling addictions seek our help it is usually related to managing their debts, including money they’ve borrowed from family members or loan sharks and unsettled credit cards payments, although the amount is on average not high—below MOP100,000 [US$12,500].” DIMINISHED NOVELTY VALUE While some point to the six new megaresorts slated to open in Cotai between over the next three years as a potential trigger for a spike in gambling problems among residents, the spread of casinos across the city has actually been accompanied by a steady fall in locals’ play. According to the latest triennial government-commissioned survey published by the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming, the gaming participation rate of Macau residents aged between 15 and 64 has declined steadily from a high of 67.9% in 2003 to 59.2% in 2007, 55.9% in 2010 and 49.5% in 2013. Meanwhile, the proportion of residents showing mild signs of problem gambling fell to 1.9% last year, from 2.8% three years earlier, while the proportion of residents showing signs of pathological gambling fell to 0.9% from 2.8% over the same period. “Compared with other neighboring jurisdictions, Macau is no longer the place in Asia with the highest rate of problem/pathological gambling,” states the report, pointing out that the pathological gambling rate in both Singapore and Hong Kong stood at 1.4%, according to the most recent official data. “As the gaming sector has been liberalized since 2002, some residents have lost the sense of freshness and curiosity towards the Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau dealt with 134 problem gamblers last year, one out of four of whom were casino dealers. Considering dealers only constitute 6.8% of the city’s employed population, that suggests they are a highly susceptible group. Feature