Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING MARCH 2018 32 we have several treatment centers including those run by the government, religious groups and NGOs. The third speculation is a lower level of curiosity. In 2003 and 2004 there were new casinos, new attractions, new products. When Sands opened there was a high level of curiosity. Now the temptation and the curiosity level is lower. People think, “Oh another casino, that’s nothing new,” so the participation rate is lower. Finally, Macau’s unemployment rate is 1.9%. People don’t have time to gamble. So t hose are the four speculations, but I can’t provide evidence. AWS: How many problem gambling treatment centers do we have? DF: For those associations with treatment centers, it’s around 10. Before, there were only one or two. Some of them provide a professional service and some of them provide a casual service. The standards may not be the same across the treatment centers because they have different ways of dealing with the so-called problem gambler or people with a gambling disorder. But it’s fine. As long as they provide the service, I think they can help some people at least. Treatment means they provide a service. AWS: What is the visibility of responsible gambling to the top players who are primarily from mainland China? How can players know there is a program available to them? DF: Very good question. Starting from 2017, last year, the government shifted the focus from local people to tourists. We put a lot of resources at the border gates. In Gongbei they actually have a booth there to download the app about problem gambling and responsible gambling. At the same time, we put a big billboard in front of the border gate to make tourists aware of problem gambling and responsible gambling. We also have responsible gambling kiosks, about 30 of them, around Macau. At the end of the day we FEATURE IN FOCUS “Of the people who seek help, one-third are gaming industry employees. This is very important because it means if we pass a law to ban gaming employees from entering Macau casinos then one-third of the problem may be solved.”