Macau gambling participation: 2019 hits record low

Gambling participation reaches a record minimum in 2019 says Macau’s Social Welfare Bureau.

Macau.- The number of people gambling in Macau reached a record low in 2019; according to a survey commissioned by the Social Welfare Bureau.

Most worthy, and based on the answers from 2,003 respondents, the report from the University of Macau estimates that 40.9% of people in Macau gambled in 2019, down from 51.5% in 2016 representing the lowest rate ever recorded in similar studies.

Some 36.2% of respondents had taken part in commercial gambling during the past 12 months; compared to 44.6% in 2016, while the average spends among gamblers dropped 16.7% from €11.11 in 2016 to €9,24.

The Mark Six Lottery game was the most popular form of gambling with 26.5% of respondents taking part; while social gambling ranked second on 12.6%. Casino gambling had a 9.4% share, ahead of football and basketball betting with 7.6% and slot machine parlours on 4.8%. Betting on football and basketball, and the number of people playing the Chinese lottery, both increased, but there were drops elsewhere.

Online gambling participation, meanwhile, remained unchanged, having been described as rising in the 2016 edition of the survey, though no percentages were provided in either year.

Furthermore and reflecting on the findings, the University said that football and basketball betting replaced slot machine parlours as the fourth most popular form of gambling for the first time in 2019; boosted by increased activity around the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The University also called for further efforts from both the government and non-government organisations to tackle problem gambling; citing one particular case when an individual highlighted arcade games as the main cause of his gambling disorder.