Of the 147 cases of gambling disorder registered during the past year – from January 1 to December 31– with the ‘Central Registry System of Individuals with Gambling Disorder’ over 70 per cent were male and 20 per cent were dealers, according to a 2015 report. The data was elaborated upon by the Social Welfare Bureau using an online data collection network to ‘assure individual privacy […] without identifying individuals,’ the report notes. The majority of individuals were aged between 30 and 39, with the youngest aged 16 and the oldest 82. Of the individuals suffering from the disorder the report notes that around 50 per cent work in shifts, while over 60 per cent earn a monthly salary of over MOP14,000. Despite this, only 20 per cent don’t have debts, and over 60 per cent have debts amounting to or exceeding MOP100,000. Primary games played by those requesting assistance from the disorder are Baccarat, Slot Machines and Sic Bo and are played to resolve ‘financial difficulties’, with around 40 per cent of players lacking consciousness of the money they spend gambling, while around 30 per cent claim that, on average, they spend ‘MOP10,000 and less than MOP50,000’. Of these individuals corresponding to the classification of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, notes the report, some 40 per cent are primarily affected, 40 per cent suffer from a moderate degree of the disorder, while a further 10 per cent are at risk of dependency. Only 10 per cent of the individuals are only slightly affected by the disorder. Of the 147 individuals, more than 40 per cent have gambled for around five years, while 60 per cent of the individuals do not have family members with gambling habits. Over 50 per cent have secondary school education, and 60 per cent are married. Some 80 per cent of those seeking help are holders of Macau permanent residency cards.
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