In Macau, last year reportedly saw some 133 people sign up to the city’s Central Registry System of Individuals with Gambling Disorders so that they could receive help for a suspected addiction to gambling.

Eight-year reckoning:

According to a report from GGRAsia citing information from the enclave’s Social Welfare Bureau, the official register was launched in 2011 and now contains the names of 1,146 individuals that have sought assistance for a gambling problem.

Lowest tally:

The government department’s data reportedly also showed that the 2018 figure represented the lowest since the central system premiered eight years ago and was 15.3% below the final tally for the previous twelve-month period.

Gathering information:

GGRAsia reported that Macau initiated the Central Registry System of Individuals with Gambling Disorders scheme in order to amass statistical data so as to better understand the actions and habits of those seeking help for a suspected addiction. It purportedly moreover detailed that last year’s information had shown that over 81% of last year’s sign-ups had been residents of Macau with some 65% of these holding debts linked to gambling.

Casino staff included:

The investigation furthermore specified that the majority of those who had sought help in Macau for an addiction to gambling in 2018 had been in their 40s with slightly in excess of 81% of these being employed. Of those sufferers with a job, the data purportedly indicated that approximately 12% were working either as a croupier or a dealer inside one of the city’s over 30 casinos, which include the iconic Grand Casino Lisboa venue as well s the newer Studio City Macau venue.

Finally, the information from the Social Welfare Bureau indicated that around 36% of last year’s registrants had been classed as having a ‘moderate’ addiction to gambling alongside almost 35% possessing a ‘severe’ problem.