MACAU BUSINESS
2007, Mr Lam only looked for help in mid-2009 – the same year Mr Ng did. They both turned to the Industrial Evangelistic Fellowship Rehabilitation Centre for Problem Gamblers. “I quit gambling for one year but I fell into
temptation once,” Mr Lam says. He is quick to add that he has never taken chips from the casino to fund his addiction.
“I’m also trying to change my lifestyle. Every day,
after work, instead of going to the casino again to gamble, I work for the church and take part in church activities, such as cooking for my fellows,” he says. Mr Ng says he too, has fallen into temptation. “In the beginning of the rehab programme, I gambled a couple of times, because it was not easy to pass by the casino every day and deal with it.” Today, he is a building security guard working for
the government. His wife controls the household income.
“My wife is very tough. She has been through a lot
of troubles to take care of the family. I hope my family can become united and love each other. But at least I never asked for money from anybody. I knew that if I went to the loan sharks I would be in trouble.” Mr Ng has turned to music to alleviate the
withdrawal pains. “I learned how to play the guitar after I quit gambling. I compose lots of songs.”
Curiosity wanes The Macau Industrial Evangelistic Fellowship
supports 200 problem and pathological gamblers. The Reverend Jimmy Tan Tien Kok says 10 people come to ask for help on an average week. Some are old faces. The rehabilitation centre has dealt with people
that have lost up to MOP5 million. However, Reverend Tan believes far worse cases pass undetected, especially among Hong Kong punters flocking to Macau’s casinos, who may have losses ranging up to MOP20 million. He says there are more addicted gamblers per head of population in Macau than there are in Hong Kong. The authorities and charities have to pay more attention to youths and women, he adds. The number of pathological gamblers in Macau
continues to increase (see story in these pages). However, for the first time in four years, it looks as if efforts to encourage responsible gaming are paying off.
The latest study by the University of Macau’s
Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming says the gaming participation rate, which measures the proportion of Macau residents that gamble, dropped to 50 percent last year from 65 percent in 2007. “This is a good sign for those who promote
responsible gambling because it means that, in the near future, the problem gambling rate should decrease or stabilise,” says institute director assistant professor Davis Fong Ka Chio. “Macau people are adapting to casinos as part of their daily lives. There is not so much curiosity when
22 SEPTEMBER 2011
a new property opens.” He also says awareness of problem gambling is
increasing. The institute started a responsible gaming project in 2007, together with the government, charities and the casino industry, and since then things seem to have improved. “Awareness of problem gambling and responsible gaming increased from 25 to 40 percent. That means that, with the promotion efforts in the past two years, four out of every 10 residents have heard about and understand the concepts of problem and responsible gaming,” he says.
Work and play Mr Lam, the casino dealer, was among those that
had never heard about problem gambling. “I don’t think there are enough places in Macau able to provide assistance to problem gamblers,” he says. He found the Macau Industrial Evangelistic
Fellowship on the Internet. He says he had never seen materials promoting awareness of problem gambling, even at his workplace – a casino. “I have many friends working at the casino that are also pathological gamblers. We live under lots of pressure, because we are too exposed and they don’t realise that. “We are not told how to release tension, so we just
keep the problem to ourselves. If we talk about that, we will be kicked out of the job,” he says. Assistant professor Fong admits responsible gaming
and promotion of awareness of problem gambling are still “at an initial stage”. He estimates that it will take up to three years for the gaming industry to understand how important it is to mount responsible gaming campaigns among its staff. Problem gambling destroys the employer- employee relationship, according to him. “They [the gaming companies] will understand that
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