Third of Macau’s problem gamblers casino staff: govt

Nov 21, 2016 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck  

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Around a third of the problem gamblers from Macau that seek help locally are working in the city’s casino industry, says a government official.

A total of 780 requests for help were logged under the city’s Central Registry System of Problem Gamblers between the time the scheme was launched in 2011, and the end of June 2016, said Wu I Mui, head of the Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment Division within the Macau government’s Social Welfare Bureau.

Ms Wu stated – as quoted by local newspaper Jornal Tribuna de Macau – that around a third of those registered with the Social Welfare Bureau’s Central Registry System of Problem Gamblers were casino workers.

The system was launched in a bid to boost awareness of problem gambling. It aims to gather data from several local institutions that provide support to problem gamblers.

Ms Wu said the annual increase in the number of new Macau cases was stable: “The Social Welfare Bureau receives between 130 and 150 new cases each year.”

The Macau government is currently considering introducing rules barring casino workers from taking part in any gaming-related activity inside casinos during non-work hours. A bill proposing such a change could be ready in 2017, according to the government’s policy address for next year, disclosed last week.

There were almost 56,500 people working in the gaming industry in Macau as of June-end, show data from the city’s Statistics and Census Service.

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