Latest research from the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) shows that 30.1% of the local population is participating in casino gambling.
However, only less than 1% are considered to have addiction problems.
Division head of the Problem Gambling Prevention and Treatment, Wu I Mui, said in a Macau Forum of TDM that in the first half of the year, 19 residents sought assistance from IAS due to gambling problems.
According to Wu, the bureau received 140 requests for help per year before the pandemic, a number that has fallen by around 40% in the last three years.
Some listeners during the phone-in show observed that quitting gambling is more difficult than quitting drugs and believed that the number of requests for help received by the authorities was just the tip of the iceberg.
The official said authorities will use the tool (DSM-5) to assess whether the seekers have a gambling disorder.
DSM-5 is a standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States.
Recently, the IAS noted that the city’s central registration system for gambling disorders has received 69 requests for assistance, an increase of nearly 60% when compared to the same period last year.
However, the figure was in line with pre-pandemic levels.
