The closing ceremony of the Macau Responsible Gambling Promotion for 2022, jointly organized by the Social Welfare Bureau, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) and the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming was recently held at the Macao Science Center.
This year’s theme of “Lost Control, Lose Family” publicizes the message of preventing gambling disorders and emphasizes the importance role of family in responsible gambling.
Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Bureau Hoi Va Pou gave a speech at the event, thanking the participants and noting that Macao resident participation in gambling activities has dropped from 41% in 2019 to 30% in 2022 and that the prevalence of gambling disorders has dropped from 6% at its peak to 0.45%.
The Macau government has implemented a specialized Responsible Gambling policy since 2009. The inter-departmental “Responsible Gaming Working Group” and various societal stakeholders jointly promote the implementation of the SAR’s responsible gaming policy.
More than ten years of effort has seen a number of important responsible gambling initiatives implemented. These include the establishment of responsible gambling information kiosks with the widest coverage of casinos in the world, developing financial education courses for primary and middle school students, and creating a 24-hour gambling counselling hotline.
Also offered are professional certificate courses for social service personnel and gaming business employees. This year a total of 145 trainees completed the “Macau Gambling Counsellor Professional Certificate Course” and the “Macau Responsible Gambling Instructor Certificate Course.” The trainees were awarded certificates at the closing ceremony in recognition of their work.
