Study: Macau Casino Staff Rarely Address Problem Gambling Among Clients

Casino employees in Macau seldom step in when it comes to problem gambling, often avoiding proactive measures to prevent guests from losing control, according to a report by The Macao News. This finding is the result of a study conducted by the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies at Macao Polytechnic University.

The majority of casino staff in the city are familiar with the principles of responsible gambling and are capable of recognizing problematic behavior among patrons. However, they frequently choose not to intervene, even when the gambling behavior is evidently problematic.

The researchers discovered that this reluctance is primarily driven by a fear of upsetting customers or dealing with potential backlash.

Interestingly, many casino employees believe that Macau’s responsible gambling policies are applicable only to local residents, not to tourists, who constitute the majority of the city’s gamblers.

The primary group of problem gamblers in Macau’s casinos are visitors from mainland China. The researchers also pointed out that campaigns promoting responsible gambling are mainly targeted at Macau residents, leaving other groups without essential information about various aspects of gambling.

It was recently disclosed that Macau casinos intend to monitor the bets of foreign visitors using specialized RFID chips.