Gambling Participation and Prevalence Estimates of Pathological Gambling in a Far-East Gambling City: Macao

This research is the first scientific study of gambling participation and pathological gambling in Macao. In 2003, a computer-assisted random digit dialing method was used to conduct 1,121 telephone interviews. Two-thirds of respondents expressed that they have participated in at least one of the fourteen forms of gambling in the past year. The three most popular forms of gambling include social gambling, Mark Six lottery, and soccer/basketball betting. As for the prevalence of pathological gambling, the Chinese DSM-IV Gambling Behavior Index was used as the screening tool and results indicate that 1.78% of respondents are classified as probable pathological gamblers and 2.5% are classified as probable problem gamblers. Logistic Regression test indicates that male respondents with a monthly personal income of less than MOP 8,000 (Macau currency is the Pataca) tend to be more vulnerable to problem and pathological gambling when they participate in casino gambling, soccer matches betting and mahjong house gambling