Macau’s Responsible Gaming Promotion 2023 officially closed on Tuesday, with 13 organizations being awarded “Responsible Gambling Model Units” status and 146 trainees being presented with certificates.
“Responsible Gaming Promotions 2023” was co-organized by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) and the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming of the University of Macau, with this year’s theme being “Seeking Help for Winning the Future”. The theme opened on 7 September and ran for more than three months.
At the closing ceremony on Tuesday, the organizer presented certificates to 146 participants who had completed the “Macau Professional Certificate in Gambling Counselling” and “Certificate in Macau Responsible Gaming Advisor” courses. At the same time, 34 people who had passed the assessment were also presented with the “Macao Professional Certificate in Responsible Gaming Counselling”.
The organizer noted that, according to IAS survey data, the awareness of Macau local residents about responsible gambling has increased from 16.2% before 2009 to 64.39% in 2023. This figure reflects that the SAR Government has achieved strong results in ensuring cooperation in promoting responsible gambling across the industry.
Head of the Department of Prevention and Treatment of Problem Gambling and Drug Dependence of the IAS, Cheang Io Tat, said the number of requests for assistance received by the centralized registration system for gambling disorders has now returned to 2019 levels.
“In the first three quarters of this year, 110 requests for help were received, representing a double-digit increase over the pandemic period,” he explained. “The number of requests for help has already reached the level of the whole year of 2019, but 30% of those seeking help were tourists.”
The organizers also pointed out that next year will mark the 15th anniversary of the introduction of the Responsible Gaming Policy, when they will continue the theme of “Seeking Help for Winning the Future” with a focus on increasing travelers’ awareness of gambling disorders.
