Macau Struggles to Promote Gambling Awareness to Mainland Tourists

Macau’s push to encourage safe gambling habits among visitors from mainland China runs into red tape and cultural barriers, experts shared at a recent industry event.

Policy Divide Hampers Macau’s Responsible Gambling Push for Mainland Visitors

At the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia in Macau, scholars pointed out the gap between Macau’s gambling rules and those of mainland China, where gambling is against the law. This difference in regulations makes it hard to involve mainland Chinese tourists, still Macau’s main gambling group, in public education or programs to reduce harm.

Professor Davis Fong Ka Chio from the University of Macau pointed out that people in mainland China cannot access his institute’s website about responsible gambling, reported Macau Business. He mentioned that authorities over the border stick to a clear position: Chinese citizens should not gamble even when they travel to other countries. Yet, no law stops individual mainland residents from gambling in places where it is legal, like Macau.

Fong stressed that tackling gambling behaviors among mainland tourists would need top-level teamwork and policy agreements between Macau and Beijing. He said that without this shared understanding, efforts to reach out would not work well.

Professor Zhonglu Zeng from Macau Polytechnic University agreed with this view. He highlighted how serious gambling addiction problems are in mainland China in casual places like mahjong parlors. He urged more thorough academic studies on gambling habits in the mainland. He also criticized what he sees as a hesitation to discuss the issue.

Local Gambling Addiction Rates Fall in Macau, Yet Cross-Border Collaboration Remains Key

Even with these outside difficulties, Macau has made clear progress in its own efforts to promote responsible gambling. Since 2009, the University of Macau has teamed up with local regulatory and social welfare groups to put into action a range of education and prevention plans.

These local efforts seem to be working. Fong says gambling addiction rates among Macau locals have dropped a lot, from 6% in 2007 to less than half a percent in 2022. He credits this to Macau’s proactive approach, focusing on early prevention instead of just dealing with the fallout of problem gambling.

However, experts caution that unless the mainland changes its view and starts to treat gambling addiction as a health issue rather than a legal or moral problem, attempts to spread Macau’s responsible gambling model to tourists from across the border will stay limited.

As mainland visitors keep driving most of Macau’s gaming income, the problem of tackling gambling harm without working together across borders remains unsolved.