Gambling gives city addict tag it wants to lose

Gambling gives city addict tag it wants to loseWinnie Chong
Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Gambling addiction in Hong Kong is the worst in Asia and possibly the world, according to a center which provides counselling.
 
The Caritas Addicted Gamblers Counselling Centre has urged the government to raise the minimum gambling age to 21 from 18, saying the center has provided assistance to nearly 4,000 addicts since it opened in 2003 and is helping 40 new cases each month.
The center said one in every six addicted gamblers, or 16.6percent, is aged 29 or younger, 62percent are between 30 and 49 and 21.4percent are 50 or over. Nearly 96percent of addicts are male and nearly half have incurred debts of HK$200,000 or more.

Many of the addicts started gambling between the ages of 16 and 20 and some even started at 10 or younger. Center social work supervisor Joe Tang Yiu-cho said some addicts have considered suicide.

Tang said together with the 80 new cases reported at three other counselling centers, there are about 120 new cases every month - the highest in Asia, and possibly, the world.  It is well-known that Chinese people love gambling, but it has become a frenzy, and surveys over the past decade have shown that more than four million citizens took part in gambling activities, including mahjong and the Mark Six. However, the latter often leads to destructive gambling.  Tang said the counselling center would like to see the minimum gambling age raised as "this would help prevent youngsters starting at an early age."  He added that from next month, Macau will put casinos off-limits to those aged under 21, and Singapore not only has an age limit of 21 but also charges locals a fee to enter.  The center also called on the government to introduce the evils of gambling into liberal studies and provide more funding for counselling centers.
Currently, there are between 100,000 and 200,000 pathological gamblers in Hong Kong, Tang said.

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