Macau Social Services Coordination Office hotline helps 18,000 gambling addicts

Publish Date: 02-Mar-2021

HKSKH Macau Social Services Coordination Office was entrusted by the Social Welfare Bureau to set up a 24-hour hotline and online counselling service for gambling addicts in 2014. The project was part of the Macau government’s Responsible Gambling Policy that provides counselling services to families suffering from gambling problems. The office organized a launch ceremony for a new book about this service: Walking with you online, as a measure to enlist public support to families distressed by gambling problems and to set up a community network to fight against gambling.

In the past six years, the 24-hour hotline and online counselling service received some 18,000 requests for help. Clients were mainly between 25 to 35 years of age. Most of them went online for help and were in the early stages of gambling disorder. They were more aware of their need for help, for example, they actively sought information on obtaining help, conducted self-assessments, and were planning to seek professional help. The project has designed many online counselling tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its service.