The Psychology of Chinese Gambling by Chi Chuen Chan & William Wai Lim Li & Amy Sau Lam Chiu

Author:Chi Chuen Chan & William Wai Lim Li & Amy Sau Lam Chiu
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789811334863
Publisher: Springer Singapore

3.6.1 Hong Kong

When compared to Mainland China, Hong Kong has conducted relatively more extensive research on the state and prevalence of gambling. The first extensive study was done by the researchers of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong Polytechnic University 2002). In a random sample of 2004 participants aged between 15 and 64, 78% of the sample had participated in some form of gambling in the previous year. For the respondents, the most favored form of gambling was Mark Six (a form of lottery tickets) (64.2%) and social gambling (45.9%). Among the gamblers, 1.85% of the participants could be considered as “probable pathological gamblers” according to DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association 1994). Their most favorite game was horse racing. Moreover, the study also included a questionnaire survey of 2000 students. Among these young students (all under 18), a sizable number of them (49.2%) participated in gambling activities in the previous year. Most of them learned gambling from their friends and families. An interesting finding was that gambling was a favorite pastime as they often shared gambling experiences with their families during festive holidays. The prevalence rate of pathological gambling among underage students was 2.6%.

Three years later, researchers at the University of Hong Kong launched a follow-up study on the state and prevalence of gambling in Hong Kong (The University of Hong Kong 2005). The methodology of this study was similar to that of the study in 2002. The major part of this study was a random sampling of 2093 residents aged 15–64. In the structured interviews, the respondents were asked about their gambling behaviors in the previous year. This study yielded similar findings with that of the investigation in 2002. As a group, 81.1% of the respondents admitted having participated in some forms of gambling in the previous year. There was a significant decrease in the participation rate in horse race betting (30.4% in 2001 to 25.5% in 2005). The researchers speculated that this was the consequence of the legalization of soccer betting in 2003 as some players in horse racing might choose to wager on soccer matches. 16.3% of the respondents have participated in football betting with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Using the DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association 1994) as the clinical assessment tool, the prevalence rates for pathological gamblers and problem gamblers were 2.2% and 3.1%, respectively (the figures in the study in 2002 were 1.85% and 4%, respectively).

This study also included a survey of 2095 young students from secondary schools and institutes of the Hong Kong Vocational Council. The students were given questionnaires to assess their gambling behaviors and habits. The findings indicated that the participation rate of gambling activities among youths aged 12–17 was 29.8%, showing a significant drop of participation rate in Mark Six lotteries and horse race betting (from 19.4% in Mark Six and 9.2% in horse racing in 2001 to 15% and 4.4%, respectively). Besides, this study witnessed a decrease in problem gambling among the youths. Using DSM-IV as the clinical assessment tool, the rates of pathological gamblers and problem gamblers were both 1.

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