HK gamblers prefer casino ships to Macau IRs

Saturday 8th of April 2017

Hong Kong’s gamblers spend more in the casino ships that leave the territory for international waters than they do in Macau’s casinos, a government survey found.

The telephone survey of 1,250 respondents, entitled “Study on Hong Kong People’s Participation in Gambling Activities in 2016” found that 61.5 percent of respondents gambled in the past year.

It found the mean monthly spend on casino ships was HK$45,259 ($5,827), far outstripping the amount spent in Macau, which was put at $7,938. The figures for both are rising however, with 2016, gambling at Macau’s casinos up 5.6 times from a prior survey in 2012 and 20 times higher for casino ships.

Overall, the most popular betting form for Hong Kong residents was the Mark Six lottery run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which runs the only legal gambling activities in the Special Administration Region.

A total of 54.9 percent of respondents said they took part in the lottery in the past year, followed by social gambling, such as mahjong parlors, at 31.6 percent, horserace betting, 12.5 percent, Macau casinos wagering 8.4 percent and football betting 6.6 percent.

The tendency of gambling participation among Hong Kong population is decreasing gradually from 77.8 percent in 2001 to 61.5 percent in 2016.