WGM#38 NOV/DEC 2015

问 题 面 对 面 TREATING THE PROBLEM
for a long time. For those who come to quit
gambling, most of them also face certain
psychological distress, debt or tension with
family members. Some gamblers even try to
commit suicide and give up on themselves.
In the Chinese culture there is a deep-rooted
belief that domestic shame should not be made
public so it is already a breakthrough for them
to decide to seek help. To be able to help them
find the courage to face problems, recognize
that gambling can’t make them rich, stop
relying on gambling to live, improve their family
relationship and find purpose in life – it’s like
seeing the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a
butterfly. The joy of rebirth is irreplaceable.
BB: Are all participants willing or are some of
them reluctant to get treatment?
BC: Some individuals are a bit reluctant,
especially those who don’t admit the
seriousness of their gambling problem. Even
if they receive counseling, perhaps there are
some conditions or reasons such as the family
helping them pay off their debts. It might
be the last chance for their relationship or
something similar. In these cases they are often
reluctant so in general they will only come in
two or three times before losing contact or
refusing to return.
BB: So how do you go about treating them
as opposed to treating people who
want help?
BC: Generally those with low
motivation to seek help reflect
less on the impact gambling is
having on them. They are still immersed in the
emotional ups and downs of gambling or in the
dream of winning big money so in the first and
second interviews emphasis will be placed on
triggering their “motivation” to change; guiding
them to think of the long term consequences if
things don’t change; and assessing the extent
of their gambling disorder. The instructor
will not require them to immediately stop
gambling but will be more like a friend, helping
them make rational analysis so that they will lay
down their defense mechanisms and be more
willing to open up. The purpose is to trigger
their gambling motivation in order to facilitate
their future long-term treatment.
BB: Where do the majority of your patients
come from?
BC: Most are Macau locals, followed by Chinese
mainlanders or migrant workers.
BB: How are you funded?
BC: Mainly from the Social Welfare Bureau as
well as the DICJ and DSEJ.
BB: How many staff do you have and are there
certain qualifications needed to treat people?
BC: We have about 20 social or psychological
counselors. They are respectively responsible
for the supervision and work in the front lines,
providing hotline and interview counseling
for those who seek help and helping them
with gambling addiction or debt problems.
Employees must have a degree in the profession,
such as social or psychological counseling.
They must also complete professional
gambling recovery qualifications to join our
team. In addition, we have about 10 support
staff who help us hold some communitybased
prevention and education activities
to enhance the awareness of the impact of
gambling disorder among Macau citizens and
to encourage people in need to seek help.
BB: The latest wave of new properties in Macau
has started to arrive with the opening of Galaxy
Phase II earlier this year and many more to
follow. What sort of impact do you expect these
extra properties to have on problem gambling
in Macau?
BC: A lot of foreign studies have pointed out
that when there is a higher degree of gambling
accessibility, the local gambling addiction rate
will be higher. Frontline service experience also
confirms this view. The frequency of gambling
participation of quite a few individuals will
increase. This is attributed to easy accessibility
of casinos, the society’s general recognition of
gaming value and so on.
Note: According to the American Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the
terms “problem gambling” and “pathological
gambling” were changed in 2014 and are now
known as “gambling disorder.”
If you or someone you know has a gambling
problem, call the 24 Hour Gambling
Counseling Hotline on +853 2823 0101 or
email gcfw@skhwc.org.mo
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