HONG KONG- Gambling is becoming more popular in Macau since its casino industry was opened in 2002. Nowadays, 50,000 people obsessed with gambling out of 500,000, leading to a few social problems.
Many young people quit school to work in casinos lured by the high salary. It has become habitual for many Macau people to go to casinos gambling. What is worse, some desperate gamblers risk everything at casinos and become bankrupt. The youngest one is a 21-year-old university student with 220,000 HKD debt.
Macau government has started to realize the impact of gambling on society. The chief executive of Macau Edmond Ho Hau-Wah says it is urgent for the government to put more fundings on moral education for youths in order to protect them from the corrupting influence of gambling.
Christian leaders of Macau called on special campaign to combat gambling among young people. They aim to educate young people through research, publication and special lectures, etc.
"We hope that the younger generation knows the harms of gambling. Macau is our home, we shouldn’t be carried away by gambling." Pastor David Wang, organizer of the activity says.
[Editor's note: Chris Chan in Hong Kong contributed to this article.]
