Changes in casino management combined with cronyism are the main reasons for the evolution of the 'bate-ficha' business. Even though the practice is monitored by the Macau police and often appears in the news, there is no formal regulation governing its operation.

However, this concept of 'bate-ficha' lies in a gray area in the laws of Macau. This paper focuses on explaining the unique 'bate-ficha' business, which is based on non-transferable gaming chips, as practiced only in Macau casinos. Insights are drawn from the Australian experience which might inform the future of responsible gambling in Asia Current pressures are identified that may move Australian gambling operators towards a more transformative stage of corporate citizenship in responsible gambling, where more effective and targeted measures are implemented. Four developmental stages of responsible gambling policy and practice in Australia are discussed, from an elementary stage of corporate citizenship through engaged and innovative stages, to its integration into the business of gambling.

It then tracks how gambling operators in Australia have responded to this issue through the development and implementation of responsible gambling measures. Specifically, it draws on a lifecycle approach to issues management to explain the emergence of problem gambling as a significant social and public health issue in Australia. This presentation draws on the Australian experience of problem gambling and responsible gambling to provide insights for Asian jurisdictions currently experiencing a wave of gambling expansion. The results provide preliminary support for the contention that setting a time limit on EGM play is an effective responsible gambling strategy. As predicted, participants who were explicitly asked to consider setting a time limit on their EGM play were significantly more likely to do so and spent less time gambling than those who were not given such instructions. they were not exposed to a time limit pop-up message). In the no time limit pop-up condition, participants engaged in play immediately upon accessing the EGM in the VR casino (i.e. In the time limit pop-up condition, participants were asked (via pop-up message) to consider setting a time limit on play and entering that limit in an available text box prior to commencing play. To this end, participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned to a time limit pop-up condition or control condition, both of which involved gambling on an EGM in a virtual reality (VR) casino. In the current study, we assessed whether undergraduate electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers would be more apt to set a time limit and spend less time gambling when asked to consider setting an explicit time limit prior to their gambling session. This study contributes to strengthen Macao's responsible gambling practices by proposing several changes needed to provide desired outcomes through consumer education. The government should take leadership in influencing all stakeholders toward effective initiatives and behaviors related to responsible gambling education.Īlthough research on responsible gambling education is still in its infancy, its importance in reducing common misconceptions about gambling has already been established. The methodology involved extensive review of relevant academic research, government documents and reports related to Macao's responsible gambling initiatives.Įffective long-term responsible gambling education is needed in Macao to further people's understanding of gambling and gambler's fallacy. The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of consumer education in the context of responsible gambling in Macao and to suggest ways in which Macao could enhance its consumer education efforts to meet its challenges with regard to responsible gambling.Įxploratory and interpretative approaches have been adopted to suggest why and how Macao should strengthen responsible gambling education.

Formula for rust gambling