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Tag: self-exclusion

  • Macau Problem Gambling Surges After Casinos Pivot to Public

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    Posted on: January 22, 2026, 12:44h. 

    Last updated on: January 21, 2026, 03:11h.

    • Macau is seeing more people than ever seeking help for their gambling disorders
    • A record number of people self-excluded from casinos in 2025

    Macau is experiencing a rise in problem gambling. The increase in the number of people seeking help for their gambling comes after the enclave’s casinos pivoted from the VIP and high roller to the premium mass and general public player.

    Macau casinos problem gambling China
    People wait on a bus that’s enroute to Wynn Macau. Macau’s focus on the mass and general public is leading to higher rates of problem gambling in the Chinese region. (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

    Macau is the world’s richest casino market, with the six gaming operators combining to win $30.9 billion from their table games and slot machines in 2025. The $30.9 billion was the highest annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) mark since 2019.

    How Macau’s casinos generate GGR, however, has changed drastically since the COVID-19 pandemic. Once a gambling hub largely reserved for Mainland China’s wealthiest elite, Beijing used the global health crisis to alter how Macau ticks.

    The People’s Republic and President Xi Jinping shuttered the VIP junket model. The businesses were accused of facilitating the transfer of money from the communist regime to Macau, a Special Administration Region under Chinese control that’s considered a tax haven.

    Junkets and Macau’s casinos colluded to bring mainland high rollers to the city. Customers were typically afforded a line of casino credit close to the amount of money they paid the junket for their lavish trip and accommodations. Such high rollers gambled in private rooms on high-stakes games of baccarat, with per-bet hands often upwards of $10,000.

    Macau Problem Gambling 

    In exchange for 10-year casino license extensions, Beijing and Macau forced Sands, Wynn, MGM, Galaxy, Melco, and SJM to invest $16 billion in non-gaming projects. The agreement was designed to alter Macau from a high-stakes gambling paradise to a destination for leisure travel, family-friendly vacations, and business.

    The VIP gambling rooms are largely no more. Macau casinos have instead widened their marketing focus, and, so far, their multibillion-dollar bets on non-gaming are helping drive gaming, too. But Macau government officials say it’s also driving gambling problems.

    Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau reports that 828 people removed their access to casinos in 2025. In 2024, only 475 individuals requested self-exclusion.

    During the seven years from 2013 through 2019, Macau’s self-exclusion program averaged 341 new enrollees each year. There were 254 self-exclusions in 2020, 359 in 2021, 292 in 2022, and 418 in 2023.

    There were another 124 people who were excluded last year through third-party-initiated requests, typically a family member or close friend. The individual must agree to be excluded before a third-party application is executed.

    The total number of exclusions includes exclusions requested by casinos. Excluded people are banned from entering casinos in Macau for a term of two years. 

    Macau Market Maturation

    Following the overhaul of the Macau gaming industry, analysts at S&P are predicting a stabilization of gaming revenues after three years of growth.

    Macau’s gaming boom is fading. The sector will be moving from a post-pandemic rebound to a more maturity-driven phase, as capacity limits and potentially softer mass demand temper growth,” the S&P note read.

    “We think 2026 revenue growth will slow, but steady operations, selective share gains, and deleveraging still support modest upside,” the brokerage predicted.

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    Devin O’Connor

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  • GAMSTOP and Its Soccer Partners Launch #TakeBackControl2024 Campaign

    GAMSTOP and Its Soccer Partners Launch #TakeBackControl2024 Campaign

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    GAMSTOP, a self-exclusion scheme that helps players in the UK control their online gambling, has joined forces with its soccer partners to launch a new awareness campaign.

    GAMSTOP’s campaign, titled #TakeBackControl2024, seeks to promote the self-exclusion tools available to players in the United Kingdom. The initiative hopes to teach more soccer fans about the benefits of self-exclusion.

    The launch of Take Back Control comes amid the rapid expansion of Britain’s online gaming and betting sectors and responds to an increasing demand for safer gambling tools.

    GAMSTOP, which helps people moderate their gaming by excluding themselves from all licensed gambling websites in the country for free, has so far helped more than half a million Brits put an end to their gambling struggles. Currently, there are over 440,000 people who remain excluded from gambling via the GAMSTOP platform.

    GAMSTOP and Its Partners Help Brits Take Back Control

    Take Back Control will see GAMSTOP work together with major soccer clubs to “put self-exclusion in the spotlight” throughout the week.

    This week, our football partners are working with us to put a spotlight on self-exclusion and its benefits. If you’re struggling with online gambling, GAMSTOP can help you take back control.

    GAMSTOP statement

    The company urged players who are concerned about their gambling to visit its official website. In addition to excluding themselves from gambling, visitors of GAMSTOP’s website can also access a variety of materials, including blogs by people with lived experience of gambling addiction.

    Multiple clubs, including Walsall FC, Bradford City FC, The New Saints FC, Bolton Wanderers and Crewe Alexandra expressed pride about the opportunity to support the initiative and help British players learn more about the safer gambling tools available to them.

    GAMSTOP Reported an Increase in Young Registrants

    In other news, GAMSTOP recently reported a rise in the number of self-excluded people, including a concerning increase in young adults seeking its services.

    CEO Fiona Palmer was somewhat optimistic about the increasing number of registrants, saying that it attests to British consumers’ growing awareness of the safer gambling tools at their disposal. However, she couldn’t help but feel concerned about the increase in the number of younger players making GAMSTOP accounts.

    For context, GAMSTOP recorded an increase of 12% in self-exclusions among players aged 16-24. Palmer suggested that problem gambling education and treatment should focus on targeted interventions to help young people experiencing gambling harm.

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    Angel Hristov

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