More than 40 per cent of Hong Kong students have gambled in the past three months, a survey conducted by an NGO has found.
Gambling counselling platform i-Change, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong (ELCSS-HK), issued questionnaires to 601 students who mostly aged 19 to 25 to learn about their gambling habits. Established in 1976, ELCSS-HK aims to provide services to the underprivileged.
According to a press release issued on Saturday, the survey found that 41 per cent of respondents had gambled, half of whom had engaged in online gambling.
Nearly half of those surveyed – 47.5 per cent – said they gambled for “entertainment,” while students’ other reasons for gambling included: “killing time,” 41.8 per cent; “seeking excitement,” 41 per cent,” and “making a fast buck,” 36.9 per cent.
The survey showed that 95 per cent of the student respondents agreed that money was “important,” with 35 per cent saying it was “very important.”
“Highly emphasising money was one of the factors that induces a gambling disorder,” said i-Change said in its press release.
About 80 per cent of students who gambled “believed” that there were methods to win.
Among the students who had gambled in the past three months, 31 per cent of them spent no more than HK$500, while 11 per cent spent between HK$501 and HK$2,000, and 3.2 per cent spent more than HK$5,000 gambling.
Online gambling
The counselling platform presented a case study of a 31-year-old man identified under a pseudonym as John, who sought help from the counselling platform. He started gambling online in 2021 after seeing gambling platforms advertised in social media during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After repeatedly losing money, he began borrowing money online without considering his ability to meet repayments. He later tried to restructure his loans, but lost HK$24,000. Finally, he was forced to file for bankruptcy.
i-Change urged the government to enhance education to prevent online gambling and assist students developing a healthy attitude to financial management.
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