Chinese Gamblers Research Articles

Erroneous Perceptions of Chinese Baccarat Players: Evidence from Guidebooks

Baccarat, as the most popular gambling game, is also the one to which the majority of pathological gamblers who sought help are addicted in Macau. This paper documents the cognitive distortions of Chinese Baccarat gamblers from guidebooks written by five experienced Chinese gamblers. The analyses of their descriptions of Baccarat and their observations about other Chinese gamblers show that the objective of the vast majority of Chinese Baccarat players is to make quick money rather than view Baccarat as a form of entertainment. Further, cognitive distortions—such as the gambler’s fallacy, illusion of control, illusory correlation, interpretive bias, and availability of others’ wins—are pervasive. Some erroneous perceptions have Baccarat-specific representations, such as following trends, money management tricks, and following winners. These findings may contribute to prevention/awareness education and counseling services for pathological gamblers.

Re-segmenting a gaming destination market

The so-called ‘Monte Carlo of the Orient’, Macau, has an economy that relies heavily on gambling. By 2006, Macau’s gambling revenue had exceeded that of Las Vegas. Mainland Chinese gamblers are a major source of customers for many Macau casinos. However, the nationwide crackdown on corruption in China has resulted in a tremendous revenue decrease in Macau. As a result, tourist managers need to learn how to adapt to these new changes and begin to segment tourists markets and address the different market segments more systematically by providing a varied range of services. This study aims to gain insight into Mainland Chinese travelers and to categorize these travelers according to their motivations. Three clusters of tourists emerged: ‘freedom seekers’, ‘multipurpose seekers,’ and ‘entertainment and gambling seekers’. Each cluster had a different sociodemographic profile and assessment regarding the gambling destination attributes. To attract tourists from these heterogeneous categories, managers should incorporate the corresponding responses into their marketing strategies.

Cognitive Dissonance Among Chinese Gamblers: Cultural Beliefs Versus Gambling Behavior

This study examined the extent to which cognitive dissonance exists among Chinese gamblers as a consequence of gambling while holding negative attitudes toward gambling, which are inherent in China’s traditional cultural values. Using the behavioral variable of actual gambling and an attitudinal variable of negative beliefs about gambling, a third, practical measure of cognitive dissonance was developed. By using questionnaires completed by 200 adult Chinese respondents, these measures were examined in relation to a set of relevant independent variables frequently tested in the gambling literature. Cognitive dissonance was expected to have significant negative correlations with traditional Chinese values and family support, and a significant positive correlation with neuroticism. Cognitive dissonance was also expected to be negatively correlated with two personal outcomes, i.e. self-actualization and life satisfaction. The results supported these hypotheses, which confirmed the validity of the new measures, and that cognitive dissonance does indeed exist among Chinese gamblers. The results also found that Chinese gamblers, even though they do gamble, also hold negative attitudes toward gambling, with more cognitive dissonance strongly associated with higher levels of gambling. This provides a new perspective on studying Chinese gambling, and offers a possible strategy to help pathological gamblers, for example, by advising them that their negative beliefs about gambling reflect the positive moral values of their society’s traditional culture, an approach that may be effective in reducing excessive gambling.

The Portrayal of Gambling and Cognitive Biases in Chinese Gambling-Themed Movies

This study was undertaken to explore movie portrayals of Chinese gambling behaviors. More than 350 observation hours were spent reviewing and documenting 39 Chinese gambling-themed movies. In general, observations found that Chinese gambling-themed movies tended to portray gambling positively. More importantly, cognitive distortions were represented commonly in these Chinese gambling-themed movies. Specifically, active illusionary control via skill efficacy was depicted most frequently, followed by cognitive control, talismanic control, and behavioral control. Passive illusionary control via luck was represented regularly in these movies. These findings will help policymakers to understand the extent and types of distortion better as well as misinformation that Chinese gambling-themed movies convey to the public.

CHINESE GAMBLERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF E-MARKETING MIX ELEMENTS FOR ONLINE CASINOS

Internet ubiquity has revolutionized numerous industries, making online shopping and auctions a profitable business sector that is now impacting on the casino industry. Different e-marketing approaches have been widely adopted by online casinos to facilitate betting transactions. The uniqueness of e-marketing is characterized via a series of specific and relational functions that are combined with the traditional 4Ps (Product, Price, Place and Promotion) to form the e-marketing mix elements. The renown and popularity of gambling on internet casinos is growing rapidly, with the online casino business seeing significant growth in Europe, Asia and South America. In China, there are twice as many online gamblers as there are online shoppers. In this study, the perceptions of Chinese gamblers are analyzed to find out: i) the demographic effect on their perceptions of e-marketing mix elements offered by online casinos; ii) the relationships between their perceptions of e-marketing mix elements. The results can provide a reference strategy for the investors in online casinos to develop e-marketing plans for the online businesses.

Chopsticks and Gambling

The Chinese are known throughout the world as avid gamblers with a long history of participation in games of chance. Historians have documented wagering on such games as far back as the early Chinese dynasties. Despite measures by ancient Chinese rulers to contain gambling, it proliferated, and Chinese games have evolved and multiplied since then. Desmond Lam provides a unique look into the little-known world of Chinese gambling from historical, cultural, psychological, and social perspectives.Chinese gamblers regularly patronize casinos in the United States, Canada, and Australia. The recent expansion of gambling in East Asia has attracted much global media attention. Macau, the only place in China where casino gambling is now legal, easily surpasses Las Vegas as the world's largest casino gaming market. Each year, Chinese from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan account for almost 90 percent of visitors to Macau.The expansion of the Chinese gambling industry has brought about much harm to Chinese communities, despite all of the development it has also stimulated. This book is the first to examine the beliefs, motivations, attitudes, and behaviors of Chinese gamblers, and will be of interest to students of history and sociology, as well as those studying the history and culture of China.

The mediating effect of depression between superstitious beliefs and problem gambling: a cross-cultural study of Chinese and Caucasians residing in the United States

The purpose of this study was to address the mediational role of depression in the association between superstitions and problem gambling and to test whether this mediating process is significantly different between Chinese and Caucasian Americans. Eight items assessing superstitious beliefs, the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the 20-item South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) were completed by 115 Chinese gamblers and 187 Caucasian gamblers residing in the United States, and the responses between tests and between groups compared. Path analysis results showed that superstitious beliefs had a significant effect on both Chinese and Caucasian gamblers' SOGS scores (i.e., problem gambling symptoms). In both groups, depression played a significant mediating role between the superstitious beliefs variable and the problem gambling variable. Future clinical research might use the findings of this study to develop specific prevention and treatment approaches focusing on a gambler's cognitive bias and negative mood.

A Preliminary Study of an Integrated and Culturally Attuned Cognitive Behavioral Group Treatment for Chinese Problem Gamblers in Hong Kong

Chinese people may have a higher rate of gambling problems than other cultural groups. However, there are very few clinical outcome studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of clinical interventions for helping Chinese gamblers. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective for helping problem gamblers to significantly reduce their gambling problems in western countries. Very few CBT clinical trials have been conducted with the Chinese populations, and the results were masked by methodological limitations. This preliminary study attempted to test the effectiveness of an integrated and culturally attuned CBT group treatment for Chinese problem gamblers in Hong Kong. This study adopted a randomized control design and 38 participants were allocated randomly to the experimental condition (n = 18) and control condition (n = 20). The experimental group received 10 weekly CBT group sessions and individual counseling services while control group only received the individual counseling services. Significant decreases in gambling severity and frequencies of gambling were found in the experimental group. The findings also showed that a change in gambling cognitions predicted the changes in gambling severity and gambling urge while a change in gambling severity was also linked to a change in depression. Preliminary evidence highlights the potential benefits of an integrated and culturally attuned CBT group treatment for Chinese problem gamblers in Hong Kong. However, a more vigorous research design with a larger sample is needed to provide solid evidence of the effectiveness of the model for Chinese problem gamblers.

Internet Gambling Among Community Adults and University Students in Macao

Despite the high availability of offline gambling in Macao, China, Internet gambling may remain attractive to many gamblers due to its anonymity and convenience. Given the scarcity of relevant research, this study aims to not only investigate the public attitude and prevalence of Internet gambling but also identify the demographic and psychological characteristics of Internet gamblers in Macao. We recruited 952 community adults with the random residential number dialing method and 427 university students through convenience sampling. Only 5.4% of the community adult respondents preferred online gambling compared to offline gambling, and the past-year prevalence of online gambling was about 1%. As hypothesized, Internet gambling was found to be positively associated with pathological gambling in both community and student samples. It was also associated with casino employment across samples. Moreover, we found that male gender, casino employment, materialism, and life dissatisfaction were significant risk factors of pathological gambling among Chinese gamblers. The findings provide insights on future designs of preventive measures and research direction for Internet gambling and pathological gambling in Chinese communities.

Demographic Analysis of Chinese Gamblers’ Perceptions of E-marketing Mix Elements Adopted by Online Casinos

The Internet explosion has revolutionized numerous industries, making online shopping and auctions into profitable business sectors. An increasingly important market sector is the casino industry. The profile and popularity of gambling on an internet casino is evolving rapidly, with the online gambling business seeing significant growth in Europe, Asia and South America. In China, there are twice as many online gamblers as there are Internet shoppers. In this study, the Chinese gamblers' perceptions of e-marketing mix elements offered by online casinos will be analyzed. The purpose is : i) to investigate the popular e- marketing tools supported by existing online casinos; ii) to evaluate the demographic effect on Chinese gamblers' perceptions of e-marketing mix elements. The results can provide a market reference for investors in online casinos. 

A patron, a referral and why in Macau casinos—The case of mainland Chinese gamblers

Delivering high quality service tends to improve the loyalty of valued customers. Operators should have an understanding of how customers react to the service provision. The current investigation is undertaken in Macau casinos and explores the relationship between service quality and loyalty of casino members and non-members with a focus on gamblers from the mainland China. Gamble loyalty is operationalized on the basis of attitudinal and behavioural dimensions. A quantitative method is used to explore these relationships. Casino service quality is measured by using a newly developed four-dimensional scale named CASERV. The results indicate that service quality explains significant variance in gambler attitudinal loyalty but not behavioural loyalty for casino members and non-members. In particular, service delivery contributes substantially to gambler attitudinal loyalty. Surprisingly, non-members report higher level of service quality perceptions and are more likely to act as referral for the casino and to spread positive word-of-mouth communications; whereas members do appear to patronize the casino more frequently and to play longer in the casino of their first choice during their visit in Macau. Implications of these findings are provided for practitioners and researchers.

Mainland Chinese gamblers’ casino design preferences

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, hospitality firms need to increase their competitiveness by improving their service quality. Apart from maintaining quality products and service delivery, enough attention should also be paid to the physical settings and design because it could affect a customer’s total service experience. It is necessary to first understand the preferences of customers for design types and physical settings to offer products that meet their needs. This study focuses on the casino design preferences of Mainland Chinese customers who are a major source of customers for many casinos including those in Macao. Twenty-five Mainland Chinese gamblers who have visited casinos in Macao were interviewed. A total of 30 preferences were identified, which were further grouped into the following 11 categories: spaciousness and openness; architectural style; exterior design; interior decor; theme; signage; floor layout; color; air temperature and quality; lighting; and greenery/natural landscape. Practical implications are discussed and future research directions are provided.

Validation of the Gambling Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Chinese Undergraduate Students

Although research on self-efficacy in the gambling literature took place more than 25yearsago, only in the recent decade did researchers attempt to develop valid and reliable measures of gambling-related self-efficacy. Recently Casey et al. (J Gambl Stud 24:229-246, 2008) developed the Gambling Refusal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (GRSEQ) in an Australian sample, which is a valuable tool for gambling research. The first objective of this study is to validate the measure in a new sample. Given that previous research on Chinese's gamblers' self-efficacy is lacking, and that related research often used ad-hoc measures of the construct, a second objective of this study is to evaluate whether the GRSEQ is suitable for Chinese people. A sample of 427 university students (56.4% females, 50.7% gamblers) answered a questionnaire with measures including the GRSEQ, subjective norms, intentions toward gambling, general self-efficacy, impulsiveness, and pathological gambling symptoms. Evidence was found for the four-factor structure, internal consistency, criterion-related validity, and discriminant validity of the Chinese version of the GRSEQ among this young Chinese group.

An Examination of Factors Driving Chinese Gamblers’ Fallacy Bias

Gambling is a leisure activity, which is enjoyed by many people around the world. Among these people, Chinese are known for their high propensity to gamble and are highly sought after by many casinos. In this exploratory study, the effect of two types of fallacy bias-positive recency and negative recency-on the betting behavior of Chinese gamblers is investigated. Although the influence of fallacy bias on a betting decision is well documented, little is known about the interaction of the factors that dictate fallacy bias. Drawing from an analysis of 2,645 betting decisions, the results show that Chinese gamblers primarily endorse positive recency, especially when the latest outcome is more frequent. This is contrary to most findings on Western subjects in which negative recency is more common. Current findings have meaningful implications to casino gaming entertainment businesses and public policymakers.

The expansion of electronic gambling machines in China through anthropological and public health lenses

The Chinese have always been identified as gamblers, and they accept this. However, apart from state lotteries, the people of China have not been exposed to a situation where games have been legitimized and made generally available. According to recent literature, there are significant problems related to gambling in many jurisdictions around the world where a critical mass of people of Chinese origin have access to state gambling. Overseas Chinese are table game enthusiasts and are also turning to electronic gambling machines (EGMs), which are recognized as the games most likely to be associated with harmful gambling and pathological gambling. In Mainland China, EGM are now being widely introduced. This discussion paper is built on a synthesis of anthropological knowledge about Chinese culture and a non systematic review of current literature about Chinese culture and gambling. We have tried to answer the following question: if such machines are now introduced in large numbers in China, what are the implications for public health if the games are as popular as projections would have them? Given our knowledge of the correlation between Chinese culture and games of chance and money – and in light of the sensational popularity of casinos in Macao – the introduction of electronic gambling machines in China should become popular and could have important consequences on the population’s health. When the negative effects are felt, the Chinese regime may be unlikely to listen to civil society which, as in other jurisdictions where EGMs are operated, will try too late and within the limits of the freedom granted in China, to mitigate the impacts of those games.

Psychometric evaluation of the inventory of Gambling Motives, Attitudes and Behaviours (GMAB) among Chinese gamblers

The present study aims to evaluate and refine the Inventory of Gambling Motives, Attitudes and Behaviours (GMAB) specifically designed to assess gambling-related cognitions and behaviours of Chinese gamblers with a random sample of 697 Chinese adults in Macao who were interviewed by telephone. Confirmatory factor analysis generally replicated the basic factor structure of the three domains of GMAB although the removal of several items with low factor loading or cross-loading was suggested. Moreover, the findings supported the addition of another motivational subscale, socialization. The revised version has six subscales of motives (self-worth, monetary gains, sensation seeking, boredom alleviation, learning and socialization), four of attitudes (fate and luck, negative consequences of gambling, techniques and superstition), and five of behaviours (impaired control, gambling involvement, arousal reaction, superstitious behaviour and controlled gambling). The psychometric properties of the revised GMAB (GMAB-R) were demonstrated to be satisfactory.

Development and validation of the Chinese adolescent gambling expectancy scale

Gambling expectancies have been reported to be an important variable in adolescents' gambling behaviours. However, little is known regarding the role of gambling expectancies among Chinese adolescents. This study aimed to identify Chinese adolescents' expectancies for gambling and to evaluate their relation to gambling behaviours. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed which confirmed that a five-factor model was a good fit for the data. The five factors – namely, social benefits, relational costs, material gain, being out of control, and money loss – were revealed. The findings demonstrate the importance of understanding gambling behaviours within specific cultural contexts.

Chinese Attitudes, Norms, Behavioral Control and Gambling Involvement in Macao

This study tested the applicability of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) on gambling intention and involvement in a representative Chinese sample in Macao, recruited by a random residential number dialing method. We successfully interviewed 685 respondents, with about one-third of them reporting that they had participated in gambling activities during the 12 months prior to the interview. The results of structural equation modeling suggested that favorable attitudes toward superstition and techniques, poor sense of perceived behavioral control over gambling refusal, and high gambling intention increased vulnerability to excessive gambling involvement. These findings generally support the efficacy of the TPB in explaining gambling intention and involvement among both Chinese gamblers and non-gamblers. Some practical implications of the findings are discussed within the Chinese context.

A History of Games of Chance in Macau: Part I—Introduction

Gaming Law Review and EconomicsVol. 16, No. 10 ArticlesA History of Games of Chance in Macau: Part I—IntroductionJorge GodinhoJorge GodinhoSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:12 Oct 2012https://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2012.16107AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byCasino development and regulation in Asia: the experience of Macau and Singapore for Japan and other destinations25 August 2020 | Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 11, No. 3The beginnings of copyright law in Macau19 June 2018 | The Journal of World Intellectual Property, Vol. 21, No. 3-4Explaining urban economic governance: The City of MacaoCities, Vol. 61An Examination of Factors Driving Chinese Gamblers’ Fallacy Bias6 June 2013 | Journal of Gambling Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3 Volume 16Issue 10Oct 2012 InformationCopyright 2012, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Jorge Godinho.A History of Games of Chance in Macau: Part I—Introduction.Gaming Law Review and Economics.Oct 2012.552-556.http://doi.org/10.1089/glre.2012.16107Published in Volume: 16 Issue 10: October 12, 2012PDF download

To Gamble or Not? Perceptions of Macau Among Mainland Chinese and Hong Kong Visitors

Macau's casino sector has been expanding rapidly, particularly targeting mainland Chinese gamblers. The novelty and under-researched nature of this market is a challenge for Macau's casino and destination marketers. This study explores the characteristics of the mainland market and compares this with the second placed and more mature Hong Kong market. The profiling of visitors from Macau's main source markets including demographic, region of origin, trip behaviour and motivation characteristics provides insights into the future success of the destination. Adaption theory is used to explain the implications of differences between Gambling and Non-Gambling visitors from the two source markets. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.