Why do the elderly in Hong Kong like to gamble? The arrest of a 90-year-old man reveals the depth of the problem

Loneliness is the main reason some elderly people in Hong Kong take up illegal gambling, experts said, noting that senior centers are not attractive enough to meet demand. recreational and social activities of each.

Academics told the Post on Monday that gambling itself does not directly cause promiscuous behavior, but warned that the “neutral” perception of the event may lead some people to the elderly take it as retirement.

“Usually the situation is that elderly people have retired, their children may not be able to take care of them during the day and some of their friends may also have died, so there is loneliness,” said Augusta Yim Ting-ling. a licensed counseling psychologist at Zion Social Service, which provides assistance to those with gambling problems.

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Gambling among the elderly has come under scrutiny, after a 90-year-old man and eight others, all aged 60 and over, were arrested in a police raid on a Tsuen Wan apartment on Sunday.

They were arrested on suspicion of playing an illegal mahjong game.

Similar cases have also been found in recent years, including back in 2021 when a 99-year-old man was among those arrested.

Experts say that the elderly, who usually had enough time to relax after retirement, may fall into gambling as a way of socializing.

Criminologist Eric Chui Wing-hong of the Polytechnic University explained that some elderly people wanted to be social when they joined illegal gambling clubs.

Chui said: “Their leisure options are limited, that’s why they don’t get together, they already feel happy.

Yim added that some people choose to join gambling clubs instead of going to nursing homes run by non-governmental organizations.

“Some 60- and 70-year-olds that we have talked to felt that the activities carried out in the centers for the elderly will not satisfy their needs, and they chose to go to the branches of bet a Jockey Club where they could enjoy the company and get a high by winning,” Yim said.

Hong Kong is one of the fastest aging cities in the world, with the population aged 65 and over expected to increase from 20.5 percent in 2021 to 36 percent in 2046.

A variety of nursing homes, mostly run by non-governmental organizations, can be found throughout the city. While they offer a wide range of community services and recreational activities, many require an annual membership fee.

Yim said people 60 or older who visited his center for help to quit gambling accounted for 13 percent of cases across all age groups, with the oldest person he who has met the 90-year-old, but added that he has not seen a rise. method.

However, both Chui and Yim warned that some senior citizens may not realize that their gambling activities are illegal. Chui said the elderly tend to be less aware of crime.

“Their perception is really lower than that of teenagers and children. Often, they think that people will not pay attention to what they are doing, or that even if they are caught, they will not be severely punished because of their age,” Chui said.

Yim said some may not be aware of the nature of illegal gambling sites as they may be set up in their homes, and the elderly may be less vigilant when invited by neighbors looking for partners.

Yim said that other cases were brought to his attention by the children of elderly people who play gambling. They were in a difficult situation – they hoped that their parents would stop gambling but also realized that the job supported them in their gambling life socially and emotionally.

Police data shows an increasing trend in arrests of people aged 60 or over for “serious gambling offences” since 2019, from 73 cases to 120 in 2021 and 176 in 2022.

Yim says another contributing factor could be the neutral attitude towards gambling in Chinese culture, as mahjong, for example, would have been a common game at parties when the elderly were young.

“When they’re trying to break their loneliness and don’t have a lot of people to talk to, they can form friendships with an activity like gambling,” Yim said. “Winning can also strengthen this relationship.”

Some medical studies have shown that playing mahjong and cards can help reduce the risk of dementia among the elderly.

Chui said that “healthy, responsible” gambling that involves little or no money can be an acceptable social activity.

“The case [on Sunday] electronic mahjong tables were involved, which have also been installed in some homes for the elderly. It’s just that there is no gambling with money there while giving the elderly a chance to do math,” he said.

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