A recent poll in Kanagawa Prefecture indicates that roughly 0.8% of gamers in the region could be categorized as problematic gamblers.
The poll, carried out by mail, queried 2,687 participants ranging in age from 18 to 74, chosen randomly from a sample of 6,750 inhabitants. It utilized the 20-question South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) to assess the prevalence of problematic gambling. According to the system, participants are categorized as potentially having a gambling issue if they respond “yes” to 5 or more of the 20 inquiries.
Overall, 0.8% of participants answered “yes” to 5 or more questions based on their conduct in the past year, while 4.9% answered “yes” to 5 or more questions based on their lifetime conduct.
The prefectural health and medical agency, which carried out the research, added that the actual number of problematic gamblers may be greater or less than 0.8%. The agency stated that they can confidently assert with 95% certainty that the current rate is between 0.4% and 1.2%.
In the meantime, considering their conduct throughout their lives, the percentage of the populace achieving a score exceeding 5 on the SOGS will range from 4.0% to 5.8% in 95% of instances.
The organization stated that the typical expenditure of individuals exhibiting signs of problematic gambling, based on their SOGS responses, is 300,000 yen ($2,236/€2,481/$2,788) monthly, while the median player in this group spends 30,000 yen monthly.
The research also revealed that the highest wagering amounts were observed in the categories of pachinko – resembling vertical pinball machines – and pachislot, a variation of slot machines.
Earlier this week, the Japan Integrated Resort Association initiated a survey aimed at operators to ascertain the influence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on their plans.
The survey inquired about the potential impact of COVID-19 on operators’ businesses, the extent of revenue losses if any, whether the level of operators’ willingness to participate in the integrated resort plan had shifted, and other inquiries.
In March 2019, Japan enacted legislation to establish new integrated resorts, including the nation’s inaugural casinos. However, the initiative has been contentious, with an opposing lawmaker submitting an unsuccessful bill in January 2020 to revoke the plan.
In May of this year, Las Vegas Sands withdrew from the process to secure a license for a Japanese integrated resort (IR), citing an excessively burdensome regulatory framework that rendered the project impractical.
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