Village gaming parlours are experiencing a stratospheric increase in young visitors, a survey of gambling activities among Maltese residents commissioned by the Malta Gaming Authority has shown.

The survey, which sought to take a snapshot of the social and economic implications of gambling among Maltese residents, shows that visits to gaming parlours increased by almost 50% in 2016 when compared to a year earlier.

In 2017, another significant increase of 30.5% was registered at the same gambling shops over 2016. “The visits to gaming parlours increased mostly for players in younger age cohorts,” the survey notes. The survey classified younger players as being under the age of 35.

By the end of 2017, there were 52 approved gaming shops in Malta, four more than the previous year. The shops had 401 official gaming devices with visits by players, mostly of a young age, surpassing half a million.

The majority of visitors to gaming parlours, unlike casinos, were Maltese, constituting almost 70% of all visits in 2017. However, a significant increase in visits by foreign residents was registered.

During a press conference held on Friday to present the results, little attention was given to the significant increase in popularity of gaming parlours among the younger generations.

€128 million spent by Maltese residents in the legalised and regulated gaming industry

According to economist Gordon Cordina, the survey, based only on legal gambling, showed that only some 2% of gamblers may need attention due to a possible addiction.

The main findings of the survey show that in 2017, a total of €128 million was spent by Maltese residents in the legalised and regulated gaming industry.

Most of that, around 73%, was pumped into the official national lotteries such as lotto, Super 5 and other popular games.

More than half of Maltese residents (52.8%) took part in some form of gambling activity in 2017, spending on average €11.30 weekly trying out their luck.

Remote gaming is one of the main contributors to Malta’s economy, particularly due to the activities of foreign companies licensed in Malta.

It is also gaining ground among Maltese residents, although it is still a small portion when compared to overall gambling activity.

While traditional gambling is more popular among the older generations (45+), remote gaming is gaining most ground among youngsters.

Most of the individuals who engaged in gambling activities in 2017 have an education attainment level of up to secondary school and are most likely married with children.

With regard to the four licensed land-based casinos, growth was stable and most of those frequenting such gambling hubs are international junkets who travel to Malta particularly for this activity. The survey omitted the illegal gambling underworld which takes place on the island, even though it was aimed at identifying social problems related to gambling.

Asked why this survey had not taken illegal gambling into consideration, Dr Cordina said that although this was also a reality, the MGA “considers this phenomenon a law enforcement issue”.

Silvio Schembri, Parliamentary Secretary for the gaming industry, said that the Responsible Gaming Foundation would be using the survey as a basis for its campaigns and programmes to continue tackling social issues connected to the sector.

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