ABSTRACT
Gambling has a long history in Hong Kong. Aside from 66 licensed mahjong parlors, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is the sole legalized gambling service provider in Hong Kong and commenced horse racing in 1841. According to the literature, there are gender differences in gambling preferences in which thrill seeking is the motivation for males while females prefer dissociation gambling in order to cope with dysphoric moods such as depression and anxiety or loneliness. Chan and Ohtsuka validated the Blaszczynski and Nower's pathway developmental models and summarized the findings of 11 small-scale qualitative studies which were undertaken by Chan and his research team on problem gambling in Hong Kong and Macau. In her master's dissertation, Cheng explored the pathological gambling and help-seeking experiences of Chinese female pathological gamblers in Hong Kong. The local female pathological gamblers shared common characteristics which were usually not motivated to seek help in the early stage.
