Asian Communities Gambling Data

Here, you’ll find a summary of problem gambling research data specific to Asian Communities from our Resource Library. For more information click research citation links.

For quick reference, data topic categories on this webpage include:

• General Asian Communities Data
• Aging Data
• Cultural Data
• Family Data
• Gender Data
• Mental Health Data
• Socioeconomic Data
• Sports Betting Data
• Stigma Data
• Treatment Data
• Women Data
• Risk Factors
• Protective Factors
• Researched Recommendations

General Asian Communities Gambling Data

2022

• Over 80% of the interviewees were aware of the buses within their communities which would take individuals to the casino (Colby et al, 2022).
• 65% of interviewees discussed the motivation to gamble for entertainment and the social aspect of gambling  (Colby et al, 2022).
• 40% of interviewees mentioning boredom as a reason for gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• 25% of the interviewees discussed a lack of alternative entertainment options as the reason why people go to the casinos (Colby et al, 2022).
• Over 20% of the interviews brought up gambling as a way to relax and relieve stress (Colby et al, 2022).

PLACES TO GAMBLE

• Interviewees identified gambling locations (Colby et al, 2022), including:
  • • ♦ 83% stated casinos.
    • ♦ 35% stated small shops (lottery tickets).
    • ♦ 30% stated in homes.
    • ♦ 13% stated private places (described as where the serious gamblers went).
    • ♦ 10% stated illegally in underground casinos.
    • ♦ 5% stated clubs and/or parks.

TYPES OF GAMBLING

• Interviewees identified types of gambling (Colby et al, 2022), including:
  • • ♦ 78% stated casino games.
    • ♦ 43% stated lottery.
    • ♦ 35% stated Mahjong.
    • ♦ 30% stated sports betting.
    • ♦ 28% stated Keno, scratch tickets, and/or other games.
    • ♦ 15% stated poker and/or online gambling.

2019

• Themes in Asians’ incorrect perception of gambling include skill, near miss, concept of luck, superstitious beliefs, entrapment, gambler’s fallacy, chasing wins, chasing losses, and the belief that wins exceeded losses (Morgane, 2019).
  • These gambling-related cognitions played a role in the maintenance and escalation of gambling in the Asian older adults.

2011

Asian Communities Aging Data

2022

•  Interviewees noted many of them come from cultures that prioritize extended family, such as elderly playing an important role as caretakers of the younger generation. In modern American society, this important role is lost, leading many elderly to gambling to fill his void (Colby et al, 2022).
• Some community elders will visit casinos to drink morning tea everyday to chat with friends. They also find the casino environment is good for walking, being warm in winter and cool in summer (Colby et al, 2022).
• Elders in particular can be hard hit by gambling addiction because of their linguistic and social isolation (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Cultural Data

2022

• Asian communities frequent casinos because they felt welcomed and there were others who spoke their language (Colby et al, 2022).
• Many respondents claimed to go to the casino with their friends, some making plans for weekend trips and activities (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Family Data

2022

• 65% of the respondents believed that gambling had negative impacts on families (Colby et al, 2022).
• 55% of interviewees listed domestic violence (whether physical, verbal, or emotional) as a side effect of gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• 15% of interviewees mentioned death and suicide as an impact of problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Additional identified impacts of gambling include:
  • • ♦ 73% stated negative impacts to children (Colby et al, 2022).
    • ♦ 45% stated divorce/ separation (Colby et al, 2022).
    • ♦ 33% stated family/ child neglect (Colby et al, 2022).
    • ♦ 15% stated bad reputation/ shaming (Colby et al, 2022).
• People chose to gamble to escape poverty and improve family finances (the dream of a better future) (Colby et al, 2022).
• Problem gambling can create incredible stress on families leading to financial ruin/debt, domestic violence, child neglect, and even suicide (Colby et al, 2022).
• Family arguments and the destruction of familial trust, causing undue stress (Colby et al, 2022).
• Children lose trust in their parents and may be exposed to parental arguments and domestic violence (Colby et al, 2022).
• Gambling problems may cause changes in people leading to a “violent mentality,” making the gambler more likely to vent and take out their stress and anger on their family (Colby et al, 2022).
• Suicide – family member of the gambler who either threatened or completed suicide due to the stress and pain of dealing with their spouses gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Uncontrolled gambling, often at a local casino, was at the root of the families’ financial problems (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Gender Data

2022

• The root cause of Asian women who were in painful situations of physical and emotional abuse stemmed from uncontrolled gambling by a spouse (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Mental Health Data

2022

• 33% of the interviewees spoke about gambling causing the mental health of the gambler, the family, or both to deteriorate due to the negative impacts of gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Gambler’s mental health worsened due to wanting to win (chasing losses) (Colby et al, 2022).
• Losing and becoming more and more in debt led to desperation, stress, and depression (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Socioeconomic Data

2022

• 60% of interviewees thought that gamblers gambled to earn quick easy money (Colby et al, 2022).
  • • ♦ Less than 20% of interviewees mentioned gambling to earn money for improving family finances.
• 83% of participants stressed the potential for financial difficulties due to gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• People chose to gamble to escape poverty and improve family finances (the dream of a better future) (Colby et al, 2022).
• Problem gambling can create incredible stress on families leading to financial ruin/debt, domestic violence, child neglect, and even suicide (Colby et al, 2022).
• Uncontrolled gambling, often at a local casino, was at the root of the families’ financial problems (Colby et al, 2022).

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

• Interviewees identified places to seek money (Colby et al, 2022), including:

• • • ♦ 65% ask friends.
    • ♦ 38% ask loan sharks.
    • ♦ 33% borrow from family.
    • ♦ 23% take out high interest loans.
    • ♦ 23% pawn items.
    • ♦ 15% sell property.
    • ♦ 13% work more jobs/ overtime.

• People choose to gamble for stress relief.
  • • ♦ The stress relief was largely linked to work pressure and the heavy workload a lot of people feel (Colby et al, 2022).
    • ♦ People “believe that gambling is a very relaxing thing” (Colby et al, 2022).
    • ♦ Escape, or distract, from the stress of real life (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Sports Betting Data

2021

• 33% of Asian-Americans participate in sports betting (NCPG, 2021).

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Asian Communities Stigma Data

2022

• The Cambodian community may not seek help due to embarrassment and worry about the opinions of others (Colby et al, 2022).
• The Chinese community discusses gambling in terms of a recreational pastime but any discussion of actual problems is more taboo. Issues like financial debt, domestic ruin, and other struggles are viewed as personal and shameful rather than the gambling itself (Colby et al, 2022).
• The Korean community doesn’t believe in mental illness. They don’t want their family member to have treatment for mental illness and prevent them to go to the therapist (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Treatment Data

2022

• 65% of the interviewees felt they were unsure of where to seek help if it was needed (Colby et al, 2022).
• 20% stated that the Asian community get their news and information from trusted community organizations that spoke the language of these immigrant populations (Colby et al, 2022).
• Interviewees seemed to be skeptical about whether people would be willing to seek help (Colby et al, 2022).
• Interviewees were particularly unsure about what resources were available (Colby et al, 2022).
• Emphasis was placed on the importance and inclusion of family is essential in resolving gambling problems (Colby et al, 2022).
• When asked who a gambler would seek help from, respondents tended to choose family members and relatives such as spouses, parents, and children (Colby et al, 2022).

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Asian Communities Risk Factors

• Boredom – Lack of alternative entertainment options (Colby et al, 2022).
• Social Isolation – Language and cultural barriers (Colby et al, 2022).
• Financial difficulties – working-class immigrants require English language and occupational skills (Colby et al, 2022).
• Advertising – gambling special offers such as discounts and free food (Colby et al, 2022).
• Unaware of support services (Colby et al, 2022).
• Identifying as Asian American and/or Pacific Islanders (OASAS, 2020).

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Asian Communities Protective Factors

• Entertainment options such as singing, concerts, clubs, and recreational activities like ping-pong and dancing (Colby et al, 2022).
• Support services that speak the language (Colby et al, 2022).
• Support personnel with lived experience (Colby et al, 2022).
• Strong family support network (Colby et al, 2022).

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Researched Recommendations

GOVERNMENT AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Fund and invest in ethnic-based Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to develop and deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services and programs for prevention and intervention for problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Partner with insurance companies to develop innovative reimbursement models for CBOs doing gambling treatment (Colby et al, 2022).
• Invest in the neighborhoods where immigrants work, live, and play by creating spaces of belonging for immigrant communities where they can go for recreational and social opportunities that are safe (Colby et al, 2022).
• Creative a workforce development program geared towards helping working-class immigrants gain the English and occupational skills to acquire gainful, meaningful employment with benefits and wages that enable them to live well and feel pride over their work (Colby et al, 2022).
• Develop, ensure, and enforce rigorous cultural and language access standards for problem gambling services such as those following federal culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards (Colby et al, 2022).
• Invest in community-engaged research in the Asian community that leads to actionable results for the community (Colby et al, 2022).

GAMING COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS

• Fund an equity audit about responsible gambling and responsible advertising in the Asian community to assess and prevent any predatory practices (Colby et al, 2022).
• Fund research or an equity audit of whether the casino buses are ethical and moral. Include key community leaders on a Steering Committee to design and oversee the equity audit (Colby et al, 2022).
• Develop a Steering Committee of key community leaders to guide the development of policy, practice, and services around addressing the root causes of problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Re-think and expand the definition and use of “mitigation funds” to address upstream causes of problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).

COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION (CBO) RECOMMENDATIONS

• Partner with Asian community advocacy groups to address the root causes of problem gambling, particularly workforce development, healthy family functioning, behavioral health, and child support (Colby et al, 2022).
• Develop a referral network between government-sponsored helplines and community-based organizations (Colby et al, 2022).
• Develop a national network of organizations addressing problem gambling in the Asian community (Colby et al, 2022).

HEALTHCARE PROVIDER RECOMMENDATIONS

• Partner with existing linguistically and culturally appropriate community-based organizations to address problem gambling by developing a model of wrap-around services that include clinical and community-based care (Colby et al, 2022).
• Train staff of community-based organizations to provide non-clinical, peer support to individuals and families facing problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Train staff of community-based organizations to identify signs of serious problem gambling and to refer to healthcare clinics (Colby et al, 2022).

FUNDER RECOMMENDATIONS

• Fund and invest in ethnic-based CBOs to develop and deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate services and programs for prevention and intervention for problem gambling (Colby et al, 2022).
• Provide funding for family-focused and community-focused interventions (Colby et al, 2022).
• Invest in organizations developing community-based interventions using a family systems approach that is tailored to account for ethnic and social heterogeneity characterizing the Asian community (Colby et al, 2022).

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