¶ … gambling in the Asian-American community. Specifically, it will discuss the differences in how Asian customs or cultures effect how they gamble, and why Asians are much more prone to be pathological gamblers. It will include some Asian superstitions and beliefs about gambling. Asian gambling is a major trouble spot in Asian communities around the world. Asians love to gamble and wager -- it has been part of their history for centuries. Asian gambling is growing in numbers and in seriousness, and numerous communities are now addressing the Asian gambling problem, while struggling to understand just why Asians love to gamble so much.
Asian Culture and Gambling
Asians have a long and colorful history, and much of it includes gambling in one form or another. Scientists, researchers, and experts cite numerous reasons for the Asian propensity for gaming, from cultural and societal, to boredom, the need for excitement, and a lack of other meaningful activities to keep Asians occupied. Whatever the reason, Asians are gambling in record numbers, and it is adversely affecting their families, their jobs, and their lives.
Asian gambling has become a major problem in the United States, and around the world. As the penchant for gaming in Asian societies becomes more well-known, casinos and online gaming sites are targeting their marketing to Asians, and a large percentage of Asians are answering their call. One expert notes, "Two to 6% of the mainstream population are problem gamblers, but in the Chinese community it is some 20%,' said Dr. Eddie Chiu of the Richmond Area Multi-Service Center" (Banerjee). Asians love to gamble, and it comes not only from our modern society, where gaming is available in just about every state, but from a long history of wagering and betting.
Asian Gambling in History
Gambling has been prevalent in Asian cultures for centuries. While gaming has historically been illegal in China and most other Asian nations, gaming still continued unabated. Historians often noted Chinese would bet on "anything," from how many stones were in a pile, to buying bread in a bakery (Nepstad). When Asians migrated to the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, this love of gambling continued. Most immigrants were Asian men without their families, and since they were not interested in many of the same things, such as sports and drinking, they continued their love of gaming as their main form of entertainment. The mining communities of the Western U.S. supported their love with gaming tables in most of the saloons, and Asian games such as Pai Gow, Fan-Tan, Faro, and Sic Bo became popular with Western gamblers, too.
As a bachelor society, the Asians had little to do outside of work other than gamble, and since gambling was so prevalent in their home countries, it was natural they would continue to enjoy gaming in their new home. The men were lonely, ostracized from the whites, had little to keep them occupied, and most of them were deep in debt and wanted to save enough money to bring their families to the U.S. These factors combined to create a fascination and fanaticism regarding Luck and games of chance in the Asian community. Many historians call this phenomenon "The Bachelor Society," and cite it as a major reason that so many gambling places cropped up in Chinatowns across the country and the world.
In addition, as the American world discovered the Asians love of gaming, they catered to it, because gaming could be extremely lucrative for the community, legal or not. Police and politicians simply turned their backs on illegal gaming outlets, allowing them to operate as long as they paid a "kickback" to those who turned their heads. The Asians continued to gamble, and the whites sanctioned it and profited from it (Daniels 22-23). Members of the Chinese community also condoned gaming among their peers, as the Tong sponsored gaming halls of the West clearly show. The Chinese Tong gangs operated numerous gaming halls exclusively for the Chinese in most Chinatowns around the country, and they profited heavily from the Asian love of gaming. One historian states, "Inside Chinatown the secret societies soon took over control of gambling and prostitution, institutions which flourished in the absence of wives and domestic habitation ... " (Lyman 111). The Tongs soon ruled the underworld in Chinatown, and they continued to promote gambling as the main form of recreation for the bachelors who continued to populate the Chinatowns.
It is interesting to note that most Japanese did not adhere...
Culture and Health Disparities - Filipinos PERSONAL SOCIAL STATUS: In researching this project, I found a study prepared by the Canadian Nurses Association (2005). It reviewed the social determinants of health and how one's social status impacts their or their family health outcomes. The focus of this piece was on issues such as poverty, economic inequality, social isolation and social support systems and their impact on the health of minorities, many
Minority Culture in South Dakota Lifestyles, Values and the Economy of Hispanic-Americans and Indian-Americans in South Dakota The history of the minority groups in the U.S.A. dates back to historical times in the 1800 and their growth has been somehow stable in USA. It is undisputable that the treatment of the minority groups and the Native Americans and the African-Americans ran out of the borders of the tolerance and freedom. It is
Travel and Tourism Tourism in Malaysia: A Comprehensive Overview Malaysia like the United States of America is often referred to as a "melting pot" of people from many different countries, including Chinese an many other Asian cultures as well as other ethnicities, living together happily. While Malaysia is often cited for its multiculturalism, there are many also reasons this country is often known as a utopian paradise for tourism and travel. There
Racial Identity Complexities and Potential in Cross-Cultural Counseling In 1897 the French sociologist Emile Durkheim wrote about the influence of culture on suicide rates among different groups. He found that while suicide seems to be the most private and most individualistic choice that a person can make (what could be more private than the dialogue that an individual has with eternity, after all) cultural values still hold sway. His research has been
The most long-term source of integration difficulties however will be in aligning domestic vs. international channel partners, specifically on the issue of synchronizing demand forecasts to the shared Altria Group supply chain. The need for making the Collaborative Planning, Forecasting & Replenishment (CPFR) process which is used for coordinating the demand for tobacco through its many suppliers and procurement partners as efficient as possible (Bowe, 2007) is both a process-
These gang-related activities had a negative effect on the very industries on which Macau depended for much of its economic activity, and tourism dropped by almost 10% in 1998 (Kurtlantzick 1). A Macanese resident summed up the situation thusly: "I still won't walk around at night . . . And every sound makes me think of a gunshot" (quoted in Kurtlanzick at 1). In an interview with Macao's present
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now