Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Is it cultural?

Psychological?

Is it like Native Americans and drinking, where there is some genetic trait that changes the way dopamine effects the brain?

Any insights or theories you guys could provide here would be much appreciated.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

I'm sure it's mostly cultural.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Are you basing this on the fact you see so many in casinos? It almost sounds like you're stereotyping. No, I'm not pointing my finger at you about being anti-Asian. I'm assuming you're not.

I've seen/read stories of Pachinko Parlors, cock fights, and various other forms of gambling in Asia and S.E. Asia. I don't remember seeing any demographics as to who/how many within any particular country.

It used to be, the Oriental faces in the casino were frequently wealthy. I stood and watched a Chinese guy one night at the MGM tossing 10k stacks at a BJ table like I pushed reds. Pit boss told me he was down almost a mil. He was from a wealthy Frisco family. I've seen other instances.

Johnny Chan and many other Asian "names" we see today are another story, I know. I'm just suggesting that we're only seeing a small part of a very, very large number of people.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

My only anecdote is that whenever my Korean friend is telling a story that involves some sort of gambling done by an Asian, she says: "Because you know how us Asians loooove to gamble." Not that she does much, but if you ask her, she'd say that it's a big cultural thing.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

I know of several people that are not even big gamblers, but sign up for comps cards at casinos. They get free room offers at these casinos, while the rest of us get none. The casinos must be on to this as well, hoping that since he's asian, hell be more likely to gamble a lot.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I know of several people that are not even big gamblers, but sign up for comps cards at casinos. They get free room offers at these casinos, while the rest of us get none. The casinos must be on to this as well, hoping that since he's asian, hell be more likely to gamble a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure I understand.

Are the people you mention signing up, Asian?

Your post reminds me of a few months ago when I was waiting to check in at a Harrah's and an Asian lady was getting into it with the desk clerk about her room comp. She was waving a mail piece and giving the poor guy holy hell.

Maybe some of the casinos have bought mailing lists targeted at Asians because they believe it's a potential market? Or, maybe we just happened to see Asians who appear on "affluent" mailing lists and are in the casino as a result of a mailing piece.

Your comment, "...while the rest of us get none." could be taken wrong. If you have a card rated at the same level of the people getting room comps, you should be getting the same deal.

I'm not a particularly big customer, but I get a lot of mail from casinos. Right now Harrahs' is offering a free rooms. Another is offering a deal on my player card points toward gas. And the list goes on.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

I'm asian.

Rice is good

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm asian.

Rice is good

[/ QUOTE ]

nh [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Is it like Native Americans and drinking, where there is some genetic trait that changes the way dopamine effects the brain?


[/ QUOTE ]

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

poor people like to gamble, as an asian myself coming from a poverty ridden country (philippines) its natural to think that money buys happiness and the fastest way of attaining money with the least amount of work is by winning the lottery.

nearly all the members of my family play the lottery, while i do not (pot odds people!), they all say that my 'gambling' habit is bad.

its a cultural thing.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Ohhhh, I get it...Asians are poor.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I know of several people that are not even big gamblers, but sign up for comps cards at casinos. They get free room offers at these casinos, while the rest of us get none. The casinos must be on to this as well, hoping that since he's asian, hell be more likely to gamble a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

I sign up for comp cards at every casino I set foot in. Sometimes I get lucky and get a comp room offer of no where.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I'm asian.

Rice is good

[/ QUOTE ]
I guess that's clever and just went over my head. Care to explain?

[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

I've heard Chinese, especially ones from Hong Kong are the most compulsive. Vietnamese are probably close behind.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard Chinese, especially ones from Hong Kong are the most compulsive. Vietnamese are probably close behind.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://93ol.diy.myrice.com/dyhb/zzp/zzp60.jpg

Yup, the Vietnamese love their games of chance.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Asians are good at math.
Africans are good runners.
Black guys have big *****.
East Indians are good at spelling bees.
All Canadians play hockey.
All South Americans play soccer.
and white men can't jump.

Everyone knows that ;-)

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Asians are good at math.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think you just answered the original question...

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I know of several people that are not even big gamblers, but sign up for comps cards at casinos. They get free room offers at these casinos, while the rest of us get none. The casinos must be on to this as well, hoping that since he's asian, hell be more likely to gamble a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure I understand.

Are the people you mention signing up, Asian?

Your post reminds me of a few months ago when I was waiting to check in at a Harrah's and an Asian lady was getting into it with the desk clerk about her room comp. She was waving a mail piece and giving the poor guy holy hell.

Maybe some of the casinos have bought mailing lists targeted at Asians because they believe it's a potential market? Or, maybe we just happened to see Asians who appear on "affluent" mailing lists and are in the casino as a result of a mailing piece.

Your comment, "...while the rest of us get none." could be taken wrong. If you have a card rated at the same level of the people getting room comps, you should be getting the same deal.

I'm not a particularly big customer, but I get a lot of mail from casinos. Right now Harrahs' is offering a free rooms. Another is offering a deal on my player card points toward gas. And the list goes on.

[/ QUOTE ]

They are Asian, and less affluent and less big gamblers than the other friends who went. They get comped mailings for free rooms, we don't. Seems like they go after Asian names.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]

All Canadians play hockey.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm the only Canadian who doesn't play hockey. However, I do curl, which makes me about as Canadian as can be.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Asians are good at math.


[/ QUOTE ]

I think you just answered the original question...

[/ QUOTE ]

These are conflicting stereotypes...how can they be both good at math and love to make -EV bets?

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Is it cultural?

Psychological?

Is it like Native Americans and drinking, where there is some genetic trait that changes the way dopamine effects the brain?

Any insights or theories you guys could provide here would be much appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

MSG

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
They are Asian, and less affluent and less big gamblers than the other friends who went. They get comped mailings for free rooms, we don't. Seems like they go after Asian names.

[/ QUOTE ]
Now it does sound like someone in their marketing dept. or someone they use for marketing advice has sold them on the idea of target mailing to Asians.

Evidently someone(s) in the casino has ok'd spending the money for the list(s), mailing, etc. It may be a test mailing or, it may be a continuing effort because the test(s) were successful.

At first it may sound like stereotying, but there are thousands of mailing lists available and you can, literally, pick any target you want. People innocently/naively provide publicly available info about themselves everyday in the damnedest ways. Companies in the mailing list business compile this info and sell it.

Goodnews posted his personal experience. What he says is also true in other parts of the world that have huge lotteries. The Irish lottery is probably one of the best known, but they’re also very big in Spain, Mexico and South American countries.

All of which does absolutely nothing toward answering to the OP’s question. But, it would be interesting to know if someone, somewhere has verifiable studies, by ethnicity, about gambling habits. Maybe the CIA? Or the Nevada Gaming Commission?

Maybe “da Shad-oh know?” < cue background music >
Nah, he just knows “what evil lurks in the heart of man.”

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Haha... Hmmmm guessing your a fan of the Tragically Hip as well

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Why Do Americans Love to Gamble?

[/ QUOTE ]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Haha... Hmmmm guessing your a fan of the Tragically Hip as well

[/ QUOTE ]

Not as big a fan as most Canadians. I like some of their old stuff, but haven't much liked anything they've released in the last 7 years or so.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

All Canadians play hockey.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm the only Canadian who doesn't play hockey. However, I do curl, which makes me about as Canadian as can be.

[/ QUOTE ]
Do people curl outside of Canada? I don't remember ever seeing a national curling event, but it seems like there are always provincial curling events.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

I work at the local Mongolian BBQ that is run by vietnamese guys. This is a small college town and have met nearly every vietnamese person in town (about 10). Out of those ten, the only two I know don't gamble are the owners of the restaurant. They have both admitted to having gambled frequently in the past and grown tired of it.

Then again 80% of the people I meet anyway are big gamblers too, so it doesn't really mean anything.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Well, I cannot be definitive, but I've had a large number of chinese friends who've made some statements regarding gambling, plus I've made some observations. Evidently gambling is much touted (at least amongst the chinese they knew) as "relaxation" and was nearly the primary goal of most vacations.
My observation is that chinese culture is steeped in "luck", Feng Sui, i ching, and other measures to control the forces of probability that are exerted on one's life and family. (But then what culture doesn't do that to some extent. Ever cross your fingers?) The colors red and gold are known to bring prosperity to one, hence they are all over most chinese businesses. As are auspicious numbers. They avoid one pronunciation of the number 4, as it is synonimous to the word for "death" and as such, is bad luck. Luck is a big factor in prosperity, and I think that is percieved as being more influenceable than perhaps many western cultures. So it follows that gambling would be very attractive as a passtime, luck and prosperity hand in hand...

thats my guess, based on some idle conversations and observations of friends and their families.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Haha... Hmmmm guessing your a fan of the Tragically Hip as well

[/ QUOTE ]

The hip are amazing

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
At first it may sound like stereotying, but there are thousands of mailing lists available

[/ QUOTE ]

I guarantee you casinos know asian players are more willing to gamble than the average customer. It's their job to stereotype to an extent.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
At first it may sound like stereotying, but there are thousands of mailing lists available

[/ QUOTE ]

I guarantee you casinos know asian players are more willing to gamble than the average customer. It's their job to stereotype to an extent.

[/ QUOTE ]
In tha' bidnez, it's called demographics. A very accepted/respected word.

Semantics, go figger. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Daniel Negreanu explains it right here in his article,

http://fullcontactpoker.com/2005-poker-a...amp;ucat=5&

-YoungOne

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

All Canadians play hockey.


[/ QUOTE ]

I'm the only Canadian who doesn't play hockey. However, I do curl, which makes me about as Canadian as can be.

[/ QUOTE ]
Do people curl outside of Canada? I don't remember ever seeing a national curling event, but it seems like there are always provincial curling events.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, Canada definitely has the most curlers in the world. However, there are quite a few curling clubs in the Northern US (especially in Wisconsin and Minnesota). There are tons of curling clubs in Europe, especially in the Scandanavian countries, Scotland, and Switzerland.

There's a world championship every year with teams from about a dozen different countries. Canada wins it about 3/4 of the time.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Until you see the sheer volume of Pachinko parlors you can't understand.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Vietnamese players are different from Japanese, Chinese, and Korean for some reason.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

Here's a pretty cool article about the causes of disportionate gambling rates in Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants to New Zealand: gambling journal article.

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

"Monkey!!! Monkey!!!"

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been to Foxwoods much?

I love the stroll past the Pai Gow tables to the Poker Room...

-ZEN

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

[ QUOTE ]
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been to Foxwoods much?

I love the stroll past the Pai Gow tables to the Poker Room...

-ZEN

[/ QUOTE ]

Wasn't sure if anyone would get it. Didn't want to be the jerk calling the OP a "Monkey!!!" [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Re: Why Do Asians Love to Gamble?
 

what evidence do you have to support this?