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October 08, 2008
Bus Tragedy
One of the sad but revealing parts of the bus tragedy that killed 8 people was that the majority of the victims were Laotian.
As anyone who has visited a casino in the region can attest, a significant percentage of gamblers are Southeast Asian descent. Many of them are on limited or fixed income and should not be regularly gambling.
I have even noticed language-specific casino advertising and bus shelter marketing in Sacramento neighborhoods where there is a high concentration of Southeast Asians.
I think gambling is a serious problem in these Southeast Asian communities. The bus tragedy highlights the tilted demographics of these gamblers, many of whom are older Southeast Asians who cannot drive themselves.
Today's Scrabble word is supine, or lying on the back.
Posted by dan_nt at October 8, 2008 03:07 PM
Comments
Dan, This has been an on going problem for the last 15 years with the Casinos, and these so called "Tour Specials." There are NO check and balances to these tour groups, especially when they are run from a private business, that is not regulated by the CHP........DOC
Posted by: Doc Holiday at October 8, 2008 03:53 PM
Do you know if gambling is a problem in Southeast Asia? I wonder if this is a habit they brought with them or one they developed here?
Posted by: Curious at October 8, 2008 06:07 PM
Gambling is very pervasive in Southeast Asian cultures. In addition, "luck" or "good fortune" is an important characteristic attributed to individuals and families.
I think problem gambling in refugee communities in America, particularly among older Southeast Asians, can be attributed to (1) casinos target market; (2) casinos make gambling and access easy even for people with limited English skills; (3) gambling has a low barrier to entry - all you need to money you're going to lose in the long-term.
Posted by: dan_nt at October 12, 2008 10:23 PM