BOSTON — A new study is recommending Massachusetts officials address gambling addiction in Asian American communities.
Researchers with the University of Massachusetts-Boston presented to state casino regulators this week results from a recent study in Boston’s Chinatown.
The researchers say they focused on the neighborhood because casinos have long targeted its residents with promotions and incentives.
The study found that Chinatown residents said they visited casinos to relieve stress from low-wage jobs, poverty and cultural isolation.
The researchers suggested gambling problems tend to develop after Chinese immigrants come to the U.S. and aren’t an inherent part of their culture.
The researchers recommend developing public health campaigns and gambling counselling services tailored to the community.
They also suggest launching a broader study encompassing the state’s Vietnamese and Cambodian immigrant communities.
