Gambling Surrounding The Asian And American Asian Communities

Gambling in Macau Gambling has made immense impacts on the everyday lives of a countless amount of people. Somehow this western pastime has integrated and almost taken control of the Asian and American Asian communities. The gambling issue within the Asian culture has affected families, and individuals in such drastic ways. Within the last few years we have seen an immense outburst of gambling in Macau, which is now the gambling capital of the world. Along with the recent outburst of gambling in Macau we find the dark side of gambling. The illegal activities that follow gambling have taken a toll on society as well as the people involved. Also we quickly see the economic impact made by all the money flowing through Macau. Gambling†¦show more content†¦(Asian-Nation) These rates are ridiculously higher than the rate we find throughout our entire nation. Current data suggests that only 1.6% of Americans can be classified as pathological gamblers, and about 3% are consi dered problem gamblers. (Asian-Nation) Within the immense gambling world in America, roughly 80% that take part are Asian Americans. (Asian-Nation) With these alarmingly high rates in mind we must look past the thought of this being solely an addiction for Asians and Asian Americans but rather a part of their tradition and culture. As Samuel Huntington said, â€Å" Civilizations are differentiated from each other by history, language, culture, tradition and, most important, religion. â€Å" (Huntington, pg. 25) In Asian and Asian American tradition and culture, gambling is to be considered an accepted practice at home and in public. (Asian-Nation) Asians accept gambling due to their deep fascination with the mystical qualities of luck, fate, and chance. (Asian-Nation) Claimed by an anonymous Chinese gambler, â€Å"We have this saying in Chinese: if you don’t gamble, you don’t know how lucky you are.† (Psychology Today) This quote shows the social and tradit ional connection between Asian people and gambling. Proving that this cannot be defined as an addiction. The strong belief in luck, fate, or fortune is part of the driving force behind Asians and gambling. (Psychology Today) In the Asian Culture during the Chinese New Year we see