proximity to Asian populations a top consideration for Casinos. Older Asians are a vulnerable target

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

Casinos Target a Vulnerable Clientele: Older Asian Gamblers

MONTICELLO, N.Y. — Soon after the white coach bus pulled up on a recent Monday morning, the passengers stepped off into the frigid cold. Outside, they rushed to the nearest tree, railing, wall or grassy knoll to stash their plastic bags crammed with thermoses of rice and soup.

With their lunches stowed away, they headed into the gleaming casino at the end of the sidewalk.

And so began the routine for the hundreds of older Chinese immigrants who ride the bus two hours north every morning from New York City to the Resorts World Catskills casino in Monticello, N.Y., collecting a $45 slot machine voucher with each trip.

The scene illustrated a longstanding phenomenon in the industry: people of Asian descent are among the demographics most targeted by casinos, and casino buses have been ubiquitous for decades in Chinatowns and Koreatowns across the country. With New York City set to get its first full-service casino in the coming years, and potentially three of them, Asians are expected to be a core customer base, deepening a complicated relationship the community has with casinos.

Many of the city’s older Chinese residents rely on the weekly bus routine for entertainment — and even income from selling their vouchers — as a way to deal with the isolation of living in a country where they barely speak the language.

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https://dnyuz.com/2022/12/26/casinos-target-a-vulnerable-clientele-older-asian-gamblers/

On a recent Monday, shortly after 8 a.m., a white coach bus parked on the edge of Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood, one of at least a dozen buses departing from heavily Chinese neighborhoods in New York City that day. Every seat was full, almost entirely with repeat customers. “I ride this bus everyday,” one man said in Cantonese as he boarded. A woman whom the riders referred to as a tour guide stood at the entrance, collecting the $20 bus fare.

[cloudythescribbler]

1. how little shame there is about targeting an ethnic group to lose their money!

I realize that, as they emphasize, a lot of this has to do with community, especially those who just go and play nongambling cards because it is a place to go & meet folx, but the exploitive nature of the bulk of it is something I just can't get past.

would there be as little pushback/backlash if the 'target' group were more unified politically, like, say blacks or latinos
(this is a notion of relatively not absolutely unified).

another factor noticeable in the article is there is ONLY discussion of east Asians not south Asians -- no mention of anyone from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Llankan background, also not southwest Asia.

of course, what we DON'T see is: about what percentage of those gambling (presumably a number come out ahead) lose more money than they could feasibly afford, as a form of entertainment? Of course, since the focus seems to be on the less well-off, that level of tolerable loss is lower and the percentage above the level probably much higher than with a predominantly upper-middle class client base

[jimfields33]

2. They ride a bus for two hours. Maybe they enjoy it.

I’m thinking let them enjoy themselves.