As You Know, Media Attention About Gambling and Asian Communities Has Tended to Focus On

As you know, media attention about gambling and Asian communities has tended to focus on the problem of gambling as a “hidden shame” for Asians, but there has been much less attention paid to the fact that casinos have been blatant and even boastful about their success in targeting Asians. The advantages are significant. Asians are a vulnerable and underserved group within the U.S. Immigrants, particularly those with limited English, are often lonely and isolated and lack social or culturally and linguistically responsive outlets. Asian immigrants also have minimal access to bilingual and culturally appropriate health and mental health services for their addictions.

Casinos well recognize the vulnerability and exploitability of this market. They have expanded their marketing departments to target Asians, engaged in practices like direct mail invitations to zip codes with high Asian populations, aggressively solicit Asian clients through charter bus operators, and, while the market is going soft on casino clientele overall, have forged ahead with Asian themed expansion to boost their Asian market.

Below is a summary of our concerns and research into this issue. At the end is a list of media contacts who are willing to talk about this issue – we assembled the list for reporters but let us know if it would be useful to the legal committee to speak with any of them. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Helen Gym

Asian Americans United

Philadelphia, PA

215-808-1400

Recently, a number of communities have begun raising concerns across the country about these practices, including:

• Sacramento, CA: In the wake of a tragic fatal bus crash involving dozens of Southeast Asian seniors, members of the Southeast Asian community there express concern and outrage that casino bus operators prey upon Asian seniors who are often lonely and isolated in the U.S. “They are actually going into low income neighborhoods and picking people out,” said a Democratic Assemblyman investigating the crash. Sacramento Bee: Associated Press:

• Philadelphia, PA: Chinatown community members say that a proposed casino on their borders directly targets Asians, esp. because the operator, MGM Grand Foxwoods, has been particularly open about its overt solicitation of Asian clientele and that city and casino officials boast that the location of the casino will allow for people to walk and take public transportation there.
• SEARAC: Southeast Asian Resource Action Center lists one of its 2008 California Priorities as “support legislation to make illegal the targeted solicitation and transportation of elders to the casino for the sole purpose of gambling as it can be interpreted as elder abuse.” The Center charges that casinos target “lonely and isolated” seniors for their marketing and advertising and transportation efforts.

• New Orleans, LA: In 2004, community members expressed outrage at a preponderance of Vietnamese language billboards by casinos:

We have spoken with a number of health experts and gaming experts nationwide who are beginning to make inquiries and question whether casinos are entering into territory which might classify them as a predatory industry. It’s still a new area but certainly something that both Philadelphia and Sacramento are serious about pushing to the forefront, especially as gaming continues to expand across the nation, often with serious political force (as it is here in Philadelphia).

Practices

Marketing

Harrah’s Rincon Resort and Casino in Valley Center, CA has said that Asian Americans are the one group for which the casino has a specific marketing strategy8.

Casinos run ads in Asian-language print and broadcast media and conduct direct mailing campaigns to zip codes with high numbers of Asian residents6.

In MA, casinos advertise in Asian-language newspapers and send direct -mail "invitations" with coupons to Asian households3.

Mohegan Sun in Connecticut has a 25-person Asian American marketing department that is four times larger than the entire staff at the Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling4.

In 2004, New Orleans metro area casinos received complaints about their Vietnamese language billboards targeting one of the nation’s largest Vietnamese communities9

Transportation

In Seattle, WA, health experts complain that casino buses park outside senior homes and in Chinatowns4.

In Connecticut, Foxwoods Casino and its rival Mohegan Sun run 100 buses a day between Boston and New York Chinatowns. That number doubles on Chinese New Year and assorted holidays5. For Foxwoods alone the bus trips bring in 750,000 Asian patrons each year4.

Foxwoods offers perks through its bus service but return trips are six hours after drop-off4.

Employment

Most casinos have an Asian marketing director, whose job is to create ways to expand the Asian market.

One in seven employees at Mohegan Sun and one in six employees at Foxwoods (both in CT) are of Asian descent.4

At Foxwoods, 80 percent of the dealers who work in the "Asian pit" speak an Asian language3.

Expansion

Although it pulled back on a later expansion, in 2007, CT’s Mohegan Sun opened a $15 million Asian themed Casino of the Earth geared specifically toward Asians3.

Similarly, Foxwoods in 2008 opened its Asian themed “The Shrine,” a $17 million expansion, despite laying off hundreds of employees including its CEO.

Foxwoods:

• Foxwoods and its rival Mohegan Sun run 100 buses a day between Boston and New York Chinatowns. That number doubles on Chinese New Year and assorted holidays5.
• For Foxwoods alone the bus trips bring in 750,000 Asian patrons each year4.
• Offers perks through its bus service but return trips are six hours after drop-off4.
• Boasts that one-third of its 40,000 daily customers are Asian5 even though the 2000 census shows that Connecticut’s Asian population is around 3.4% total statewide.
• One in six of Foxwoods floor employees is Asian4.
• 80 percent of the dealers who work in the "Asian pit" speak an Asian language3.
• Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun target Asian customers with ads in ethnic media and sponsoring community activities such as the Boston Dragon Boat Festival , the Toronto Asian Beauty Pageant, and the Southeast Asian Water Festival in Lowell, MA5.
• Added a Mandarin version of its website in 20073
• A 2007 Boston Globe story said one of Foxwoods clients, Ming Chen, was given a $20,000 line of credit and plied with free food, drinks, lodging, and limo rides, despite owing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Foxwoods officials declined to give details, but acknowledged that regular customers receive special rewards3.
• Despite a shrinking market and hundreds of layoffs, Foxwoods went through with the spring 2008 opening of a $17 million expansion called The Shrine, an Asian-themed entertainment complex.

Quotes

• "It's no secret in the casino business Asians' love for gambling and so we all have our own ways for going after that market." Richard Slack, Pechanga Resort & Casino VIP host8(2005)
• “Our Asian blood love to feel the luck. We call it entertainment, we don’t say it’s ‘gambling’.” Ernie Wu, Foxwoods director of Asian Marketing5 (2006)
• "We're not here to be a social service agency." Sandra Rios, Foxwoods spokeswoman4(2006).

Reading/Source Background

1.Magagnini, Stephen. “Casinos a Big Draw for Local Asians,” Sacramento Bee, Oct. 19, 2008.

2.Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, “2008 California Priority Policies: Protection of Vulnerable Southeast Asian Elder Communities: Increase Problem Gambling Outreach.” SEARAC, Feb. 208;

3.English, Bella. “Out of Luck: Gambling is big in Asian American culture. A new initiative aims to combat it.” Boston Globe, May 8, 2007;

4.Smith, Adam. “Casinos Aggressively Market to Asian Americans, But Few Services Help Addicts.” New American Media, Oct. 1, 2006;

5.Liu, Ling. “Casinos Winning Big by Betting on Asians.” Associated Press, July 29, 2006; .

6.Glionna, John. “Gambling Seen as No-Win Situation for Some Asians: Community leaders and social workers are putting pressure on casinos and legislators to help those who may be addicted face their problem.” Los Angeles Times, January 16, 2006.

7.Pesca, Mike. “Casinos and Asian Americans: Targeting or Marketing?” National Public Radio, “On Gambling With Mike Pesca,” Nov. 28, 2005;

8.Bennett, William. “Casinos Target Asian Americans,” North County San Diego Times, Nov. 19, 2005.

9.Roberts, Deon. “Casinos Target Asian Gamers With Outdoor Ad Campaigns,” New Orleans City Business, Jan. 26, 2004.

Media Contacts

1. Boston: Andrew Leong, J.D., Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts/Boston. Chair, Campaign to Protect Chinatown.
2. Philadelphia: Helen Gym, board member, Asian Americans United (215-808-1400, ); Ellen Somekawa, Executive Director, Asian Americans United (215-925-1538 (o); 267-968-2415 (c); ); Deborah Wei, principal, Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School (215-569-2600, 215-514-5706; ); Dr. Walter Tsou, former health commission, City of Philadelphia – available after November --.
3. Sacramento: Xia Kao Vang, director, Sacramento Lao Family Community, 916-424-0864; .
4. Diane Ujiiye, Alberto Turico, Judy Chu, CA Tech Assist. Ford Korimoto, NATL. APA Families against Substance Abuse
5. Dr. Peter Kwong, currently overseas, but reachable via email at