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Lao Assistance Center takes lead on problem gambling

By Travis Grabow

MINNEAPOLIS. The Lao Assistance Center sits in a corner of a small
building in Minneapolis, sharing the rest of the space with a school.
It has a small budget, a small staff, and an all-around small-time
atmosphere punctuated by ringing phones and walk-in visits. The only
thing that isn't small about it is the effect it has on the
community.

The LAC, among other things, is one of the leading organizations in
Minnesota when it comes to helping Asian Americans prevent and treat
gambling problems.

According to the LAC, the warning signs for problem gambling include
Increased time and money spent on gambling, spending more time gambling
than working or being with family, suffering from money problems due to
gambling using gambling as a way of coping with loneliness, anger,
stress, or depression, and borrowing money to gamble. Most people with
gambling problems are not pathological gamblers, or gamblers who
literally have no control over their problem. They are just people who
don't realize how much damage their gambling habits are causing
themselves and those around them.

Problem gambling is one of the biggest issues facing the Asian American
community, and the reasons it is so pervasive and destructive are many.
The overarching problem, and the one that magnifies all of the others,
is that gambling addiction is not something that just happens " it
often sneaks up on a person, slowly getting worse and worse, while the
person might not even be aware that they are headed for a problem.

Gambling has been taking place in Southeast Asian countries for
generations. In Laos, gambling is part of the culture, and has been for
hundreds of years. However, it is a different kind of gambling " for
the most part, it takes place only at celebrations and religious
festivals. In addition, it is often only the men who are allowed to
gamble. These facts help limit gambling in Southeast Asia, where
gambling is rarely a problem.

However, these cultural traditions produce several different results
when Southeast Asians arrive in the U.S. Many of them continue to
gamble here because they enjoy it, and they've been enjoying it for a
long time. In the U.S., though, they can gamble as often and as long as
they want. When a person doesn't realize the problems that gambling
can cause, this propensity to gamble can easily lead to addictions.
Also, women who before might not have been able to gamble may be eager
to exercise a new freedom and can easily begin to gamble too much.

Another group of people who can easily slip into addiction are those
who have experienced war-related trauma in Southeast Asia. This trauma
can cause post-traumatic stress and depression, and lead to chemical
dependency and problem gambling when the person reaches the U.S.

Many new immigrants are also drawn to gambling by the promises of
riches and an extravagant lifestyle. They may not have friends or
family in the U.S. to help them adjust to their new life, and it may
seem as though all of their problems can be solved if they just win a
little money at the casino. The longer a person gambles without winning
big, the more that jackpot can become an object of obsession.

Another cultural aspect is the attitude and the stigmas that many
Southeast Asians have towards problem gambling. If someone has a
gambling problem, it can be extremely embarrassing to admit. Gossip can
spread easily, and many Southeast Asians see problem gambling as a
moral failure. Many don't believe that gambling problems are
something that others can help with, and others are simply unaware that
help even exists for them.

Because of this, many problem gamblers are afraid to admit that they
have an issue that needs to be dealt with. Their families try to hide
it because they don't want neighbors, friends, and extended family to
know. The person is often left to help themselves instead of seeking
help from others. In these situations, jobs, friends, and even entire
families can fall apart under the stress of a gambling problem.

According to Sunny Sinh Chanthanouvong, executive director of the Lao
Assistance Center, another factor that contributes to the high number
of Asian Americans with gambling problems is the fact that casinos
regularly target them specifically and draw them in. The casinos know
that because of many of the reasons mentioned above, Southeast Asians
are statistically more likely to keep coming back and keep spending
money at their casino.

This targeting is carried out in a number of ways. Some casinos have
special nights where traditional Southeast Asian foods (cooked by
Southeast Asians to make them more authentic) are ubiquitous and
available at discounted prices. Others employ Southeast Asians to work
at the tables and on the floor to provide a more comfortable atmosphere
for other Asians. Some have even been known to put the nation of origin
on the nametags of Southeast Asians so that the staff can better cater
to their needs and help ensure that they return often.

All of these cultural, societal, and marketing aspects combine to
produce an enormous problem. Whereas gambling problems occur in roughly
one to two percent of the U.S. population as a whole, conservative
estimates show that at least six percent of Southeast Asians have some
type of gambling issue. These problems have resulted in untold numbers
of lost jobs, divorces, cases of homelessness, and even suicides.

Fortunately, there is hope and help for people with these gambling
issues. The Lao Assistance Center is one of several community-specific
organizations within the Southeast Asian Problem Gambling Consortium.
Each organization is dedicated to helping Lao, Hmong, Vietnamese, or
Cambodian people with various problems, including gambling problems.

The LAC devotes much of its budget to helping people with these issues.
The organization helps them first of all to recognize that they have a
problem, and then connects them with specialists and licensed
psychologists who are experienced with helping people overcome these
issues.

Over the many years Devich has been working at the LAC, he's seen and
helped countless people admit to their problem and turn their lives
around. However, one of the biggest barriers to helping people is the
limited financial status of the organizations in the Southeast Asian
Problem Gambling Consortium. Devich thinks that that is an issue that
can, and should, be easily solved.

My mother, and just about every mother, has told us as children to
clean up after ourselves. The same is true for the gaming industry.
They directly benefit from the activity and have a moral responsibility
to respond to the needs of those who get into trouble.While many
casinos do give money to organizations like the LAC, he believes that
it is not nearly enough to help all those who have been negatively
affected by gambling. Minnesota casinos and lotteries pulled in over $1
billion in profits last year, compared to their donations to treatment
programs, which totaled $3 million.

More importantly, Devich believes that the real problem is not just a
lack of funding for treatment, but also a lack of funding for education
about gambling problems. The total dollars that go into prevention and
treatment of problem and compulsive gamblers is about $3 million for
treatment and zero for prevention says Devich. This need to educate,
and not just treat, is one of the driving forces behind the member
organizations of the Southeast Asian Problem Gambling Consortium.

The LAC and other members of the SAPGC have made a concerted effort
over the last several years to further this education. The offices of
the LAC are bombarded with phone calls and personal visits everyday
from people who are looking for help with everything from learning
English to fixing their gambling problems. The organization has served
over 2,400 people since its inception in 1981.