Vietnamese Australian gamblers' views on luck and winning: a preliminary report

Abstract

Anecdotal evidence for a higher representation of Vietnamese-Australians in gambling and gambling-related problems abounds. However, empirical evidence to substantiate vulnerability of particular ethnic groups to gambling problems is scarce. Confounding this lack of research data is the ethnic community's fear of negative publicity and a stigma associated with gambling, which further discourage disclosure of information. This paper examines several psychological theories, which could be utilised to explain a higher gambling participation rate among Vietnamese Australians and discusses their limitations. One of the most reliable predictors of gambling frequency and problem gambling is illusion of control (Langer, 1975; Moore & Ohtsuka, 1997, 1999b; Walker, 1992). Over-optimistic beliefs that one can control the outcome of random events could identify at-risk gamblers. Culture-specific beliefs on luck and winning may further strengthen illusion of control beliefs. This paper reviews Vietnamese-Australians' beliefs on luck and winning. Twenty-one Vietnamese-Australian gamblers were recruited for interviews. These interviews were either conducted at a casino or in their homes. It was hypothesised that (a) frequent gamblers (not necessarily problem gamblers) hold substantial illusion of control beliefs, and (b) culture-specific beliefs perpetuate their illusion of control. The results indicated that Vietnamese-Australian gamblers hold many universal illusion of control beliefs but only a few culture-specific beliefs. The implications of culture specific schemas in reinforcing illusion of control beliefs were discussed.