Presented at the 6th International Gambling Conference in February 2016. Presented by Gus Lim.

2. Tips and clues,
based on Yin-Yang, to Work
with Asian Gambling Clients
Donghwan (Gus) LIM
Asian Family Services
Problem Gambling Foundation
MNZAC, MANZASW

3. Main Contents
• Asian Gambling in New Zealand
• Yin-Yang Perspective
• Tips and clues for those who practice with Asian
clients
• Q & A

4. Asian Family Services > Cultural Hub

5. Cultural Competency
• Necessities
– Multi-cultural society (2013 Census)
• More than 1 million New Zealanders were born overseas
• Nearly 30% of the people in Auckland can speak more than
one language
• Growing Asian population from 9.2% in 2006 to 11.8% in
2013
– Shame and stigma are associated with gambling
– Therapeutic engagement is crucial
• Cultural biases affect detection, assessment and therapy

6. Asian Gambling in NZ
• Asian adults are less likely to participate in gambling than
Pacific, European/Other and Māori adults (the 2012 NGS)
– Asian 61% -Pacific 75%, - European/ other 82% - Maori 85%
• Patterns of gambling participation among Asian populations appear
to be bi-modal:
– Asian adults are less likely to participate in gambling, but those
that do tend to gamble relatively heavily.
• Asian males (like Māori and Pacific males) were more likely to be
moderate-risk gamblers or problem gamblers than
European/Other males (MOH, 2015)

7. Dollars lost in 4 weeks prior to first
assessment by ethnicity - MOH, 2008.

8. Self-exclusion
Over 60% of people who either exclude
themselves or accept the family as a third
party seeking exclusion from the
Auckland casino are Asian.

9. Asian Gambling
• Asians made up 7.9% of problem gambling
service clients in 2014/15.
• One in four (24.5%) of moderate-risk/problem
gamblers are Asian.
• Nearly 78% of Asian clients cite casino based
machines and tables as their primary mode of
gambling. (2007 service user statistics, MOH)

10. Casino and Casino Table Gambling
for Asian Gamblers
• Often the casino is seen as
– a refuge from the hardship in their post-migration adjustment
– an attractive environment
– a social place to meet friends
– An escape from problem such as isolation, loneliness and
boredom
• Cultural beliefs
– To test their luck at the begin of year or other cultural events
– Numbers symbolize power (Papineau, 2005)
– Yin-Yang

11. Yin-Yang: Chinese Philosophy
since 14th
BC
5
Elements
•Tree
•Fire
•Earth
•Metal
•Water

12. Yin
‘Female’ energy such as
the moon, night,
weakness, darkness,
softness, femininity
Yang
‘Male’ energy such as the
sun, day, strength,
brightness, hardness,
masculinity
White dot in
in the black
Connotes coexistence
and unity of the opposite
to form the whole
Curvy line
There are NO absolute
separations b/w opposites

13. Concepts in Yin-Yang
• Fang. T (2011)
– Paradoxical Value Orientation
• Enabling to embrace opposite traits
– Three Tenets
• Holistic Duality
• Dynamic Duality
• Dialectic Duality
• Chen (2002)
– Duality
– Paradox
– Unity of Diversity
– Change and Harmony

14. Tips and Clues, based on Yin-Yang, to
work with Asian Gambling Clients
• Macro level: Paradoxical
– Be mindful of connectedness
between clinical work and
public health work
– Be willing to work with
“opposite party” to work for
clients professionally
– To maintain ‘appropriate and
flexible boundary with clients
and other related parties

15. Tips and Clues (Cont.)
• Micro level: Relationship
– One of the keys for successful
outcome with Asian clients is
relationship
– Prefer the concept “being one”
instead of two separate parties
between client and counsellors
– We are “both/and” instead of
“either/or”
– Prefer word ‘We’ to ‘I’ in
counselling setting

16. Tips and Clues (Cont.)
• Micro level: holistic/harmony
– To extend counselling topics to
cover non-gambling issue as
well as gambling topics - a
holistic approach
– To check about migration
adjustment difficulties, not only
for client but also for whole
family
– To invite to have family session

17. Tips and Clues (Cont.)
• Micro level: dialectical
– To expect that the number of
session would go beyond certain
number of sessions
– To expect that client and their
family will see you as expert
– To encourage and support clients
to review culture beliefs that
affect their gambling behaviour

18. References
• Chan, S. & Leong, C. (1994). Chinese Families in Transition: Cultural Conflicts and Adjustment
Problems, Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless, Vol., 3 No 3. 1994
• Fang, T. (2011) Yin Yang: A New Perspective on Culture, Management and Organisation Review
8(1) pp. 25-50
• Federman, J. E., Drebing, E. C. & Krebs, C. (2000), Don't leave it to chance; A Guide for
Familiies of Problem Gamblers, Oakland, CA. New Harbinger.
• J. McMillen, D. Marshall, L. Murphy, S. Lorenzen, B. Waugh (2004) HELP-SEEKING BY
PROBLEM GAMBLERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILIES:A FOCUS ON GENDER AND CULTURAL
GROUPS, retrived on Dec 2007 at http://www.gamblingandracing.act.gov.au/Documents/Help-
seeking-FINAL-revised.pdf
• Jung, M. (1984), Structural Family Therapy. Family Process, 23, 365-374
• Papineau, E (2005). Pathological Gambling in Montreal's Chinese Community: An
Anthropological Perspective. Journal of Gambling Studies, 21 (2), 157-178.
• Scull, S & Woolcock, G. (2005) Problem gambling in Non-English Speaking Background
Communities in Queenland, Australia: A qualitative Exploration, International Gambling Studies,
5(1) 29-44
• Statistics New Zealand (2014). 2013 Census QuickStats about culture and identity.
• Tse, S., Kim, H. & Wong, J. (2004), Problem Gambling Treatment For Asian Immigrants. In Tan,
R & Wurtzburg, S. (Eds) Problem Gambling, New Zealand perspective on treatment, (p, 196-
206), Wellington, Steele Roberts.

19. Q & A or Comments
• Limitations
• Further study is required
• Further contact
– Asian Family Services
– 0800862342 (Free and Confidential)
– gus.lim@pgfnz.org.nz
– 64 + 272409577
– 09-2126817 (DDI)