Asian Online Gambling Behaviour

1. General Gambling Activities

• In total, 84.6% of Asians have engaged in online gambling and gaming activities in the last 12 months. The most common activity is buying lotto or instant scratch tickets online (73.8%), followed by playing online video games (50.8%) and placing a bet on any sports event with the NZ TAB online (41.1%);
• 98.3% of online video gamers also engaged in other types of online gambling activities, and only 1.7% are pure gamers who neither participate in other gambling games nor use loot boxes;
• Amongst Asians who have played online video games in the last 12 months, 73.5% have used real money to buy loot boxes at least once (or a similar reward mechanism when playing online video games to increase the chance of winning);
• A total of 32.6% of Asians are online casino players. Amongst online casino players, a total of 90.9% are SkyCity customers, and 70.5% play online casinos at both SkyCity and Offshore sites;
• A breakdown of Asian gamblers’ demographics shows that online casino players are significantly more likely to be male, 30-49 years of age, making $100K or more per annum, be a frequent gambler, be an online video game player, be a multi-games player, and be aware of Asian Family Services;

2. Perceived Drivers for Engaging in Online Gambling

• On average, 3 drivers for engaging in online gambling were selected by each respondent. The top 3 drivers selected are (1) longing for monetary gain, (2) for excitement, and (3) out of curiosity. Peer pressure from social networks/friends was selected the least;
• On average, Filipino gamblers perceived the highest number of drivers for online gambling (4.1), followed by Chinese gamblers (3.2). Filipinos were more likely to perceive the drivers as “longing for monetary gain”, “excitement”, “ease of access, 24/7 accessibility from electronic devices”, and “being influenced by heavy advertisements”. Chinese were more likely to perceive the driver as “starting from simulated casino games to playing for real money on online gambling sites”;
• On average, older gamblers (50-65 years) perceived more drivers for engaging in online gambling than younger gamblers. In particular, older gamblers were more likely than younger gamblers to select the following perceived drivers for engagement: “excitement”, “curiosity”, “ease of access”, and “irrational beliefs of increased confidence in winning when playing online”;
• Male gamblers are more likely to perceive “curiosity” as a driver for engaging in online gambling, whilst Females are more likely to perceive “longing for monetary gain” and “to relieve boredom/stress due to COVID-19 lockdowns”.

3. Perceptions of Harm Related to Online Gambling

On average, Asians perceive 3 types of harm related to online gambling. The top 3 perceived types are (1) a loss of significant financial assets (personal), (2) causing financial problems for their family, and (3) causing pressure and anxiety to family members;

• Across ethnicity, Chinese and Filipino gamblers perceive slightly more harm related to gambling than Indians and other Asian ethnic groups. Chinese gamblers, in particular, are more likely to perceive harm around “pressure and anxiety to family members”, “loss of social connection and isolation”, and “a loss of confidence/change of personality and lifestyle”. Filipinos are more likely to perceive harm around “financial problems for their family”, “tending to make more excuses/lies”, and “physical health problems”;
• Across age groups, younger gamblers (18-29 years) perceived slightly more harm related to online gambling than older gamblers. In particular, they are more likely to perceive harm around “relationship conflicts”, “a loss of social connection and isolation”, “facing online crime”, and “a loss of credibility among social networks”;
• Across gender, both Male and Female gamblers had similar levels of perceived harm related to online gambling, on average. However, Male gamblers are more likely to perceive harm around “physical health problems” as well as more “drinking problems and/or drug abuse”, whilst Female gamblers are more likely to perceive harm around “making more excuses/lies” and “causing mental health issues”;

4. Tackling Gambling Harm

Help seeking:

• Overall, 56.5% of Asians did not know where to seek help if they or someone else is identified with online gambling issues. Demographically, those who are significantly more likely not to know are Indian, Filipino, 30-65 years, and those with an income of$50K - $70K per annum;
• Behaviourally, the groups that are significantly more likely not to know where to seek help if they or someone else is identified with online gambling issues, are non-gamblers, non-frequent gamblers, Lotto only players, non-online video gamers, and non-online casino players;

Barriers:

• On average, there are 3 perceived barriers to seeking online gambling support in the Asian community by each respondent. The top 3 barriers to seeking help are (1) limited knowledge of available services, (2) lack of awareness regarding the severity of problems and (3) little knowledge about counselling services and their effectiveness;
• Across age groups for gamblers, older gamblers, on average, perceived more barriers to seeking online gambling support than younger gamblers;
• Across gender, Male gamblers are more likely to perceive barriers to seeking help around “little knowledge about counselling services and their effectiveness”, “the problem has not triggered health or financial concerns”, and “my culture sees the positive side of gambling and keeps it under control”. In contrast, Female gamblers are more likely to perceive barriers around “insufficient social and financial resources to support treatment entry”.

See the full report from the link below