- A new report by the Howard League of Penal Reform has found that ethnic minorities are at greater risk of gambling harm due to systemic racism.
The report, titled “Living Experience of Gambling, Gambling-Related Harm and Crime within Minority Communities,” interviewed minority community members about gambling-related harm and found that many people gambled more for a better life financially.
People and religious people from all walks of life had conversations, and one person who had a Muslim faith said. “It is against our religion. I felt guilty about gambling, but it was in myself.
“I couldn’t talk to anyone about it, and for a while I didn’t even know I was addicted. Because, you know, the word addiction doesn’t exist in an Asian background.
“I began to steal money, unfortunately. Well, after I had spent all my money, I was like stealing money to continue gambling, and of course I had to hide it by trying to make excuses, but you know you can make many excuses until you are discovered.”
A broader study also found that many routes for minorities led to gambling-related harm, highlighting the false hope that gambling offers, especially with regard to addressing socioeconomic disadvantages.
The report was written by individuals with personal gambling experience and published by the Crime and Gambling Related Damage Commission, which served as part of a series published by the organization.
Sir Goldsmith KC, chairman of the Crime and Gambling Harm Committee, said in response to the report, “The findings of this study provide unique insights into how inequality and social, economic and cultural factors faced by people in ethnic communities critically affect their relationship to gambling and the experience of gambling-related harm and crime.”
For More Details: