Casinos in Massachusetts/New England deliberately target Asians

 (There's a reason gaming in Macao has been so successful. And why there are really good Asian restaurants in Las Vegas.)

Traditional lion dancers paraded through a large crowd and a sea of slot machines at the Encore Boston Harbor casino during a Lunar New Year celebration. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

A long time ago, when discussing the "Chinese buses" the inter-city buses operated from Chinatown to Chinatown in the Mid-Atlantic--dropping bus ticket prices significantly compared to traditional inter-city buses and Amtrak--a commenter made the point that these services got their start taking Chinese workers and patrons to casinos.

The Boston Globe has a three part series about how casinos there deliberately target Asians.  That as a result the Wynn Encore Casino in Everett across the river from Boston, is the most successful casino in the US outside of two in Las Vegas.

Of course, how these casinos target Asians is but a microcosm of how casinos target market segments with a propensity to gamble. Ever growing lines of credit offered by casinos can drive people to ruin. Others are wealthy and losses are merely the cost of entertainment.  

In terms of urban development, I don't favor casinos, but it's the case of "everybody's doing it" we ought to just to be on an equal playing field.  That's why cities like Chicago and New York are adding casinos--NYC to be able to compete with Atlantic City and tribal casinos and against other cities for conventions; Chicago to compete for conventions.

-- "How casinos in New England are exploiting Asian communities for profit"
-- "Within the confines of Boston’s Chinatown, there are dozens of illegal gambling parlors. What is the city doing about it?"
-- "In Greater Boston’s Asian communities, gambling can build social ties — and fuel addiction. Here’s how residents are fighting back"