Asians in California are in the forefront of a the antigambling lobby in California because problem gambling has cut into the community, reports the Los Angeles Times. In Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Korean and Cambodian communities, social workers and leaders are pressuring gaming officials and state legislators to recognize a hidden epidemic.

The activists think the problem is much worse among Asian Americans than in the general population. No one knows for sure says one UCLA expert who is running some studies on the issue. Why? Because no has ever broken out the Asian Americans in national or state studies of problem gambling.

Gaming is on a roll in the Golden State. Some California card rooms say 80 percent of their customers are Asian. And one Indian casino near San Francisco tells the paper that it frankly caters to that community. Again, Chinese New Year is set to be the biggest weekend on the Strip after New Year’s Eve. Believe it or not, it actually is a much bigger deal for casinos than the Superbowl.

The article explains a various theories of how culture predisposes Asians to gamble and that as immigrants, they are already big risk-takers. Ultimately, gambling can become a final and desperate stab to grab the American Dream from low-wage existence as an unskilled immigrant.

And compounding the problem is the fact that the Golden State’s Office of Problem Gambling has had problems getting organized and setting up programs.