Immigrants are the players most at risk. - Euroslot - the independent voice of the amusement and gambling industry

Immigrants are the players most at risk.

Turks and Moroccans are top of the table

Published: 06 November, 2008

Immigrants are more likely to become addicted to gambling. This conclusion is reached in a study commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Justice, responsible for games of chance, conducted by a leading research Institute on social issues. According to the study, presented to the Dutch Parliament in the last few days, immigrants from Turkey and Morocco are far more at risk of becoming addicted to gambling than Dutch people.

The study has shown that regardless of the game, Turks and Moroccans are between three and eleven times more inclined to play than Dutch gamblers. People from the Antilles are between two and five times, whilst the Chinese are three times more likely.

According to the study conducted by the Scientific Research and Documentation Centre of the Ministry of Justice, 36% of immigrants from Morocco and Turkey have gone into debt because of gambling, and 4% of Chinese and Dutch people have the same problem. Casino gambling is especially popular with Turks and people from the Antilles, while Moroccans love slot machines. For players of Dutch origin the tendency is to diversify the way they spend their money on gambling. Taking part in the survey were 544 regular gamblers, and of these 181 were immigrants. In addition the aim of the study is to identify why people become addicted to gambling. Amongst the reasons related to gambling addiction among immigrants, factors such as gender, age, income and education are more relevant than their cultural background.

There is a possibility that in the light of these results and after careful consideration the Dutch Government may decide to modify the legal framework within which it is attempting to combat the addiction to gambling.

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