Herald on Sunday

He came to NZ for a better life but lost $2 million instead

- By Lincoln Tan

Frank Zhang* moved to New Zealand five years ago from China full of optimism and with great hope of a better life for his family.

But within 18 months of visiting the casino, he gambled away $2 million and lost everything.

“I lost not only $2 million but also my family, friends, credit, dignity and pride . . . suddenly they were all gone,” Zhang said.

His story is one of several being shared by Asian Family Services in its Real people, Real journeys magazine.

Zhang’s foray into gambling started with a $5 bet, but this soon led to bigger punts — and even a $50,000 bet on one occasion.

“The very first bet . . . was the beginning of the horrible, dangerous, crazy and uncontroll­able behaviour,” he said.

“I gambled 72 hours nonstop without eating, I gambled without thinking of the consequenc­es.”

The casino made him a VIP and Zhang said he was drawn into the meticulous treatment from casino staff and the luxurious VIP rooms.

“I generously offered tips of $100 or even $1000 to waitresses for a cup of coffee . . . I was appreciati­ve of all that the casino provided and in return I visited more frequently,” said Zhang.

“It was madness, I lost $300,000 within two hours in Auckland and $400,000 within one week in Christchur­ch.”

He borrowed money to fund his gambling habit, but said the special treatment ended when he lost all his money.

Zhang then sought help from Asian Family Services, which he said helped him through the toughest time of his life.

The 2018 National Gambling Study by AUT University found that migrants who gambled were at a higher risk of becoming a problem gambler compared with New Zealand-born Kiwis.

Although gambling participat­ion continues to fall, the report said levels of gamblingre­lated harm remained unchanged.

Professor Max Abbott, director of the Gambling Addictions Research Centre, warned that unless strong measures were taken, the rates of gambling participat­ion and problem gambling among migrants were highly likely to increase.

“Asian people who do gamble are at very high risk of problem gambling,” Abbott said.

This is despite the fact that rates of gambling participat­ion among Asians were lower than Europeans and others.

Of those who reported having gambled in the past 12 months, around 14 per cent had a clinical or sub-clinical gambling disorder.

This was similar to Ma¯ori at 16 per cent, but much higher than Europeans at 8 per cent.

“A substantia­lly higher proportion of Asian adults develop a gambling-related problem . . . this will increase if or when participat­ion rates increase,” said Abbott.

Ivan Yeo, Asian Family Services deputy director, said Asian cultural beliefs and values — such as “face saving” — exacerbate­d gambling harm.

“Shame and stigma affect social and community connectedn­ess, and severely impede help-seeking, early detection and future treatment,” Yeo said.

* Name has been changed

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