Investigator	Dr. James Townsend, University of Winnipeg Dr. Wenbiao Cai, University of Winnipeg
Research Priority	Investigate how economic, cultural/social, or jurisdictional factors influence gambling behaviour and what the implication may be for preventing and/or reducing gambling-related harm.
Funding	Small Grant  ($39,420)
Project Status	Completed

 

Legalized gambling expanded rapidly in Canada during the 1990s. This period also marked the starting point of continued growth in the number of immigrants to Canada. Researchers have argued that unique cultural, economic, and social challenges facing these newcomers might trigger gambling experiences that require new strategies for advocating responsible gambling behaviour and reaching out to problem gamblers. To date, a systematic, representative study of gambling among Canadian immigrants remains to be developed. Our proposed research is a step towards this goal. We propose to use the Canadian Community Health Survey to first provide a detailed, quantitative documentation of the incidence, prevalence and severity of gambling behaviour among immigrants to Canada. We will also explore how these aspects of gambling correlate with other cultural, demographic, and socio-economic characteristics. Next we will develop econometric models to estimate the relative importance of these characteristics for understanding both the incidence of gambling and the level of gambling among immigrants. These findings will not only provide for the first time a broad picture of gambling behaviour among immigrants to Canada based on a representative sample, but they will also inform policymakers about specific strategies required to advocate responsible gambling in immigrant communities.

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Summary Report- Gambling among Immigrants to Canada.pdf	61.46 KB
Full Report- Gambling among Immigrants to Canada.pdf	235.49 KB