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“When I was growing up in high school, if I told my parents I was going out drinking with my friends, they would absolutely yell at me, and say, ‘No, that’s wrong,’” says Timothy Fong, a UCLA psychiatry professor and co-director of the school’s gambling studies program. “If I said to them, ‘I’m going over to my friend’s house to play poker tonight, they’ll say, ‘Go for it, have a good time.’”

Gambling is deeply rooted in many Asian cultures, stretching back to 3000 BC, and is celebrated and promoted during cultural holidays, says Fong, who has done extensive research on Asian gamblers and addressed the B.C. Lottery Corporation’s annual New Horizons responsible gambling conference in Vancouver on Tuesday.

“The experience for a lot of Asians gambling is they’re just drawn to it. … They’ll say things like, ‘Well, it’s in our blood; it’s just who we are.’”

There is also an intense belief among many Asians that while their fates are predetermined, there will be periods in their lives when they get lucky or when good fortune will be bestowed upon them.

At a casino, they’ll try to find ways to influence or tease out that luck. That‘s where superstitions — or “false rituals” — come into play.

Take baccarat, for instance, a card game that is all chance and no skill, Fong says in an interview. Many Asian players will look for patterns in the game, believing they can ride a path to victory.

Others might think they can influence the outcome merely by where they sit at the table or by how they handle their cards.