Apparently, the Lunar New Year is the second biggest betting weekend of the year for some major casinos. That's right, ahead of Super Sunday and behind the conventional New Year. Walking into any casino, it seems pretty obvious that Asians love to gamble, but apparently it's one of the few "cross cultural phenomena" applicable to Asian American youth. So, it's not just your mah-jong playing parents! I find this rather worrisome, as I think many first-generation Asian American families know someone with a "gambling problem." However, not much research has been done on this burgeoning epidemic.

One thing is for certain, casinos everywhere are cashing in on this trend from Asian-themed high stakes rooms, to special shuttles going to and from ethnic Asian enclaves (as usual the corporate researchers are way ahead of the health departments). During my recent "research trip" to Vegas, I was bewildered by the number of Asian-themed night clubs (Tao), restaurants and even Cirque de Soleil shows (Ka). (And no, I didn't win. Sigh, I never freaking win.) My personal favorite advertisement was for the Tao Nighclub that told me to reach for some "dumplings." Something about the billboard's picture of a scantily-clad Asian woman's behind tells me that they weren't talking about my favorite Shanghai Xiao Long Bao.