Chopsticks and Gambling by Desmond Lam

Author:Desmond Lam [Lam, Desmond]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Games & Activities, Gambling, General, History, Asia, China, Social Science, Sociology
ISBN: 9781412853934
Google: QZKzngEACAAJ
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
Published: 2014-01-15T01:30:51+00:00

Chinese Gambling Superstitions

Regular Chinese gamblers are often observed to be superstitious. The concepts of destiny and luck are strongly rooted in the Chinese culture (Bosco, Liu, and West 2009). A strong belief in luck, fate, destiny, and superstition by the Chinese also enhances their illusion of control when gambling and further distorts their evaluation of their odds of winning. Culin (1891) reported as many as 120 years ago in America that Chinese gamblers, who were migrant laborers, were more superstitious than most white Americans. Darke and Freed-man (1997a) also found that Asian Americans are more likely to have superstitious beliefs about luck than non-Asians. In fact, superstition is ranked number one among the list of impressions that surveyed participants (who are casino executives) had for typical Chinese gamblers (Lam 2008). Bosco, Liu, and West (2009) also found that underground lottery gamblers often use magical means to guess the “right” winning numbers. One of the most popular ways is to seek signs from dreams. Other methods include obtaining the numbers from almanacs or from careful interpretation of random events (as in the case of gambler #1, Lottery Ho, described previously).

Obsessions and beliefs in superstitions are commonly portrayed in Chinese gambling-themed movies. In a scene in Kung Fu Mahjong, for example, one character claimed that he was wearing his red underwear and, hence, ready to go to Macau. In Fat Choi Spirit, a gangster who had arranged to play mahjong with a renowned mahjong expert put on his red underwear and then ordered his men to pat the shoulders of his opponent and to put bags of books around him.

Since ancient times, Chinese people have always believed in a spiritual world of gods and spirits. They have tried to live in harmony with this parallel world by appeasing gods and spirits. Confucianism encourages ancestor worship and rituals, while Daoism practices oneness with the natural world. It is common for modern Daoists to make offerings and prayers to gods and spirits for their help in the human world, be it for good grades, health, wealth, offspring, or relationships. Superstitious Chinese gamblers sometimes perform rituals to get blessings for prosperity and wealth from their gods (e.g., God of Fortune). Such acts may include offering fruits, lighting up a joss stick, or simply making a prayer. This would be done at the start of the Lunar New Year or whenever it is needed. While superstitious thinking and behavior are also common among gamblers around the world, Chinese superstition is unique in its forms and is popularly accepted by the Chinese. For example, gambler Ho’s obsession with Chinese rituals, gambler Liang’s beliefs in “baby ghosts,” lucky numbers and feng shui, and Mr. Chinese VIP’s reliance on fate and destiny all demonstrate that some Chinese people believe in unique forms of the supernatural.

Luck and fate has an important role in Chinese gambling. Bosco, Liu and West (2009) found that Chinese who pick the right lottery numbers often explain that it is because of destiny, but they blame it on bad luck if the numbers they pick are wrong.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.