If you think you have been seeing a larger percentage of Filipino senior citizens at Southern California’s Indian casinos, you are not wrong.
Of course, there are other Asian groups that are crowding the state’s casinos, including Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans.
Valley View Casino in San Diego County takes advantage of the trend and buses in seniors, many of them Asians from Los Angeles and Orange counties. The trip normally takes two hours, but the buses are rarely empty.
Not everyone sees the trend as positive. Some studies show that elderly Asians, especially Filipinos, are subject to isolation and loneliness and, because they are on fixed incomes, are potential victims.
On the other hand, sometimes seniors get a lift out of visiting a casino and look forward to it as a special event.
One professional caregiver observed, “It’s amazing how some of my patients who barely have energy to walk daily suddenly straighten up as soon as they see the lights of those machines. I would say if that’s their therapy for mental and physical stability, let them enjoy.”
