Why Chinese students are at risk of becoming gambling addicts in the UK
- ‘They come to the UK, free, maybe a bit immature, and also lonely – that’s all the risk factors right there,’ says problem gambling specialist Edward Kwan
Chinese students heading to a UK university this autumn should be made aware of the risks posed by unfettered access to casinos and online gaming, according to Hong Kong’s first certified counsellor for gambling addiction.
“It can be like a parachutist landing in a minefield, especially for students who are the product of China’s former one-child policy,” said Edward Kwan, who was a Hong Kong police officer for 30 years.
Kwan, who has been providing consultation and counselling on gambling since 1997, spoke to South China Morning Post in London.
“They come to the UK, free, maybe a bit immature, and also lonely – that’s all the risk factors right there,” Kwan said of the foreign students.
“The UK has hundreds of casinos – it is unlikely Chinese students would not come into contact with one.”
China is already the biggest source of international students in British universities. According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency there were 43,530 Chinese students in the UK in the year 2007-2008 compared to 106,530 in 2017-2018.