Posted: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 6:21 AEST

Casino accused of targeting Vietnamese

Casino Canberra has come under fire for targeting the Vietnamese community in Cabramatta.

In an advertisement in the local Vietnamese community newspaper, Casino Canberra has offered a weekend trip to Canberra for just $60 per person, but they must spend $1,000 at the Casino.

The president of the New South Wales chapter of the Australian Vietnamese Community, Dr Tien Ngyen, says the regular shuttle services are targeting specific ethnic communities.

"They try to facilitate the gambling habits of people by providing easy transport, cheap accommodation, et cetera and I don't agree with that sort of tactic, and I think the Government should have some action to prevent those sort of luring tactics," he said.

Thang Ngo from the Fairfield City Council says it is a sad reflection on the Casino and gambling community as a whole.

"The casino has to realise when they target certain demographics, certain ethnic groups, they need to go into it with their eyes open," he said.

"The Vietnamese community is one of the poorest communities, ethnic communities in Australia.

"The Vietnamese community is full of people who are not very good with English and because of that they don't have many other choice in terms of entertainment.

Casino Canberra was not available for comment.