On July 21, 2022, BCNC CEO, Ben Hires, Chief Program Officer, Yoyo Yau, Dr. Heang Leung Rubin and BCNC staff presented at the National Conference on Problem Addiction & Responsible Gambling 2022. The first presentation was “Unpacking the Root Causes of Problem Gambling in The Asian Community.” This presentation was based on BCNC’s Massachusetts Gaming Commission funded project called Asian CARES (Center for Addressing Research, Education, and Services). The presentation highlighted the many causes of problem gambling in the Asian community and how it manifests in the Asian community. It also provided an in-depth look on the negative impacts that gambling has on families, and the roles of casinos in exacerbating this problem in this community. Read more about the research.

The second presentation was “Community Engagement: A Practical Guide to Inform Problem Gambling Intervention.” This is a problem gambling intervention project that is currently being implemented in the diverse City of Everett. This is a partnership project between BCNC, Everett Haitian Community Center and the Eliot Family Resource Center. Emotional wellness is identified as a priority for immigrant communities. In the next 3 years, the collaborators are initiating Project RISE (Resilient Immigrants Striving for Equity) to implement community-based strategies to support emotional wellness. Read more about our research here.