With the assistance from Gambler’s Help Southern, Gambler’s Help City and Gambler’s Help Eastern, Chinese Gambling Concern Inc (CGCI) successfully organised the Chinese New Year Stall 2005 in Chinatown, Melbourne on February 13.

Given the Chinese New Year is regarded traditionally and culturally as the most important festival for the Chinese community, as well as the fact that many Chinese are more keen on gambling during the Chinese New Year, CGCI has been running a stall during the Chinese New Year since 1998.

During the day, there were 10 members and volunteers from CGCI working in the stall. We invited the Chinese community to participate in the quiz games that we had prepared. We were able to interactively communicate and deliver the messages with our target group.

The questions we asked during the quiz games are based on some interesting statistics or figures relevant to gambling issues. For example, we asked what the chance of being hit by lightning as compared to winning Tattslotto.

Responses from participants were overwhelmingly positive. They have shown enthusiasm over those facts presented and asked other follow up questions regarding gambling. Some in the crowd even made the comment that gambling was an unwise choice and that there is a greater chance of losing money than winning.

Each time we gave out a T-shirt as a prize to the first person who answered the question correctly.

We even had the opportunity to talk to some members of the Chinese community, who walked by the stall, about their views on gambling. The majority of these people were interested in our work and handouts.

Our activities and information pamphlets also raised the interest of the non-Chinese population when they saw us handing out the pamphlets. Some of them asked us if there was any information written in English provided

Furthermore, this event has drawn attention from the media. Ophelia Wong, counsellor and community educator with Gambler’s Help Southern, and one of the CGCI members was interviewed by SBS for a live broadcasting programme on the spot. A follow up interview was done on the radio in the following week. Besides this a cable TV station also took a few shots on our stall and interviewed Major Samuel Pho of the Salvation Army, another member of CGCI.