In 2016, an article of Financial Times which was written by Peter Fuhrman, the Chairman & CEO of China First Capital, has pointed out that Chinese people like gambling in every Lunar New Year
. “Here in Shenzhen, China’s richest city per capita, no sooner do the shops all shut down for the long break than the gambling tables spill out onto the street, like the cork flying out of a bottle,” he said.
In China, gambling is always an illegal act. But whenever people gather to gamble in Chinese New Year period, most police and urban street patrols will ignore that, just like that does not break the law. It is due to these law enforcement officers are also away from their jobs with family. The other hand, gamble in the Chinese New Year period is a Traditions custom in Chinese Society.
So, are you curious why the Chinese culture make people love to gamble during the Chinese New Year period?
There are some promotion events in ancient Chinese are very popular which are called “Guan Pu” (sounds like gamble’s pronunciation). Guan Pu has a variety of way to play, for example, a turntable game combined with darts. It offers an opportunity for people to spend low-cost to exchange high-quality goods in low probability cases. To put it bluntly, it is just gambling.
Most prosperous period of Guan Pu was during the Song Dynasty, about a thousand years ago. However, the government of that era has already banned people to gamble. If someone violates this law, he will be beaten for about one hundred times by a big stick.
Guan Pu was also considered a gambling act. But people still love it and the government was helpless for that. Finally, the government decided to lift gamble’s ban during three of Chinese important festival, they are Winter-Solstice, Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival (on the 15th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year). So, people started looking forward to the end of each year then they can do Guan Pu indulgently, especially Lunar New Year. After a period, finally formed a custom in Chinese culture.
Even today, those Chinese people who have migrated to all over the world still love gamble during Lunar New Year festival. In Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, many casino-hotels are going to hold big banquet and promotion event for Lunar New Year to attract Chinese customers. It shows that even those America casino owners are also attaching the utmost importance to this Chinese’s gambling festival.
As an iGaming industry operator, what are you prepared to be welcoming the arrival of this important festival?
Reference: - 2016.02.23, Peter Fuhrman, New Year gambling hints at Chinese entrepreneurial vigour, Financial Times. - 2016.01.13 吴钩，南都周刊，800年前中国满街都是博彩摇奖，春节全民开赌三天
