Individuals from ethnic minority communities tend to have lower rates of participation in gambling activities. Despite their lower rates of participation, individuals who gamble from low-income ethnic minority households are 4.8x more likely to be at a higher risk of engaging in harmful gambling than their ethnic majority counterparts.

A recent report found that across all ethnicities engagement with gambling products is most often due to financial reasons. However, minority communities are also 3 times more likely to gamble as a coping mechanism than those from majority backgrounds. Furthermore, individuals who gamble and have experienced racial discrimination in the past are at a higher risk of harm.