Gambling in mahjong

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Gambling is the practice of applying money to a game of chance. Mahjong, which originated as a gambling game, is still heavily tied to it today. A wide variety of rules exist to increase the game's variance and the size of bets.

As of the 21st century, there have been efforts to turn Japanese mahjong away from its gambling roots. Mahjong competitions, such as M.League, promote a sports-like view of the game. "Healthy mahjong" (no alcohol, no smoking, no gambling) has also been a recent trend.

Disclaimer

It is noted that this wiki does not encourage gambling, but does not condemn it either. The sheer existence of gambling cannot be ignored, either way.

Gambling in different countries

• In Japan, gambling is illegal. However, many mahjong parlors offer low stakes gambling. Because the stakes are so low - the fee for playing means it is practically impossible to turn a profit - these parlors are allowed to operate. Still, as mentioned above, non-gambling mahjong has gained some traction.
• In English speaking countries, mahjong is not mainstream - in many areas, it's difficult to find a place to play, let alone gamble with it. Therefore, people interested in Japanese mahjong may see the game as an intellectual game, or "mind sport", rather than gambling. After all, if people never play the game for money, then it's hard to think of it as gambling.