Mahjong school

A mahjong school is a licensed venue in Hong Kong where people over the age of 18 can play mahjong.

Since 1871 privately-run gambling businesses have been banned in Hong Kong; however since mahjong is such a popular game, mahjong-hosting venues have been tolerated by the Hong Kong government. After World War II the government has required such venues to obtain Mahjong/Tin Kau Licences with the constraint that such businesses must be known, in Legal English, as Mahjong Schools - a white lie to get around the ban on privately-run gambling businesses. Although technically "schools", these Mahjong/Tin Kau Licences are issued by Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.

As of 2009 there are licensed mahjong schools in Hong Kong, mostly in densely-populated areas such as Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Wan Chai and Sham Shui Po.

Rules

If a player plays mahjong in a mahjong school, he has to pay a portion of his gain if he wins a game. This is the main source of income of a mahjong school. To attract players, mahjong schools provide free drinks, free food, and sometimes lucky money. In addition to resident umpires, modern mahjong schools also have closed-circuit television installed to deter cheating and theft.

There are only 0 fan hand and 1 fan hand. Higher score hands are counted as 1 fan. Hence the pace of a game is quite fast as the players do not spend time on getting high scores.

See also

• Mahjong culture

References