Gambling became popular in China during the last phase of the imperial dynasty: from 1644 to 1912. Canton, Macau, Shanghai and Hong Kong became famous for their liquor and gambling. These areas are populated by foreigners, usually Americans, who are known to be rude. Moreover, the majority of the population is male. Chinese natives engage in gambling along with foreigners.

Popular gambling games in China include Mah Jongg and Pai Gow .
Pia Gow consists of a bank that has a single pile of wood. Banking tasks are entrusted to one of the players. The other players are dealt four tiles from the woodpile, which must be grouped in two pairs so that the player’s pair must have a greater value than the bank. If the player succeeds then he wins the bet. A lot of money can exchange hands for this game.

Mah Jongg, which means ‘sparrow’ is an ancient game developed mainly for China’s wealthy class. This game is said to have been created by a fisherman to prevent sea sickness. It is said that fishermen created this game to distract other fishermen from their surroundings, so that they do not feel nauseous in the middle of the sea. Later, a Chinese general heard the game and engaged his soldiers at night to prevent them from falling asleep. The game goes through many variations and each region calls it by a different name. Eventually, the game was standardized in the early 1990s. The game consists of 136 to 144 tiles depending on whether the players choose to play with flowers or seasons. This play resembles rummy except for the fact that the game is played with tiles. The game also uses a pair of dice and chips to keep score. Requires four players, the goal of each is to get a set of tiles. The allowed set types are “kong”, “pung” and “chow”. A complete hand contains four sets and a pair of similar tiles. The former has this combination of 14 wins.

Another game is Sci Bo, which means ‘two dice’. This game is a betting game with players betting on the total of their dice. It is played with three dice. Bets include small bets whose total may fall; between the range of four to ten, or big bets e.g. the total could fall between eleven and seventeen. The players shuffle the dice in the cup and keep the cup upside down with the dice hidden in the cup. A bet is then made on the outcome. The player who guesses the total can get the number of hugs. There is a rumor that skilled players can predict totals by listening to the clinking of the dice in the cup. In the casino, the entire game is mechanized. The bet is placed on the number marked on the table. The dice are then shaken using a vibrating platform. The results are displayed on the screen.

Despite the popularity of this gambling game, not all Chinese countries are ready to legalize it. While Macau has legalized gambling, Shanghai is running it illegally. In Hong Kong, only horse rearing is legal and The Hong Kong Jockey Club earns a lot of money.

Mansi Aggarwal wrote about. Asian gambling.