Mahjong and cards are fine, but don't take a cut, act as the banker, organize games for a fee, or play online gambling
- High value
- Evidence B
- Keeps you free
- Free
- Takes minutes
- Some willpower
In plain words
Small-stakes card playing among relatives and friends is not the law's business. Taking a cut from the game (抽头), acting as the banker (当庄) or organizing games for a fee changes its nature: taking part in gambling with relatively large stakes brings detention of up to 5 days (拘留) or a fine of up to 1,000 CNY. Gathering people to gamble or living off gambling brings up to 3 years, and running a gambling den brings up to 5 years. How much counts as "relatively large stakes" is set by each locality, and there is no single national figure.
Mentioned in
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 9, tip 13. This section describes legal rules, mostly mainland China’s. It is general information, not legal advice; for your own case, talk to a lawyer. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer