Legal Gambling on Asian Games by Country

Where each game stands: the short answer

Asia's traditional games sit in very different legal positions depending on where you play them, and often on who you are.

In Hong Kong, gambling is illegal by default. The exceptions are horse racing, football betting and Mark Six lottery run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, gaming activities licensed under the Gambling Ordinance such as mahjong parlors, and social gambling exempted under section 3 of that ordinance¹. Mahjong for money is legal inside licensed parlors and in genuinely social home games, but illegal in unlicensed clubs that charge rental or commission⁶.

In mainland China, the authorities do not treat mahjong or poker as gambling when relatives play with money stakes without a profit motive, and games among non-relatives with small stakes are also not punished². Chess and card rooms are legal entertainment venues, but using them as a front for gambling breaks the law⁷.

In Japan, mahjong gambling is a crime regardless of the place or the name of the venue, including mahjong parlors, teaching facilities, homes and inns³. Parlors themselves are legal and licensed, but they charge table fees rather than taking a cut of bets⁸.

In Macau, mahjong played in licensed premises follows official gaming rules published by the regulator, covering payouts, liability and penalties⁹.

Vietnam takes a different approach: it does not license traditional games like xoc dia at all, but it does allow eligible Vietnamese citizens to enter a small number of licensed casinos under strict conditions on age, income, entry fees and currency⁴. Singapore and Thailand, meanwhile, charge their own citizens or nationals a fee simply to walk through a casino door¹⁰.

For a broader look at each game and where it fits, see Asian gambling games.

Mahjong in Hong Kong: legal where, illegal where

The legality of mahjong in Hong Kong depends almost entirely on the type of premises where the game takes place⁶.

Legal places to play:

• Licensed mahjong parlors. A small number of mahjong parlors, known locally as mahjong schools, hold licenses to operate legally¹¹. Games inside them are lawful during the premises' prescribed business hours.
• Social games at home. Gambling of a genuinely social nature falls under the exemption in section 3 of the Gambling Ordinance, so a friendly game at home with no one profiting from hosting is allowed¹.

Illegal places to play:

• Unlicensed clubs and associations. It is unlawful to play mahjong for money in establishments that are not bona fide, including mahjong clubs or associations operating without a license⁶.
• Premises charging rental or commission. At so-called Luen Yi Wui establishments, rental or commission is charged for providing tables, tiles and chips. Under those circumstances, players may be committing a gambling offense⁶.
• After hours. If games continue outside the prescribed business hours of a licensed mahjong school, the activities become illegal⁶.

A common misconception is that playing mahjong for money does not break the law and that players can evade gambling charges. That is not correct: playing for money in the wrong premises is an offense⁶.

If you are new to the game itself, see how to play mahjong, and for the licensed halls across the region, see mahjong parlors.

Penalties for mahjong players in Hong Kong

Anyone who participates in illegal gambling in Hong Kong, including illegal online betting, can be sentenced on conviction to nine months in prison and a fine¹². The maximum penalty for betting with a bookmaker is a fine of HKD 50,000 and nine months' imprisonment¹³.

The same ceiling applies to mahjong players in the wrong premises: because playing for money where rental or commission is charged is a gambling offense, conviction carries the same fine of up to HKD 50,000 and up to nine months in prison⁶.

In practice, the risk for an ordinary player is a criminal record, a fine and, at the top end, a short prison sentence. The practical takeaway is simple: play inside a licensed parlor or a genuine home game, and the question never arises.

What Hong Kong law allows outside mahjong

Hong Kong's gambling policy confines legal betting to a small number of regulated channels¹. Everything else is illegal unless the law specifically allows it.

What is authorized:

• Horse racing, football betting and the Mark Six lottery, all organized by the Hong Kong Jockey Club¹
• Gaming activities authorized by a public officer appointed under the Gambling Ordinance, such as licensed mahjong parlors¹
• Social gambling exempted under section 3 of the Gambling Ordinance, mainly small private games¹

What is not:

• Any unauthorized gambling activity is illegal except in the situations listed in the law¹
• Online gambling is illegal in Hong Kong, with one exception: online betting offered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club¹⁴

So a visitor who wants to bet legally in Hong Kong has three doors: the Jockey Club's racing, football and lottery products, a licensed mahjong parlor, or a private social game. For the country-level picture, see gambling in Hong Kong.

Mainland China: small family games are tolerated

Mainland China bans gambling in general, but the authorities have carved out a practical space for small mahjong and poker games.

The rules, set out in official guidance on how gambling cases are handled, work like this²:

• Games between relatives with money stakes, played without a profit motive, are not punished.
• Games between people who are not relatives, with only small amounts of money at stake and no profit motive, are also not punished.
• Provincial guidance repeats the same position: family and relatives playing mahjong or cards with modest stakes are not treated as gambling¹⁵.

News reporting confirms the everyday reality: mahjong among relatives and friends, with tiny winnings and purely for leisure, is legal entertainment protected by law¹⁶.

The line is profit. Chess and card rooms, the neighborhood venues found across China, are lawful entertainment venues when they charge only a fixed venue or service fee. But if mahjong or poker tiles are used as gambling tools inside them, that violates the Public Security Administration Punishment Law and can in serious cases become a criminal matter⁷. Playing in a way that is "not for profit" with small stakes is generally not punished¹⁶.

For the wider picture, see gambling in China.

Japan: mahjong parlors yes, betting no

Japan splits the venue from the bet. Mahjong parlors are legal, licensed businesses, and the law even caps what they may charge for a table⁸:

• Fully automatic mahjong table: JPY 2,400 per hour per table, or JPY 600 per hour per person
• Other mahjong tables: JPY 2,000 per hour per table, or JPY 500 per hour per person
• Plus the equivalent of consumption tax

What is illegal is gambling on the game. Mahjong gambling is a crime regardless of the place or the name of the venue, whether that is a mahjong parlor, a mahjong teaching facility, a home or an inn³. Anyone charged with the gambling offense faces a fine of up to JPY 500,000 or a petty fine³.

So a parlor can legally charge you by the hour to play, but the moment money changes hands on the outcome, the game becomes a crime. This is the same logic that governs pachinko, where the halls are legal and the payout route is arranged to stay on the right side of the line. For more on the country, see gambling in Japan, and for the game itself, riichi mahjong rules.

Macau: official mahjong rules

Macau, the region's casino capital, publishes official rules for mahjong played in its licensed gaming venues⁹. The Legal Mahjong Gaming Rules, in force since 1991, set out how the game must be run, and they include details that home players will recognize:

• Discarded tiles may not be taken back, and declining a pung voids a win on that turn.
• A winning dealer is paid double by all three other players; when a non-dealer wins, the two other non-dealers pay single and the dealer pays double.
• Special liability rules apply: for example, discarding a tile that lets another player complete a nine-tile exposed full flush, big three dragons or big four winds makes the discarder pay for all players, and all-honors and all-terminal hands never require liability payment.
• False win penalties are paid at fixed fan rates by the offender.

The point for a visitor is that mahjong in Macau's licensed premises is a regulated game with published rules, not an informal house game. See gambling in Macau for the casino scene around it.

Vietnam: rules for citizens entering licensed casinos

Vietnam does not permit its traditional games, such as xoc dia, to be run legally, and playing xoc dia online can even lead to criminal prosecution¹⁷. But the country has opened a carefully controlled door for its own citizens into full-scale casinos.

The Government has issued a resolution allowing eligible Vietnamese citizens to enter casinos at several casino business projects, including Phú Quốc, Hồ Tràm and Vân Đồn¹⁸. Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese with valid foreign passports may gamble at Vietnam's casinos under Decree 03/2017/NĐ-CP¹⁹.

For a Vietnamese citizen, entry is conditional on all of the following⁴:

• Being at least 21 years old with full civil act capacity
• Proving financial capacity
• Buying an entry ticket
• Not being subject to a bar request from themselves or a close family member
• Not being related to the casino owners in any way¹⁹

The Phú Quốc pilot opened the way: Vietnamese individuals over 21 who could show a minimum monthly income of VNĐ 10 million were allowed to gamble there¹⁰. For the country overview, see gambling in Vietnam.

Entry levy: VND 1,000,000 per 24 hours

The entry ticket for Vietnamese players is VND 1 million per 24 continuous hours per person, or VND 25 million per month per person⁴. That is the current level under Decree 03/2017/ND-CP, Article 12, clause 3¹⁷.

A draft decree on casino business has proposed raising the ticket to VND 2.5 million per 24 hours per person, about USD 100, or VND 50 million per month, about USD 2,000²⁰. The Finance Ministry's proposal would be 2.5 times the current daily level and twice the current monthly level²¹. As of late 2025, the draft also restates the conditions for entry, including the age, capacity and financial proof requirements²¹. Until a new decree takes effect, the VND 1 million daily ticket remains the operative figure.

Foreigners do not pay this ticket; the levy system is aimed at Vietnamese nationals, and the draft decree confirms the two groups being regulated for entry to casino business points are Vietnamese players and foreign players, each with their own rules²².

Income and age requirements for Vietnamese players

Two thresholds gate entry for Vietnamese citizens⁴:

• Age: at least 21 years old, with full civil act capacity under Vietnamese law.
• Income: proof of regular income of VND 10 million per month or more, or being subject to personal income tax from bracket 3 or higher under the 2007 Personal Income Tax Law.

The income test is designed to limit casino play to people with demonstrable means, and the tax bracket alternative gives salaried players a second way to qualify¹⁷. The 2017 decree set the same standard from the start: citizens admitted into casinos had to be 21 or above with full capacity for civil acts¹⁹.

For comparison, Vietnam's sports betting decree sets the same age floor for punters, at least 21 years old¹⁹. The casino rule is the one that applies here.

Currency rules and exclusion orders

Currency. Vietnamese players at casino business points may only use Vietnamese dong to exchange for gaming chips, and may exchange chips back into dong if they are unplayed or represent winnings⁴. The rule is explicit in the decree: only Vietnamese dong may be used to buy the convention currency used on the floor¹⁷.

Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese holding foreign passports are treated differently: they may receive winnings and transfer or carry winnings abroad in foreign currency under Vietnam's foreign exchange rules⁴.

Exclusion orders. A Vietnamese player may not enter if a relative with full civil act capacity has asked the casino operator to bar them. The relatives who can make the request are the father, adoptive father, mother, adoptive mother, wife, husband or biological child, and the player can also request to be barred themselves⁴. A person excluded this way must not be allowed to play¹⁷.

Similar family-initiated bars exist in betting: managers, executives and employees of a betting business, and their parents, spouses and children, may not bet on that same business's betting, and jockeys, players and referees may not bet on events they take part in¹⁹.

How other countries handle entry and family limits

Two other jurisdictions in the region charge their own people to enter casinos and let families step in.

Singapore. Citizens and permanent residents must pay an entry levy of S$150 for every consecutive period of 24 hours to enter casino premises⁵. Family members of problem gamblers can go further: the National Council on Problem Gambling can impose a Family Exclusion Order or Family Visit Limit on application by a family member whose gambling has caused serious harm, and from September 21, 2026, breaching a Family Visit Limit for casinos is a criminal offense²³. The exclusion system covers the two casinos, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, jackpot machine rooms at private clubs, and Singapore Pools online betting²⁴. Individuals can also self-exclude or apply for a voluntary visit limit²⁴.

Thailand. As its casino legislation takes shape, the fee schedule already sets entry fees payable per entry by entrant type¹⁰:

The pattern across the region is consistent: where locals are allowed into casinos at all, governments use money (levies and tickets), proof of means, and family-initiated bars to keep the door narrow. Traditional games face the mirror-image rule: the game itself is usually tolerated socially and criminalized commercially, whether that is a mahjong parlor in Japan charging by the hour or an unlicensed mahjong club in Hong Kong charging table rental.