Could court ruling on Chinese game of tiles provide the precedent for online poker?
Mahjong, the traditional Chinese tile-based table game, could provide a welcome precedent for those hoping online poker is legalized in the US, after a New York state judge recently ruled the game is one skill and not just chance.
Not a contest of chance
New York state Criminal Court Judge John H. Wilson, who was overseeing the People v. Feng case in which two Mahjong players were accused of promoting gambling and possessing a gambling device, declared in his ruling that Mahjong is in effect a "contest of chance."
Although the judge did eventually allow the gambling charges to proceed, his findings and the fact he ruled the game to be one of skill and not just luck, could have positive implications for other games of skill like poker which have often been viewed by legislators and the courts as constituting illegal gambling.
Play Mahjong online too!
Mahjong may be the most ancient of table games, with a history going back to the time of Confucius around 500 BC. But that hasn't stopped top online casinos from offering it to their customers, often under the westernized version Mahjong Solitaire, or in its alternative western form of Rummy.
This ancient Chinese game was even showcased at last year annual Poker in the Park festival in London, where a Mahjong dome was set up next to one for poker. One game is the most popular in the east, the other in the west, and hopefully very soon Americans will be able to enjoy both online, in a legal and responsible gaming environment.
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