Need clarity on what is illegal gambling

When does playing mahjong become gambling? Police in Wuhan, Hubei province, have an answer.

Wuhan police say relatives playing mahjong, no matter how high the stakes are, does not qualify as gambling. Similarly, if fewer than 10 people not related to each other play mahjong and if the average individual stake is less than 1,000 yuan ($145), it cannot be deemed gambling. Other than these, all other mahjong games will be considered gambling and the players will be duly punished.

Police officers dealing with gambling cases always cause controversy, because many people think they use weird rules to differentiate between recreation and gambling when it comes to playing mahjong.