Gambling in the Orient

During much of China's history, gambling was illegal. It was, however, relatively widespread, especially in the coastal regions during the last imperial dynasty which lasted from 1644 until 1912.

During this period, the Chinese government opened up foreign concessions at Canton, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Macao. The inhabitants of these foreign settlements -- the great majority of whom were men -- were well-known for their hard drinking, cursing, gambling, and general immorality. And it wasn't only the foreign sailors that gambled; their Chinese co-workers gambled here as well.

Macao Legalized Gambling in the 19th Century

Macao, a Portuguese colony, legalized gambling in the middle of the 19th century. There results were generally successful, and at one time the area was known as the "Monte Carlo of the East." In Shanghai, on the other hand, gambling was never legal. Powerful gangs took control gambling interests so that by 1930s Shanghai was home to opium dens, gambling halls, and houses of prostitution. These were shut down when the Communists took over the government in the late 1940s.

The British colony of Hong Kong prohibited legal gambling until the colonial government saw how well legalized gambling worked in Macao. Far away in London, the British Parliament rejected these overtures. Eventually, legal Hong Kong gaming establishments were closed, and gambling went underground, with the exception of horse racing, which was legal in the colony. The Hong Kong Jockey Club was very successful. By 1992, for example, about 15 percent of the government's income was based on gambling.

Games and rules change from locality to locality. Some of the games that are popular include:

- Mah Jongg, a classic Chinese gambling game played with tiles bearing names like "Heavenly Peace," "Moon from the Bottom of the Sea," or "Thirteen Orphans." This game, which, until relatively recently, was banned in Communist China, is the most widespread Oriental gambling around the world.

- Pai Gow, a Chinese domino game on which baccarat is based.

- Fan-Tan, a traditional pebble-counting game. "Fan" means "to turn over" a bowl or other container which holds stones, and "Tan" means "to spread out" stones used in the game.

- Belankas, a Javanese game played with a four-sided top, marked with a crab, flower, fish, and prawn.

- Sic Bo, a dice game.

- Pachinko, a pinball-type game that is said to be the most popular leisure activity in Japan.

- Keno, a bingo-type game that originated in China and has become a staple of lotteries and casinos worldwide.

Reprinted with Permission from http://www.iarticlebeach.com