China Bans Poker and Mahjong from Video Games

22.04.2019, 15:42

China is known for its strict rules regarding gambling. Online gambling is heavily regulated, while land-based casinos are banned, with the authorities going as far as to look for illegal operations with drones.

However, it seems that the state is going even further by mixing the heavy gambling regulations with their infamous media censorship. On April 22nd, China’s State Administration of Press and Publication has announced the new regulation outline that prohibits the depiction of Poker or Mahjong in video games, as well as new games that center around the activity.

This would certainly stifle the ever-growing Chinese gaming industry. According to Niko Partners, a video game researcher group, 37% of new games on the market in 2017 were either Poker or Mahjong.

Nevertheless, the already established game developers with government approved games are probably not going to be affected by the new rules. Considering the popularity of such games and the cultural importance of Mahjong, the remaining operators on the market are likely to divide the monopoly among themselves.

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