Keep cards and mahjong recreational; do not take a cut, run a gambling operation, or collect online bets
The legal risk changes when you profit from facilitating gambling, gamble with a sufficiently large stake, organize gambling, or make a living from it. Administrative penalties include detention and fines; criminal gambling can carry up to three years, while opening a casino carries up to five years at the basic level. There is no single national amount defining a “large” gambling stake for the administrative rule.
What it takes
Nothing. Modest recreation with friends or family is a different situation from running games for profit. Do not take a house share, act as the gambling operator, or charge for organizing bets. Resist taking over when someone proposes an operation.
What you may gain
Providing gambling facilities for profit, or participating with a locally defined large stake, can bring up to five days’ detention or a fine up to RMB 1,000. Serious circumstances bring ten to 15 days and a RMB 1,000–5,000 fine. Organizing gambling for profit or making gambling a livelihood carries up to three years and a fine. Opening a casino carries up to five years and a fine, or five to ten years for serious circumstances.
Context & considerations
Local authorities set the administrative stake threshold, which is one reason for grade B. Taking a cut or collecting wagers for an online gambling platform may be treated as operating a casino depending on the facts. The original did not verify the relevant interpretation’s primary text or identify a checked official case here.
Research & references
Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (2025). Revised Public Security Administration Punishments Law, Article 82. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202506/t20250627_699863.shtml; National People’s Congress (2020). Criminal Law consolidated through Amendment XI, Article 303. https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/11033925/index.html; Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (2020). Criminal Law Amendment XI, Article 36, increasing the casino-offense sentencing ranges. https://www.spp.gov.cn/zdgz/202012/t20201227_503682.shtml.