We Care about Exercising the Brain, Not about Gambling: Mahjong Playing Among Older Chinese Immigrants

Background and Purpose: Gambling is permissible in the Chinese culture. Gambling with family, friends, or co-workers during holidays or celebratory occasions, such as weddings or birthdays, is considered an entertainment, not a gambling, that facilitates social life and strengthens relationship bonds. Mahjong is considered to be a popular form of gambling in the Chinese culture, especially among older Chinese populations. While mainstream media frequently portrays an image of older adults playing mahjong to pass the time, there is lack of research on mahjong playing among older Chinese immigrants and its impact on their lives. The purpose of the current study is to explore experiences and understanding of mahjong playing among older Chinese immigrants residing in New York City. 

Methods: Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-five older Chinese immigrants from an ethnic senior center located in New York City to explore their gambling experiences.  A total of 14 participants (4 men and 10 women) who played mahjong were included in the study. A thematic analysis was used to search for important concepts, categories, and themes, as well as the relationships among them through constant comparison (Strauss & Corbin, 1998).

Findings: Thematic analysis revealed two major themes: healthy mahjong and little mahjong. The first theme, healthy mahjong, includes the positive roles and meanings of mahjong among older Chinese immigrants as it helps them stay social (social health), keep cognitively active (cognitive health), and avoid boredom (emotional health).  The second theme, “little” mahjong, is what differentiate their playing from ‘gambling’: it is crucial to keeping their play under control with small-scale betting, casual winning and losing, and not making it a habit. Most mahjong takes place in a socializing context, winning other’s money is not a priority, nor always desirable for continuing relationship. Negative cases were also included to provide a full illustration of the participants’ views of mahjong playing. 

Conclusions and Implications:  this study expands the understanding of the unique and specific perceptions and behaviors of mahjong playing among older Chinese immigrants. Mahjong seems to be a social entertainment that prevents some of the adverse phenomena of aging, such as social isolation, emotional downturn, and even cognitive deterioration. However, potential problems with mahjong for older Chinese adults may resemble game-addiction problems more than problem gambling. Thus, it may be necessary to develop an educational program for their clients about the importance of being physically active when they play mahjong, and even to schedule a mandatory break for stretching legs.  Also, even when the amount of betting is small, when it adds up, it may result in financial strains and negatively affect their everyday life. This suggests that the social workers in the senior programs involving mahjong players may need to leave their communication channels open and be ready to have conversations with those who might be experiencing problems due to the financial impacts of mahjong.