Four women in their 80s and 90s recently were interrupted in their game of mahjong when police in Altamonte Springs, Florida were shocked, shocked to discover that gambling was taking place at the Escondido Condominium clubhouse. At least that was the report that the police were following up on.
The senior ladies were in the habit of gathering once a week for a game of mahjong. Someone (whom one of the ladies told the Heritage Florida Jewish News was a “troublemaker”) called the police and accused them of violating a town ordinance against playing mahjong for money.
Without apparently checking to see if there was such an ordinance the police shut down the clubhouse, prompting the condominium management to send the women a certified letter forbidding the women from playing a variety of games at the clubhouse, including mahjong and poker. The police continued to drop by periodically to make sure that no further violations occurred.
Meanwhile the ladies played at various members’ houses unmolested. They offered to play the games without wagering the pennies that they had been putting on the games.
Eventually the police were not able to identify a city ordinance against mahjong gambling, although Heritage did find a state law that read: “Certain penny-ante games are not crimes; ‘Penny-ante game’ means a game or series of games of poker, pinochle, bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, or mahjong in which the winnings of any player in a single round, hand, or game do not exceed $10 in value.” Since the four ladies have a $4 limit, they are apparently in the clear. They have resumed playing at the clubhouse.
