Mahjong title worth US$500,000

Any mahjong player willing to wager US$5,000 stands a chance of being crowned world champion and winning US$500,000 in a tournament to be held in Macau in June.

John Hardyment, chief executive of World Mahjong Limited, which will host the World Series of Mahjong, said yesterday he believed it was time for the traditional Chinese game to flourish.

'The contest could be as popular as the World Series of Poker in America,' said Mr Hardyment, referring to the Las Vegas event his tournament will be based on.

He said the mahjong contest would be held in Macau annually and he was confident it would surpass the World Series of Poker - which attracted 8,000 players last year - within five years.

He said the tournament would cost each player US$5,000 to enter and compete for the US$1 million purse. The winner would take home half, with the remaining US$500,000 distributed among the other 31 finalists. It was expected 500 to 700 contestants from around the world would enter the contest.

'We aim to attract the best mahjong players from the world. The poker game in America charges a registration fee of US$10,000 and we think it should not be a problem for Asians to afford US$5,000,' Mr Hardyment said.