The Automatic Mahjong Table in Asia is as common as a TV or computer is in the USA. In Asia, it can be found even in the most remote rural areas of the country side. If there is electricity you will find an Automatic Mahjong Table.

The Automatic Mahjong table was first introduced in Japan and the technology quickly spread throughout Asia. Today it is the preferred way to play Mahjong in Asia.

In the USA American Mah jongg is played manually on a table. The Automatic Mah jongg Table is slowly replacing the manual version of the game. As the technology catches on and American Mah jongg player embraces the technology we will see an increase in the Automatic Mahjong Tables in the home, at clubs as well as in tournaments.

If the trend in third world countries has been a shift from manual to Automatic Mahjong Tables, imagine what will the future bring in a country like the technology capital of the world the USA.  Automatic Mahjong Tables have always been very popular in the USA with the Asian players. Until now due to Versatile Machinery USA LLC bringing the Automatic Mahjong table to the USA market. Versatile Machinery USA LLC also sell Automatic Mahjong Tables in China.

One of the reasons why the slow acceptance by the American Mah jongg player is due to the sizes of the Automatic Mahjong Tiles. American players are used to the smallar tiles and since all of the Automatic Mahjong Tables are manufactured for the Asian Mahjong player the tiles sizes are very large.

We find the most common size in Asia is 40mm tiles (1.5 inches by 1 1/8). It is interesting how the birth place of Mahjong has made the transition from 28mm to 40mm tiles. Which is the most common size in China. In Japan the tiles are even smallar than the USA.

In the USA American Mah jongg is played with 28mm tiles about half the size of the tiles used in many Asian countries. As American Mah jongg tiles become smaller (currently 36mm) we will see an increase in the Automatic Mah jongg Table in the USA.

As one examines the vintage sets of the 1920’s when Mahjong was first imported into the USA you will see the sizes of the tiles are of the 28mm size. This can be explained by the manufacturing trends in China during the 1920s as well as the cost for the export of the tiles. Smaller tiles mean less materials and equal lower import cost. The smallar the tile the less it weights. But what if Mahjong tiles were manufactured in a larger size during the 1920s what would be the popular size today? Is tile size so important today because of the way they were first introduced in the USA or is it tradition? Or is it a personal preference?

Does tile size really matter? Or is playing the game more important?