Edit: Thank you all for the answers!

I’ve been reading Mao since coming here and I saw this talking about gaming.

" Gaming. Where the peasant association is powerful, mahjong, dominoes and card games are completely banned.

The peasant association in the 14th District of Hsianghsiang burned two basketfuls of mahjong sets.

If you go to the countryside, you will find none of these games played; anyone who violates the ban is promptly and strictly punished. "

I guess my question is why would gaming be banned? I figured there is some cultural context that I’m missing because I would think especially during this time period it would be a way to bring people together during downtime.

(It should be noted that gambling was its own category)

Thank you for your time!