After World War II,the government has required such venues to obtain Mahjong/Tin Kau Licences with the constraint that such businesses must be known, in Legal English, as Mahjong Schools—a white lie to get around the ban on privately run gambling businesses.
Although technically "schools", these Mahjong/Tin Kau Licences are issued by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.
As of 2009, there were licensed mahjong schools in Hong Kong, mostly in densely populated areas, such as Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Wan Chai and Sham Shui Po.
In addition to resident umpires, modern mahjong schools also have closed-circuit television installed to deter cheating and theft.
Hence the pace of a game is quite fast as the players do not spend time on getting high scores.