In Omaha, a community center club meets twice a week and the players explain the pull

A report from 3 News Now, the KMTV newsroom in Omaha, set out to learn why so many Omaha players love American Mahjong. Reporter Mary Nelson joined dozens of players at a special event at Dillard's in Oakview Mall, then followed the thread to a club that gathers twice a week at the Camelot Community Center, at 92nd and Blondo.

According to the report, the Camelot club meets on Mondays from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and on Thursdays from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. It is led by Dianne Severa. The station says the club is free and open to players of all ages who already know how to play, and it gives an email address for registering.

What the players say

The best part of the segment belongs to the players. One, Jan, told the station she started 18 years ago while living in Arizona and played in tournaments there, and she was quick to add that at this table the beginners and the veterans win and lose alike. Rita said what keeps her coming back is the chance to use her brain and to learn from the people around her, many of whom travel and bring stories home to the table.

Annette described the game as something that gives her day a structure: an afternoon game means planning the morning around it, down to what to wear. Michele, newly retired according to the station, had just picked the game up and explained the basic idea: hoping her tiles line up with something, and trading when at first they do not.

Asked what had changed, Severa pointed to a wave of new merchandise, saying that companies selling fancy mats and tiles had set off the boom, and that people were falling in love with the game because of it.

“The explosion has been these companies that have come out with these really fancy mats, and these really fancy tiles.”Dianne Severa, to 3 News Now

The numbers, and where they come from

The report states that events are up roughly 179 percent year over year and that online searches are up more than 4,500 percent. It does not say who measured either figure. A 179 percent figure has appeared elsewhere: in October 2025, Pasadena Now credited it to Eventbrite, which reported that increase in U.S. Mahjong events on its own platform from 2023 to 2024.

The same report says memberships reflect a national ratio of about 19 women to every man, and that more men and younger people are now playing, drawn by nostalgia and the game's social side. It names no source for the ratio either, so it is best read as the station's reporting rather than a verified count.

Omaha's other tables

Camelot is one of several places in Omaha where the game has found a following. Midtown Crossing ran a six-week Mahjong Mondays series in the fall of 2024, two sessions an evening, $70 for the series and limited to 12 players a session, and its event page was later updated to say the session had sold out. The 2024 National Mah Jongg League card was provided to students.

In August 2025 the series came back. Midtown Crossing's page for that run billed it as back by popular demand, with Wednesday classes from August 13 to September 3 at Mazza Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Restaurant, again at $70 and again capped at 12 a session.

For newcomers who are not ready for the Camelot club, the 3 News Now report notes that instructors, workshops, online resources and apps are available in the area. If you already play, the meeting times above are the door. Order of the Tile is not affiliated with the club, the venues or any company mentioned here, and does not sell sets.

Prim's view

I read the numbers, and then I read Annette, and Annette wins. Percentages tell you a game is growing. A woman choosing her outfit two hours ahead of a one o'clock game tells you why. That is not a hobby. That is an appointment with friends, and it is the reason clubs like Camelot's keep their chairs warm.

I also like that the Camelot club asks you to know the game first. It is not unkind, it is practical: a twice-weekly club runs best when everyone can keep pace. So learn somewhere, play until you stop counting on your fingers, and then send that registration email. A Thursday afternoon in Omaha is waiting.