Jul 16, 2026 - Things to Do

Charlotte co-founder launches American mahjong app

Ashley Mahoney

Composite image: left shows a smartphone Mahjong game with tiles and celebratory graphics; right shows six people around a table indoors, playing Mahjong, some wearing Michigan hoodies. — Bam Dot Crack (BDC) as it appears on your phone. From left: BDC co-founders playing mahjong. Aishah Raffee Pirooz, Marissa Bailey, Gaby D'Jaen, Lauren Brazg. Photos: Courtesy of BDC

A group of friends spread across the country have developed an app called Bam Dot Crack (BDC) that allows them to play mahjong together despite the distance.

Why it matters: Getting four people together to play mahjong isn't always feasible. The app isn't meant to replace in-person play, but rather bring friends together who live in different parts of the country or and allow new players to practice.

Between the lines: Many know the digital version of mahjong as a matching game, Charlotte-based BDC co-founder Marissa Bailey tells Axios.

What she and fellow co-founders Gabriela D'Jaen, Lauren Brazg (based in Seattle) and Aishah Raffee Pirooz (Ann Arbor, Michigan) created is a digital mahjong table where you can play American mahjong.
Brazg, a fashion designer and artist, designed each of the tiles in the app by hand.

How it works: Once you've downloaded BDC from the App Store or via Google Play, you'll set up a profile.

Then you'll upload your 2025 or 2026 National Mah Jongg League Card (this card includes the winning hands and is necessary in order to play using the app).
The four-person game can be played in the app between friends, strangers, or against bots. You can also select between easy, medium or hard difficulty.

Zoom in: BDC soft-launched in early June. The goal is to always offer a free-to-play tier, Bailey says. There will be a premium subscriptions option coming out later this year, along with other new features.

The bottom line: BDC is meant to help build your confidence for when you play the game in-person, Bailey says.

What we're watching: The rising popularity of the centuries-old Chinese strategy game has led to mahjong studios opening and people creating mahjong rooms in their homes. It's also led to concern over appropriation and monetization of something meant to build community. BDC hopes to honor the game's history and provide an accessible entry point for newcomers.

Go deeper: See inside Charlotte's new mahjong studio in Dilworth

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Charlotte co-founder launches American mahjong app

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