The Skill Gaming industry is growing fast, with many entrepreneurs looking into new ways to tap the market. Fantasy sports, trivia games, treasure hunts, video game tournaments, and a wide variety of other skill-based competitions have captured the public’s interest. This Legal Guide provides an overview of the numerous legal issues associated with skill gaming. Our firm’s experience in representing numerous skill gaming business operators allows us to share a broad industry perspective on the potential legal concerns. Importantly, this Legal Guide is intended as a general overview on gaming, gambling, and contests of skill, and is not offered as a legal opinion on a particular business model or specific state laws. If you are interested in legal advice on skill gaming law, Walters Law Group provides a full range of legal services to the gaming industry.
A game of skill refers to any game, contest, or competition where the outcome is determined by the judgement, skill, dexterity, memory, and/or physical ability of the participants in the contest, rather than by chance. The crucial distinction between contests of skill and games of chance can have significant legal repercussions for operators. Courts in different jurisdictions vary in their interpretations of this distinction, so it is important to learn how these activities are defined in the relevant marketplaces.
Every state prohibits unlicensed gambling. However, gambling laws only apply to games that involve the elements of prize, chance, and consideration (i.e., payment and risk of loss). In order to avoid being labeled as gambling, the outcome of a game must be governed by skill, not chance. The question is: “How much skill?” Courts across the nation use different tests to weigh the element of skill in comparison to chance. A particular game may be a legal contest of skill in some states, but unlawful gambling in others. In evaluating whether the degree of skill involved in affecting the outcome of a contest is sufficient to avoid violation of a state’s gambling laws, courts typically use three approaches: (i) whether skill or chance is the dominant factor in the outcome (“Dominant Factor Test”); (ii) whether chance is a material element in the outcome (“Material Element Test”); or (iii) whether any chance at all is involved (“Any Chance Test”). The test used could determine whether a game is a legal contest of skill, or illegal gambling.
The Dominant Factor test generally asks whether the outcome of the game is determined more by the participants’ relative skill rather than by chance events. In other words, things like dice rolls or random number generators should have little impact on determining the outcome of the game under this test. The primary question is whether chance or skill is the dominant or controlling factor in deciding the winner of the contest or game.
The Material Element test focuses on whether chance plays any significant role in determining the outcome of the game. Under this test, it does not matter whether skill plays the overriding or dominant role in deciding the outcome. The game will be deemed gambling if the element of chance plays a meaningful role in who wins the game.
The Any Chance test evaluates whether chance plays any role whatsoever in determining the outcome. Under this test, if any element of chance affects the outcome, then the game is considered one of chance. For example, the game of Blackjack involves chance card flips and the skill of the player in deciding whether to “hit” or “stand.” Since this game involves at least some chance (the card flips), it likely would not pass the Any Chance test and would be considered gambling. The Any Chance test is the strictest test for classifying skill games and can render wagering on most any game illegal gambling.
In some states, the courts have not settled on a test, or use different factors in determining whether an activity involves unlawful gambling. In Florida, for example, the courts have focused on whether chance is “inherent” in the gaming machine itself. See, e.g., Gator Coin II, Inc. v. Florida Dept. of Business and Prof. Regulation, 254 So.3d 1113, 1117-1118 (Fla. 1st DCA 2018) (citing precedent). Therefore, individual state case law must be reviewed to determine whether the courts use an established test, or some other considerations to evaluate the legality of specific gaming activity.
Things get tricky when entry fees are charged to participate in a contest of skill. Some courts have recognized that paying an entry fee for the opportunity to participate in a game of skill, in the hopes of winning a prize, is a traditional part of American social life. However, other courts have held that if the entry fees are linked to the prize amount, and used to pay out the prizes, the game involves a “wager” which can be illegal. Federal law (the “UIGEA”) exempts certain fantasy sports and other contests from gambling prohibitions, but only if the prize is announced in advance, and the amount of entry fees does not impact the prize (amongst other considerations). Therefore, the handling of entry fees can be a critical element of risk mitigation in skill gaming.
Skill gaming is essentially unregulated in most of the United States. Federal law does not prohibit skill gaming, but as noted above, does provide safe harbor for certain contests of skill that meet the statutory criteria. Congress has left gambling regulation primarily up to the states, with limited exceptions. Most states do not expressly prohibit skill games by statute, but instead, focus their restrictions on traditional gambling activities. States like Florida represent the exception, where wagering on skill games is prohibited by statute, along with games of chance. Even there, the courts struggle to permit participation in some skill gaming activity, such as midway fair games or golf tournaments. Instead of imposing a blanket prohibition on skill gaming, the courts often distinguish between illegal wagering on games of skill, and legal participation in contests involving skill. This can lead to inconsistent and unpredictable results. Sometimes, the design and/or promotion of the game can be an important factor if its legality is tested in court.
The actual functioning of a skill game can be tested and “certified” by various game testing laboratories. The testing lab will independently evaluate the functionality of the game and render a report confirming its actual operation. Any operator looking to offer a skill game should consider obtaining a certification from a reputable lab, describing how the game works, and how the element of skill manifests itself during gameplay. Such certifications can help support reasoned legal opinions and constitute important evidence in the event of a legal challenge.
Any operator that intends to offer a skill game on the internet will need approvals by various private vendors and service providers such as banks, processors, and app marketplaces. These approvals will dictate whether a given business model can make the jump from an idea to a profitable business. However, each private company can make its own customer decisions based on their individual risk tolerance and due diligence requirements. Since skill gaming is not licensed and regulated like gambling, such approvals are often dependent on receipt of a reasoned legal opinion from an experienced gaming attorney. Federal gambling regulations allow financial service providers to rely on reasoned legal opinions when deciding whether to accept a customer involved with gaming activity. A proper legal opinion will thoroughly analyze the game, the business model, and applicable law.
With any potential skill gaming business model, the devil is in the details, and those details can have a huge impact on the game’s legality. Skill gaming seeks to remove the element of “chance” by ensuring that the outcome of the subject game is determined by the player’s skill, instead of some random event. The courts in various jurisdictions use different tests to determine how much skill must be involved in the game – relative to chance – to remove the activity from the scope of gambling prohibitions. However, if the outcome of the game is determined primarily by skill, with chance playing little if any role, most courts will deem the activity a skill game, not gambling.
With the popularity of skill gaming on the rise, operators are actively looking to offer legal skill games on the internet, via mobile apps, and in retail locations. Understanding the nuances of applicable law in the skill gaming realm will help avoid unintentionally violating gambling laws which can carry serious consequences. If you have further questions about skill gaming law, please feel free to contact us.
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