Bet From Anywhere Blog

In our earlier post about skill gaming we discussed what the difference between games of skill and chance are. On June 7, 2007 Robert Wexler [D-FL], introduced the Skill Game Protection Act, HR 2610, making games of skill, such as poker, bridge, and chess, legal to play and provide online access to for profit. The bill currently has 21-cosponsors. The latest news on HR2610 came from July 16, 2007:, when the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Law of the Game blog analyzed the proposed bill to narrow down what the act includes and clarifies [The rest of this entry is paraphrased from their analysis]:

There are three critical points in this act in terms of inclusion:

1. Success is predominantly determined by a player’s skill
2. Competition only between and among participants
3. [competition] not against the person operating the game

The has to be won by skill, bet on by players, and the house must not have a seat at the table.

Here are some examples of what is and isn’t allowed under this proposed legislation.

Allowed:

• Players wagering on the outcome of the next round of Halo.
• Players pay to enter a tournament, with the winner or top few spots taking the money paid in.
• People wagering on the results of player - vs - player combat in an MMORPG (round or tournament), so long as the betters were all players.
• People bet on the result of a a race in, for example, Forza 2.
• Wagering on the outcome of a round of Mario Party you are participating in. (This is the most questionable, as there are so many chance elements in Mario Party. However, I believe that the game is more skill than chance, so I think application would work here.)

Not Allowed:

• Betting on the outcome of a game you’re not playing. For example, I couldn’t put cash on a player to win the next round of Halo as an observer.
• Betting on someone else to win when you’re playing. (This is a traditional gambling issue. If you’re playing poker, you can’t put money on the guy 2 seats down the table. It would eliminate the integrity of the game.)
• Betting on the outcome of a Player vs. Computer match, i.e. betting as to whether a player character could beat a high level creature in a coliseum.
• It does not legitimize gold farming or other MMORPG profiteering, as those are generated in a player vs. computer (environment) model.
• Betting on anything primarily determined by chance, i.e. blackjack within an MMORPG.

Tags:   Games of Skill · HR 2610 · US Legislation1 Comment