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The question whether a game is a game of skill has got much media attention lately as the US published the new gambling legislation prohibiting online gambling in the US.

The UEIGA that was recently passed by the US congress and then signed by the President specifically states that skill games are not covered by the Act. Hence online skill games are likely to be the new thing for US gamers.

It is important to add that besides the Federal legislation it is important to also look at the state legislation.
Some states ban all internet gaming for money whether luck related or not, some ban only games that are chance based through what is called the test of the dominating factor (luck or skill).
About 40 states operate the dominant factor test and therefore when skill determines the outcome of the game it is legal to play it for money in these states. It is important to note that when no money or valuable prizes are involved there is no problem with playing the games whether determined by luck or skill.

The situation in the UK is much clearer games that are determined by skill are allowed to be played for money.

I will shortly post a list detailing states (in the US ) and countries that distinguish between games of chance and games of skill when it comes to playing them for money.
There are several tests used to evaluate whether a game is a game of skill or luck some are legal and some are statistical/empirical to watch whether in a series of games the better player will win the distinct majority of games played. Some additional test may relate to the length of the game.
The dependence on random events such as card distribution or the role of a dice will reduce the tendency to treat the game as a game of skill and such is the case with games link Poker or Backgammon that although clearly dependent also on skill are also dependent on random events and hence always belong to a "grey area" when considered for skill.
I think that according to any test I have come across the games of Billiard (Pool, Snooker and others) are games of skill. The outcome of the game is dependent purely on the ability of the player. You might attribute some factors to the random choosing of players but the ranking systems that exist in most websites should eliminate this chance factor.

Other chance factors might be attributed to the physics of the game. But once it has been proven empirically that this physics is reliable and as you practice the game you become better at it, it is safe to say that this issue is resolved.

An interesting question is whether a bet on a single shot in a game of online Pool would be considered as a gamble of skill or chance. My view is that this bet should also be a bet on skill as it is decided by the skill of the shooter and should be treated the same as a bet on a single shot of a ball to a basket.

Disclaimer : This should not be regarded as a legal opinion. The author is not a certified lawyer and the writings above represent the mere opinion of the writer and should be treated as such.

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