1. Wild animals and birds considered as objects of pursuit, for food or sport; esp., animals for which one must have a license to hunt. [Cases: Game 2.]
2. A contest, for amusement or for a prize, whose outcome depends on the skill, strength, or luck of the players. [Cases: Gaming 6.]
game of chance. A game whose outcome is determined by luck rather than skill. Cf. GAMBLING DEVICE.
“Games of chance do not cease to be such merely because they call for the exercise of skill by the players, nor do games of skill cease to be so because at times … their result is determined by some unforeseen accident, usually called ‘luck.’ According to some cases, the test of the character of the game is not whether it contains an element of chance or an element of skill, but which of these is the dominating element that determines the result of the game…. And it has been said that ‘it is the character of the game, and not the skill or want of skill of the player,’ which determines whether a game is one of chance or skill.” 38 Am. Jur. 2d Gambling § 4, at 109–10 (1968).
game of skill. A game in which the outcome is determined by a player’s superior knowledge or ability, not chance.
percentage game. A game of chance from which the house collects an amount calculated as a percentage of the wagers made or the sums won. • Percentage games are illegal in many states.
game, vb. To gamble; to play for a stake.
