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New Anti-Gambling US legislation Does NOT Affect GameColony.com
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New Anti-Gambling US Legislation Does NOT Affect GameColony.com
Posted by
webmaster
(moderator) 16 Oct 2006 3:45pm
Since its inception in 1999, GameColony.com has operated in full compliance with US Federal and State Laws. Skill games have always been legal in the states in which GameColony.com operates.
GameColony.com games are no different from carnival games, chess and golf tournaments or other skill-based games that have been played for cash or prizes in the offline world for hundreds of years -- we've just taken them online.
GameColony's fee-based tournaments do not constitute gambling because they involve predominantly skill, as opposed to chance, and are designed as interactive online entertainment for adults. Participation is restricted to individuals of legal age in their respective jurisdiction. Players must also meet criteria for location eligibility in order to participate - please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.
The newest US Federal legislation of September 30, 2006 -- H.R.4411 "Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006" Sec. 5362 defines illegal betting or wagering as including "the purchase of a chance or opportunity to win a lottery or other prize (which opportunity to win is predominantly subject to chance)".
The new Federal legislation includes a specific allowance for online competitions in games of skill, such as those offered by GameColony.com, to continue in the US states in which they have always been legal (please see our Terms and Conditions).
The reality is that skill gaming is in the same position it was in before the bill -- it is still legal in the majority of US States. The new bill does not change the definition of gambling or the legality of skill games.
"If skill games are not unlawful under applicable state or Federal law, then they are not unlawful under this Act. The sponsors of this legislation repeatedly asserted that nothing in this Act converts currently legal activities to unlawful activities," stated Anthony Cabot, an attorney with the Las Vegas law firm of Lewis and Roca who is considered to be a leading authority on legal gaming.
The outcome of all GameColony.com games is based predominantly upon the players' skill, not chance. This is in sharp contrast to lotteries or bingo games typically found in casinos, where every player ultimately faces the same random odds. Even with games where chance has some role in the outcome of the contest, such as solitaire, GameColony.com has engineered all its games such that the outcome is predominantly based on the player's skill. For example, GameColony.com levels the playing field by providing each player within the tournament with an equally difficult hand of cards, so the winner is ultimately determined by how quickly and skillfully each player approaches the game. While every GameColony solitaire hand is potentially solvable if a player plays their cards right, a player ultimately wins a tournament by outscoring their opponent, whether or not they solve their hand.
Although the distinctions between skill-based games and games of chance are clear, there are a few states within the U.S. that have not yet permitted skill-based games to be played for cash or prizes. For those states, GameColony games can be played, but only on a free basis without cash or prize offerings.
For more information, see No Gambling! article
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At GameColony.com you can play games of skill only -- play for free or play for $prizes!.
According to the statutes of most states in the United States, gambling is defined as: "risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance". (Also see No Gambling!). The skill (as opposed to chance) is predominant in games of skill. Playing games of skill for $prizes, therefore, has nothing to do with gambling as it is not a contest of chance -- the more skillful player will win far more often. The chance element of a 'gamble' is either insignificant or missing. When players compete in tournaments or games of skill for $prizes -- it is "competitive entertainment" rather then "gambling". The more skilled winner will always win more matches, tournaments and $prizes.
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