Banking Game

What does Banking Game mean in American Law?

The definition of Banking Game in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

A gambling game, more particularly one in which there is a banker or a “house,” i.e., a participant who runs the game and receives for his role a percentage in his favor in the design of the game. In roulette, for instance, one or two numbers are reserved “for the house”; if the ball lands there, everyone playing anything other than the specific house number (e.g., playing red or black, odd or even) loses to the house. Similar edges are given to the banker in dice, faro, slot machines, “21”-indeed in any game of chance one can find in a gambling hall or casino. Over the long run, the house will always win (hence the lavish entertainment supplied by the operators in Las Vegas, Reno, Monte Carlo, etc.), but any particular player can still win, indeed may even “break the bank,” i.e., win so handsomely that the bank runs out of money.