Is solitaire considered a skill game or a gambling game?

Answer 1

It has some gambling roots, so I would call it a gambling game

Answer 2

The answer to this question depends on who you ask, or perhaps what country you live in.

Advertising agencies often have policies against advertising the game of solitaire in certain countries just the same as Poker or blackjack, because the laws of a country restrict it. Some countries will even outlaw simple games of chance that are not wagered upon, and solitaire may fall into that category for those countries.

Solitaire has some roots in gambling, such as the famous story of Canfield Casino (see the first Related Link below). Also, there are many internet sites today that allow some form of wagering using solitaire games. And then there are also solitaire games that are played for fun, but are themed around gambling games.

However, if you eliminate the people and sites that use solitaire for gambling purposes and simply examine the game of solitaire, it is generally skill-based since the random aspects (the shuffling) can usually be overcome by skillful players. Even when a shuffle is not solvable, a skilled player will be able to get further than a non-skilled player.

There are a few solitaire games where skill plays either no part or where skill plays a predominantly smaller part when compared to chance. But that only makes those particular variants "games of chance" and not gambling. It is when games of chance are wagered upon that they become gambling games.

There are legal definitions for "games of chance" and "games of skill." See the second and third Related Links below.