De wet en de kansspelen

In the Netherlands all gambling is forbidden except in a few cases speciaUy mentioned in the law. Time and again specialists in probability theory or statistics are called upon to testify as experts in lawsuits against law evaders. This paper discusses the part played by the experts in such legal procedures. It is pointed out that according to Dutch jurisprudence there does not exist an exclusive distinction between games of chance and games of skill. A simple declaration by an expert that a given game is largely based on chance suffices to see the game sentenced as against the law. This and various other related questions are discussed in detail and illustrated by examples taken from personal experience in the courts.