Set up or arranged in a dishonest way to get a desired result; or to set up equipment or systems.
From Middle Dutch/Low German 'riggen' (to stretch, equip). Originally referred to setting up ship rigging (ropes and sails). The meaning shifted to 'arranging unfairly' by the 1800s, possibly because sailors were sometimes cheated in their pay.
The phrase 'game rigged' comes from fairground games where operators would secretly adjust the mechanics so customers couldn't win—a reminder that the word started as a literal description of physical tampering before becoming metaphorical.
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