Unregulated Gamling in SL is a problem

Unregulated systems is why I won't gamble in SL.

I would also hazard a guess that the gaming regulations already apply because you can spend and win (indirectly) US dollars. After all, SL is hosted in the US. The gaming commission just hasn't figured it out yet. I know its illegal to play one of the gambling systems in SL in quite a few locations in the US as it can be classified as internet gambling.

Probably just hasn't come up yet since no one seems to have reported a loss and one of these days, someone could be made an example of if they are cheating with the machines.

(I do have a little experience in this area as a past coder of gaming systems, but I am no expert and not a lawyer.)

I think that in practice there would always be script modifications - even if just to add a bit of flash, new sounds and so on. And there are always new games.

Two experienced, trustworthy scripters who both said "I've looked at this and I can't see any problems with it", I could cope with that. Or if I looked at the code myself.

The point should be made that even in RL, overall the house is going to make a profit based on the "scripts" of gambling machines. Scripts for things like decks of cards and the shuffling thereof could be made open-source certainly.

I fly out from the East Coast at least 2 times a year to visit sunny Las Vegas and do my fair share of gambling in RL. I spent the first week of December out there this year and started wondering:

How come I spend time in Casinos in RL, but not in SL?

I came up with a laundry list of points, from no live entertainment to no player cards (and thus comps) but at the very top of my list is, lack of a gaming commision. I've been planning to SLOG about it the deficiencies of SL Casino's compared to casinos in Vegas, but not about any ideas on a gaming comission.

The simplest solution to the non-regulated gaming machine issue would just be to have a trusted individual or group of individuals who would review source code for a fee and would certify the device. No one would be forced to certify thier games, but consumer confidence in certified games maybe a boost to sales.

A few issues:

1) Collusion/Corruption - "Wouldn't it be profitable for the certification body to join a scam for profit?"

Thus the "trusted" party. SL has seen this level of trust before. See GOM

2) The Bait and Switch - "What if they certified a script and the owner replaced the script when they left?"

The certification system would need to use digital signals to verify the scripts being run. I have a basic idea of how this could be done, but haven't given it the necessary thought. See Notary Bean for inspiration.

I think people need to stop thinking in terms of gambling and think in terms of entertainment.

This should just be fun.

My rationale was that a gambling commission would be able to provide some kind of verification system that would be present in approved games. (Like a seal that could be displayed on the machine, but with some scripting code to prevent unregulated use of the seal.) A gamer then could see whether something was regulated or not before use.

I think doing this is in the interests of legit gambling providers, since incidents like the one described only tarnish what they hope to have as a trust that people can expect "Fair" odds. (Fair being basically not misleading the odds, like stacking a deck of cards, etc.)

But to blaze - I think simply writing gambling in SL off as "entertainment" is a blind approach.

I always think of gambling/gaming as entertainment or I would never go to Vegas. I never expect to profit, I just go for a good time.

However I like playing basketball too... but I wouldn't play if every one of my baskets counted for 1 point, and my opponents counted for 2. No one likes playing multi-player games when someone discovers a cheat.

Games have to be fair and trustworthy to be entertaining.

We might want to define gambling.

Anyone who has invested serious time in SL is gambling.

Anyone who owns a sim for profit is starting to gamble with the big dogs, on an $L scale.

I don't think I would ever touch a blackjack table in SL, I'm too conservative, but what I might lose there is piddlesticks compared to my investment in my SL business.

So far, I can only justify it as a form of entertainment myself... but that may change.

My Skunk Money gambling machine has my personal guarantee that a minimum of 70% payout exists on all copies of my game, and that it will not cheat anyone, owner nor player.

HUH???

You want regulating commissions in SL???

Next you'll be wanting escort registration. Then what? Master and Slave registration and taxes? Commissions on the control of furry populations? Or commisions on how much blood vampires can drink?

You need to seriously get a life buddie.

Looking at the thread title, just for a second, I wondered if LotR roleplaying was becoming a new fad for griefers. My bad.

Not by law they aren't.

I think you're splitting hairs more than contibuting to a definition.

anyway, personally I think the way to solve such a problem is, often, to build restrictions into the game itself, and make trying to cirumvent those restrictions against the rules

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it's too late in the game for that now, though. the users would throw a big hissy fit and moan about their 'rights'

I think a sort of gambling commission, consisting of trusted, elected members of the community is a good idea. Except rather than gambling-only, I'd suggest opening it up for inspection of all kinds of code. The commission would work like RATE. Scripters would opt in to have their code inspected. The commission members would have to agree to non-disclosure of script contents for those who don't want their script open-sourced.

In order to prevent the scripter from changing his code once it has been accepted, the commission would have to assume ownership of the script, and return it to the original scripter as no-modify for implementation.

When I joined Ama Omega would offer to inspect code and put on it the 'Ama stamp of approval' - this rather convenient as they ran (to my knowledge) the earliest and most widespread casino gaming at the time - they were also a great person and pretty much universally trusted.

The problem here is 'finding another Ama'.

*thinking*

Drawing up a blank - SL is all about the benjamins now - people copy, paste, steal code, money, anything that isn't nailed down.

Although Jade Lily is on the right track - opt in and positive reinforcement is the only way you can make things work in SL - there is very little you can do negatively. The first step isn't forming a group - it's finding your "Ama's" - people who others will look to and trust.

In every new system that deals with your money or SL livelyhood (that has been somewhat successful) there has been a person like this either running the show or affiliated with the group - Merwin, Zeppi, Flipper (Merwins case doubly so - how the loss of such a person changes perception of a group or biz).
They are all (for me) examples.

Without such people I can't see it going forward.

Personally I say 'Caveat Emptor'.

yes! we must stop the gamling!

Practically everyone then.