Are these Promotions or Lotteries?

Is the latest style of contest in SL really just a lottery with limited entrants? Or is it a Promotional Sweepstakes? I've been seeing more and more of these coming up, and more and more friends trying to TP me in to pay L$'s to vote for them.

These are contests that have people enter the contest (free normally), and then the people who vote in the contests, vote by paying L$'s as votes. Do these violate the gambling ban?

The way I read this, these "Pay to vote" contests are lotteries that require payment from other players. Some might say these are promotional sweepstakes, but read the question/answer that comes after the one about legal promotional sweepstakes being permitted. It says as long as the game's operator requires no payment from other players or entrants. Pay to vote is payment from other players.

Gambling FAQ states:

Does this policy apply to “skill contests”?

This policy only applies to wagering games that involve an element of chance. This includes, for instance, any game involving random number generation, simulated dice, cards, poker, lotteries, bingo, or any other “chance” game. Games of pure intellectual or physical skill, such as puzzles or other skill contests, may not fall under this definition.

If your game or contest does not meet the above criteria, it is not restricted under this policy, but other applicable laws and local practice may apply, and you are expected to conduct your activities in Second Life in a legal way.

Please note that this policy does not give you guidance on what your legal obligations are — as noted above, that is your responsibility to determine.

Are legal promotional sweepstakes permitted?

If you are conducting a genuine promotional sweepstakes, that complies with all applicable laws, and can demonstrate that compliance, that activity will likely be permitted.

What about games in which no Linden dollars or other “consideration” is accepted?

If entry is truly “free” (as with a promotional sweepstakes), and the game’s operator requires no “consideration” or payment from other players or entrants, then that activity will likely be permitted, assuming compliance with all other applicable laws.

Hard to tell if it is legal, but it doesn't use a random number or sports results, so it doesn't go against the last posting by LL.

It also doesn't pay the person paying the money in.

not a game of chance.

there is no chance here at all

if someone can get ppl to pay enough for votes, then they win, where is the chance in that?

For me............no chance. For you....it's a stacked deck.


Hi Rha........LOL

heh hi peggy

only a stacked deck if someone can get enough folks to go vote for me

me I never enter that kind of stuff.

Event owner gets a bot as an alt

Said owner enters bot in contest

Owner drops a few K$L "voting" for the bot.

Owner keeps all the "vote money"

They're kinda like a piramid structure, though with only 3 layers:
1) Contest creator (gets almost all of the money)
2) Contestants (winner gets some money)
3) Voters (these are the ones that pay)

Apart from that, I'm staying away from these big vote things, most of them seem staked. The smaller ones at clubs (Best in Black etc.) seem to be okay though, but I've got very little faith in the bigger ones that run for multiple days.

Mhmmm. I never join contests, period. Especially popularity ones. I'm far from popular, and am lucky to get 5 votes in a whole month long contest. Popular people get the votes, and always win the prizes. So, really, I pay to enter for nothing.. Or even upload a 10L picture for nothing

Especially the cash ones.. Those are really biased =x

Well, if people are silly enough to put money into a group where 99% of the members are the group owners alts, then so be it, no point removing groups for the rest of us.

Thanks for the feedback on this, some things I hadn't thought about.