Making non-enforced bans/rules

Something that is perplexing to me. What is the point of LL making a ban/rule on something when after the initial push to clear out the point of contention they then seem to allow the next wave behind it to fill in the void without continued enforcement?

My specific example is on a 512m area next to mine was bought and a peep put a ATM. I took a pic, sent in a AR about a week ago. ATM still there.

Seems, from my still some what n00b perspective and reading this forum from time to time, LL has a habit of starting a ban, then moving on to the next big ban and 'forgetting' about the previous.

For example Gambling was banned, all casinos and random exploders were to be removed. Then the next big crisis was Banks/ATMs. Well 85% (no exaggeration) of clubs I stumble upon have random exploders, and I also see stores selling casino deco and equipment while Banks/ATMs were being aimed at.

Well, now ad farms are the next target. And what do I see, still 'gambling' items and now ATMs popping up again.

So the next ban we can expect they will turn their full attention to that and ad farms will pop back up unchecked again?

Please note I do not agree with the gambling ban but my point isn't the specific bans, its consistency. IMO if your going to have a rule enforce it, all bark and no bite is a waste of everyones time including theirs. It seems whenever a new ban is enforced they forget about the previous rules.

Perhaps I am missing something?

I know for a fact that they very aggressively ban actual gambling (as opposed to gambling related objects) when it is public and AR'd. And people report enforcement - sometimes arbitrary and capricious, but enforcement - of the age requirement. Don't know the nature of the ATm you comment on. Sure it's a (proscribed in SL) bank?

ATM's aren't banned. Banks, paying interest, without certification are banned. SLX and Apez are two examples of legitimate ATM's off the top of my head.

Strauss, there is no ban against ATMs, only unregulated banking that pays interest on deposits. There are SLX ATMs and Lindex ATMs all over the place, for example. Is the ATM in question really breaking any rules?

P.S. Wow, get out of my head, Ciaran! lol

SL does not proactively enforce anything. The measure to which it enforces any of its rules is dictated by whether people report policy violations. What probably happens is that people start reporting them only out of self-interest, i.e. the violating content or conduct is offensive or harasses them personally. Once it is out of site it becomes out of mind for most folks and so as such content or conduct happens in more discrete areas or ways so as not to invite notice or harrass people it gets reported less and less and it becomes less and less of a priority as a category among the Abuse Reports that Linden Lab receives

With respect to gambling specifically, regardless of what the gambling policy states, it's only there to protect Linden Lab from having funds blocked as an unlawful internet gambling site operator under the UIGEA so if the game is not a traditional gambling game but one of these new slot machine variants which are highly unlikely to get Linden Lab in trouble with the UIGEA they give them a free pass.

ATMs btw are not prohibited. Only ATMs to facilitate the operation of SL businesses offering interest on deposits are banned. For example you can find SLExchange ATMs all over Second Life and they are completely legit.

Thank you and everyone for the info and correcting my misconception.

FWIW however, the ATM machine has disappeared. Not sure if it was due to my AR (finally) or happenstance.