Age Verification - Less about sex, more about Gambling?

This is a question that you may shed more light on at the next scheduled town hall meeting. It is an expanded post on one which is submitted in another thread (1).

There is a lot of talk regarding age verification be used as a means to reduce activities such as sexual age play, however this is already banned through the TOS agreement that all secondlifers agree to. Others believe it is to ensure we are therefore all old enough to engage in other "activities" of an adult nature. This would however be like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Some put forward the argument that it is to get personal information on "us", though we give a great deal of personal information when we sign up, so this seems excessive to get very little information of limited value to Linden Labs.

I therefore put forward the hypothesis that LL is in fact preparing the “platform” to enable legalised gambling to take place in world. My reasoning for this is that the company that LL are using for age verification are Integrity-Aristotle (7). About 80 per cent of gambling sites licensed in the UK use Aristotle's ID verification system (2).

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled in March 2004 that that the United States policy prohibiting online gambling violates international trade law (3). The WTO upheld this decision on Friday 30th March 2007 (4).

It is not a legal requirement in the UK that online gambling companies use age verification, however most do so as part of their “corporate responsibility polices” (5) and Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines to reduce money laundering (6). These KYC guidelines must also be followed in many countries world wide including the majority of EU countries, Australia and the USA.

Clarification on LL’s actual intentions for age verification may reduce a number of the negative postings on the forum. As if the reason for age verification is to enable residents of SL to gamble, instead of “taking away liberties”, it is in fact allowing freedom of choice, as to whether we wish to gamble or not.

1. /327/36/184494/1.html
2. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/b035313a-fd9d-11da-9b2d-0000779e2340.html
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/26/t...artner=USERLAND
4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...7033002161.html
5. http://miranda.hemscott.com/servlet/HsPublic?context=ir.static.jsp&client=wmh&path=util&service=getPage&page=corprespons_statement&rightnav=nav_csr
6. http://www.cimaglobal.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-0AAAC544-CBD1B621/live/root.xsl/Insight05984_1014.htm
7. http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2007/05/17/linden-signs-integrity-services-for-age-verification/

Hm there is also the fact to be considered as I pointed out the adult verifiation won't actually do anything to prevent child sex rp .

Hmm, that's an intersting theory. However, the problem with SL as a platform of gambling (and why legally it may never be possible for LL to openly allow or encourage it) is that the issue of FAIRNESS, comes into play. How can we guarantee that someone's machines aren't rigged? We may see a line of identical machines, but 9 out of 10 of them might have significantly reduced chances, or the machines may be controlled by a central source to ensure they NEVER, ever stand a chance of reducing the house's profits below certain levels.

Unless LL intends to police these things (and it'd be hellish, a lot of disgruntled players who get bad pay-outs in genuinely fair games could create a LOT of reports to check up) then it'd be impossible to ensure the scripts running in games are not creating unfair gambling environments with no immediate accountability. Anyone who wanted to run such a game would have to apply for permission (as many companies that allow it require) so they can provide details which can be used to hold them accountable in the event of fraud (and their parcels can be marked as 'secured' gambling sites). Currently, while age-verification will use more sensitive documents, it will not retain them, meaning the only document that could readily be demanded is a credit-card which be stolen or not properly accountable for any crime committed.

So I'm really not sure on this, while I expect many gambling establishments in SL (especially those using established products as their basis) will run fair operations, it's all too easy to fall foul of an unfair machine designed to hand meagre pay-outs at no loss to the owner, as a promise of POTENTIAL earnings that will never come.

I possibly did not make it clear in my earlier post, but the gambling I am referring to would not be operated as with the current business model found in SL. It would be run by companies such as MGM Mirage, Ladbrokes, 888.com and the likes. In such a business model LL would have no need to police such activities.

The Gambling Act (2005) in the UK states those with a license to carry out gambling activities must conducting gambling in a fair and open way; and protecting the vulnerable (1). Most countries have similar laws in relation to gambling.

1. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/en2005/2005en19.htm

Age verification, sexual roleplay, gambling ...

It's interesting that, with every passing day and every tightening of the terms and conditions, Second Life becomes less and less the start of the much hypothesized metaverse, and more and more the continuation of First Life.

Has the dream evaporated totally, or is a little still left?

There's some of the dream left. It just has Sponsors now....

We interupt this dream for a word from our Sponsors.

Light Speed Underwear, when ordinary underwear just isn't fast enough.

We now return you to your normally scheduled Dream ...

Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home. Home! And this is my room, and you're all here. And I'm not gonna leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all, and - oh, Auntie Em - there's no place like home!