nix on gambling? Watch the populations flee

With all due respect, I HIGHLY doubt 50% of the user base is here for gambling.

I can see this as having a big impact, but an impact with that of 50% of the user-base leaving? Definitely not.

No roulette has that so i can't use objects i own. The first online police state has been born!

*moves*

you can always respec yourself to be an arcade IE 'skill' based games like space invaders(no random number generators there). with payouts to the the people with the highest scores that week(you can make a whole lot bloody more also as people compete for the top score, combined with an increasing pot you have stuff that's a whole lot more addicting).

even simple game theory games are far more entertaining than slots.

the ultimatum game
the investor game

both of which are very amusing to play, and have lots of profit potential.

JESUS CHRIST ON A PONY!!!! Stop with the comparisons to Communist regimes, already. It's a Fucking Game!!!!!! So you can't gamble in SL, now BFD> There are plenty of Internet gamimg sites (for places where it is legal) Go there. What's the problem? (I do sympathize with those who have invested in the business and had the rug pulled out from them by LL's usual bungling) but stop witb the hyperbole. Everyone whining about LL bucking down to US gambling laws, remember when the ageplay debate was fuul throttle, and for the most part the behavior fell within US law, we were told that SL is a Global Community and LL may be subject to any nations laws, especially if it meant legal consequences for The Providers? Well this is one of those times. Deal with it or move on.

And for my money: Until it changes Lindnen Lab is Headquarted at 945 Battery St, San Francisco, CA USA. The SL servers are located in California and Texas, USA and are therefore subject to US law above all else. Internet gambling is against US law. Tough Noogies.

Interesting.

Why allow L$ to be converted back into actual cash? If that were stopped, then this whole debate would be moot. People could gamble all they want without being subject to any laws.

Here's my theory:

LL saw that gamblers potentially make a lot of money. Obviously, if you're making a lot of money without contributing anything back to LL, they're going to find a way to get rid of it. Basically, you're playing the game for free... and if enough people do it, then LL starts losing money. We can't have that now, can we?

As far as I was concerned, my L$ was "play" money. I couldn't spend it on anything except "play" items... so I didn't see it as being subject to any law. Now I see that L$ can actually be converted back into cash... something of which I was blissfully unaware. LL should have done what every other online game has done... charge a monthly fee to play and eliminate the buying and selling of their currency outside of the game. That way, your virtual money could be spent any way you see fit and you could never be taxed on the income.

I have been active in the Slingo community since I joined SecondLife, the regulars that play there have, for the most part, been awesome people to hang around, interact with and just have FUN with.

I took a break from SecondLife for a short while to return and see many of the Slingo places I frequented sold, closed and gone and the few that are left may be gone very soon too.

Did I make a killing off of Slingo? No.

Did I win quite a few pots that enabled me to spend my L$ on products that many of YOU sell? Yes.

I participated in the Slingo/gaming community because I ENJOYED IT and the people that frequented there.

Maybe I do not want to sit and build. Maybe I do not want to sit and do [this or that] that so many of you do. Being able to come onto SecondLife and do practically ANYTHING YOU WANTED was, I thought, one of the most awesome things ABOUT SecondLife.

That seems to no longer be the case.

Limitations and restrictions do NOT improve creativity. It stagnates it.

Now that sploders are illegal and gaming/wagering in general is screwed over, makes me think twice about hanging around now.

Way to go. [/sarcasm]

false.
Doing more with less that's what stimulates creativity.

What many have failed to notice about gaming and casinos in SL is that they werent just a way for people to have fun and waste a little time, but they also helped to put money back into the economy. Players winnings went back into the economy through shops with purchases of homes, cars, clothes, skin, hair, etc. etc. They increased business for many creators thereby producing a demand for new and better products.

Even though I have never been a big fan of casinos (would have preferred LL to set up zoning so that residential and businesses could co exist with less lag in separate areas), I am however a fan of gaming. It has been my biggest source of income within SL and my way of buying those things I want or need to not only enjoy SL more, but to also supplement my real set limited income.

It burns my butt to no end to see something so many have enjoyed taken away, while child avatars are still allowed to remain on an adult server. Child porn is illegal in most countries and allowing them to be used in SL only encourages the deviants and the real pedophiles to abuse this. I understand that LL has to abide by the laws of government and of the state they reside in, so why not abide by them all?? Lets not be picky here. All or nothing.

LL also needs to research the matter further and clarify for everyone exactly what is and isnt allowed as far as gaming, instead of leaving players to guess or assume, or worse getting banned without evening know what they did wrong. Gambling for the most part consists of those games which require a wager or bet basically on a per hand or per roll basis, doesnt necessarily mean just games of chance. There are many skill based games within SL most of which keep a running score total for each player, and they are multi player games, not just one on one. Most well known gambling devices have none of these. They are basically solo games with a player and a machine requiring pay in on a per hand or per roll basis.

Instead of stating this is gambling or this is illegal, LL needs to put out an itemized statement or list showing each and every game within SL considered illegal before taking action against anyone. No one here is psychic and we cant be expected to hang on the edge of our seats waiting for them to drop the hammer.

Ok since you misunderstood what I really meant and I didn't make myself very clear last post... I will do so now.

More restrictions = Less things we can do = Less Fun = Less Interested Groups = Less People = Less Minds = LESS creativity.

My prior post and statement therein was not directed at the technicalities involved with defining (or measuring) creativity itself.

Definately true in my case.



I have played in a casino a few times, not really my cup of tea either. SOCIAL GAMING is something I enjoy too, very much so in fact. Do I want to win some prize or object (as I have seen posted as alternatives for the gaming) No, I do not. I want to win L$ so I can go spend it however I DEEM FIT FOR MY ENJOYMENT.



Well, seems that LL is wanting to get the big corporations into SL so they can all make money and squash out the little guy just like the real world.



All of that would be a start in cleaning up this mess they now call Gaming.

yeah that's how I feel too. Virtual gambling is ok when it's regulated but in SL it is not, it is possible to cheat, run crooked machines. especially texas hold em with a table full of players who know each other. So goodbye gambling!

from what I gather, un-regulated gambling will eventually lead to pressure from the USA government as LL is in a legal grey area with this.

You can't just open a website with virtual gambling for real money in the USA so why should you be able to in SL? you can have a porn site with over 18 yr old models so porn is ok, but gambling is strictly regulated in the USA and LL is an American company.Better to stop this now before SL is shut down while this issue is resolved in court right?

I dont think there will be a 'ripple effect', people will find other amusements or just leave SL, big deal, gambling is passive participation in SL anyway, it doesn't encourage skill building or even communication, it's demise will not do anything except encourage more creativity.

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." --Voltaire

It seems that quote is a thing of the past and is no longer (or rarely) fought for.

There is a lot of things/fetishes/interests on SecondLife that I do not care for at all..

BUT.. I would not ever go as far as saying "Good riddance to you!" like so many individuals seem to enjoy doing and saying.

In fact, I'll go as far as saying this.... That, to me, comes across the same as the childish mentality of: "If it's not something I like and enjoy, it sucks and needs to be got rid of." I thought we had more adults on SL but I could be wrong...

If I do not enjoy something, I simply do not participate in it. EASY ENOUGH.

Let's hope they don't squash something YOU enjoy next cause I do not wanna hear any bitching and whining about it either.

Are you crazy? so if the only way you could go was fowards that wouldnt bother you? wouldnt mind that you couldnt go backwards, up, down, left or right? Ill have to remember that quote; its too laughable to be taken serious.

Oh and by the way, the US$ turnover for the last 24 hrs has DROPPED, be interesting to see if the economy will continue to be as strong as it has me thinks not

Another artist with a nonense ending line. YOU obviously do not gamble/game therefore your opinion is really null and void about the participants who gamble/game, many of which gamble/game on multiplayer games, which is fun, sociable and a great laugh; something which i guess you have never done sitting around with your paint brush thinking its a magic wand......

... I didn't understood what Eshjee Paverini wrote.
... You you don't understand what I wrote... Eshjee did.

all about misunderstanding.

haha that's exactly right, because I am an artist therefore i do not gamble because people can only do one thing according to your logic, well since people can only do one thing you are screwed aren't you!

Well considering your view, i must be right; if you gambled why would you be happy to see gambling go? If you do support the right to gamble then your obviously a screwed up thing arnt you!

Reading the new policy,

all that expencive text is hard for a someone that doesnt have english as native language.

How about contest boards ?

Are they inflicted by these new rules aswell ?

Thnx in advance for explaining

One could also look at things from another perspective here. In light of LLs new policy on gambling, SL must be removed from the internet. It falls under both categories of their requirement for a device used for gambling and therefore its in violation of its own policy.

Secondlife is a game of chance that uses Linden purchased by players which can be converted to real money. Every time you log onto the grid you take the CHANCE on losing something you spent good money on.

Read the new policy and compare it yourself. Its blatantly obvious. Dont think LL expected something that might could come back and bite them on the ass.

Another bit for thought: They can create unlimited amounts of Linden which can be converted to real cash. Is that not a form of counterfeiting??

No. Players buy the money from each other. Only the amount spent in-game on sinks (such as group creation) in the last rolling 30 days is sold on the market AFTER other available player owned money. If LL were to flood the market with "counterfeit linden-dollars" the value of the L$ would drop tramatically.

Essentially what they're doing is exactly what the US gov't is doing: printing replacement money so that there's always some in circulation. Yes, we have stipends, but then, the US prints more money than it destroys too.

God, I'm surrounded by them!

Well, maybe YOU never noticed that $L could be exchanged with "real" currencies, but the casinos sure as heck did. Not to mention most of your fellow gamblers. Why on earth would somebody pay money and invest time and effort to build and run a casino if there wasn't some sort of profit in it, eh?

Making $L "play" money would, as someone said in another post, be throwing the baby, the rubber duckie, the towel, and the soap out with the bathwater.

50% eh? You made this number up yourself? Or can you back it up with some documentation? If you made it up yourself, how nice for you, Bloviating Hyperbole.

Owners of camped out casinos and the makers of the gambling machines will go broke. The scripters who focus on that part of SL will move on to making more productive and helpful products or will go away. What's the downside here?

Right now 30,000 campers sitting in casinos and stores are one of the biggest problems SL has, imho. Hopefully this new policy will indeed remove a significant percentage of those wastes-of-space and the rest of us can carry on with our Slives and enjoy the Grid.

Next step, make camping against the TOS, LL. Please.

We can all discuss this until our faces are as blue as this forum--but what good is it? What's to be done?

Instead of complaining or trying to already find ways around it...is there a more constructive idea to boost SL back on its feet?

I for one don't think SL is going to be dramatically altered (I'm just guessing), and I particularly don't think my own business will be influenced...but I do feel for the community--so is there a group we could start, a group of thinkers. A place to talk and discuss future plans.

We all must cope with RL laws, and SL laws. There is so much inter-reality between SL and RL that we act out against injustice just as passionately. Why don't we work together on a way to make this all work.

Positive thinking.