Are escorts next?

Okay, so gambling is illegal in most states and now in SL. Prostitution is illegal in most states. Will escorts be the next?

Gor I'd guess will be next, escorts in September.

That'd be exceptionally funny.

Not unless they cause me they same amount of lag as a freakin', zombie-stuffed, script-inflated, ugly, prefab casino. And at least they *work* for their money. *laughs*

But phone sex isn't, and that's what escorts correspond to.

hmmm now only if we can define camping as a game of chance I would be happy

Some people seem to have a huge problem distinguishing something very very basic.

ONLINE gambling is restricted directly.

Online activities that mimic Real Life activities that are restricted generally are not.


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Online gambling always equals online gambling

Online cyber-sex for money does not equal real-life prostitution.

I think the writing is on the wall for the sex industry, it's tied in with the broadly offensive blogs and the id verification issues. Anyone investing in the sex industry right now is falling into the same trap as casino owners.

SL 'prostitution' involves no physical contact though, so I don't think it actually qualifies as such in the real world. It's more like interactive video porn, which IS legal as long as you're of age.

Wow, the sky.

It's falling

Is it? There are all sorts of obscenity laws relating to porn.

Could very well be. But that will be a choice for Linden Lab not pressure from the Feds.

The "ban it becuase RL prostitution is illegal" is a lame argument. There is a very clear disconnect there that should be obvious for anyone to see.

Its like trying to enforce speed limits on virtual cars becuase speeding is restricted IRL.

Wheras Online Gambling is directly restricted, by definition.


I agree it seems reasonably likely that the sex industry will be driven underground - evidently Phil Linden has stated he never intended for it to be such a large part of Second Life.

After as someone so well put - after riding sex and gambling to get where they are today, of course.

While it is possible that in-world advertising for sex may go the way of the casino, there is *no way* for LL to ban sex. As in RL (whatever that is) it will only take a few bad apples on either side to get draconian rules put into place. The problem with rules here in SL is that we have little recourse beyond logging off. LL is a private company, they can make whatever rules they want!

I can't help but think that some of the problems have been caused by the very model that SL runs on - it is dependant upon the almighty Linden. Want to look good? Gotta buy clothes and skin, unless you make your own (but have to buy Linden's anyway just to upload the textures). Want land? Gotta pay for it. *Everything* runs on money. Eventually I hope to explore multimedia art, but first I've got to get enough moohlah for land, learn the code, etc. It all comes back to money.

Meh, I'm not making my argument very well, but if there were no money changing hands, gambling would likely still be legal in SL.

I suppose it depends on where you live, but the porn industry seems to be thriving on the Internet, as well as elsewhere...and we ARE talking about (adult-looking) cartoons here, not actual people. That's never going to be as explicit as the real thing. I know there are some funky 'blue laws' on the books, but I just can't imagine anyone being prosecuted for ogling cartoon porn while someone types or talks dirty to them for a fee. *shrug*

I find it hard to beleive that cyber sex/cartoon prostitution will be made illegal also -

Especially when people can go to a webcam site and get someone on live cam to talk, expose themselves and masturbate for them online for a fee. No cartoons involved.

That's what an increasing amount of escorts in SL are offering as well though, and at least one RL company is advertising its paid (sexual) webcam services on SL as well.

As long as selling/offering pornography is legal though I don't see why anything would happen to escorting in SL (cyber or otherwise). At best it's interactive porn, not sex.

I have to agree with you Colette. However, LL has a propensity for doing things that make no sense. I hope LL will not outlaw escorts, not because I use their services, but because they use mine. I have done several portraits for escorts in the past. It would hurt lots of other buisinesses as well.

Well Linden Labs might outlaw Escorts ..

I just dont think Cyber Escorts will be made illegal in the United States.

Those are different things.

Yeah, isn't the only problem the Linden Exchange? Seems that the fact that trading lindens for RL money and vice-versa is sanctioned by LL in and out of SL is what is making the game gambling illegal. But I realize we need Linden Exchange in SL for all of the many other businesses going on, for the buying and selling of land, etc. so getting rid of it isn't an option.

Game money from all the major games is traded daily blackmarket style, with no liability to the gaming industry, since it's outlawed in their TOS and a bannable offense....if caught. Outlawing it takes away the RL monetary value of game money, as far as the games are concerned.

For people who love game gambling and updates are optional now, couldn't there be a version of the game that allows gambling but with a TOS outlawing the trading of game money for RL money attained on that version/server/grid or whatever?

Given the political climate at the moment, I wouldn't expect another attempt to regulate online "decency" any time soon, at least in the US. The online gambling ban is quite a different thing (as I've already mumbled about on another thread).

They better do that very soon, why not just ban all fun at once.

Yeah this is ridiculous. Your fake sex is safe...unless it involves child avs.

I wonder what the economy is going to look like once this is in full effect and the dust has settled?

YAY

Sanity!

I'd be happy to see the back of the escort culture but it depends why. Driven by SL and people in SL = happy to see it go.

The moral majority outside SL = meh ...

Another point that NEEDS making is ... sorry USA you are no longer in the majority these days. It's not quite so vital that things are or are not legal in most states ... because the majority of players are now German. German and French are the most spoken languages if what we are told is true.

(Please note - don't flame me for having a go at the Germans here. My partner is German).

Has that really been stated? German speakers outnumber the sum of the English-speakers from US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand...? If true, that's amazing!

Its not true

Even though not a statistical Majority - the largest segment of users is still from the US.

Add that to English speaking countries and there is no way English is not the most widelly spread language in SL.