Second Life - Trade Description....

"Your World, Your Imagination"

Maybe they need to think of a new strapline now since the new ban of any gambling machines...

I can understand the restiction if the owner of the manchines and the player are in countries where online gambling is illegal, but not a worldwide ban.

In addition, by LL's own admition, the L$ is not a real currency. I see no difference in a gaming machine giving out a free can of coke or a L$ - according to the TOS, LL see no defined difference between the two...

Also, is this not likely to increase the number of AR reports submitted? The AR system is already swamped - pretty much each AR i've ever submitted has been ignored...

From a legal point of view, should owners of gaming machine not be given a notice period? Also a form of compensation? A lot of people purchased the equipment in good faith.... It's worrying that LL could suddenly say tomorrow that pretty much anything we own is against the rules, and none of us have a leg to stand on...

Gomez

Casino owners should get as much compensation as they have given out to the landowners surrounding their butt ugly lagfests, for excessive use of system resources, filling the region, and slowing everything down for those who live nearby.

ie... nothing.

I've never felt the need to gamble in either of my lives, so it's not like the world is going to fall apart because something that should never have been allowed in the first place is being banned.

Broccoli

Legally I'm not sure, but morally yes they should have given a notice period or be offering compensation. People should have been given enough time to tier down.

"Your world, Broccoli's imagination".

So it's now my fault that Linden Lab have been forced to act by laws created by the US government? Fairy nuff.

Broccoli

You're the one saying it should never have been allowed in the first place.

The first blog post regarding LL's decision to distance themselves from in-world gaming is dated April 5th so any investment made towards gaming after that time really is on the shoulders of the person who hadn't researched the topic properly prior to making that investment.

The people who needed to consider if L$ is real money or not are your local taxmen. They have decided that yes, L$ have a real world value.

How is LL going to enforce this policy? The same way they do other policies they've enacted... badly with an understaffed company.

Be careful disputing the scared "Your World, Your Imagination" party-line... I started a thread to that end once and it was locked for I'm not exactly sure what legitimate reason.

And Broc, honey, haven't we already gone over the "Even if you don't like it doesn't mean it should never have been allowed in the first place" arguement? Except this time I alllllllmost agreee with you. The ever-changing parameters of what constitutes LL's TOS, CS and the odd policy change here and there do make it difficult to understand who's vision of the world your imagination is going to be limited by.

Well, we dont own a casino, but have a small number (about 5 i think) gaming machines dotted around the club. Now, we own nearly half the sim, so it's certainly not going to have a dramatic effect on other residents. However, these machines were bought in good faith, and at the time, gambling was tollerated. If I would have known that the machines that LL allowed the creator to sell would be made illegal a couple of months later, I would not have bought them...

Also, in the UK online gaming is not illegal. Also, if SL is a Virtual World, where you can realistically create a 3D environment - how many bars, pubs and clubs do you know that don't have slot machines?

Gomez

Of course globally.

I realise my views are not going to be popular but ... this IS the way the cookie crumbles RL too ... sorry ...

Our company would LOVE to provide service globally but then we are a licensed operator with a Gaming Licence and we still have to turn down money left right and centre due to incredibly complex compliance laws.

This issue has nothing at all to do with 'Your World Your Imagination' or LL's wishes, frankly. It's to do with law, internationally.

***EDIT*** I am in the UK. It *is* illegal to take bets from a Prohibited Jurisdiction. Sorry, but the UK isn't exempt from regulations internationally.

No matter how global its audience, the Second Life servers are located in a single country. The laws of that country apply. That's understandable.

There are many complex compliance laws RL, this isn't supposed to be RL. Consumer laws are ignored inworld, people find themselves with products that they can't return, or if an item isn't delivered some unscrupulous business people don't deliver another. Tenants have little or no rights when they rent when RL they would, so where do we draw the line?

As for your company, you must surely use some sort of age and id verification to allow people to engage in gambling, LL have talked about this but have stalled.

It's all very well making these rules but if they are not enforced then....

Gaming Centre Hoorenbeek in Anala is a casino with all the laggy usual machines and flashing lights. They have been reported for violation of the rules on gambling, but they are STILL open and trading ?

Rules are fine, but they need to be enforced to be effective.

First part of this = yep I agree, there should be some form of enforcement or appeal when you are ripped of in SL. Have said that elsewhere.

Second part = yes indeed we do. Ironically ... it's at least partially what LL talked about bringing in i.e. age verification documents and actually we have a lot more we have to do, a dedicated anti fraud team etc etc ... but then that's a RL business.

When you upload your entire self into the grid and dispense with your meat self, then you can say it isn't "RL". until then, you're on your own on that one.

Go ahead and submit a request to JIRA.

This policy change does constitute a change of contract for the service they are providing, so yes, LL is on shakey ground legally in implementing such a change without a suitable notice period, and are running the risk of the but of the TOS allowing them to do that also being contested in court should someone feel the resultant financial is large enought to make the effort.

Also, as you point out, by this change of policy, LL is basically admitting that L$ do have financial value, so they are opening up a contest of that part of the TOS too!

Matthew

Well I'd like to think that LL are an RL business, they've had issues with fraud. However the id verification issue could surely have been used here to stop US citizens entering casinos. Only those who are verified can gamble.

But doesn't coming to SL and doing something you can do in a thousand other places constitute a severe lack of imagination?