AB Pay Your Winners!!!

Is there anything that can be done about a SL USER not paying winnings from their slot machines???

I've been waiting to be paid winnings for over two weeks now and not sure which direction to turn. The winnings are to be paid in person so I've logged into SL on every opportunity to try and be online the same time as owner. This isnt alot of L's we are talking about (Maybe $15 worth) but thats no excuse.

I am a new unpaid-user but these winnings would help the community because they will surly be paid back to SL users in games and merchandise. If owners of machines expect people to play their games and collect revenue, they should pay their winners!

What should I do, name the owner in a complaint to LL?? IM him repeatally? Purchase my own land and create the why I hate A.B. Show!!! This doesnt attract me to being a landowner/ paid-user if I cant expect to collect winnings from deadbeat owners! And if incase this is not the first instance of this, how can the community be warned of this user??? His machines can be found all over...

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance,
TODD VANMOER

Unfortunatly, no.

There is not 'court system' in SL for such behaviour, and naming his name publically (even on your land, or in your profile) would a ToS violation. It is doubtfull LL will step in as it would fall into a your word verses his word sort of deal. However, sending in the information may be a very good idea, as if enough complaints are registered on tis individual, LL may take notcie.

My advice would be to take it as a hard lesson learned and avoid this particular person in the future. You can also tell your friends (who will tell thier friends, who will tell thier friends, etc) about your experiance. It is againt the ToS to name names publically, but you are completely free to tell your friends about a piece of $%# that rips people off. I will note that you should not just go into a crowd and start shouting this. Again this enters into ToS and CS violations. Basically, do not speak of it if you suspect anyone in the area will complain, or be bothered by it.

I wish I could give you better new or advice, but con-artists exist as much in SL as they do in RL. It's simply easier to 'cover thier tracks' here in a virtual world and to hide behind the computer screen.

~Jessy

Thers is absolutely no regulation of any form of gambling in SL. If you choose to play SL gambling games, you have no recourse at all if the person runing the game is a crook. Personally, I won't even play Slingo in a well-established place. There is absolutely no way to know that any gambling game or device is not rigged, or to ensure any sort of 'fair odds' for any gambling venue. And there is no enforcement that can be sought if you get ripped off, other than filing an Abuse Report against the owner of the game, which LL will almost certainly ignore.

There is only one way to be certain a gambling game in SL won't rip you off. And that is "Don't play it!".

A few comments.

1) If you are a US citizen, gambling online is unlawful.

I'll skip the big controversy that says it might be okay in Second Life. The argument exists but is pretty weak, and I am sure all of the casinos would scatter if the Feds ever revealed a presence on the grid.

But asking that something be done about fraud within unregulated gambling is kind of like saying: "Stop, thief! Hey officer, he stole my kilo of pot!"



2) Likely what happened is someone 'won big' prior to you, and cleaned out his avatar's $L balance.

So I'd guess: honest mistake on his part.

Nobody's going to go to all the trouble of setting up casinos 'all over' just to bilk a few new players out of six cents each, thereby trashing their own reputation and efforts for a mere 60 USD if it happened to 1000 people.

Like Dr Evil asking for one meeeellion dollars, it just doesn't add up.



3) Actually yes, abuse reporting someone for scamming or fraud may very well get the Company's attention, and something *can* be done.

How quickly or how much in your favour; I don't know. Personally, I'd write off the $L 15 to experience.



4) Todd, next time I'm in-world I'll kick $L 100 your way; do with it as you please. I'd recommend going to Yadni's Junkyard (search Places for that) and using it there to load up on nearly-free items for $L 1. Or look up Travis Lambert or Carl Metropolitan; they run some really good new player centers. I've got a small freebie center going as well.

You can have a wonderful grid experience with next to no money.

My experience:

Casino owners who have invested in their establishment will work to protect their reputation. Assess for yourself what the investment might be with regard to the land area that has been purchased and the tier level being paid. Land worth L$100k is worth $0 if that user is expelled from the game. That amount may or may not be exciting to you depending on your frame of reference, but I don't know too many people who would willingly leave US$350 lying in the street. Most reputable establishments are worth considerably more.

Check out the games being hosted. There are game designers whose products are widely trusted and consequently widely used. Research the creators of the games you see around SL (edit window lets you see the creator), visit their own establishments and assess the investment that they have made, and will consequently work to protect.

I tend to avoid slot machines that are created by owners of low budget casinos, unless that person appears to be making a serious effort to establish themselves as a game designer (nothing wrong with starting small). In that case, and if a machine looks interesting, I'll write off the L$50 for the experience and expect no returns.

I ALWAYS avoid the games that are available everywhere as "full rights to six casino games" and include a blue slot machine, a laptop game, a blackjack table and a few wall poster type games. I mean no disrespect to the original creators of these games, but their work has been exploited by every wacko in SL to the point where the games just can't be trusted.

I'd be happy to meet in world, and I'll tell you which establishments I choose to spend my money in.

Could apply to many things...

There's is absolutely no regulation of any form of sales in SL. If you choose to use venders, you have no recourse at all if the person running the vendor is a crook. Personally, I won't even buy boots in a well-established place. There is absolutely no way to know that any vendor or device is not rigged. And there is no enforcement that can be sought if you get ripped off, other than filing an Abuse Report against the owner of the vender, which LL will almost certainly ignore.

There is only one way to be certain Secondlife won't rip you off. And that is "Don't play it!".

Thanks for the feedback.

I have researched the vendor after the win (of course not before playing) and he seems to be a well estlablished resident. There is always the possibility he/she never logged in because he/she is on vacation or his/her car broke down or he/she got the flu... I just wanted some L to play around with but most likely waste on stuff I'll never use.
This won't deter me from maintaining my SL residentry status. I look forward to more suprises to come!

Todd

Asked and thoroughly answered in another Thread., but let me Sum up all those Pages of discussion for you here;



No.

Angel.

The next person who pays me $L10 in world I will pay $L500. Those are about the best odds you're ever going to get. Seriously.. the first person who pays me $L10 I swear I'll give you 500. Dump your money into these things and you get what you deserve.