Gaming issue in SL- a solution?

I fully agree, everyone here has valid points and concerns... It's absolutely ridiculous that some people just accept the fact and some people actually enjoy this travesty.

I'll fight it with y'all til' the end, because if we lose, I can see SL slowly dropping off the map.

A special thanks to Gisela for her hard work... I don't know of anyone who deserves their job back more than her.

Something MUST be done.

I entered SL back in October and wandered around aimlessly, bored out of my skull for about two months. I had a job as a dancer, which I totally sucked at. lol I did have one friend here at the time. During my massive boredom, I found a place called Happy Land and wound up addicted to their Slingo machines. I turned 10L into over 5000L in about a week's time.

Christmas time came and I decided I wanted to get my one friend here one heck of a gift, but it would cost more than the 5k that I had. So I rolled it around in the small Slingo machines first, which is incidentally how I found my first job. I'll get to that in a moment though. Then I took my now, 7k, out to a Slingo skybox place, run by Athena Sterling. And I played. After I got the scores as high as I could, I sat back and watched the machines for other players. If they beat my score, I was playing it again. I walked out that night with 20000L. Yeah. From 10L to 20000L. I hope that friend isn't reading this cause he will totally kick my butt to find out I spent that much on his Christmas present! *laughs*

Anyway, Slingo was fast and easy money and I found myself looking for the least played machines with the highest pots. Found what I was looking for out at Myth's. I stood in front of that Slingo machine for a week or two, in my little freebie skin and hair, just playing away. At the time, I was in chat range of the poker tables and I could see that money flying. I thought to myself, "man, if I learn how to play, I'd be rich here!" *laughs*

So, I sat down at a table and honestly had no clue what I was doing. Apparently, nobody else did either and I would up winning very well. This lasted for three days. Then I started losing horribly. Lost 60k in a matter of hours. (Before the anti gamblers hop on this, it was the money I had won to begin with!)

I bought lindens ONE time to play, cause I was suuuure it was just a losing streak. It wasn't long before they were gone too and I was back to trying to earn money from the Slingo machines to play the small tables. But, I'd lose it fast cause quite frankly, I SUCKED. lmao Still do. But I loved the game.

So what did this little gambler do to fund her newfound gaming habit? Gee, same thing most of the others do. I got a job! And this job was the most fun I had ever had anywhere. I started working out at the very casino I first set foot in to get Phin his gift. Yeah, the money was nice but it was about something more than money. At that time, we were all like a little family. Oh yes, we pissed each other off good, but.... the closeness yanno? We all bonded over something we all enjoyed.

And my players! I had people from all over the world coming to play at my tables. I even had to equip a babbler just to translate most of the time. I still remember most of all of them too. Which considering the amount that left SL since I first started, the amount of alts, the amount of players over those months... I worked my way up from dealer to manager in a fairly short amount of time. This is where I first started doing my charity events such as Virtual Angels and Relay for Life.

The time came for me to leave Myth's and it was heart breaking. I flitted around a bit and finally wound up permanently over at the Poker Palace, then called Amsterdam's. This time, as CEO. I could barely walk, the lag in there was so bad. I went to delete waterfalls only to discover it was the entire wall. Yeah. Poor Ams came in to find all of his walls GONE. *laughs* I know he was starting to panic! And he panicked some more when 3/4 of his staff was also gone in less than two weeks.

When I first started there, each sim had over 2000 active scripts on them when they were empty. When I was done with the rebuild, they each had less than 300. The tables finally ran smooth, and without any lag what so ever, even when we filled the sims. Only time we had lag was when SL had issues.

I bonded with the staff we had, and the ones we hired. That was a deep, personal friendship, a real connection. Yes, we got frustrated with each other from time to time, but we were also loyal to each other and to our players.

Customer service was improved out there by about a thousand times. Players suddenly felt like they mattered. They were friends, and were treated as friends and not as dollar symbols. Everyone from the 2/4 on up was treated as a high roller. That was what I believed everyone should be, a high roller. We had the free table in use quite a bit too.

We also distributed newbie packs to the new residents of SL. Shapes, skins, hair, eyes, clothes... all very nice stuff to get them started. I remember myself as a newbie and how difficult, and costly, it was to get my initial set up beyond the freebies.

I also continued my charity events out at the palace, raising 80k for Relay for life. I was disappointed that we didn't get the kind of returns that I did out at Myth's, but also happy at the same time. Both month's we did it, 25% of our total income, before expenses, was given to Relay for Life.

We went from all of our sims having less than 700 for a traffic score, to taking 2nd place for poker houses. When our combined traffic hit 30k, I was ecstatic.

The weekend before the ban, I threw a surprise party for all of our staff. I wanted to let them know how much we love and appreciate all of them We were rushing it together cause one of our guys was going on a holiday and wouldn't be back for two weeks.

I've still got one guy on vacation and I have to tell him, "I'm sorry honey, but SL is forcing us to close down."

We strongly advised all players, low and high alike, to not use real life money to play. I hosted 4 free rolls per week, and alternated the times so that everyone would have a chance to participate. I had a staff of over 40 people, mostly of which came from our pool of players. I provided jobs for newbies, little odds and ends type jobs for them to earn some play money. Little jobs from running errands within SL for me, to helping me test game equipment that I suspected was buggy.

My equipment was constantly tested and retested for fairness and to make sure it didn't have bugs in them. If a player showed me a machine that they felt wasn't working right, I'd have them demonstrate. Twice I deleted machines on the spot because, the player was right and they weren't working as they should have been. I ran only an honest and fair poker house, and word of this spread quickly.

We had a lot of successes together. My team was the best team possible and they truly did all of it. They took themselves from being a place nobody wanted to play, to being the place that nobody wanted to leave. Thank you guys. All of you.

Now, half of my staff, my friends, are leaving SL. Completely. More than half of my players have already gone, and considering we had over 2000 regular players... *sighs*

Our palace was a success guys. A raging, raving success. All because you guys did what nobody else was doing. You made the low players, and the newbies, feel special.

And you know.. I've read a ton of comments on blogs and forums everywhere about how casinos take unfair advantage over players, etc. That just flat out isn't true. We gave them opportunities for success that many of the people outside of the gaming industry don't. I've also heard how we steal customers from shops and clubs because they're spending money in the casinos instead of in the clubs or the shops and again, that is so blatantly false. If your place wasn't doing well before this ban then maybe you need to consider how you were treating your clientelle! It's always easier to blame someone else, isn't it?

I love my job. I love my staff. I love my players. Not for money either. Every bit I made got reinvested into the poker house or our players. The place itself was making no profit. We were covering staff payroll and half of our tier. We were doing it because it was something we LOVED to do. I loved all of my staff and players because they are than that to me. They are my friends.

Fast. Fair. Friendly. Fun.
Poker Palace-- The only thing that made SL a great place to be!

Edited to add: Oh my gods that's long as hades! Sorry guys. Yes, another tangent. *laughs*

Grantly is right. Something must be done. First step, understand the law itself guys. *sighs* So many haven't even read it and don't understand exactly what it is saying. Do your research into this new law, fully and completely. Read the legal analysis's set forth not just by lawyers, but by JUDGES as well.

Second step, after you understand the law, and think you know it left, right, upside down and backwards, ask a lawyer. (I went a step further and actually talked to a judge about it.)

But in this, there IS a compromise. LL just won't talk to us long enough to FIND that compromise. There is a way to have both what we want, and allow LL to cover their butts. If we all sit down and talk about it, we might actually find that compromise.

I want you all to be aware that just like there are laws against, not gambling online, but illegal gambling, there are laws against other stuff too. For example, oh... playing pirated music. Playing music for others without a license, etc. Sure would suck if suddenly, SL had to cut off all of the streaming capabilities because they can't control who has a license and who doesn't, who plays legitimate music and who doesn't, wouldn't it?

And then there are also copyright laws too. How many of you use pictures from the web to make your textures for furniture, clothes, etc? How many of you got reprint permissions for those little books you sell in notecards in here? (oh yes, I've found quite a bit of those!) how many of you have distributor's licenses for those movies you sell to others or show to others? The list goes on guys. And there are strict laws concerning every single thing I've mentioned here.

Yet, a very ambiqious law, written in such a way that it would only outlaw sploders, slots, roulette, and blackjack (maybe craps? i've never played it so don't know the amount of skill in there) and betting on real sports with real players is taken this seriously. What's also sad about it is that the law itself as it is written would exclude SL and Linden Labs from inclusion.

We're all willing to compromise here. We all just need to find some common ground and work from there! So come on Philip, Eric, Robin and lawyer dude whose name I've forgotten. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm open and willing to talk about a compromise. IM me anytime!

Gracie

Yes we are hurting, because all we loved the most in sL is gone. Those of you saying good riddance to the games , i have just one question for you ? What if all you loved about sL was gone too ? As Graci just pointed out, it could easily happen. This is Our world supposedly , so lets fight to keep it ours.
Even if you are not a gamer. You need to stand with us on this. We have to fight to keep our world, because i dont see the lindens fighting for us.
Here for at least 24 hours now, Gisela has offred a very very realiztic alternative. amd we stil have yet to have a response, to all of us as a group by any linden.
If they are going to take OUR world away, we are at least owed that,
So i am challenging all of you. The gamers. not gamers, reatial ppl, builders, djs, dancers, excorts, whatever you do in sL to stand with us. I promise if yall ever need us , we would be there. I know a lot of gaming ppl in Sl and they are the best bunch of people you can imagine. No matter who you are in sL you have to see that this is WRONG. they took away everything we had worked hard for and spent money on with barely an explanation and are not willing to talk about it . How is that OUR WORLD OUR IMAGINATION ??
If you love sl for any reason at all you need to stand up and help us, its not going to fix itself and we refuse to let it go away .

I feel this poem certainly applies here.

"There is utterly ZERO downside to this ban for business owners"

You are soooo wrong. I spent countless hours sitting and camping those casino chairs, and when I won a small amount, I took a chance on the higher stakes games. I always won in the end. And what did I do with that money? I bought clothes, gestures, hair, skin, makup and countless dodads freebies just didnt make as well.

I dont have a bank account tied to my character and never have but I have spent literally thousands of lindens, and I wont use real money so business owners............SOL for my account.

BRING BACK CASINOS!

*Invoke's Godwins Law*

There is nothing to stand up against. LL made a deccison based upon the real threat of Legal action against them. cutting gambling loose was better than LL and SL being shut down totally, and the owners possibly going to jail. That's what this is about. You as non Americans may not have to be bound by US laws, but the Lindens owning a business operated in the US do. No matter how those laws may apperar to you or me. They are not going to rescind this no matter what we do.

You ask what we would do if our favorite activity were banned? I'd find something else to do in SL. If I could not find any other reason for logging on, I would leave, and move on to something else for entertainment.

Until the laws over here change, or LL moves it's business to a place where they can reinstitute gambling legally, this is not going to change.

As evidenced by the Internet Radio Situation here and that the RIAA IS going after people who are illegally using copyrighted music, it is happening.

THANK YOU BRENDA! I'm so happy to see someone state it on this thread so succinctly. While I don't have much faith in LL in keeping SL running, I am amazed that people don't think LL searched every possible option to keep gambling going. For them to shut it down so suddenly without warning implies to me the feds were breathing down their necks and I seriously doubt any of them were willing to continue to risk criminal charges. I'm sorry about all the people who have lost investments over this but if you didn't see this day coming then your head was in the sand. I think it's time to move on.

If LL is guilty of anything it's poor communication. Unbelievably poor. When the decision was made to pull the plug on gambling it should have been explained more thoroughly and they certainly should be responding to so many questions. On the otherhand, given the status of the grid lately I doubt they've even looked at any of the comments or questions out there.

If nothing can be done to change it then that is the way it will have to be, I'd just rather be safe than sorry and simply just giving up and accepting it, is all.

Offering possible solutions is one thing. I doubt much will happen but can applaud the effort. The Linden Labs bashing is another. I have so many things to bash them about, I'll at least cut them some slack on not wanting to risk criminal prosecution.

I also wish the American bashing would also stop. If people think that SL can operate more efficiently with less restriction then I would encourage them to start their own virtual world.
It's a great idea. Actually provide stability and good customer service and they'll be beating a path to your door (or should I say to your login screen).

Amen

I applaud your efforts to play devil's advocate here. Now, go educate yourself and read the law; it's part of the Safe Port Act of 2006. Then I encourage you to read about the very real international lawsuits already occurring right now because of this law. (And the U.S. hasn't been winning them guys!) Then, on top of that, do a bit of research into the few US cases that have actually made it to court.

Before one takes a stance on an issue, for or against, should always ALWAYS educate themselves as to what the issue itself is.

Demantoid is right. LL is a service provider. This alone makes them excluded from prosecution. The law itself would apply to only a few areas here.

Again, there ARE compromises here. There ARE options. Come on LL. Come and talk to us!

Gracie

There are always things in this world to stand up against. You just have to determine whether any are of significant value or worth to YOU to make an effort.


In this thread, a solution was proposed that would protect LL from liability and allow gaming in SL - all with one simple little change in LL's business practice. It would solve concerns on both sides, most certainly keep them out of jail, and go a LONG way towards repairing customer relations which might possibly already be irreparable. Furthermore, we should be able to have discourse with LL on its possibilities, if not its implementation. We are not spoiled little children having a temper tantrum and making unreasonable demands here. A great deal of research and exchange of ideas is behind this solution, and it isn't just one person's opinion.


There are two problems we are experiencing in conveying this:

1) LL isn't going to listen or respond unless enough people "stand up" and say, "hey yeah isn't this a workable solution? What about it?" The number of people concerned about it is the only thing that will elicit a response from LL. If its important enough to you, what is the harm in pursuing discourse or at the minimum SOME response from LL regarding it.

2) No one can predict the future with any real certainty, but it is an undeniable fact that the gaming ban severely impacted SL's economy. Just how much remains to be seen. This presents a sense of urgency in making changes now that may not be possible down the road when we realize our worst fear was true after all.

The LindeX is not something that has always existed as a part of LL. Prior to LindeXs launch, L was traded through a similar exchange, but operated by a completely separate entity. The fact that LL trades L for USD through this exchange called LindeX is what gives them liability under the law. If they ditch it, they are in the clear. Simple and straight forward.

If they refuse to do it, or for some reason (that we can't see) it isn't a solution, then we have no other options, but to watch SL die and/or move on as you say. For many of us though, it is important to try and save something we care about. To do that, it requires active participation. It doesn't happen all by itself. We deserve some response from LL.

If SL dies inspite of our efforts, then I want to be able to say, I at least tried to do what I could. I like taking an active approach to problem solving and try to prevent problems before they occur. It isn't always easy to do, but its a good practice.

Lastly, it makes me feel good to do something worthwhile and helping people is always worthwhile if they try to help themselves.


We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. - Benjamin Franklin

Not a bad idea at all! *grins* And we've already done some research into this. If one chooses to build off of the OpenSim project, tweaking of course for better stability and more secure features, the work is already 70% done. The most difficult part would be in creating the stable economic system. The project itself could probably be open for testing in a few months, and ready for launch within a year.

What? You didn't think somebody would already see that as a viable option? *grins*

Gisela is right guys. We aren't standing around stomping our feet demanding to have our toys back. We're trying hard to be a proactive part of the solution in a positive way. You will notice that most of the protesters are polite, and respectful to others around them even when their detractors are busy hurling insults and screaming. We want a resolution here that serves all of our purposes.

We had jobs guys. Hundreds if not thousands of jobs have just been taken off of the SL market and with a population this small, that's a BIG thing! We didn't just sit back and collect paychecks. We worked HARD to provide to our communities and to give back.

Here's an example of that.

One casino I knew of offered camping. The place itself was HUGE. All sorts of games and stuff that were never used. Up in the air though was two skyboxes that has at least 40 people in each one camping. This is what made the lag so bad down below. *laughs* This person made NO money off of his gaming equipment. None. We watched that place for over a week, day and night, to be sure. He was doing it just to provide an option for the newbies to earn money.

Gambling was outlawed, and he packed up. Rumor is he left SL completely. (We all know how rumors can be though!) That's one less option for the newer players. And he's not the only one.

Come on Linden Labs. Meet with us. Let us come to a viable solution together. We are your residents. In the policy it states that the policy may be changed depending on three things:

1) The community and what they have to say about it.
2) New technologies
3) A change in law.

We're working on number 3 already.

Number 1 you've already seen.

So let's talk about number 2. Give us some ideas on what these 'new technologies' would have to entail. Let's start brainstorming guys. There IS a solution. Let's find it and present it.

Brenda Connolly Thre is nothing to stand up against. LL made a deccison based upon the real threat of Legal action against them.
_______________________________________
GypsyAngel Desmoulins
There would be no threat whatsoever if they got rid of LindeX
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Brenda Connolly
You as non Americans may not have to be bound by US laws, but the Lindens owning a business operated in the US do.
_____________________________________________________________________
GypsyAngel Desmoulins
I am 100% American, but i was fooled ito beleiving AMerica is the home of the free, Just as we were all fooled by thinking sL was OUR WORLD OUR Imagination....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Brenda Connolly
You ask what we would do if our favorite activity were banned? I'd find something else to do in SL.
________________________________________________________________________
YOu know that may be an option for you real soon, as techically everyhting we do in sL is illegal in some way. Prostitution is illegal. Making money wihtout paying taxes is illegal. Using copywrights is iliegal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brenda Connolly
Until the laws over here change, or LL moves it's business to a place where they can reinstitute gambling legally, this is not going to change.

GypsyAngel Desmoulins
PLease read the very first post in this thread !!!!!! THERE IS A WAY TO GET AROUND IT.
Get rid of LIndeX period !!!!!!! You are fairly new in sL. But they survived almost 3 years before starting LindeX. So i know SL can survive rather well actually without it.
ON one hand they say via our terms of servie that lindens have no value, On the other hand since the opening of LindeX they are saying not only does it have a real value, but they have shown on a daily basis what that value is. It is not illegal for us to play games with game tokens. It is illegal when they havea real value.
Moving over seas is NOT an option NOT NOT NOT cant say this enough. The us govt crossed international boundries already to arrest online casinos that tried this.
Brenda hun, we have given them the perfect solution and they still wont talk to us.

Why do people fuss about the Lindens following a US Law? Are the Lindens above the law in your minds?

Think about it people, do you really want Gambling Commissioners from every country to step in and take over SL? Is it worth that much to you?

The less government involvement in SL the better... trust me...

The more people fuss over keeping what is "RL Illegal" in SL, the more I see they want SL to be shut down for good.

I say, I would rather the Lindens boycott you, and ban you, than for them to allow you to ruin what we have here.

*sighs* Again, do your research. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing others take a stance without doing all of the research FIRST. And this goes for those for or against the new restriction.

It isn't against the law, and thanks to a small clause in the UIGEA, LL is not liable. Now, while LL might be trying to avoid any legal issues thanks to the ambiguity of the law, it still is not against the law.

We totally understand that they want to avoid legal issues. We understand that if the Department of Justice came knocking on their doors, it'd be a pain in the butt and include costly legal fees because it would wind up in front of a judge, even though the judge would rule in favor of LL. (And yes, it's the Department of Justice that investigates illegal gambling issues and not the FBI. If you read the bill itself, you'd know that.)

We get all of that guys. What we are asking for is something called compromise. For all of us to together find a solution. We don't want legal issues for LL either, but there ARE ways around it.

I will withdraw from the discussion as in all fairness I didn't entirely read the first post, My head started to explode after the first paragraph or so, Economics always bored me. I'll defer to those who are versed in the subject and wish them well in thier quest.

I will add that if the loophole does exist as claimed, either Linden has bad legal counsel, or they decided for their own reasons that they wanted gambling out. And as the owners of SL they still are within their right to do so.

What is it you have in SL that is so much more valuable you would rather we be banned so that you could enjoy it? What is it that you have?

Why would gambling commissioners come into a game to regulate gambling for PLAY money?

What about any of our posts makes it appear we think LL is above the law? I think it's pretty clear we are trying to help them comply with the law. If they ditch the LindeX, they will have no liability for any gaming in SL. If they don't then all rebellious people who are going against the ban and continuing to play slingo, tringo, spoders and lucky chairs etc... may be the reason SL gets shut down. LL has made no effort to enforce the ban or to communicate with us in anyway regarding a solution. As long as the LindeX exists, LL is liable for all gaming in SL whether they ban it or not, for the simple reason that L is traded for USD through the LindeX.


I do agree with this one thing ya said though - "The less government involvement in SL the better..."


He who would sacrifice liberty for a little security, deserves neither and will lose both.
Benjamin Franklin

Personally, I support the freedom to gamble inworld- but not at the cost of losing the exchange of L$ to US$ or penalizing those of us who actually WORK in SL. I have real $ costs I still am trying to recoup. I pay tier fees, for one, using L$ in lieu of US$. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to recoup my total expenditures and yes, make a profit for all the time, effort and real US$ spent during the past year and 8 months learning to design and run an Arts & Culture -related business (a tough enough field as it is). I do not see eliminating the LindX as an option at all. I and many other SL Citizens have worked very hard and long hours to provide quality places in SL free of gambling, camping chairs, camp zombies.

Also, to address the pro-gamblers' cries to the rest of the inworld to come to their aid, Take the following into consideration: Casinos are rarely designed with any aesthetics; they are usually eyesores and lag monsters. To their credit, a few casinos were very nicely designed, although I can't recall which few those were. Mostly, casinos are giant boxes , with rows and rows of the same tacky, gaudy machines and rarely a person at each machine but often dozens of campers/zombies. Perhaps a standard lesson in Aesthetics and responsible building ethics (as in, creating an overall design that makes surrounding homeowners and businesses WANT you to be there, at least as a well done visual element or public park offering, if not as a casino).
Most casinos have taken an "I don't care if my build is ugly, I'm gonna make a lot of money - so move if you don't like it." Well, now it is everyone else's turn to tell casinos "We didn't like it - so now YOU move." It is not likely, the casino ban protesters will get a big helping hand from all the citizens they have offended with their builds, lag and attitude over the past 2 years. I consider bans on Freedom ridiculous but in this case, a very welcomed "correction" due everyone who has fought a casino in the past. Kudos to those few casinos that did take an interest in their community and sought to provide a pleasing environment outside their casino that worked within the design efforts of established communities. Shame on the "thug" operators for creating an atmosphere of disdain for the general Casino Industry in SL. Now, casinos are alone in their fight for survival. Hint for next time around, casinos: Be considerate of others' hard work and efforts to make SL a great place to be. You can't suddenly make everyone unite under the banner of "SL Freedom", after having divided so many citizens in the past.

Now, as for solutions...

Personally, I wouldn't mind at all if SL were casino free. Again, I'm not opposed to the freedom to gamble but I like to see solutions, not problems. Honestly, my major gripe with casinos, malls and oversized clubs is lag and lack of aesthetics and community respect. I'm a bit rushed on time so advance apologies for typos....but here goes my stab at resolving this particular gambling issue:

LL needs to allow a third party to set up servers in a country where online gambling is legally supported. The new gambling server operators could then pay "licensing fees" to LL. This may be able to separate LL from the liability issues. If a country's laws prohibit the exchange of their currency for L$ generated through wagering, that's just tough, it's the law. Wherever a server sits, it's under the dominion of the laws of that land. LL is absolutely correct to ban gaming at this point. I would have done exactly the same thing LL HAD TO DO. This protects all citizens and the longevity of SL, even though the gambling institutions see it as a slight only to them. What this necessary move has also done, is open dialog to possible alternatives to the gaming issue.
Continuing with this possible solution, avatars could gamble on servers that reside where another set of laws is applied. Winnings can be used to buy overseas products or if the gambling law doesn't stretch to cover International Currency Exchange, go ahead and convert to the most reasonable currency that could later be exchanged for US$ - or whatever currency. I'm sure it's more complicated than that - or perhaps, it's not. I bet someone will try, if not LL. Second Life is open source so I am guessing if LL is supportive of allowing it's proprietary system to be reworked slightly, someone could create a mirror-type version but for gambling. A "portal" could be set up to allow avatars to crossover - or simply be able to utilize casino winnings as game credit - but not as a direct monetary exchange. The new gambling server operators could then pay "liscensing fees" to LL.

A simpler route may be do create an inworld Casino monetery unit or "C$" This unit would not be exchangeable for L$ or actual currency but could be traded for goods and services inworld - or outworld. Much like Coca-Cola does with redeemable prize points or Airlines do with Sky Miles.

A scripter would be needed to create the secondary monetary unit transaction codes and process. Also, all gambling machines would have to be rescripted to only give out C$. Other scripts would need to be developed to allow merchants to sale items in exchange for C$. Casinos could easily exchange quality merchandise for C$. Especially, if the casino partnered with sya, clothing designers or prefab home designers even, an entire mall.

Casino owners would also have to rely on memberships, mixed C$ product and L$ product sales, admissions, house tippage, etc. No longer could a machine simply be the only form of revenue for casinos. A casino would need to partner with a L$ Mall or other business model and rely on the crowds they attract to shop at both L$ and C$ outlets.
Sure, this may seem like work to the easy money of casinos of the past but if a casino really wants to offer gambling options "because this is a free society and it is our right" then, a casino should also be willing to work hard and take on the role more associated with an Entertainment Venue, with gambling as a feature and pasttime rather than it's sole source of revenue. If gambling is so popular, then the games will live on and people will play because they enjoy it- but a new format must be developed to offer players who want a payoff. The casino house could give players a stack of chip credits to start or sell the chips for L$, if legally allowable. Sell an admission ticket is echangeable for chips. If casinos and people REALLY want gambling in SL then, FIND a way to do it that does make LL liable. Certainly, the actual playing of a game that only gives out gift cards, is allowable. Children are allowed to recieve tickets for money put in an arcade game at amusement park arcades. They then trade in their "winnings" for prizes. Think about it.

If there were a separate monetary unit (C$), then gambling and ugly casino builds could continue. The C$ could be traded inworld like a barter currency or gift card. A separate wallet or purse to carry casino winnings would make transactions possible with specially scripted vendor machines or product boxes filled with merchandise from C$ Associated Designers and Service Providers. Then, the gamblers could turn around and sell the items and make L$ but at least they'd have to work a little. Someone check the laws on that. Seems clean but this is my first line of thinking on this issue and I'm hereby claiming all intellectual rights to the ideas and concepts contained herein.

Have a nice day.

I can't even say LL is guilty of poor communication anymore, it's such a regular occurance from them it's expected. I'm not against gaming in SL per se, but I must admit that my experience with them has been limited to several that were nothing but ugly lag inducing monstrocities ,on in particular that would often keep me out of my land due to filling up the parcel, eventually causing me to move to an island. So I am ambivalent, at best to there departure.

Sorry hon. Those ideas and concepts aren't yours to claim. lol This is what Japan uses and it's called a 'token system' And this is one way to skirt the new policies that I would *love* to ask LL about. IF they'd talk to us!

Another system we actually considered was taking the monetary exchange outside of SL in a system much like the WSE, and do seat reservations for the tables on a website. Again, would love to talk to LL about it to see if this is one new technology solution.

I do agree that a lot of the casinos were poorly designed, ugly lagfests. A properly designed casino would have virtually no lag. But they should also be off of the mainland, and is for a few reasons.

The first and foremost being the amount of *kids* on our grid. Until there is some sort of age verification process, neither gambling nore other adult activities such as prostitution should be on the mainland. Tuck both away on their own islands, etc. Second reason is because of lag. A properly run casino should have nothing else on that sim, no other scripts running, etc other than the games that they have.

Now the problem with requiring all casinos, etc to have their own private sim is that most can't afford it. My business partner also has a booming land business and that's what funded our four sims. We only made enough for tier for two of the sims. Most don't even make that much.

For those that can't afford an entire island, I suggest building a few islands for them to share that space until they can afford their own.

I know a lot of you don't like campers but not everyone is great at scripting or building. I've been here since October and I can still only barely make a box. We provide opportunities for more money. Our place did not do camping at all. We instead provided jobs and opportunities to earn money. It'd be nice if the entire SL community as a whole did this. Then maybe camping wouldn't be needed at all. *shrugs*