Myth or reality?
Linden Lab and the creators have always seen their world as an escape from the real world, a sort of, country of its own. Offering the same things your society offers you in the real world such as business, entertainment, social interaction, shopping, sex, gambling, and many more. However, with time and because of weak suppression upon Linden Lab’s side to prevent governance from the real world to oppose laws upon SL activity, this utopian thought of a separate world from our own has slowly diminished.
Gambling in casinos and other establishments, such as private clubs and places with play slots was a huge thing in SL until July 25, 2007. An online anti gambling law went into effect in the US banning gambling online. As an effect Linden Lab changed their policy when it comes to gambling stating: it is against SL’s policy to wager in games that rely on chance or random number generation to determine a winner, or to rely on the outcome of real-life organized sporting events; and provide a payout in Linden Dollars (L$) or any real-world currency or thing of value.[1] This changed the face of gambling within SL shutting down many casinos and gambling establishments. For those games still allowed to be played rules were changed or revised. Revenue in currency exchange, land sales, and advertising was lost as a result. To narrow down the amount estimated, Linden Lab and its users lost several millions of dollars.
This brings up the issue of what is considered a game of skill versus a game of chance? If games of skill still exist what makes them any different from games of chance? Generally speaking games of skill that can be waged on are defined as games in which the player/players have:
· A learned or developed ability
· A known strategy or tactic
· Physical coordination or strength
· Technical expertise within a game
· Knowledge of the means of accomplishing a task[2]
Games one can bet on that require one or more of these traits to participate in, are games such as pool, darts, and certain card games like gin or rummy. Certain games can be classified as requiring both skill and chance. A good example would be Zyngo in SL. However, what defines them as legal is usually the amount of skill versus chance. In these instances, according to the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act), the amount of skill required to play the game must outweigh the amount of chance involved. There are plenty of games that require skill in SL, puzzle games or War Zone – Chernobyl Code, are just two suggestions. In these games there are no wages or bets being placed though. This brings me to the point where I wonder how games such as Zyngo, Peek-a-Nudge (one armed bandit machines), and other similar games are still allowed to exist? And if they exist what is stopping poker games to still exist? So I set out to investigate if there were still any places poker was currently being played like in an underground gambling ring or similar.
After checking various websites, forums, and through investigative reporting in world I was quite unsuccessful in actually gaining an experience when it comes to underground gambling. No one was willing to lead me anywhere that specifically engaged me in the underground gambling world, even after offering them a small amount of L$ in compensation for information. The few individuals I spoke with about underground gambling definitely said it existed, one even gave the name of a destination to go to, but once I was there I realized it was a dead-end. All individuals I spoke with wished to remain anonymous as well. So the question is not if these underground gambling operations actually exist. The question is how to get into them?
Being a fairly new user of SL probably hurt my chances slightly, considering I had not yet made a very good network with individuals that could potentially further help me with my investigation. Perhaps the fact that I was an investigative reporter on the record while speaking with individuals made them conceal information from me, very speculative but maybe. So for the mean time I will have to settle with the information I got while further investigating the world of underground gambling and SL. While I pleasure my gambling needs with existing so called legitimate “games of skill” Zyngo, Skill Deal, and Hokus Pokus and gain experience in world, perhaps in time I will be led to where the real action is happening, the underground gambling.
[1] Linden Lab® Official:Policy Regarding Wagering in Second Life, http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Policy_Regarding_Wagering_in_Second_Life
[2] Games Of Chance vs. Games Of Skill,
This is an interesting topic. even though this is a practice that is out of view, you should still focus on how connections are made and groups formed. In other words, don't let yourself get too into the nuts and bolts of gambling, but rather look at what you can tell about community formation even in this more hidden area of the Internet.
ReplyDelete