Linden Lab's Social Casino (And Controversy About)

 

 For those looking for a little casino action, Linden Lab now has a "Social Casino" where one can play slots and blackjack. However, the move is not going well with some residents.

The news was announced in both the "Shop and Hop" group by Strawberry Linden, and on the Second Life Twitter by the Lab.

We opened up a new Social Casino in Second Life where you can get free chips to play if you login daily. Check it out, it's called Helios Casino & Lounge, landmark is attached:  https://secondlife.com/destination/helios-casino-lounge

Please feel free to share any feedback with me directly and let me know how you like it!

 

Heading to Helios Casino (78/121/23), I was greeted with a HUD coming up, giving some basic directions, and announcing I was being given 500 free chips, plus would be given an additional 120 chips for every day I came back. Examining the place, it was made by various moles, with a "Social Casino Linden" listed as the owner.

Taking a look around, there were just two types of games. There are the slot machines, which pretty much rely on "dumb luck." And then there are the blackjack tables, in which a skilled player can win more often. There are variations in the slot games. And the blackjack tables are a bit different, with some offering different stakes and faster/slower paced games, than others. 

 

If you tun out of tokens and don't want to wait until the next day to get more, you can buy some from an "ATM" by the Lab. These tokens cannot be exchanged back into Linden dollars, and cannot be given/traded to other players.

 

While worth visiting, the place lacked the variety of games of (legal) casinos I've see in the past, such as 777 Studios. But it did seem cleaner and lacking the seedy air of a few such places. 

This might have been the end of the story, but as some might imagine, especially considering the history of gambling in Second Life, the news of a Linden Lab casino has not gone well with everyone. One person started a thread on the forums, asking why the Lab had banned gachas a few years ago if they were too close to gambling and was now opening an actual gambling casino, "Are you drunk, LL?". There would also be a second forum thread "Is Gambling Back?" The Twitter post was full of comments, and a picture from Sheree Honeyflower of a few people holding signs with a gambling problem helpline phone number, "If you're going to provide gambling, you may as well permit gacha." 

 

The comments have been mostly negative, filled with charges of hypocrisy, and calls for the Lab to install some safety measures, or do away with the casino entirely. One commented, "... the decision to actively promote this one is rather, Unclever.  And highly unethical... it's only to prey on the ones having problems with addiction because no sane person drops 5k plus on something that is set to lose anyways."

 

What lies ahead can only be speculated on. Linden Lab may put a cap on the number of tokens that can be bought, do away with the option of buying them, or perhaps do nothing and hope that the issue is forgotten. What is clear is that if they expected little to no criticism, they were mistaken. For now, the Social Casino remains at the Helios Casino sim.

Bixyl Shuftan

What Happened To The Old Relay Website?

 

The Relay for Life of Second Life's website was changed in the recent past (link). The old one was relayforlifeofsecondlife.org . So what happened to it? It seems the old website now has a new, and less charitable owner. Clicking on it now leads to a gambling website in both English and a south Asian language. 

The Newser was a bit slow to make the change (we were so busy covering the Relay, we forgot about this one little detail), so we were taken by surprise as anyone else who clicked on the link on our Relay banner. The change has been made, and our regrets for any confusion. 

Hat Tip: Matt Carlton, Zzri Avian (Zri Portal)
 
Bixyl Shuftan
 

Rainworx Owner Rain Puddles Banned Over Claw Game, Reinstated

 

A few days ago on October 20, customers of Rainworx Labs got an unpleasant surprise. The owner, Rain Puddles, had been permanently banned from Second Life by Linden Lab. The reason? For having a claw game at her store. The Marketplace store for Rainworx was also down. She would post about it on Twitter, her attempts at reasoning with Linden Lab being ignored.

So @SecondLife perma banned me for something I was not aware of. The product I was banned for using is still avail on the MP. How is this fair?! every ticket I submit is an automated reply with the same wording. I just called them on the phone to talk to a human being still nada

She would later say the claw game in question was apparently considered gambling by the Linden who banned her. She would add it was at other peoples' stores and there was no Linden dollar payout, and that she had heard nothing from Linden Lab until the babn, "They have claimed I have been warned several times and I was not. The only thing I have received from LL was a ticket they opened that I wasn't even aware of since there was no emails about it until I went to submit a ticket I didn't even know it exissted. ... I have grown my business' on SL for 10+ years to just have them take it from me is so heartbreaking."

Word soon got around about what happened. The Newser heard about it from a friend on our Discord channel. Rain would get a number of replies. "This whole situation smells of stinky vindictive bull****." "It just blows my mind that they wouldn't take every possible step first to ensure you were contacted in some way, even going to direct messaging, and then removing the machine. Or hell, why not just remove the machine, give you a notice and a slap in the wrist, and go about it?" "This is so unfair. I hope you'll be able to fix it, and that LL will see how this was a honest mistake."

Eventually, someone came up with what the issue was, "It's been a law case in California for years now. Essentially California courts ruled claw machines are technically gambling on the account  of not being guaranteed a prize. And because gambling is illegal in California, any definition of gambling follows." But in the words of one person on Twitter, "I didn't know that a claw machine would be considered gambling, I honestly don't know HOW MANY residents know either tbh."

Eventually, Patch Linden responded on Twitter that he was looking into the matter. The following day, Rain would announce the ban had been lifted.

So good news! @SecondLife @LindenLab have decided to unban me! I want to thank everyone for their support during all of this and thank you @LindenPatch. My marketplaces are still not available so please bare with me.

As of the writing of this article, Rainworx Marketplace is still down. But the items in the mainland store have been discounted. A Marketplace search would reveal a few claw machines up and available for sale. Talking with friends about the incident, a few considered it an example of Linden Lab's behavior.

In any event, a big misunderstanding has been cleared up.

Bixyl Shuftan

InWorldz.com Now A Gambling Website

It's been over two years since the virtual world of InWorldz, once Second Life's strongest competitor, closed down. The website closed down soon after. It was recently revealed in Virtual Ability group chat that somebody had bought the website, and changed it into something that may be "click at your own risk."

Please be aware, everyone, that if you still have any saved links for InWorldz, that the domain name inworldz.com has been taken over by a Thai gambling and online-betting site.  Be careful as gambling sites are absolutely notorious for hidden malware.  (reposted from another group)

With this in mind, one should express caution to going to any InWolrdz links on websites.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted: My Story at Virsino

Today's reader submission was sent by Angel Fencer (Ender Leven). In her story, she describes her experience at a gaming hall, Virsino. Although she found the experience rewarding, both entertainment and financial-wise, she cautioned residents about just going up and gambling. This goes double in real life in which the risks are much greater.

ReadAngel's story in Extra.

Reader Submitted: Stranger in a Strange Second Life

Well I have been in this strange life for years.

Been through many wars and many injustices.

Before I ever got here the Gambling wars happened.

In the destruction after the gambling banned happened laid wasted to Second Life.

Sure it got better but it was never the same.

I never knew SL before the war, I thought it had always been this way.

Gambling was not even why this happened, It was Greedy Governments.

I DID suggest moving everything to Nevada  where this was completely legal, But no.

So I found this place....

Thousands Upon Thousands of Slot Machine's.

WHAT was the point of the ban?

Yes I know California VS Nevada Laws.

Um.... In Nevada earning a profit is not yet illegal.

Zorro Wuramunga

Editor's Note: Although early Second Life had numerous casinos with games like blackjack and roulette, Linden Lab officially banned gambling in 2007. A few years later, some games began appearing, their makers claiming an element of skill was needed in order to win. In 2014, Linden Lab would clarify this under their "Skill Games" policy. To many residents, the difference between skill games and the banned casino games seems technical at best.

EA's Star Wars Battlefront II's "Lootboxes" Stir Controversy, Calls For Government Regulation

It used to be if we paid money to play a game, whether all at once for a console game or monthly for an MMO, that was it. If a game was free to play, that the makers would offer a few items to make gameplay easier for a few bucks was accepted. So what happens when a game noted for it's multiplayer mode with player versus player combat, which you have to pay sixty to eighty dollars to play to begin with, starts offering people the chance to buy the loot boxes needed to advance? A lot of controversy, comparisons to online gambling, and talk of the government getting involved.

Read more in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Linden Labs Announces No Further Applications For "Skill Game" Operators

"Skill games" have been something of a controversial topic ever since their appearance. Early in Second Life's history, there were no rules about games of chance, and there were a number of casinos across the grid. But in 2007, Linden Labs banned gambling machines that took and paid out Linden dollars. And so the machines vanished from the grid. There are some who wonder if the ever popular 'sploders fall in this category, but they remain a frequent sight across Second Life clubs. After a few years, games such as "Zyngo" began appearing. These games were left alone by Linden Lab as long as they followed certain guidelines which technically allowed them to say they were not games of chance, but the outcome of possible Linden dollar payouts could be influenced by skill. In 2014, Linden Lab updated it's "Skill Games" policy, which stated the machines could only operate in specially designated areas, and those wanting to operate them had to apply to Linden Lab

A couple days ago in the official Second Life blog, Linden Lab announced "an important update" to their skill games policy. They would no longer be taking applications from residents interested in running the gaming machines. Applications already received, and the process for being a maker of the games were unaffected.

Skill games that offer Linden Dollar payouts are allowed in Second Life, but each game, its creator, its operator, and the region on which it is operated must be approved by Linden Lab.

As of today, Skill Gaming Operator applications are being closed. Any pending applications submitted prior to the date of this blog post will be reviewed and processed normally.

Though applications for Operators are now closed, you can still apply as a Skill Gaming Creator with the application process available on the FAQ page.

For the blog post in full: Click Here.

Gaming Island

It's been years since Linden Lab's gambling ban, but one can still find games that offer the look and feel of such games. These are called "skill games" because the makers of them say at least some measure of skill can help a player's chances of winning. Recently Linden Lab opened up a place, Gaming Island, saying the location will help educate residents about skill games. So how does the place do so?

Read more in Design.

"Skill Gaming" Deadline Postponed One Month, One Game Maker Reacts

On July 9, Linden Lab announced they were updating their policy on "Skill Games," games that offer a prize of Lindens and require a number of Lindens to play but are not technically considered gambling by Linden Lab. Originally, the new rules were going to go in effect on August 1st. On July 29, the Lab stated they were extending the deadline for the makers and owners of the games to comply with the new regulations by a month.

... we are changing the date that the changes described in our previous blog post go into effect. Instead of starting on August 1, the updated Skill Gaming Policy will go into effect on September 1, 2014. The original blog post and the FAQs will also be updated to reflect this new deadline.

The Lab stated they had "recieved many applications" from people wanting to be approved to build and set up the games. But one "Skill Game" manufacturer and owner, Foxyfurman Kumaki, the avatar behind PI Games, had a statement given out by notecard at his Fishbowl Games gaming hall that informed people he would not yet be ready.

In accordance with Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, PI Games will not be an Approved Creator of games by the maker Foxyfurman Kumaki and consequently will not be issuing public Reasoned Legal Opinions in reference to games by the maker Foxyfurman Kumaki.

We want to be clear that as of September 1st 2014, games made by Foxyfurman Kumaki will NOT be compliant and therefore not allowed in Second Life due to Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, and accordingly, we cannot support or endorse the continued operation of these games in any form.

To be very clear if the object OR the scripts have Foxyfurman Kumaki as the Creator, the item is NOT compliant and cannot be allowed to run as of 9/01/2014.

Pi Games LLC, is in the process of considering and developing a free to update solution to the solo owned games currently on the grid that will meet the requirements of Linden Lab’s new Skill Gaming Policy and its accompanying new TOS regarding skill games in Second Life, including the requirement and necessity of pro-actively complying with all applicable Federal and State law, and anticipates having a release to the general population within 120 days.

Contacting him via IM, Foxyfurman Kunami stated he knew at least one other game maker whom also would stop operations of it's games. He stated he would inform the Newser if and when his games received approval by Linden Lab.

And so, Linden Lab's new policy on "Skill Games" is already resulting in people in the industry suspending operations, at least for a time.

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye on the Blog: "Skill Gaming in Second Life"

In Second Life's earlier days, games of chance were completely legal. One could go around and find games of blackjack, poker, roulette, slot machines, and more in which you could put down and risk as many Lindens as you wanted. Then several years ago it was banned by Linden Lab, citing laws against Internet gambling. As time went on, games which required Lindens to play and offering a chance at a prize began to slowly return, such as "Zyngo." The makers explained these games did not depend completely on chance, but required some choices and skill by the players.

On Wednesday July 9, Linden Lab announced on their blog that they were updating their official policies.

Gambling is strictly prohibited in Second Life and operating, or participating in, a game of chance that provides a Linden Dollar payout is a violation of ourTerms of Service. However, games of skill are legally permitted in many jurisdictions, and we’ve seen that many Second Life users are interested in playing such games for Linden Dollars. Therefore we are updating our gaming policy in Second Life.

There was then a link that took readers to a page on the Second Life wiki which had the details. Among them:

"Skill Games" will only be allowed in specially designated areas. Those whom wish their virtual land to be able to house the games will need to apply to Linden Lab, and pay extra fees, which the Lab says are to offset "additional administrative and compliance-related costs."

Only those approved by Linden Lab to operate "skill games" will be allowed to operate them.

Makers of "skill games" can only sell or otherwise distribute those approved by Linden Lab, and will need to pay "a one-time nonrefundable application fee as well as a quarterly license fee."

Only those living in states where gambling is legal and are old enough are allowed to play the games. Those whom are not either one who try will be considered by the Lab as breaking their terms of service.

The rules are stated as going in effect on August 1, 2014.

Games such as Japanese pachinko machines, which offer not Lindens but tokens which can be exchanged for prizes, card games that offer no Linden prizes but are simply for play, and the "sploders" that are a frequent sight in Second Life clubs are presumably outside these restrictions.

For the blog post in full: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Featured-News/Coming-Soon-Skill-Gaming-in-Second-Life/ba-p/2771080

Linden Lab's Skill Gaming Frequently Asked Questions page: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Second_Life_Skill_Gaming_FAQ

Skill Gaming Thread in the official forums: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/Skill-Gaming-Policy-Thread/td-p/2771090

SL Universe Skill Gaming thread: http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/97651-incoming-pages-pages-rules-skill.html

Commentary: Lucky Eggs - The Image, The Truth

Theonlyjohnny Resident came across a kind of game in Second Life called "Lucky Eggs." Somewhat resembling 'sploders widespread across the Grid, the point is to contribute Lindens for a chance at a prize. But something seemed amis to Theonlyjohnny about these eggs, and made a few observations.

Read Theonlyjohnny's commentary in Extra.

The First Sims: Ritch

Today, DrFran Babcock has the second of her series of articles about the first sims in Second Life. Following the visit to first sim of Da Boom, she went to the second: Ritch. To DrFran's surprise, there was little written about this sim beforehand. What she found in this second sim was quite a contrast to the first as well.

Read DrFran's story in Places.

The Way I See It (1) : Games of Chance on Second Life

Second Life Newser welcomes it's newest writer: Alynia Vixen. Today, she starts things off with what she hopes will be a regular column, "The Way I See It."

Sometimes when I am less than occupied on Second Life, I go club hopping. Now mind you I have my own club where I tend to hang out, and there are a number of other clubs that I prefer. But some of the clubs I go to I have seen a sploder or two in play. Now for those who have not seen a sploder, it is basically a device that residents dump Linden dollars into, and some of the entrants get money back.

Sploders can be set up different ways. Sometimes everyone gets money, sometimes only a few do and they get the majority of the money. There are different types of sploders with different rules. But exactly how these sploders work isn't really the issue this column is about. The problem is that the Second Life terms of services says that "Games of Chance" are against the rules.

Now I would like to clarify, I personally do not have anything against sploders or games of chance at all, in fact, I think they are fun to play. And this article is not to condemn any club that might be using one. Instead I would like to talk a bit about the history of this particular part of the TOS and discuss its risks and implications, but also talk practically about the existence and use of games of chance in Second Life.

In November of 2007, Linden Lab invited the FBI to examine the operations of Second Life, including in world and business activities. It is commonly believed that the FBI initiated this investigation, but this is not the case. The FBI reported afterwords there were no 'areas of concern' found and found Linden Lab to be operating within the law, despite all the casino's strewn about the grid.

They proceeded to ban 'all games of chance' anyway. Why? This is a good question to which the answer has never been clearly given, but then we should expect nothing less of the Lab. There has been some theories however. Many believe they simply did not want to take chances with the law. But I believe that's nonsensical, because the presence of casinos, the land they occupied and the L$ they brought in great profit for them.

There are however other things that were factors. One of the ways that casinos drew in players was with 'money chairs' which paid you to sit in them. Often people would just plant themselves into a chair and used an auto-deidling client to stay in it. From a social perspective and a sim load perspective, the Lindens did not like this.

But an even bigger nuisance is that casino's were popping up everywhere. I bought a chunk of land in a mainland sim that was pretty quiet and about a month later a casino moved in. Its noises reached my parcel, easily. In short, casinos were devaluing the land on Second Life in general, and that hit the pocket of the Lindens. since most of the profit of Linden Lab comes from land transactions, money bought and sold in SL stays in the economy and the Lab gets a small percentage of the Lindex exchange.

What this means to games of chance today? Well, take a mass marketed game like Zyngo. I like Zyngo, it is debatable whether or not it is a game of chance. It has elements of chance in it. But the creator of the game must state in almost every three sentences describing it how it is not a game of chance, as if they felt the need to defend its existence against the Lab. But did the Lab do this because they feared the law, or did they just hate the deluge of casinos? I would contend it is the latter.

Sploders are definitely a game of chance, no skill involved. However, will you get in trouble for having one? Potentially, if someone wants to abuse report you for having one. But to be right honest, unless you're an oldbie, you probably don't even know that games of chance are against the TOS. And will the Lab come looking for them? Probably not. These days the Lindens aren't part of the world they enabled, instead they sit on high, and pretty much EVERYTHING they know about what is happening on the grid comes from abuse reports. Perhaps, this is why they seem to have such an apathetic view on us residents anymore.

In closing I just wanted to give people who use games of chance the perspective they need to judge whether or not they should use such a thing to attract people to their club. Does Linden Lab care about sploders? Probably not. They do not represent a threat to their profits, to the grid, or to the happiness of other residents. Can others use the existence of a sploder to hurt your club? Potentially, but unlikely. But just because I say 'unlikely' doesn't mean 'impossible' if someone really decides to push the issue. In my personal opinion I think sploders should be OK and that the 'games of chance' clause in the TOS is silly, but nonetheless, it is there.

What do you, the readers, think? Feel free to leave comments.

Alynna Vixen

Virtual World Avination and Gambling

One of my friends has been recently checking out another virtual world, Avination. Smaller than Second Life, one advantage it has is no rules against gambling. But recently, this policy of theirs almost got them in trouble.

Read the article in Extra.

Gaming Hall Owner Says Linden Lab is Banning “Autoplay” Feature

Recently, a friend of mine came to me about trouble from Linden Lab. They were banning a feature of the Zyngo game, he told me, that affected the game enough for at least one place to close down. He explained some, then later described what happened in fuller detail.

Read the story in Extra.