Are MMOs illegal now?

[crzylgs]

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Thoughts?

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Isn't etrade also a mechanism for gambling?

I think the only viable option here is to shut the internet down.

Thoughts?

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This is why the UIGEA explicitly exempts securities-trading firms.

(PS I think I'm being leveled here but thought I'd mention the above just in case.)

[Jooka]

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In WoW you can play poker for play money. This money is totally separate from the in game money/gold so it's just there for fun.


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Where?

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no where in WoW, not sure wtf he's talking bout.

[Sniper]

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Second Life is a "pyramaid scheme"

Here is an interesting article about Second Life which is run out of San Francisco.

90% of the industry is sex and casinos. My understanding (never played), is that USD (U.S. Dollars) are exchanged for “Linden Dollars”. These Linden dollars can be used to gamble, buy land, etc. Later these dollars can be exchanged back to real USD.

There are million of subscribers to this game and am wondering if the DOJ would be interested in going after these guys. This company is based in the U.S. and for all intents and purposed in running a gambling ring.

Thoughts?

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Owl... they have some fancy graphs and charts over there showing the economic stats, etc... you might find them interesting... after you look at them, take a look at the user fees and land use & purchase fees... you will quickly realize where the money goes [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[MasterLJ]

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In WoW you can play poker for play money. This money is totally separate from the in game money/gold so it's just there for fun.


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Where?

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no where in WoW, not sure wtf he's talking bout.

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There are most certainly mods to play poker in WoW.

[Jooka]

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In WoW you can play poker for play money. This money is totally separate from the in game money/gold so it's just there for fun.


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Where?

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no where in WoW, not sure wtf he's talking bout.

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There are most certainly mods to play poker in WoW.

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that have nothing to do with Blizzard and arent part of the game in any sort of way.

[MasterLJ]

While you are correct Jooka, Rockstar games were held accountable for the "watch you *F* a hooker," mod for GTA: San Andreas.

Plus, all of the mods I know that did poker, did not force the exchanging of money. I wiped our raid a few times after a bad beat.

*MasterLJ You are the Bomb*

/raid JIHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD

[satya]

Do you mean Evercrack? That game has been more destructive to my life than poker could ever be.

I can buy everquest platinum (in game currency) for USD from IGE, gamble with it in the player run casinos on some everquest servers - Stromm used to have way too many of these. If I win in the casino I can sell the platinum I win back to IGE for a profit. Or, more likely I sell the platinum I take from the other players.

Quick, somebody call Frist.

[jlkrusty]

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Well I dont know about MMOs but if there are any Magic The Gathering players they will know right away what I am talking about..

Magic The gathering the card game released an online version a few years ago. You buy virtual cards with "tickets" and each ticket is a dollar in real life.

You buy tickets from the companys website and then you use them to enter tournaments where the winner is awarded virtual packs which can be sold for tickets.

These tickets can be sold on EBAY for real money, very easily. In fact users buy tickets using money from Party Poker and Pokerstars and UB.

Its weird, it will go untouched I'm sure, along with MMOs
Thats just my opinion, what do I know

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Good post. I have definately thought about this one. Consider the similarities:

1- You have to buy "tickets" with actual cash in order to enter into an online Magic tournament.
2- If you do well in the tournament, you win more "tickets."
3- You can then sell your won "tickets" for actual cash!

How is that different than an online poker tournament? Both are games of skill, but also greatly influenced by luck. I just don't see the difference.

Real life Magic tournaments are similar. You pay cash to enter the tournament. Then, if you do well enough, you can win product and cash. Yet, it's all allowed.

Even the simple act of buying a baseball pack or Magic pack is a form of "small" gambling. You buy the pack with hopes of getting a rare valuable card. If you're lucky, your gamble will pay off.

The problem is that traditionally held beliefs define poker as gambling, but have not these other activities. These beliefs do not hold up to rational scrutiny, but heck, who needs rational thought when you have stereotypes to fall back on.

Here's the argument we should be making: things like Magic the Gathering are not considered gambling because they have a significant degree of skill involved in them. Poker is the same. It's true that Poker has a degree of chance, but so does Magic and a host of other activities (video games, online role playing, the stock market, etc.). If Magic is not considered gambling, then Poker should not be either.

[cowboy.up]

Second Life Millionaire

Here is an article detailing how a player of Second Life actually made herself a "self-made" millionaire. She could sell off all of her in game assets and be worth over $1,000,000 in the "real world."

[sooooooo]

Although I am not a lawyer, in my opinion Wizards of the Coast, and thus Hasbro, is facing enormous legal liability. Historically, they have been extremely ignorant in the legal realm with Magic Online. When they initially launched Magic Online, for at least a year they held tournaments where the prize structure was based upon the amount of entrants, despite the fact that this is clearly against US law as it mimics an online lottery. After I reported this to Magic Online(as well as my credit card company, who provided me with a full refund when I cited the laws Magic Online broke), they removed this prize structure within a month.

Currently, to the best of my knowledge, although I have not been on Magic Online for a long time, all tournaments have prize structures fixed before entry starts.

While they may or may not be currently breaking federal laws(this is up to legal debate), they are most certainly breaking numerous state laws by allowing users with credit cards in those states to win prizes online. They somehow believe having a waiver where the user must check that they understand their own state laws, will release them of all liability. This is akin to a poker site being run in the US saying: "Hey, we know your credit card is from the US, but its up to you to police yourself. We only officially do business with citizens outside the US" This would never happen, and that is why every poker site was based outside the US. They thought this would allow them to get away with the "the user should police themselves with regards to their laws." However, even that excuse is now failing.

Magic Online not only creates the concept of a 1$ ticket, but they actively endorse merchants on their website by setting up trading rooms where it is blatantly clear that tickets can be traded for cash. How on earth no one from Hasbro's legal team has discovered this yet is beyond me.