The FBI has visited Linden Lab and their Second Life casinos in order to figure out just what that giant teddy bear — really a Japanese exchange student — and the fat man in Spokane who looks like a Suicide Girl and calls himself Wendy Wild are doing over at the roulette table.
Yes. friends, some FBI agents want to know how online gambling in Second Life works and they won’t give up until they figure out how to get off the damn orientation island and customize their avatar.
“We have invited the FBI several times to take a look around in Second Life and raise any concerns they would like, and we know of at least one instance that federal agents did look around in a virtual casino,” said Ginsu Yoon, until recently Linden Lab’s general counsel and currently vice president for business affairs.
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Yoon said the company was seeking guidance on virtual gaming activity in Second Life but had not yet received clear rules from U.S. authorities.
Dear FBI: There are more compelling places to look for criminal behavior than LuLu’s Kasino next to Wally’s House of Furry Fun.
They want a piece of the virtual pie too! They’re probably just looking for terrorists though…
Got to look out for the snakes in the weeds. Sneaky and slippery beasts.
These guys need to upgrade to Men in Black (MIB) attire .
Boxers and a suit are a lame combination for federal agents
I don’t think they should be in Second life – then again if it were a real terrorist chat room or something I would be glad they were looking out .
-RB
What? The FBI doesn’t pay enough?
Well, in a virtual world, information is still information. Think about possible crimes in terms of how purely they are “informational.” Plagiarism would be 100%.
Gambling would be purely informational, but currency is involved. Does the gambling involve Linden dollars? How wouldn’t that be online gambling?
Well, can’t Lindens be easily converted into real dollars? So setting up a casino on US servers could be construed as Harrah’s going and setting up a casino online and using chips as their currency to be exchanged later to dollars.
I don’t think it matters, but I can see why the FBI would be interested in looking into something like this before companies that have different motives than Linden Labs starts applying this model to their own business.
The US gov’t is retarded for even bothering to make online gambling illegal. Now they have to worry about Second Life “gambling.” How pathetic this current administration is.
@Fuzzy House of Fun
Wow. Just. Wow.
Signs of virtual Apocalypse Now.
oh! my tax dollars! *gasp*
There is only one reason online gambling is illegal in the US and that’s because the government hates competition. Its a pathetic, aniquated law that is now affecting online advancement and development. Make it legal and monitor the companies doing it (to keep out organized crime) and there will be an explosion of development and profitability on the web (and secondlife), not to mention increased tax revenue. Remember, the web (and virtual worlds) are worldwide in scope and try as it might, the US will never be able to bend the entire world to its aniquated wishes. Might as well just adapt and be part of the party than fight it every step of the way… Look how well fighting progress has worked for the RIAA. Steadily declining sales, pissed of consumers, archaic DRM — what a mess. Now the EMI/Apple deal is about to blow away their relevance completely, unless they seriously change their stance.
Like they have nothing better to do!!!!!!!!
I agree, hasn’t the government has it’s ass handed to it enough when trying to regulate or crack down on things like gambling, drugs and porn? They can’t even keep regular gambling under control.
I do think that secondlife however has created a great place to launder and hide money, not pay taxes etc. Even better, check out entropia universe!
thats pretty funny that the government would worry about a virtual game and they are slipping in the real world.
Second life is really becoming real.
How do you know you are brilliant? When you write an article just like John before you read his. LOL
Great post John! I think the G-men felt naked without their hardware and calling for backup was a real biatch!
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Hey, it worked!
http://valleywa...feds-249707.php
“Any controversy, over illegal gambling or copyright infringement, creates the impression that Second Life is a vibrant alternative society, and economy. Which it’s not. The FBI probably isn’t making an issue out of virtual-world gambling, because the casinos are so empty (see picture). There are more convenient ways to gamble online. For Linden Lab, better a synthetic scandal, tailormade for the press, than the depressingly bare reality”
Second Life is dead once everyone (well except IE) has 3D in their browser in a year
What right does the US goverment have to cyberspace? And if you realize what is going on, it’s another invasion of privacy. I’m sick and tired of all these Goverments in the world. There fucking the people more and more,there fucking up the earth with there Geoenginnering, They invent better wepons for destroying life, but still can’t feed the starving people in the world, and now they have to invade a GAME. Wake up people they want to control everything in your life, even how you simpley just want to entertine yourself. So enjoy it now cause these assholes see people having fun and ther looking for an excuse to shut it down!
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