Legal Opinion: Gambling in MMOs

[RobinStarwing]

So, as you all know I started playing EVE Online before a War got going. A war to basically take everything of the Goonswarm. The background for this war can be found in these news stories.

http://www.pcgamer.com/how-a-failed-...t-battle-ever/

http://evenews24.com/2016/03/26/what...-in-the-north/

Now the reason I bring this up is this article from the website owned by the losing side in this conflict...

https://www.themittani.com/features/...als-ccp-and-me

And a counter argument...

http://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2016/0...isk-story.html

Namely, I am wanting to sort fact from fiction and false logic. Maybe Snake could take this bull by the horns?

[Bard The 5th LW]

I don't know about the legality (I'd assume its illegal though) but I think real money gambling in MMO's is certainly unethical since I feel MMO's feed off addictive personalities anyways. I know that EVE is rather infamous for draining real world dosh as well.

[RobinStarwing]

Originally Posted by Bard The 5th LW

I don't know about the legality (I'd assume its illegal though) but I think real money gambling in MMO's is certainly unethical since I feel MMO's feed off addictive personalities anyways. I know that EVE is rather infamous for draining real world dosh as well.

Well with the sites like IWI, you are gambling with ISK in game so I am wondering if this is walking on legal line or (as we all suspect) is The Mittani and his followers trying to save face (and themselves).

RMT is something CCP works very hard to combat...too the point that they only recently have a forgiveness/pardon program for first-time offenders as long as they come clean on their own.

Kinda hoping Snake can shed some light on this.

[Flarecobra]

Well, with regard to online gambling, it really varies by region. There are places that allow online gambling, and other places where it is illegal. To my knowledge, it depends on if the region you live in allows it or not in terms of legality.

[Menarker]

And sadly, even the depiction of gambling has taken a big hit.

The slot machine used to be a feature in the pokemon games before that was removed in later generations due to changing regulations on gambling, especially on games dedicated to youths, even though no actual real money changed hands in those mini-games. So it would make sense that actual gambling would be dealt with more severely.

[Flarecobra]

Originally Posted by Menarker

And sadly, even the depiction of gambling has taken a big hit.

The slot machine used to be a feature before that was removed in later generations due to changing regulations on gambling, especially on games dedicated to youths, even though no actual real money changed hands in those mini-games. So it would make sense that actual gambling would be dealt with more severely.

Yeah, I recall that being the best minigame in the Pokemon games...

[RobinStarwing]

Originally Posted by Menarker

And sadly, even the depiction of gambling has taken a big hit.

The slot machine used to be a feature in the pokemon games before that was removed in later generations due to changing regulations on gambling, especially on games dedicated to youths, even though no actual real money changed hands in those mini-games. So it would make sense that actual gambling would be dealt with more severely.

Originally Posted by Flarecobra

Yeah, I recall that being the best minigame in the Pokemon games...

Both true. As I said though...opinion is leaning on the article from TheMittani was a propaganda piece trying to turn opinion against the backers of the MoneyBadger Coalition. It hasn't worked and a lot of the points it raises got shot down as being based on false assumptions.

[Aerozord]

Gambling in most regions is only illegal if its money for money transactions. Pachinko parlors for example get away with it because you trade the tokens you win for cash in grey market third party regions.

Gambling systems are in alot of games. Both real world and digital card games feature paying money for a random chance to get what you want. You also have the same psychological effect of gambling whenever you get random drops like in most MMOs

Personally I only find it especially unethical in cases like TF2 loot crates since you HAVE to spend real world money to open them and they are intentionally designed to tempt people.

Just to be clear TF2 loot crates are a bad example of specifically gambling in games. Lots of F2P games use far worse psychological traps to form compulsive behavior but its not gambling per se.

[Bard The 5th LW]

Originally Posted by Flarecobra

Yeah, I recall that being the best minigame in the Pokemon games...

Ehhhh I used to like it once upon a time, but playing Yellow again recently made me realize that Heartgold/Soulsilver were probably on the right track replacing it. The new minigame actually required some skill and thought.