SL bans gambling, blames lawmakers

[strredwolf]

http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/07/25/wagering-in-second-life-new-policy/

Crap.  No SL gambling due to local laws.  I just removed the poker table from the SL-borne Shotgun Shells.  I will be writing to my lawmakers both state and federal about this.

EDIT: Emailed my congresscritters about the overall ban on gambling in the US. To explain: Linden Labs is forced to blanket-ban gambling -- state and federal laws in the US here where SL is headquartered are just too inconsistent and the international anti-gambling law violates international treaties. LL can't do a thing unless US citizens contact their state government and federal CongressCritters about it. Furs in Canada should do the same, since gambling itself is banned there too. Furs in countries tied to the World Trade Organization need to bug their goverment in backing Antigua in it's fight in the WTO's courts, which will put pressure on the US. The EU, Carribiean Islands, Japan, and India are already on board.

Comments

[oby.livejournal.com]

That's what we all should do! I don't mind gambling being regulated to an extent like it is in Las Vegas, but outright banning it takes away from individuals' freedoms.

Although people in SL are all yelling at Linden Lab, it's the U.S. and state governments that are making the laws that make it so LL can't allow this activity.

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

The up-shot is, the US itself is in violation of an international treaty that says "You will allow gambling." Everyone's going to start ganging up on the US and saying "If you don't fix this, we won't honor any treaty since you're not honoring the WTO treaty."

[kesarra.livejournal.com]

I doubt gambling will be the one international treaty/law that trumps all the other broken ones and gets countries to stand up to the US.