Second Life Casino Gambling Probed by FBI

The FBI is probing virtual casinos in the Second Life online social networking game, to see if any U.S. laws have been broken.

SECOND LIFE

For those who are unfamiliar with the site, Second Life is a virtual world found on the Internet. It was created by Linden Research Inc., who provide the interactive software which powers the game. In Second Life, "residents" are allowed to communicate and interact with other players, become involved in group activities and even trade virtual goods. This might be through barter, or through use of virtual money called "Linden dollars".

Second Life acts as a social networking website. Members create identities on this virtual world and live lives through these identities. People are able to make friends and socialize online through a safe, anonymous online identity.
LINDEN DOLLARS

But over the months and years, a built-in economic system has grown with the game. While the site is free, players can become premium residents with an out-of-game fee. These players can also buy Linden dollars with real dollars.

The Second Life Story got interesting when virtual casinos popped up in the game. Residents of Second Life can go to these casinos and play using Linden dollars. Since these can be traded for real money, players are essentially playing online poker for the potential to win real money amounts.

That's where the FBI Second Life gambling probes come in.

THE VIRTUAL FBI

When U.S. authorities began cracking down on online gambling in the last year, Second Life noticed an upswing in gambling on their website. Now the FBI is getting interested in this activity. Whether by coincidence or not, Second Life became famous in 2006 and early 2007, around the time that online gambling was made difficult and (borderline) illegal in the United States.

With over 4,000,000 residents in the Second Life worlds, there are hundreds of virtual casinos. So the FBI and Linden Research Inc. want to know whether these virtual casinos are illegal. Linden Inc. asked the FBI to look at the sites and give a determination. If they are deemed illegal, Second Life appears ready to shut down these virtual casinos.

WHAT A WASTE OF TIME

The case of Second Life underscores the stupidity of America's anti-gambling laws. The FBI is wasting its time deciding whether make-believe casinos in a make-believe internet world are illegal. That's just idiotic.

This game was created for geeks to waste hours of their time socializing with other geeks. The more real the game, the more of a simulation Second Life is of real life. So, wow, these people introduced money into the system. Now law-abiding citizens who are minding their own business have the government intruding into their private lives.

Second Life Casino Gambling Probed by FBI