Virtual Worlds Forum

The game may be up for gamblers inside Second Life. It turns out FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Internet casinos at the invitation of the virtual world's creator Linden Lab. But so far the U.S. government has not decided on the legality of gambling inside virtual worlds Since the Linden dollar can be exchanged for U.S. dollars, the opportunity for making money is obvious. Hundreds of casinos offering poker, slot machines and blackjack can easily be found in Second Life. According to some reports the three largest poker casinos are earning profits of a modest $1,500 each per month. The trouble is, something may look like gambling but not actually be gambling. As a Linden Labs spokesperson said, a 3D simulation of a casino may not be the same thing as a casino, legally speaking. Plus there is no way to monitor or prevent gambling in Second Life. But what we'd like to know is what did the FBI agents go in looking like? Were they wearing ear pieces and dark sunglasses for instance?