Second Life Takes A Lead From The US

11.7.2007 | 5:15 am | News, casinos, gambling

In a move which many have claimed to be too heavy handed, Second Life owners Linden Research have banned all casinos, gambling and games of chance from their hugely successful virtual world.  They have citied problems with the US law and possible interpretation by the authorities as the reason, but many members of Second Life are up in arms about the move. 

For those who have never heard of Second Life, it is the most successful virtual world simulator of all time, with traditional businesses being managed from inside the virtual world.  The community also has its own currency, which can be converted into any of the more traditional currencies such as dollars, pounds, etc.  It seemed like a natural progression to include an array of gambling facilities into this virtual world, with casinos proving very popular among the millions who “inhabit” this world.

Second Life was only set up in 2003 but it has quickly become the most successful of the many virtual worlds now available on the internet.  It is the life like actions, businesses and members of the society who have spawned a massive growth in the community with many webmasters actually living off their Second Life income – indeed last year we saw the first millionaire created by the mysterious world!

It will be interesting to see what action the administrators of this world take as and when the online casino / gambling laws are relaxed because there is no doubt that it might be a new market for some of the major casino companies in due course. 

Will Second Life become the new Macau? Will online gambling ever be legalised in the US? While nobody actually knows the answer to these questions, the pressure being exerted on the US authorities continues to grow, with many claiming that it is only a matter of time before the rules are relaxed – perhaps after next years Presidential elections when the pressure to please the public may be off?