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Changes in Law May Make Elements of MMOs illegal

July 04, 2007 in News comments 5

A new law defines gambling as any game of chance that involves winning a prize, with "game of chance" being defined as any game which involves elements of both chance and skill, or where superlative skill can eliminate chance (oxymoronic, surely?), and a prize as cash prizes, products and virtual prizes which can be exchanged for money.

Law firm Campbell Hooper has warned that unless they take action now, some MMO operators risk their games being deemed illegal when a new law comes into force later this year.

"In September the remaining provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 will finally come into force. Its main purpose is to update the law on gambling, which in some cases is over 50 years old and is therefore inadequate for the modern world," Campbell Hooper's Alex Chapman told GamesIndustry.biz.
Deis via gamesindustry.biz »
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  • 0
    JJBDude Jul 4, 07
    Pfttt this annoys me, don't let yourself get hooked into gambing, it's easy. To know they are taking the steps of ruining the way things operate in a game frustrates me.
  • 0
    Sungod Okami Jul 4, 07
    What about fairground games? If the law defines gambling as a game of chance where you win cash, products, or virtual prizes, wouldn't a fairground game be the same thing? Those are games of chance where you can win a stuffed animal and whatnot. So if a 12-year-old kid goes to the fair and plays throw-a-ring-on-the-bowling-pin, he's gambling underage?

    I don't understand how this affects MMO's, though. If gambling is a game of CHANCE (MMO's use skill) in which cash, products, or virtual prizes WHICH CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR CASH are awarded (they don't give you cash, they don't give you products, and the virtual prizes can't be exchanged for cash), then I don't understand how this applies to the gaming world...
  • -1
    Final Blade Jul 4, 07
    Im sorry this confuses the hell out of me
  • 0
    Sungod Okami Jul 4, 07
    Here I'll put it so it's less complicated:

    There is this new law that makes it so any game of chance that gives you a prize like cash, products, or a virtual prize that can be exchanged for cash, is gambling.

    I don't understand how this affects MMO's (World of Warcraft, Runescape) because those games are games of skill, not chance, and they don't give you a prize in the form of cash, products, or virtual prizes that can be exchanged for cash. (The prizes are virtual but they have no monetary value.)
  • 0
    Storm Jul 4, 07
    This is really ridiculous. First off, like Sungod Okami mentioned, I don't know of any MMO's that involve real cash prizes or anything of that sort. I know Guild Wars doesn't do it.

    I remember reading something about this earlier this year. Pointless, to be honest.

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