The Problem With Virtual Goods
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The Problem With Virtual Goods
1–10 of 22 posts
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#2problems with virtual goods are same as problems in stock exchanges witch is also some form of computer game.
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#3I would think that playing with real money online would have more complicated legal issues, since you're not just a game, you're effectively an online casino.
For instance, you wouldn't be able to market your game in the states, since it's illegal to have transactions with online gambling services.
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#4I would think that playing with real money online would have more complicated legal issues, since you're not just a game, you're effectively an online casino. For instance, you wouldn't be able to market your game in the states, since it's illegal to have transactions with online gambling services.
The legal issues are solved by Betable (http://developers.betable.com/developers/signin). Betable already has gambling licenses which have been issued to them by the UK Gambling Commission (http://bit.ly/mSX3kN). They act as the backend to your game and handle all gambling related activity and compliance. Because the game just acts as a pass-through front end, and never handles any of the gambling activity, it is not a gambling operator, and therefore, it doesn't need a license. Instead, Betable acts as the operator and is licensed.
Betable supports virtual currency, so if you wanted to market your game to players in the US, you can create a virtual currency version of your game, market it everywhere in the world, and only expose the real-money gaming functionality to players in legal jurisdictions (e.g. those outside of the US, Turkey and Holland).
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#5Gambling used to be a big business in Second Life (the virtual world), until Linden Lab banned it outright.
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Policy_R...
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#6Gambling used to be a big business in Second Life (the virtual world), until Linden Lab banned it outright. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Policy_R...
Now, they could piggy-back on Betable's licenses and legally offer a casino in Second Life.
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#7problems with virtual goods are same as problems in stock exchanges witch is also some form of computer game.
Well stock exchanges offer tangible value for people who participate. The value of virtual good is limited and is basically a consumption good. Adding gambling to social games allow users to extract value from their favorite games.
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#8problems with virtual goods are same as problems in stock exchanges witch is also some form of computer game.
Ahhh! I'm scared of the stock exchanges witch!
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#9I think the author of this article forgot that online gambling is illegal. Or at least, it's illegal for (US) banks to process money coming from gambling websites.
Re: The Problem With Virtual Goods
#10I think the author of this article forgot that online gambling is illegal. Or at least, it's illegal for (US) banks to process money coming from gambling websites.
I don't think they forgot that. There is a big world outside of the US that CAN gamble and bet LEGALLY online. Using Betable (http://developers.betable.com/developers/signin), game devs can reach the massive Ex-US audience (remember, 60% of Zynga's traffic is outside of the US), and monetize them >100X better (traditional online casinos generate about $300/month per player on average) than they currently do using virtual goods, virtual currency, etc.