Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Will I be banned for a community based in-game 'input' gambling.
Lord Newbon
Member
I am planning on making my own Community based buy in lottery system (because i plan on no-lifeing the game). Like an International Lottery, with medium pay in's so new people can opt-in and big pay out's. But with the server monitoring, (which Steven has noted about while on a Twitch Interview). Which on that basis, would notice I am getting an influx of money from sources that are not NPC quests and Materials. Would I be banned for such activity or will it be based on a deeper search on things like that and not just be a flat ban? 
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Comments
I'm willing to bet that the security monitoring system won't straight up ban a user on sight, but rather flag them for the in-game GMs to investigate. Depending on the situation they may temporarily suspend the accounts in question until they can pin down how and where the money came from and if RMT was involved.
As for the whole gambling thing, assuming the game has a teen rating (which it probably will) then it can include "simulated gambling" which is essentially gambling using in-game currency rather than real world money, so in theory it should be fine.
But of course, gambling in games is a pretty touchy topic right now so that all might change between now and the game release.
The general requirements to qualify as gambling and be subject to gambling laws are:
One of the ways that gambling in gaming is currently being worked out is over loot boxes. As this resolves, we will find out what we risk by running illegal gambling in an RPG.
https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/19/16783136/loot-boxes-video-games-gambling-legal
Since Ashes will have animal husbandry, I'm hoping there will also be \o/ mount racing \o/ events, either player held or implemented as a system (e.g. add a race track & race club to high level economic or military node), so artisans have one more reason to breed for the fastest mount
And along the same line, a betting-enabled pet-battle-arena might also be nice
As for your lottery idea, I don't think it should be allowed unless all randomization occurs and is trackable in game. if it's some external website where people sign up and you generate the winner I think it would be too easy to use to disguise real money transfers. If it's in-game randomization then when a GM is ineveitably flagged to look at the transfer, they can check that the money was actually given to a random player and not just some gold buyer that the organizer claims is a random winner.
The only way Gambling will be made illegal in the game itself is if the ESRB ratings were changed, because right now (as I said in my previous post), "simulated gambling", which is gambling for in-game items/currency rather than real world currency, is perfectly fine in a Teen Rated Game. So right now, you could have a full-blown Poker game in Ashes and it would be fine as long as you could only wager in-game currency.
The issue with loot boxes is entirely different, because there is real world money involved. If you pay real world money for a loot box, that is "real gambling" rather than "simulated gambling". In order for a game to have "real gambling" in it, you need to have an 18+ rating, which naturally the game companies don't want because they will get less sales from it.
Basically this means that if loot boxes are confirmed as real gambling (which they should be in my opinion), then companies like EA and Activision and Ubisoft have 2 choices - Get rid of the loot boxes, or get an 18+ rating for all games that have them.
Now of course, if the ESRB changed their rating system so that Teen rated games cannot include any kind of gambling (simulated or otherwise) then the OP might well be in trouble.
Yes, falling within those guidelines as you do qualifies as gambling. Qualifying in gambling in video games may become illegal before long. Just something to keep an eye on.
I would think that only gambling for in game currencies, materials, or weapons will help you; although, if such items can be sold online for cash I could see the possibility of counting them as real world cash equivalents.
I agree that you are currently correct and quite possibly correct long term. However, game items in many games can be sold online and could be viewed as a proxy for cash. Poker chips have no value until essentially sold to the casino.
I just think that it is something that a person who wants to run an in game casino should be aware of rather than totally ignore. Ashes is probably a couple years away from release and relevant laws may have had some significant changes by then given current cases.
Every time I see players try to do this it inevitably leads to large guilds forming and eventually turning the odds more and more in the guilds favor. Often time these activities also lead to scamming, and can be especially harmful to those that are pre-disposed to addictive behaviors. Do I think the devs need to hand hold every single player? No, I do not. But this type of activity only serves to enrich the hosts of these activities while preying on the vulnerable. There really isn't any true benefit from this type of stuff.
There is a reason games like Runescape outright banned these types of activities.
once again it is going to be monitored. In the event of RMT there is a list of procedure for it. It will get handled.
However, there are a number of bodies (notably but not exclusively the EU) that are currently debating rewriting their laws around all forms of online gambling.
One of the things being looked at is if it is possible to turn real money in to the currency being gambled, even if via a black or gray market, and via a third party.
The reasons for this are obvious, in that gambling any token that can be transferred to money is materially the same as gambling money. It wouldn't be hard for someone in the position the OP wants to be in to then sell in game gold on a third party website, making the whole thing an actual gambling ring abusing a legal loophole
These rewrites are likely to take years, so the OP is likely still probably mostly fine. There will just be things they would need to keep an eye on - just because they are within the law today, doesn't mean that will be the case always.
Now, I don't really have a problem with lotteries in general, as long as the people in charge are open, fair about the odds and their own profits, and, most importantly, are accountable to the law.
Unless the lottery system is 100% designed to run ingame only, where the money are deposited in an untouchable bank, and the winners are selected by the game itself, I don't trust anyone to run a lottery in AOC. There are so many ways to cheat and scam if left to the players, and I don't want to see it in the game at all, unless it's fully supported by Intrepid and run through ingame systems only.
They have stated that Mod programs will not be allowed for this game. It is actually one of the things I agree with as I hated how players felt obligated to download mods from other sources just to feel competitive(Worlds of Warcraft). They want players to play the game as designed. They do not want players to download programs that make events easier than what was designed.
If a gambling system is going to be put in, then I imagine they will place one. Allowing for this kind of behavior opens up a couple of problems similar to how allowing Mods can burden and take away from the enjoyment of the actual game.
One problem is that for every honest player, there will be dishonest ones that attempt to take advantage of the situation. I would love to think that every player who plays this game will be honest folk, but that is not realistic at all. There will be players who play this game simply for real life financial gain.
The other problem, and the problem that more effects me, is that I cannot stand the chat spam of these gambling services. I hate advertising in all its forms and especially in a game that I want to be able to relax in and enjoy.
There are many ways to make gold in this game. I do not like the ways that can involve irritating factors such as chat spam and not so honest folk. It would be simpler just to not allow the process.