Chips are down in Second Life

Second Life has banned online gambling from its virtual world.

Residents who take part in games that rely on chance to determine a winner, or which depend on the outcome of a real-life sporting event and provide a payout, will be violating a new policy put in place by Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life.

Second Life - the business evolution

Click on the links below to see pictures of some of the many real-world businesses that have set up outposts in Second Life.

Toyota
Nissan
Intel
Dell
Cisco
IBM
Circuit City
Sears
Wired
ABN Amro
Samsung
Field Fisher Waterhouse
AOL
Adidas
Nissan
Sun Microsystems
Reebok
Penguin
American Apparel
Reuters
CNET Networks
PA Consulting
Yankee Stadium

The official Linden Lab blog explained: "Linden Lab and Second Life residents must comply with state and federal laws applicable to regulated online gambling, even when both operators and players of the games reside outside of the US."

The blog added: "Because this is an evolving area of law, we may continue to adjust and clarify this policy as we receive feedback from the community and from legal authorities, or as new regulations, industry practices and technology solutions come into effect."

Last year, President Bush signed a law forbidding online gambling in the US, although not all politicians are in favour of the ban.