I’m not quite ready to roll out my “I like Macon Hay” campaign, but it makes little difference; even God doesn’t read press releases on Sunday.

But I’ve got something to show you. Countless wagering opportunities exist in the Second Life world: cards, dice, slots, roulette, and what-have-you. Moreover, these games are entirely unregulated by the Second Life administrators, who apparently prefer a caveat emptor policy.

That’s all well and good; I’m something of a libertarian myself. But remember, these are not real dice, nor are they real cards or a real roulette wheel. They are graphic simulations of these objects, driven by programs which cannot be inspected by the wagerer. I’m not accusing any particular game of being crooked; I’m just saying I have no way of knowing whether any of them is honest, and neither does anyone else. How’s that for a caveat?

Back in Friday’s post, I idly wondered if all the online gambling going on there might be construed as violating certain ordinances against online gambling. Sure, the players are risking “Linden dollars” and not real money… but those Linden dollars cost real money, and are redeemed for real money.

Linden dollars have very little value — each one is worth less than a third of a cent — and maybe that’s why the feds haven’t taken notice yet. I mean, who cares about shutting down a rinky 1/3 cent slot machine? It’s so petty it’s laughable.

But those thirds of cents add up. Here’s a screenshot I grabbed last night, in one of the Second Life casinos.

This rather crudely conceived slot machine costs L$20,000 per spin! That’s more than 65 American dollars.

I’m no lawyer, and so I won’t venture an opinion myself, but a case could certainly be made that these games are really gambling, i.e., risking money on games of chance. What do y’all think?

NEXT: Macon Hay must die!