If there's one thing we here at Joystiq constantly find ourselves thinking while playing Tomb Raider games, it's "Man, if only this experience could be translated into an online video slot machine." Well someone at Belle Rock Entertainment must have had a window into our souls, because the group has just unveiled Tomb Raider: The Secret of the Sword, a new video slot for their online casinos.

The machine isn't based directly on the games, unfortunately. Instead, it promises to "faithfully capture the gripping excitement and suspense of the original movie" with "a glossy 5 reel 30 pay-line multi-faceted package." Fans of the movie will be happy to know that the "randomly triggered Super Mode" and "Global Adventure Bonus" have been faithfully captured here. The Secret of the Sword joins a similar Hitman slot machine in the annals of lame cross-marketing ideas for Eidos products impressive and engaging Eidos slot machine ports.

Each week Mark Methenitis contributes Law of the Game on Joystiq, a column on legal issues as they relate to video games:


Well, it's GDC week, which likely means no one will be reading 'Law of the Game on Joystiq.' I can't say I blame you ... However, I just got back from the Gaming Law Minefield conference, and I feel like writing about MMORPG gambling. So, if you can pry yourself away from the real-time GDC updates for a few minutes, it's time for this week's Law of the Game on Joystiq. But first, a little shameless self promotion in the way of background: I've been writing about the MMORPG gambling idea since December 2005, which, best as I can tell, makes me one of the earliest legal commentators on the matter, and my commentary spans my SSRN account and Law of the Game. If you want a pretty complete background on MMORPG gambling legal issues, feel free to read up. If, on the other hand, you'd rather get a summary and get back to your GDC coverage, read the next couple paragraphs.

MMO gambling, when linked to currency with a real world value, is essentially the same as any other online gambling. The first major issue in the early years of MMO gambling was what constituted a tie to "real world value," as games with eBay economies were a gray area. Games such as SecondLife were much more clearly linked to real currency. Given that MMO games have the freedom to incorporate practically anything imaginable, they can have any of the types of online gambling integrated into the game, or to a lesser extent, acted out by players (i.e., player sponsored tournaments with a gold buy in and prize) without integration. So, like any other online gambling system, there were the perpetual issues of access by minors, taxation, and, of course, the endlessly murky waters of differing gambling regulations worldwide. Things took a rather abrupt turn with the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in the United States at the end of 2006.

Exacting revenge for all those times we said, "This is mediocre," publisher Midway has announced "This is Vegas," shortly before kicking us into a mysterious pit acting as little more than a receptacle for cynical gamers and woefully outdated movie references. So what, pray tell, is this ... This is Vegas?

According to the press release, it's "an open world, lifestyle action experience, where players will live out their Vegas fantasies by fighting, gambling, driving and partying their way through the most decadent, fast-paced and wildest city in the world." Said gambling, driving and partying will occur in a world devised by Midway's internal studio, Surreal Software. The Suffering and Drakan developer is currently aiming for a Winter 2008 release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Studio head Alan Patmore says the team is "thrilled" to indulge our "wildest Vegas fantasies," though fails to specify whether that includes the one where we become an inconsiderate, alcoholic grandmother addicted to shaking hands with the one-armed bandit. There will, however, be "partying in the hottest night clubs, racing in underground circuits," playing at the tables, impromptu barroom brawls and (presumably) other exciting, lifestyle action experiences. This is Vegas, baby.

It's that time of year again. Yes, it's the Las Vegas convention season, and between CES and D.I.C.E., many of the gaming faithful will have been in casino central before the end of February, including my own trip to the Gaming Law Minefield conference. This means bloggers are more drunk and broke than usual. It also means it's time to talk about gambling and how it may soon have a greater impact on video gaming. In fact, video game gambling has been a hot topic as of late, between MMO gambling and Kwari, among other stories. As an idea, video game gambling is relatively new.

Gambling, and gambling laws, on the other hand, have been around for quite some time. Games themselves fall into a range between two extremes: Games of Pure Chance and Games of Pure Skill. Chance games are ones where the player has literally no impact on the outcome of the game. The classic example is a lottery, where no matter what you do, you can't change the odds of your numbers being drawn on any given entry. Skill games, on the other hand, have no elements of chance whatsoever. The classic example of a pure skill game is chess, given that there are no random elements in the game; the outcome is determined solely by the skill of the two players. Most games, from blackjack to backgammon to baccarat to Bubble Bobble, falls somewhere between chance and skill.

There's usually not that much overlap between the gaming industry (the gambling one) and the gaming industry (the one you actually are about). That seems poised to change, though, as the New York Times reports slot machine manufacturers are adding skill-based gaming elements to the one-armed bandits in an effort to attract new players. "We can't just make a slot thinking about the 55-year-old lady who comes to the casino a few times a month," said Rob Bone, marketing director for WMS Gaming. "We need to appeal to new buckets of players, or we'll die."

To that end, Bally Technologies has signed a deal with Atari to make machines based on Pong and Breakout, which let you play simplified versions of the games during a bonus round. Don't get too excited, though -- your gaming skills won't let you break the bank at Vegas. As the Times points out, "skill will take a player only so far as these machines are still calibrated to pay out less money than they take in." That's OK though ... back in the '80s we put money into these games without expecting to get any money back.

[Thanks Vlad]

A new bill to be proposed by Florida Rep. Robert Wexler (D) would seek to exempt "games of skill" from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). While the obvious goal is to protect poker from the UIGEA, the bill would presumably allow for the establishment of online betting networks for most video games. While casinos in Second Life (featuring games of chance, like slots, roulette, etc.) would remain illegal, theoretically, a company could establish a site that took round by round bets on Halo 3 matches, inviting leet slayers to put they monies where they mouths at.

Of course, the UIGEA was established in part to quell the enormous debt that online poker players have amassed, so don't expect this bill to float on by Congress. Still, just imagine the hustler-like subculture that would grow from out of the basements of red-eyed gaming junkies if the bill did pass. Sorta terrifying. Sorta tempting.

[Thanks, dark54555]

Tired of playing games for near-meaningless Gamerscore points or leaderboard rankings? If you live in Illinois, you may soon be able to play games for cold hard cash instead.

The Illinois legislature recently passed HB1124, which would allow residents to place bets on "a contest of 2 or more individuals" in "an electronic video game simulating a contest requiring skill, experience, dexterity, and precision." The key clause here is "requiring skill," so traditional luck-based gambling games like blackjack or video poker are out while games "requiring speed and accuracy of response to factual questions," for instance, are in.

While the law is likely intended to allow gambling on the touchscreen games often seen in bars, we can't see why it wouldn't also allow Illinoisans to legally place bets on Halo 2 matches, for instance. The bill still has to be signed into law by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, though, so don't go placing money on your skill with headshots just yet.

[Update: Law of the Game has further analysis of what is and isn't allowed under the bill. We'll take his word over ours since he actually seems to have some legal experience.]

[Via Gaming Today]

Tournament.com is looking for a few good beta testers and giving the participants $1 credit for every match they complete before the official launch later this spring. Tournament.com is looking to become a skill-based tournament environment where players compete for real money. Co-founder Marcus Pearcey says, "Much like golfers or chess players can compete against each other in tournaments, Tournament.com users can prove their skills and make some cash in secure, fair, competitive matches that reward winners with more than just bragging rights." Tournament.com has received the rights to use Valve games Counter Strike and Half-Life 2 for the beta, they plan to announce more titles after the beta.

Of course, this sounds just a tad bit like gambling, but Tournament.com insists this is skill-based competition. There is a list of locations that believe this is gambling and won't allow you to play. Competitors are only allowed to place $150 USD into their account every month to wager $1 to $10 on their competitions -- you must also be 18 or older to participate. The beta testers who receive the $1 credit per round need to use up their credit value before they can cash out. For gamers into competition, the stakes just got real. The $150 cap prevents us from saying that this is just begging for intervention. Tournament.com doesn't sound any different than bars that hold gaming competitions with buy-ins. Just make sure to check that the software is legal to download in your location before you go trying to pwn n00bs for cash.

"Adam Reuters," the adorable virtual persona of real-life reporter Adam Pasick, breaks a story on FBI agents checking up on the virtual gambling in nerd hangout Second Life. Since gambling isn't legal in most of the US, it presumably isn't legal on the internet either, even when it's using "Cuddle Bucks" or whatever the pretend currency in Second Life is. So far, the Feds haven't shut anything down, but stay tuned ... any time now, a whole lot of furries may have to find another place to play the slots.

[Via Second Life Insider]

Christian Sellergren, a professional gamer who led Team Eyeballers to the 2004 CPL Counter-Strike championship, apparently took his own life last November over massive debts accrued from online gambling. The news trickled down to us through a rough translation of a recent story about the death in Swedish paper Aftonbladet.

According to the report, the 21-year-old Sellergren, who went by "divino" online, turned his competitive instincts to online gambling after retiring from the eSports scene. Sellergren lost his job and accrued over $13,000 in debt to fuel his addiction, which he kept from parents and friends.

While stories about pro gamers with six figure salaries and major sponsorship deals may make you think the scene is all about glitz and glamor, this story shows that is not always the case. Our sympathies go out to all of Sellergren's friends and family. If you think someone you know may have a gambling problem, please don't wait until it's too late. Get help.

[Thanks Will]

Every other week Scott Jon Siegel contributes Off the Grid, a column on gaming away from the television screen or monitor.

Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of LCR. My exposure to the game came from my brother, who was presented with a copy -- along with everyone else in the studio audience -- as part of Rachel Ray's Thanksgiving special a few weeks back. It was one of four token gifts handed out to audience members before the über-surprise -- brand new cellphones for everyone! -- was announced. Having no need for what he quickly dismissed as "Dreidel with dice," my brother passed the game along to me.

LCR comes packaged in a clear plastic tube, containing two-dozen red plastic chips, three special LCR dice, and a small one-sided sheet of paper with the rules. The packaging describes it as "the new game that everyone's getting hooked on." It looked modest enough, but its purported popularity certainly piqued my interest.

Am I endorsing LCR? It's certainly not on par with classics like Settlers of Catan, or even cultural mainstays like Life or Monopoly. But no game is without potential. By itself, LCR may be dull, but the smallest twist, tweak, or hack can breathe life into even the stalest gameplay experience.

The rules for LCR are basic enough, calling for a minimum of three players to be seated in a circle. Each player is given three chips to start. During his/her turn, a player rolls all three LCR dice. For every 'L' rolled, the player passes a chip to the left. For every 'R,' a chip to the right. For each 'C,' a player adds a chip to the center pot. The three sides of the dice with dots on them do nothing. Play continues in one direction until only one player has any chips left. If a player has no chips left, that player is still in the game, but does not roll dice during his/her turn. A player with two chips rolls only two dice, and a player with only one chip rolls one die. The last player with chips remaining wins the game.

The notable upside to these rules is that nobody in the game gets eliminated. Even if you're out of chips, you could be back in the game easily if the adjacent players roll an 'L' or 'R' in your favor. The downside, however, is that gameplay is completely based on chance, and skill has no part in it whatsoever. The unpredictability might make LCR fun for the first few rounds, but where do you go from there?

Well, for starters, you turn to gambling and booze.

Is it luck or is it skill? That's the question at the center of the debate over Tic Tac Fruit, a video game popular in many Ohio bars. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro argues that the machine is an illegal, luck-based gambling device and has given Ohio bars until Nov. 11 to remove it from the premise or face sanctions. The game's maker, Ohio Skill Games, sees it differently, arguing on their web site that "Tic Tac Fruit and all of its variations are games of skill. Meaning that the outcome of each game is dependent on the players [sic] skill."

It's hard to say which side is in the right. At first glance, the game resembles a video slot machine, with three columns of three symbols each rolling to a stop with each play. The skill part, the manufacturer argues, comes when players places a wild square to maximize the payout, although the ability to do this correctly seems pretty elementary.

Ohio Skill Games backs up its argument with what it calls "the best legal team in the state of Ohio," ensuring that the attorney general's decision won't go unchallenged. In June, the manufacturer agreed to update the game's software in a settlement with the City of Columbus.

Watch - February news story on gambling games in Ohio
Read - AP story on recent attorney general order