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Shameless Man-Lover

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Just thinking of some of the recent cash-shop announcements,
though i know there has always been the blackjack and the slotmachines, but the two of those have never had very much attention given to them by the staff, and i can't remember seeing any announcements for those,

but recently there has been a wave for typical gambling-game related products released on the site, encouraging it's members, thus telling children at least 14 years of age, that gambling is good and that you should do it;
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i don't like the way Gaiaonline has encouraged us to buy things with GaiaCash in general as of late, but i don't think it's right to encourage children as young as the age of 14 that gambling is just fine.

On Gaiaonline, you win a price every time you play, even if it's not a good multi-milion price, it's still something. Gambling in real life, often result in you just loosing, and there are no consolation prices.

This is just a heads up, but to all of you out there, should a youth's community site really encourage children, teenagers, to gamble?

Golden Gawker

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>>>: I have thought about this too, and I think that Gaia should
post a link to a stop gambling help site along with their announcements.
Here in Sweden it's the law to have a link like that on gambling sites,
even if it's the smallest font at the bottom of the start page, it's still there.
I have no problem with gambling since I can't even buy gcash, and even
when I did, I rarely bought CI's, only the items I wanted directly.
But some people can't help themselves and buy a lot more than they should,
I've seen quite a few of these threads and it bothers me a little.

Winged Phantom

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Technically it's not gambling because the winnings have no monetary value... but it's a really shady line, and when it really comes down to it, I agree. It's creating an environment that glorifies playing chance with real money.

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I feel like the practice has gone on for so long with Chance Items that no one questions it.

Intergalactic Recruit

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Gaia's been doing this ever since the Chance Items (RIGs) first came out years ago. You don't need fancy casino related artwork images to come to that realization.

I'm not even sure if you could say it is children/teens who are the ones gambling, considering most of them don't have the money to do it or would never spend it on this. It's mostly the older Gaians who gamble, I would assume.

If they're anything like the Farmville FB or Webkinz crowd, I'd guess it's probably mostly housewives as it seems to be really popular with women ( my experience is based on my mom and all her 'friends' because she is pretty addicted to this stuff and shared it with a ridiculous amount of people), and I only assume it's housewives because a lot of the hardcore spenders seem to be on this site a hell of a lot... that, or they come on during work, or after work and do nothing else all day long until bed (like my mom - I can't even talk to her without her face in the computer). OTL

From what I remember, though, it's actually against Paypal's policy to gamble your money, however, places like Gaia and the FB games get around this because of the fake currency we are buying instead.

Vicious Brawler

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As nearly everyone else has said, it's not legally gambling - and gaming for non-cash prizes (such as you'll see in an arcade, which may even have RL valuable prizes) is considered far more acceptable and less harmful. In other words, what Gaia does is probably closer to Dave & Buster's or Chuck E. Cheese than Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods. (Or whatever your local substitutes for those are - the former being arcade chains, and the latter being casinos.)

Plus, as jettisoned corpse said, it's really targeting the adults. (In a way, one can say that in this way, Gaia is acknowledging it's not really a kids' site anymore - I have a feeling if we still had the demographics of 2006, TPTB would be far less aggressive.) I believe the largest user group nowadays is 20-24, who can legally gamble in most jurisdictions anyway.

Finally, you're about ten years late to this revelation. Gold Mountain's been around since...what, 2005? Although it's gold-only, its two games are a slot machine and blackjack, or actual casino games. Promotion of casino gaming is nothing new on Gaia.

I do think, though, that the sheer volume shows the problematic push for cash, which is by no means unique to Gaia. (Candy Crush and Farmville are notorious for this. In fact, one game I bought for my iPhone - Threes - trumpeted its lack of in-game purchases as a feature!) That, I think, is more harmful - the huge topline front-page "BUY NOW! HURRY! DON'T DELAY!" that greets you at the front of every page, the fact you get dumped in Rococo when all you want to buy is a GS shirt, the volume of announcements for cash products.

I also presume that this is actually your problem with these products, OP - with ten announcements a day about various RIG and Cash products, it can feel manipulative (certainly to me).

As a side note to Deoxtri: In the US, I believe any gambling advertisements have to carry a notice for gambling addiction - certainly in New Jersey (the state I live in). In fact, that notice is often in large font (although near the bottom of the ad). There might be one at the commuter rail station by my apartment - I'll have to check.

Festive Singing

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While, legally, it isn't considered gambling, I can't help but look at RIGS and Gold Generators and think of them as a form of gambling.

More so when you are paying cash for a chance at an item. You can see people claiming to be addicted to opening these RIGS in almost any thread with them. There is that mighty thrill for opening them and getting a rare item, or a lot of gold if you play gold generators.

Still, I can't help but remember neopets actually put an age limit on certain games that had this murky line. I feel like Gaia should perhaps do the same for RIGS that feature the 'double or half' mentality and those that feature a gambling theme. We shouldn't be encouraging teens to gamble. Yes you could win big, but you're much more likely to lose.

Bunny

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They should at least make more like the make it rain or dragon one if they are going too, its not BLATANTLY casino based.

Unholy Spark

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I've always thought Gaia encourages bad habits in young people and even not so young people. Specially with themes like these.

Special Snowflake

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I'm not into casino themed RIGs or GGs, it feels uncomfortable to me.Utilising casino based themes only adds to the whole view of it being "gambling" when it bleedin' isn't.

Though, I don't like the theme I don't care about the concept of GGs/RIGs.
Over the years users have frequently called them "gambling," and it really gets my goat. RIGs and GGs are no more gambling than kids collector sticker packs, trading cards (sports, game cards, etc), figure blind boxes, gacha coin machines, kinder eggs, or a whole range of other random bags. Please, it's not gambling, and I wish people would get over that hang up.

How ridiculous would it be if someone in real life were to say, "Eek gads man, someone stop that poor child from buying that random Hello Kitty sticker pack! Won't someone think of the children?!" rolleyes


I feel like the casino theme is too adult for an "everyone-rated" site when it's involving real money purchases. it's permissible with virtual gold coins because that's fake, and you know it's fake money. Kids can get pretend playing slot machines (you can even get toy slot machines in RL), or even match slots as mini-games in video games, that's fine. But the themes with real money toes the line for me, it's very much a grey area- and one that Gaia can't seem to stop doing for some reason. I feel like they want to promote casino based, win big themes. You're so much better than that Gaia, and you could do so much more creative themes- I just don't understand why you don't.

Invisible Codger

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Fiorii
While, legally, it isn't considered gambling, I can't help but look at RIGS and Gold Generators and think of them as a form of gambling.

More so when you are paying cash for a chance at an item. You can see people claiming to be addicted to opening these RIGS in almost any thread with them. There is that mighty thrill for opening them and getting a rare item, or a lot of gold if you play gold generators.

Still, I can't help but remember neopets actually put an age limit on certain games that had this murky line. I feel like Gaia should perhaps do the same for RIGS that feature the 'double or half' mentality and those that feature a gambling theme. We shouldn't be encouraging teens to gamble. Yes you could win big, but you're much more likely to lose.


this

Invisible Codger

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Phoenix Goliathane


Plus, as jettisoned corpse said, it's really targeting the adults. (In a way, one can say that in this way, Gaia is acknowledging it's not really a kids' site anymore - I have a feeling if we still had the demographics of 2006, TPTB would be far less aggressive.) I believe the largest user group nowadays is 20-24, who can legally gamble in most jurisdictions anyway.

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That's certainly the cse. They recognize adults and target adults for this advertising. but it doesn't mean kids aren't going to ask parents for money to buy those things too. They're pretty virtual items. Kids get hooked and addicted too. That's one of the issues.

Also, relating back to the first sentence about adults- if that's the case what's the point of the 18+ site? Like, really. It seems more of an excuse than an actual reason for the pump for GC.

Luxurious Accumulator

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Didn't TinierMe close for the US users because of the gambling themes base if the site?

Greedy Capitalist

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I'm not keen on the casino themes, the Gaia staff clearly don't get how serious those types of themes are...I don't understand why they can't use other themes, there's plenty of other things they can do, a pirate treasure map, a sunken ship scavenger haul, a gumball machine, a mystery box left on your doorstep, etc.

As for RIGs I don't feel like they're gambling any more than Pokemon/YGO/Magic trading card packs (trust me I've bought a lot of those packets and haven't necessarily gotten the cards I want) or gumball machines (I may want the red gumball but when I put £1 in I'll probably get a yellow one it's not a guarantee what colour I'll get)
You still get something for your money it's just random what you get, whereas gambling most of the time you walk away with absolutely nothing.

Greedy Capitalist

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The Black Tea Geisha
Didn't TinierMe close for the US users because of the gambling themes base if the site?

No, apparently it was a lot of compounded reasons, something about companies switching hands/pulling out and a bunch of other stuff including the "complete sheet" gatcha. (iirc from what people have said in the past)

The only thing that was made illegal about the Gatcha/RIGs on tinierme was the "complete sheet" concept. Like you'd have to get all the items in the RIG in order to get the last item of the collection.
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