Via Reuters - “FBI investigators have visited Second Life’s Internet casinos at the invitation of the virtual world’s creator Linden Lab, but the U.S. government has not decided on the legality of virtual gambling.”

It took them this long to be bothered, and they had to be “invited?” Whenever I would look for populated areas in Second Life, every place would end up being a casino.

How does it work?

Second Life allows for advanced scripting, that means you can create a slot machine or similar gaming device. L$ or linden dollars can be purchased and sold at various virtual currency exchange sites on the web. Casino operators place parking chairs in their location that pays users to sit in them. This makes their location appear very populated on the world map thus attracting curious users. So, USD in -> L$ -> USD out.

Legal? Normal online gambling is in the US is a big enough of a mess; I wouldn’t touch it. As usual the Second Life creators appear so eager for press that they are inviting a criminal investigation into themselves and their users.

Considering how confusing Second Life is to anyone but hardline 3D nerds I would imagine the FBI are stratching their heads right now.