Someone posted the contact info about the Swedish Gambling Authority" on one of the Entropia related facebook pages a while back and requested that others give them an email... I actually did it and the interesting little response is below...
Nothing new here, same story as 6 years back. The authority is obviously being paid off by MindArk IMHO! Or they are just lazy fuckers like MA.
Update, just wanted to post the newest "fictional example" of the swedish gambling authority : (posted end of february 2018) https://www.lotteriinspektionen.se/en/press-contact/notes-archive/random-prizes-in-computer-games/ If those phrases dont sound like Entropia, then I dont know. x'D Fictional example Eva has a user account on a computer game platform called Gaming. She can play various computer games on the platform. On the Gaming platform it is possible to buy virtual Gaming coins with real cash. Eva can use the virtual coins to buy virtual objects that have varying value in the computer game. In one of these computer games, Eva takes part in an activity that is determined by chance. Eva wins a virtual object. She sells this virtual object to another user on the Gaming platform in exchange for virtual Gaming coins. She then cashes in the Gaming coins for real money that the Gaming platform transfers into her bank account. In the above example, Eva has taken part on the Gaming platform in a lottery according to the Swedish Lotteries Act for the following reasons. Firstly, she has won something through chance. Secondly, her prize has financial value in the real world because she sold the prize and this resulted in real money being transferred into her bank account. The next step is to decide if the Gaming platform has arranged a lottery in Sweden. This would be the case if the operator of the Gaming platform (a limited company, for example) had its main business in Sweden. If it is considered that the operator of the Gaming platform has conducted a lottery in Sweden, then the event is considered to be covered by the Swedish Lotteries Act and thus it would be forbidden to arrange such an event without a licence.
But these guys investigated EU in the past, and MA managed to get themselves in the clear with the claim their loot mechanisms are based on skills, rather than chance. I highly doubt the gambling authority will check the code to verify this is actually the case.
...has decided that The Swedish Gambling Authority currently does not have the opportunity to further investigate the matter with reference to the extensive resource case would take. We will SEE... ;)
So MindArk need a Lottery Permit if only for the StrongBoxes? Do they have one? If not are they OK if they simply apply for one and get one?
Feel free to read the example of the lotterieinspektionen : In the above example, Eva has taken part on the Gaming platform in a lottery according to the Swedish Lotteries Act Neither I think MA has aquired a gambling license lately, nor do I think lotterieinspektionen has fully checked Entropia. Yet the above example states, that if you deposit to buy "unknown" things i.e open lootboxes or loot mobs themselfs (SEE mobs as boxes that you open :p), then it would be requiring a lottery license, as you won something through chance. Same would count for crafting Explosive Blueprints...which is nothing else but Read it again, slowly : In the above example, Eva has taken part on the Gaming platform in a lottery according to the Swedish Lotteries Act for the following reasons. Firstly, she has won something through chance. Secondly, her prize has financial value in the real world because she sold the prize and this resulted in real money being transferred into her bank account.
I just cant believe what i read... Is the whole swedish establishment and government completly corrupted ? And on side to this, how damn all other countries in the world can accept this ? seems all people in sweden belong to this huge "mind" ark.
There is a ton of regulation regarding gambling, in order to ensure that end-users do not get over-addicted. I would assume it also means it comes with a very very high check to ensure that customers do not end up losing money due to bugs (lol). It might also have other implications regarding fees for licenses, etc. I would assume that getting such a license would involve extensive code-checks by the authority issuing the license (but let's face it, it's a public organisation, so they probably won't do the best job). I am not sure whether MA would manage to successfully obtain a lottery license if they were forced to do so.
Mindark is NOT a gambling game. Mindark is NOT allowing underaged people to insert money, and this is anyway NOT a gambling game. Mindark is NOT a Lottery. Mindark is NOT a Bank. Mindark is NOT a swedish office. Mindark is NOT located in sweden. If they were any of those, i guess they would be in Jail today and their office closed. Because, us in sweden, we follow the tradition of excellence, and set a high bar for quality...
I recieved a case about a player from konsumentverket, that created a 2nd account and got his 1st account locked, as you are only allowed to have 1 account in Entropia. The case includes screenshots with reallife name and avatar name. Because of this he lost his 1st account and all of his deposited 6000$. So, keep in mind, only 1 account is allowed..you know ? ;D p.s. I wanted to post this in the konsumentverket thread -_-
Here is a actual photo of the speech, held by David Simmonds, in front of the lotterie inspektionen committee :
