Q: Online marble race with bidding entry and paid power-ups legal?
Presume an online livestream of a digital marble race. There are no stakes for winning besides a score for the player on a small leaderboard visible on-screen at all times. Viewers may enter the race by sending a chat message during the setup for the next race. It's first-come first-serve (up to 25 viewers may enter a race by interacting as described before), which starts some arbitrary number of seconds after the last race finishes. Each marble in the race is named after each viewer who has entered. Further, the top 5 donators during the period since the start of the last race are all guaranteed entry into the next race. Would this be legal? Specifically, the act of guaranteeing admission into the race to the top bidders alongside the free first-come first-serve players. Second, would including the option to have paid power-ups be legal? That is, allowing users to donate money to have stronger gravity, slow other players, etc?
Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
- California
- (916) 704-3009
- View Profile
- Answered
A: I am not aware of any specific California law that directly addresses this specific scenario. However, hosting an online marble race with bidding entry and paid power-ups could potentially raise legal and regulatory issues related to gambling, contests, and online gaming. It's advisable to consult with a legal professional who specializes in gaming and entertainment law to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
