"I can also mention that the issue didn’t lie in our code but rather in a few individuals no longer working with 'I Want ISK'."
- Statement from I WANT ISK, 11 June 2015
Yesterday, CCP removed the block on IWANTISK.com for players attempting to access the website using EVE Online's in-game browser. The gambling website also, for the first time, acknowledged that CCP instituted the block due to an investigation into illicit real money trading activities that resulted in CCP banning at least three I WANT ISK bankers.
I WANT ISK published the following statement on its blog:
Hello all and thanks tremendously for your positive support of IwantISK.com!
http://www.iwantisk.com has been un-blacklisted from the in-game browser!
Now, while I can’t communicate what caused the issue, I can say that progress will continue on IwantISK.com games and features!
I can also mention that the issue didn’t lie in our code but rather in a few individuals no longer working with “I Want ISK”.
Results for this may be posted in the future.
I wanted to thank you all for voicing your opinions!
Lets also thank CCP for looking into this as soon as they could!
http://ift.tt/1L4u5Yj
We are also going to give out some nice promo codes right now and set up a plan / calendar of upcoming events so everyone has a better chance at participating in out giveaways.
Look out for a promo in the forum page linked above also!
The Grid will now continue with work right after I make a few changes so that I can hire more bankers.
This requires reprogramming how many transactions the API processes at once in order to allow us to have more bankers than ever.
Expect an application to go out if you want to be a banker! There will be NO MINIMUM ISK required. We will sponsor the bankers that we hire.
The next feature you will notice on IwantISK.com is the junk box and the gumball machines. It will take some time to make the grapgics for the junk box but all of it will ultimately be implemented into the grid, raffles and slot machines!
Expect more changes to come in now that I have an office set up AND the morale I needed =]
After the grid comes out and some new features are implemented, I will start work on IwantISK 2.0 to help facilitate the addition of new games like roulette and texas holdem.
Love you all and stay healthy!
Promo Codes:
5,000,000 LVL 5+ 5masd8hadlkj
15,000,000 LVL 15+ 15ma7t98h6vj
25,000,000 LVL 20+ 25ma7t98h6vj
200,000,000 LVL 50+ 200ma8872hua (only 200 available)
1,000,000,000 LVL 80+ 1bilha9dhwjka (only 50 Available)
Good luck to all!
And the much missed link at the end
http://www.iwantisk.com
I Want ISK Corp
Despite rumors of two bankers receiving bans for illicit RMT preceding the ban, the management of the gambling website insisted for weeks that the problem lay with CCP. In its initial response to the blacklisting on 17 May, I WANT ISK published the following:
"Recently the CCP system has blacklisted IwantISK.com from the in-game browser and we are unsure exactly what is going on and communications with GMs is ongoing, however, the CCP security team is unavailable until Monday the 18th. It seems a new flag system may have mistakenly blacklisted the IwantISK.com domain."
On 22 May, with the rumors of banned bankers and an investigation into illicit RMT activity centered on I WANT ISK swirling, the management of the website took to the EVE Online forums:
"Why is our website currently blocked in game? We have no definitive answer of yet, we are in constant contact with GM's and EVE Officials, currently we believe it's a java script or code change issue that cause it to be flagged.Apparently, not all bankers worked at I WANT ISK to make ISK to enjoy in the game. Some did so to line their real world wallets. But even into the first week of June, the management continued to push the story that the problem resided with CCP. On 6 June, Eep Eep took to the CSM Assembly Hall section of the EVE Online forums:
"Does Iwantisk.com RMT isk? In short, No, straight from the CEO, he does not condone any rmt'ing and if you are found to RMT you are banned from working for our site permanently. We all work to make isk to enjoy in game, as we are gamers before bankers."
"Please voice your opinions and do what you can to help. =]
"(DO NOT FILE PETITIONS / SUPPORT TICKETS)
"http://www.iwantisk.com the URL has been blacklisted from the in-game browser with no apparent reason or reply from CCP.
"I am 99% sure that I have stayed within the E.U.L.A. (as vague as it is) and have received no reply in about a month since the blacklist. No replies from GMs and no replies from CCP Security team.
"This leaves me very confused and un-motivated to continue coding for IwantISK.com.
"I know me and CCP can work together to fix any bug that may have triggered a blacklist but no replies or information on anything.
"Not only do we have a third party app that generates a lot of activity, we give away our profits in so many forms. Different Twitch.tv streams (over 600b/month), promo codes (each 20m promo code is 40b ISK that goes out), real life events, and the stellar pool also comes from our pockets.
"We provide a lot of activity in and out of EVE in relation to EVE.
"Why am I being ignored and blacklisted? This is a serious damaging issue that you, CCP, have taken a long time to reply to.
"Please come at me and let me know what is going on cause I know for sure I have not abused anything on your E.U.L.A.
"I love the game EVE even though i have not played it in years. EVE is definitely my favorite game of all time. I am not here to damage the universe you have created. If some bug arises on my site, please communicate so I can work to fix the issue.
"Cheers!
- Eep Eep / I Want ISK / Gonz"
Eep Eep's statement raises a myriad of questions and lines of investigation, but the obvious one is: which responses were lies, the initial ones claiming constant contact with CCP or the latest one where CCP responded to no inquiries at all?
Approximately 48 hours after Eep Eep posted his statement, Twitch streamer 1ronbank revealed that three, not two, I WANT ISK bankers received bans for conducting illicit RMT activity. On a stream on 8 June, 1ronbank answered a chat question asking about the rumor that CCP banned two bankers for illicit RMT. 1ronbank then confirmed that three bankers received bans, although one of the bankers did so for activity not associated with I WANT ISK. But according to I WANT ISK's statement yesterday, that assertion is untrue.
Is the management of I WANT ISK more naive than is healthy for the operator of a major EVE Online gambling site? Or is the management so cynical that it believed it could use CCP's policies as protection against CCP contradicting any statement the gaming website chose to put out?
At this point in time, I vote for naivete bordering on criminal (or at least EULA-violating) negligence. Apparently Eep Eep believes that as long as he personally follows the rules the misdeeds of members of his organization should not impact his work. From the outside looking in, I WANT ISK's attitude reminds me of the WoW botters I recently wrote about who believe that Blizzard acts unfairly in banning their main accounts when they only botted on alt accounts.
Perhaps the issue is that Eep Eep, as he admits, has not played EVE in years. Maybe when he played CCP did not wage as active a war against ISK sellers as they do today. If so, then hopefully blacklisting IWANTISK.com made Eep Eep realize that CCP now takes ISK selling seriously. Did the I WANT ISK staff take the time during which they blamed CCP for technical incompetence and develop new methods for ensuring that the website does not become a focus of ISK-selling activity again? If not, and I WANT ISK harbors another group of ISK sellers in the future, CCP needs to burn I WANT ISK to the ground. In-game, of course.
