I guess this is why the lord of the rings slots were really removed!

[threescatters]

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[Pulver]

Interesting article! The removal of the LOTR slot always seemed a bit strange to me, I guess that article explains a lot...

 

[rainmaker]

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IanO also started a thread about this earlier today : Lawsuit of the rings...

 

[richie]

I think it was wrong of Warner Bros to license Lord of The Rings to be a slot. It wasn't their decision to make. It was very arrogant & underhanded of them to do this without consulting & getting permission from the Tolkien estate. It sort of makes a mockery of the book IMHO. I think good on the Tolkien estate for holding Warner Bros to account. It was just pure greed on Warner Bros part & milking the film for as much as they can, hopefully it will teach Hollywood they can't always get away with skanking & exploiting people. So many scripts get sent there every year, & they get made into films & the authors don't get a penny, hope Tolkien takes Warner Bros to the cleaners , they need a lesson in humility.

Whoa, don't know what's up with me today, not feeling as chilled out as I normally am, must be something to do with the 60mph winds we currently have rattling my windows here.

 

[Balthazar]

Reading the comments at the bottom of the article makes me realize how gambling is still a taboo for many people. They are just upset because it's gambling.

 

[richie]

There is that, but this wasn't about it being a taboo imo. Warner Bros DID take the piss a bit there, licensing LOTR to be a slot without permission from Tolkien family who own the copyrights. Disrespecting JRR Tolkien's beliefs out of greed & just treating his book like a cash cow. They should have consulted with the Tolkien estate.

I don't personally feel gambling is wrong, as long as the person doing it can stay in control. It does however have the power to really screw up people's lives. I know of someone who lost so much money they committed suicide. I myself some years back almost did the same, I chose to stay alive, ended up in psychiatric care after a breakdown, became bankrupt, lost my family, but survived.

So I can understand why some people view it as evil, I also understand the other side too, that it is perfectly alright if you remain in control. I don't agree with the USA policy of banning online gambling, that solves nothing & creates more problems than it tries to solve.

I am very strict with myself now, & so far I have been in control & had fun & no longer in fear of debt or how I will pay bills cause all that comes first, if I only have Tenner spare to play with then so be it, I sometimes take that Tenner down the pub. I am different to who I was several years ago.

Which is what I've learned about gambling. The problem is within, it is all about self-control which applies to everything that is fun in life, life in general really.

Losing the original topic of the thread here. Just trying to say I understand why the Tolkien estate would want to pull the slot. A lot of people see that book as deeply spiritual & making a slot out of it for some people is like making a slot out of the Koran or the gospels, it's just disrespectful.

The Tolkien estate are the copyright holders & if they feel it is wrong it is their right to put their foot down & say no.

Fair play to them, I respect them for that.

 

[vinylweatherman]

Warner Bros would send in the lawyers for even the slightest suggestion of a breach of copyright, so they deserve to get their ass bitten when they try to pull the same kind of stunt. They must have known they were really pushing the boundaries with the slot, which may explain the draconian directive that was passed on to affiliates as to what they could and couldn't do when writing about the game. I have never seen any kind of directive with any of the other slots, including the brand licensed ones. It has only been the usual guidance as to how affiliates should conduct themselves, such as honesty, ensuring they don't target minors, and don't associate their sites with things like porn.

I suspect it was Warner bros who gave the directive to Microgaming, and it was very clear about one thing, and that was that no mention of Tolkein, the books, etc should be made, only reference to the film, and even then only to characters who also featured on the slot as well as the film. In effect, affiliates were not allowed to even mention that the film (and hence the slot) was based on the books. Warner knew all along that the Tolkein estate did not want any connection to the slot, and sure enough, it was the slot game that they singled out as being the most offensive aspect of the spin off merchandise.

Maybe Warner Bros will counter sue Tolkein for breach of copyright for using the film characters in the book


Roll on the new Harry Potter progressive

 

[Simmo!]

Reading the comments at the bottom of the article makes me realize how gambling is still a taboo for many people. They are just upset because it's gambling.

But there is also an LOTR landbased slot licenced by WMS which has been around a couple of years now. Outdated URL (Invalid) in fact. So the JRR Tolkein Estate can hardly turn round and say they disapprove of gambling.

 

[richie]

But there is also an LOTR landbased slot licenced by WMS which has been around a couple of years now. Outdated URL (Invalid) in fact. So the JRR Tolkein Estate can hardly turn round and say they disapprove of gambling.

I think they aren't supposed to have them, but as nobody is saying anything or complaining they are quietly getting away with it, the landbased casinos probably forked out a fair bit for them... I don't know, but I gather from what I read online these landbased slots are also in breach of copyright. A lot of fans were not happy with LOTR being made into a slot, and talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Harper Collins were alerted to these slots after recieving a spam email from a casino which alerted the Tolkien estate hence the lawsuit.

 

[vinylweatherman]

I think they aren't supposed to have them, but as nobody is saying anything or complaining they are quietly getting away with it, the landbased casinos probably forked out a fair bit for them... I don't know, but I gather from what I read online these landbased slots are also in breach of copyright. A lot of fans were not happy with LOTR being made into a slot, and talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Harper Collins were alerted to these slots after recieving a spam email from a casino which alerted the Tolkien estate hence the lawsuit.

That has to be the most expensive casino spam ever.

This proves the point that allowing affiliates to largely get away with spamming will end up backfiring spectacularly, although I had in mind a Senator, Congressman, etc getting a spam for a casino claiming "US players accepted".

The problem with the land casino slots is that these are "tangible goods", and the argument being made against the online version will not work. No doubt, once the online version has been dealt with, the Tolkein estate will go after the land based ones.

 

[richie]

although I had in mind a Senator, Congressman, etc getting a spam for a casino claiming "US players accepted".

That's a classic

I read Simon Tolkien (J.R.R Tolkien's grandson) is a lawyer as well. Warner Bros bit off a bit more than they can chew there methinks.

 

[tanga]

Bell fruit games also have some AWP machines in the UK

Outdated URL (Invalid)

 

[vinylweatherman]

Bell fruit games also have some AWP machines in the UK

Outdated URL (Invalid)

They have been around for quite a while. Possibly another thing that the Tolkein estate will have something to say about.

 

[ChopleyIOM]

The LOTR AWPs are all emulated, if anyone's interested

Play them on your PC for free!