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Can Video Game Companies Be Liable for Users' Money Laundering?
Criminals are hoping to use video game platforms to score more than just points. By using ill-gotten gains to purchase in-game currency that can then be exchanged for real cash, bad actors have found a way to launder money that is difficult for both gaming providers and the authorities to track.
Fortunately for the companies behind those platforms, the chances that they could be held liable for such illicit activity is slim, even if privacy laws are inadvertently boosting their ability to potentially identify unsavory user behavior.
Christopher Ballod, a partner at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, spent an earlier part of his career drafting the anti-money laundering policies that video game companies insert into their terms of service. Those user agreements, coupled with a willingness to shut down accounts when reports of illicit activity are brought to their attention, typically provide sufficient legal protection.
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