Seriously though, Guard already sorted out and aligned the previous matter to a point where discussion and suggestions can be made to determine the rewards given to community services and fansites.
The prizes still need to be settled and the guidelines that will qualify the entities to receive them still have to be written and publicly disclosed, but that matter is partially out of the way.

However the matter regarding Somer Blink's use of isk tokens to reward those who buy a GCT through their referral system still needs to be addressed by Guard and/or other CCP representatives.
We are aware that if CCP wants to they can turn a blind eye on this matter and interpret and/or change the game's EULA and specifically the rules of conduct about selling game currency/items for real money in a way that it won't make Somer Blink's actions illegitimate.
This will however further confirm their favoritism and support of Somer Blink's actions within the sandbox and the game, so the question about whether other players will be able to engage in similar conducts still stands and requires their pronunciation on it so that an agreement can be aligned in the same way that it was for the community services and fansite rewards issue.

Sorry if this question has already been answered (though based on what I've read of this thread, nothing of substance has actually been answered):

What kind of transparency, if any, has SOMER Blink given to CCP as to how their "lottery" actually works?
How does CCP know for certain that SOMER is running a legitimate operation and what guarantee do you have that they will continue running this way in the future?
Is CCP privy to the specifics of the transactions between SOMER and the players?
Who at CCP is working with SOMER to ensure that they are not cheating on their lotteries and/or stealing from the players?
Does SOMER random = random?

If these are questions that can't be answered, than how can CCP officially endorse SOMER Blink, effectively legitimizing what may or may not be legitimate?

You say SOMER was selected because of EVE Vegas, and SOMER being a gambling site. But the state of Nevada has a Gaming Commission, a government entity, whose job is to guarantee, to the best of their ability, the "fairness" of gambling in their state. Does CCP have such oversight?


EDIT: I see now that some of these questions/concerns were brought up in the FIRST reply to this thread and were completely ignored. I won't be holding my breath for a response...

Just posting this again, as there have been more than 10 pages since I posted this without any CCP response.

I think I would need a weekend away from the angry internet spaceship nerds from time to time too...

Also I'm not sure we're going to get an immediate response to some of these questions because I don't think CCP has the answer right now. They're probably going to want to have a power lunch over a few of these...

monday tomorrow. wonder if CCP will have anything new to say to us.

No, don't get me wrong, I understand it was the weekend. But it's Monday now, and I don't think Columbus Day is observed in Iceland (though, I guess it could be another holiday, I haven't looked). The point was, I really would like these questions answered, and I didn't want them buried in the threadnaught.

As for the answers to my questions, these are all questions that they should have been able to answer BEFORE they decided to endorse SOMER. So, if they still need time to think about it, they're doing it wrong.

I would suggest that CCP have read the player feedback on this issue and that they are formulating a response to past events and how they intend to proceed in the future.

It is better that they take their time and get it right, rather than posting something just for the sake of posting.

Well... CCP isn't a startup anymore, and you get diminishing returns as a company grows. Sometimes the right and left hands are moving independently. Affiliate programs are probably run by marketing, so I doubt many of the Devs are clued in to every aspect of what they are up to. I mean if your job is to make internet spaceship skins, why would you care or bother about how 3rd party sites are advertising? I mean outside of how your art is being displayed in a banner ad or something, why would you care? I sure wouldn't. So these different wings of CCP are probably trying to figure out, collectively, what is going on before they can even comment on anything. There will be meetings. There may be doughnuts at those meetings. Then an email will be sent. Then a follow up email asking if the first email was received. Then a confirmation email sent back that confirms receipt of the first email but without an answer to the question it contained. Then another one sent back asking that the question in the first email be addressed. Then a reply asking that the first email be resent because it was accidentally deleted...

Considering that this is about policy, I'm really not surprised responses are slow. Creating policy, in any organisation over a handful of people, takes time.

In part because it's not just writing it. It's also the processes to manage that policy.

I'm just glad I never got around to ordering the new collector's edition

Bad enough my accounts had all been paid up just a few days before CCP started "blowing" (see sig.)

I bought the collector's edition. The USB hub will be good for something I guess. Or, maybe I can get enough for it on ebay to pay Chris Roberts for a "rear admiral" package.

This is unlikely. I have got that read admiral package and had to shell out $275 to get it. It's unlikely you'll get so much with an hub thingie, expecially if you watch around and notice how EvE is despised everywhere (and thus it's collectibles). In SC there are whole threads about asking that the game WILL be different than EvE.

You don't need policy, policy is for people who lack common sense and/or a decent understanding of the subject at hand. All you need is someone at CCP who understands EVE and its history to realise that CCP can't play footsie with any political or for profit entity within EVE. It's not difficult, you don't need rules and you don't need to have an IQ of 135 for it.

And if there's an "if in doubt" moment going on then CCP created a think tank a while back to help them with these "difficult" issues, it's called the CSM. I'm fairly sure the vast majority of current and past CSM members would within one second realise the possible "oops" this whole thing would turn in to, and suggest to CCP to refrain from these kinds of actions.

PS: They seem to be ignoring and locking all threads that try to get to the bottom of why SOMERblink is being permitted to perpetuate a RMT business. How come?

expecially if you watch around and notice how EvE is despised everywhere (and thus it's collectibles). In SC there are whole threads about asking that the game WILL be different than EvE.

I think that the length of time CCP is taking to respond, is an indication that they are talking all the relevant issues very seriously.