Its Digital Mining Not Gambling At A New Crypto-Currency Venue

BAKERSFIELD, CA -- Entrepreneurs here have started what seems to be a halfway-smart sidestep around laws prohibiting Internet sweepstakes cafés. The new venture, which opened its doors last month, employs Internet crypto-currency.

Named Shamrock Social Gaming & Mining, the storefront arcade is equipped with computer terminals running games that look suspiciously like those you might find in a casino. But don't worry, say the owners, players are only "mining" a new crypto-currency called "ShamrockCoin."

According to a lawyer representing the venue, ShamrockCoin is not real money. Rather, it's a peer-to-peer digital payment medium that doesn't involve banks or governments.

Another company is setting up an exchange where players can trade the digital currency for conventional cash money.

The operation calls to mind Japan's pachinko parlors in which customers played for tokens of no apparent value. However, if for some reason they wished to redeem them for cash, a store around the corner was glad to accommodate them.