As part of our continuing effort to keep Gamesville.com free from abuse, we recently banned over 40 accounts that were discovered to be using cheats and/or third-party software in an attempt to manipulate our systems for profit. These banned accounts have forfeited any and all prizes, and alternate winners have been selected and contacted.

We at Gamesville take the integrity of our games and fair-play very seriously. If an account attempts to cheat the system or otherwise violate our terms of service, we will discover it, and those accounts will forfeit any ill-gotten prizes, lose their badges and GV Rewards, and lose access to our games. Moreover, our parent company Lycos reserves the right to seek damages from those who violate our terms of service to the fullest extent permitted by law and/or to report wrongdoers to the FBI for wire fraud and other federal crimes.

We at Gamesville and Lycos will continue to take an aggressive stance to ensure that Gamesville remains an honest, enjoyable place for our members by actively pursuing accounts that violate our Terms of Service. We appreciate the support of the thousands of legitimate Gamesville members helping us keep Gamesville.com a secure and fun place to play free games and win cash prizes.

Sincerely,
Chris Cummings
Manager, Gamesville.com

Recently, several of you have inquired about the use of automated programs or other means to play Gamesville games--essentially the question is, does Gamesville support or allow "cheat" programs?

In a word, no. Gamesville and its parent company Lycos do not approve, allow, or condone any kind of cheat program.

In fact, the use a cheat program violates the terms of service for Lycos, violates Gamesville's official rules, and puts your use of Lycos and Gamesville at risk--not to mention that downloading cheat programs from third parties may put your own personal information at risk.

First, the Lycos terms of service makes it very clear that using automated means to enhance play in our games is prohibited. See the "Member Use and Conduct" section at http://info.lycos.com/legal/legal.asp#Member.

Second, the rules for Gamesville and any jackpot game (such as Magic 21) or sweepstakes game (such as the GV Rewards sweepstakes) we operate prohibit players from acting in an unsportsmanlike or a disruptive manner. Cheating, by its very definition, is unsportsmanlike because it violates all aspects of fair play, and it's disruptive because it negatively impacts the legitimate players who are adhering to the rules.

Finally, the use of computer programs, scripts or any other devices to automate any aspect of play in any Gamesville game can put your own privacy and your own computer at risk.

Think of it this way: If an individual or a company is willing to provide you with a program that will help you cheat us, what makes you think those same people are not willing and able to cheat you as well, by either misuing your personal information and/or loading spyware onto your computer?

Gamesville is working hard to prevent the use of cheat programs. Right now, we're focused on two main goals:

• The first goal is to educate players about the potential consequences of using these programs--at a minimum, the use of these cheat programs puts your eligibility for winning prizes, or even playing at Gamesville, at risk; at their worst, cheat programs may put your own personal information and your own computer at risk.
• The second goal, which is ongoing, is creating ways to unravel the efficacy of these cheat programs and also catching and stopping users from using cheat programs on Gamesville.

Several concerned folks have written in and posted to the blog, accusing different users of cheating. The very idea of "cheating" deeply bothers and offends us, so we can understand the frustration you might feel if you see someone you think might be cheating. However, accusations back and forth in a public forum are not productive in the short run and are not healthy for anyone in the long run.

If you suspect someone of cheating, there are two basic options. The first option is to ignore the suspected cheater and simply focus on your own game and your own enjoyment of that game. The second option is to report the suspected cheater to customer service for investigation. Please be sure to include the suspected cheater's full username, the specific reasons why you suspect this player of cheating, and any details or screenshots you feel will help prove that this player is cheating.

If you suspect someone of cheating, whichever option you choose, please do not argue with or antagonize the suspected cheater in chat or elsewhere; this serves no tangible purpose other than to breed ill will among the community.

Note: We will never discuss ongoing or completed investigations into specific users who have been accused of cheating.

Once you've reported a suspected cheater to customer service, your job is done; please leave it up to our customer service representatives to  conduct their investigation and render their decision.

Either way, we're thankful that so many of you enjoy Gamesville and want it to be the best it can be. And never forget: Gamesville takes fair play seriously, and has measures in place to make sure cheaters never prosper for long.

Sincerely,
Chris Cummings
Manager, www.gamesville.com