3 sin products in the metaverse

The metaverse is here, and it will certainly be selling sin products. We know that countless brands and companies are trying to stake their claim in virtual worlds that could be worth trillions of dollars soon. Entrepreneurs are also building businesses in the metaverse that might not be considered moral or ethical to everyone.

It might not be the “real world,” but collective decisions still have to be made about rights, ethics, privacy, and morals in the metaverse. Let’s examine sin products in the metaverse that will help shape how we think about ethics in virtual worlds. In some cases, these virtual “sin products” are already here. 

Gambling

There is no question that online gambling has forever changed the gambling sector, and you can expect to see a new crop of metaverse casinos emerge. The metaverse would make it so geographic barriers are irrelevant, which can pose some tricky questions for local regulators, sin taxes, and how casino winnings are supposed to be taxed.

Even with play-to-earn gaming, there must be metaverse regulations in place to ensure kids aren’t engaging in toxic gambling behavior. This was a previous problem for metaverse-like platforms like Fortnite.

Metaverse casinos are here, and some of them are already making millions of dollars. This is arguably one of the most obvious ways a sin industry will thrive in the metaverse, given the fact that many online casinos have already embraced crypto and NFTs. 

Pornography/sex work

The rise of the Internet also gave way to the growth of Internet pornography, a sector so large it’s difficult to estimate its economic influence. While pornography might not end up as prevalent in the metaverse as it is on Web 2.0, it will certainly exist. 

What sin taxes should be involved for an avatar that chooses to engage with a metaverse sex worker? Metaverse strip clubs are already here, but how will they deal with sexual harassment, underage visitors, or threats/violence in the near future? Will sex toys in the metaverse be considered sin products and taxed more than other products?

We know the porn industry will likely market more interactive experiences enhanced thanks to VR/AR technology. However, pornography is one of the most obvious sin products when it comes to humans making ethical decisions about where it should be, who should have access to it, and how it should be regulated in the metaverse.

Drugs (marijuana, caffeine, nicotine)

The book that coined the term “metaverse” is the 1992 novel Snow Crash, and one thing is clear very early on within the novel: drugs are sold there. In fact, the plot kicks off because a hacker chooses to view a metaverse file, believing it was a narcotic.

Americans overwhelmingly believe marijuana should be legal, but not all states agree on how it should be regulated or taxed. While you can’t find marijuana on the metaverse yet, there are already CBD dispensaries where purchases lead to real-world deliveries. 

Given the fact that marijuana is legal in many states, you can expect to see cannabis companies moving to the metaverse very soon. There might even be cigarette zoning regulations, similar to the real world.

How will sin products play a role in the metaverse?

The main issue here is simple: the metaverse will have a hard time defining sin products when there are so many different ideas about what is a “sin product.” Those who build the metaverse and regulate it will have to answer questions about where avatars can smoke cigarettes, consume porn, or gamble.

Marijuana might be one drug, but there’s no question about it: people will find some way to sell harder drugs in the metaverse. How will the metaverse be regulated so it doesn’t turn into a more interactive version of the dark web? 

It’s still too early to determine how sin products will play a role in virtual worlds, especially given the fact that most people are still confused about the metaverse in general. Over time, you can expect sin products to become more popular. If sin products thrived in Web 2.0, why wouldn’t they grow in the metaverse, as well?