Getting rich, or not, in Entropia Universe

Quintin Smith explores Entropia Universe, the world's only cash-based MMO, still entertaining tens of thousands of players 17 years after its launch. No online game has bigger whales—players genuinely invested in playing the game in the hope of getting rich—even as you can play it for free by collecting in-game poop: "We set out to explain what it is, who's making money, and who's losing big."

The reality is the game is structured like a casino

Come for the interesting journey into a dull game made sharp by real money, stay for the amazing interview at the end with David Simmons, the CEO of developer MindArk, who explains why it definitely isn't gambling.