Stardate 20010815.1132 (On Screen): Lessee. There's a valuable commodity (a "prize") which many people want. The organization controlling that commodity sells each of them a chance to get that commodity for $2, and once everyone has bought their chances, a random drawing will take place and one of them will get it. The organization keeps any money left over. That adequately describes, for instance, a door prize raffle at a church dinner or the state numbers lottery, doesn't it? That's illegal in California for anyone except non-profit organizations (i.e. churches and charities) or the State itself.
But that's also a precise description of what NeuLevel Inc. is doing. The commodity is particularly highly prized names in the newly created ".biz" TLD. When multiple groups want a given one, each of them buys a chance for $2, and a random drawing will be used to decide which of them gets it. Neulevel will then keep all the money. The exact value of a name like sex.biz or show.biz (let alone aol.biz) is difficult to quantify, but it is surely more than $2. NeuLevel says they aren't running a lottery. I think they're full of it. (discuss)
