What Johnnyflush is doing with L$1,000,000 he won at SL Millions
This morning I caught up with SLMillions.com first ever millionaire winner: Johnnyflush Fimicoloud at his rented pad — yes, dude won L$1,000,000 ($3,480 USD at current exchange rate) and hasn’t bought any land yet — at Elegua 98,214,24 [SLurl]. SL Millions CEO Weckie Hye stopped by toward the end of the interview to add a few parting thoughts.
[9:22] TD Goodliffe: ok to begin the interview now?
[9:22] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: oh too fast for me
[9:22] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: sure
[9:22] TD Goodliffe: I had a post with my Weckie interview prepared for last month but held off because I was curious who the first SL Millions winner would be, congratulations
(As of this writing, the Weckie Hye interview remains unpublished. One reason I chose to hold off was to pursue what I felt would be the more interesting story: who would be the first winner, would they actually get paid, and what would they do with the money? These questions were probed and answered this morning below)
The million dollar question: have you got the money yet?
[9:22] TD Goodliffe: have you actually received the L$ yet?
[9:22] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i’m flabbergasted
[9:23] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yes
[9:23] TD Goodliffe: Was it all in one lump sum? Or in parts?
[9:23] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: actually i agreed to get it in installments as they are a startup and there is one final payment left
[9:24] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i also find them very nice
[9:24] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: to deal with
Who is Johnnyflush Fimicoloud?
[9:24] TD Goodliffe: We’ll get back to the Lindens in a minute, tell our readers a little about you and your experience in SL. I notice your avatar born date is 3/6/2007 … only been in world that long?
[9:24] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and i have yeah
[9:24] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: a friend of mine is a domainer
[9:25] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: she is
[9:25] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: oh a lurker
[9:26] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: it helps if you know a bunch of languages
[9:26] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: well anyway
[9:26] TD Goodliffe: indeed you speak multiple languages?
[9:26] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: she told me about this
[9:26] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yeah
[9:26] TD Goodliffe: bilingual, just english and spanish?
[9:26] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: english french
[9:27] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: then ok german
[9:27] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and i live in la so i can speak spanish
[9:27] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: writing is verrrrry different tho
[9:27] TD Goodliffe: poquito espanol
[9:27] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: es muy utile!!!!
[9:28] TD Goodliffe: So otherwise you had no prior SL experience before 3/6/2007?
[9:28] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i probably write spanish like a 7 year ols but it works
[9:28] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: no
[9:28] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: none
[9:28] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i heard about it
[9:28] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and then i looked up all the artlicles written about it
What drew Johnnyflush to SL
[9:28] TD Goodliffe: What interested you in SL? Why did you sign up on 3/6?
[9:29] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: about the opportunity, especially that chung person
[9:29] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: my friend had been on for 2 weeks and she said i had to try it
[9:29] TD Goodliffe: Ahh, Anshe, so you thought about becoming a virutal land mogul? Or testing the virtual business waters?
[9:29] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i can give you her id off record
[9:29] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yes
[9:29] TD Goodliffe: sure, if you want
[9:29] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: it’s the wild wild west here
(Removed Johnnyflush Fimicoloud’s friend name from the interview log at his request)
[9:30] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: she also rents a house here
[9:30] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: she got me into 5 points
[9:30] TD Goodliffe: What is 5 points?
[9:30] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: here
[9:30] TD Goodliffe: yes, I mean … it’s group owned property … ?
[9:30] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: these german guys have created a nyc in the 1850s
[9:30] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yeah
[9:31] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i just rent here
[9:31] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i cant build for a diddly damn
[9:31] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: but im learning
What is Johnnyflush doing with the money?
[9:31] TD Goodliffe: What are the installments like?
[9:31] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: you know it was fun the first coulpla weeks but then my usage kinda leveled off and i was getting boreds
[9:32] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: substantial
[9:32] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: basically thirds
[9:32] TD Goodliffe: Are you planning on buying land with money, investing back into SL or taking it out in RL funds?
[9:32] TD Goodliffe: or some other plans?
[9:32] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: a combination
[9:33] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: suddenly sl is so much more interesting!!
[9:33] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: I am going to work for my winnings
[9:33] TD Goodliffe: You’ve probably read about the government and “gambling” in SL stuff, how do you feel about this?
[9:33] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: technically the payments are for interviews and appearances and consulting
[9:33] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yes
[9:33] TD Goodliffe: the US government that is, particularly the concerns of the possibility that the FBI [is in world]
[9:33] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: that is how we are going to handle it
[9:34] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i am now an employee of SL mMillions
[9:34] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: they are going to 1099 me
[9:34] TD Goodliffe: Interesting
[9:34] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and i am going to declare it
[9:34] TD Goodliffe: So they hired you … and you are working off what is essentially “winnings” ?
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i have no problem paying taxes on my earned income regardless of the source, even if foreign
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yes
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: it was my idea
Any prior association with SL Millions?
[9:35] TD Goodliffe: But you didn’t know them at all prior to just buying a ticket?
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and my attorneys think it is a compelling answer to the conundrum
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: hell no
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i just bought it and forgot about it
[9:35] TD Goodliffe: I find it fascinating that someone won that is brand new to SL
[9:35] TD Goodliffe: you only bought 1 ticket?
[9:35] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yeah
[9:35] TD Goodliffe: Talk about Willy Wonka!
[9:36] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: EXACTLY!
[9:36] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: I hadn’t logged on for a few days
[9:36] TD Goodliffe: Good for you .. so how long will it take you to get the entire million lindens?
[9:36] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and when i did there were all thes IMS
[9:36] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: it’ll be done in the next few days
[9:36] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and see, the whjole thing about working for it was my idea
[9:37] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: because i can help them and be a part of something at a startup level
Getting paid for “work” at SL Millions?
[9:37] TD Goodliffe: so they are going to pay you beyond the L$million ?
[9:37] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: plus i can parlay it into my own kind of sl celebritydom
[9:37] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: we havent discussed that
[9:38] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: if they do i’ll gladly accept it and i’ll work for it
[9:38] TD Goodliffe: Hmm, so you must be thinking of using this celebrity over winning the L$ to some other type of business, yes/no?
[9:38] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: absolutely
[9:38] TD Goodliffe: any clues to what that might be? What are your business interests?
[9:38] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: the friend and i have been tresearching opportunities
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: well everyone expects the obvious like buying a sim
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: which is distinct
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i dunno yet
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: everything that i dreamed up that i thought was sooooo clever has already been done
Johnnyflush’s virtual pet doberman
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: like a petshop
[9:39] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: meet my dobie doobie
[9:40] TD Goodliffe: Yeah, SL is very diverse. often all you read about is sex and gambling, but there is so much more here
[9:40] TD Goodliffe: cool dog!
[9:40] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yeah
[9:40] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: my horse edna is up front
[9:40] TD Goodliffe: photo op!
[9:40] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i can get into my victorian clothes if u want too
[9:41] TD Goodliffe: you can change into whatever avatar or clothes form you like 
[9:41] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: ai only have one avatar
Johnny’s comments on SL as a relatively new resident
[9:41] TD Goodliffe: What do you dislike about SL so far?
[9:41] TD Goodliffe: what do you think could be improved?
[9:41] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: like i said earlier
[9:42] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: the wild wild west aspect is fun
[9:42] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: but some people get carried away with it
[9:42] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: people that know how to program can run rings around people like me
[9:43] TD Goodliffe: There really isn’t any other world like SL, is there?
[9:43] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: people can eavesdrop and do all, kinds of sinister things i understand
[9:43] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i look at it like the west in the 19th century
[9:43] TD Goodliffe: some see the web that way too
[9:43] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: it is!
Charity?
[9:44] TD Goodliffe: Do you have any charitable interests? Will you be donating some portion of the money? Or try to give back in some way?
[9:44] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i have met some very nice people here
[9:44] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: especially here in 5 pts, and have even talked on the phone in rl with them
[9:44] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i dont do virtual charities
[9:44] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i tried to give some land to a charity here
[9:45] TD Goodliffe: There was a drive for the cancer society and some other RL charity drives in world
[9:45] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: because i hated it right after i bought it because there were hookers next door
[9:45] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: but i had trouble finding one here in sl that i would support
[9:45] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i always doinate
[9:45] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: always
[9:46] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: but ill be doing it in rl
[9:46] TD Goodliffe: So you might be interested in supporting a worthy real life charity with a presence in world
[9:46] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and i probably donated more in proportion to my income than bill gates
[9:46] TD Goodliffe: How about your friends? In world. Are they asking you for L$?
[9:46] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: there are no shortage of charities out there
[9:46] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: no they are thrilled
[9:47] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: my mom is tickl;ed
[9:47] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: she wants to sign up
Friends looking for handouts in SL yet?
[9:47] TD Goodliffe: You always hear stories of people getting friends begging them for money that they win when they hit something, so nobody has tried to pile on you yet in SL?
[9:47] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: everyone is dumbfounded really
[9:47] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: not yet
[9:47] TD Goodliffe: Interesting
Interview requests?
[9:47] TD Goodliffe: How many interview requests have you had?
[9:47] TD Goodliffe: Did VTOReality.com get in first?
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i mean when youre shopping, sometimes peoiple follow you around asking to buiy them stuff
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: this is my first interview
[9:48] TD Goodliffe: Thank you
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and im probably saying waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yap yap yap
[9:48] TD Goodliffe: lol, I like honesty
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yeah
[9:48] TD Goodliffe: I plan to pretty much present everything we’ve talked about
[9:48] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: so do the sl millions people
[9:49] TD Goodliffe: you seem like an honest guy, hard not to root for somebody like that
SL Millions checking on the winner’s identity
[9:49] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i really had to prove my identity to them
[9:49] TD Goodliffe: Really? What do you mean
[9:49] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: well he wanted to chat at first rl in msn, which i dont have
[9:50] TD Goodliffe: You don’t run Skype?
[9:50] TD Goodliffe: Or something voice activated like that?
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: thewn i emailed nim but i ave a gmail account which i thought was really exclusive (which, bu=y the way, it was when i got it)
[9:50] TD Goodliffe: Heck, in SL beta there is voice now
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: no
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i hate skype
[9:50] TD Goodliffe: hate skype? Why (just curious)?
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: the quality is awful
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: my
[9:50] TD Goodliffe: Have you tried the SL voice beta?
[9:50] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i have nights and wekends on my cell
[9:51] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and my long distance is the sam london or seattle
[9:51] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i dont even know what that is
[9:51] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: oh weckie just cam eonline
[9:51] TD Goodliffe: In beta testing Second Life is planning on offering voice .. I’ve tried it. It’s not bad
[9:51] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: oh really?
[9:52] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: hey weckie!
[9:52] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: well go to im now if thats ok
[9:52] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i mean chat
[9:52] TD Goodliffe: yup
CEO Weckie Hye joins the general chat
[9:52] You: hey there Weckie
[9:52] Weckie Hye: Hey there… How are you TD
[9:52] You: Pretty good … kind of surprised I’m the first to interview Johnnyflush
[9:52] Weckie Hye: Lol…
[9:52] Weckie Hye: i heard you do yes. Great….
[9:52] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: this is my rental house weckie
[9:53] Weckie Hye: Nice place Johnny…
[9:53] You: I pretty much have asked all my questions, is there something you might want to add from the SL Millions side o fthings?
[9:53] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: ty
[9:53] You: and Johnny if there is anything you want to add that I did NOT ask you, feel free to add that now
[9:54] Weckie Hye: Well i would like to see in the papers and website actually all over the world, that the SLM is legitimate, and that we DO PAY out lol
[9:54] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: yes you do
[9:54] Weckie Hye: heheh…
[9:54] You: That will be duly noted
[9:54] Weckie Hye: Aww TY TD
[9:54] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i told him how im going to work for it though
[9:54] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and it’s MY choice to do it this way
[9:54] Weckie Hye: yes it is… and its great tho.
(Seems like Johnnyflush chose a curious way of dealing with and/or getting around the whole gambling issue since he is now working for the money he “won.” I’m curious what readers think about this in the comments area below.)
[9:55] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i want to help these guys succeed and it’s exciting
[9:55] Weckie Hye: And we appreciate that very much Johnny…. we believe the SLM will be much more succesfulll now…
[9:55] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: can you send a copy to me and a copy to weckie?
[9:55] Weckie Hye: Cuz we ahev proven that we actually do pay out the winnings….
[9:56] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: i find it fun and exciting
[9:56] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: and it will onloy help me become a star here
[9:56] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: maybe ill have a talk show or something!
[9:56] You: I’ll be happy to send you a link to the post, it will appear today
[9:56] Weckie Hye: hahaha well prolly ur a star already
(At this point I started working on transferring the IM log of the interview and cropping the snapshots I took during the interview, I closed with the following)
[10:03] You: thank you again for your candor and the interview johnny, nice seeing you again weckie
Does this look like an SL millionaire’s home?
At least for the time being the picture above is JohnnyFlush’ humble abode. I’d like to follow up with Johnnyflush in a couple months and see what he has actually done with those Linden Dollars, how it worked out with his “celebritydom” over SL Millions and if he looks back on the experience the same way he feels about it now. Congratulations to Johnnyflush from all of us here at VTOReality.com.
What would you do if you won a million Linden dollars? Would you give some or all of it away? Would you invest some or all of it back into SL? Or would you go to work for the place who gave you the money like Johnnyflush has done?
April 16th, 2007 • 
TD Goodliffe • 
comment | April 16, 2007 at 11:11 | individual comment-link
I ‘d take some, play some in the market, and probably look for biz ventures in SL. Great interview. Johnnyflush seems like a nice guy. I like it when the nice guys win the lottery’s.
I think it’s creative way around the whole gambling thing. Hopefully we will soon get some definitive answers on that aspect of SL.
comment | April 16, 2007 at 12:05 | individual comment-link
From a gambling perspective, the one issue with the whole deal is that there is no way to confirm if a corporation is indeed legit. No offense to JohnnyFlush, but the fact that he’s working for SLMillions would actually become a PR nightmare and personally, doesn’t make me feel all that good about the corporation.
Reason being? Well, how am I supposed to know this guy came out of nowhere and started SL? Or is it a new avie of SLMillions’ staff? Perhaps staged? There’s no way to prove any of it except for off of their word. Call me a cynic, but I wouldn’t be convinced here.
Regulations is the problem here. Say on a hypothetical that it is a “plant” that won to legitimize the lottery. What’s to stop them from gathering all the money in the end and just booking? I don’t think there is any way to do stop it.
I’m playing devil’s advocate here, and JohnnyFlush could be the nice guy that Lestat said. I sure hope that it indeed is, but the points I raise are completely valid when it comes to being cautious around high stake games.
comment | April 16, 2007 at 14:09 | individual comment-link
Devil’s advocate position is reasonable.
That same degree of skepticism plays in most games in Second Life, doesn’t it? Could Johnny be a plant? Sure. Is he? I guess individual people will have to make that determination. I think your perspective is a valid one.
comment | April 16, 2007 at 15:11 | individual comment-link
I couldn’t possibly say whether one might construe that this individual was any sort of shill.. I’m sure that would be utterly inconceivable. I mean, he says that he had to try to chat with the owner, what more could you want? And clearly the CEO turning up is complete coincidence! Either that or he is just very concerned about his employees and customers.
No, I’m sure that this is most definitely not a scam in the slightest
comment | April 16, 2007 at 16:04 | individual comment-link
Ordinal - I can’t really tell if that’s sardonic wit in your comments or not, sorry.
I think Johnnyflush told CEO Weckie as soon as he came online to meet us there, so that wasn’t a “coincidence” that was him sending an IM and TP (I think). The interview was pretty much over at that point. Clearly by what I learned during the interview SL Millions and Johnnyflush had already entered into a business arrangement which Johnnyflush said — twice — was entirely his idea.
Also, and not sure that it really makes a difference, I didn’t get the impression that Weckie had ever seen Johnny’s rental place, see the following:
[9:52] Johnnyflush Fimicoloud: this is my rental house weckie
[9:53] Weckie Hye: Nice place Johnny…
Doesn’t seem like the type of thing you’d say in public chat to somebody who has been to your place before, does it?
I do remain a bit perplexed why the payment wasn’t made in one lump sum? I could have been more bulldog in the interview and drilled down on this point (maybe I should have?) It seems like Johnnyflush’ answer to that was a bit strange. He wanted to receive the lindens in multiple different payments to help them because they were a startup? So what that they are a startup. They are the ones doing the contest. When I interviewed Weckie a month ago he told me the money was already in his account. Why would installments be necessary if the money was already in the account? Hmm.
Then again, I’ve never transferred a million Linden dollars from one account to another, maybe there’s some logical reason to split the money into multiple installments (?)
comment | April 16, 2007 at 16:06 | individual comment-link
er, i mean lottery, not contest.
comment | April 17, 2007 at 02:54 | individual comment-link
Hi, there..
I think its great that people discuss about the lottery in this way. And ofcourse i understand people think that the lottery is not legitemate, but i try to do my best to prove that it really is.
Its hard tho like Darius Sartre says, how can we prove it is legitimate. Its very hard i can tell, i tried to get Linden Labs involved, to hold the funds for the lottery, but they dont wanna do that. We tried to have them there at the draw, also that was not possible. They say, its all yours its all SL, and do whatever you want, we will not be involved in any way. (too bad cuz that would have been great).
Why we pay in portions….
we have paid 250.000 (not a winning tho) to Paris Vieria, we did that in one transaction. Then linden lab find it a abnormal gift transaction and the next they they blocked the account. And it is still blocked today. I dont believe it still. So 250.000 lindens is just gone. We are still emailing with them. So thats why we pay in portions, and we pay not all lindens but paypal too.
Then a word about myself:
To prove that i and the lottery are legitimate. In my RL i own 2 business, i will name one of them here so one can check it out.
One is an wholesale and an enduser company that sells everything that has to do with canning and Homecanning. Maybe its not smart to mention it here, but i really want poeple to prove that the SLM lottery is not a scam. The company is called WECKONLINE. (www.weckonline.com). Feel free to have a look. There is some english there but most of it is Dutch. The other company is is gardencentre in which i have 7 employees. I am a dutch citizen and live near the german border. Happy married. No children. On the weckonline website there are phonenumbers, so you could even call me. I dont mind.
I hope this will satisfy everone that is in doubt of the legitimacy of the lottery.
I am sorry if my english is not that well, like i said i am dutch lol.
My very best Regards to all,
Weckie Hye / SLMillions Milo (ALT)
comment | April 17, 2007 at 07:51 | individual comment-link
And in the very next paragraph…
LOL! Do whatever you want, except when it comes to the money. The almighty “we can do what when and where we want” TOS.
comment | April 17, 2007 at 08:00 | individual comment-link
Like I pointed out, it’s not I don’t believe that SLMillions is real. It’s obviously “real”. But trying to prove winners, is tough. Mainly because if a user is only a month old, how do you prove that he/she isn’t a plant? Older avies are harder to cover-up, but the same still exists.
Now if to win, you had to disclose your real name, and such that could be found somehow, (just like when you enter any sort of sweepstakes or such) then I suppose I could see how that would be more legitimate.
Either way, the problem still remains in regulations. It becomes an issue that I’m sure Linden doesn’t want, and to justify SLMillions, it’ll probably just take time for it to actually come through. Like I said before. Devil’s advocate.
I would probably go through an attorney to justify the payment via 1099 for US based winners, but I believe that’s actually skirting some laws on lottery winnings. According to some accountant buddies, you have to declare it as winnings, or else if it’s audited… you’ll get fined for misinforming the govt. I suppose it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, but still, not something I’d want to venture into myself.