‘Your policies are killing people!’ Patel ambushed by protesters over Rwanda scheme – VID – Express

Priti Patel had barely started her speech at the Bassetlaw Conservatives Spring Dinner on Friday night when a group of protesters began standing on chairs to voice their disapproval over the Rwanda migration policy. In a video shared by campaign group Green New Deal Rising, several guests lashed out at the Home Secretary before they were swiftly dragged out by security. Other guests were quick to drown out the comments by yelling at them to "get out".

Ms Patel said: "Good evening everybody, I actually just want to start..." when a guest suddenly stood up from her chair.

She said: "Priti Patel your racist policies are killing people.

"Your plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda are inhumane, they're inhumane and are going to ruin people's lives."

Another added: "Priti Patel, as a young person who wants to live in a fair and compassionate society, we are disgusted by your treatment of refugees in the UK."

READ MORE:Express letters: Surely the outrage over boat migrants is justified

As the protesters were escorted out, they chanted: "Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!"

The group shared the video on Twitter today with the caption: "Last night we disrupted Priti Patel because her Rwanda plan is cruel, morally bankrupt and it will cost lives.

"We demand the Government drops this widely condemned policy and provides support for people seeking safety.

"No matter where we come from, we all deserve dignity and respect."

Speaking to reporters at Southampton Airport on Wednesday, Mr Johnson claimed "we always knew" that "liberal lawyers" would try to make the plan difficult.

However, he stressed the partnership between Rwanda and the UK is a "very, very sensible thing".

The Prime Minister said: "It's a great deal between two countries, each helping the other.

"Of course, there are going to be legal eagles, liberal lawyers, who will try to make this difficult to settle. We always knew this was going to happen, but it is a very, very sensible thing.

"If people are coming across the Channel illegally, and if they are, their lives are being put at risk by ruthless and unscrupulous gangsters, which is what is happening at the moment."

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'Your policies are killing people!' Patel ambushed by protesters over Rwanda scheme - VID - Express

Letters: Voters have spoken on a PM incapable of leading this country through crisis – The Telegraph

SIR I have been treating children with eating disorders for 25 years.

I can assure the Government that putting calorie counts on menus will do absolutely nothing to lower obesity levels, but will greatly increase the number of vulnerable children needing treatment for anorexia and bulimia. Even now the NHS cannot cope with the demand for mental health services.

Menus stating calories should be given only to those who want them.

Dr Dee DawsonLondon N20

SIR Recently my lunch in a cafe was tainted by the novel experience of reading calorie counts on the menu.

Obesity is clearly a national problem, but the solution is not to spoil what is usually a treat. When I commented on this to the person serving me, I was told that the most common reaction to this bizarre measure was from people who were anxious about the effect on those suffering from eating disorders.

Perhaps perversely, I took great pleasure in making an extra order, thereby adding 150 calories to my meal in protest.

Joanna GillumNottingham

SIR The right to buy, which the Prime Minister is considering reinstating, is a good idea provided the new scheme doesnt make the mistakes of the past.

In the 1980s, authorities were allowed to spend the revenue as they saw fit, resulting, to some extent, in the housing shortage today. This time, if the revenue is ring-fenced to build more social housing, the scheme could become self-perpetuating.

Stephen CloughWilmslow, Cheshire

SIR The right-to-buy scheme is wholly wrong. First, it reduces the number of houses available for rent by those who cannot afford to rent on the open market, and impoverishes the organisations that previously owned the properties, making it difficult for them to build replacements.

Secondly, in effect, it gives large sums of money to some families who are not necessarily more deserving than others. A more honest system would be just to give the householders the equivalent sum of money in cash to leave their rented homes and buy somewhere else.

David VaudreyDoynton, Gloucestershire

SIR We prefer online meetings with our sons teachers.

We book our slot, the time is adhered to, and the meeting automatically stops at an agreed point.

This means other parents do not have the opportunity to go on and on, and make everyone elses meeting later. You have a one-to-one conversation with the teacher, and get their full attention.

If you have a particular concern about your child, schools are usually willing to see you outside parent evenings.

If you live in a rural area, as we do, virtual meetings also prevent lots of extra journeys to school, thus helping the environment. Win-win.

Shirley StewartPenrith, Cumbria

SIR I am sceptical about the suggestion that home tests for urinary tract infections will save 10 million GP trips a year.

Patients will still have to be prescribed antibiotics either by phone or at their surgery, with or without a kit.

Until Nice, the Department of Health and doctors promote prevention and simple self-help through effective hygiene, women will still cost themselves hours of pain and the country millions of pounds.

Angela KilmartinLondon EC2

SIR I too had the thrill of achieving a hole-in-one (Letters, May 1) after 35 years of playing golf. Keen to do the right thing, I bought a drink for those players in the clubhouse after finishing my round. Unfortunately I was playing at a sizeable corporate golf day, which resulted in a bar bill of 150 somewhat dampening my sense of achievement.

Two years later, while renewing my ordinary household insurance, I discovered that this bill would have been covered up to 250.

Alan TomlinsonCheadle, Cheshire

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Letters: Voters have spoken on a PM incapable of leading this country through crisis - The Telegraph

Express letters: Surely the outrage over boat migrants is justified, says Jim Sokol – Express

Ninety per cent of these migrants appear to be young men in their twenties and thirties. We do not know where they come from or their religious affiliation. Some have trashed their documents and been filmed throwing mobile phones overboard. We really do not want to risk more jihadi imports.

----------

Leo McKinstry is certainly right about the useless Police and Crime Commissioners, saysRoy Daniels, from Luton, Beds.

Like so many other Government initiatives, such as NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, it was a good idea, poorly implemented.

The concept was to encourage local candidates to run for election, to ensure local policing priorities were implemented.

But instead, I suspect failed party hacks were parachuted in to follow party-political agendas, as was arguably the case in the unequal treatment by the Met and Durham police over the lockdown "infringements" by Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer.

----------

I don't agree with the way Environment Secretary George Eustice put it, or his apparent lack of empathy with those suffering during this cost of living crisis, but he does have a point about buying brand names, saysAshley Smith, from March, Cambs.

Take the example of spaghetti. A top brand is more than 1 a pack, but a supermarket's own label could be as little as 20p and both are 100 per cent durum wheat.

----------

The usual suspects are in favour of a windfall tax on BP following its record profits, saysChristopher Humphreys, from Ewloe, Flint.

Before we all rush to agree, we need to know at what rate the tax will be paid, how it will be spent and what happens when that money, as it surely will, runs out.

As Margaret Thatcher once said: "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."

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Express letters: Surely the outrage over boat migrants is justified, says Jim Sokol - Express

What Is Litecoin? How Does It Work? – Forbes

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.

While you might not see Litecoin (LTC) in headlines nearly as often as Bitcoin (BTC), its still one of the most popular cryptocurrencies. Its also the oldest crypto after Bitcoin.

As its name suggests, Litecoin was originally created to improve several of Bitcoins perceived shortcomings, such as slow transaction processing speeds and mining monopolies. LTC is built to be used in everyday transactions, whereas Bitcoin has evolved into more of a store of value.

Created by former Google engineer Charlie Lee, Litecoin was one of the first altcoinsa name given to cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin (and sometimes other than Ethereum).

Litecoin is the second-oldest cryptocurrency, forked from the Bitcoin protocol in 2011, says Jay Blaskey, digital currency specialist at BitIRA. It was engineered to be used for fast, secure and low-cost payments. Think of it as a Bitcoin spinoff.

The goal in launching Litecoin was to improve on Bitcoin in a few different ways. For one, Lee developed a new hashing algorithm for Litecoin called Scrypt (pronounced S-crypt). The simpler algorithm supported Litecoins faster transaction speeds. Bitcoin has a slow transaction processing speed of roughly five transactions per second. Generating new blocks on the Bitcoin blockchain can take about 10 minutes.

This slow transaction speed frustrates merchants who want to accept Bitcoin as payment. You can wait up to an hour, on average, for the six confirmations required for a Bitcoin transaction. Imagine buying something online using a credit card and being on that your transaction is processing screen for an entire hour.

Litecoins transaction processing speed, on the other hand, is 54 per secondand new blocks on the Litecoin blockchain can be created about every 2.5 minutes. While Litecoin still requires a minimum of six confirmations from most exchanges to be considered irreversible, peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto payment networks can often settle Litecoin transactions almost immediately.

The improved transaction speed was meant to prove to merchants that they no longer had to be frustrated by Bitcoins long settlement time. Instead, they could accept Litecoin and settle payments faster and, therefore, conduct business more quickly and at speeds more on par with other digital payment methods.

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Litecoin shares several similarities with Bitcoin. Both are open-source projects that use proof of work to verify transactions.

But Litecoin has some notable differences from Bitcoin, too. Besides processing speed, theres the issue of supply. While Bitcoin is capped at a maximum supply of 21 million coins, Litecoin is capped at 84 million coins.

Litecoin miners solve complex mathematical problems called hashes to earn the right to record new transactions to the blockchain.

The blockchain cannot be altered once a block is closed. As a reward for being the first miner to correctly solve the hash associated with a transaction via the proof of work consensus mechanism, the miner receives 12.5 LTC.

Litecoin mining operations arent something youll typically see running on a computer out of someones living room. Solving hashes requires immense computing power, which requires significant energy and space.

In fact, the lions share of Litecoin mining is performed by mining farms and pools of crypto miners using sophisticated hardware.

To help control Litecoins supply, Litecoin halves just like Bitcoin.

Litecoins supply is capped at 84 million coins. Yet when miners add a new block to Litecoins blockchain, theyre rewarded with newly-generated LTC. This could indefinitely increase the supply of Litecoin if it werent for halving.

Through halving, the miner reward for successfully recording new blocks to the Litecoin blockchain is decreased (halved) at regular intervals. In Litecoins case, its every 840,000 transactions. So when Litecoin first launched, the miner reward for adding a new block to Litecoins blockchain was 50 LTC. Over the past few years, that reward has decreased via halving to 12.5 LTC as a block award.

The next LTC halving is expected to happen in 2023.

Litecoin is highly liquid, which makes it a crypto for easier trades. In fact, Litecoin holders will find that merchants such as Newegg, SlingTV and even nonprofits like the American Red Cross are happy to accept their cryptocurrency.

You can also use digital currency apps like BitPay or CryptoPay to make a payment using LTC. If you want to use LTC for P2P payments, you can use the Binance app to pay someone with LTC.

From the get-go, without any additional tech layers added on top of the Litecoin blockchain, its a faster cryptocurrency to transact than Bitcoin, and it does so more cheaply.

At the time of this writing, Bitcoin transaction fees were significantly higher, at around 3.92% on average, compared with Litecoins transaction fees of roughly 0.06%.

In 2017, Litecoin creator Charles Lee divested himself of most of his Litecoin holdings, citing a conflict of interest, and Lees action caused some loss of faith in the crypto.

Something that caught the investors eye and had an impact on the investors confidence is that in 2017, Charles Lee, Litecoins founder, has sold his stake in Litecoin, says Claudiu Minea, CEO and co-founder of SeedOn, a blockchain-based crowdfunding platform.

While designed to have a faster TPS than Bitcoin, Carlos Gonzlez Campo, research analyst at 21Shares, says, Layer-2 solutions on top of Bitcoin like the Lightning Network have both sped up Bitcoin transactions and potentially diminished the need for Litecoins use case as a faster payment network.

There are also newer cryptocurrencies with faster TPS speeds. These include EOS at 4,000 TPS, XRP at 1,500 TPS and Cardano at 257 TPS, to name just a few.

While Litecoin remains one of the most-traded cryptocurrencies, does it make for a sound crypto investment?

Blaskey of BitIRA says that Litecoin might be a fit for a seasoned cryptocurrency investors portfolio who appreciate its staying value and flexibilityespecially those who want a combination store-of-value asset with the side benefit of convenient transactions.

Litecoin could be a decent place to place a small stake to get used to the ins and outs of crypto trading for the newer crypto investor, some experts say.

On whether LTC is a good choice for your wallet, Minea surmises, There are other blockchain competitors that people can choose from, however, Litecoin still remains a relevant choice.

Before you invest in Litecoin, learn how to buy Litecoin and read up on cryptocurrency wallets. Speak with a financial advisor about how much you could realistically invest in cryptocurrency based on your unique financial goals.

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What Is Litecoin? How Does It Work? - Forbes

Why Bitcoin-, Ethereum- And Litecoin-Related Stocks Are Diving – Benzinga – Benzinga

Shares of crypto-related stocks, including Bitfarms Ltd BITF, Coinbase Global Inc COIN and Riot Blockchain Inc RIOT, are all trading lower Thursday morning amid overall market weakness and a pullback in the price of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH).

Bitcoin is trading 1.44% lower Thursday morning at around $39,100.

Ethereum is trading 1.31% lower Thursday morning at around $2,900.

Bitfarms provides computing power to cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and Dash, earning fees from each network for securing and processing transactions.

Bitfarms is trading lower by 4.98% at $3.05 per share.

Coinbase is the leading cryptocurrency exchange platform in the United States.

Coinbase is trading lower by 7.18% at $120.80 per share.

Riot Blockchain is focused on building, supporting and operating blockchain technologies. The company's portfolio consists of Verady, Tesspay, Coinsquare and others.

Riot Blockchain is trading lower by 4.93% at $11.00 per share.

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Why Bitcoin-, Ethereum- And Litecoin-Related Stocks Are Diving - Benzinga - Benzinga

GRAYSCALE LITECOIN TRUST (LTC) Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-Q) – Marketscreener.com

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results ofoperations should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety byreference to, our unaudited financial statements and related notes includedelsewhere in this Quarterly Report, which have been prepared in accordance withgenerally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"). Thefollowing discussion may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptionswe believe to be reasonable. Our actual results could differ materially fromthose discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause orcontribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those set forthunder Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors in this Quarterly Report and under "RiskFactors" or the other sections of the Information Statement.

Trust Overview

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Investment Transactions and Revenue Recognition

Principal Market and Fair Value Determination

Second, the Trust sorts the remaining Digital Asset Markets from high to low byentity-specific and market-based volume and activity of LTC traded on eachDigital Asset Market in the trailing twelve months.

Investment Company Considerations

Review of Financial Results (unaudited)

Financial Highlights for the Three and Nine Months Ended March 31, 2022 and 2021

(All amounts in the following table and the subsequent paragraphs, except Shareand per Share, LTC and price of LTC amounts, are in thousands)

Cash Resources and Liquidity

Selected Operating Data

Nine Months Ended March 31,

Digital Asset Holdings per Share using Index Price (3) $ 11.23 $ 17.90

(1)

Historical Digital Asset Holdings and LTC Prices

115.75 3/30/2018 $ 119.70 $ 118.16Twelve months ended March31, 2019

22.48 12/14/2018 $ 60.23 $ 60.95Twelve months ended March31, 2020

32.16 3/16/2020 $ 39.05 $ 39.05Twelve months ended March31, 2021

37.57 4/1/2020 $ 193.39 $ 193.39Twelve months ended March31, 2022

22.48 12/14/2018 $ 124.36 $ 124.36

The following chart sets out the historical closing prices for the Shares asreported by OTCQX and the Trust's Digital Asset Holdings per Share.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following chart sets out the historical premium and discount for the Sharesas reported by OTCQX and the Trust's Digital Asset Holdings per Share.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edgar Online, source Glimpses

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GRAYSCALE LITECOIN TRUST (LTC) Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-Q) - Marketscreener.com

Litecoin (LTC), Low Volatility but Falling Thursday: Is it Time to Cash Out? – InvestorsObserver

Litecoin (LTC) has been relatively less volatile when compared to other cryptocurrencies. So far Thursday, the Digital Money has lost 9.72% to $95.75.

The Volatility Gauge follows this means that the rank represents its recent trends and isn't overly influenced by a sudden spike - or two - in volatility.LTC's low volatility reading pairs with a low reading on the Risk/Reward Gauge, meaning that the coin has relatively narrow price swings and is well protected from price manipulation.

Litecoin price is trading near resistance. With support at $88.75 and resistance around $96.29. This leaves Litecoin with potential selling pressures ahead as it may be getting over extended.

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Litecoin (LTC), Low Volatility but Falling Thursday: Is it Time to Cash Out? - InvestorsObserver

NYC transit boss’ wife was member of MIT blackjack card-counting team – New York Post

The MTA has an ace in the hole.

Jane Willis, the wife of incoming New York Transit president Richard Davey, is a legendary blackjack card counter who was a member of the infamous MIT blackjack team in the early 1990s that took casinos for millions.

The teams exploits inspired the bestselling 2003 book Bringing Down the House and later dramatized in the 2008 film 21 starring Kevin Spacey. Willis was played by Kate Bosworth.

She picked it up really quickly, Jeff Ma, a former teammate and now a vice president at Microsoft, told The Post.

Willis, 52, was a Harvard Law student when she and then-boyfriend Kyle Schaffer were recruited to the team by Ma.

Willis job was to act as a spotter, or keep track of decks that were hot meaning they had an overrepresentation of high cards and were statistically more likely to hold winning hands. She would then signal to Ma to start making big bets.

She evaded detection at many of Las Vegas marquee casinos because security couldnt believe a woman would be part of a counting scheme.

Shes brilliant. Shes super smart, Ma continued. I think the group won around $5 million dollars over the seven years that we did this.

Willis was paid only a small percentage of the overall take.

Professional gambling was never Willis forte, however, and she left the glamour of the tables to pursue her law career.

She is currently a partner at white-shoe firm Ropes and Gray and focuses on complex business litigation and antitrust matters, according to her company profile.

Card counting involves making sure you have a significant bet at stake when the cards are in your advantage, Willis told Harvard Law Today in 2008. Likewise, in litigation strategy, you want to maximize opportunities when you have the advantage.

The attorney kept her involvement in the team secret for years, out of fear it might damage her career advancement.

Even her own parents, Sandra and Alan Willis, were kept in the dark and didnt find out until someone brought it up at a dinner with their daughter in 2004.

I looked at Jane and said, Well, well have to hear more about that, Sandra Willis told the Boston Globe in 2008. This is one aspect of Jane. It just happens to be an amusing and adventurous aspect.

Willis did not respond to multiple inquiries from The Post.

She hates being in the press, you should assume shes not interested in participating. No offense, husband Richard Davey told The Post.

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NYC transit boss' wife was member of MIT blackjack card-counting team - New York Post

Top 10 Celebrities Who Love Gambling – Eye On Annapolis

If you are looking for some inspiration to play online casino games, from the excitement of Las Vegas blackjack to the live roulette New Zealand, here is a list of celebrity gamblers. Many of them are fans of poker, while others are experts in live roulette or other casino games.

From widely popular shows like Two and a Half Men to hit films like Platoon and Wall Street, Charlie Sheen has had a stellar acting career.

But he has been in the news just as much for his off-screen activities, which included an addiction to gambling. He enjoyed luxury casinos and sports betting in equal measure.

Sheen is a prime example of how a fun activity can quickly become harmful. While you should enjoy live roulette in New Zealand and other casino games, Sheens example should teach you that you must avoid getting addicted.

Ben Affleck is a household name, especially now as he has reunited with Jennifer Lopez. He is an actor, director, writer, and producer, all combined into one. Some of his best movies include Argo, Gone Girl, and The Town, among others.

Affleck is one of those high-profile celebrities who are often spotted at casinos and other gambling establishments. More often than not, he is seen at a poker or blackjack table.

Though he has a clear preference for those games, he does sometimes enjoy live roulette or other casino games.

Paris Hilton is another household name. She is a socialite, businesswoman, and heir to the Hilton family fortune.

She is one of the most famous female celebrities in the world, known for her love of casino games. She mostly engages in casino games like live roulette during her trips to Las Vegas.

Matt Damon is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood with big hits like The Department, the Jason Bourne movies, and so many others. But did you know that he was in one of the best gambling-related movies ever made?

Matt Damon played an aspiring professional poker player in a movie called Rounders. However, his involvement with gambling and casino games like live roulette is not merely onscreen acts. It stretches into his offscreen life as well.

He was coached for his role by a professional poker player and fell in love with poker ever since. His preference for blackjack is also widely known.

Pamela Anderson probably achieved worldwide fame for her role in the hit TV show Baywatch. She became a globally recognized celebrity, and her off-screen life also drew a lot of attention.

Among other things, it has been revealed that she is a keen gambler. She loves live roulette and other kinds of casino games. She is known to indulge in them quite often, especially when she is in Las Vegas.

Pamela Anderson is also known for racking up significant debts from reckless gambling, which is something you better avoid.

Tiger Woods is not simply the best and the most famous golfer on the planet. He is also a passionate gambler. He is a fan of live roulette and many other casino games, but his favorite game is said to be blackjack.

It has been reported that he has spent, and perhaps even won, astronomical sums on blackjack. He used to be a regular at many Las Vegas casinos, but his gambling activities have reduced over the years.

Victoria Coren Mitchell is perhaps the only celebrity on this list who is not an actor. She is a gambling celebrity in every sense of the word.

Mitchell is a professional poker player who also writes columns and books and presents television programs. She writes for The Telegraph newspaper in the UK and hosts the popular quiz show Only Connect.

As far as her professional poker career is concerned, she is one of the most successful female gamblers in Europe. Moreover, she has often said in her interviews that she enjoys online gambling in addition to in-person gambling.

If you are reading this article, the chances are that you have seen the Oceans trilogy. They are undoubtedly some of the best movies revolving around casinos. So many scenes involve live roulette games and other equally exciting games.

In all three movies, the leading man, or one of the leading men, was George Clooney. He is as passionate about casinos off the screen as he is on the screena bit like Matt Damon in this regard.

Clooney loves all sorts of casino games, including live roulette, poker, and blackjack, among others. It has been reported that he even made an effort to get his own casino started in Las Vegas!

Ray Romano is one of Hollywoods best-known stand-up comedians, actors, and writers. You might know him from the hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, but what you might not know is that he was also the voice behind Manny in the Ice Age films.

An even more dumbfounding fact about Romano is that he is one of the most active gamblers in Hollywood. He is frequently pictured at Las Vegas casinos and is a pretty good poker player. He has even participated in the World Series of Poker on more than one occasion.

Despite his penchant for poker, he is also said to enjoy other casino games like live roulette from time to time.

The celebrities listed and briefly profiled in this article exemplify the good, the bad, and the ugly of gambling. It is an immensely fun activity but one which can easily lead to harm. So, you must gamble responsibly and do it in a way where you simply enjoy the fun side.

If you are ready to do so, start playing live roulette and more online today from the comfort of your home!

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Top 10 Celebrities Who Love Gambling - Eye On Annapolis

Top 10 Richest Gamblers in the World – Techie + Gamers

For common people, gambling can be risky and often doesnt result in any financial gain. In fact, most gamblers lose money instead of making any. However, some understand the dangers but know how to navigate through them. They ended up becoming the richest gamblers in the world.

1. Bill Benter $1 Billion

Bill Benter is the most successful gambler still alive today. By playing blackjack and betting on horse racing, he accomplished a feat not many players have done, become a billionaire.

He couldnt have done it without his vast knowledge of mathematics. Bill studied physics and decided to use his ability at blackjack tables. He was banned in Las Vegas due to his success on the casino tables.

Benter moved to Hong Kong and crafted a formula for guessing the results of horse races with fellow mathematician Alan Woods. This was how he earned a net worth of $1 billion.

2. Edward Thorp $800 Million

The Father of Card Counting, Edward Thorp, built his wealth with blackjack and baccarat. Hes also a mathematician known for co-inventing the first wearable computer with Claude Shannon in 1961.

Before his gambling success, he worked as a math professor at various universities. The math genius wrote his world-famous book, Beat the Dealer, in 1962.

After years of dominating casinos, he went to Wall Street and used his skills to predict market movements. With this, he added stocks to his multiple income sources, amounting to a net worth of $800 million.

3. Zeljko Ranogajec $439 Million

Zeljko Ranogajec is known in the gambling world as The Joker. He is notorious for profiting massively from different games, including sports betting, horse racing, blackjack, and keno.

He mastered banking, finance, and tax legislation as a skilled mathematician. While employed at a casino, Ranogajec trained himself how to count cards at the blackjack table.

The man mastered it so well that he got banned from all casinos in Australia and Las Vegas. He holds the record for the biggest win in keno, with $7.5 million. Now, his wealth is at $449 million.

4. Billy Walters $200 Million

Sports betting may be one of the most unpredictable games to play, but its what made Billy Walters a millionaire. He is considered a high roller, betting as big as $3.5 million.

Billy is a legend in the Las Vegas sports betting scene with his winning streak of more than 30 years. Before this, he made a reasonable income as a car salesman.

In the late 1980s, he joined the Computer Group, which used computer analysis to assess sporting events. Though he is currently retired, his wealth remains at the top with over $200 million.

5. Dan Bilzerian $200 Million

Dan Bilzerian may be one of the most controversial poker players today, but he is undoubtedly one of the richest. He also earns from his businesses and social media.

Apart from gambling and entrepreneurship, Bilzerian has a massive trust fund. Its all thanks to his father, who used to work as a Wall Street business raider.

In 2008, he joined the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, but he never made it to the finals. Dan may not be the best poker player, but he is arguably the richest, with a fortune of $200 million.

6. Phil Ivey $125 Million

When talking about the best poker players in the world, Phil Ivey is always in the discussion. He has clinched one World Poker Tour title and ten WSOP bracelets.

As a teenager, he was nicknamed No Home Jerome because he faked IDs to play poker. When he turned pro, he was given more names, including The Tiger Wood of Poker and The Phenom.

He became one of the youngest members of the Poker Hall of Fame. His live tournament wins are expected to be about $32.5 million, and its a big factor in his $125 million wealth.

7. Sam Farha $100 Million

Ihsan Sam Farha is a professional poker player who is primarily known for his ability in high-stakes Omaha cash games. There are three WSOP bracelets under his name.

He has played many games in his career, but he is perhaps most remembered for his 2003 match against Chris Moneymaker, who delivered what fans called the bluff of the century.

Farha lost, but his career didnt end there. He continued to profit big at games. He also worked on a couple of books. With this, he earned a net worth of $100 million.

8. Chris Ferguson $80 Million

Though he has won six WSOP events, Christopher Ferguson doesnt have a good record in poker. Thats because he was involved in the notorious Full Tint Poker $400 million scheme.

Chris began playing poker at the age of ten and continued to improve his abilities in college as he studied computer science. There, Ferguson played IRC poker.

He became a renowned player, but he ruined his reputation with his malicious acts. His case has been dismissed, and he agreed to pay back a portion of the money he swindled. He was left with a fortune of $80 million.

9. Doyle Brunson $75 Million

Doyle Brunson is an idol of many poker players today. During his 50-year career, he won ten WSOP bracelets. He was the first player to win both the World Poker Tour and the WSOP Main Event.

He was among the first competitors to enter the WSOP and the first to win a million dollars in an event. This is why he is one of the most iconic people to enter the Poker Hall of Fame.

Furthermore, Brunson is the author of the iconic poker strategy book Super System. This has aided him in becoming one of the richest gamblers, with a net worth of $75 million.

10. Howard Lederer $60 Million

Last on the list is another poker millionaire, Howard Lederer. He plays professionally and has garnered two WSOP bracelets and two World Poker Tour championships.

Lederer began playing chess as a youth and eventually dropped out of university to pursue a full-time career in poker. He also co-founded Tiltware, Inc., the firm responsible for Full Tint Poker.

In addition, Lederer appeared on Poker After Dark a dozen times and delivered commentary for various tournaments. Currently, Howard has a net worth of $60 million.

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Top 10 Richest Gamblers in the World - Techie + Gamers

Why Playing Free Casino Games Is A Good Alternative To Playing For Money – The Sports Bank

You may be wondering if it is worth your while playing free casino games. After all, there are plenty of online casinos available where you can play your favorite slot machine games and table games, such as blackjack and roulette, for real cash.

There are a number of good reasons why you should consider playing casino games for free. In this article, we will explain the most important reasons for doing this. These days there are many casino games gratis around that will keep you entertained for hours. But they provide other benefits that you may not realize.

You do not Risk any Money

The most obvious reason why you should play free casino games rather than play for real money is that there is no risk of losing anything. Casino games are very entertaining. There are many slot games that you can play that have a lure of large wins from jackpots and landing winning combinations.

But did you know that with all of these casino games the house always has the edge? This is why online casinos exist and how they make their money. They know that players really enjoy playing particular slot games and others such as blackjack.

All online slot machine games have a return to player (RTP) figure. The average for slot machines is 95%. This means that the house will have a 5% edge when you play these slot games. You are going to win sometimes, but overall, you are going to lose around 5% of your money.

Online casinos rely on the addictive nature of casino games to make money. The vast majority of the games are fair and use a random number generator for the gameplay. Winning with a slot game or a table game is largely down to luck.

Of course, if you are lucky enough to win a progressive jackpot from a slot machine game then you are likely to make a huge profit from this. There have been cases where millions of dollars have been won with progressive slots.

But the chances of landing that jackpot are very slim indeed. The chance to win millions of dollars is a major attraction to play slot games for real money. In reality, you are likely to win a small amount or in most cases, lose money. You are paying for the privilege of playing the casino game and being entertained for a period of time.

Free Games provide good Practice

Lets say that you have read about a new slot game that you want to play for real. Slots are by far the most popular of the casino games and the software providers are launching new titles all of the time. You could find an online casino that has the slot you want to play and register with them. Then you can make a deposit and start to play for real.

We are recommending that you play the free version of the slot game before you start to gamble with real money. A lot of modern slot machine games are fairly complex and they have a number of different features. It is important that you master any slot game that you want to play before registering with an online casino and betting for cash.

Avoid Costly Errors

By playing a free version of a slot game before betting for real you can familiarize yourself with all of the features the game has to offer. If you just jump straight in and play for real money then it is very likely that you will make some costly mistakes.

For the sake of practicing with a free casino game for a while so that you can master it, you will know exactly how you need to play the game for real. If you do not know what you are doing then you can miss winning opportunities with different games.

No Registration or Deposit

To play most free casino games there is no need for you to register or to make a deposit. Some online casinos will insist on this even if they offer free casino games. There are other websites that will just let you play the casino game for free without the need to provide any of your details. You should never have to make a deposit to play a free casino game.

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Why Playing Free Casino Games Is A Good Alternative To Playing For Money - The Sports Bank

Cafe Casino Review – Is It The Best Site for Real Money Players? – WISH TV Indianapolis, IN

Cafe casino has built a stellar reputation over the years and offers players numerous benefits. These include a decent collection of casino games from top providers ranging from free slots to live dealers and table games.

There is also an incredible list of bonuses and promotions for new and existing players alike. Heres a complete rundown:

From a glance, Caf Casino seems excellent and ideal for any player to register. But to have a better look at what this casino has to offer, our experts have extensively reviewed the critical areas of this casino, including its bonuses, payment methods, licenses, etc.

We will give you an unbiased Caf Casino review to help you decide if this is the best fit for you.

Simple and intuitive website layout: Caf Casino keeps a simplistic but appealing design which is easy to navigate. You should not have a problem finding your way around, even as a new player.

Solid Cafe Casino Perks program: There is an 8 tier loyalty program known as the Cafe Casino Perk. Accumulate points as you win to progress through the levels and redeem them for cash.

Regular tournaments: Caf Casino offers a variety of slots, blackjack, and baccarat tournaments. Each of these lets you win fantastic cash rewards.

Convenient payment methods: Enjoy a decent collection of payment options including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

Well-trained customer service: Contact customer support in the event of issues 24/7. Options include the extensive Help Center, 24/7 live chat, phone, email, and the Caf Casino social media platforms.

Playing in a legal casino is the only way to ensure your safety. Cafe Casino was initially licensed by Kahnawake Gaming Commission, but it currently holds a license from Curacao Gaming.

This license means it is legit, and you can play without worries. Also, even though it is legal to play in this casino in the US, you may want to check your local laws first before signing up. This is because the rules vary depending on the U.S. state you are situated in.

Signing up at Caf Casino and claiming the welcome bonus is not difficult. You can easily do this by following these steps:

Head to the Caf Casino casino login page and select the JOIN button. You will be redirected to another page where you will be required to input your informationthese range from your name, date of birth, phone number, email, and preferred password.

You will also need to input your Zip Code and acknowledge reading the terms and services by ticking the box. Once complete, click on the register button.

Next, you will be required to verify your phone number using the code sent. This is optional but crucial if you want to claim your bonus or play in Caf Casino for real money, so its best to get it done.

Once you have been verified, you will need to make a deposit. You will be required to create a 4-digit code beforehand. This code is essential and cannot be changed as you will also have to input it when you want to make a withdrawal. You can choose between cryptocurrencies and credit cards from the list to make a deposit.

However, the option you choose determines the bonus you get. If you deposit with bitcoin, you get a 350% match bonus up to $2,500, while using a credit card gives you a 250% match deposit bonus up to $1500. Pick your deposit option, make a deposit, and the casino instantly matches it.

Caf Casino has a lot to offer when you sign up and play. Here, we have put together some of the core reasons you should play on this platform.

There are over 150 games on this platform that consist of online slots, table games, progressives, and live casino games. These games are from top developers like Rival Gaming, Real Time Gaming, Spinomenal, Wohoo Gaming, and Genesis Gaming.

You wont find games from more popular developers like Microgaming or Playtech. This is not necessarily a significant drawback for many players, but we would have loved to see more games from them.

Free slots make up for most of the games on this platform, with about 120 games. You will find titles like Golden Buffalo, 5 times Vegas, Chillin Penguins, etc. Caf Casino has you covered with games like 777 Deluxe, Shopping Sphere, and many more if you enjoy progressive jackpot games.

On the downside, this number may be inadequate if you love casinos with large online slot machine selections since some offer over 400 titles. Nonetheless, if you are looking for decent variety, you should feel at home.

Table games are also covered adequately with Baccarat, Teen Patti, Craps, Roulette, and Video Poker games like Pai Gow Poker, and Andar Bahar. This top online gambling site will also appeal to blackjack players as it has a special section for the game consisting of eight variants, ranging from Classic Blackjack, Perfect Pairs, etc.

For live games, there are only six to pick from, including Live Dealer Roulette and Live Super 6. Finally, there is a range of specialty games like Keno Draw and Amazonia Bingo if that is what you prefer.

Cafe Casino has a simple yet appealing design and a unique casino theme. Navigating the Caf Casino online casino website is very easy as all the main pages have been broken down into categories. Simply click on the category you want, and you will be taken there instantly.

Pages load super fast, and we did not experience any lags throughout our Cafe Casino review. Just make sure you have a decent internet connection when accessing this real money online casino, and you are good to go. If you decide to use the Caf Casino casino app to play, you still enjoy all of these benefits on a smaller screen.

Caf Casino runs a variety of tournaments that you can join. These tournaments give you the chance to offer amazing prizes. Tournaments range from slots and blackjack tournaments that are available on a schedule. If you enjoy slots, you will always find more than five ongoing tournaments at a specific time.

Slots tournaments are more common and tend to last for a week more. Every tournament has a cycle of about 10 minutes, with some lasting longer. Slot tournaments include typical slots or progressive jackpots, which can help you win real money or other rewards. You can find games like Gold Rush Gus, Caesars Victory, 777 Deluxe, etc.

For table games, there are also tournaments available on a selected range of games. These titles include Double Deck Blackjack, Standard Blackjack, Single Deck Blackjack, and Baccarat. Most slot tournaments have a minimum bet amount of $0.2, which is quite fair, while table games have minimum bets of $1.

All tournaments come with varying rules and conditions, so you need to be mindful of them. For instance, to qualify for slots tournaments, you need at least 200 spins to qualify. You can easily find the conditions of each tournament by clicking the details tab of the event. Some of these conditions may be on the high side for many players but not in all cases.

Also, the prizes you get from tournaments come with wagering requirements, with some usually around 5x. You can easily keep track of the score on the tournament as the casino is very transparent with this. There is a scoreboard that is easily accessible, and you can find the results of the events as they occur.

Caf Casino comes with min/max bet ranges that make it ideal for both high and low rollers. You can bet as little as $0.01 on slot games to as high as $500 per spin, which is great. Table games, on the other hand, range from a minimum of $1 to a maximum of $500 $1000, depending on the table game.

Live online casino games come with a minimum bet of $1- $5 and a maximum bet of $2,500 to as high as $3,000. For video poker, the bet ranges vary from $0.01 to $25 per hand, while specialty games like bingo have a bet range of $0.10 $10 per card. This may vary depending on the online casino game in question, but we found the best ranges decent.

The payment options on Caf Casino are somewhat limited compared to other platforms. But it is one of the best bitcoin casinos that lean towards cryptocurrencies so you can make deposits via Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin. It also supports payment via credit cards. The deposit options work for withdrawals too, including Player Transfer, MatchPay, Check by Courier, and Bank Wire.

The minimum withdrawal for Player Transfer most cryptocurrencies is $10, except for Ethereum, which is $50. If you opt for Bank Transfer, the minimum you can withdraw is $1,500, which is quite high.

Most withdrawal options come with a $2,000 limit for new players and $2,500 for VIP players. Bitcoin withdrawals have no maximum limit attached, but this does not matter. You are also limited to one withdrawal every seven days, which could still be problematic regardless of your choice.

If you are a high roller who makes large wagers and wins huge amounts, you will have to wait a while to get your earnings out.

Using our Benchmarks in this Caf Casino review which cover the essential parts of this casino, we rate it a 4.5. This rating came from reviewing the available bonuses, games, tournaments, payment options, design, and customer support. We are certain that anyone will have a great time playing in this casino from the information we gathered.

Sign up to Caf Casino today and instantly get a match deposit welcome bonus when making your first deposit.

Before signing up on Cafe Casino, there are a few things you will need to consider, including:

Geo Restrictions: Caf Casino is only available to players in the USA except in those in New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Nevada, and Maryland. If you are not a resident of the United States, you cant sign up for this casino.

Supported currencies: Before registering at any casino, you need to check out the available currencies first. This will help you determine if the currency you enjoy using is supported on the platform. Caf Casino currently accepts only two currencies.

These include U.S. dollars, Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin. If you prefer other currencies, you may want to check out other casino alternatives.

New players who sign up for an account at Caf Casino are privy to a very profitable welcome bonus without the need for a Caf Casino bonus code.

There is a 350% match deposit welcome bonus of up to $2,500 when you deposit using Bitcoin. A 250% match deposit bonus up to $1500 is up for grabs when you deposit via your credit card. These bonuses come with a 40x wagering requirement which is a bit high but not so bad considering its total value.

Each game contributes differently towards your wagering requirements, with slots having the highest at 100%. However, you wont be able to play live dealer games or Super Diamond Mine with this bonus.

This Caf Casino bonus applies to all players who want to enjoy various perks on Caf Casino. Players who upgrade to the Bitcoin-exclusive account will have to make payments using Bitcoin, Player Transfers, etc.

However, they will enjoy a variety of rewards not applicable to classic members. These range from weekly deposit match bonuses of up to $600, 25 weekly free spins on deposits, and 15,000 perk points on weekly deposits.

Caf Casino offers a variety of monthly cash back bonuses tailored to specific events. This tends to change every month, so be ready for a surprise. Currently, Caf Casino has a Blackjack Cashback offer of up to $1,000. If you use credit cards for deposits, you get a 10% cashback on losses you experience on a New Blackjack game on Saturday.

You will also get 10% cashback on Sunday loses playing Classic Blackjack up to $500. If you are using Cryptocurrencies, this is bumped up to 20% on these losses up to a maximum of $1,000. The minimum deposit to be eligible for this offer is $20, and the offer is attached with a 35x wagering requirement.

Caf Casino surprises players every week with its weekly deposit bonus offers. This will drop in the form of a bonus amount into your account every Thursday. All you need to do is check out your perks dashboard every Thursday for your bonus. You will also find each bonuss wagering requirements and terms and conditions in your dashboard.

Caf Casino rewards you for inviting friends to the platform. Simply get your friends to sign-up using the referral link provided to you. Once they register and make a deposit of at least $20, you instantly get $100 in bonus funds. If your friend makes a deposit using bitcoin, you get an extra $25 to play!

The number of friends you can refer to is limitless, which means you can keep earning $100 or more for free. Note that the $100 bonus fund comes with a 50x playthrough requirement, while the extra $25 comes with a 35x wagering requirement.

This is equivalent to Caf Casinos loyalty/reward program, which you are automatically included in after registration. Here, you earn points for playing in the casino and progress through the 8 tier levels. You can redeem your perk points for cash at any moment and use them to play your preferred games.

You get 1 perk point for every $1 you wager on games except for specialty games which give you 15 points per $1. The cash bonuses you get from your perk points come with a 10x wagering requirement that must be fulfilled to withdraw earnings.

Most of the bonus offers on Caf Casino come with wagering requirements. Some can be as high as 50x, which can be pretty steep for some players. We recommend you read the terms and conditions first before accepting any bonus at this casino.

This is another casino operated by the company behind Caf Casino. It offers a combined welcome bonus of up to $3000 with a more reasonable 25x wagering requirement. There are also plenty of casino games, payment options, etc. Ignition is mostly known for its incredible poker section.

This is another top online casino that caters to US players. It offers numerous welcome bonuses, including one of the largest we have ever seen. This is a 280% match bonus up to $14,000 attached with a 35x wagering requirement. There is also a decent selection of games, payment options, and more bonuses to make it fun.

If you are more particular about game selection, this platform is for you. It has more than 400 games on offer, with slots making up for more than 300! It also covers poker, live dealer games, and many more. There are also amazing welcome bonuses that come with only 10 30x wagering requirements.

To ensure we were not biased, we searched the internet and found a few Cafe Casino casino review entries given by its players. We found out that users generally had a positive view of the platform. However, we did find that players had issues with the withdrawal limits, which we pointed out already.

Related: Best online casinos

Related: Best online slots

Caf Casino is a bitcoin-focused casino that is ideal for US players. It offers a collection of fantastic games, great design, an easy-to-use website, and a fantastic bonus offer. However, we did find out that the withdrawal limits may be low for some players. This is not particularly an issue if you are a casual bettor as you can still withdraw up to $2,500 weekly.

But dont take out words alone for it. Sign up at the casino today using one of the available bonus codes, like the Cafe Casino casino bonus code BIGLEAGUES, to enjoy the bonuses and other impressive casino features.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for entertainment purposes only. Gambling comes with its fair share of risks and its important to recognize that when using online gambling sites.

While we review different gambling sites, you should check with local laws in your area before gambling online. Also, all gambling sites and our guides are rated 18+ only. We may receive compensation from the sites we recommended in our guides, but our reviews remain independent and reader-supported.

If you have a gambling addiction problem or anyone you know does, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. In addition, the following free gambling addiction resources can be of help:

Sponsored by Paradise Digital Media

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Cafe Casino Review - Is It The Best Site for Real Money Players? - WISH TV Indianapolis, IN

Casino Games and the Impact They Have On the Gambling Scene – VideoInk

Punters enjoy live casino games mainly because it recreates the land-based experience. These games feature live feeds of real dealers participating in the game. This type of game is more immersive with a different experience from others.

Since online casinos are legal in India, Indian players can easily participate in live games, and they can do so from the comfort of their homes. However, if youre interested in bringing on the real-life gambling experience, you must know the games to play and where to find them.

As a beginner gambler, the first thing to note is that not every game has a casino live version. However, the ones that do bring together the perks of physical and online gaming experience. Indian punters can participate in several games that can be found here in live casino, and also such as:

Source: caconline.ca

Live dealer blackjack games are similar to online blackjack games. The main difference is that theres the presence of a live dealer and players trying to beat the dealers hand. In the live dealer, blackjack has similar rules the game abides by, such as;

As a professional gambler looking to make some money while also ensuring you dont miss out on the fun of the game, the Live Dealer Blackjack is one you should consider. You will also find it interesting because of the interactive user interface that makes it responsive across different devices.

Source: casinotopsonline.com

While roulette is a popular and easy-to-play game, one of its live perks is that one table can cater to several players. Therefore, if you have a group of friends with similar interests, you can decide to play together on the same table; it will be fun, the type you dont want to miss out on. The types of bets available in a live roulette are;

Participating in a live dealer roulette is the same in online casinos as in land-based ones. Some added perks to the live roulette are that it has different effects like replays and motion movements.

Live and real-life baccarat games stand out because of the house edge they offer. Players can join the live baccarat with tight budgets. Youll bet on whether the player or banker has the better hand. Gamblers can also get that the player and banker tie and use it to their advantage. Although it doesnt happen often, it has higher wins. Undoubtedly, the Live Dealer Baccarat may appear a bit challenging for you as a beginner, but with time you will get used to it and enjoy the fun it offers.

Source: livecasino24.com

Live dealer poker is usually one live dealer versus several players. Live poker games replicate the physical gaming experience as anyone can see how much other players win. One dealer versus several players is one of the main drawbacks of poker. In the live casino, if your bet folds, youll still wait for others to place their bet.

Source: casinoble.nu

Live game shows are unique and mainly available in live casinos; you need to get online and stay online to enjoy these shows. The show comes with actual hosts on the stage, and it is streamed in the HD version. Many players enjoy live game shows because of how visually appealing they are.

The growth of live casinos keeps attracting the interest of many players in India and globally. Yet, it can be challenging, especially if youre new to the game. While there are many things to know about participating in a live casino, here are some basics:

Source: gambletroll.com

Playing live games can be fun, but thats not the end. You dont want to get excited about a game and go home with nothing; you want some cash for your predictions. Before playing a live game, there are some valuable tips every player must follow, and they include;

Live casino games are growing in popularity and are pretty interesting because they give you the feeling of being present. But, one main drawback of the game is that its available only for a limited number of games. If you want to go live on any game, get a platform that offers such games, understand how the game is played, and enjoy all the fun that comes with it.

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Casino Games and the Impact They Have On the Gambling Scene - VideoInk

Punter who sued bookies after winning 1.7m plans 25,000 man cave in his garden – The Mirror

Exclusive:

Andy Green, 55, won 1.7m in January 2018 in an online blackjack game but was told by Betfred that a software glitch made his win invalid. Last year, he was awarded 2.4m

Image: Chris Frear)

A gambler who bookies were ordered to pay a 2.4million jackpot is finally splashing out on a 25,000 dream man cave and BBQ.

Andy Green, 55, won 1.7m in January 2018 in an online blackjack game but was told by Betfred that a software glitch made his win invalid.

After a three-year High Court battle he was last year awarded the winnings which rose to 2.4m after interest.

Now the triple heart-attack survivor has revealed how he has been given planning permission to build a man cave at the bottom of the garden at his 300,000 detached home.

Dad-of-two Andy said: I reckon the man cave will cost about 25,000. Im still just trying to find a builder.

Itll be small with a six-metre covered section where I can BBQ and put chairs underneath.

I just want to go in there and watch my F1 and my GP motorbike racing without my daughters moaning at me that Im hogging the TV.

Image:

Andy, dad to Natasha, 22, and Abbie, 18, has been careful with the money, only buying new windows for his home and a second-hand BMW X6 with 18,000 miles on the clock.

He is also planning a trip to Lesbos, Greece, to see pals he has not seen for more than a decade.

Andy, of Washingborough, Lincs, said: I havent been able to go in 12 years. I still chat to my friends in Greece but I havent told them about the win.

He also revealed he had spoken to TV bosses about dramatising his legal fight. He said: People have said to me, Youve made companies like Betfred think twice about taking advantage again.

Ive been contacted about a short film or a series. I was told Id get royalties but I just want the story out there.

Andy won 1,722,923.54 in January 2018 but Betfred said a software glitch invalidated the win.

A High Court judge ruled for Andy and told the bookies to pay up.

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Punter who sued bookies after winning 1.7m plans 25,000 man cave in his garden - The Mirror

What are the advantages of mobile friendly casinos? – UrbanMatter

There are millions of people who use their phones every day for shopping and to scope out the latest entertainment news. Google and other sources now report that over 54 percent of all internet traffic is accessed through mobile phones.

But in the world of online gambling, its probably closer to 75 percent or more. And there are plenty of advantages to accessing a mobile-friendly casino from your smartphone.

Look ma, Im out of the house yet still gambling

The first benefit is that you no longer have to be home-bound to enjoy gambling.

And in fact, you can enjoy your online gambling while sipping a Vanilla Latte at Starbucks, standing in line for an hour or more to snag tickets to your favorite mega rock band, or even discreetly at that oh-so-boring chick flick that your girlfriend cited as a Woody Allen Masterpiece, and you havent been into Woody since he stopped producing funny movies like Sleeper and Tale Take the Money and Run.

The Skys the limit as far as mobile phones are concerned, and punters can and do gamble in all kinds of crazy and unique situations.

You get an hour for lunch but it frequently takes you only 15 minutes to eat

Many people get an hour for lunch but wolf down last nights leftover pizza in 15 minutes or less.

You can watch TV in the breakroom for the remaining 45 minutes, and watch whatever mindless channel is playing, or you can hop on your phone and play a few games of blackjack or enjoy several spins at becoming a multimillionaire by playing a Mega Moolah slot.

There are no hard facts on the number of people that gamble during breaks and at their lunch hour at work, but its got to be in the millions. In fact, we probably gamble more at work than any other location.

Better promotion rewards

Another reason to use your mobile phone to access your favorite gambling site is the rise of mobile casinos. You must go through the latest article of the European Business Review. They covered everything about the best non gamstop casinos.

Mobile casinos are online casinos that specifically cater to those who use mobile devices to gamble, and according to experts, particularly those who are 21 to 34 use their cell phones almost extensively to gamble.

Online casino owners, noting this trend, and being in a very competitive market, are increasingly tailoring their gambling promotions toward smartphone users.

So the plain fact is, if you choose the right casinos, your gambling dollar may just go a lot further when you choose to gamble at a mobile-friendly casino.

Better security

Nowadays, most mobile gamblers do so with apps that instantly connect them with their favorite casino. And since these apps are made available on Google Play and the IOS App Store, these apps have to go through a significant level of checking and meet pretty high standards before they become available for download.

As a result, you can be sure that any online casino app offered on these sites is vetted for security.

You are much less likely to pick up some malware or spybots on your phone if you use a vetted online gambling app.

Tons of free games

In particular, if you are a slot player, the great thing about mobile-friendly casinos is they offer free play on most of the slot games in their casino.

Although there is nothing like the thrill of playing for real money, at the same time, you dont want to throw your money around playing games that are poorly designed or have louse payouts.

Being able to test online games is an important strategy for many gamblers.

A wider range of payment and transaction methods

With the rise of mobile casinos and apps that can connect you instantly, another benefit of mobile-friendly casinos is a wider amount of payment actions.

Some of these apps are so specific that with one or two taps of your phone, you can connect your credit card with the casino and be instantly ready to gamble.

And because it is much more difficult for hackers to tap into a cellphone than it is for them to access your WiFi at home, you have an added sense of security.

In addition, the latest wrinkle in online gambling is gambling via bitcoin. You can make a deposit to a casino via bitcoin in 5 minutes or less, and if you win, you can get paid your winnings practically instantly as well.

And in addition, since bitcoin and cryptocurrency do not leave a huge paper trail, you can gamble privately.

Multitasking

Young people aged 21 to 35 or so are fantastic at multitasking. They have been multitasking since they were a preteen. So its no surprise that when at home they may break up boring tasks such as studying for Thursdays Biology exam, while at the same time have their phones open to a gambling site.

Even when watching a TV show or movie, they may ignore the incessant commercials by playing a hand or two of blackjack.

A more engaging activity

Lets face it. There are plenty of periods in the day where you are just totally bored, and even one more Tik Tok funny cat videos

Gambling, however, is extremely engaging, particularly if you are into sport betting as millions are.

If you have $20 bucks riding on the outcome of Sundays Green Bay vs Tampa Bay game, it will enhance your enjoyment of the game considerably.

As many gamblers say, winning free money is just about the most engaging activity possible, and that of course is the lure of gambling.

Since mobile phones allow you to access that free money 24 hours per day, adding some online gambling to your lifestyle by a phone can add additional zip to your life and get you out of boredom.

And who knows, if you happen to hit it big on a progressive slot like Mega Moolah, it can bring you unprecedented financial freedom.

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What are the advantages of mobile friendly casinos? - UrbanMatter

Beer and Clothing In Las Vegas: Russians, Boxing, and Black Jack – Barstool Sports

After learning about Bivol's boxing ability first-fist, I got to experience who he was firsthand. He loves to cook; he's a dude that just likes to grill and shoot the shit. Surprisingly the guy has a sense of humor even in English. His favorite part of America is Quesadillas, and He likes to learn English a lot through Netflix and comedy specials. He is hilarious. Like, check out this timing.

He knew my name the whole time, I swear.

After all that, please check out the tik toks documenting the whole saga.

Fight night was insane, and that is really where this whole saga starts

WHERE IT ALL BEGINS

I had finally finished shooting for Barstool in the corner all week, and it was time for me to enjoy Vegas before the fight. This was when the hot streak began.

Enter the Berserker Blackjack strategy

This is no joke. I turned $100 into $2000 dollars my whole weekend. I have proof.

It was insane. I have never been on such a hot streak. UPDATE I JUST HIT 21 in the ball machine on Pardon My Take. This hot streak is on a fucking roll!

I will be trying to continue my hot streak Wednesday at this=

nvm turns out Marty is going

Back to the fight, which I bet $200 +600 on Bivol. The first hype event was the weigh-in, where I met back up with Bivol's camp. Bivol's crew was so chill regarding the walkout to the stage. I hit up his trainer Taylor and asked if it would be ok for me to come with them. "As long as the ring is the same size as when we get there Saturday," the group was happy to have me, and I was happy to come.

My first thought after seeing Canelo's crew was this.

After they weighed in, I couldn't stop thinking about this. I was like, this is something that could seriously impact Canelo. Also he was a bitchass Vegan, he wishes he could cook or eat steaks like Bivol.

This is where clothing came into the Beer and Clothing name of this blog.

Big Cat ripped my only pants in a staged video I designed so that I could expense new pants because, as you could see, my jeans are falling apart they are like 5 years old, now I have new expensive more durable jeans I can expense to the company.

FIGHT NIGHT

The day of the fight was awesome. DAZN got us awesome access and allowed us to see some of the preliminary fights where we were able to sit so close ringside. I literally got blood splattered on me from this fight that ended in a knockout. This guy was Bivol's sparring partner, who he used to prepare for Canelo. From Uzbekistan.

Here's his KO.

Chinese Heavyweight Big Bang Zhang also had a huge punch to start the main card.

I then linked back up with Bivol's crew, and we headed back to the training room to chill before the fight.

I had spent a good amount of time with these dudes out in Indio. This wasn't that big of a deal (Jk, this was fucking sick).

Fight walks are insane. I have been a part of 3 fight walks, mine, Chef Donny's, and Bivol's. I am 3-0 in fight walks.

I might just start simulating fight walks at pregames with the boys just to try to get somewhere close to the same rush.

Bivol was not allowed to walk out to his anthem or his flag,for something he cannot control, so he repped his birthplace.

While they listed him as being from Indio, California.

The rest of the fight night was amazing. Between the Mexican crowd that had been drinking since Friday morning at the weigh-in chanting "Pendejo" which is hilarious because, after the fight, I had to explain what all the Spanish meant to him- he had no idea. The crowd was so pro Canelo, and he dealt with so much adversity. Bivol has always been a gracious and humble fighter. It has been amazing seeing how he has handled so much adversity for all he cannot control.

Now post-fight is where it got nuts.

And then I got the green light.

It was Demon Time.

Spoiler: Wild Bill did not activate

*Spoiler to the spoiler: Wild Bill Did not activate that night

Bivol went back to the room with his team and spent the whole night in. He did not sleep. All he did was answer almost every message he received from friends and family. What I thought would be a crazy night turned into something extremely wholesome. I did take shots with his training crew.

He called all his people and did not leave the suite at the MGM Grand. His post-fight statements were all genuine, and he was actually sorry he had ruined Cinco De Mayo for the whole Mexican crowd, and he was actually sorry to DAZN and Matchroom boxing for ruining the plan for setting up a huge GGG-Canelo fight. He wasn't being smug or cocky, literally everyone knew that fight was designed for him to win. He spoilt it for everyone. He was genuinely sorry. He even said to me, "They sent you to me because they didn't think I would win, didn't they" I was like "Yeah I am 100% the B team"

Everyone thought after a fight like that. A world champion would go crazy and party. Its Vegas! He didn't. The next day I came back to his suite and set up an interview with Bivol for Pardon My Take. Youtube should start at the interview timestamp:

After this interview, my 7 am Sunday flight was delayed by a huge scary sandstorm. Seeing it from Bivol's suite high in the hotel we were in was nuts. The president of Kyrgyzstan (where he was born) reached out to congratulate Bivol; I asked if Putin had called him, to which he responded, "There's no cell service in the bunker!"(Putin wouldn't due to his stance). After the interview, I got news my flight had been once again delayed. Now let me tell you not to knock on Russians, but it is very hard to get a read on them. They all have the male equivalent of resting bitch faces. I really hope no one from Bivol's camp is trying to translate this reference into Russian because it would not translate well. I AM NOT SAYING ANYTHING BAD ABOUT RUSSIANS. THEY JUST LOOK PISSED ALL THE TIME.

.

Except for Bivol. He smiled a lot and was easygoing, but he's not ethnically Russian. I told them the predicament I was in with the flight being delayed and how I checked out of my hotel, and if it was ok for me to stay longer to do some work on my laptop. They immediately said, of course, and asked me to stay for dinner. I didn't know if this was a cultural thing where I was supposed to say no, but they quickly insisted. Bivol ordered his favorite Quesadillas.

After dinner, my flight got delayed yet again, and I had been sitting in the room listening to Russian and having no idea what was going on. I sat and nodded my head and just acted like I knew what they were saying till one made a joke and they all started laughing. I decided to laugh just because it was funny they were laughing. One of his team goes in English:

"How do you get that joke? You know old movies from USSR?"

"I said I have no idea what any of you have been saying this whole time."

It was a great ice breaker. We then started to talk about language barriers, and they taught me Russian swear words, and I would say them, and they would laugh. Making Russians laugh is hard tho. Had to find things they would find funny but also translatable I'm not a stand-up comedian but this inspired me. You can understand how Kreischer's Machine story showed he had the skills. I probably won't do stand-up.

And after talking to Bivol and his team about my Berserker Blackjack strategy, they wanted to go try it. It was hilarious. But first, The group had avoided any geopolitical talk till the date of May 8th came up, which is VE Day. A speech was made about how we were celebrating two victories, the beating the Germans, and Beating Canelo. We cheers'd and took shots. We started taking shots of Tequila because they just beat a Mexican. Then the older trainer, who is one of the hardest-looking men I have ever seen, said the first words I heard from him besides what he said to Bivol during pad work.

(In Russian, that was then translated to me)

"What did you learn in American school about WW2? Who do you think to beat the Germans?"

This was a pants-shitting moment. At this point, we had all gotten along and avoided any geopolitics, and I wouldn't want to do anything to tarnish the relationship. In one of the few times in my life, I carefully chose my words.

"The U.S joined the conflict late after much fighting had already occurred, we beat the Japanese single handily, but the Germans could never be defeated without Russia."

" !" (you see the suspense when you don't know what is being said, imagine me) (I didn't understand it was positive till Bivol started laughing)

A satisfactory response and cleared up any tension in the room. I guess who did more to beat the Germans was a huge point of contention during the Cold War.

At this point, I kid you not, I described to the crowd how the mountain on a cold Coors light is blue, which made the crew light up with interest. Then everyone started drinking Coors light. At this point, Bivol had his only drink of the night 1 cold Coors light that he did not want me to take a picture of him with. Totally understand.

We then headed to the blackjack tables. I like to play at $5 tables I explained to Bivol and his team that the fancy hotel of a competing sportsbook was too expensive and not fun. Bivol put on sunglasses and a mask, and we headed out to a cheaper place with $5 tables across the street, this place also had $2 Coors Lights. The thing is, Bivol stuck out more with the glasses and mask, people could tell the guy wearing glasses and a mask at night was 100% trying to hide their identity. Glasses is one thing, a mask is another but both at the same time made it so when he got to the blackjack table, the whole security at this cheap casino showed up and thought he might have been a guy banned from the casino for counting cards or something. I kinda understand where the Casino was coming from because some of Bivol's crew is pretty similar looking to the actual MIT students in the 21 card counting movie. As the only English speaker there, I had to talk down to security as to why there was a man who obviously was trying to hide his identity trying to play cards. Quickly whipped out my phone and showed them the Bivol Canelo fight poster and all was well

Until the Berserker BlackJack strategy came out.

I haven't seen such sober people laugh so hard. Every time I doubled down on 12s and the dealer was like WTF are you doing then winning the hand. Made them laugh their ass off. The dealer was getting pissed with me, but I was winning, and they kept laughing. I was splitting every pair I got, sometime splitting after splits and playing like 5 different bets at once. It was the greatest rush I ever got from gambling. Of the $100 dollars, I put down, at one point, I was up $200 but I wanted to stay to ensure the champ's good time wouldn't end. I ended up losing all of it after a couple of bad hands and a crazy split with two double downs to end it. Bivol looked at me and said:

"Did you lose all your money in Vegas?"

I replied

"No I didn't, Thanks to you."

After that, we walked back to the hotel, and his crew kept going "Double Down" and laughing every time. The crazy post-fight celebration for Bivol was 1 beer and a couple $5 hands. I said goodbye to my Russian friends and headed to the airport. The flight left at 11:59 pm, and I arrived back at 7 am and went into the office. A crazy week in Vegas. Got right after the sandstorm and made it to work for Macrodosing.

Read more here:

Beer and Clothing In Las Vegas: Russians, Boxing, and Black Jack - Barstool Sports

Why Online Casino Games Have Been Trending in the Us Over the Last 5 Years – The Current

The gambling industry has been booming in the US of late, but it is no recent phenomenon. In fact, the growth has been increasing drastically over the last five years. We have seen new online sportsbooks launching, new online casinos, and the introduction of fantasy sports in many states as well.

One of the core reasons for this growth in the US is because many states are beginning to legalize the activity of online gambling in various forms. But why is this happening? What caused the sudden turnaround in legislation for so many US states?

The craze started back in February 2013, when Governor Chris Christie signed Assembly Bill 2578 to pass legislation that would mean online casinos could operate legally in New Jersey. Operators would have to register their interest to apply and apply for the appropriate license from the New Jersey Division of Gaming, who were the official regulator of the industry.

The reason for their legalization was because one of the states most famous attractions, Atlantic City, was in serious decline. Much of the great gambling metropolis was left to ruin, and the local government needed a way in which to renovate the once iconic city, allowing them to breathe new life into a forgotten area. Hoping to return it to its former glories, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

With the launch of this new industry of online casino games and more, it would not only create new jobs in New Jersey, lowering unemployment and increasing tax revenue. But they would also get tax revenue from the new businesses, and players winnings too. It was a win-win situation for them, and one that had hiccups along the way, but ultimately paid off.

In the first 12 months since legalizing online casinos, the local government managed to generate over $130 million. Money that would be put toward responsible gambling programs and bringing Atlantic City back to life.

Source: https://cdn2.civitatis.com/estados-unidos/nueva-york/guia/atlantic-city.jpg

The success of its legalization started a chain reaction for other states to look at the legalization of similar activities. Many wanted to first see how New Jersey would handle tackling issues like responsible gambling, how they would police the industry, what worked well with their plans, and what did not. This way, they could put cases forward for their own states to legalize online casinos and ensure they took the best bit of other operations and avoided the parts that did not work.

The ball really began to start rolling about five years ago, when a lot of the research into New Jerseys operations finally came to an end and showed that the benefits outweighed the costs. More states began to put bills forward to their relevant authorities, about launching their own investigations into the legalization within their own boundaries.

This escalated more though once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Many land-based casinos had to close when lockdowns were introduced, leaving many staff out of work, and profits began to plummet. This also impacted the US economy, there was less tax income being generated, and with stimulus checks being sent out, costs were on the rise.

The government needed a way to recoup the costs and to help the businesses affected. Many casinos believed that was through legalizing online casinos and online sports betting. A popular operation over the waters in the UK that helped to save similar businesses. And so, state after state began to legalize online gambling one after the other, like falling dominos.

The introduction of online casino games has been a big one, seeing states rake in millions of new revenues. But it was not so easy for businesses at the start, with a lot of competition entering this new market. Many offered up online casino sign-up bonuses in order to attract customers, but with so many, people were fluttering between multiple sites to make the most of each one, so it was not drawing in and keeping hold of customers as these operators wanted.

Therefore, businesses began to pay out millions in marketing to push their brand, with the likes of Caesars and BetMGM having already established names that would help them succeed. Other smaller brands that were lesser known to the general public had a harder time, and many of these companies were bought out by competitors or went bust.

But once things settled, the growth of the industry began to see it climb a steep incline. It was not just a case that revenues increased and then remained the same with little fluctuation. Revenues were steadily increasing month on month, almost quadrupling by the end of the year in some states. And they have been continuing that trend ever since.

Source: https://t2conline.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/casino-pixabay.jpg

There have been several online casino games that have helped contribute to the trends we have seen over these last five years. Slots are ever so popular, but one of the biggest reasons is table games. Although not the traditional kind you find in a land-based casino.

Online casino games gave operators a chance to switch things up and freshen up traditional games with revamped versions offering new experiences. Games such as live lightning blackjack which can offer up to 500x your stake if certain numbers come in, blackjack switch that offers players a chance to switch out their second dealt card to give them a higher chance of winning, and Crazy Time, a game show like experience that can offer up winnings of 20,000x your stake.

One reason these games have been so popular is because streamers on Twitch and YouTubers have begun working with online casinos to promote their games like they would if they were streaming video games. This allows them to showcase the features these games have and demonstrate how they work.

So, as you can see, there has been a lot going on in the industry with more states legalizing gambling online every single year. It is likely with many states yet to legalize online casino games, that more will follow, and well see trends continuing in their upward direction easily for another five years following the whirlwind of the last five.

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Why Online Casino Games Have Been Trending in the Us Over the Last 5 Years - The Current

How to Unblock a Webpage from Behind a Firewall – Beebom

Though the internet is meant to be open and unrestricted, there are many cases where websites are geo-restricted, or blocked by a firewall. So, if youve recently come across a website that you want to access but which is blocked for you, worry not, we have the solutions for you. Here is how to unblock a webpage from behind a firewall.

There are multiple ways you can use to unblock webpages from behind a firewall. We are taking a look at all of them individually, and you can use the table of contents below to navigate through this article and try out any (or all) of these methods to unblock websites on your devices.

Quite possibly the easiest way to unblock websites from behind a firewall is by visiting their IP addresses directly. This works in cases where the block has been applied to a domain name, which is mostly the case. Heres how you can visit blocked websites using their IP addresses.

Voila! You would now be directed to the site and access it even if the domain name has been blocked.

A network administrator may restrict certain websites with a firewall to prevent them from being accessed, whether for protection from malicious content or to save bandwidth. If you figure out that a web page has been blocked due to such restrictions, you can sometimes unblock it by switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data.

Obviously, this applies to devices that have a SIM card (or e-SIM). However, even if youre using a device that doesnt have its own cellular modem, you can create a local hotspot from your smartphone and use that to connect your devices.

Times when a site is down or has been blocked but you still need to access it, you can switch to the cached version to retrieve some information from it. For those unaware, the cache is basically an older version of a site that Google stores as a backup and allows access to only limited number of pages. It shows olders versions of text-based sites that you can visit without needing to log in.

While its not a full-on solution per se, many a time you can unblock a site by switching to a mobile or desktop version of the site. You may notice that not both versions of the site are blocked. Heres how to switch between mobile/desktop versions of a website in some of the most popular browsers.

Switch mobile/desktop sites in Safari on iOS/iPad OS

Switch mobile/desktop sites in Safari on Mac

Switch mobile/desktop sites in Chrome on iOS

Switch mobile/desktop sites in Chrome on Android:

Switch mobile/desktop sites in Chrome on Mac/PC

Another pretty simple yet quite effective way to unblock a site from behind a firewall is to access the site in a different language for a different region. For example, by changing your country to India and your language to Hindi, you may be able to bypass the restriction. The whole point Im trying to make is that not all versions of the site may be blocked at once. Therefore, switching to a different version could often do the trick for you.

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) has long been a trusted bet for opening blocked websites. What makes it so efficient is the ability to let you mask your real IP address behind a fake one. Thus, it becomes painless to access blocked or geo-restricted sites. For example, if you connect to a US-based VPN server, you will be able to access the geographically restricted sites that are available only in the US. Moreover, VPNs are easy to set up and can also prevent your ISP (Internet Service Provider) from throttling your bandwidth.

Proxy servers are also up to the mark when it comes to opening blocked websites. In terms of functionality, proxy servers are designed to act as middlemen between you and the web. When you send connection requests to a proxy server, it forwards them to the website on your behalf using its own IP address. Thus, bypassing geo-blocks becomes plain-sailing. Its worth noting that a proxy server can return results a lot faster if they have been archieved in the servers local cache. Since proxy servers dont use encryptions, they also do not tend to interfere with your online speeds.

The privacy-centric Tor browser can also come in super handy in letting you unblock a site. If you are wondering how it works, let me tell you that it smartly hides users locations so that they can browse the web without having to deal with censorship.

Just like a proxy or VPN, Tor conceals your real IP address behind a new IP address assigned to you. By passing your traffic through secure relay servers, the Tor browser not only safeguards your privacy but also facilitates hassle-free access to websites even if they are blocked.

Is there any downside? Tor is comparatively slow and also doesnt support all platforms including iOS. These shortcomings aside, if you are on Android or desktop and want to browse the web with improved privacy, Tor browser wont let you down.

In some cases, your modem may assign you a Dynamic IP address which is temporary and remains valid only for a session. So, if you run into a site that is blocked, you can overcome this issue by using a new IP address generated by your modem. And the quickest way to get it done is by just rebooting your modem. Give this nifty trick a shot to see if it gets the job done for you.

A Smart DNS (Domain Name Server) allows you to hide your real DNS address which is assigned to you by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). As your DNS address consists of information that reveals your actual geo-location, replacing the DNS address with a new address where the content is available can help you bypass geo-blocks.

Notably, most Smart DNS services provide a massive list of pre-unblocked websites that you can visit without any restriction. Knowing that Smart DNS services lack encryption, you can access blocked content with the maximum speed offered by your ISP.

Thats pretty much done! So, these are the trusted ways to unblock sites. While VPN services and proxy servers are more reliable for unblocking websites, other tricks like switching to mobile/desktop sites and rebooting modems are very handy. Now that you know various ways to get through, make the most of these hacks to prevent restrictions from letting you access the desired content. Did you find this guide helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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How to Unblock a Webpage from Behind a Firewall - Beebom

Reversing Roe in the digital age – Coda Story

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The United States Supreme Court may be poised to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion throughout the country. If the decision is overturned, it could jeopardize abortion access for tens of millions across the country. Thirteen states have laws on the books that would immediately ban abortion if Roe is scrapped, and a dozen more are likely to gut abortion access absent federal protections. Louisiana Republicans are advancing a bill that would classify abortion as homicide and implicate both abortion patients and providers.

The reversal would also undo the privacy standard on which the Roe decision hinged. This is a uniquely powerful change in the digital era, raising urgent questions about data security and privacy. The tools so many of us rely on to engage with the modern world are largely trackable, making it easier for authorities (or even private individuals) to go after people seeking abortions, or those who are trying to help them.

Peoples search histories, text messages, location data, social media activity, purchasing records, and use of reproductive health phone apps will likely become standard evidence in legal cases against people seeking abortions.

This is a privacy issue

This really is and has become a privacy issue, Nikolas Guggenberger, executive director of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, told me. As soon as abortion becomes criminalized, then any sort of digital trace that people leave online at any stage of their journey could be evidence that might be used against them.

Theres already precedent for this: In 2018, a Mississippi woman who told authorities she delivered a stillborn baby was charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors combed her internet search history and found results related to abortion-inducing pills. The charges were later dropped, but the point stands.

People who assist abortion seekers could also be implicated in investigations. After Texas passed its sweeping anti-abortion bounty law last fall, which allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a person access an abortion, some raised concerns that Uber drivers who unwittingly drive patients to abortion clinics could be subject to prosecution.

Law enforcement and prosecutors can subpoena tech companies to hand over user data or buy it outright from data brokers, which repackage and sell our data with astonishing precision. Because there is no federal privacy law in the United States, the burden of digital protection falls largely on the American user to safeguard their own online footprints. Several groups have published guides to abortion and pregnancy privacy, such as the Digital Defense Fund, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Repro Legal Helpline.

US groups are not pioneers in this arena

Organizations working in countries that had or have extremely restrictive abortion laws have long worked to avoid digital surveillance on behalf of themselves and the people theyre helping.

Since 2006, the nonprofit Women on Web, which was founded by a Dutch physician, has sent abortion pills to people in some 200 countries around the world where the procedure is illegal or highly restricted. The way it works is pretty simple: Abortion seekers are directed to an online consultation on the charitys website. Doctors review each consultation and determine patients eligibility for treatment. A licensed physician will then provide a prescription for abortion medication the drugs misoprostol and mifepristone which is filled by a network of pharmacies the organization works with, and then shipped to the patients home.

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According to Executive Director Venny Ala-Siurua, Women on Web fields about 10,000 emails per month through its international help desk, which operates in 16 different languages. Because the group sends pills to some countries where abortion is criminalized, protecting visitors health data is paramount. I always say that safe abortions are private abortions, she told me. Ala-Siurua explained that the organization has used an encrypted communication system since its inception and created a mobile app that allows people to submit the online consultation without navigating to the groups website. They also advise using virtual private networks and the TOR browser for anyone visiting their site.

A lot has changed in the digital realm since Women on Web launched fifteen-plus years ago. I often say that we started off by using technology and the internet to break barriers to abortions but I would say in the recent years its become a bit of a double-edged sword for us, Ala-Siurua told me.

In addition to the privacy and digital security concerns, she sees technology increasingly acting as a gatekeeper that prevents people from accessing information about the groups services. The organization has dealt with heavy-handed content moderation on social media and accusations of violating community guidelines. We get censored all the time, she told me, adding that companies rarely provide transparency about why Women on Webs content is removed. One post that was removed from the groups Instagram account simply read: You can now order abortion pills BEFORE you are pregnant. According to an automated message from Instagram, this was a violation of the Community Guidelines. It is worth noting that Instagrams Community Guidelines include no specific references to messages about abortion.

The organizations experience provides a glimpse into just how messy it could become for social media platforms attempting to moderate abortion-related content, if the court repeals Roe. It also introduces yet another reason why some have been wary of calls by politicians to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the landmark U.S. legislation that protects web platforms from liability for the content that users post on their sites. Without 230 on the books, social media platforms would no longer retain this protection. It is easy to imagine that this would cause companies to more aggressively moderate abortion-related content to avoid lawsuits.

Of course, so much of this conversation is still just speculation. We dont know what the final Supreme Court decision on Roe will look like, or when it will come out. But it is certain that boundaries between our physical and digital selves are likely to dissolve even further if or when Roe is dealt its final blow.

The son of Ferdinand Marcos will be the next president of the Philippines, thanks in no small part to social media. Our partners at Rappler, the independent media outlet run by Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, tracked the use of social media by major candidates leading up to the election, and found that Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. had the most well-coordinated network on Facebook among all of the candidates. His community operates in a vacuum, they wrote, effectively drowning out content from sources other than those supportive of him. Reporters at BBC also dug into coordinated efforts to manipulate information on social media, with a particular focus on the re-branding of Marcos father, who ruled the country from 1965-1986 in a regime known for endemic corruption, excess, and human rights abuses.

In India, a new government directive will force virtual private network companies to store and maintain their customer data, including users names, physical addresses, emails, and phone numbers, for five or more years, CNET reports. Failure to comply with the order can result in up to a year behind bars. Responding to the directive, the British Islands-based company PureVPN said it was astonished at this policy move by the worlds largest democracy which is on the brink of becoming the worlds largest police state. As we note below, India also holds the dubious honor of being the worlds foremost perpetrator of internet shutdowns.

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Reversing Roe in the digital age - Coda Story

Decriminalize Denver, 3 years on: A campaign that had a ripple effect throughout the country – Denver 7 Colorado News

DENVER Its been three years since Denver voted to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms to deprioritize law enforcement actions against the possession of psilocybin, and to mark the occasion, activists fighting for that change gathered to celebrate at Cheesman Park Saturday.

Marijuana was legal and people have this feeling of just like, what's the difference between this plant and this fungus? Why is this plant available in stores on every corner, and this fungus you go to jail for? said freelance reporter Reilly Capps.

Initially thinking it would take five years to decriminalize magic mushrooms, Capps said he was surprised it only took three years for the decriminalize movement to coalesce.

So that story was just fascinating to watch it evolve and grow and grow and grow, he said, adding that more people started getting interested in the movement, including lawyers and influencers.

Decriminalize Denver campaign organizer Travis Tyler Fluck also shared how Denvers passing of the ballot initiative had a ripple effect throughout the country, inspiring other cities across the nation to launch their own campaigns.

Within 18 months of us passing by .5%, Washington D.C. voted on decriminalizing all entheogens and it was able to pass 76% (on the) yes (vote). It's really beautiful to be able to reflect in that way, to see that every time I went outside and collected signatures in 10-degree weather, that it meant something. We won by such a narrow margin that it really showed that each and every person contributed to pulling that win over the line, and I think that that is an important new story that we need in our culture today, Fluck said. The interbeingness of it, that my fate is wrapped up in yours.

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Decriminalize Denver, 3 years on: A campaign that had a ripple effect throughout the country - Denver 7 Colorado News