Scientists successfully created a cybernetic neural network – The Next Web

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An international team of researchers spread out over three labs in Switzerland, Italy, and the UK have successfully joined artificial neurons and an organic neuron to form the first operational biological-artificial hybrid neural network.

Theyve made a cyborg.

The team set out to recreate a classic experiment showing how neurons can learn by transferring information through synapses.

In a classic neural network, various neurons light up in response to stimulus. Over time the neurons will require more or less stimulation to fire, thus demonstrating how neural networks adapt and learn.

Read: Scientists discover strong evidence of life on Mars

Weve studied this concept in organic neural networks such as those found in living brains, but this is the first time its been done with both living and artificial neurons.

Per the teams research paper:

We demonstrate a three-neuron brain-silicon network where memristive synapses undergo long-term potentiation or depression driven by neuronal firing rates.

The experiment involved three different neurons across three different geographical locations, connected via the Internet using standard TCP/IP.

The first, a silicon-based artificial neuron, resided in Switzerland where researchers used it to send information to another artificial neuron in the UK.

Connecting the two human-made neurons was an organic neuron derived from a lab rats brain in Italy which served as a bridge for information.

The scientists demonstrated the hybrid neural networks ability to learn by modifying the way the data was sent, thus causing the artificial neuron at the end of the transmission to require more or less stimulation to light up.

Theoretically, this experiment could be expanded exponentially. With enough artificial bridges mimicking natural synapses we may one day be able to emulate entire brain regions.

The implications could go as far as total-conversion cyborgs that retain only the bare minimum of organic brain material essentially, this could mean immortality.

But, more likely in this century, it means scientists may one day be able to repair damaged or abnormal brain regions. This could mean a cure for paralysis, dementia, and other brain disorders, even those currently considered irreparable.

Theres still plenty of work to be done. It takes hundreds of thousands of connections for even simple brain circuits to operate, the three-neuron approach is little more than proof of the concept.

But when full-on cyborgs walk the Earth, theyll trace their origins back to this research.

You can read the full paper here.

H/t: Singularity Hub

Published March 11, 2020 22:47 UTC

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Scientists successfully created a cybernetic neural network - The Next Web

Patricio Freire’s title, tourney hopes on the line at closed Bellator event – ESPN

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The Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix semifinals will be set Friday night. And that weight division's title will be on the line.

It all will happen in an empty Mohegan Sun Arena, as promotion president Scott Coker announced Thursday that, "out of an abundance of caution" over the coronavirus pandemic, Bellator 241 will be closed to the public. The fights will go on, in front of 10,000 empty seats in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The main event pits Patricio Freire against Pedro Carvalho in a fight whose importance is twofold. Freire, who reigns at both featherweight and lightweight, will be defending his 145-pound title. And the winner of the bout will not just be champion but will move on to the final four of the yearlong tournament.

In Bellator, the tourney is held not simply to determine a challenger for the champ. It includes the champ, testing him along the way.

In the co-main event, Emmanuel Sanchez and Daniel Weichel, both longtime Bellator featherweight stalwarts, will face off in another Grand Prix quarterfinal.

There are important fights up and down the card. Here's a look at what to watch for at Bellator 241.

Last September, Freire was granted "champion's choice" during Bellator's Grand Prix selection show. "Pitbull" was allowed to manipulate the bracket however he wanted, choosing his quarterfinal opponent and date. Freire tabbed Carvalho, the least-known fighter in the draw, as his foe. It was a very good strategic move. So was bouncing the other favorites in the field -- A.J. McKee and Darrion Caldwell -- to the other side of the bracket. Freire chose an easier path, as he should have.

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But how easy of a challenge is Carvalho? Not really that easy at all, truly. Carvalho is a 24-year-old prospect out of Portugal. He trains under John Kavanagh at SBG Ireland, rubbing shoulders with Conor McGregor, among others. Carvalho has won six straight, four of them via finish. Maybe Carvalho ends up being the surprise of this tournament.

Just like in any tournament, one of the most fun things is pegging who will be the sleepers. Weichel and Sanchez are two names people are not buzzing about. But they are both consistent and solid, with the ability to finish a fight either while standing or on the ground.

Sanchez has only two losses going back to 2015: to Freire and Weichel. He is seeking to avenge a 2016 split decision defeat to Weichel, a fight Sanchez believes he won. Weichel, meanwhile, has lost to Freire twice, but in their first fight he rocked the champion and in the second he took the Brazilian to a close split decision. Either one of these men has a chance to win this fight and give the Freire vs. Carvalho winner a tough time in the semifinals.

Daley, the exciting, charismatic British slugger, has won two straight after being ousted from the Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix by Michael Page in February 2019. He meets Sabah Homasi on Friday night. Homasi is a UFC veteran on a two-fight winning streak and is no easy test. If Daley passes it, he'll put himself in the conversation for a fight against welterweight champion Douglas Lima.

There is also the possibility that Daley could earn another date with Page, his countryman, with whom he has a rivalry. Daley called for that rematch against "MVP" after Daley stopped Saad Awad with strikes last October. At 37 years old, Daley is not still the same guy who came close to fighting for the UFC welterweight title 10 years ago. But he's still a lightning rod -- and still capable of putting foes to sleep with one left hook.

Who is next for Cyborg, the newly crowned Bellator women's featherweight champion? Perhaps the answer can be found on the Bellator 241 undercard. While it seems Arlene Blencowe has the inside track right now, either Smith or Miele can put her name in the hat with a big performance.

Monday through Friday, host Mina Kimes brings you an inside look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as told by the top reporters and insiders on the planet. Listen

Smith was actually Cyborg's first UFC opponent in 2016 and is a friend of the champion. But she has lost just once since fighting Cyborg -- to Blencowe in November -- and her bouts are always exciting to watch. Miele, meanwhile, has won four straight and could position herself as a top contender with a win over a known commodity like Smith. Cyborg will surely be watching closely.

"Prospect" is an odd term. What does it really mean in MMA? Someone young? Someone unproven? Gracie isn't young. He's 30 years old. But in MMA, he's inexperienced, with just three pro fights -- all with Bellator, and all since 2018. Every one of his fights has ended with a submission win, which should come as no surprise given his last name. His family helped bring Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the United States and was essential in starting the UFC in 1993.

Robson is the youngest brother of Renzo Gracie and, of course, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He has looked strong in MMA so far, and his challenge Friday will be Billy Goff, a 21-year-old Connecticut-based fighter who is 2-2, mostly with local regional promotions. This is very much a showcase fight for Robson, who should win. If he doesn't, we can definitely hit the brakes on that "prospect" distinction.

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Patricio Freire's title, tourney hopes on the line at closed Bellator event - ESPN

The Terminator sequel trilogies that never were – Film Stories

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The future is what we make it, but what about the unmade Terminator sequels that would have followed Salvation, Genisys, and Dark Fate? Mark finds out.

This feature contains spoilers for all of the Terminator films, including Dark Fate.

The original Terminator trilogy comprised three movies released in three different decades. For all the flaws with Jonathan Mostows Terminator 3, a well-made sequel that nevertheless comes up short next to James Camerons films, its probably the best of the post-T2 sequels.

The franchise now numbers six entries, with the addition of three different trilogy-starters, distributed by three different studios, with three different creative leads, all in little more than 10 years. Salvation, Genisys, and Dark Fate were all intended to kick off sequel trilogies, but whether it was down to rights issues or audience apathy, none of their respective follow-ups came to pass.

In the workings of a franchise machine that absolutely will not stop ever, until we are dead, we can be thankful that simply remaking the 1984 original remains an unthinkable option for now. Heck, the series has tied itself in knots just to keep Arnold Schwarzenegger involved beyond the reasonable playing age for a mass-produced cyborg.

But where would these new creative directions have taken the series if they had come to fruition? Heres our look back at the Terminator trilogies that never were

Setup: 15 years after Judgment Day, in the far-off future of 2018, upstart resistance captain John Connor (Christian Bale) encounters an experimental human-Terminator hybrid named Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) who is protecting Johns teenage father Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin) from Skynet.

What went wrong? Despite being the worst-reviewed movie in the franchise up to this point, Salvation was a decent-sized hit at the worldwide box office in summer 2009. However, when Terminator rights holders The Halcyon Company went bankrupt later that year, the rights changed hands and Salvations most lasting impression on pop culture was the ubiquitous leaked audio of Christian Bale ranting at cinematographer Shane Hurlbut.

What would have happened next? Unlike the films that followed, Terminator Salvation is about as linear a sequel as you could expect from such a circular narrative. It picks up roughly after Rise Of The Machines left off but feels like more of a reboot than it ought to because of casting changes.

As well as being the only entry in the franchise that doesnt feature Schwarzenegger, (outside of a cameo from a CG double anyway) its unique in its lack of time travel shenanigans. So, what did director McG have in mind for the untitled Terminator 5 and 6?

One of the problems is that in a post-apocalyptic world, everybodys a little bummed out, he told IGN in 2009. Everything went haywire. So, the idea is to play with one of the tried and true rules of the franchise time travel and introduce it in this picture.

In further statements around the same time, McG suggested a fifth instalment would play around with the timeline that was largely respected in Salvation. This time-travel adventure was going to send Bales Connor back to a pre-Skynet 2011, the same year as the sequel was intended to be released. Even though Salvation acknowledges that Judgment Day took place in 2003, the idea was to revisit the contemporary chase-movie style of previous instalments.

This neednt have broken the franchise, but the minds behind Terminator 5 also intended to show Skynet figuring out how to send non-infiltrator Terminators back through time, meaning that the war machinery seen in countless flashforwards would invade our present. In case you dont see what a bad idea that would be, ask yourself why they wouldnt have just sent a Hunter-Killer back to get Sarah Connor in 1984, if that ever became possible?

Speaking of Sarah, McG intended to retcon her death, which occurred off-screen before Rise Of The Machines, and have Linda Hamilton return for the fifth film. It also would have featured Robert Patrick as a 60-year-old scientist who is researching cell replication, as if a shapeshifter like the T-1000 would need design inspiration to begin with.

As it stood, McG had two potential projects lined up between completing Salvation and Terminator 5 one was a James Cameron-produced remake of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and the other was a screen version of the rock musical Spring Awakening. Neither of those films materialised, but due to those pesky rights issues, (which weve covered more extensively elsewhere)neither did his take on Terminator 5.

After it became apparent that new rights holders Annapurna Pictures would be pursuing a new take, with Schwarzenegger once again front and centre, Dark Horse Comics released a 12-issue sequel series titled Terminator Salvation: The Final Battle. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, the story picks up threads involving Connor, Wright, and Helena Bonham Carters Dr Serena Kogan, and ultimately ties all loose ends back into the circular narrative of the rest of the series.

Setup: Time is in flux during the dying days of the war against the machines, as an alternate-universe version of Skynet (Matt Smith) sends a Terminator back in time to kill Sarah Connor as a child. Tumbling into an alternate 1984, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) discovers that Sarah (Emilia Clarke) was raised by a reprogrammed T-800, (Schwarzenegger) while back in his own time, John Connor (Jason Clarke) has also been assimilated.

What went wrong? All editorialising about the films quality aside, Genisys got an even colder reception from critics and audiences than its predecessor. While Alan Taylors film took a leaf out of JJ Abrams Star Trek in a bid to kickstart a rebooted trilogy, the back-to-back sequels that had been dated for 19th May 2017 and 29th June 2018 were quietly removed from Paramounts slate after the film underperformed at the international box office.

What would have happened next? For us, this is Terminator 1, this is not Terminator 5, said Annapurna executive David Ellison, describing the filmmakers approach to the intended trilogy. Despite bringing Schwarzenegger back into the fold, Genisys was very much hyped as the start of a new series based on Camerons original two films. If nothing else, its a curious move to acknowledge that the film is overwriting the two cast-iron classics that kicked off the franchise during the film it didnt prove to be a popular choice.

Writers Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier were charged with coming up with the new trilogy and while doing press rounds for Genisys, they were emphatic in saying that they had a three-film arc for this new alternate timeline. Indeed, they claimed that they knew the last line of the third movie but were understandably unwilling to reveal what it was at that point.

As mentioned, Genisys sets up some of the questions that would percolate throughout the next two films, like where the alternate version of Skynet had come from (or rather, why he didnt bring a fez and a mop to tidy up this timey-wimey nonsense). Smiths role in the finished film amounted to an extended cameo, but the mid-credits scene was devoted to showing that Skynets new Genisys form had survived in 2017, and the sequels were supposed to explain where it had come from.

Notably, the film sees our heroes trying to avert yet another Judgment Day in 2017, which is when the first sequel was supposed to turn up. Unlike the causal loop established across previous instalments, the many-worlds version allows for further alterations to the mythos, so Kalogridis and Lussier would pretty much have had free rein on the sequels.

Its not too much of a stretch to imagine that Part 2 would have seen Judgment Day come to pass again, with the alternate-universe Skynet avoiding the mistakes of previous versions, so that Part 3 could deal with the immediate aftermath, perhaps having other characters hop between timelines too. Although the sequels were dated and a complementary TV spin-off series was announced, the films box office put paid to any plans to answer the films dangling plot threads.

And so, what little else we know about the planned Genisys sequels has largely come from the actors involved. For instance, we know that Dayo Okeniyis Cyberdyne whiz Daniel Dyson was set to play a larger part and that JK Simmons filmed pick-up scenes in Genisys to make it clearer that his character survived, ahead of a more important role in the sequels. But the biggest clue weve had so far comes from Jason Clarke, who lamented that he didnt get to explore the T-5000 version of John Connor any further.

He told Collider in 2018: What I remember was that second one was going to be about Johns journey after he was taken by Skynetlike going down to what he became; half-machine, half-man. Thats where the second one was going to start, and thats about all I knew. Its such a bummer we didnt get to do that.

By contrast, his namesake and screen mother Emilia Clarke was much more contentto be free of the Terminator franchise machine, claiming in a 2018 interview that she was relieved that the film didnt do well. Elsewhere, Ellison brought James Cameron back on board as a producer to have another run at the franchise that made his name

Setup: Utilising the same many-worlds approach to liberally ignore everything since T2, Dark Fate opens with a shattering postscript to Camerons last film and then picks up 22 years later, as Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) encounters a new saviour of humanity, Dani Ramos, (Natalia Reyes) and her cyborg-hybrid protector, Grace, (Mackenzie Davis) on the run from a Terminator sent by a different, non-Skynet AI called Legion.

What went wrong? Pivoting from Trek to Star Wars in its legacyquel tack, the film drew much warmer reviews all around, but had the lowest box-office opening of any Terminator film since the first one in 1984. Many box office prognosticators blamed franchise fatigue with the third would-be trilogy-starter on the bounce, but all told, Paramount and Skydance Media declared a loss of $130 million on the film.

What would have happened next? As youd expect from Cameron, he was a hands-on producer, proving instrumental in co-writing the story that Deadpool director Tim Miller went on to make. Indeed, before Dark Fate, the producer reportedly sat down, just as he has with his as-yet-unreleased Avatar sequels, to hammer out a three-film arc with writers Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friedman, David Goyer, and Justin Rhodes.

Camerons main reason for returning to the Terminator franchise was to address the ever more topical relationship between humans and artificial intelligence. But by his own admission, Dark Fate doesnt get around to that, instead tacitly acknowledging the stray timelines of Salvation and Genisys by suggesting that some version of this conflict has happened before and will happen again, until something fundamentally changes in that relationship.

He further explained: We know where our storyline is going in broad strokes. The innate conflict that the future Terminator films will have to resolve, will be the ultimate and inescapable showdown between humanity and A.I.

The first sequel was pencilled in for early 2022 by producers estimates, but that was before the film turned out to be a financial write-off. By the end of Dark Fate, Sarah and Dani drive off towards an uncertain future, (again) but behind the scenes at least, it seems as if Cameron and his co-writers had made preparations to ensure that the film worked as a standalone story, but also that they didnt paint themselves into any corners If the series continued.

The only area in which things seemed more ambivalent about the sequels was Schwarzeneggers return in its second half, the film introduces a T-800 model that feels like the logical extension of Uncle Bob from T2 and goes to some lengths to start that this time, he wont be back. And yet when asked, Cameron cheerfully said that he could find some way to bring Arnie back, they gladly would.

However, Dark Fate belatedly brings the franchise back to the realisation that Sarah Connor, not the Terminator, was the protagonist of the original film, so well leave the last word to Hamilton. In January 2020, she stated that shes more or less finished with the franchise after the latest films underperformance.

She told The Hollywood Reporter I would really appreciate maybe a smaller version where so many millions are not at stake. Todays audience is just so unpredictable. I cant tell you how many laymen just go, Well, people dont go to the movies anymore. Thats not Hollywood analysis; that just comes out of almost everybodys mouth.

It should definitely not be such a high-risk financial venture, but I would be quite happy to never return. So, no, I am not hopeful because I would really love to be done.

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The Terminator sequel trilogies that never were - Film Stories

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 – Netflix Shares New Stills from Its CG Anime – CBR – Comic Book Resources

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Netflix has released a new series of stills for its upcoming contribution to the Ghost in the Shell franchise -- the CG anime series Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.

The images, shared to Netflix's official NX Twitter account, highlight the show's characters, though primarily main protagonist Motoko Kusanagi and her second-in-command, Batou. Netflix's caption reads, "Hey cyberpunks, quit hacking gibsons and check these new screens of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045."

RELATED:Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045: Netflix Releases Trailer for CG Anime Series

Based on the popular manga created by Masamune Shirow and set to arrive next month, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 takes place after AI developments following an economic disaster called the Synchronized Global Default in the year 2045 plunged the world into "Sustainable War." The series fallouts Motoko and Batou, whose mercenary work takes a sharp turn with the arrival of "post humans."

Per the show's full synopsis,

When sustainable war spawns a "post-human" threat, Major Kusanagi and her Section 9 team are called back into action.

In the year 2045, after an economic disaster known as the Synchronized Global Default, rapid developments in AI propelled the world to enter a state of Sustainable War. However, the public is not aware of the threat that AI has towards the human race.

Full-body cyborg Major Motoko Kusanagi and her second-in-command Batou are former members of Public Security Section 9, who are now hired mercenaries traveling hot devastated American west coast. This land is full of opportunity for the major and her team, they utilize their enhanced cyberbrains and combat skills from their time working in Section 9. However, things get complicated with the emergence of post humans, who have extreme intelligence and physical powers. The members of Section 9 comeback together again in order to face this new threat.

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 is directed by Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki. The series arrives on Netflix in April.

KEEP READING:Ghost in the Shell: The Best Watch Order for the Anime Movies and Series

What's Shonen Jump's Future After One Piece & Other Popular Series End?

Noah Dominguez is a jr. news editor at Comic Book Resources who joined the site as a writer in the summer of 2018. He has also written for such sites as WhatCulture and Gaming Access Weekly (formerly Gamer Assault Weekly) and holds a degree in mass communication. A lifelong fan of all Marvel and DC has to offer, be it comic books, movies, TV shows, or video games, as well as countless other series, franchises and artists, Noah is something with a lot to say when it comes to the world of pop culture. He firmly believes that The Amazing Spider-Man movies are criminally underrated, Ewan McGregor is the definitive Obi-Wan Kenobi, Too Tough to Die is unquestionably the best Ramones album and that comics should be for everyone. If you want to hear Noah ramble about these and other topics, you can follow him on Twitter at @akaFirebrand.

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Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 - Netflix Shares New Stills from Its CG Anime - CBR - Comic Book Resources

The Pac-12 in Polaroids – Rule Of Tree

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This article was written by guest writer Sam Weyen. You can follow him and the current tree @DaStanfordTree

Close your eyes and think deeply of 1947. What do you picture? Do you see Jackie Robinson making his debut in a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey? Do you feel the explosiveness as the US and the USSR make Cold War eye contact for the first time?

No. No you do NOT. You picture Edward H. Land presenting the first Instant Print Polaroid camera in New York City to the Optical Society of America.

Yes, the Polaroid camera was birthed from Edwards stout hips over 70 years ago, and ever since its been a staple for kombucha binge drinking hipsters, Outkast enthusiasts, and four of the six weddings my Aunt Kaki has had this decade.

The advent of so-called digital cameras may have damaged the social salience of the Polaroid camera, but I for onea card carrying Blockbuster member and a shareholder for Kodakam still a believer.

So for this years Pac-12 Tournament, I set out to see if I could prove to those sellout DiPhos (Digital Photographers) that there is only one way to truly capture basketball in motion. Rule of Tree credentialed me as a photographer, I grabbed my trusty Polaroid OneStep 2 Viewfinder I-Type Camera, and I set out to do the Lords work.

Flashing my badge to the photography czar, I was met with a gruff and condescending chuckle. Prejudice knows no bounds.

I was led court side to a bivouac of DiPhos. Each photographer was occupying a 1 by 3 foot rectangle outlined in white tape. More cyborg than human, I was astonished to see each sitting in a Crazy Creek chair packed to the brim with technological profligacies: scopes, lenses, extensions, boom mics, bump stocks, silencersit was disgusting. Were they even human?

Origami-ing my flesh into my designated rectangle, I thumbed through my ammunition: 8 Instant Photos for the days 4 games. I mean seriously who knew polaroid film would be so expensive? The buzzer sounded and I began to paint my canvas.

Excuse me, is THE LOUVRE available for comment? My first polaroid of the day would make Banksy leak from his eyeholes:

As Im sure youve read about the Tournament That Never Happened TM, Utahs Alfonso Plummer shattered records (Klay Thompsons) and jaws (Mine) as he nailed 11 of 16 three pointers. It took about 35 minutes for Alfonso to (1) come close enough for a camera without zooming capabilities and (2) not move his body for the ~3 seconds required to capture him chemically.

Okay okay so this one didnt turn out so great. I mean I couldnt use my flash for obvious reasons (though isnt Vegas in some respects the flashing capital of the world!?) and besides Washington had the audacity to wear black

But maybe just maybe. Its symbolic? Washington didnt really show up to this game, and thats reflected in my polaroid a la Marty McFlys family in Back to the Future.

Ever on the hot streak, I have TWO photos to share from the Stanford game. The first shows Daejon Davis after a layup, his body appearing ghostlike and holy in the film to signify his Divine Mandate. I dont want to brag, but Id also like to point out I got the ball on the backboard. Id like to see a DiPho do that.

The next is the whole gang in what would turn out to be their last huddle of the season. Theres a weight to this picture seen on the faces of the players and built into their postures. Also I did accidentally spill some Dr. Pepper on this guy so it is also literally heavier than the others.

Meh. Do you really need a photo from this one? Instead, heres a polaroid of me and fellow Rule of Tree contributor Grant Avalon:

And then after that, the world sort of imploded. Rudy Gobert single handedly shut down the NBA. The NCAA slowly rolled back the scope of the Big Dance and its affiliate conference tournaments until they were no more. Even golf was cancelled.

As the event was called off and I shuffled out of the arena, polaroid companion in hand, I began to wonder was my experiment a success? Did I prove that Polaroids belong in the world of sports? Would my ligaments ever recover from being crammed into a little white photography box?

Probably not. But I knew in my heart that Edward H. Land would be proud all the same.

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Why Crypto Is the Future of Online Gambling – Coingape

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Online gambling has come a long way since InterCasino, the worlds first internet casino, opened its virtual doors in 1996. Not only have the aesthetics changed in meaningful ways, but players can now choose from a dizzying array of games, from virtual slots and live poker to lotteries, puzzles and crosswords. Thanks to smartphone technology, meanwhile, players can get their gaming fix whenever and wherever they like.

In light of the technological advancements of the past two decades, its reasonable to wonder what is next. How can slick, provably fair online gambling portals ensure continued success in the years ahead, and what role will technology play in shaping the industry?

There are many reasons to suppose that however the industry evolves, cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology will play their part. In fact, they are already doing so. Users have gravitated to blockchain-based gambling apps (dApps) en masse, with permissionless platforms representing more than twice the market share of any other gaming sector in terms of active users, transactions and volume. The censorship-resistant nature of such dApps makes them manna for players who want to have a flutter with their hard-won crypto.

Its not just dApps, though; an increasing number of online casinos are starting to permit the use of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin for deposits and withdrawals, while also integrating blockchain tech to assure transparency and inspire greater trust between player and house.

Betting on Crypto

Gambling with crypto offers myriad benefits to both players and platforms. For starters, it is much cheaper than wagering using traditional banking methods, which can involve high international transfer fees if the casinos are based overseas (and they almost always are). Deposits can also be made much more quickly since you dont have to wait for a bank to release your funds.

Thanks to the borderless, peer-to-peer nature of cryptocurrencies, players who might otherwise struggle to top up their account residents of restricted countries for example can also grab a piece of the action, with all transactions fairly managed and settled on-chain.

Its fair to say that most players appreciate the anonymity granted by cryptocurrencies particularly privacy-oriented coins such as Monero and Zcash since gambling activity doesnt show up on bank statements, and in the case of the latter pair is also invisible on-chain. Whats more, many online portals allow users to participate without completing a lengthy registration process, meaning they are granted complete privacy at the outset.

The Best Crypto Gambling Portals

Maybe youve got a bunch of satoshis burning a hole in your wallet. Or perhaps the idea of giving a crypto-centric gambling site a spin is too tempting to ignore. Whatever the case, there is no shortage of options to satisfy your curiosity. The following portals are well worth a shot.

FortuneJack FortuneJack is a fine option, its wide range of supported cryptocurrencies matched by the number of software developers with a presence on the platform. Known for its five-star customer service (including 24/7 live chat), SSL encryption, innovative gaming experience and cutting-edge titles, FortuneJack comprises sports-betting and casino options, with plenty of bonuses to be won.

Cloudbet Established in 2013, Cloudbet is a bitcoin-centric portal something thats abundantly clear from its logo, which contains the classic bitcoin symbol. Recently the site was responsible for making a massive 11.5 BTC payout from a single spin on its Viking Runecraft title (81,000 at the time). Players can wager on live sports, classic casino games or choose from a selection of fun and colorful arcade-style titles.

EarnBet EarnBet (formerly EOSBet) is the first fully decentralized casino, allowing users to make wagers with BTC, BCH, ETH, LTC and EOS. Signing up takes a matter of seconds, deposits and withdrawals are instant, and players can earn a portion of the house profit as a reward by holding onto native BET tokens. If theres a criticism, it concerns the limited number of games: at present, you only have Dice, Hi-lo, Baccarat, Crash, Jackpot and Blackjack to choose from.

Conclusion

Given that crypto casinos have managed to carve out a niche in the industry within a few short years, its hardly outlandish to suggest that both blockchain tech and digital assets will play a prominent role in the online gambling space for years to come. With the industry expected to be valued at over $94 billion by 2024, expect blockchain developers and crypto enthusiasts to be well represented.

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Is Asian gambling and iGaming industry ready for the COVID19 pandemic? – Travel Daily News International

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The emergence of COVID19, or Coronavirus, has caught the world by surprise. With an estimated R0 of 3.5 and an asymptomatic incubation period of 14 days

COVID19 took less than a month to reach every corner of the world.

So far, the worlds response has been slow at best.

We still know very little about the virus itself and how it spreads. Vaccines are in the works, but chances are that its going to be at least 6 months before any dedicated treatment medicine is ready for mass production.

In other words, were not out of the woods yet. With that said, many are wondering how the new pandemic is going to affect the entertainment industry in Asia, namely gambling and iGaming sectors. So far the outlook isnt too pretty.

Gambling in Asia under quarantineThe world is 2 months into the COVID19 outbreak. China, being the origin of the pandemic, was the first hot spot for the new virus. This country was also the first to enact strict quarantines, first on a local level, then on a county level.

Some argued that the Chinese response to the crisis was too strong. However, it is now becoming apparent that strict quarantine procedures enacted in China are exactly what prevented a much worse epidemic.

While China was dealing with the new virus, the surrounding countries didnt simply sit around doing nothing. South Korea took advanced measures to curb the spread of the virus within its territory, resulting in one of the lowest mortality rates of all affected countries. Similar responses were recorded in Singapore and Taiwan.

What all of these countries have in common are self-isolation and restricted movement of the population. These life-saving measures have curbed the spread of the virus, but also put a strain on local land-based casinos.

Southeast Asia has invested a lot of money into casinos and resorts in recent years to address the rising influx of Chinese tourists. Right now, all of those new businesses have ground to a halt. With more and more countries resorting to travel bans, especially for those coming from affected regions, the entire tourism and travel industries are at risk of sustaining massive losses.

Effects on global iGaming and gambling industriesCOVID19 pandemic has revealed just how unprepared most countries are for pandemic level events of this type. In addition to that, it has also revealed how connected the gambling markets of the world are.

The standstill in the tourism industryhas left its mark on casinos all over the world. With no Chinese tourists around, establishments as far as Las Vegas are feeling the heat.

iGaming in the time of coronavirusSelf-isolation, quarantines and restricted movement have led many to stay at home and wait for the pandemic to blow over. This has led to a surge of people working from home, but also looking for entertainment from home. Those unable to visit their favorite land-based casinos have found refuge in online casinos.

Although there is an obvious rise in traffic across most tier-one online casino operators, actual numbers and statistics are yet to come. A question that imposes itself is whether this shift from land-based to online is going to be enough to offset the lost revenue for operators who run both of these types of casinos?

Much like every other retail business, casinos employ a massive amount of people whose jobs are currently at risk.

Current projections and long term preparednessAt the time of writing this report, most countries CDCequivalents are looking at the COVID19 pandemic as a short-term problem. This is growing to become a popular sentiment, especially seeing how China has announced that the epidemic has peaked and that the number of newly infected in China is dropping by the hour.

However, as a counter to these reports, we have a number of academics and experts who are warning the world that COVID19 is nowhere near to being done.

Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten, professor at Charit Universittsmedizin Berlin one of the leading medical university hospitals in Germany - is one of those experts.

Dr. Drosten has been credited with discovering the original SARS virus in 2003, while his work has contributed to developing the first reliable diagnostic test for the SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID19, in January of this year.

Drosten runs a medical podcast where he shared his predictions that summer and high temperatures will only reduce the R0 factor by 0.5. R0 is a metric that tells us how many people can a single carrier infect on average.

Furthermore, Dr. Drosten has estimated that the virus outbreak will peak as late as July or August.

Although WHO doesnt currently share these views with Dr. Drosten, we still need to be prepared for the possibility that the pandemic wont be over anytime soon.

Closing the casinos for a month or two might be doable, but that is a band-aid solution to a possibly much larger issue.

The light at the end of the tunnelAlthough the situation looks fairly grim at the moment, there is some good news.

Namely, several prestigious institutions and private labs are working around the clock to synthesize a vaccine. Some are ready for the testing phase and will have the results ready in a few months.

On the other hand, the world has had a chance to see both sides of the spectrum when it comes to responding to the new virus. South Koreas mortality rate of 0.7% proves that tracing, testing and treating potential infected is key to getting a grip on this disease.

However, were seeing a completely opposite situation in Italy where the mortality rate is 7% and whose healthcare system has defaulted to triage due to lack of resources.

In other words, the world is adapting and fast. This metamorphosis also includes the behavior of people. Beating this virus starts with taking individual responsibilities and protective measures. This may just be enough to flatten the curve of the epidemic and bring the numbers of infected down to a level that most healthcare systems of the world can manage.

How all of this will affect the iGaming and gambling industries long term is anyones guess. Right now, things arent looking too good. With that said, things can go whichever direction as the situation is currently highly dynamic.

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Is Asian gambling and iGaming industry ready for the COVID19 pandemic? - Travel Daily News International

Legalized gambling measures head list of Crossover Day victims – MDJOnline.com

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ATLANTA It looks like proponents of legalizing gambling in Georgia are going to have to wait yet another year before getting a crack at putting the issue before voters.

The Georgia House of Representatives wrapped up the annual Crossover Day session minutes after midnight Friday morning without taking up a constitutional amendment to legalize all three forms of legal gambling supporters have been pushing in recent years: casinos, pari-mutuel betting on horse racing and sports betting.

Until the day before Crossover Day, the deadline for bills to make it through at least one legislative chamber to remain alive for the year, only sports betting had gained any traction in the General Assembly.

A bill focused solely on sports betting was introduced in the state Senate and heard in committee. However, it wasnt among the measures the Senate took up on Crossover Day Thursday before adjourning at the dinner hour.

That left it up to the House. Rep. Alan Powell, R-Hartwell, chairman of the House Regulated Industries Committee, trotted out the constitutional amendment embracing all three forms of legalized gambling on Wednesday. It got through his committee and made it onto the calendar for action on Crossover Day, but the House didnt take it up before quitting for the night.

A host of other bills introduced in the General Assembly this year met a similar fate. Some made it through committees only to fall by the wayside on Crossover Day. Others floated early in this years session didnt garner enough support to get a committee hearing.

Here is a list of significant legislation that failed to make the Crossover Day cut:

Right to Farm Act This controversial measure ran into opposition from the farmers supporters said it was intended to protect. Pitched as a way to protect farmers from nuisance lawsuits from neighbors, environmental groups argued it would make it harder to keep out large agricultural operations such as chicken houses and pig farms that generate offensive smells and pollute nearby waterways.

Tort reform While one narrowly drawn tort reform bill related to lawsuit settlement agreements made it through the Senate, more comprehensive legislation was shelved by a narrow margin on Crossover Day.

Tobacco, vaping taxes A bid to raise Georgias tobacco tax, one of the nations lowest, went nowhere as usual in the General Assembly. Legislation to impose an excise tax on vaping products for the first time fared better, but it was shot down on the House floor on the evening of Crossover Day.

Dreamers Legislation to offer in-state tuition to Georgias public colleges and universities to undocumented Georgians protected from deportation under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was killed in a Senate committee the day before Crossover Day.

Adoption A Senate bill allowing faith-based adoption agencies to deny services in Georgia based on religious preferences failed to get through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Opponents argued it would discriminate against foster parents of various sexual orientations and gender identities that dont conform with the agencies religious or moral beliefs.

Title pawns A bill capping rates charged by Georgias auto-title pawn industry cleared the Senate Finance Committee but failed to reach the Senate floor for a vote.

Seatbelts Legislation requiring Georgians to wear seatbelts no matter where they are sitting in a motor vehicle not just the front seat was on the Senate calendar for a vote on Crossover Day but was not taken up.

Paying college athletes Two bills introduced by House Democrats early in the session calling for college athletes participating in revenue-generating sports to be paid failed to get a hearing in the House Higher Education Committee.

Its worth noting that nothing is ever irrevocably dead in the General Assembly until lawmakers adjourn for the year. If supporters are determined enough in the sessions waning days, they often can find bills that are still alive on which to attach their legislation.

With 11 days remaining in the 2020 session when lawmakers return to the Capitol from the recess forced upon them by the coronavirus, there will be plenty of time for such gaming of the system.

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Legalized gambling measures head list of Crossover Day victims - MDJOnline.com

Is gambling illegal online in the US? – TechRadar

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The short answer is no, gambling is not illegal in the US. However, the country has a long and complicated history with gambling. Specific forms of it have been barred at certain points in the countrys history, while at other times laws around it have been more permissive.

This back-and-forth around the legality of gambling, coupled with the fact that individual states have their own say over whether to allow it, has left a lot of people uncertain about its legality. In this article, well explain what types of gambling are legal in the US and in what states.

Generally speaking, gambling is not illegal in the US. Thats because there is no federal law banning gambling throughout the country.

That said, the full story is a lot more complicated. The US does have specific laws, such as the Federal Wire Act of 1961, that prohibit gambling that takes place across state lines. So, placing a bet in a single state might be fine, but placing a bet with a bookie located in the next state over would be considered illegal.

On top of that, sports betting was until recently extremely limited because of the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act passed in 1992. That law didnt make sports betting illegal, per se, but it prevented states that didnt already allow sports gambling from legalizing it in the future. The Supreme Court overturned that federal law in 2018, once again allowing states to make their own legislative decisions about whether or not to allow sportsbooks.

Online gambling is also a can of worms. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 makes it illegal to operate an online gambling website anywhere in the US. But, it doesnt make it illegal for individuals to place wagers on an online gambling website. As a result, there are a number of overseas gambling websites, such as Bovada and BetOnline, that accept wagers from Americans.

Note that online fantasy sports leagues, including daily fantasy sports platforms, are exempt from the 2006 Act.

For the most part, the US government leaves it up to states to make their own rules about gambling within their individual boundaries. That means that whether gambling is legal and what forms it can take vary depending on where you are in the US.

Gambling is legal in some form or in some areas in 48 of the 50 states. The only two states that completely ban it are Utah and Hawaii. In Nevada, which is famous as a haven for gambling, it is legal to gamble almost anywhere in the state. Most other states fall somewhere in between, for example only allowing gambling at licensed casinos.

In addition, many states allow some types of gambling but not others. States like New Jersey allow betting on horse races on and off the track, sports betting, and casino games. At the same time, in Washington, horse race bets are allowed, but other types of sports bets are not. Furthermore, casino games are only allowed on Native American tribal lands in Washington.

We've gone into more detail in our dedicated advice guide on the subject of what states have made gambling legal.

Its also important to note that local jurisdictions have their own say in whether to allow gambling if its legal at the state level. Individual cities and counties have the option to ban gambling or to prevent casinos from operating.

Broadly speaking, gambling is not illegal in the US. There are no longer any federal laws banning gambling, as long as it does not take place across state lines or involve an online betting platform based in the country.

That said, states are free to make their own laws around gambling, and many have enacted some form of restriction. While only Utah and Hawaii ban all forms of gambling outright, its important to check your state and local laws to find out what types of gambling are legal and illegal in your area.

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Gambling responsibly

You probably don't need us to tell you that any form of gambling comes with serious risks and should never be undertaken as a silver bullet to solve your financial troubles. It's worth remembering the phrase...the house always wins!

If you suffer from a gambing problem or suspect somebody you know does, then we strongly suggest that you give the National Problem Gambling Hotline a call on 1-800-522-4700 to discuss it with a professional. Its so important to make gambling safer for yourself and loved ones.

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Is gambling illegal online in the US? - TechRadar

Coronavirus and sports gambling: Refunds on canceled games, futures bets, more – FOXSports.com

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Im the kind of guy who, sometime in February every year, makes a point to put Selection Sunday in the iPhone calendar I share with my wife, just so she knows its a heavy work day.

Same with first day of the NCAA tournament, which kicks off the best four days every year on the sports calendar.

A week ago at this time, I was diving deep into KenPom and trying to ascertain why the last 12 NCAA champs have ranked in the Top 20 in adjusted defensive efficiency. That was great news for my futures tickets on Michigan State and Kansas, but did it make Nico Mannion and Arizona a tasty sleeper?

The most unpredictable season ever ended in the most unpredictable way imaginable. @clubtrillion pic.twitter.com/SnT8RBXBrR

FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 15, 2020

None of it matters now. For the first time, the college basketball postseason is canceled. The cause is coronavirus. There will be no March Madness. The NBA season has been put on hold for (at least) a month. The start of the MLB season is delayed, MLS has halted play, the Masters has been postponed, and the NFL still has questions to answer as the new league year looms next week.

The sports world has been upended; life in America has come to a screeching halt. And while its certainly not the most important question, if youre anything like me, you have a pretty big question to answer: Whats a sports gambler to do when theres no sports to gamble on?

When the coronavirus hit Asia, casinos in Macau closed for two weeks. Thats beginning here in America. The Wynn Sports Book on the Las Vegas strip has temporarily closed. With almost all professional and college sports suspended, expect more sports books to follow suit. Indeed, shortly after I filed this piece, the MGM announced the temporary closing of all of its Vegass properties:

BREAKING: MGM Resorts International announced Sunday that it would temporarily suspend operations at all Las Vegas properties. https://t.co/qFYIYQy1mR

Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) March 16, 2020

Casinos in Illinois suspended gambling operations for two weeks, according to the Illinois gaming board.

If youre looking for a silver lining, if youre holding any college basketball futures tickets even for teams that were going to almost certainly miss the NCAA Tournament, like the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Texas Longhorns dont throw them out.

It's a confusing time in the sports betting world right now. See below for our latest update

For any questions regarding your account, please contact our customer service team:

Twitter: @FanDuel_Support Phone: 877-689-0662 Email: sportsbook@fanduel.com pic.twitter.com/cIqqI8645G

FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 12, 2020

The smart move is to call the sports book and see if youll get a refund, because sports books such as FanDuel, the Westgate SuperBook, and Caesars Sports Book to name a few said they would refund any NCAA Tournament futures bets.

And until the NBA makes a determination on the rest of its season and the playoffs most futures wagers on pro basketball still have action, at least for now:

If you are curious about NBA Futures Wagers, all bets remain action as long as a winner is officially declared.This same rule is in place for other sports as well. As long as there is an official winner all futures bets are live.

William Hill US (@WilliamHillUS) March 12, 2020

Thats a pretty good rule of thumb for now, according to our friends over at FOX Bet: if an event or game has been canceled, youll likely be looking at a refund of some sort. In the case of online sports books, those will probably be deposited right back into your account.

For events that could still happen, such as NBA Championship futures, though, were all in the same boat waiting patiently for the games to return.

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Coronavirus and sports gambling: Refunds on canceled games, futures bets, more - FOXSports.com

The man who stole 32k from his own mother to fund gambling addiction – Grimsby Live

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A callous son brazenly raided his mother's savings and conned her out of nearly 32,000 in a desperate bid to feed his spiralling gambling addiction.

The money had "gone" with not a single penny repaid and her emergency fund for "ifthe roof caves in or something terrible happens" had disappeared.

Her stress had been unbelievable after he repaid her trust and kindness with the systematic fraud, a court heard.

Gavin Jezzard, 35, of Grimsby Road, Cleethorpes , admitted fraud between April 23 and July 4.

Eddison Flint, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court thatJezzard's 72-year-old mother discovered that he had spent more than 5,000 from her account on gambling.

There was an agreement between them for the cash to be repaid and no criminal charge followed but, when she checked her savings account, she found that her son had systematically stolen 31,940.

There were 71 withdrawals, including one for 1,850.

His mother had already loaned him 1,000 and then another 1,000 to "get him straight" and pay off debts such as council tax and water rates.

His mother later said: "The stress is unbelievable."

The savings had been for "if the roof caves in or something terrible happens" and she would now struggle if there was an emergency.

"Now it's all gone," she said.

She was on sleeping tablets and anti-depressants.

"She has tried to help him with his debts and he has repaid her with the commission of this offence," said Mr Flint.

The stolen money had not been reimbursed by Skipton Building Society and the matter had been taken up with the Ombudsman, adding to the mother's difficulties.

She did not want to see her son jailed.

"She doesn't excuse his behaviour and wants him to get help," said Mr Flint.

Craig Lowe, mitigating, said that Jezzard wanted to apologise to his mother for the heartache he had put her through.

"He gambled, he got addicted, debts racked up and it spiralled out of control," said Mr Lowe.

"He felt extremely bad for what he had done."

Jezzard had said: "I will do everything I can to repay the money. I regret my actions."

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He had now not gambled for more than three months but had not been able to repay any money so far because of a shortage of work.

Jezzard had no previous convictions.

Recorder Richard Thyne toldJezzard that he had broken the trust of his mother.

"That's a huge amount of her savings that she has worked hard to accrue over the years - gone," he said.

Jezzard was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, 200 hours' unpaid work and 12 days' rehabilitation.

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The man who stole 32k from his own mother to fund gambling addiction - Grimsby Live

Heat icon Dwyane Wade admits his financial advisor thought he had a gambling problem – ClutchPoints

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Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade says his financial advisor thought he had a gambling problem.

Wade made a lot of money during his NBA career and through endorsements. However, he also channeled his inner Charles Barkley (sorry, Chuck) at times and lost a bunch of money as well.

There have been times where I wanted out because I was losing so much money, the Heat icon told Mens Health. Like, my financial advisor called me and was like, Hey, is this something we need to talk about? Do you have a problem?

When you play sports, its like a right of passage that you have to play cards on the plane. Its kind of like a team thing. Its how we connect. Its how we bond. And Ive lost a lot of money on the plane just trying to play with my teammates.

Wade isnt the first and surely wont be the last NBA player to lose money through gambling. Like the Heat three-time champion said, playing cards is just what guys do on the road.

Fortunately for Wade and his bank account, the Flash is too busy nowadays to play late night poker games. He has a daughter to take care of with his wife Gabrielle Union. The former Heat superstar is also working for TNT.

As we all know, Wade is the best player in Heat franchise history and its not even close. The former Finals MVP finished his NBA career with averages of 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

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Heat icon Dwyane Wade admits his financial advisor thought he had a gambling problem - ClutchPoints

Three things to be aware of before online gambling – Yahoo Finance

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With the rise of online gambling it has never been easier for people to place a punt on a sporting event, even a cultural or political event such as who will be the next Prime Minister. Yet before you dive in here are three things you should be aware of in regards to online gambling.

This is the most important concept to be aware of. Gambling in general can be highly addictive and with the access of gambling now being easier than ever addiction is on the rise within society. The slogan when the fun stops, stop set up by http://www.begambleaware.org provides guidance for those who are susceptible to addiction.

Some of their key points include:

Should you match just one of the criteria listed above it is advised to stop online gambling for the time being.

This is a well known fact although often overlooked. While it is possible to win big from online gambling the chances are not stacked in your favour. Instead of entering online gambling in the hope of winning lots of money, it is advised you try to enjoy the experience and be very aware that you are likely to lose money. Perhaps not initially but, if you gamble for long enough then its more than likely you will. Never gamble more than you can afford to lose.

Deposit limits are common in online gambling. Essentially, they prevent a customer from depositing more than a certain amount per week. This is a very useful tool for people who do not want to go over a weekly budget. It can also serve as a reminder to stop betting. By placing deposit limits user can protect themselves from overspending and potentially addiction.

These are three simple rules to be aware of before you begin online gambling. Should you fear that the gambling has taken hold of your social life, contact your local GP or any of the gambling charity organisations for help.

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Three things to be aware of before online gambling - Yahoo Finance

Germanys Head Of States Approve New Gambling Regulations – GamblingNews.com

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Germany has agreed to legalize online poker and casino on a state level, after all head of states, in a recent meeting in Berlin, approved the formally agreed gambling regulations. In addition, the 16 states decided on the location of the new regulatory body for the country.

Online casino and poker will become legal as the Glcksspielneuregulierungstaatsvertrag /GlNeuRStv/ will expand on online betting to include the aforementioned two, starting from July 1, 2021, pending on each states ratification of the law, as well as the approval from the European Commission.

Until then, online operators can offer only sports betting, after obtaining a license from the Darmstadt Regional Council of the state of Hesse, the latter announced in February that so far 30 online operators have submitted applications, with 20 other companies expressing their interest in obtaining a license to provide sports books.

The new law determined the location for the new federal regulator of the market to be in Sachsen-Anhalt, though, to the surprise of all, as there were much stronger candidates in the mix including Nordrhein-Westfalen, Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Wrttemberg and the current administrator of the licensing process for sports betting, Hesse.

The GlNeuRStV has not brought any substantial changes from the ones already being aired in public, which means all forms of online sports betting, poker and casino with slots will run within a significantly restricted gaming environment.

Markets for sports betting will be limited to the final result or next scorer, excluding the lucrative share of in-play betting, as well as over/under markets, thus pushing bettors towards unregulated operators, an issue recently pointed out by the German Sports Betting Association /DSWV/.

Regarding online casino, a 1 per spin stake limit is placed on slot machine gaming, prohibiting autoplay function and jackpot offerings. In addition, slots must be offered separately from table games, with individual states having the right of veto on the availability of the latter, choosing to allocate them or not to the monopoly state-run lotteries.

A 1,000 limit on monthly deposits per player remains mandatory for all types of gambling activities, and operators will be unable to advertise their products between 6am and 9pm, a restriction the German association of private broadcasters, Vaunet, has raised its strong concerns that it would not only impact the proper channeling of players from offshore operations to the legal market, but will also hit on the revenue from advertising for the media industry.

German lawmakers have issued a warning that action will be taken against all unlicensed gambling websites that target German residents. From approximately 100 such operators that have been warned officially, 10 have selected to exit the German market.

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Germanys Head Of States Approve New Gambling Regulations - GamblingNews.com

Gambling addict begs House to cut online sports betting from bill – The Topeka Capital-Journal

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Forty-four-year-old Jason Moeller gambled for the first time at age 11, transforming $20 into $100 in a brother-in-laws poker game.

At 13, Moeller had no trouble slipping into Wichita Greyhound Park near Wichita to play the dogs. With a middle-school track coach, he won a Superfecta box bet on four dogs and banked $350. In 2017, he began trading Bitcoin. Next came an obsession with online poker to cover losses in the Bitcoin market.

"This is how the chase begins," Moeller told House members considering a bill legalizing in-person and online sports betting in Kansas. "Out of money, I began opening high-limit credit cards. This is the insidiousness of online gambling and why I firmly stand on a platform of keeping online gambling illegal. Access is unlimited."

Under the bill before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee, the Kansas Lottery would operate a new system with sports wagering in the states four brick-and-mortar casinos, through online apps, the 1,200 lottery retailers and, potentially, a collection of bars and restaurants.

A rival Senate bill would leave the sports betting industry to Kansas operators of the four casinos in Pittsburg, Dodge City, Mulvane and Kansas City, Kan. Supporters of the House bill testified Wednesday, but opposition emerged Thursday from opponents of dog racing and the casinos.

The rival bills in the House and Senate would enable online betting a dangerous idea, in Moellers view.

Kevin Fowler, an attorney speaking on behalf of Kansas Star in Mulvane, Boot Hill in Dodge City and Kansas Crossing in Dodge City, said the casinos supported establishment of legal sports betting in Kansas. Twenty states have taken the plunge, he said.

The proper course is to adopt the Senates bill anchoring sports gambling at the four casinos rather than open the regulatory barn door to more than 1,000 businesses operators, he said.

"Weve been accused in the past of being opposed to everything," Fowler said. "Im here to assure the committee we are not."

Rep. Tory Arnberger, R-Great Bend, responded to Fowler with a point of clarification.

"So," she said, "essentially you are in favor of sports betting if you strictly have complete control of it?"

Whitney Damron, who lobbies for the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kan., said the sports books should be managed by existing casinos, the tax rate on sports betting revenue must be reasonable and mobile waging needs to be featured. The Kansas Lottery shouldnt be in the sports gambling business lottery ticket retailers, he said.

"You would have the Kansas Lottery be the owner, the operator, the regulator and the competition on sports wagering," Damron said.

An official with the Unified Government of Wyandottee County and Kansas City suggested the House tweak the bill so local units of government shared a percentage of revenue on sports bets made inside casinos. Under existing law, certain municipal governments earn 3% of revenue on casino slots, card games and roulette wheels.

A collection of animal welfare organizations opposed to racing dogs insisted the bill not offer incentives for defunct greyhound tracks to reopen by opening a sports book, said Terry Humphrey, of the Humane Society of the United States.

"When the last greyhound racetrack closed in 2008, racetrack gambling revenue had declined by 95%. Over the last 10 years, the countrys disdain for greyhound racing has only galvanized," she said.

Russell Brien, an attorney with the Prairie Band Potawatomie Nation, said the tribe wold seek to engage in sports betting through whatever format approved by the Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly.

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Gambling addict begs House to cut online sports betting from bill - The Topeka Capital-Journal

‘I was betting as my mum lay in hospital’: Harrowing confessions from Manchester’s gambling addicts – Manchester Evening News

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My lowest memory will always be watching a match online through a live feed whilst sat with my mum as she lay in hospital, says Danny Cheetham, a 30-year-old former gambling addict.

His mum was terminally ill with cancer, but all Danny, from Stockport, could do was place bets on his phone as he sat next to her.

I thought, what am I doing? I should be talking to my mum.

The death of his mum, Christine, in 2015 was the turning point that changed Danny's life for the better. Up until then, Dannys entire daily routine revolved around gambling.

He would set his alarm at 4am to place his first bet, and would plan his route to work so he could call into a bookie which opened early for commuters.

Payday was a stressful time and the days leading up to it would cause increased stress and anxiety.

I cant remember a payday during my time gambling that I ever made it to 9am with a penny left in my bank.

The worst moments were walking into the office on payday. Everyone else was happy, buying breakfast out to celebrate. Id be wondering how I was going to get through the month with nothing in the bank.

"And because I didnt want people to know, Id find myself buying my lunch at work or going shopping. But it was just a cover story. I couldnt let anyone know I was struggling.

Over eight years, Danny had racked up 50,000 worth of debt.

He had started using fixed odds betting terminals aged 18, getting high off the excitement of chasing wins.

He gambled a lot on football, which he doesn't even like.

I'm not really a sports fan but would be betting on football matches for teams on the other side of the world, as they would be in play during the early morning hours when I was online," Danny says.

As addiction gripped him, he soon had to move back home as he was unable to pay his rent.

At his lowest, Danny thought about committing suicide to escape the pressure of it all, including payday loans with extortionate interest rates.

At one point he even wrote to loan companies, begging them not to let him borrow any more money, which he says received a mixed response.

After reaching rock bottom, Danny decided to have cognitive behavioural therapy, after which he came clean to family and friends in 2018, something he says helped me go gamble free.

It all happened so fast, but I really had no regrets about finally lifting that weight off my shoulders.

In England around 224,000 adults - the equivalent of 0.4% of the population - are classified as higher risk problem gamblers.

Two million, 3.6%, are classified as being at risk from developing a serious gambling problem, and fewer than three per cent of those affected currently receive treatment or support.

But now, a clinic for targeted treatment - the NHS Northern Gambling Service - is coming to Greater Manchester.

It's offering hope to people like Danny Cheetham, and former gambling addict James Grimes, who says it can only mean better outcomes for people like me.

James, who moved to Manchester from Norfolk, also fell prey to payday lenders. As the costs mounted up, he ended up taking 20 payday loans to try and manage his 100,000 debt.

In 2013, Jamess life was turned upside down when his father was involved in an horrific car crash. He found out he had a tumour on his pancreas and then died weeks later.

I was completely unable to cope with the onslaught of emotions. My father had been my best friend. Addiction was my escape", James said.

I realised it was easier to face losing 500 on a football game, no matter how deeply in debt I already was, than to deal with the nightmare of grief that overshadowed my family.

The final straw came two years ago on James 28th birthday, when he lost 2,000 on fixed odds betting terminals.

Realising what he had done, James shut himself in his room for three days, and vowed he couldnt continue to live like this.

When he turned his phone back on, he found he had lost his job and was bombarded with concerned texts from friends and family.

But he managed to turn his life around and last summer, walked 125 miles between eight different football stadiums, raising 4,000 for The Big Step, the charity he founded.

The Big Step encourages football clubs to consider their relationship with gambling. So James is 'delighted' to be supporting the NHS Northern Gambling Service, which aims to help thousands of people recover.

The services new base in Salford Quays will serve the north west of England, northern Midlands and north Wales.

They will work alongside teams in Leeds and Sunderland to provide care for those with severe addictions, as well as supporting people with additional and complex mental health conditions, and those who may present with more risk - such as a risk of suicide.

At Kelly Field's lowest, she considered taking her own life.

The 36-year-old mum-of-one started to use online bingo and fruit machines as a 'fun' way to escape depression, but now realises it made her mental health worse.

As she puts it, 'I didnt see myself cross the line into addiction'.

In the first six months I was already 10,000 in debt and I was borrowing more and more money on credit cards to keep gambling", she said.

At the height of her gambling, she would place bets for around eight hours a day.

Kelly kept her debt secret from her partner and would put on a smile, but over time the pressure of 70,000 debt and the lies drove her to the edge.

Kelly went to her GP to ask for help, however the counselling sessions she was initially referred to did not take place, which saw her continue to gamble until she got help from the Liverpool-based Beacon Counselling Trust.

You get trapped in a cycle, but finding the right support helped me break that cycle.

She eventually shared her story with the makers of ITVs 2019 drama Cleaning Up, where actress Sheridan Smith plays an office cleaner who turns to crime to deal with her gambling addiction.

Explaining why she shared her story, she said: There aren't as many women speaking out.

Gambling is seen as bookies and men and dogs and horses. But there are probably just as many women who are gambling addicts as men."

NHS consultant psychologist Matthew Gaskell, the clinical lead for the NHS Northern Gambling Service, said: Im delighted to be opening our new clinic in Manchester.

This will help make our service more accessible to people in the North West of England where we know there are thousands who need our support.

Gambling addiction is a new public health crisis. Its causing serious harm to thousands of people across the UK.

"This includes mental health problems, serious debt, breakdown of relationships, loss of employment, crime, homelessness and, tragically, sometimes suicide.

"However the chances of recovery from addictions like problem gambling can be very good with proper treatment.

Continued here:

'I was betting as my mum lay in hospital': Harrowing confessions from Manchester's gambling addicts - Manchester Evening News

1 woman, 12 men arrested in enforcement operation against illegal gambling activities – STOMP

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One woman and twelve men, aged between 21 and 42, were arrested in an enforcement operation targeting gambling activities along Namly Place on Mar 12.

During the operation, two men and a woman were arrested for managing a place used as a gaming house.

The other 10 men were arrested for gaming in a common gaming house, said the police in a statement on Sunday (Mar 15).

Investigations are ongoing.

Landlords are advised to ensure that tenants do not carry out gambling activities within their premises.

"Action will be taken against landlords or tenants who allow their premises to be used in gambling activities," added the police.

Under the Common Gaming Houses Act, anyone gaming in public shall be liable to a fine of $5,000 and/or a jail term of up to six months.

The police said they take a serious view on all forms of illegal gaming activities and will continue to take tough enforcement actions against those who are involved in such activities.

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1 woman, 12 men arrested in enforcement operation against illegal gambling activities - STOMP

New health guidelines aimed at gambling venues as they stay open – KTXL FOX 40 Sacramento

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) The California Department of Public Health released new guidelines Friday aimed at gambling venues, which are still open despite public health officials new policy to cancel public gatherings of 250 people or more.

I assure you we are leaning in. Were not being passive, said Gov. Gavin Newsom. I think were meeting the moment, and were not going to allow people to be separate and above if it puts the health of the people of the state of California at risk.

Newsom on Thursday signed an executive order that recommended all California residents listen to the Department of Public Health. Disneyland voluntarily shut down Friday at midnight and the hope is that by the end of the weekend, casinos and card rooms will also close.

The reason we didnt do it is because of the complexity of their unique circumstances. But I assure you, we are moving quickly and effectively toward a resolution in those spaces, said Newsom.

Harness racing at Cal Expo went as planned but there were no fans in attendance.

Obviously, when you think youve seen it all you havent, said Chris Schick with Watch and Wager.

With only 6% of their business coming from on-siteattendance and the rest coming from close-circuit or internet TV, it wasimportant to keep the business going for the jockeys and 51 employees.

From a business point of view, its not that big of a jolt to us. We pay out $50K a night in purses, which is obviously very important to their livelihood, said Schick. So, its very important to the welfare of our employee and their families that we continue to race.

Even though no one will be in attendance tomorrow, they willbe racing.

The new guidelines for card rooms and casinos include frequent cleaning of playing cards, chips, shuffling machines and other objects touched by multiple people.

As of Friday night, at least one gambling venue had voluntarily closed.

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New health guidelines aimed at gambling venues as they stay open - KTXL FOX 40 Sacramento

Can gambling juice fandom for women’s sports? – The Conversation US

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Every March Madness, thousands of tweets and articles dissecting seedings, potential upsets and favorable matchups flood the feeds of sports fans.

According to ESPN, over 70 million people will fill out a bracket. Meanwhile US$10 billion will be spent on office pools and bets, and work productivity losses are estimated to be in the billions.

Thats all for the mens tournament. But youd be hard pressed to find similar wall-to-wall analysis and bracketology for the womens tournament.

Womens sports always seem to get short shrift; if you try to find a WNBA fantasy league on ESPN or Yahoo, or an oddsmaker breaking down a National Womens Soccer League game, youll be out of luck.

Researchers have explored the perceived lack of interest in womens sports. The results consistently show that interest exists, but a massive gap in media coverage and promotion between men and womens sports curbs ratings.

As researchers and teachers who have focused on gender equality and womens sports, we wonder if there might be new ways to market womens sports that engages more fans. Specifically: Could gambling and fantasy sports help narrow the gap?

For decades, professional and amateur sports leagues had been resistant to publicly embrace gambling. There was an obvious reason: It was illegal.

Nonetheless, despite the legal and logistical barriers that were in place, sports fans have always found ways to get unsanctioned action on sporting events, whether it was through fantasy leagues, March Madness brackets, Super Bowl squares or off-shore betting sites.

May 14, 2018, was a key moment for Americas sporting industry: The federal ban on sports betting was lifted, a decision that changed the way sports are marketed.

Instead of continuously trying to deter gambling, many leagues and networks, such as ESPN and Fox Sports, began to recognize the contribution these activities lend to the fan experience. One leader in this regard has been current NBA commissioner Adam Silver. In 2014 he wrote an op-ed in The New York Times calling for the legalization of sports betting. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been another booster, noting in 2019 that it was a great source of fan engagement.

One major reason for this acceptance even outright enthusiasm is the financial impact. While figures vary, it is undeniable that this is a multi-billion-dollar industry with millions of participants. Before sports gambling was legalized, estimates have suggested Americans wagered $150 billion annually on sporting events via offshore betting applications. Additionally, the Fantasy Sport and Gaming Association has noted that over 59 million people played fantasy sports in 2017.

Setting aside the pure dollar figures, its important to highlight how fantasy sports and sports betting enhances fandom in other ways. With television ratings and fan attendance declining, leagues are recognizing how fantasy leagues and sports books can have a massive impact on engagement and consumption.

Gambling and fantasy sport creates an entirely new dynamic: When fans place a bet, it motivates them to watch a team or player they might otherwise have little interest in rooting for.

Clearly, gambling has become a valuable tool to retain existing fans and develop new ones.

Could it do the same for womens leagues, from National Pro Fastpitch to the National Womens Soccer League?

We know theres a lot of room for growth. Research suggests womens sports receive just 2% of the total sport media coverage, despite women making up roughly 40% of all sport participants in North America.

When womens events are heavily promoted usually for championship games the numbers are promising. For example, the 2019 FIFA Womens World Cup Championship match drew an average live audience of over 82 million viewers; the 2018 Olympic womens ice hockey gold medal match outpaced viewership numbers for all but one 2017 NHL playoff game; and the 2019 NCAA Womens Final Four experienced an 8% ratings increase from the previous years tournament.

We also know that individuals who have viewed a professional womens sporting event in the past are twice as likely to view another one in the future, while those who have never viewed a womens event are significantly less likely to seek one out.

So its worth wondering whether promoting sports betting and fantasy sports could appeal to an audience that might need an excuse to consume the product. Notably, this is a strategy that has seemed to work for golf: Millennial viewership has spiked since the PGA increased efforts to promote the fantasy industry.

While its difficult to find specific data on media coverage of womens sports from a gambling and fantasy sport perspective, you can easily see a gap by browsing the offerings of industry leaders. For example, it seems that there are no mainstream sites hosting season-long WNBA fantasy leagues. And it can be difficult to come across an in-depth article or TV segment focused on an oddsmaker weighing in on a womens sporting event.

This isnt an endorsement of gambling culture; we recognize the plethora of negative outcomes that can surface.

But given the high levels of participation for mens fantasy leagues and sports betting, we believe increased promotion of gambling and fantasy sports for womens leagues could similarly enhance fandom in the years to come.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversations email newsletter.]

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Can gambling juice fandom for women's sports? - The Conversation US

Michigan gamblers get the OK to place sports bets in person in time for March Madness – MLive.com

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DETROIT -- In-person sports betting in Michigan will officially open at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 11.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board - which oversees regulations for MGM Grand, MotorCity and Greektown casinos -- gave final approval Tuesday at its public meeting for the three Detroit casinos to begin onsite sports betting operations at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

Betting will go live at MGM Grand and Greektown at 1 p.m. Wednesday, while MotorCity is waiting until 10 a.m. Thursday to begin operations, still in time for March Madness, which begins March 17.

"I think it's going to be great for Michigan's casinos," MGCB executive director Richard Kalm said after the meeting. "I think it's going to drive market activity. There's not a lot of margin to make a lot of money at sports betting per se, but it will drive traffic in the casinos. So they'll be able to market other amenities: hotel rooms, drinks and other gaming that goes on."

All three Detroit casinos will be using different sports betting software providers, and all will be operating under a temporary license.

Representatives from all three casinos presented plans at Tuesdays meeting at Cadillac Place in Detroit, detailing how they will manage their sports betting operations.

MotorCity will operate 54 kiosks and six betting windows, while Greektown will have 28 kiosks and four betting counters. MGM Grand will open 16 kiosks and six betting windows. Patrons must place large bets at the betting windows.

Since sports betting was officially legalized in Michigan in December, lawmakers and regulators aimed to get in-person betting up and running ahead of the NCAA Tournament for mens college basketball.

Issuing temporary licenses was the only avenue to hit that timeline goal, Kalm said, but the suppliers the casinos have partnered with are all regulated by the Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association.

"We're gonna allow them to operate on a temporary license now because, certainly in 11 weeks, we couldn't do the complete investigation and deep dive that we normally do," Kalm said. "However, we're comfortable, we've vetted them, all of them are licensed in other jurisdictions, some overseas, but most of them domestic.

"We were comfortable looking at their background and letting them begin to operate, because we think it's important to start this process now, especially when we've got a lot of betting activity that's going to occur in very short order."

In December, Michigan Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer agreed to overhaul the states gambling laws, setting up new tax structures for online gaming and sports betting, legalizing fantasy sports betting, updating charitable gaming rules and modifying regulations for Detroit-area casinos.

Under the new laws, an 8.4 percent tax on sports bets would be collected after winnings are paid out. Taxes on internet gambling would range between 20 and 28 percent, depending on how much money a casino generates from online gambling.

While the law is expected to generate nearly $20 million to the state, with most of that going toward the School Aid Fund, Kalm said tax revenue will be minimal until online betting gets MGCB approval.

Kalm said the rulemaking process for online betting is about 30 percent complete.

While Michigans tribal casinos are independently regulated and were already permitted to open retail sports betting operations, they will be subject to state regulations when it comes to online offerings.

Some tribes have already secured partnerships with sports betting providers. Earlier this month, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians announced William Hill would be opening sports books in their two Northern Michigan casinos ahead of the 2020 football season.

"It's going to be a little bit more of a challenge because we want them to be part of the rulemaking process," Kalm said. "That rulemaking process, it takes an extended period of time to get through that. Then we have to do an impact statement, and then we have public hearings to make sure people can weigh in on those rules.

"It's gonna be a whole new type of gaming. We consider sports betting very much like any other casino game, and we have internal controls. The casinos are very mature over 20 years they've been operating (sports betting), but on the online side, it's very new process. We really want to take our time and make sure we get it right."

Meanwhile, Kalm said retail sports betting in Michigan is a good first step.

We can only look at other states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Kalm said when asked about a projected increase in traffic at Michigan casinos. It has raised the amount of people that go to the casino, and Detroits a big sports town. Theres always a lot of sporting activities going on with four major-league teams in town. I do believe theres going to be a benefit to the casino and driving traffic into each as well.

Related coverage:

In-person sports betting could be available before March Madness in Michigan

Sports betting, online gambling legalized in Michigan

Michigan residents might be able to bet on sports by March Madness, lawmakers say

Sports betting coming to Northern Michigan casinos in time for 2020 football season

Miniscule margin for mistakes for Michigan in March

Michigan could allow betting on horse races that have already been run

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Michigan gamblers get the OK to place sports bets in person in time for March Madness - MLive.com