Monthly Archives: May 2020

Iowas gaming parlors are closed. Theres no sports betting without sports. Slots are silent.

But thanks to Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa has plenty of high stakes gambling action, in every county, city and burg.

Were all rolling the dice in Kims COVID Casino now.

We have seen some positive curve-bending lately in the states effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitalizations have been declining for days, although cases and deaths continue to mount. Theres been more testing and contact-tracing, key steps to containing the virus and bending the curve even further.

But testing is just ramping up. Iowa still is testing thousands fewer daily than needed. Test Iowas effort has been slow out of the gate and plagued by problems. And yet, the Utah tech firms behind the testing already have hit the jackpot.

We could stand on this hand, see how it plays out for a few more weeks. The curve may indeed flatten. Remain disciplined. Play it safe.

Instead, on Wednesday, Reynolds announced more business reopenings, while rolling back many protective measures in all 99 counties, starting Friday. Shes gambling that we wont see a second sharp surge in virus cases, even as she maintains her own modified quarantine after mingling with unmasked White House officials on her recent victory tour. Shes also quit sending out detailed daily reports on virus numbers. Dont fixate on deaths. Theyre just lagging indicators.

Have we reached the peak? Probably? Maybe? The predictive model still is under wraps.

But its no guts, no glory at COVID Casino. Its time to get back in the game. Big bucks and political power are on the table. Baby needs a new pair of shoes, and there still are plenty of ventilators for granny.

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Sure, without more testing and tracing, were flying in fog, perhaps on a casino owners borrowed jet. But, oh, what a rush. How will it all turn out? The suspense is killing us.

Standing the economy back up is necessary. But there will be no real, sustained recovery if Iowans are unconvinced weve handled the pandemic. Picking the economy over public health is a false bet. Solving the public health problem is key to economic recovery and restoring confidence.

Theres certainly an economic risk to sticking with protective measures longer and resisting more reopening for a couple more weeks. But consider the consequences of pulling that big reopening slot machine arm too soon. A second spike and a return to restrictions would be even more devastating. Instead of bouncing back, Iowas health and economic problems would intensify, while more Iowans fall ill or become lagging indicators.

Betting the lives of our most vulnerable on the personal responsibility of others before we know more about the pandemics grip here is a reckless wager, leaving thousands of Iowans and their loved ones in fearful limbo. They cant simply adjust and move on.

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned the U.S. Senate this week that rapid reopening could have dire consequences. Instead, Iowas putting its money on the whiplash wisdom of the casino wizard in the White House, who is willing to bet our lives on his reelection prospects. Our guts, his glory.

So were all gamblers now, living in the COVID Casino. Win big! Or maybe buy the farm! Masks optional.

(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@tehgazette.com

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All Iowans are gamblers in Kim's COVID Casino - The Gazette

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Synergy Blue today released a new report revealing consumer opinions on casino gambling in a post-COVID world.

The company surveyed gamblers to better understand what they will expect from operators in order to return to casinos. While the data shows gamblers confidence in casinos 51 percent say theyll return to casinos once they reopen it also reveals the need for some long-term changes.

The report, The Path Forward for Casinos in a Post-Covid World, is based on a survey conducted in late April 2020 of 1,000 gamblers about how their expectations have changed and multiple factors that will impact their return to casino floors, including the experiences they now seek, the role the economy plays in their confidence, and if their interest in online and mobile gambling will continue after social distancing.

The report examines the health and safety standards that gamblers would like to see. While confidence is solid, gamblers also believe casinos need to take ongoing measures to ensure health and safety. The survey found that 56 percent of gamblers said casinos need to permanently improve their health and safety standards following the pandemic.

The report also uncovers a dynamic that has long been on the radar of casinos. The data shows that a shift in casino demographics may happen much sooner than expected. Older gamblers are more hesitant to return to casinos amid higher concerns about health and safety. But younger demographics are now poised to lead the charge toward casino recovery. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of younger gamblers (ages 29 and under) and 56 percent of those ages 30-45 say theyll gamble in casinos again once stay-at-home orders have lifted. Only 40 percent of respondents over age 60 said they too would return.

While slots were the traditional main draw for casinos, a younger generation of gamblers also points to declining interest in traditional slots. The survey found less than half (47%) of those 29 and under and 58 percent of 30-45 year olds said slot games would draw them back to casinos, compared to 69 percent of 45-60 year olds, and 73 percent of those 60 and older who are drawn to slot games.

The casino industry has been hit hard by the crisis and, with high levels of uncertainty surrounding the long-term impact, its difficult to map out the best path forward, said Georg Washington, CEO of Synergy Blue. Our goal with this report is to provide the industry with resources and insight into what gamblers would like to see and, more importantly, what they expect from casinos when they return. Were all in this together. And together, we can rebuild our industry. But in order to do that, well need to reshape it to fit the changed preferences of our biggest supporters: the gamers and gamblers themselves.

Additional findings from the report include:

To download the full report, visit Synergy Blues website.

About Synergy Blue

Synergy Blue creates Fun You Can Bet On! As the leading provider of entertainment gaming solutions, the team is currently bringing arcade style, skill-influenced games (or interactive electronic gaming machines), platforms, and applications to the casino market. The companys robust HAWG (Hybrid, Arcade, Wager-based Gaming) platform blends regulatory approved chance and skill-influenced gambling with the uninterrupted entertainment of arcade-style game play. Designed for an emerging class of players, Synergy Blues technology provides casino operators with a new generation of entertainment and games that are certified and backed by industry-leading patents. Now based in Las Vegas, Nevada, the company was founded in 2013 and has products and applications placed in six countries.

For more information visit: http://www.synergyblue.us or follow @synergyblue1.

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New Report Reveals What Gamblers Want From the Post-COVID Casino Industry - Business Wire

Many anime have a high school setting, but this one is more like a high-stakes casino with a ruthless social hierarchy.

There's a whole genre of anime centered around elite high school settings. The Kakegurui manga/anime is a gambling themed twist on the "special high school" genre, The classes at Hyakkou Academy don't teach history or math, but how to bet on the Roulette table, play blackjack, poker and just about any other game that involves betting cold, hard cash. Even if gambling is technically illegal in Japan and these high school students are too young to gamble in most nations, it's all they do each day, and they're good at it... especially the new girl.

In terms of narrative style, Kakegurui is a shonen action series, where different characters bravely challenge each other, hold grudges, use unique gambling strategies and compete in tournaments. Like Food Wars!, it's a battle high school where no punches are thrown and no magic is cast. Conveniently, gambling is competitive by nature, and a winner uses a combination of luck and skill to win. This new flavor of shonen action is the right tool for the main character, Yumeko Jabami, to wow the audience with.

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Yumeko Jabami, the heroine, is a highly skilled gambler, but she's not doing it for the money or the social standing; she's here for the thrill of it. She subverts the entire system of Hyakkou Academy once she transfers there, and it seems no one can stop her from breaking all the rules. Between games, she is cheerful and friendly, but when a game starts, she comes alive and will bet reckless money (among other things) just to see what will happen. She represents chaos and hedonism in a school where everyone plays by the rules in a gambler's rat race.

Yumeko proves that creative thinking and individuality are not to be underestimated, even when everything is on the line and all the cards have been dealt. This makes her all kinds of enemies, and she can't wait to challenge them all. Her first opponent is Mary Saotome, who, despite buying off most of the class, can't beat her in a card-based variant of rock-paper-scissors. With sheer intuition and a love of dumb luck, Yumeko prevails, and she is an even match for Midari Ikishima, who also likes to gamble with incredible stakes (usually, her own safety). The viewer can vicariously live on the edge with a heroine whose gambling style is like a bull in a china shop.

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The gambling inKakegurui is only the means to the end, despite what some students may claim. This show doesn't just play like casino security camera footage; the real stakes are involved in the social hierarchy. All of the students at Hyakkou Academy come from wealth, and are used to getting things their way. This means standing atop everyone else and ruling with an iron fist, all backed up by their money and skills in exploiting others. It's a 21st-century jungle that mirrors the business world and political world. A student can either climb to the top... or fall to the bottom in crushing debt and despair. There's practically no middle ground.

Right away, Ryota Suzui loses a game to Mary Saotome and becomes a "housepet." This is the term for a debtor, and escaping housepet status is a real challenge. Housepets are degraded and trampled upon by their classmates. In contrast, the student council members enjoy great wealth, influence, and prestige. This system of ruthless hierarchy and social division is a microcosm of the ruthless world graduates will soon enter. In many ways, a business venture is indeed like gambling, where time, effort and capital are all bet on a new company. For every winner, there are hundreds of losers out there, and power and money can get consolidated fast.

Kakegurui suggests that human civilization is a ruthless, winner-takes-all system. It proves that thesis one Roulette table and poker game at a time.

Kakegurui is currently streaming on Netflix.

KEEP READING: The Anime Dormitory Project is Helping Young Animators Survive

Star Wars: The Galaxys Strongest Sith Was WAY Less Powerful Than You Think

I graduated high school in Kansas City in 2009, then earned my Associate's in Arts in 2011 at MCC Longview, then my BA in Creative Writing at UMKC in 2013. I have a passion for creative fiction and I've studied and practiced my craft for over ten years. Currently, I'm expanding my resume and skill set with jobs such as SEO writing and journalism.

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Kakegurui Puts a Gambling Spin on the Magic School Trope | CBR - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Thursday marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court throwing out the federal ban on sports betting.

The legalization of sports gambling requires an important policy choice, but the choice is not ours to make, Justice Samuel Alito, a New Jersey native, said in the opinion of the court. Congress can regulate sports gambling directly, but if it elects not to do so, each State is free to act on its own.

Gov. Phil Murphy welcomed the ruling and the state Legislature quickly moved to establish the sports betting industry in New Jersey.

Darren Rovell, the former ESPN and CNBC sports business analyst, now writes for The Action Network. In noting Thursdays sports betting anniversary, Rovell relayed a conversation he had with a professional sports bettor. In the story, the pro explained why New Jersey is better for sports bettors.

The same six or seven guys control Vegas sportsbooks and they all talk to each other. So we certainly couldnt show up placing our own bets. Many of them wouldnt take our money. We did too well. ... In New Jersey, theres none of that. You have 20 sportsbooks competing with each other, not talking to each other. I dont have to give other people my money. I can make 13 bets under $10,000 and still get more than $100,000 down.

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Even with a market more convenient for sports bettors, the industry is taking a bath because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Murphy ordered Atlantic Citys casinos closed in March. NJ Advance Medias Keith Sargeant reported last month on the losses suffered by the industry without any sports on which to bet.

In March, $181.9 million was wagered at New Jersey sportsbooks -- a drop of 63.2% from last month and down 51.2% from March 2019.

The trend downward continued in April, according to the Associated Press.

April was the cruelest month ever for Atlantic City casinos, as state earnings figures released Wednesday shattered a record in revenue declines that had been set just a month ago. The coronavirus outbreak pushed revenue at the seaside resorts nine casinos down nearly 69% in April from the same month a year earlier. ... All told, the casinos saw $82.6 million in revenue in April, almost all of it won online from gamblers who had few other legal options. Thats down from $265.4 million in April 2019.

MGM Resorts, owner of the Borgata, released on Tuesday the health and safety plan its casino properties will follow once state officials allow them to reopen. Among the highlights: no eating on the casino floor, contactless check-ins for hotel rooms and wearing a mask unless youre drinking while gambling.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.

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Why N.J. is a better bet than Las Vegas for sports gamblers - NJ.com

LANDIS A Landis business owner was charged Tuesday with offenses related to operating a gambling establishment after a monthlong investigation by the Rowan County Sheriffs Office.

Jack Lewis Faggart Jr., 59, of China Grove, was charged with two counts of operating/possessing a slot machine, permitting the use of a slot machine at a location under his management or control, possessing gaming machines that allowed the machines to exceed the limits of eight accumulated credits or replays and operating more than five video gaming machines.

Faggart, the owner of Snack Shack, was operating under the guise of being a convenience store/landscaping supply business in Landis, the sheriffs office said.

The sheriffs office served a search warrant April 16 at the business, located at 3125 North Cannon Blvd.

The search warrant was based on an undercover operation and citizen complaints that the business was a gambling establishment and also violating the governors stay-at-home order, according to the sheriffs office.

The investigation showed that the Snack Shack had 19 gambling machines, all slot machines, a news release said. These gaming machines operated with several types of software. Officials said 13 machines had money receivers and some still had currency in them. The machines allowed patrons to bet more than eight credits, which violates state law. The business allegedly was paying cash for winnings, another violation of state law.

During the search of the business, detectives seized six central processing units connected to gaming terminals, three motherboards, one server, documents and $11,343 in cash. Records showed that the gaming machines were taking in more than $10,000 per week and profiting multiple thousands of dollars per week, a news release said.

On Tuesday, April 28, additional search warrants were executed by the Rowan County Sheriffs Office at the Snack Shack and a second location. Investigators seized documents and an additional $13,920 in cash.

At the time of the execution of the search warrants on April 28, Faggart was also cited for violating the governors executive order.

Faggart was released on a written promise.

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Landis business owner charged with operating illegal gambling establishment - Salisbury Post - Salisbury Post

(Reuters) - Caesars Entertainment Corp (CZR.O) missed quarterly revenue estimates on Monday as it shuttered its casinos amid nationwide lockdowns to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

FILE PHOTO: The 550 foot-tall (167.6 m) High Roller observation wheel, the tallest in the world, is the centerpiece of the $550 million Linq project, a retail, dining and entertainment district by Caesars Entertainment Corp, in seen in Las Vegas, Nevada April 9, 2014. The wheel is. REUTERS/Las Vegas Sun/Steve Marcus

The gambling industry, which counts on air travel and large groups of people in close proximity, is one of the hardest hit from the restrictions imposed to check the health crisis.

Our first-quarter performance reflects the significant revenue declines we experienced as a result of the closures and stable year-over-year labor costs in March, Chief Executive Officer Tony Rodio said in a statement.

He said the company was taking aggressive steps to strengthen its financial position, which included furloughing 90% of its employees in North America.

Caesars said almost all its casinos worldwide have been closed since March 17 and warned of an estimated daily cash burn of $9.3 million. As of March 31, it had more than $2.6 billion in liquidity.

SunTrust analyst Barry Jonas said investor focus is squarely on Caesars current cash burn rate and the phased property reopening strategy.

The company said it would implement a phased reopening of its properties in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Council Bluffs and Lake Tahoe.

In the first quarter, casino revenue fell 11.5% to $958 million. Net revenue fell 13.6% to $1.83 billion and missed analysts average estimate of $2.04 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

Net income attributable to Caesars was $189 million in quarter ended March 31 compared with a loss of $217 million a year earlier.

On a per share basis, its loss rose to 36 cents per share from 32 cents per share a year ago.

Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur

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Shut casinos hit Caesars as COVID-19 puts gambling industry in survival mode - Reuters

Marys Eat Shop, center, is seen at night. The Palace Hotel is at left. (Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)

CASPER, Wyo. Hidden on hundreds of negatives in yellow Kodak boxes at the Casper College Western History Center are untold ghosts of the city captured decades ago.

The trove of images are from the collection of Chuck Morrison, who spent years working for the Casper Star-Tribune and its predecessors before retiring in the early-1970s. Over the past year, the centers archivist Vince Crolla has been methodically digitizing the pictures.

Among the latest Morrison images unearthed by Crolla are several shots of West B Street, where the non-ironically named Palace Hotel flophouse once stood. Marys Eat Shop was right next door for many years.

Article continues below...

Photos at night with hat-wearing figures silhouetted by streetlight give the block an ominous look.

Marys Eat Shop was operated by Mary Simms, who apparently operated another restaurant in Casper before this one called the Simms & Edwards Cafe, located at 232 West First Street. A story in a June, 1945 Casper Tribune-Herald paper featured Simms and her southern cooking shortly after she took over that establishment.

She eventually moved down to the Sandbar on 265 West B Street.

Simms and her restaurant were no strangers to the police. In October, 1954 she was arrested on bootlegging charges for selling liquor without a license, according to a Casper Tribune-Herald story. Its one of numerous times Simms was charged for the same offense. Another woman, who lived at the nearby Van Rooms, was arrested at the same time for prostitution.

In October, 1959, Simms was arrested and charged felonious assault after allegedly shooting her estranged husband, Tommy, in the back inside her cafe. He was released from the hospital a few days later and refused to sign a complaint.

In January 1961, 18 people were arrested at Marys Eat Shop in a gambling raid, according to a Casper Tribune-Herald article. In March, 1962, a newspaper article said she ended up in the hospital after wrecking her car while intoxicated.

In 1964 the city proposed a petition to abate Marys Eat Shop as a nuisance for numerous cases of prostitution.

The story of Marys Eat Shop ends in 1971, when the city seized the property after Simms failed to pay back taxes. The building was soon demolished.

In September, 1973, a legal notice from the administrator of Mary Simms McKahns estate listed her as deceased. The notice advised any heirs and all other persons known and unknown of the countys intent to quiet title against the Estate.

No obituary for Simms was found.

The area today is a parking lot for Casper City Hall.

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Backstory: Marys Eat Shop had bootlegging, gambling, prostitution and shooting on the menu - Oil City News

Wanted to run a successful business? There are some fantastic skills and lessons which you can be learned from gambling. This is the most excellent industry which will teach you the most amazing strategies, techniques, and knowledge that are used by professional gamblers while performing their role in the gamble. Keep in mind about the gambling skill and strategy, which can be helpful for any business. King Billy Australia always try to bring you informative articles therefore we have mentioned some of the most useable aspects in both industries. Follow them; it will surely be beneficial in your business.

Importance of the basics

Everybody wants to play in cash as quickly as possible, which is possible but not so easy. To become successful in business, you have to build your knowledge from lower to upwards. It is just like a gambling game where you have to observe the other player and try to learn from them you know more than you. It is a natural thing that there will always be someone who knows more than you. So whether in business or gambling, you should learn the essential first and start from the lower level.

Practice makes perfect

What do you think overnight success is achievable? No right? Success takes time to get you what you want. Without trying, you cant be the best because in business and in gambling, experience is the key. The more you practice something, the better you perform. There are people with unique talents whose luck makes them successful in a smart way, but the success comes when your hard work and practice pays you off.

Risk-Taking:

Every business has a risk factor, and most of the successful business is because they have taken certain risks to reach that height. They need people investing in the business. Condensing people to invest in the industry while you are new is what they are taking high risk. The same goes for gambling, where gamblers love to take high risks. Gamblers take the risk to win a gamble a high amount of money. You can take the example of online casinos where the gamblers take a high risk to gamble, and they feel a pleasure doing that and wins big amount.

Money management

Just like a businessmen gamblers also know the importance of establishing a budget and try to stick on which is a key for success. Correctly managing your money helps you to stay in the game. It is an essential thing you should know when to quit and when to rise. These are equally vital information to follow in both business and gambling.

Time management

Doing things at the right time is also a known quality in the leader. So that it is also essential to manage the right time when to do it and when it doesnt require. The most successful gambler is the one who knows how to manage his time. It controls the rhythm of the player so they understand when they can perform their best. The same goes for the business; it is not possible to maintain continuous success. You should get to know about the management of time and let your batteries get charge because it will help you in coming back strongly.

Analyzing Strength & Weaknesses

If you are willing to start a business, you will study the business first. You will understand the business strength and weakness. A business person needs to conduct a thoughtful evolution of companies strengths and weaknesses. This will help you in managing your team and making decisions effectively. This is to achieve the goal of the business. A gambler will research different betting sites while playing online casino. A gambler will analyze the strength and weaknesses of the online gambling platform. So that he can understand which platform suits him the best it is so that the player will be sure about the platform where he has less risk and high chances of winning.

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Gambling Skills and Strategies Applicable in the Business World - The Sports Bank

Handle19 is a relatively new player in the sports gambling industry. Started by Shane August, CEO of venture capital firm August Holding Corporation out of Virginia, the company has learned the hard way what happens when you go up against deep-pocketed operators in the business. In trying to secure licenses to operate a sportsbook in New Jersey and West Virginia, Handle19 was easily brushed aside by the bullies, but August didnt give up. When Washington, DC approved sports gambling, he showed up to apply for a license and finally succeeded where he had previously failed. Now, with license in hand, the company is hoping to become the first Class B-license holder in the district to launch a sportsbook, according to PlayUSA, and is going to open its operations this year, despite the lack of sports gambling action currently found because of the coronavirus.

COVID-19 may not have had a tremendous impact on Handle19s activities, but it did affect them. The retail sportsbook was going to be built in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in DC, but the site was changed just before the pandemic in favor of a location closer to Capitol Hill. As a result of social distancing requirements and stay-at-home orders, the ability to prepare the new facility has met with challenges that are only now being overcome.

More challenges lie ahead, too. Even after stay-at-home orders are lifted, the general sentiment among communities will remain one of extreme caution and lack of confidence to spend great amounts of time around others. A poll conducted by Reuters recently indicated that, once things return to normal, only around 27% of people plan on going anywhere that might have large groups of people. Another 40% dont plan on venturing out until a vaccine is found.

Still, Handle19 has fought hard to get to where it is today and isnt going to stop now, understanding that things will, eventually, return to normal. Thomas adds, I think every business is struggling with these questions of safety in dealing with a virus that we are constantly learning more about and for which much still remains unknown. This challenge is made even more difficult by the fact that we are planning for an opening that is set to occur four months from now when circumstances could be entirely different. That said, we are evaluating a whole host of safety protocols and will be developing policies to adhere to the recommendations of the relevant federal and local agencies, including the CDC and the District of Columbia Department of Health. We also plan to closely track what others in the hospitality and retail gaming industry are doing to learn what safety measures are effective at protecting patrons while limiting any adverse effect on the user experience.

Its only fitting that a gambling-related company gamble on its future. If the NFL season is delayed for any reason, Handle19 is going to find itself in a difficult situation as the odds of beginning to recuperate its investment go longer. However, if the gamble pays off, the winnings are going to be astronomical.

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Sportsbook Handle19 moves forward with gambling plans in DC - CalvinAyre.com

We are living in the dark ages of sports. Almost every major league has been upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, but at least Dana White wants to re-createMortal Kombat and Bloodsport by buying an island for UFC fights. He actually named it "Fight Island." Somebody call Sub Zero, Jean Claude Van Damme and the boys.

It's a damn shame, since May was supposed to be the holy month in Colorado for thirsty sports fans you know, the ones who are really bout that action, boss. Sports betting finally became legal here on May 1, and although the casinos are closed, you can still bet on your phone.

Without most sports currently happening, though, the start of legal sports betting in Colorado has been a quiet thud, which was a big disappointment for me. I watch sports constantly, but aside from the occasional small wager with friends on whether orange or red Gatorade will be dumped on the winning coach after the Super Bowl, I hadn't bet on them. But with COVID-19 putting a damper on just about everything, I'm now game for just about anything.

The first weekend of May happened to be my birthday weekend, so I downloaded the DraftKings mobile app and gifted myself $100 of betting money. I started by placing $1 bets on soccer and basketball matches happening in countries like Nicaragua, where the government essentially said "Screw it" in the face of the coronavirus and the legitimacy of professional sports outcomes aren't always without scrutiny.

The $1 bets on soccer and basketball didn't turn out too well, as I mostly bet on underdogs to make the bets more interesting. Those underdogs turned out to be serious underdogs in certain cases, like when one of the Nicaraguan basketball teams I bet on to win ended up losing 91 to 31, a loss margin akin to an Olympic basketball game pitting the United States against Micronesia.

Not exactly the Nuggets and Avalanche playoff games i'd anticipated betting on.

I thought that having the vested interest of a $1 bet on these games might make the matches intriguing. But I didn't even end up watching them not that it would've been easy to and played Nintendo instead, tallying up my losses after the matches had finished.

Sports betting newb that I am, I somehow managed to place a combined bet on a Taiwanese baseball game, a Belarusian soccer match and the New York Jets winning the Super Bowl. This wasn't an intentional parlay, but me clicking on random bets and not realizing that I had connected them.

Although my bet on the Rakuten Monkeys worked out, my wager on FC Belshina Bobruisk didn't, so I won't get the bliss of cashing in on the Jets winning the Super Bowl in the upcoming season. Spoiler alert: I would've made $470 in profit from that one-dollar bet, which makes perfect sense, as my poor Jets have abysmal odds to win it all and have been the laughingstock of the NFL for years.

Staying loyal to the place I now call home, I also have a $1 bet on new Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy winning the the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. I'll get a whopping $15.50 in profit if he wins. No kidding this has probably been my smartest bet so far.

But while the first week of legal sports betting in Colorado was pretty boring, the real fun began this past weekend, when I bet on UFC and the impressive bouts the league offered on the evening of Saturday, May 9. We're talking pre-Fight Island UFC, as these fights happened at a venue in Florida, home of the way-too-brave.

Feeling confident since I was drinking Modelo (the official beer of the UFC), my $1 bets became $5 and $10 bets.

Again, I mostly placed bets on underdogs; I even placed a bet on a guy who got knocked out in twenty seconds. As my losses piled up, I was seriously considering dropping everything to seek out responsible gambling advice from Michael Jordan.

But then the tides turned when Justin Gaethje, a University of Northern Colorado grad, absolutely dominated his opponent, Tony Ferguson, in a championship bout. My bet on Gaethje helped me recoup most of my losses since the start of my betting spree. My $100 in betting money is now at $78.03 not bad for a first-timer betting on Nicaraguan basketball and Mortal Kombat LARPing.

There's still a bit more to look forward to this month, including additional UFC fights and Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning teaming up against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady for a charity golf match, also scheduled for Florida.

But life is much less vibrant without sports on TV. And betting on obscure sports leagues just isn't that much fun. Maybe I'll start betting on the weather, since that's so easy to predict in Colorado.

Conor McCormick-Cavanagh is a staff writer at Westword, where he covers a range of beats, including local politics, immigration and homelessness. He previously worked as a journalist in Tunisia and loves to talk New York sports.

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Sports Gambling in Colorado Not That Fun Without Sports | Westword - Westword