Monthly Archives: January 2022

New Jersey leads the nation in online sports betting. Here comes New York. – POLITICO – POLITICO

Posted: January 24, 2022 at 10:00 am

In its first weekend, the four online sports operators in New York took in $150 million in wagers, and 650,000 unique player accounts were set up which grew to 1.2 million accounts by the end of the first week, according to GeoComply, a software provider that ensures location for sports bettors. Thats more than New Jersey and neighboring Pennsylvania combined for the same period.

And with twice the population of New Jersey, New York, with its 20 million residents, is likely to eventually eclipse the title New Jersey has held since 2019 as the sports betting capital of the nation after its revenue surpassed Nevada and its sprawling Las Vegas sports books.

"With a product as we have, I would expect we leapfrog over New Jersey, said state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Queens), who sponsored the sports betting measure in New York. But it is about sustainability and the long term."

Its taken four years for sports betting to go from a dark market vice, relegated for most Americans to bar bookmakers and risky offshore gaming sites, to an accepted pastime in the vast majority of the country.

And New Jersey was the most aggressive to get into the market after winning and losing a number of lawsuits along the way, helping it to cement its national lead as other states sought to catch up.

Sports betting has been legalized in more than 30 states, with 18 having some form of online wagering. It has quickly become a cash cow for states and local governments followingthe 2018 Supreme Court ruling overturning a federal ban that essentially gave Nevada a legal monopoly on the industry.

In New Jersey, the amount bet on sports exceeded $1.3 billion last October alone, a national record, and all but $100 million of it came from online wagering, even with the state's nine casinos in Atlantic City and three racetracks offering in-person betting.

In New York, four upstate casinos have offered in-person betting since 2019, but the revenue has been paltry compared to the early weeks of online betting.

And the industry is in its infancy.

California is eyeing a referendum in November to likely decide whether it will enter the burgeoning sector, and Ohio is expected to have online sports betting in 2023.

In two of the other largest states, Florida and Texas, sports betting remains uncertain. A federal judge last month rejected Florida's bid to legalize it through the Seminole Tribe of Florida, leaving the state also with the possibility of a referendum in November. In Texas, lawmakers might reconsider it in 2023 when state lawmakers return to Austin.

Goldman Sachs last March estimated that online sports betting and internet gambling revenues in the U.S. may grow from $900 million a year to $39 billion by 2033.

New York's entry into the mobile industry may serve as a key guide of the room for growth.

GeoComply found that just 9 percent of New York players had placed bets previously in New Jersey and that nearly 88 percent of New York customers were brand new to the sites.

In other words, there appeared to be enough interest in New York to limit the impact in New Jersey.

The momentum of New Yorks sports betting launch has continued, and it is mostly homegrown, said Lindsay Slader, the company's managing director of gaming, in a statement.

Indeed, New Jersey averaged 12.6 million transactions the two weekends before New York's launch and 13.1 million the two weekends since, the company said.

"New Yorks launch of mobile/online sports betting is likely to only impact patrons living close enough to the New Jersey border to make travel from New York to New Jersey for the purpose of wagering convenient," said Jane Bokunewicz, the faculty director at the Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism at Stockton University in Galloway, N.J., in an email.

How sustainable the rush in New York will be is uncertain. The state expects tax revenue to grow from $375 million in coming fiscal year to $518 million by 2027. And, like with regular casino gambling, the ultimate size of the market for sports betting could be limited.

Still, New Jersey said it is well-positioned to stay competitive with New York for one key reason, in particular: taxes.

New York's tax rate on mobile sports betting providers is 51 percent, among the highest in the nation, compared to 14.25 percent in New Jersey.

And New Jersey's sports wagering revenue, which is what is left after payouts to winners, has showed no signs of slowing: It doubled between 2020 and 2021 to a nation-leading $816 million, state records show.

The lower tax rate should give New Jersey operators an opportunity to offer new incentives to lure back New York customers, said James Plousis, chair of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.

"Theres no doubt about it, it will have some impact, but I think were well positioned," he said. "The tax environment in New jersey is much better than in New York."

For Atlantic City, which struggled for years after casinos began opening in other East Coast states, mobile sports betting and other internet gambling games New Jersey has allowed give the resort town another way to build revenue without having to draw gamblers to its hotels.

In 2021, internet gambling and sports betting represented 46 percent of the total gaming revenue in New Jersey, putting it nearly on par with all the revenue the casinos brought in from traditional gaming, records show.

Perhaps the biggest impact so far has been in the physical sportsbooks in New Jersey. Attendance has been down at the Meadowlands Racetrack sportsbook, a mere 10 miles from midtown Manhattan and by far the largest one in the state.

Owner Jeff Gural, who also owns a sportbooks and horse track in the Southern Tier region of New York, said he expected more of a hit on the mobile side of the business rather than the in-person toll side at the Meadowlands.

But he also wondered how long New York's rise will last. Many customers were probably lured in by big promotions, such as $300 in free bets offered by Caesars.

"I think we have to see what happens six months from now when all the free money disappears," Gural said.

Original post:

New Jersey leads the nation in online sports betting. Here comes New York. - POLITICO - POLITICO

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

New Potocsnak Longevity Institute Hopes to Lengthen Human …

Posted: at 10:00 am

We want to make it possible to live healthily for a longer period of time

In the not-too-distant future, youll be able to check into the Human Longevity Laboratory to find out how old you really are, physiologically speaking.

If the news is less than optimal, clinicians will determine why and check a litany of body systems as well as your neurological and orthopaedic health. Then, youll be prescribed an intervention to stave off further decline or better yet restore your vitality.

Douglas Vaughan, MD, chair and Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine, and director of the new Potocsnak Longevity Institute.

Sounds sci-fi, but its actually the mission of the new Potocsnak Longevity Institute, which launched today at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Human Longevity Laboratory is just one part of the ambitious multi-center institute, whose goal is to foster new discoveries and build on Northwesterns ongoing research in the rapidly advancing science of aging.

The biological processes that drive aging may be malleable, said Douglas Vaughan, MD, director of the new institute and chair of medicine at Northwestern. We think we can slow that process down, delay it, even theoretically reverse it. The curtain is being pulled back on what drives aging. We want to contribute to that larger discovery process.

The goal of the institute, funded by a very generous gift from Chicago industrialist John Potocsnak and family, is to extend what Vaughan terms the human healthspan. Scientists and clinicians will address the period of life when people are at the greatest risk for aging-related comorbidities arthritis, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, aging-related cancer and hypertension and frailty.

We want to make it possible to live healthily for a longer period of time, not just live longer, said Vaughan, also the Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine. Aging is the most important risk factor for every disease we care for in adult medicine. If we can push that process back, we can push back the onset of disease.

The new institute builds on the decades of work by Vaughan and scientists across Northwestern, unifying programs studying populations that seem resistant to some of the negative consequences of aging. These include certain members of an Amish community in Berne, Indiana or a group of cognitively young octogenarians called SuperAgers.Other projects will continue to seek biological levers that drive aging and investigate approaches including new drugs to minimize the impact of aging and extend the healthy lifespan of older adults.

We are grateful for the opportunity to support the vision put forth by Northwesterns leaders, scientists, and physicians to help people live their longest, healthiest lives possible, said Potocsnak. The promise of the amazing work being done by Doug, Frank and many others holds the potential to profoundly impact quality of life for millions. My wife Laura, myself and my family are proud to support this important work as we strive to make the world a better place than when we got here.

The Potocsnak Longevity Institute is a momentous step forward for the science of aging and lifespan, said Eric G. Neilson, MD, vice president for medical affairs and Lewis Landsberg Dean. The potential impact of this institutes advancements cant be overstated; the time is now right to push the field forward.

Human Longevity Laboratory

Our tasks, challenges and opportunities at the institute and Human Longevity Laboratory are severalfold, said Frank Palella, MD, associate director of the institute and the Potocsnak Family C.S.C Professor at Northwestern. We plan to ascertain those factors and conditions that determine not just how long people live but how well they live. We will design therapeutic and interventional clinical trials to study important aspects of aging in order to identify ways to extend the healthspan and delay or prevent harmful aging processes.

Our goal is, ultimately, to prolong the period of time during which individuals can enjoy optimal physical and cognitive functioning, independence and a full life. The possibilities are staggering.

What HIV teaches us about aging

The science behind HIV and aging will be a cornerstone of the institutes research at the Potocsnak Center for Aging and HIV, led by Palella.

While the lifespan of people with HIV has been extended with potent antiviral therapy, these individuals experience accelerated aging in heart disease, cancer, dementia, frailty and other diseases. They also die earlier than people without HIV. One primary reason is chronic inflammation and a constantly activated immune system.

HIV becomes a good model in which to explore determinants and interventions for aging processes, Palella said. There is a cross-pollination here between studying what improves and extends the healthspan/lifespan of people with HIV and the general population.

People who treat HIV and people who are subspecialists in geriatrics, cardiology, neurology and other health care disciplines will join forces at the center to discuss approaches that will benefit persons with diverse aging syndromes and persons with HIV, Palella said.

How some longer-living Amish could help us live longer, too

A few years ago, Vaughan discovered an extended family of Old Order Amish in Indiana have a genetic variant that protects them against multiple aspects of biological aging. Amish people with this mutation have significantly less diabetes and a younger vascular age than those who dont have the mutation. It turns out these individuals have very low levels of PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor), a protein that comprises part of a molecular fingerprint related to aging or senescence (death) of cells.

We are collecting data from this natural experiment, and Mother Nature is going to tell us how a drug that blocks PAI-1 could prevent or block aging in an average human being, Vaughan said.

Northwestern has contributed to the development of experimental drug with a Japanese company that blocks PAI-1 that is now being tested in clinical trials. One of these trials is in patients with COVID-19 at Northwestern. PAI-1 causes blood clotting, which is a primary driver of morbidity and organ damage in the coronavirus.

The Geroscience Academy will train and educate clinicians, students and scientists about the rapidly progressing science of aging.

There has been tremendous progress made in understanding what aging is all about, Vaughan said. It is moving beyond the realm of science fiction to imagine altering the velocity of aging in humans. The potential impact it may have on us and on our children and grandchildren cannot be overstated.

We want to be recognized not only as one of the epicenters of aging research but also in teaching our students, faculty and the world about the rapidly evolving science of aging.

Center for Population Science and Aging

Scientists in this center will utilize and refine existing tools to demystify the aging process in large populations of humans at all ages.

There are already well-defined biochemical and genetic markers that can be used to calculate the physiological age of a person and predict their risk for aging-related diseases, Vaughan said. These tools will only get better and more precise in the years to come.

Our biological age is not determined by how many times weve orbited the sun as passengers on planet Earth. The complex biological changes associated with aging impact nearly every aspect of a persons health, but some populations seem less affected by aging than others.

Center for Nanoscience and Aging

This center will leverage some of Northwesterns unique strengths to develop nanotechnological devices, novel diagnostic measures and innovative anti-aging therapies and drug-delivery platforms.

This center will improve our ability to measure the biological age of patients and bring new precision therapies into being that will alter the trajectory of aging, Vaughan said. Scientists will develop novel devices to measure specific physiological parameters that reflect age. For example, the older you get, the slower you walk, your heart rate variability goes down and blood pressure goes up. We might be able to track these types of functional changes in real time in patients enrolled in clinical trials. The goal will be to see if we can impact the patients physiological age, maybe with specific lifestyle interventions or new therapeutics.

Basic and Translational Biology

There is already a tremendous amount of basic and translational research in the field of aging taking place at Northwestern. Research funding from the National Institute of Aging (NIA) has risen to more than to nearly $40 million since 2016, placing it at number 13 in overall funding from the NIA.

We anticipate the resources and new scientific momentum created by the Longevity Institute will allow Northwestern to be recognized as one the leading institutions in the world in the field of human aging and longevity, Vaughan said.

Original post:
New Potocsnak Longevity Institute Hopes to Lengthen Human ...

Posted in Human Longevity | Comments Off

This Simple Eye Test Can Reveal How Long You’ll Live Eat This Not That – Eat This, Not That

Posted: at 10:00 am

Human longevitywho lives longer, who doesn't, and how that ratio might be tweakedis still a mystery that has captured the imagination and intense study of researchers. In recent years, studies have provided tantalizing clues about who lives longer, why, and how that might be predicted. New research suggests there's one potential indicator that can predict how long you'll live: A simple eye test. Read on to find out moreand to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID.

The retinaa membrane in the back of the eye that contains light-sensitive cells and a tiny network of blood vesselsis crucial to sight. It may also be a bellwether of how long you're going to live.

Scientists already knew that cells in the retina deteriorate as we get older. (Glaucoma, an eye disease that becomes more common with age, damages retinal cells and causes them to die.) But according to a new study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, people whose retinas were "older" than their actual age were closer to the end of life themselvesthey were more likely to die within the next decade.

"The retina offers a unique, accessible 'window' to evaluate underlying pathological processes of systemic vascular and neurological diseases that are associated with increased risks of mortality," said study co-author Dr. Mingguang He from the Center for Eye Research Australia.

RELATED: Signs You Have a "Hidden" Health Problem, According to Experts

The study involved more than 47,000 adults between the ages of 40 and 69, who were tracked by the researchers for an average of 11 years. Each person had their retinas scanned. The scientists then compared each retina's "biological age" with that person's chronological age. They discovered many participants had a "retinal age gap."

Large gaps in retinal age were associated with a 49 to 67 percent higher risk of death from any cause other than cardiovascular disease or cancer. That was after adjusting for potential contributing factors such as high blood pressure, BMI, lifestyle habits, and ethnicity.

And for every one-year increase in the age gap, the researchers saw a 2% increase in the risk of death from any cause and a 3% increase in the risk of death from a specific cause other than cardiovascular disease and cancer.

RELATED: Weird COVID Symptoms You Don't Often Hear About

The retina contains a network of small blood vessels that are crucial to sight. (In a condition called retinopathy, older blood vessels are damaged and new ones form, potentially leading to blindness.) Several studies, including this new one, suggest the vessels cause also gauge the health of the brain and circulatory system overall.

"Our novel findings have determined that the retinal age gap is an independent predictor of increased mortality risk, especially of non-cardiovascular disease/ non-cancer mortality. These findings suggest that retinal age may be a clinically significant biomarker of aging," the researchers wrote. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don't miss these 35 Places You're Most Likely to Catch COVID.

Original post:
This Simple Eye Test Can Reveal How Long You'll Live Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

Posted in Human Longevity | Comments Off

Town of Chesapeake Beach passes ordinance to collect tax revenue on sports betting – WTOP

Posted: at 10:00 am

The Chesapeake Beach Town Council passed an ordinance Friday that allows the town to collect tax revenue on brick and mortar sports betting.

The ordinance expands the Admission and Amusement Tax for the Town of Chesapeake Beach to include Sports Betting for Class A1, A2, Class B1, and Class B2 licenses.

In November of 2020, town residents voted against sports betting in Chesapeake Beach by a 2 to 1 margin.

The Chesapeake Beach Town Council acted to prevent expanding gambling activities after the election.

Its my opinion that its the fiduciary responsibility of this body to pass this ordinance so we can maintain our revenues and continue to provide world class services to the good people of Chesapeake Beach, said Mayor Pat Mahoney.

Maryland pre-empted the town allowing sports betting with one license for a brick and mortar facility within the municipal limits of Chesapeake Beach, Mahoney said during the town council meeting.

In a 5-to-2 vote in November, the Sports Wagering Application Review Commission awarded the first Maryland in-person sports betting licenses.

Like WTOP on Facebook and follow WTOP on Twitter and Instagram to engage in conversation about this article and others.

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

Town of Chesapeake Beach passes ordinance to collect tax revenue on sports betting - WTOP

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Sports Betting Tips To Make More Successful Bets – Eye On Annapolis – Eye On Annapolis

Posted: at 10:00 am

A lot goes into making the right prediction and turning a profit, including setting achievable objectives, learning the basics, and being selective with wagers. Furthermore, players need to set aside a betting budget and use only legitimate apps to succeed.

Overall, remembering all the informal sports betting rules can be challenging. If you need some help with this task yourself, take a look at our list of tips below:

First, you should choose the best gambling platform for placing your bets. A bookmaker is an organization that offers its services to the public. It allows users to place bets on various events or activities and also pays out winners if their chosen team or player wins. The bookie sets the odds for every game in accordance with their own profitability and is not bound by any particular rules or regulations.

When choosing a bookmaker, make sure you go through all the available options and only choose one that offers competitive odds. Also, be careful with the country they are operating from some countries have strict legal restrictions on betting, so make sure to check them as well.

One of the most popular options is the online sportsbook, which allows you to place your wagers easily and quickly. Another advantage is that you can access it from anywhere and anytime, making it a convenient solution for those often on the go. However, avoid using unofficial sites that promise big payouts without having any real data about their odds.

A better option might be the mobile betting app, which provides more opportunities for making predictions and placing bets on the go, regardless of your location for example, here, you can browse the best UK betting apps for Android & iOS. Keep in mind that certain apps require you to register before accessing them, and establishing your account can take a while.

By using such an app, you can easily track your progress, which can help you make better decisions. Finally, some organizations offer exclusive bonuses or promotions to new players, which can be pretty helpful when trying to beat the competition or break even on your bets.

The next thing to do is perform extensive research on your chosen sport and its participants. To this end, you can use online resources, such as sports betting blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels. You should also look for the most recent updates about the competitors performance. Learn about their season statistics, past match results, and recent developments in the field of betting.

Many online sources offer valuable data, such as statistics from past games, injury reports, and lineups for upcoming matches. Also, watch some of the games live to see whats going on for yourself and whether you think your chosen team has a chance of winning. This will help you better understand how to proceed with your wagers.

Although the odds might be one of the most critical factors in your overall success rate, they are not necessarily a good indicator of whether you will win or lose. In fact, choosing a team based on their overall performance might be just as effective as choosing one based on stats alone.

For example, if two teams have similar odds, but one has been performing significantly better than the other in recent matches, it might be wiser to choose them over the other team despite their lower odds of winning. Overall, knowing how to calculate odds is not enough; you need to factor in additional variables as well.

If you are new to sports betting, you must start small before moving to larger bets with higher stakes involved. This way, you can learn how to read trends in statistics and spot key indicators of winnings without risking too much money at once. Of course, once you get comfortable with this process, feel free to start raising your stakes if you like what you see so far!

Most sports bettors agree that setting a gambling budget is essential, as it helps them avoid overspending and stop when they are winning or losing too much money. If you have a limited budget, its good to stick to it. In the case of most players, it is better to drop out of the game before you lose everything than to keep playing in hopes of getting a winning streak.

The essential advice on sports betting that anyone could give you is to remember that it is just a game. If you want to boost your adrenaline rush and get the most out of your sports watching experience, by all means, try it. But if you want to make money this way, its best to keep things in perspective and stick to playing for fun.

So there you have it, some of the most valuable tips for sports betting success. Use this knowledge well, and youll be a successful sports bettor in no time!

In the end, it is up to you to decide whether you want to try your luck at sports betting. It can be fun, but it also needs a lot of time and effort to master. If you have a set budget and only use the best apps for sports betting, you can have a great time with this form of entertainment. After all, there are very few things as exciting as placing bets on your favorite team and waiting to see if they win or lose.

Remember, a sports gamblers success and failure are in large measure up to them, so stick to these tips, and you cant go wrong.

Category: Local News, NEWS

Sports Betting Tips To Make More Successful Bets - Eye On Annapolis - Eye On Annapolis

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Living to 100 years old is becoming the new normal – Gainesville Sun

Posted: at 10:00 am

Star Bradbury| Guest columnist

Did you happen to read the story recently about the oldest living human being? Kane Tanaka, who is Japanese, is 119 years old. She is what is known as a supercentenarian.

What has changed? Are people really living much longer?

As many as half of todays 5 year olds in the United States can expect to live to the age of 100 and, according to the Stanford Center on Longevity, this may become the norm for newborns by 2050. Why are people living longer? Better health care and nutrition, a focus on disease prevention, better education and rising standards of living for a larger portion of the world population.

Everything I just listed is expected to improve in all countries, even the poorest. If you doubt this, pick up the book Factfulness, by Hans Rosling, past advisor to the World Health Organization and UNICEF. This book was a real eye-opener for me on world trends and how the world is in a much better state than we think.

It is hard to believe that the average lifespan in 1950 was just 47. Human life expectancy has doubled between 1900 and 2000 and is still rising, despite the COVID pandemic. Currently in the U.S. there are over 75 million aging baby boomers, and many are expected to live well past 90.

The possibility of living for nine, ten or more decades raises a uniquely twenty-first-century question: what are we going to do with our century-long lives? The Stanford Center on Longevity poses this question and does an excellent job of answering it. In 2018 it launched an initiative called The New Map of Life, believing that one of the most profound transformations of the human experience calls for equally momentous and creative changes in the ways we lead these 100-year lives, at every stage.

New contract proposed for part-time sheriff deputies – Evening Observer

Posted: at 10:00 am

Chautauqua County is eyeing raises for its part-time sheriffs deputies.

During a meeting last week of the legislatures Public Safety Committee, members approved a labor contract with the CSEA Unit 6322 to give a 5% raise in 2022, a 5% raise in 2023, a 3% raise in 2024, a 3% raise in 2025, and a longevity payment of $75 per year upon completion of three years of service.

CSEA 6322 would be our part-time deputy sheriff contract. That was the final last and final contract that we negotiated for 2021, explained Human Resources Director Jean Riley.

They did have a tentative agreement in December; however, due to the holiday schedule, they were unable to present the resolution to the full legislature for a vote.

Riley said the union has 49 members and they unanimously backed the four-year contract. Theres really no benefits associated with this. Its really just salary and rate of pay, she said.

If approved by the full legislature, initial hires would start at $20.27 an hour. Riley said theyve looked at part-time deputy sheriff pay across the state, and that is $21.59 an hour, so the new rate would still be under the average.

She noted the longevity payment impact is minimal because most part-time deputies become full time in a couple of years. Out of this 49, we might have a dozen that might be more than three years in title, she said.

According to Riley, the impact to the county budget would be $50,000 to $75,000 a year and that is before the state reimburses the county for court officers. This contract was not budgeted for due to where negotiations were at when the budget was passed.

Committee Chairman Terry Niebel said he backs the resolution, which he believes will help with recruitment and retention. This contract is very much needed, it appears, he said.

The committee unanimously backed the resolution, which will now go to the full legislature for final approval.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

More here:
New contract proposed for part-time sheriff deputies - Evening Observer

Posted in Human Longevity | Comments Off

Can your mindset shape your health, happiness and longevity? – I Love Manchester

Posted: at 10:00 am

Youve probably heard of the placebo effect. And perhaps youre aware that sugar pills can accelerate healing.

But did you know that your overall expectations of your own fitness can influence your risk of an actual heart attack?

What about the notion that labels for diet foods can make you hungrier than if you had eaten nothing at all?

Or that people who associate ageing with personal growth live for seven years longer than those who associate it with frailty and disability?

When New Scientist Live comes to Manchester Central this March, science writer and author David Robson will discuss all this and more as he explains the power of your mindset to influence your health, fitness, happiness and longevity.

Drawing on a pioneering new theory of the brain, Davids event is just one of many thought-provoking talks, ground-breaking discoveries, interactive experiences and hands-on activities, workshops and performances you can expect at the mind-blowing festival of ideas.

Renowned Professor of Theoretical Physics, Jim Al-Khalili will explore how thinking scientifically can help us navigate todays world, and science writer Michael Marshall will delve into the quest for lifes origin one of the most profound questions we can ask.

Dr Daniel Jolley will help us understand why some people believe in conspiracy theories, and Dr Beth Singler will explore the hopes and fears that AI and robots inspire in us.

Metabolic researcher Dr Giles Yeo will explain how our body works harder to extract calories from some food compared to others, which is why calories dont always count, while Dr Jennifer Wild will reveal seven key tools to help tackle stress and fear.

Other topics for talks include Dr Emma Yhnell on the risks of personal genetic testing, Dr Fraser Smith on the battle for male mental health, Jon Copley on how humanity is exploring the deep ocean, and Stephanie Wright on how the material that makes up plastic bottles can enter the human body via our airways, with future health impacts.

It will be the first time New Scientist Live has come to Manchester, a world-class hub of scientific and technological learning, research, innovation and industry.

Over 9,000 visitors, 40 speakers and 30 exhibitors are expected at the event, alongside a global audience of 5,000 online, with the first two days, a Saturday and Sunday, open to all, and the final day, Monday, dedicated to schools and home learners.

Or if you would rather enjoy the event from the comfort of your home, all the stage talks from Saturday and Sunday will be streamed live, and the Engage Stage will be connecting a virtual audience with the stimulating experiences and engaging activities that New Scientist Live is famous for.

All the talks from the Saturday and Sunday of the event will also be available on-demand for 12 months afterwards, so if you miss any of the talks or just want to relive your favourite moments from the weekend, you can do so at your leisure.

Fun, entertaining, informative and inspirational, New Scientist Live will stimulate the mind and senses like no other event.

New Scientist Live will come to Manchester Central on 12th-13th March 2022, with 14th March a schools only day. The talks will also be available online.

More:
Can your mindset shape your health, happiness and longevity? - I Love Manchester

Posted in Human Longevity | Comments Off

American iGaming and Sports betting is on the rise with new investments and regulations 2022 predictions – Yogonet International

Posted: at 10:00 am

In this guest column, Kamran Hedjri, CEO of PXP Financial, which specializes in acquiring and processing services to help businesses simplify and support their global payment needs, analyzes the US sports betting and iGaming markets, and for 2022 he predicts an uptake in regulation, better technologies driven by bigger investments, and the continuation of iGaming momentum.

The iGaming and Sports Betting sector is a multi-billion-dollar industry with global reach that has found much success across Europe. Yet despite this, for the longest time it was incredibly difficult for gaming operators to run in the United States of America (U.S.) as laws and regulations limited, or outright prevented, forms of gambling. Fortunately, since 2018 regulators have slowly eased up on restrictions and this has created many opportunities for both local and foreign companies to begin operating in the region.

While there are lots of opportunities for success in the US, it is not as simple as moving into the country and setting up shop. There are several regulations still in place across all 50 US states, and gaming operators need to ensure their ability to take transactions from players is not impeded by this. The worst thing an operator can do to its player base is prevent them from being able to play, after all.

Here are some predictions for 2022:

While many states have been updating their regulations to make iGaming and Sports Betting legal, there are 50 states across the US and its unlikely that all of them will make a complete turnaround by 2022. With that said however, we do expect the turnaround from states still unsure, to happen at a much faster rate than in previous years.

This is largely down to regulations being workshopped by other states and reaching a condition where they are more acceptable to a wider council. As the hesitant US states begin to see regulations working effectively in the states that have already opened up, they will also begin to lessen restrictions.

The process will ultimately be a lot faster as well, as these states can easily adopt what has worked elsewhere and make small amends instead of workshopping new regulations from scratch. There will be more case studies for the regional regulators to work from and this will speed up the process.

So, while we dont expect to see all 50 states open to iGaming and Sports Betting by the end of 2022, we do expect to see a larger portion of US states adding new regulation in support of the industry than ever before. This is something any company involved in the sector needs to be ready for.

As this sector is growing and proving to be a success, this will draw the attention of investors who will be keen to take part in supporting the growth of the industry. This will naturally result in many of its upcoming and currently key players receiving funds that will support in their growth and one way we will see this growth take form is with new technology.

Innovation is constantly happening across all technology sectors, payments and otherwise, and some of this technology will support in streamlining the process for players to participate in iGaming and sports betting, as well as offer new ways to play. We anticipate that a slew of new investments will lead to the adoption of several new technologies to this sector, and that in turn will lead to further investment.

Over the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry saw a huge boost in iGaming as players were forced online. Even though lockdown has subsided, and many in-person casinos have reopened, the revenue made from iGaming alone has not decreased. In fact, it has increased along with revenue across the industry as a whole and the will certainly continue its upward trajectory throughout 2022.

iGaming and Sports Betting is a thriving industry currently and has proven to be so globally for many, many years. Over the last few years, the US has been given the opportunity to experience this success and it is only going to rise further.

Originally posted here:

American iGaming and Sports betting is on the rise with new investments and regulations 2022 predictions - Yogonet International

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

SBJ Betting: Collins, Grubman ready to hit the market with Super Group – Sports Business Journal

Posted: at 10:00 am

We are now 15 months into this bi-weekly newsletter, heading into our second Super Bowl. Ive gone from contemplating the impact of legalization on The Big Game to wondering whether New Jersey will find a way to introduce legal betting on Wordle to get New Yorkers to go back to betting from the train platform in Hoboken. Guess our baby is growing up.

Next week will be a big one for former NFL Exec VP Eric Grubman and NHL COO John Collins, who in September 2020 teamed up to lead a SPAC that would target acquisitions in sports and entertainment. The following April, after raising $400 million via IPO, they announced a merger with the parent of global sportsbook operator Betway at a valuation of $4.75 billion. They expected the deal to close by November and said the brand could be operating sportsbooks in as many as 10 states by years end.

Delayed more than two months by complexities arising from the SECs closer monitoring of the SPAC process, as well as Super Groups roots as a privately held company registered in Malta and operating from the British Isles, the company expects to finally complete its path to the public markets next week.

On Wednesday, shareholders in the SPAC will vote on whether to convert their holdings to Super Group stock or withdraw their investment. Assuming that goes forward as expected, the transaction will close on Thursday, setting up Super Group management to ring the bell on the NYSE on Friday, trading under the symbol SGHC. On recent road shows, Grubman and Super Group management touted metrics that traditionally resonate with investors: Nearly two decades of profitability, $350 million in EBITDA in the most recent year, $400 million cash on the balance sheet and no debt -- all in a sector thought to have high growth potential globally.

In a couple of key ways, Super Group will fly into a headwind. Investors have cooled on the gambling sector of late, troubled by losses associated with high marketing and promotional spends. They havent been crazy about SPACs, either. Its a double whammy, said Collins,who will move from CEO of the SPAC to a board position for Super Group, which Grubman will chair.

SPAC has fallen out of favor," added Collins. "And there have been some other deals that have rewarded these high-flyer growth companies, but without a lot of profitability. And thats not what Super Group is. Super Group is globally scaled, been at it 20 years, highly profitable, flush with cash, with no debt. But you get lumped in with the SPAC deals and the gaming sector.

We're at this awkward moment where youve got a capital market thats a little concerned. Volatile is the best word that Ive heard on CNBC and in our investor meetings. So Super Group and the SPAC have to navigate that. But theres a lot of confidence that once we get through that birth in a difficult market, Super Group is going to be what we always thought it would be -- a great public company.

Collins, who was CEO of NFL On Location until it was sold to Endeavor in January 2020, has been at this long enough to see the temperature swing among potential investors. At the start, they questioned why Super Group signed on to a merger that valued the company at less than $5 billion, which seemed cheap compared to other deals in the sector. Of late, skepticism has come from the opposite direction. Now, guys are saying I love the company, but the gaming sector is down significantly, Collins said. And were saying, Yeah, because people are valuing what we hoped they would value in Super Group, which is profitability. This company makes money every day.

Betway doesnt fit what has been the profile of stocks to watch in U.S. sports betting. Though open in five states -- Colorado, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Iowa -- it hasnt done significant handle in any of them. Betway bought some visible sponsorships during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and with NBA teams, but those have been global branding plays -- not local market pushes -- and choices driven by the companys ability to expose a single sportsbook brand on broadcasts around the world.

Management argues that the fact that Super Group is not the market share leader in a single country as irrelevant, pointing instead to what it sees as the more meaningful performance indicator, incremental revenue that turns directly to profit. Collins predicts that eventually will resonate with investors, and possibly acquirers.

It will take a quarter or two of continued strong performance for people to say, You know what? These guys got the model," Collins said. Because the capital market is kind of coming back to what we saw in Super Group, rewarding companies that are global, that have scale, that have no debt. At some point, the capital markets are going to reward that, because thats what they look for.

When my college buddy Tom Farrey phoned a few years ago to ask what I thought about a big idea to funnel some of the tax proceeds from legalized sports betting to rescue school and youth sports programs in underserved communities, I told him I thought his heart was in the right place, but that his feet were likely to find themselves near the back of a long line. The first states to legalize typically sent revenue from gambling to their respective general funds, to be divvied up among interests. Problem gambling organizations might get a tiny sliver of earmarked funding. But school or community sports? It didnt seem likely. The broader budget deficits faced since then made it even less likely.

Im glad that Tom, who leads the Aspen Institutes sport and society initiative, pressed on with the idea, which since has taken hold. Some of the heavily taxed proceeds from sports betting in New York soon will fund a grant program that will steer $5 million a year to youth programs in underserved communities. The bill signed into law in Ohio in December directs 98% of the proceeds from its 10% tax on sports betting revenue to schools, with half of that going to interscholastic athletics and other extracurricular activities.

A coalition of youth sports organizations and businesses lobbied legislators in both states, striking gold in New York when its message resonated with state assembly member Monica Wallace, who convinced other lawmakers it made sense to use newfound money from sports to address a crisis in youth sports. You want to find a Monica Wallace; someone who can champion this idea with other legislators, said Matthew Gould, a spokesman for the PLAY Sports Coalition. As these opportunities arise, Play Sports will continue to get involved.

If the proceeds from legalized sports betting can help revive shrinking public school athletic departments or save imperiled youth programs -- and there are too many of both -- thats a good thing.

MGM Resorts and Entain will infuse another $450 million in the BetMGM joint venture this year, bringing their combined investment to $1.1 billion since launching in 2018. The companies pointed to 2021 performance that outpaced projections. They said they expect 2022 net revenue from operations to rise to $1.3 billion, up from $850 million. On an analyst call following the announcement Wednesday, BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said he anticipates profitability in 2023, but couched that with a realistic reminder of the volatility of the emerging U.S. market, which requires massive marketing spends each time a new state opens.

There will be months next year when we will be EBITDA positive, Greenblatt said. But lets not lose sight of our reality. We are not selling toothpaste in a very mature market in a price stable environment. Thats not this business. The market is still in its relatively early ... with lots of new states becoming addressable at different and uncertain times. Were also subject to short-term results based volatility in sports. You only have to look to this football season to bear that out. October was tough. November was fantastic. So while we cannot commit as I stand here today to profitability for the full year 2023 at this stage, we do expect to enjoy many months of positive EBITDA as the year progresses.

Greenblatt also predicted the likely slowing of the runaway train of promotional spending, which has sportsbooks dangling as much as $5,000 in refunds on a first bet by a new customer. Ultimately, capital is rational, Greenblatt said. And capital in this market is getting smarter. So what we at BetMGM are able to do with our board is demonstrate the cohort economics and the value of that cohort ROI, which fuels the fire and almost justifies further investment. I wouldnt comment about any of our competitors. But I do think capital is going to become more demanding, which will drive more selective investment."

Added Greenblatt: What we will see is a path to a rationalization of the promotional environment. And it may happen through the course of this year. I think we maybe weve got one more NFL cycle of exuberance ahead of us. But certainly over time maybe Im old-fashioned but capital is rational. Money is rational.

The record-shattering performance of sportsbooks in October, which likely will turn out to be the peak of 2021, offers a good opportunity to check in on how online market share is shaping up across the US when all legalized states are combined. Unfortunately, the two states with the largest handle, New Jersey and Nevada, do not break that out sportsbook by sportsbook. But eight states that together took $3.27 billion in sports wagers in October do.

The combined share of handle in those states (Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Indiana, Arizona, Iowa, Connecticut and West Virginia) shakes out like this:

DraftKings leads in four of those states; FanDuel in three. PointsBets fall to 3% in those more transparent states mirrors a U.S. market share drop that it logged in its last earnings report in October, when it pointed to outsized advertising and promo spends by its competitors as the likely reason.

For the quarter that ended in September, PointsBet saw share of handle drop in six states:

The first states to report December results showed continued decline from Octobers handle records. At $1.23 billion, New Jersey was down 2% from November and off 6% from October. It was the fourth consecutive $1 billion month for New Jersey, spanning the entirety of the NFL season.

Iowa was down 7% to $266.5 million, but still more than 50% ahead of the same month in 2020. New Hampshire ($86.4 million) and Oregon ($33.7 million) fared better, up 4% and 3%, respectively. Pennsylvania ($750.4 million) was off by 1%. Indiana ($463 million) finished even with last month. Connecticut ($150.1 million) was up 3%. Michigan was the lone large state to post a gain, up 3% at $514.6 million.

NOTES: Michigan and Connecticut sportsbooks were not operating online in 2021. Mississippi and Arkansas are retail only.

Enjoyed a recent guest spot on a podcast and video series hosted by SeventySix Capital Managing Partner Wayne Kimmel, who did a nice job of turning the tables on me. Im usually the one asking him the questions. We dove into recent sportsbook sponsor movement around college sports, how sports betting fits into the media landscape and what the coming year might bring -- and told a few war stories. You can find the YouTube video here or Apple podcasts version here.

SeventySix Capital's Wayne Kimmel and I discussed the state of sports betting

Excerpt from:

SBJ Betting: Collins, Grubman ready to hit the market with Super Group - Sports Business Journal

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Monthly Archives: January 2022

New Jersey leads the nation in online sports betting. Here comes New York. – POLITICO – POLITICO

New Potocsnak Longevity Institute Hopes to Lengthen Human …

This Simple Eye Test Can Reveal How Long You’ll Live Eat This Not That – Eat This, Not That

Town of Chesapeake Beach passes ordinance to collect tax revenue on sports betting – WTOP

Sports Betting Tips To Make More Successful Bets – Eye On Annapolis – Eye On Annapolis

Living to 100 years old is becoming the new normal – Gainesville Sun

New contract proposed for part-time sheriff deputies – Evening Observer

Can your mindset shape your health, happiness and longevity? – I Love Manchester

American iGaming and Sports betting is on the rise with new investments and regulations 2022 predictions – Yogonet International

SBJ Betting: Collins, Grubman ready to hit the market with Super Group – Sports Business Journal

The Prometheus League

Breaking News and Updates

Prometheism

Forbidden Fruit

The Evolutionary Perspective

Transtopia Menu

Library Updates

Library Books

Future Euvolution

Lucid Dreams from Childhood

Genetic Revolution

Speciation + Self-Directed Evolution