Monthly Archives: February 2022

Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Posted: February 9, 2022 at 1:34 am

The field of ethics (or moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Metaethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. Are they merely social inventions? Do they involve more than expressions of our individual emotions? Metaethical answers to these questions focus on the issues of universal truths, the will of God, the role of reason in ethical judgments, and the meaning of ethical terms themselves. Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. This may involve articulating the good habits that we should acquire, the duties that we should follow, or the consequences of our behavior on others. Finally, applied ethics involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or nuclear war.

By using the conceptual tools of metaethics and normative ethics, discussions in applied ethics try to resolve these controversial issues. The lines of distinction between metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics are often blurry. For example, the issue of abortion is an applied ethical topic since it involves a specific type of controversial behavior. But it also depends on more general normative principles, such as the right of self-rule and the right to life, which are litmus tests for determining the morality of that procedure. The issue also rests on metaethical issues such as, where do rights come from? and what kind of beings have rights?

The term meta means after or beyond, and, consequently, the notion of metaethics involves a removed, or birds eye view of the entire project of ethics. We may define metaethics as the study of the origin and meaning of ethical concepts. When compared to normative ethics and applied ethics, the field of metaethics is the least precisely defined area of moral philosophy. It covers issues from moral semantics to moral epistemology. Two issues, though, are prominent: (1) metaphysical issues concerning whether morality exists independently of humans, and (2) psychological issues concerning the underlying mental basis of our moral judgments and conduct.

Metaphysics is the study of the kinds of things that exist in the universe. Some things in the universe are made of physical stuff, such as rocks; and perhaps other things are nonphysical in nature, such as thoughts, spirits, and gods. The metaphysical component of metaethics involves discovering specifically whether moral values are eternal truths that exist in a spirit-like realm, or simply human conventions. There are two general directions that discussions of this topic take, one other-worldly and one this-worldly.

Proponents of the other-worldly view typically hold that moral values are objective in the sense that they exist in a spirit-like realm beyond subjective human conventions. They also hold that they are absolute, or eternal, in that they never change, and also that they are universal insofar as they apply to all rational creatures around the world and throughout time. The most dramatic example of this view is Plato, who was inspired by the field of mathematics. When we look at numbers and mathematical relations, such as 1+1=2, they seem to be timeless concepts that never change, and apply everywhere in the universe. Humans do not invent numbers, and humans cannot alter them. Plato explained the eternal character of mathematics by stating that they are abstract entities that exist in a spirit-like realm. He noted that moral values also are absolute truths and thus are also abstract, spirit-like entities. In this sense, for Plato, moral values are spiritual objects. Medieval philosophers commonly grouped all moral principles together under the heading of eternal law which were also frequently seen as spirit-like objects. 17th century British philosopher Samuel Clarke described them as spirit-like relationships rather than spirit-like objects. In either case, though, they exist in a spirit-like realm. A different other-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality is divine commands issuing from Gods will. Sometimes called voluntarism (or divine command theory), this view was inspired by the notion of an all-powerful God who is in control of everything. God simply wills things, and they become reality. He wills the physical world into existence, he wills human life into existence and, similarly, he wills all moral values into existence. Proponents of this view, such as medieval philosopher William of Ockham, believe that God wills moral principles, such as murder is wrong, and these exist in Gods mind as commands. God informs humans of these commands by implanting us with moral intuitions or revealing these commands in scripture.

The second and more this-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality follows in the skeptical philosophical tradition, such as that articulated by Greek philosopher Sextus Empiricus, and denies the objective status of moral values. Technically, skeptics did not reject moral values themselves, but only denied that values exist as spirit-like objects, or as divine commands in the mind of God. Moral values, they argued, are strictly human inventions, a position that has since been called moral relativism. There are two distinct forms of moral relativism. The first is individual relativism, which holds that individual people create their own moral standards. Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, argued that the superhuman creates his or her morality distinct from and in reaction to the slave-like value system of the masses. The second is cultural relativism which maintains that morality is grounded in the approval of ones society and not simply in the preferences of individual people. This view was advocated by Sextus, and in more recent centuries by Michel Montaigne and William Graham Sumner. In addition to espousing skepticism and relativism, this-worldly approaches to the metaphysical status of morality deny the absolute and universal nature of morality and hold instead that moral values in fact change from society to society throughout time and throughout the world. They frequently attempt to defend their position by citing examples of values that differ dramatically from one culture to another, such as attitudes about polygamy, homosexuality and human sacrifice.

A second area of metaethics involves the psychological basis of our moral judgments and conduct, particularly understanding what motivates us to be moral. We might explore this subject by asking the simple question, Why be moral? Even if I am aware of basic moral standards, such as dont kill and dont steal, this does not necessarily mean that I will be psychologically compelled to act on them. Some answers to the question Why be moral? are to avoid punishment, to gain praise, to attain happiness, to be dignified, or to fit in with society.

One important area of moral psychology concerns the inherent selfishness of humans. 17th century British philosopher Thomas Hobbes held that many, if not all, of our actions are prompted by selfish desires. Even if an action seems selfless, such as donating to charity, there are still selfish causes for this, such as experiencing power over other people. This view is called psychological egoism and maintains that self-oriented interests ultimately motivate all human actions. Closely related to psychological egoism is a view called psychological hedonism which is the view that pleasure is the specific driving force behind all of our actions. 18th century British philosopher Joseph Butler agreed that instinctive selfishness and pleasure prompt much of our conduct. However, Butler argued that we also have an inherent psychological capacity to show benevolence to others. This view is called psychological altruism and maintains that at least some of our actions are motivated by instinctive benevolence.

A second area of moral psychology involves a dispute concerning the role of reason in motivating moral actions. If, for example, I make the statement abortion is morally wrong, am I making a rational assessment or only expressing my feelings? On the one side of the dispute, 18th century British philosopher David Hume argued that moral assessments involve our emotions, and not our reason. We can amass all the reasons we want, but that alone will not constitute a moral assessment. We need a distinctly emotional reaction in order to make a moral pronouncement. Reason might be of service in giving us the relevant data, but, in Humes words, reason is, and ought to be, the slave of the passions. Inspired by Humes anti-rationalist views, some 20th century philosophers, most notably A.J. Ayer, similarly denied that moral assessments are factual descriptions. For example, although the statement it is good to donate to charity may on the surface look as though it is a factual description about charity, it is not. Instead, a moral utterance like this involves two things. First, I (the speaker) I am expressing my personal feelings of approval about charitable donations and I am in essence saying Hooray for charity! This is called the emotive element insofar as I am expressing my emotions about some specific behavior. Second, I (the speaker) am trying to get you to donate to charity and am essentially giving the command, Donate to charity! This is called the prescriptive element in the sense that I am prescribing some specific behavior.

From Humes day forward, more rationally-minded philosophers have opposed these emotive theories of ethics (see non-cognitivism in ethics) and instead argued that moral assessments are indeed acts of reason. 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant is a case in point. Although emotional factors often do influence our conduct, he argued, we should nevertheless resist that kind of sway. Instead, true moral action is motivated only by reason when it is free from emotions and desires. A recent rationalist approach, offered by Kurt Baier (1958), was proposed in direct opposition to the emotivist and prescriptivist theories of Ayer and others. Baier focuses more broadly on the reasoning and argumentation process that takes place when making moral choices. All of our moral choices are, or at least can be, backed by some reason or justification. If I claim that it is wrong to steal someones car, then I should be able to justify my claim with some kind of argument. For example, I could argue that stealing Smiths car is wrong since this would upset her, violate her ownership rights, or put the thief at risk of getting caught. According to Baier, then, proper moral decision making involves giving the best reasons in support of one course of action versus another.

A third area of moral psychology focuses on whether there is a distinctly female approach to ethics that is grounded in the psychological differences between men and women. Discussions of this issue focus on two claims: (1) traditional morality is male-centered, and (2) there is a unique female perspective of the world which can be shaped into a value theory. According to many feminist philosophers, traditional morality is male-centered since it is modeled after practices that have been traditionally male-dominated, such as acquiring property, engaging in business contracts, and governing societies. The rigid systems of rules required for trade and government were then taken as models for the creation of equally rigid systems of moral rules, such as lists of rights and duties. Women, by contrast, have traditionally had a nurturing role by raising children and overseeing domestic life. These tasks require less rule following, and more spontaneous and creative action. Using the womans experience as a model for moral theory, then, the basis of morality would be spontaneously caring for others as would be appropriate in each unique circumstance. On this model, the agent becomes part of the situation and acts caringly within that context. This stands in contrast with male-modeled morality where the agent is a mechanical actor who performs his required duty, but can remain distanced from and unaffected by the situation. A care-based approach to morality, as it is sometimes called, is offered by feminist ethicists as either a replacement for or a supplement to traditional male-modeled moral systems.

Normative ethics involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behavior. The Golden Rule is a classic example of a normative principle: We should do to others what we would want others to do to us. Since I do not want my neighbor to steal my car, then it is wrong for me to steal her car. Since I would want people to feed me if I was starving, then I should help feed starving people. Using this same reasoning, I can theoretically determine whether any possible action is right or wrong. So, based on the Golden Rule, it would also be wrong for me to lie to, harass, victimize, assault, or kill others. The Golden Rule is an example of a normative theory that establishes a single principle against which we judge all actions. Other normative theories focus on a set of foundational principles, or a set of good character traits.

The key assumption in normative ethics is that there is only one ultimate criterion of moral conduct, whether it is a single rule or a set of principles. Three strategies will be noted here: (1) virtue theories, (2) duty theories, and (3) consequentialist theories.

Many philosophers believe that morality consists of following precisely defined rules of conduct, such as dont kill, or dont steal. Presumably, I must learn these rules, and then make sure each of my actions live up to the rules. Virtue ethics, however, places less emphasis on learning rules, and instead stresses the importance of developing good habits of character, such as benevolence (see moral character). Once Ive acquired benevolence, for example, I will then habitually act in a benevolent manner. Historically, virtue theory is one of the oldest normative traditions in Western philosophy, having its roots in ancient Greek civilization. Plato emphasized four virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-respect, good temper, and sincerity. In addition to advocating good habits of character, virtue theorists hold that we should avoid acquiring bad character traits, or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility, injustice, and vanity. Virtue theory emphasizes moral education since virtuous character traits are developed in ones youth. Adults, therefore, are responsible for instilling virtues in the young.

Aristotle argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which regulate our emotions. For example, in response to my natural feelings of fear, I should develop the virtue of courage which allows me to be firm when facing danger. Analyzing 11 specific virtues, Aristotle argued that most virtues fall at a mean between more extreme character traits. With courage, for example, if I do not have enough courage, I develop the disposition of cowardice, which is a vice. If I have too much courage I develop the disposition of rashness which is also a vice. According to Aristotle, it is not an easy task to find the perfect mean between extreme character traits. In fact, we need assistance from our reason to do this. After Aristotle, medieval theologians supplemented Greek lists of virtues with three Christian ones, or theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Interest in virtue theory continued through the middle ages and declined in the 19th century with the rise of alternative moral theories below. In the mid 20th century virtue theory received special attention from philosophers who believed that more recent ethical theories were misguided for focusing too heavily on rules and actions, rather than on virtuous character traits. Alasdaire MacIntyre (1984) defended the central role of virtues in moral theory and argued that virtues are grounded in and emerge from within social traditions.

Many of us feel that there are clear obligations we have as human beings, such as to care for our children, and to not commit murder. Duty theories base morality on specific, foundational principles of obligation. These theories are sometimes called deontological, from the Greek word deon, or duty, in view of the foundational nature of our duty or obligation. They are also sometimes called nonconsequentialist since these principles are obligatory, irrespective of the consequences that might follow from our actions. For example, it is wrong to not care for our children even if it results in some great benefit, such as financial savings. There are four central duty theories.

The first is that championed by 17th century German philosopher Samuel Pufendorf, who classified dozens of duties under three headings: duties to God, duties to oneself, and duties to others. Concerning our duties towards God, he argued that there are two kinds:

Concerning our duties towards oneself, these are also of two sorts:

Concerning our duties towards others, Pufendorf divides these between absolute duties, which are universally binding on people, and conditional duties, which are the result of contracts between people. Absolute duties are of three sorts:

Conditional duties involve various types of agreements, the principal one of which is the duty is to keep ones promises.

A second duty-based approach to ethics is rights theory. Most generally, a right is a justified claim against another persons behavior such as my right to not be harmed by you (see also human rights). Rights and duties are related in such a way that the rights of one person implies the duties of another person. For example, if I have a right to payment of $10 by Smith, then Smith has a duty to pay me $10. This is called the correlativity of rights and duties. The most influential early account of rights theory is that of 17th century British philosopher John Locke, who argued that the laws of nature mandate that we should not harm anyones life, health, liberty or possessions. For Locke, these are our natural rights, given to us by God. Following Locke, the United States Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson recognizes three foundational rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson and others rights theorists maintained that we deduce other more specific rights from these, including the rights of property, movement, speech, and religious expression. There are four features traditionally associated with moral rights. First, rights are natural insofar as they are not invented or created by governments. Second, they are universal insofar as they do not change from country to country. Third, they are equal in the sense that rights are the same for all people, irrespective of gender, race, or handicap. Fourth, they are inalienable which means that I cannot hand over my rights to another person, such as by selling myself into slavery.

A third duty-based theory is that by Kant, which emphasizes a single principle of duty. Influenced by Pufendorf, Kant agreed that we have moral duties to oneself and others, such as developing ones talents, and keeping our promises to others. However, Kant argued that there is a more foundational principle of duty that encompasses our particular duties. It is a single, self-evident principle of reason that he calls the categorical imperative. A categorical imperative, he argued, is fundamentally different from hypothetical imperatives that hinge on some personal desire that we have, for example, If you want to get a good job, then you ought to go to college. By contrast, a categorical imperative simply mandates an action, irrespective of ones personal desires, such as You ought to do X. Kant gives at least four versions of the categorical imperative, but one is especially direct: Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end. That is, we should always treat people with dignity, and never use them as mere instruments. For Kant, we treat people as an end whenever our actions toward someone reflect the inherent value of that person. Donating to charity, for example, is morally correct since this acknowledges the inherent value of the recipient. By contrast, we treat someone as a means to an end whenever we treat that person as a tool to achieve something else. It is wrong, for example, to steal my neighbors car since I would be treating her as a means to my own happiness. The categorical imperative also regulates the morality of actions that affect us individually. Suicide, for example, would be wrong since I would be treating my life as a means to the alleviation of my misery. Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be determined by appealing to this single principle of duty.

A fourth and more recent duty-based theory is that by British philosopher W.D. Ross, which emphasizes prima facie duties. Like his 17th and 18th century counterparts, Ross argues that our duties are part of the fundamental nature of the universe. However, Rosss list of duties is much shorter, which he believes reflects our actual moral convictions:

Ross recognizes that situations will arise when we must choose between two conflicting duties. In a classic example, suppose I borrow my neighbors gun and promise to return it when he asks for it. One day, in a fit of rage, my neighbor pounds on my door and asks for the gun so that he can take vengeance on someone. On the one hand, the duty of fidelity obligates me to return the gun; on the other hand, the duty of nonmaleficence obligates me to avoid injuring others and thus not return the gun. According to Ross, I will intuitively know which of these duties is my actual duty, and which is my apparent or prima facie duty. In this case, my duty of nonmaleficence emerges as my actual duty and I should not return the gun.

It is common for us to determine our moral responsibility by weighing the consequences of our actions. According to consequentialism, correct moral conduct is determined solely by a cost-benefit analysis of an actions consequences:

Consequentialism: An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable.

Consequentialist normative principles require that we first tally both the good and bad consequences of an action. Second, we then determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad consequences. If the good consequences are greater, then the action is morally proper. If the bad consequences are greater, then the action is morally improper. Consequentialist theories are sometimes called teleological theories, from the Greek word telos, or end, since the end result of the action is the sole determining factor of its morality.

Consequentialist theories became popular in the 18th century by philosophers who wanted a quick way to morally assess an action by appealing to experience, rather than by appealing to gut intuitions or long lists of questionable duties. In fact, the most attractive feature of consequentialism is that it appeals to publicly observable consequences of actions. Most versions of consequentialism are more precisely formulated than the general principle above. In particular, competing consequentialist theories specify which consequences for affected groups of people are relevant. Three subdivisions of consequentialism emerge:

All three of these theories focus on the consequences of actions for different groups of people. But, like all normative theories, the above three theories are rivals of each other. They also yield different conclusions. Consider the following example. A woman was traveling through a developing country when she witnessed a car in front of her run off the road and roll over several times. She asked the hired driver to pull over to assist, but, to her surprise, the driver accelerated nervously past the scene. A few miles down the road the driver explained that in his country if someone assists an accident victim, then the police often hold the assisting person responsible for the accident itself. If the victim dies, then the assisting person could be held responsible for the death. The driver continued explaining that road accident victims are therefore usually left unattended and often die from exposure to the countrys harsh desert conditions. On the principle of ethical egoism, the woman in this illustration would only be concerned with the consequences of her attempted assistance as she would be affected. Clearly, the decision to drive on would be the morally proper choice. On the principle of ethical altruism, she would be concerned only with the consequences of her action as others are affected, particularly the accident victim. Tallying only those consequences reveals that assisting the victim would be the morally correct choice, irrespective of the negative consequences that result for her. On the principle of utilitarianism, she must consider the consequences for both herself and the victim. The outcome here is less clear, and the woman would need to precisely calculate the overall benefit versus disbenefit of her action.

Jeremy Bentham presented one of the earliest fully developed systems of utilitarianism. Two features of his theory are noteworty. First, Bentham proposed that we tally the consequences of each action we perform and thereby determine on a case by case basis whether an action is morally right or wrong. This aspect of Benthams theory is known as act-utilitiarianism. Second, Bentham also proposed that we tally the pleasure and pain which results from our actions. For Bentham, pleasure and pain are the only consequences that matter in determining whether our conduct is moral. This aspect of Benthams theory is known as hedonistic utilitarianism. Critics point out limitations in both of these aspects.

First, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally wrong to waste time on leisure activities such as watching television, since our time could be spent in ways that produced a greater social benefit, such as charity work. But prohibiting leisure activities doesnt seem reasonable. More significantly, according to act-utilitarianism, specific acts of torture or slavery would be morally permissible if the social benefit of these actions outweighed the disbenefit. A revised version of utilitarianism called rule-utilitarianism addresses these problems. According to rule-utilitarianism, a behavioral code or rule is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. Unlike act utilitarianism, which weighs the consequences of each particular action, rule-utilitarianism offers a litmus test only for the morality of moral rules, such as stealing is wrong. Adopting a rule against theft clearly has more favorable consequences than unfavorable consequences for everyone. The same is true for moral rules against lying or murdering. Rule-utilitarianism, then, offers a three-tiered method for judging conduct. A particular action, such as stealing my neighbors car, is judged wrong since it violates a moral rule against theft. In turn, the rule against theft is morally binding because adopting this rule produces favorable consequences for everyone. John Stuart Mills version of utilitarianism is rule-oriented.

Second, according to hedonistic utilitarianism, pleasurable consequences are the only factors that matter, morally speaking. This, though, seems too restrictive since it ignores other morally significant consequences that are not necessarily pleasing or painful. For example, acts which foster loyalty and friendship are valued, yet they are not always pleasing. In response to this problem, G.E. Moore proposed ideal utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that we intuitively recognize as good or bad (and not simply as pleasurable or painful). Also, R.M. Hare proposed preference utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that fulfills our preferences.

We have seen (in Section 1.b.i) that Hobbes was an advocate of the methaethical theory of psychological egoismthe view that all of our actions are selfishly motivated. Upon that foundation, Hobbes developed a normative theory known as social contract theory, which is a type of rule-ethical-egoism. According to Hobbes, for purely selfish reasons, the agent is better off living in a world with moral rules than one without moral rules. For without moral rules, we are subject to the whims of other peoples selfish interests. Our property, our families, and even our lives are at continual risk. Selfishness alone will therefore motivate each agent to adopt a basic set of rules which will allow for a civilized community. Not surprisingly, these rules would include prohibitions against lying, stealing and killing. However, these rules will ensure safety for each agent only if the rules are enforced. As selfish creatures, each of us would plunder our neighbors property once their guards were down. Each agent would then be at risk from his neighbor. Therefore, for selfish reasons alone, we devise a means of enforcing these rules: we create a policing agency which punishes us if we violate these rules.

Applied ethics is the branch of ethics which consists of the analysis of specific, controversial moral issues such as abortion, animal rights, or euthanasia. In recent years applied ethical issues have been subdivided into convenient groups such as medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics, and sexual ethics. Generally speaking, two features are necessary for an issue to be considered an applied ethical issue. First, the issue needs to be controversial in the sense that there are significant groups of people both for and against the issue at hand. The issue of drive-by shooting, for example, is not an applied ethical issue, since everyone agrees that this practice is grossly immoral. By contrast, the issue of gun control would be an applied ethical issue since there are significant groups of people both for and against gun control.

The second requirement for an issue to be an applied ethical issue is that it must be a distinctly moral issue. On any given day, the media presents us with an array of sensitive issues such as affirmative action policies, gays in the military, involuntary commitment of the mentally impaired, capitalistic versus socialistic business practices, public versus private health care systems, or energy conservation. Although all of these issues are controversial and have an important impact on society, they are not all moral issues. Some are only issues of social policy. The aim of social policy is to help make a given society run efficiently by devising conventions, such as traffic laws, tax laws, and zoning codes. Moral issues, by contrast, concern more universally obligatory practices, such as our duty to avoid lying, and are not confined to individual societies. Frequently, issues of social policy and morality overlap, as with murder which is both socially prohibited and immoral. However, the two groups of issues are often distinct. For example, many people would argue that sexual promiscuity is immoral, but may not feel that there should be social policies regulating sexual conduct, or laws punishing us for promiscuity. Similarly, some social policies forbid residents in certain neighborhoods from having yard sales. But, so long as the neighbors are not offended, there is nothing immoral in itself about a resident having a yard sale in one of these neighborhoods. Thus, to qualify as an applied ethical issue, the issue must be more than one of mere social policy: it must be morally relevant as well.

In theory, resolving particular applied ethical issues should be easy. With the issue of abortion, for example, we would simply determine its morality by consulting our normative principle of choice, such as act-utilitarianism. If a given abortion produces greater benefit than disbenefit, then, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally acceptable to have the abortion. Unfortunately, there are perhaps hundreds of rival normative principles from which to choose, many of which yield opposite conclusions. Thus, the stalemate in normative ethics between conflicting theories prevents us from using a single decisive procedure for determining the morality of a specific issue. The usual solution today to this stalemate is to consult several representative normative principles on a given issue and see where the weight of the evidence lies.

Arriving at a short list of representative normative principles is itself a challenging task. The principles selected must not be too narrowly focused, such as a version of act-egoism that might focus only on an actions short-term benefit. The principles must also be seen as having merit by people on both sides of an applied ethical issue. For this reason, principles that appeal to duty to God are not usually cited since this would have no impact on a nonbeliever engaged in the debate. The following principles are the ones most commonly appealed to in applied ethical discussions:

The above principles represent a spectrum of traditional normative principles and are derived from both consequentialist and duty-based approaches. The first two principles, personal benefit and social benefit, are consequentialist since they appeal to the consequences of an action as it affects the individual or society. The remaining principles are duty-based. The principles of benevolence, paternalism, harm, honesty, and lawfulness are based on duties we have toward others. The principles of autonomy, justice, and the various rights are based on moral rights.

An example will help illustrate the function of these principles in an applied ethical discussion. In 1982, a couple from Bloomington, Indiana gave birth to a baby with severe mental and physical disabilities. Among other complications, the infant, known as Baby Doe, had its stomach disconnected from its throat and was thus unable to receive nourishment. Although this stomach deformity was correctable through surgery, the couple did not want to raise a severely disabled child and therefore chose to deny surgery, food, and water for the infant. Local courts supported the parents decision, and six days later Baby Doe died. Should corrective surgery have been performed for Baby Doe? Arguments in favor of corrective surgery derive from the infants right to life and the principle of paternalism which stipulates that we should pursue the best interests of others when they are incapable of doing so themselves. Arguments against corrective surgery derive from the personal and social disbenefit which would result from such surgery. If Baby Doe survived, its quality of life would have been poor and in any case it probably would have died at an early age. Also, from the parents perspective, Baby Does survival would have been a significant emotional and financial burden. When examining both sides of the issue, the parents and the courts concluded that the arguments against surgery were stronger than the arguments for surgery. First, foregoing surgery appeared to be in the best interests of the infant, given the poor quality of life it would endure. Second, the status of Baby Does right to life was not clear given the severity of the infants mental impairment. For, to possess moral rights, it takes more than merely having a human body: certain cognitive functions must also be present. The issue here involves what is often referred to as moral personhood, and is central to many applied ethical discussions.

As noted, there are many controversial issues discussed by ethicists today, some of which will be briefly mentioned here.

Biomedical ethics focuses on a range of issues which arise in clinical settings. Health care workers are in an unusual position of continually dealing with life and death situations. It is not surprising, then, that medical ethics issues are more extreme and diverse than other areas of applied ethics. Prenatal issues arise about the morality of surrogate mothering, genetic manipulation of fetuses, the status of unused frozen embryos, and abortion. Other issues arise about patient rights and physicians responsibilities, such as the confidentiality of the patients records and the physicians responsibility to tell the truth to dying patients. The AIDS crisis has raised the specific issues of the mandatory screening of all patients for AIDS, and whether physicians can refuse to treat AIDS patients. Additional issues concern medical experimentation on humans, the morality of involuntary commitment, and the rights of the mentally disabled. Finally, end of life issues arise about the morality of suicide, the justifiability of suicide intervention, physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

The field of business ethics examines moral controversies relating to the social responsibilities of capitalist business practices, the moral status of corporate entities, deceptive advertising, insider trading, basic employee rights, job discrimination, affirmative action, drug testing, and whistle blowing.

Issues in environmental ethics often overlaps with business and medical issues. These include the rights of animals, the morality of animal experimentation, preserving endangered species, pollution control, management of environmental resources, whether eco-systems are entitled to direct moral consideration, and our obligation to future generations.

Controversial issues of sexual morality include monogamy versus polygamy, sexual relations without love, homosexual relations, and extramarital affairs.

Finally, there are issues of social morality which examine capital punishment, nuclear war, gun control, the recreational use of drugs, welfare rights, and racism.

James FieserEmail: jfieser@utm.eduUniversity of Tennessee at MartinU. S. A.

Read the original:

Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Posted in Ethical Egoism | Comments Off

Sports Betting 101: Topics, tips and advice to be a better bettor – VSiN

Posted: at 1:34 am

Beginners and experienced bettors have all had to start somewhere in the sports betting space. While some are more advanced than others, there are a lot of concepts and topics that need to be understood in order to have the best possible chance of winning money and being successful.

Our Sports Betting 101 series from Josh Appelbaum is a good starting point for new bettors and a good refresher for those that have been around, but may need to brush up on the basics.

Before diving into the content, there are some initial topics and betting terms that everybody should use as a prerequisite before taking the Sports Betting 101 "class".

Sports Betting for Beginners - Learn the Basics of Sports Betting

Sports Betting Terms Everybody Needs to Know

Read along as Josh, author of The Everything Guide to Sports Betting: From Pro Football to College Basketball, Systems and Strategies for Winning Money, gives you a crash course into the world of sports betting.

How to Place a Bet

You can't place a bet without knowing how. In this article, Josh talks about how to place your wagers online or in-person at the sportsbook.

Sportsbooks, Oddsmakers and Setting the Line

On this topic, Josh looks at where you can bet on sports and how oddsmakers set the lines for the games. He also talks about betting limits and the function they serve.

Favorites, Underdogs and the Point Spread

On this topic, Josh examines the function of the point spread and why one team is considered the favorite and why the other team is considered the underdog.

Totals (Over/Unders) for Full Game, 1st Half and 2nd Half

On this topic, Josh discussesthe "total" or "over/under", which is a measure of the combined scores of both teams.

Moneyline Betting

On this topic, Josh discusses moneyline betting, which means simply picking a winner, but that could come with a higher cost or more risk.

Parlays and Teasers

Parlays and teasers continue to grow in popularity. Does Josh believe that these are smart wagers?

The House Edge - "Vig" or "Juice"

Here, Josh discusses what is called the vigorish on a betting line. Think the -110 that appears next to a point spread or total. What does it do and what does it mean for the bettors and the books?

Bankroll Management and Long-Term Success

Sports betting is a long-term thing and not a get-rich-quick scheme. Josh emphasizes that notion here, along with some tips for how to manage your bankroll.

Flat Betting

Flat betting is a popular bankroll management technique for new bettors. Josh talks about the reasons why and how to make use of it with your daily wagers.

Bet To Risk vs. Bet To Win

A popular question is whether or not a bettor should bet "to risk" or bet "to win". Josh explains both and his preferred method.

What Is A Middle?

The concept of middling (and also arbitrage) are ways in which a bettor can maximize a strong opportunity to make money.

The Do's and Don'ts of Playing Middles

Middling can be a tricky concept for a lot of bettors, so here is some advice on what to do and what not to do.

Betting Advice - Who To Trust and Who To Avoid

In this piece, Josh discusses why some people's opinions on betting should be considered more than others.

What Are Sharp Bettors?

What makes a bettor "sharp"? Who are these people and what impact do they have on the betting market?

How to Bet Like a Sharp

You, too, can follow the same practices as sharp bettors if you know what to look for.

What Is Closing Line Value (CLV)?

The best indicator of future success is getting CLV on your bets. What is it and how do you do it?

What is Line Shopping?

One of the biggest advantages bettors have over sportsbooks is the ability to look for the best line. Advice on how to do that and why it matters.

Should I Buy Picks?

Professional pick sellers (also called touts) offer special packages and promotions, but are their picks worth buying?

Using Trends and Betting Systems

Here, Josh, an expert at utilizing trends and betting systems, talks about why this strategy helps to avoid recency bias, which is the act of putting too much emphasis on recent results.

The Dangers of Confirmation Bias and Gambler's Fallacy

In this piece, Josh cautions readers about the risks of only absorbing information that fits your opinion, as well as the "due factor" of the Gambler's Fallacy.

The Dangers of Gambling Addiction

When do you know that you have lost control and when should you seek help?

Handy how-to guides for betting on different sports.

How to Bet Football Totals

This article is all about betting over/unders in the NFL and college football.

What are Key Numbers in the NFL?

Key numbers are very important when betting spreads and Josh has some advice on how to make the most out of those opportunities.

How to Bet on NFL or College Football Season Win Totals

Season win totals are popular futures and prop bets that can be very profitable if you know what you are doing.

How to Bet on College Football Bowl Games

When the bowl season rolls around, you'll be prepared with this guide on betting those college football games.

How to Bet on NBA

The NBA is a tough league with so many scheduling spots and player absences, but Josh has some tips.

How to Bet on College Basketball

Some helpful tips for betting on college basketball.

How to Bet on March Madness

Betting tips for March Madness and the NCAA Tournament.

How to Bet on NHL

Tips for hockey bettors.

How to Bet on Horse Racing

Interested in playing the ponies? We've got some advice on how to do that.

How to Bet on Golf

Tips for wagering on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and other golf events around the world.

Read the original here:

Sports Betting 101: Topics, tips and advice to be a better bettor - VSiN

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Bet $10 on the Big Game this Sunday and get $200 in free bets from BetMGM – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 1:34 am

Yahoo Sports may receive compensation from BetMGM in connection with the wagers you make on the BetMGM platforms.

New customers in AZ, CO, IN, IA, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY who bet $10 on the football game this weekend will win $200 in free bets.*

BetMGM is offering a special promotion the Big Game! New customers in AZ, CO, IN, IA, LA, MI, NJ, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY who bet $10 on any football game this week will win $200 in free bets.*

Click the link, sign up for your new BetMGM account, deposit at least $10 via your preferred method and then place your first bet on any game. You dont need to win your bet to receive the bonus.

*New users only. Visit BetMGM.com/YahooVIP for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. BetMGM available in AZ, CO, DC, IA, IN, LA, MI, MS, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TN, VA, WV, or WY only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Paid in free bets. Free bets expire in 7 days from issuance. Minimum deposit required. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, DC, LA, NV, WY, VA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (IN, NJ, PA & WV), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), call or text the Tennessee REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN), or call 1-888-777-9696 (MS). Sports betting is void where prohibited. Promotional offers not available in Mississippi and Nevada.

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS A GAMBLING PROBLEM, HELP IS AVAILABLE CALL (877-8-HOPENY) OR TEXT HOPENY (467369) (NY)

See the original post here:

Bet $10 on the Big Game this Sunday and get $200 in free bets from BetMGM - Yahoo Sports

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Real-time monitoring of sports betting to prevent match fixing looks set to be abandoned amid industry pushback – ABC News

Posted: at 1:34 am

A key recommendation of a 2018 independent review into sport integrity and online betting is set to be watered down after pushback from the gambling industry.

The Wood Review of Australia's Sport Integrity Arrangements called for a "real-time wagering fraud detection and response capability".

But a recent Regulatory Impact Statement into the proposed Australian Sports Wagering Scheme (ASWS) flagged the government was consideringa non-real-time data platform.

The platform is designed so betting companies, sporting bodies and federal investigators can share information about bettors, for example allowing suspicious accounts to be matched across providers.

Betting companies haveindicated anyscheme would place a significant burden on their operations, and backed a non-real-time scheme.

It Is just one part of the pushback against the ASWS, the centrepiece of the 2018 Wood review.

The gambling industry says it supports the concept of an ASWS but is unconvinced by the governments current argument for increased regulation.

James Duncan, general manager of external affairs at Responsible Wagering Australia which counts the majority of sports betting companies in Australia as members said the country already had strong integrity systems and the main problem was with overseas providers.

"We need to carefully consider whether Australias time and resources are best spent addressing this major threat or trying to re-regulate an already highly regulated system which is functioning well, he said.

The ASWSis being overseen by Sport Integrity Australia, and almost $2 million was committed to its development in last year's budget.

At the time, Sport Minister Richard Colbeck said the scheme would "bring together regulatory approaches across Commonwealth, state and territories jurisdictions to ensure there is a framework to protect the integrity of sport, and make Australian sporting competitions more resistant to ever-evolving manipulation tactics".

A proposal has been developed in the intervening period, and plans have been shared with betting companies.

But one month shy ofthe fourth anniversary of the Wood review's completion, there is no indication yet when the schemewill be delivered.

A spokesperson for Mr Colbeck said consultation was ongoing and no implementation date hadbeen confirmed.

"It is important we provide sufficient time for stakeholder involvement in the design of the ASWS operating principles," they said.

Under Australia's patchwork of sports betting regulation, a bet on the AFL made by someone in Perth, for example, is likely to be governed by laws in four different jurisdictions.

In Western Australia, a point-of-consumption tax is applied that raises revenue for the state government.

An AFL market or "contingency"say, placing a bet on the winner of a match or the season's top goal kicker can only be offered if the betting company has a deal with the AFL, which is governed by law in Victoria, where the governing body has its headquarters.

Online sports betting is banned at the federal level by the Interactive Gambling Act unless the company is licensed by a state or territory.

Finally, the company's licence is likely to be provided by the Northern Territory government, which has been the jurisdiction of preference for most operators.

This layered regulation makes the task of reformchallenging. The discussion paper for the ASWS in 2020 conceded online in-play wagering, criminalisation of match-fixing, offshore wagering and horseracing had "clear interdependencies with the ASWS" but were deemed outside the scope of the new scheme.

That fact has been picked up by Responsible Wagering Australia, which argues for a more comprehensive and likely longer process of reform.

Separately, plans for a new betting act in the Northern Territory,where the bulk of Australia's online providers are licensed,have been on ice for two years.

A 2018 reviewfound a need for new legislation, and consultation with the industry was undertaken in 2020. However, there has been little evidence of progress since.

"Work has commenced on the drafting instructions which will be provided to industry as part of the consultation process," an NT government spokesperson said.

While the sports betting sector is relatively small next to pokies and betting on horseracing, it is a major source of revenue for governments.

In recent years the introduction of a point-of-consumption tax has allowed state governments to raise money from bets placed online by people within their jurisdictions.New South Wales expectsto earn more than $100 million per year from the tax.

And betting companies are also contributors to political parties.

Sportsbet spent approximately $170,000 on membership fees for Labor and Liberal business forums last year, according to Australian Electoral Commission records.

But the relationship is not just about money. Governmentwants to work with professional, accountable local betting companies to uphold consumer protections and minimise gambling harm.

A reportreleased in October by Gambling Research Australia included a survey of about 3,000 interactive gamblers. It found close to half had betted using offshore sites, and problem gambling wasover three times higher for those using overseas sites compared to thoseonshore.

RWA's James Duncan believes the current menu of reform is missing the point.

We know that the single greatest betting threat to sport integrity comes from illegal offshore operators," he said.

The federal government's Regulatory Impact Statement for the ASWS states the next step in reform is the development of a new policy proposal. Four additional steps are required before it becomes operational.

Do you know more? Contact Jack Snape in Darwin: jack.snape@abc.net.au.

Read the original:

Real-time monitoring of sports betting to prevent match fixing looks set to be abandoned amid industry pushback - ABC News

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Minnesota Legislature working through gambling, growlers and recreational pot – West Central Tribune

Posted: at 1:34 am

ST. PAUL Whether it's gambling, booze or pot, proposals to relax the states laws on certain vices have renewed steam this legislative session, particularly with a push to legalize betting on sports in the state.

The chances of Minnesota legalizing sports betting appear better than ever this year, with key Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate expressing interest in getting a bill sent to the governor this session.

House Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, took the lead on the issue in the House, offering a sign to Republican backers that they now have an ally in the DFL-controlled chamber of the Legislature. Stephenson is also hoping to push for a major liquor law overhaul that would allow smaller brewers to sell directly from their taprooms.

Screengrab via Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services

Chair Zack Stephenson is going to be kind of 'all sin all the time' in 2022. He's working on sports betting and liquor laws, trying to find the grand compromise that will move Minnesota law forward on both of them, House Speaker Melissa Hortman told Forum News Service. And they both have been very tough places to find compromise. So I think there's an appetite.

Meanwhile, Republican leaders in the Senate don't appear to have changed their mind on legalizing recreational pot, but Gov. Tim Walz is now pushing for the issue along with Democrats in the Legislature.

Here's where the issues stand as of Wednesday, Feb. 8, the second week of the session.

Stephenson as of Feb. 8 had not introduced a House version of the sports betting bill, but in early 2021, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, introduced a bill of his own that remains in play. His proposal calls for the legalization of sports betting at tribal casinos, electronically and at the Running Aces and Canterbury Park race tracks in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Chamberlain introduced similar legislation in 2019.

Don Davis / Forum News Service

Many states across the U.S. legalized sports betting in some form after a 2018 Supreme Court decision throwing out a decades-old federal law forbidding the practice. All of Minnesota's neighbors are legal sports-betting states, Stephenson said, and for the past three years lawmakers have tried without success to legalize the practice in Minnesota as well.

The Minnesota Indian Gaming Association (MIGA), which represents tribes involved in the gaming industry, has opposed the legalization of sports betting in the past but hinted that it may be willing to discuss the issue.

"The tribal governments making up MIGA have been examining the various ways sports betting has been implemented across the country and its impacts on tribal communities," association executive director Andy Platto said in a November statement." As gaming experts, tribes stand ready to share this expertise with lawmakers considering the future of sports betting in Minnesota."

While Stephenson said he had hoped to have a bill ready by the beginning of the session, he said the parties are getting closer to an agreement.

My goal is to have a bill that has broad stakeholder support and Im not going to put something in until I feel like Im there, he told Forum News Service. Im going to wait until I have something I feel really good about and that day is getting closer but its not today.

Rep. Pat Garofalo, a Farmington Republican also pushing for legal sports betting said lawmakers have had productive conversations but so far have not arrived at anything concrete. Chamberlain said he was "working with stakeholders and interested parties to get a bill passed this session."

Meanwhile, South Dakota lawmakers are weighing a constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow mobile sports betting statewide. The states Senate this week passed the resolution along to the house.

In fall 2021, Stephenson said he wanted to see a significant liquor bill pass in the upcoming session, with particular emphasis on craft breweries. In October he held a marathon meeting of the House Commerce Committee to hear nearly 30 different alcohol-related proposals from both parties in an effort to zero in on priorities.

Those bills include a proposal introduced by Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, to lift growler sale restrictions in the state, something that has frustrated the states biggest breweries for years. Other proposals include allowing gas stations and grocery stores to sell wine and beer, and permitting distilleries of any size to operate a cocktail room.

Stephenson said the House DFL Caucus biggest priority, however, is lifting sales restrictions faced by small breweries scattered across Minnesota.

I would like to see the growler issue resolved, but that is an issue that affects five or six of the largest breweries in the state. We want to help the 150 smallest brewers in the state, we dont want them left out, he said. You have the challenge of building a customer base thats interested in your product, youre not in every liquor store around the state so having more flexibility to sell directly to the people out of your taproom is really important.

The Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild and Minnesota Hospitality back lifting the growler sale cap and permanently allowing to-go sales, but legislation faces opposition from liquor store owners and beer distributors.

Stephenson said lawmakers and stakeholders continue to discuss priorities and while conversations have been productive they have not yet arrived at anything concrete.

A bill to legalize recreational marijuana passed in the Minnesota House for the first time ever last year, but continues to face strong opposition in the Republican-controlled senate. Barring Senate Republican leadership reversing its position, it's highly unlikely any bill will see movement in that chamber this session.

However, the cause of legal recreational pot did gain another boost this year. Gov. Walz in January called for the legalization of adult-use marijuana as part of his public safety and health budget proposal for the 2022 session. His administration called for taxes and regulations on marijuana and expungement of all nonviolent offenses involving the substance similar to the House bill.

Walz in the past said he would sign legislation legalizing recreational marijuana use but this year marks the first time he supported the issue directly in his budget recommendations.

House Majority leader Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, introduced the recreational marijuana legalization bill that passed in the House in 2021. Speaker Hortman said the bill remained in play in the second year of the legislative biennium, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller said he did not support the proposal.

A statewide coalition of groups including the Insurance Federation of Minnesota, the Minnesota Catholic Conference as well as the state trucking and police associations formed a group called Minnesotans Against Marijuana Legalization, days before Walzs announcement.

Follow Alex Derosier on Twitter @xanderosier or email aderosier@forumcomm.com. Forum News Service's Dana Ferguson contributed to this report.

View post:

Minnesota Legislature working through gambling, growlers and recreational pot - West Central Tribune

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

SportGames TV: Bringing a live casino offering to the sports betting industry – SBC Americas

Posted: at 1:34 am

SportGames TV CEO, Vladislav Artemyev, speaks to SBC Americas about his firms entrance into the US market and what SportGames TV has to offer the region.

SBC: For those of our readers less familiar with SportGames TV, can you tell us a bit more about the company?

Vladislav Artemyev: SportGames TV brings to the sports betting sector what live casino brings to the online casino sector. We have taken the same blueprint used by live casinos studio, presenters/players, camera, microphone, streaming footage, etc and re-worked it for sports betting.

Our suite of games offers 24/7 live sports betting action on a growing number of sports including darts, boxing, ice hockey, and even slot car racing. The sports games take place within the studio and are condensed into short rounds to deliver a fast and satisfying user experience.

For example, a boxing round takes just one minute while for other games it takes 30 seconds from bet placement to outcome. This provides the same rapid action as casino games like live roulette.

SBC: Whats the unique selling point that separates you from your direct competition?

Artemyev: We are currently the only provider in the market offering live sports games like this. But why would operators want to launch our games? First, given the competitive nature of the market, live sports games are a major differentiator. They provide punters with new betting opportunities through a product that is far more engaging, interactive and entertaining than traditional sports betting.

Not only that, but games are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is significant as round-the-clock betting action cannot be offered with standard sports betting. I know this is available through virtual sports, but they are ultimately RNG games and simply dont deliver the thrill of live-action betting that the vast majority of punters are seeking.

The operators that have already integrated our games into their sportsbooks are reporting very strong early numbers. On average they are recording 100 bets per player per month with an average turnover of 335 per player per month. The average margin is 7.6%.

SBC: What is the driving force behind a move into the US market? Can you describe what the process was like?

Artemyev: We all know that the US will become one of, if not the, largest online sports betting markets in the world so we, like others, want to be active in the region. We also believe that our product will allow operators to not only meet but exceed player expectations across all legal online gambling states. This is because it is highly customizable and can be localized not just on a country basis but down to individual states. This is because operators can launch sports that are popular in that state and, as with live casinos, the opportunities around branding are endless.

In terms of the process, it has been much the same as for other suppliers in that we have had to secure licenses in the states that we are targeting. We have opted for New Jersey first followed by Colorado.

SBC: How will you approach the US market given that regulation is applied on a state-by-state basis? What states are you targeting?

Artemyev: As mentioned, we will be making our debut in New Jersey followed by Colorado. We are particularly interested in states where only sports betting is legal as there will be no other live games in the market which gives us a major competitive edge. Ultimately, we plan to be in as many US states as possible as we believe North America has the potential to be one of the largest online gambling markets in the world, if not the biggest.

SBC: What products do you intend to launch first in the US?

Artemyev: We will be launching with our full suite of products in the US market which currently covers ice hockey, darts, bridge, boxing, and slot car racing. Of course, we plan to add many more sports over the coming months and years and in particular sports that are popular in the US market American football, basketball, soccer, and so on.

We are also keen to work with operators around creating branded live sports betting games we have a lot in the pipeline and look forward to bringing even more innovative sports betting content to the US market and beyond.

SportGames TV: Bringing a live casino offering to the sports betting industry - SBC Americas

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

The CJ McCollum trade will have a huge impact on Rockets vs. Pelicans, plus other best bets for Tuesday – CBS Sports

Posted: at 1:34 am

Good afternoon everyone, it's Chris Bengel here. Welcome to one of the most fun weeks of sports betting on the entire calendar. The last six months of NFL action come down to just one more game on Sunday before the offseason truly begins

Caesars Sportsbook and others make it fun for fans to get involved in just about any angle of the action during the Super Bowl. You can bet on everything from the length of the national anthem to the color of Gatorade that the winning coach will have poured on him. Oh, yeah, you can also bet on the game itself.

Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe.

Sorry! There was an error processing your subscription.

Speaking of the game itself, this one is definitely tough to get a barometer on. As of this writing, the Los Angeles Rams are 4.5-point favorites -- and deservedly so. However, if there's one thing that the betting public has learned throughout this postseason, it's that you should never count out Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. I'm still debating, but I'm leaning more towards the Bengals side and may even like them to pull off the upset.

Before we get to the "Big Game," we've got some action on the hardwood and the ice that I love tonight. Let's dive into the picks!

All times Eastern, and all odds via Caesars Sportsbook

Rockets at Pelicans, 8 p.m.| TV: NBA.TV

The Pick: Under 225.0 points (-110): While the Super Bowl has most people talking, bettors can't forget about the NBA trade deadline and its significance over the next three days. On Tuesday, the Pelicans made a trade to acquire star guard CJ McCollum from the Trail Blazers.

To make that move a reality, the Pelicans had to part with guards Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. With these talented guards switching teams, that will leaves the Pelicans without two of their top five leading scorers and they won't have the services of McCollum until later this week. Since the Pelicans will be shorthanded, I love the under in this spot.

Throughout the 2021-22 season, the Pelicans are averaging 105.8 points-per-game, which is good for 26th in the league. In addition, the under is 6-2 in the Pelicans' last eight home games against a team with a road winning percentage less than .400. With a 15-38 record, the Rockets have the worst mark in the Western Conference and the third-worst across the NBA. The Rockets also average just 108.3 points-per-game (No. 18 in the league) and sure the Pelicans should score their fair share of points. However, with New Orleans being without two previous members of their backcourt, I don't see these teams hitting this fairly large total.

Key Trend: The under is 5-0-1 in the Pelicans' last six games

Clippers at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.| TV: NBA.TV

Latest Odds: Los Angeles Clippers +8

The Pick: Clippers +8.0 (-110):-- This may not seem like the greatest spot to side with the Clippers after getting manhandled by the Bucks on Sunday. However, the Clippers have had a mentality of bouncing back after big losses as of late. The Clippers are 5-0 ATS over their last five games after allowing over 125 points in their previous game. On Sunday, the Clippers yielded a staggering 137 points to the Bucks and ended up falling, 137-113.

The Grizzlies are one of the more prolific offenses in the NBA as they average 112.7 points-per-game (No. 5 in the NBA). However, the Clippers are also one of the better defensive units as they surrender just 107.4 points per contest. The Clippers also hold their opponents to a 33.5 percent shooting clip from three, which is the third-best mark in the league. Certainly, it hasn't been an easy road without Kawhi Leonard and now Paul George in the lineup this season, but the Clippers are a resilient group that I feel confident will bounce back in this spot.

Key Trend: The Clippers are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as a road underdog

Penguins at Bruins, 7 p.m. I TV: ESPN+

Latest Odds: Pittsburgh Penguins +115

The Pick: Penguins (+110) -- The Penguins return from the All-Star break in the midst of one of their biggest slumps of the 2021-22 season. This is a group that lost four consecutive games prior to the All-Star break, including three of those losses coming in overtime or shootout. Still, I like the Penguins to bounce back in this spot.

Even in the midst of their four-game losing streak, the Penguins are still 7-2 over their last nine games against Eastern Conference foes. The Penguins do possess one of the most dangerous offenses around as they average 3.3 goals-per-game -- good for eighth in the NHL.

Now, it's worth noting that Pittsburgh will be without star forward Evgeni Malkin, who was placed in COVID-19 protocol on Monday. While it's not great to be without Malkin, the star center did miss the first first three months of the season due to offseason knee surgery. They've been without Malkin before and excelled, so I expect the Penguins to be able to pull off the win as the road underdog in this spot. It also doesn't hurt that the Penguins are facing a Bruins team that has dropped four of their last six games.

Key Trend: The Penguins are 9-2 in their last 11 road games

See more here:

The CJ McCollum trade will have a huge impact on Rockets vs. Pelicans, plus other best bets for Tuesday - CBS Sports

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Acquisition of Avid Gaming including leading Canadian online sports betting and gaming brand Sports Interaction – Entain

Posted: at 1:34 am

7 February 2022

Entain plc(Entain or the Group)

Acquisition of Avid Gaming including leading Canadian online sports betting and gaming brand Sports Interaction

Entain plc (LSE: ENT), the leading global sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment operator (Entain or the Group), announces today that it has acquired Deis Ltd (Avid Gaming or the Company) for CAD300 million (approximately 174m1) from Middlebrook Investments Limited.

Avid Gaming owns Sports Interaction, Canadas leading online sports betting brand. It is headquartered in Jersey (Channel Islands), with offices in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnaw:ke and Ireland.

Avid Gaming exclusively licenses the Sports Interaction trademark and provides proprietary online betting and gaming products and services to the Mohawk Council of Kahnaw:ke (MCK) and the Mohawk Online socioeconomic initiative. Mohawk Online, which is wholly-owned by the MCK, operates Sports Interaction in Canada.

Canada is a highly attractive and fast-growing sports betting and gaming market. Together with Entains application for an Ontario licence, this acquisition provides an excellent opportunity to drive further growth, in line with the Groups growth and sustainability strategy.

Sports Interactions sports-led offering is highly complementary to Entains existing Canadian business, comprising the Party and bwin brands. The combination will bring Entains global scale, expertise and market-leading platform together with Sports Interactions local expertise, capabilities and partnerships. As a result the combined business will provide customers with a broader offering of engaging products and services for the Canadian market. Will Golby, Avid Gamings CEO, along with other members of the leadership team, will transition to Entain.

The Group is delighted to continue supporting the socioeconomic efforts of the Mohawks of Kahnaw:ke through Sports Interactions unique exclusive relationship with Mohawk Online. In line with economic principles adopted by Canada under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Mohawk Online revenues are invested back into the community of Kahnaw:ke to provide essential funding for cultural and language programmes, schools, healthcare and other public services. 50% of Avid Gaming employees in Kahnaw:ke are Mohawk, and in 2020 Mohawk Online revenues played a vital role in Kahnaw:kes Covid 19 relief efforts.

Sports Interaction has experienced rapid growth in recent years with gross revenues in 2021 increasing by c40% year on year to CAD76million (approximately 44m1). The business generated EBITDA of CAD18m (approximately 10.4m1) and profits before tax of CAD17.4 million (approximately 10.1m1) in the year ended 31 December 2021 (after the contribution to the community of Kahnaw:ke). As at 30 September 2021, it had gross assets of approximately CAD41.0 million (approximately 23.7m1).

The combination is expected to deliver approximately CAD15 million (approximately 8.7m1) of synergies in 2023, predominantly from technology, content and procurement benefits. This results in a post synergies acquisition multiple for Entain of approximately 7x 2023 EBITDA. The consideration for the acquisition has been paid from existing facilities.

Jette Nygaard-Andersen, CEO of Entain plc, comments:

Sports Interaction is the leading Canadian sports betting and gaming brand and is aligned perfectly with our own ambitions of great customer service and ambitious growth, coupled with an unwavering commitment to sustainability. It is highly complementary to our existing operations in Canada, and the combination of its local expertise and Entains powerful platform will provide customers with an unrivalled range of exciting and engaging products in this fast-growing market. We look forward to welcoming Will Golby and his team to Entain.

Investing in the communities where we operate is a key pillar of Entains sustainability strategy. We are therefore delighted to be supporting the Mohawk Online socio-economic initiative.

Will Golby, CEO of Avid Gaming, comments:

We are delighted to be joining forces with Entain, which is an exceptional company combining world-class brands, strong leadership and a winning strategy. It has a unique approach to local markets, and no other company of its scale consistently delivers so many well-executed, localised approaches to the same level of customisation and detail. Entains commitment to sustainability, responsible gaming and community investment aligns exactly with our own business philosophy, and we look forward to a bright future together.

Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Grand Chief of Mohawk Council of Kahnaw:ke, comments:

Entain is a world class operator with a genuine desire to positively contribute to the communities in which it operates. Kahnaw:ke is well known in the gaming industry, not only for our internationally recognized jurisdiction through the Kahnaw:ke Gaming Commission, but also for our socio-economic initiative, Mohawk Online. This new partnership between Entain and the Mohawks of Kahnaw:ke is mutually beneficial, and brings with it prime opportunity for bolstering our self-sufficiency through the continuing success of Sports Interaction.

Note: (1) CAD / GBP FX rate of 0.5788 as of 4 February 2022

Enquiries:

LEI: 213800GNI3K45LQR8L28

About EntainEntain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the worlds largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Bet.pt, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.

The Group has a joint-venture with MGM Resorts International creating a leader, BetMGM, in sports-betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology which powers BetMGM and exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK with licenses in a total of 27 regulated markets. Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects.

For more information see the Groups website: http://www.entaingroup.com

The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of the Company is Emily Carey (Company Secretary).

About Avid GamingAvid Gaming is headquartered in Jersey with offices in Kahnaw:ke (MCK) and Ireland. The company is the exclusive supplier of the Sports Interaction trademark and gaming products and services to Mohawk Online, a socioeconomic initiative wholly-owned and governed by the Mohawk Council of Kahnaw:ke (MCK).

Avid Gaming retained Partis as advisor for the transaction.

Important noticesCertain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements with respect to the Companys expectations, intentions and projections regarding its future performance, strategic initiatives, anticipated events or trends and other matters that are not historical facts and which are, by their nature, inherently predictive, speculative and involve risks and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. All statements that address expectations or projections about the future, including statements about operating performance, strategic initiatives, objectives, market position, industry trends, general economic conditions, expected expenditures, expected cost savings and financial results are forwardlooking statements. Any statements contained in this announcement that are not statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forwardlooking statements. These forward-looking statements, which may use words such as aim, anticipate, believe, could, intend, estimate, expect, may, plan, project or words or terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. There are a number of factors including, but not limited to, commercial, operational, economic and financial factors, that could cause actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Companys ability to control or estimate precisely, such as changes in taxation or fiscal policy, future market conditions, currency fluctuations, the behaviour of other market participants, the actions of governments or governmental regulators, or other risk factors, such as changes in the political, social and regulatory framework in which the Company operates or in economic or technological trends or conditions, including inflation, recession and consumer confidence, on a global, regional or national basis. Given those risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. The Company and its affiliates, and any of its or their respective directors, officers, partners, employees, advisers or agents (collectively, Representatives) expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless required to do so by applicable law or regulation.

In particular, no statement in this announcement is intended to be a profit forecast or profit estimate and no statement of a financial metric (including estimates of EBITDA, profit before tax, free cash flow or net debt) should be interpreted to mean that any financial metric for the current or future financial years would necessarily match or exceed the historical published position of the Company and its subsidiaries. Certain statements in this announcement may contain estimates. The estimates set out in this announcement have been prepared based on numerous assumptions and forecasts, some of which are outside of the Companys influence and/or control, and is therefore inherently uncertain and there can be no guarantee or assurance that it will be correct. The estimates have not been audited, reviewed, verified or subject to any procedures by the Companys auditors. Undue reliance should not be placed on them and there can be no guarantee or assurance that they will be correct.

This announcement is being issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by or on behalf of the Company (apart from the responsibilities or liabilities that may be imposed by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended or the regulatory regime established thereunder) or by its affiliates or any of its Representatives as to, or in relation to, the accuracy, adequacy, fairness or completeness of this announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers or any other statement made or purported to be made by or on behalf of the Company or any of its affiliates or any of its Representatives in connection with the Company and any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise therefore is expressly disclaimed.

Read this article:

Acquisition of Avid Gaming including leading Canadian online sports betting and gaming brand Sports Interaction - Entain

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

Tele-Talk responses: Would you vote to allow sports betting in Conway? What about keno? – Conway Daily Sun

Posted: at 1:34 am

Country

United States of AmericaUS Virgin IslandsUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsCanadaMexico, United Mexican StatesBahamas, Commonwealth of theCuba, Republic ofDominican RepublicHaiti, Republic ofJamaicaAfghanistanAlbania, People's Socialist Republic ofAlgeria, People's Democratic Republic ofAmerican SamoaAndorra, Principality ofAngola, Republic ofAnguillaAntarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S)Antigua and BarbudaArgentina, Argentine RepublicArmeniaArubaAustralia, Commonwealth ofAustria, Republic ofAzerbaijan, Republic ofBahrain, Kingdom ofBangladesh, People's Republic ofBarbadosBelarusBelgium, Kingdom ofBelizeBenin, People's Republic ofBermudaBhutan, Kingdom ofBolivia, Republic ofBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswana, Republic ofBouvet Island (Bouvetoya)Brazil, Federative Republic ofBritish Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago)British Virgin IslandsBrunei DarussalamBulgaria, People's Republic ofBurkina FasoBurundi, Republic ofCambodia, Kingdom ofCameroon, United Republic ofCape Verde, Republic ofCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChad, Republic ofChile, Republic ofChina, People's Republic ofChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombia, Republic ofComoros, Union of theCongo, Democratic Republic ofCongo, People's Republic ofCook IslandsCosta Rica, Republic ofCote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of theCyprus, Republic ofCzech RepublicDenmark, Kingdom ofDjibouti, Republic ofDominica, Commonwealth ofEcuador, Republic ofEgypt, Arab Republic ofEl Salvador, Republic ofEquatorial Guinea, Republic ofEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaeroe IslandsFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Fiji, Republic of the Fiji IslandsFinland, Republic ofFrance, French RepublicFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabon, Gabonese RepublicGambia, Republic of theGeorgiaGermanyGhana, Republic ofGibraltarGreece, Hellenic RepublicGreenlandGrenadaGuadaloupeGuamGuatemala, Republic ofGuinea, RevolutionaryPeople's Rep'c ofGuinea-Bissau, Republic ofGuyana, Republic ofHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)Honduras, Republic ofHong Kong, Special Administrative Region of ChinaHrvatska (Croatia)Hungary, Hungarian People's RepublicIceland, Republic ofIndia, Republic ofIndonesia, Republic ofIran, Islamic Republic ofIraq, Republic ofIrelandIsrael, State ofItaly, Italian RepublicJapanJordan, Hashemite Kingdom ofKazakhstan, Republic ofKenya, Republic ofKiribati, Republic ofKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwait, State ofKyrgyz RepublicLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanon, Lebanese RepublicLesotho, Kingdom ofLiberia, Republic ofLibyan Arab JamahiriyaLiechtenstein, Principality ofLithuaniaLuxembourg, Grand Duchy ofMacao, Special Administrative Region of ChinaMacedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic ofMadagascar, Republic ofMalawi, Republic ofMalaysiaMaldives, Republic ofMali, Republic ofMalta, Republic ofMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritania, Islamic Republic ofMauritiusMayotteMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonaco, Principality ofMongolia, Mongolian People's RepublicMontserratMorocco, Kingdom ofMozambique, People's Republic ofMyanmarNamibiaNauru, Republic ofNepal, Kingdom ofNetherlands AntillesNetherlands, Kingdom of theNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaragua, Republic ofNiger, Republic of theNigeria, Federal Republic ofNiue, Republic ofNorfolk IslandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorway, Kingdom ofOman, Sultanate ofPakistan, Islamic Republic ofPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanama, Republic ofPapua New GuineaParaguay, Republic ofPeru, Republic ofPhilippines, Republic of thePitcairn IslandPoland, Polish People's RepublicPortugal, Portuguese RepublicPuerto RicoQatar, State ofReunionRomania, Socialist Republic ofRussian FederationRwanda, Rwandese RepublicSamoa, Independent State ofSan Marino, Republic ofSao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic ofSaudi Arabia, Kingdom ofSenegal, Republic ofSerbia and MontenegroSeychelles, Republic ofSierra Leone, Republic ofSingapore, Republic ofSlovakia (Slovak Republic)SloveniaSolomon IslandsSomalia, Somali RepublicSouth Africa, Republic ofSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSpain, Spanish StateSri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic ofSt. HelenaSt. Kitts and NevisSt. LuciaSt. Pierre and MiquelonSt. Vincent and the GrenadinesSudan, Democratic Republic of theSuriname, Republic ofSvalbard & Jan Mayen IslandsSwaziland, Kingdom ofSweden, Kingdom ofSwitzerland, Swiss ConfederationSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailand, Kingdom ofTimor-Leste, Democratic Republic ofTogo, Togolese RepublicTokelau (Tokelau Islands)Tonga, Kingdom ofTrinidad and Tobago, Republic ofTunisia, Republic ofTurkey, Republic ofTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUganda, Republic ofUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain & N. IrelandUruguay, Eastern Republic ofUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet Nam, Socialist Republic ofWallis and Futuna IslandsWestern SaharaYemenZambia, Republic ofZimbabwe

More here:

Tele-Talk responses: Would you vote to allow sports betting in Conway? What about keno? - Conway Daily Sun

Posted in Sports Betting | Comments Off

In the House: Week 4 | News, Sports, Jobs – Tyler Star News

Posted: at 1:33 am

The House completed work on SB 4 on January 31st. The bill repeals a nuclear power ban that has been in effect in the state for 26 years. This move makes it possible for nuclear production in the Mountain State. Our action sends strong message to the global economy that we arere moving forward with our economy. The bill now awaits action by the Governor.

Technology is moving quickly, and West Virginia has to keep up to compete on a global scale, which also means meeting the global economys demands. We dont think the fossil industry is going away any time soon, nor do we want it to. Our fossil industry will continue powering the country for the foreseeable future, but we want to be sure West Virginia is providing options and signaling to the rest of the world that were a great place to consider doing business of all kinds. Speak of the House, Roger Hanshaw

A newly created committee, the Select Committee on Coalfield Communities, whose design is to focus on ways to solve the problems facing coalfield communities, reported out its first piece of legislation tis week. HB 4497. This bill creates the Coalfield Grant Facilitation Act of 2022 is designed to create matching funds in order to secure federal, private or nonprofit grants targeted specifically for coalfield communities. This commission would work with higher education in the state to get help in applying for the funding.

A lot of effort has been going on both openly and behind the scenes with our Coalfield Communities group ever since the end of last years session, and were so pleased to already have a bill created and passed out of our brand-new committee. I know it can be discouraging when it feels like nothing is being done or things arent moving quick enough, but were excited to have regular, weekly meetings now and really work through a lot of the recommendations were ready to see implemented. Delegate Ed Evans, D-McDowell.

House Bill 4479, the Coalfield Grant Facilitation Act of 2022, would create a commission to administer the necessary matching funds to secure federal, private or nonprofit grants for coalfield community organizations or entities to fund development projects. The new commission also would coordinate with higher education institutions throughout the state to help in applying for those grants.

HB 4007 was introduced on February 3rd and will reduce personal income tax rates. It also creates a fund where half of each Fiscal years general revenue surplus would be deposited. Presently surplus is deposited into the Rainy-Day Fund.

Tax Freedom Day is the date when, theoretically, taxpayers on average have worked enough days to earn exactly whats needed to pay their total tax bills for the entire year. Right now, its mid-April for West Virginia, and I want us to be able to keep more money in our pockets to get to Tax Freedom Day sooner. Eric Householder, Chair of Finance

The newly formed Select Committee on Jails and Prisons, which I am honored to chair, was created at the beginning of the session charged with the task of seeking long term solutions regarding our jails and prisons.

The committee toured the Western Regional Jail this week. Western is currently one of only two jails in the state that has a G.O.A.L.S. unit (Getting Over Addictive Lifestyles Successfully) and the only one of its kind that has a unit for females to participate in the program.

G.O.A.L.S., is a 6-9-month drug rehabilitation program where participating inmate are sectioned off from the main population of the jail. The purpose if to focus on their recovery. I believe this is one pf the best programs around that tackles the problems that accompany addiction.

Go here to read the rest:

In the House: Week 4 | News, Sports, Jobs - Tyler Star News

Posted in Fiscal Freedom | Comments Off

Monthly Archives: February 2022

Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Sports Betting 101: Topics, tips and advice to be a better bettor – VSiN

Bet $10 on the Big Game this Sunday and get $200 in free bets from BetMGM – Yahoo Sports

Real-time monitoring of sports betting to prevent match fixing looks set to be abandoned amid industry pushback – ABC News

Minnesota Legislature working through gambling, growlers and recreational pot – West Central Tribune

SportGames TV: Bringing a live casino offering to the sports betting industry – SBC Americas

The CJ McCollum trade will have a huge impact on Rockets vs. Pelicans, plus other best bets for Tuesday – CBS Sports

Acquisition of Avid Gaming including leading Canadian online sports betting and gaming brand Sports Interaction – Entain

Tele-Talk responses: Would you vote to allow sports betting in Conway? What about keno? – Conway Daily Sun

In the House: Week 4 | News, Sports, Jobs – Tyler Star News

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