Monthly Archives: June 2022

Ditch the Plastic and Cotton for These Bamboo Picks – Futurism

Posted: June 11, 2022 at 2:09 am

Too few of us stop to consider the environmental actions of seemingly small decisions we make throughout the day. For instance, hundreds of millions of plastic straws and billions of plastic forks, spoons, and knives end up in landfills every year, according to research conducted by Habits of Waste, a nonprofit organization focused on reducing our consumption of single-use plastic.

Thankfully, the world is beginning to wake up to these realities, and companies have been created with the express purpose of making eco-friendly versions of products we rely on every day. One way for companies to achieve this goal is by using sustainable materials like bamboo. Bamboo grows quickly,doesnt require pesticides or fertilizers, and is stronger than steel in some instances. If youre attempting to make your home more environmentally friendly, the bamboo gear below is a great place to start.

Key Selling Point: A sustainable planter for your personal garden.

Maintaining an indoor garden is a great way to relieve stress, and even save money if you choose to plant herbs or small vegetables. Hamanas Bamboo Frame is a sustainably made base that can hold your plants and soil. This eco-friendly habitat is long enough to hold a mini row of herbs, and comes in three colors: natural, white, and walnut. Hamana also offers an inner tray, grow kits, and other accessories to help you get started on your indoor garden.

Key Selling Point: This sustainably made mattress has all the same performance characteristics as more wasteful options.

Oftentimes, youre faced with the choice of prioritizing sustainability or performance, Best Choice Products mattress proves this isnt always the case. Its 12-inch thick mattress is made from a mix of bamboo charcoal, which is naturally moisture wicking, gel-infused memory foam, and an anti-odor green tea layer. This combination of materials makes the mattress a great choice for sleepers who run hot, or live in warm climates. Best Choice Products includes a non-slip mattress cover, too.

Key Selling Point: This hoodie is available in 12 sizes, six colors, and is made from 100 percent recycled cotton.

Girlfriend Collective went hard when pushing the bounds of sustainably made clothing in introducing its bamboo hoodie. The machine-washable hoodie is 100 percent biodegradable: its made from 50 percent reclaimed cotton and 50 percent organic cotton grown without pesticides. The company says that by using this material, it has conserved 371 gallons of water, prevented 1.12 pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere, and saved 1.99 kilowatts of energy. All these sustainability features are found in a fashionable hoodie designed to fit any body and any wardrobe.

Key Selling Point: Both the toothbrush and box are 100 percent recyclable.

Youre probably going to replace your toothbrush a handful of times per year, so you might as well get one that wont sit forever in a landfill. This one from PlantX has a bamboo base with charcoal-infused bristles, both of which are BPA-free. It may not have the same fancy features as an electric toothbrush, but you wont have to worry about replacing batteries, mechanical failure over time, or consuming microplastics.

The future of the planet is largely dependent on multinational companies deciding to substantially change their business model and means of production, but that doesnt mean individuals should abdicate their responsibilities. Switching to bamboo products may not save the world, but if tens of thousands of people change their buying habits, companies may change their tune. At the very least, you can know the decision you made helped support a company thats doing the right thing.

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurisms owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Tesla Shows Off Cybertruck, But There Are a Bunch of Wires Ripped Out of the Steering Wheel for Some Reason – Futurism

Posted: at 2:09 am

That's... messy.Wire Cutter

A Tesla Cybertruck prototype made a rare public appearance during the commissioning ceremony of the car company's Megapack project in California, now one of the largest battery energy stations in the world.

But the prototype left a lot to be desired. The interior appears to have been stripped of several components, including the wheel-mounted airbag and the front-facing camera enclosure, as seen in images captured by local news station KSBWthat show loose wires hanging out of the vehicle's futuristic yoke-style steering wheel.

While we should expect a prototype to have a couple of rough spots here and there, it doesn't feel like the company went out of its way to make the vehicle presentable, especially given the rather ceremonious occasion.

It's also worth mentioning that it's not even the first janky prototype Tesla has actively chosen to show off to the press.

We did get a glimpse of the center console of the upcoming truck, and its sleek instrument cluster. We also got a detailed look at the truck's gigantic windshield wiper, which seemingly has been pared down significantly in size since the last time we saw it.

Tesla did have to push back the delivery date of its brutalist pickup to next year, but it's already June and the clock is ticking. In fact, production was meant to have started by this point, according to promises made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk last year.

The Cybertruck was meant to be Musk's pet project but from what we've seen so far, those who have preordered a truck of their own will likely have to be even more patient as the company focuses its efforts elsewhere.

READ MORE: Tesla Cybertruck with updated interior and windshield wiper goes on new outing [Electrek]

More on Cybertruck: Cybertruck Prototype Mocked for Looking Extremely Janky

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We tie on Kampala for nothing but future is actually rural – part 2 – Monitor

Posted: at 2:09 am

As promised last week, let us explore opportunities for young people, focusing on rural futurism. On day one of the Okere Summit, I noticed something peculiar. A missing demographic component.

We had been entertained by primary school children and adolescents, seen the much older and elderly women in their civic education class, and also interacted with middle-aged community members and leaders at the summit.

Where are the youth? I asked. It is interesting to note that contrary to popular narrative, youth do not constitute the majority component of Ugandas population. But it is easy to tell when they are or arent in a place. Futuristic community projects with the potential that Okere city has must integrate youth in their agenda of change, otherwise it is likely to come to naught.

This is for two core reasons. The first being a need to create transitions, and the second being, as a deterrent against the potential for destruction thanks to the hubris, naivety and myopy of youth. That is why I was keen to find out where the citys youth were.

Okere, like many other rural places around the country, is losing its young people to urban migration, in search for better opportunities. There is little to do in the village and their dreams whatever those might be wont be fulfilled there. So, they come to town to ride boda-bodas, work at construction sites or as Askaris, cleaners, hawkers etc. If this fails, as is often wont to, they might resort to petty and sometimes violent crime.

Besides its value in oil, the Shea tree is also, apparently, famous for producing the best charcoal. Before Ojoks foray down this inexplicable dream, whatever little came into the Okere economy was via charcoal trade.

Now, leaders are talking about bylaws to criminalise the cutting of shea trees because they are already reaping more than they ever have and cant begin to imagine the kind of rosy future they will soon have.

You get the sense that Ojok will not be the last son of the soil to commit class suicide. Soon, many others working high level jobs in Kampala or wherever will want in on the harvest. But it wont be just them. It will also be those who didnt get a good enough education and exposure to imagine what more they can do with the tracts of land their families own. They will be back home planting Shea trees on every inch of land that they can find.

If this happens, might we see millions of other young people from other parts of the country decide to swap Kampalas meagre salaries and exorbitant rent bills for their familys cattle farms, coffee, and matooke, and potato plantations?

Might we then be able to bring a stop to the sad sight of labour migration that we continue to witness with hundreds of thousands of our young people seeking opportunities in the Middle East? Who knows!

But these sorts of monumental systemic shifts take lots of guts, endurance and a certain simplicity that not many of us are blessed with. Community impact projects arent the kinds many would invest in because there is usually little to no return on the money. That is why Ojoks move is great because it combines impact with economics that actually works.

More than anything, it is a lesson on how to not over-complicate things. Development and ideas fail to take off or arrive because we start to draw linear demand and supply curves, overanalyse profit and loss margins, try to make forecasts and predict bottom lines. It is the reason why many of us dont start because like government bureaucrats and Ugandan bankers we are looking to tick every box.

But those sorts of things dont tell you that opportunity is more transcendent than linear. That you can just start without a plan and figure things out as you go. That sometimes, your only job in the equation is to begin and let others who wouldnt, take over the planning and strategy because that is their forte. That more times than not, you have a better shot at success if you build off of the work and sweat of your ancestors than you will trying to go at it on your own, in the city. Visit Okere City, it will make sense. Then go back to your village and see what you can do.

Mr Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds. @Rukwengye

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‘For All Mankind’ Season 3 changes the show in 3 huge ways here’s why – Inverse

Posted: at 2:09 am

Science fiction has never been quite like this.

In Season 3 of the critically acclaimed alternate-history series For All Mankind, the Apple TV+ series jumps ahead to the 1990s, creating a jarring kaleidoscope of retro-futurism and technological anachronisms. As series co-showrunner Matt Wolpert tells Inverse, You've got Bill Clinton running for president, and you've got a hotel in space at the same time. What world is this?

Because of the meticulous groundwork laid by its two previous seasons, For All Mankind suddenly feels like a very different show. Heres why series co-creators and showrunners Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert say Season 3 is so unique.

For the first time since For All Mankind began, the focus of the entire series has shifted away from the Moon. Instead, its all about the Red Planet.

In the shows alternate timeline, the space race didnt end in the 1960s. In Season 2, seeing a huge moonbase called Jamestown in the 80s was a novelty, but it also technically seemed possible. In Season 3, the technological differences between the 90s we remember, and the alternate history of the show are more staggering than ever.

In the very first episode of Season 3, Polaris, a fully functional commercial space hotel managed by Karen Baldwin (Shantel VanSanten) is orbiting the Earth in the year 1992.

It's not that it would have been possible in the actual 90s, Wolpert says. But it would have been possible in the alternate history version of the 90s.

Edi Gathegi as Dev Ayesa, founder of a commercial aerospace group, Helios. Apple TV+

So how does that work? Wolpert explains that because so many resources have been put into developing technologically, things got figured out earlier than in our timeline. In this version of 1992, private companies are producing their own spacecrafts. Wolpert likens this to whats happening in the private space industry today.

You see how fast and expertly SpaceX can fabricate their rockets now, he says. With Season 3, its a mashup of the past and the future.

Although the race for Mars is the biggest superficial difference in For All Mankind Season 3, the other new wrinkle is that its not just about the U.S. versus the U.S.S.R. anymore. In Season 3, tech mogul Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi) throws his ring in the hat with an independent aerospace group called Helios. At first blush, Dev is very much a cipher for Elon Musk, albeit one who exists several decades earlier in an alternate timeline. But its not that simple.

Everyone always says Elon Musk, co-creator Ben Nedivi says. Dev is a reflection of many different people. Steve Jobs. Jeff Bezos. Theres a commonality with a lot of these tech leaders. But outside of that, our inspiration was more about changing things up a little bit.

Up until Season 3, the basic conflict of everything thats happened on For All Mankind has been framed by a protracted space race. Along with producer Ronald D. Moore, Nedivi and Wolpert felt like it wasnt realistic, to continue to have the show focused on the U.S. versus the U.S.S.R. So they used history as their guide.

The 90s was when tech exploded, Nedivi says. So, it made sense that in a world where the space race was such a big deal, one of those 90s tech leaders would dedicate their resources, time, and energy toward the space program.

The NASA mission to Mars in For All Mankind Season 3.Apple TV+

Jarring and fascinating anachronisms have become a staple of For All Mankind. However, its not actually why the show works. Instead, just like with the previous two seasons, its the journey of the characters. But, unlike other sci-fi shows, For All Mankind isnt just interested in characters in a vacuum. In Season 3, the show proves its moving toward telling a multi-generational arc about several families: the Baldwin family, the Stevens family, the Poole family, the Rosales family, and so on.

Is For All Mankind simply One Hundred Years of Solitude as alternate history sci-fi? In Gabriel Garca Mrquezs masterpiece, the reader sees how each generation changes because of what the characters do in each chapter.

We reference that book so much, Wolpert explains. Theres the idea of generations in that book, and how the children are impacted by the choices of their parents. And were seeing that now more with Season 3.

Casey W. Johnson as Danny Stevens in For All MankindApple TV+

The most obvious examples of this in Season 3 are Danny Stevens (Casey W. Johnson) and Kelly Baldwin (Cynthy Wu), each a second-generation astronaut or scientist, in a family who, at this point, we know very well. There's this evolution of society, and seeing that through a character and family was definitely an inspiration for us, Wolpert says.

So just how many generations are we going to see? Nedivi confirms that a seven-season arc is still the loose plan, and that, eventually, the timeline of For All Mankind would surpass our own. But, that doesnt mean they have every story detail set in stone. In Season 3, there are a few babies and very young children related to the main characters. Does this mean these characters could be grandparents in Season 7?

Yeah, we have to be careful about that, Nedivi says with a laugh. Like every character, we came up with that was a child, we're like, wait! This could be a series regular and a future season! It definitely makes things a little more tricky with the generational aspect. But I think part of the joy of writing the show and what makes it so unique on television is that were able to tell the story of people's entire lifetimes.

For All Mankind Season 3 is streaming now on Apple TV+

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NASA Plotting Journey Through the Hellish Atmosphere of Venus – Futurism

Posted: at 2:09 am

Ever thought you might want to take a day trip to the second rock from the Sun?

Well, you dont. Seriously. Venus is atoxic hellscape.

But it may have once been a life-supporting system, and a NASA paper published in The Planetary Science Journal reveals new details about an upcoming mission looking to shed light on how Earth's unwelcoming "twin" came to be. Ominously, it could even reveal how our sister planet came to die.

Slated to launch in 2029, the mission titled the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, or DAVINCI for short is immensely ambitious.

If all goes to plan, DAVINCI will not only involve the first US space flight to Venus since Magellan's death in 1994, but will also be the first US probe to retrieve groundbreaking chemical data from the notoriously unwelcoming planet's ultra-thick atmosphere and nearly 900 degree Fahrenheit surface.

The international space community has felt a renewed interest in the not-so-heavenly body over the past few years, and NASA believes that a comprehensive workup of Venus' present day chemical composition can help us understand our noxious neighbor's past if the planet was indeed inhabitable in the distant past, it would have taken a drastic event to trigger its demise.

Described by NASA spokesperson Nancy Neal Jones as a "flying analytical chemistry laboratory," the DAVINCI craft will perform a few fly-bys before sending a heat-shielded probe, equipped with five exploratory instruments, down to the planet's ultra-hot surface.

NASA is hopeful that DAVINCI's findings will help researchers determine whetherVenus ever sustained liquid water. The researchers also point out that the planet's uneven topography is suggestive of plate tectonics, which DAVINCI could provide evidence for as well.

"This ensemble of chemistry, environmental, and descent imaging data will paint a picture of the layered Venus atmosphere and how it interacts with the surface in the mountains of Alpha Regio, which is twice the size of Texas," said Jim Garvin, DAVINCI principal investigator, to CNN.

It won't be easy. Beyond the heat and the poison, the DAVINCI instruments will also face crushing surface air pressure. Scientists expect that the gadgets will only last about 17-18 minutes before meeting their doom.

Crumbling under pressure? Relatable! But despite a short-lived surface life, scientists are hoping DAVINCI will peel back the curtain on Venus' puzzling history and in the process, fill in some questions about our Pale Blue Dot's place in the cosmos.

READ MORE: New NASA spacecraft could survive a hellish descent on Venus[CNN]

More on exploratory space missions: NASA Says It's a Priority to Investigate Strange Domes on the Moon

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Charles Barkley Thinks You Have a Gambling Problem – Yahoo Sports

Posted: at 2:09 am

Charles Barkley has just about had it with all this sports-betting nonsense. Yes, that Charles Barkley.

Speaking earlier this week on a call to promote the upcoming American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, the NBA Hall of Famer, Turner Sports analyst and, uh, FanDuel spokesman issued a dire warning about the metastatic spread of gambling. Theres too much of it, Barkley said, noting that the inevitable adoption of in-game wagering will be an incentive for shady dealings.

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Weve got people in the stands betting on whos going make the next free throws. I mean, think about that, said Barkley, who in 2006 told ESPN that he had once lost $2.5 million at the tables during a six-hour casino spree. If I was a scumbag, Id look at my friend in the stands, and say, Yo, Im going to miss both of these free throws. Now, thats cheating.

Barkley, who bet (and lost) $100,000 on himself in last years American Century tourney, is arguably one of the best-known gambling enthusiasts in these United States. During last falls all-burly edition of Turners The Match (Brooks Koepka vs. Bryson DeChambeau), Sir Charles turned to Phil Mickelsonanother pro who enjoys the occasional friendly wagerand declared that his long-term financial goal was to squander all his money before he dies.

Listen, I wanna be dead broke when I keel over, Phil, Barkley said during the Nov. 26 event on TNT/TBS. I dont want to leave all that money for my free-loading family. Ive been taking care of them my whole life. I wanna be dead broke at my last breath.

Approximately 916,000 people were watching when Barkley mapped out his posthumous fiscal scheme. It is not known if his dependents were among those who had tuned in.

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After offering some insight into how a hypothetical player and a hypothetical confederate might convert a few intentional clangers into cold, hard cash, Barkley effectively threw his hands in the air at the enormity of it all. Listen, gamblings always been part of sports. Thats why the NFL is King Kong, he said. But I am concerned that you can sit in the stands and make bets in the middle of a basketball game.

Barkley, whose image should grace all our postage stamps and currency, warned us back in 1993 that he was not a role model. He was selling sneakers at the time, but the point stands.

While in-game betting is still in the embryonic stage, the escalation of sportsbook advertising has been going on long enough for the category to be eligible to ride a Big Wheel. Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018, gambling dollars have all but poured into the networks coffers. The increased spending has been sufficient to offset cyclical weaknesses in some of the endemic categories, but sportsbook operators are increasingly facing tougher decisions about the value of local buys versus national TV investments.

According to a new report from iSpot.tv, brands like FanDuel, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and BetMGM plunked down some $282 million on national TV ads during the nine-month period from September 2021 through May 2022. That marked nearly a quadruple increase compared to the analogous period in 2020-21, when the leading sportsbooks snapped up $74 million in ad inventory.

Fall spending was accelerated thanks in large part to a broad endorsement of the space courtesy of the NFL, which in April of 2021 announced its first-ever U.S. sportsbook partnerships with Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel. Ten days before the season kicked off, the league gave four other sportsbook brands (BetMGM, FoxBet, PointsBet, WynnBet) the green light to buy in-game NFL units.

Sportsbook spend was heavy throughout the fall, and CBS, Fox and NBC were happy to oblige their new customers. CBS in the last nine months notched the greatest number of sportsbook ad impressions, accounting for 22.2% of the overall deliveries, while Fox was hot on its heels with a 19.8% share. NBC claimed 13.2% of ad impressions in the category, followed by TNT (9.6%), TBS (5.2%), NFL Network (4.6%) and FS1 (3.2%). ESPN, which largely held back on booking gambling dollars, accounted for 1.9% of the share of impressions.

All told, sportsbook ad impressions in the period grew 48% to 18.2 billion.

In terms of the individual leagues, the NFL snared nearly half (42.5%) of all sportsbook impressions, while the NBA (7.9%), MLB (5.0%) and college football (3.31%) trailed at a respectful distance. Among the established spenders, FanDuels ads were all but inescapable, clocking 34% of the categorys impressions, while Caesars relentless J.B. Smoove-Halle Berry campaign seized 21.7% of the eyeballs. Caesars two most impactful spots netted 519 million impressions, per iSpot.

Also drawing a lot of heat were DraftKings (18.6% share) and BetMGM (13.4%). The latter caused a bit of a stir last month when chief financial officer Gary Deutsch told investors that BetMGM would hit the brakes on its investment in New York States heavily taxed sports-betting market.

As rational allocators of capital we simply cannot apply our capital against an irrational investment thesis, Deutsch said during BetMGMs Investors Day presentation, asserting that the Empire States sportsbook tax rate is too rich for his blood. Players would never continue to play if the house always won. The house cannot continue to play if its always going to lose.

While New Yorks 51% tax rate is already steep, Deutsch maintains that the actual impact is closer to 100%, given that sportsbooks must report certain incentives and promotional offerings as revenue. (The free bets that the online books use as bait are only free for the punters.)

Although there had been talk of lowering New Yorks rate to a less onerous 24% by 2024, early discussions were shelved once Gov. Kathy Hochuls team started the cash count. Through the first five months in which mobile sports-betting has been legal in New York, the state has generated a record $267 million in tax revenue. Mobile bets accounted for $263 million of the total haul, with brick-and-mortar casinos making up the remainder.

Given its $2.9 billion budget deficit, dont expect New York to lower its sportsbook tax any time soon, although if more of the states eight licensed mobile operators start having BetMGM-style misgivings, the nosebleed rates may prove to be unsustainable.

According to iSpot, 37% of sportsbook impressions were delivered via local TV buys, which is in keeping with the patchwork structure of the greater legalization movement. Currently, active sportsbooks may be found in 30 states, while another five states are cooling their heels in the limbo between passed legislation and live operations. At a certain inflection point, local campaigns will begin to give way to broader national buys, which are cheaper and less of a hassle to execute.

For rapidly expanding brands, the switch from cobbling together local buys to going all-in on national inventory can begin at around the time the advertiser has achieved 70% market saturation. Inevitably, a full-scale national TV blitz will result in deliveries to viewers in areas where gambling may never be legalized.

Its a phenomenon familiar to anyone whos ever sat through a Red Robin ad and thought, What the hell is that? Fast food is a repeat offender; for the past 15 years, Spectrum cable subscribers in the New York metro area have been regularly harangued with spots for the Sonic drive-in restaurant chainthis even though the five boroughs first Sonic wasnt established until December 2021. Before the Queens Boulevard location opened its doors, the nearest Sonic came to New York was way down Route 9 near Asbury Park. But because it was cheaper for the company to make national buys, the No. 1 media market was forever being tantalized by the prospect of unattainable Chicken Slingers and whatever those big sugary drinks are that come infused with Nerds.

However things shake out on the local tax front, the sportsbooks national spend is expected to surge again in the fall. DraftKings has already begun to shift its spend out of local as its footprint expands. Speaking to analysts during DraftKings first quarter earnings call, CEO Jason Robins said, I think were starting to enter the phase where national advertising is going to be more and more of our mix and we are able to opt out of some of the local television and other local marketing that were doing. Robins went on to say that national buys would intensify as more states launch legal sportsbook operations.

As much as investors are concerned that inflationand the threat of a destabilizing recessioncould cool gamblers passions, Robins said he hasnt seen any evidence to suggest that DraftKings customers are holding on to their wallets for dear life. Despite broader concerns around the macroeconomic environment, our cohort-level data has remained very healthy, and our path to profitability has become more clear, Robins said.

DraftKings in the first quarter booked $417.2 million in revenue, against a net loss of $467.7 million. Heightened by the companys push into 17 states, marketing expenses on the quarter added up to $321.5 million, a number thats more than 10 times the amount Charles Barkley says hes lost over the years on cards and golf.

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1-800-GAMBLER Going Nationwide to Streamline Problem Gambling Help – Casino.Org News

Posted: at 2:08 am

Posted on: June 10, 2022, 07:25h.

Last updated on: June 10, 2022, 11:10h.

1-800-GAMBLER is being deployed across the nation to assist those in need of curbing their gambling habits.

1-800-GAMBLER is a federally registered trademark owned by the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ). The hotline has accompanied all gaming advertising in the Garden State for years. But soon, the easy-to-remember toll-free resource will aid problem gamblers throughout the US.

The CCGNJ has agreed to lend 1-800-GAMBLER to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the DC-based nonprofit that seeks to minimize the societal costs associated with gambling addiction. The New Jersey problem gambling organization will license its 1-800-GAMBLER hotline for an initial six-year term to the NCPG.

The pact allows the NCPG to lend the 1-800-GAMBLER number to problem gambling resource organizations nationwide. Instead of each state having a gambling hotline and an array of numbers in small types accompanying gambling and sports betting marketing materials used in multiple states, the single number will satisfy state regulatory laws.

When a caller dials 1-800-GAMBLER in a state outside New Jersey, they will be rerouted to that jurisdictions state-approved gambling resource center. In Indiana, for instance, should that state incorporate 1-800-GAMBLER, persons in the Hoosier State seeking gambling help will be redirected to the Indiana Problem Gambling Referral Line, which is currently only accessed by dialing 1-800-994-8448.

The CCGNJ already has partnerships with problem gambling agencies in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to leverage 1-800-GAMBLER.

The National Council on Problem Gambling is amid an effort called the National Problem Gambling Helpline Modernization Project. The goal is to reduce barriers to essential resources for those affected by problem gambling. Legal gaming states require that most advertisements be accompanied by such resources. But like other marketing for products and services that require warning and/or self-help labels, the fine print isnt effective, or so says NCPG officials.

The NCPG believes 1-800-GAMBLER going nationwide could allow the hotline to replace paragraph-long lists of required fine print. Fred Hogan, board president of the CCGNJ, says the agency is happy to assist.

Our goal is simple, to continue to make sure 1-800-GAMBLER provides aid to anyone who needs it as quickly and efficiently as possible, Hogan said. We look forward to sharing our strength and experience.

The 1-800-GAMBLER helpline will continue to operate uninterrupted in New Jersey as its leveraged nationwide.

The NFL, the most-watched professional sports league in the US, has fully embraced the legal gaming industry. The change of heart came after the Supreme Court in 2018 said sports betting legality should be handled at the state level. More than 30 states today permit legal, regulated gambling on sports.

The NFL is using some of its ever-increasing revenue, some of it coming from increased fan engagement due to sports betting, to fund programs to limit the societal harms of more widespread gambling. The NFL recognizes that the commercial breaks during its broadcasted games are today flooded with sports betting advertisements.

Last fall, the NFL announced a $6.2 million contribution to the NCPG to streamline problem gambling toll-free networks. The NCPG explains that its 1-800-GAMBLER undertaking is funded by the NFL money.

Along with uniting toll-free numbers, the NCPG says the NFL grant will be used to significantly improve the operations, technology, and infrastructure of the 1-800-GAMBLER network.

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Number of teens struggling with gambling addiction rise – FOX61 Hartford

Posted: at 2:08 am

Within the last few years, younger and younger teens have been reported to have gambling addictions.

CROMWELL, Conn. Story by Kasey Schultz

Gambling activates the brain's reward system in almost the same way drugs do. That's why it's so easy for teens to become addicted.

Katie Kirch, a Clinical Supervisor for the Bettor Choice program at the Wheeler Clinic, stresses the importance of when talking about drugs and alcohol also include the word gambling.

Within the last few years, younger and younger teens have been reported to have gambling addictions.

Kirch said that younger and younger demographic of people are calling the Connecticut helpline for support.

A concerned parent and teacher, Andrea Rodrigue, notices that kids are gambling indirectly starting at such a young age. Whether it's taking part in raffles, trading cards with bonus packs, or Super Bowl Pools kids are being drawn in.

"It makes me more entertained in the game," said a high school senior when talking about the adrenaline rush in gambling.

Kirch also stresses that due to gambling addictions, people lose a lot, they lose time from work, and time from friends.

"It's not about spending huge amounts of money but winning a little bit of cash here and there doesn't really hurt," said the high school senior.

The app store makes gambling so easy. All you have to do is look up gambling and hundreds of free apps come up.

In November, Connecticut legalized online gambling so it's easy for a kid to pick up a phone, download an app, and put in some incorrect information, Rodrigue observes.

This is not a risk-free activity, any one of us is vulnerable to it. While it may be fun, it can easily turn into an addiction. Just like teens should say no to drugs and alcohol they should say no to underage gambling too.

The FOX 61 Student News program empowers Connecticut middle and high school students to explore the world of multi-media journalism by giving them the opportunity to capture, edit and publish original content under the guidance of industry professionals.

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Number of teens struggling with gambling addiction rise - FOX61 Hartford

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Phil Mickelson Candidly Admits to ‘Reckless’ and ‘Embarrassing’ Gambling That Cost Him $40 Million – Sportscasting

Posted: at 2:08 am

Phil Mickelson hasnt teed it up in a professional event since January, but hes been the talk of the golf world ever since then. It all started with his jarring comments about Saudi Arabia and the LIV Golf league back in February, and it only intensified last month when golf writer Alan Shipnuck revealed Mickelson lost $40 million gambling over a four-year stretch.

As Lefty gets ready to help kick off the LIV Golf Invitational in London this weekend, he opened up about his gambling problems and admitted it became reckless and embarrassing.

Weve known for years that Mickelson loves to gamble. Many professional golfers do. But not many love it enough to lose $40 million over the span of four years.

According to Shipnuck, the author of the upcoming biography Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golfs Most Colorful Superstar, thats exactly what Lefty did about a decade ago.

Mickelsons love of gambling is fundamental to understanding his style of play as a golfer. It might also explain the Saudi seduction, Shipnuck wrote for Fire Pit Collective last month. Mickelson had gambling losses totaling more than $40 million in the four-year period (201014) that was scrutinized. In those prime earning years, his income was estimated to be just north of $40 million a year.

Now that Mickelsons gambling losses have become public knowledge, hes been forced to face the music and own up to his mistakes.

Instead of denying the gambling allegations, Mickelson admitted to his problem and candidly revealed hes been working hard to fix it.

My gambling got to a point of being reckless and embarrassing, Mickelson said in a recent interview with Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated. I had to address it. And Ive been addressing it for a number of years. And for hundreds of hours of therapy. I feel good where Im at there. My family and I are and have been financially secure for some time.

Gambling has been part of my life ever since I can remember. But about a decade ago is when I would say it became reckless. Its embarrassing. I dont like that people know. The fact is Ive been dealing with it for some time. Amy (his wife) has been very supportive of it and with me and the process. Were at place after many years where I feel comfortable with where that is. It isnt a threat to me or my financial security. It was just a number of poor decisions.

Luckily for Mickelson, he was able to earn back that $40 million many times over. He also received a cool $200 million for signing with the LIV Golf Invitational Series, so his bank account is going to be just fine going forward.

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RELATED: Phil Mickelson Just Took a $200 Million Gamble to Try and Revolutionize Golf

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Phil Mickelson Candidly Admits to 'Reckless' and 'Embarrassing' Gambling That Cost Him $40 Million - Sportscasting

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UFC 275 gambling preview: Glover Teixeira the underdog champion, and four other live dogs – MMA Fighting

Posted: at 2:08 am

The UFC returns to pay-per-view on Saturday with an event in Singapore, headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka. UFC 275 also features a womens flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Taila Santos, plus a rematch of the 2020 Fight of the Year between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Its a big event, and there are A LOT of live dogs on the card this week, so lets get to it.

As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Glover Teixeira, +170

I did a write-up on this fight already, so Ill defer to that for a more thorough breakdown. But basically, the bet comes down to this: Teixeira has the ability to knock Prochazka out on the feet, and if this goes to the floor, Prochazka is in deep, deep trouble. Theres always a risk in backing a 42-year-old fighter against a whirling dervish of violence like Prochazka, but Teixeira has cashed underdog tickets in his past three bouts, and Im going to ride that train until the wheels fall off.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk, +140

Following this past weeks disaster with Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Im playing it slightly more cautious with my underdog picks this week. A prop bet on Jedrzejczyk by Decision at +200 is probably the better line to take. But hey, plus-money is plus-money. In 2020, Jedrzejczyk and Zhang arguably put on the greatest female fight in history with Zhang winning a split decision. The fight was razor close, with many thinking Jedrzejczyk won, especially in the early rounds.

This fight is now only three rounds, and while that could favor the explosive power of Zhang, I still think this is a coin-flip fight, and thus, I like the value bet on Jedrzejczyk.

Jacob Malkoun, +245

In the featured prelim bout, Malkoun faces well-regarded prospect Brendan Allen in a middleweight tilt. Allen is the second-biggest favorite on the card (behind only Valentina Shevchenko), but Malkoun is being dramatically overlooked here. Malkoun will be at a decided size disadvantage here, but he is a very good grappler and a relentless wrestler. The man is going to shoot and re-shoot until he puts Allens butt to the floor. Given that Allen isnt the worlds greatest defensive wrestler, that may not take that long. The size is a concern, but the relentless grinding style of Malkoun should have these odds closer.

Jake Matthews, +125

Like the Malkoun line, this one surprised me. Yes, Andre Fialho has turned in tremendous performances and racked up bonuses, but Jake Matthews is a tough-as-nails, jack-of-all-trades who has really only lost to top-tier fighters. Matthews is going to stay in his face on the feet, and hes going to test the little-tested wrestling game of Fialho. This fight reads like a 50-50 proposition to me, if not slightly in favor of Matthews, so I like the underdog value here.

Kyung-ho Kang, +120

My analysis of this fight comes down simply to this: Kang is a pretty decent wrestler who excels at taking the back, and Danaa Batgerel is not a great wrestler. The one fighter in the UFC who tried to take him down, Alateng Heili, managed it three times. Kang is a more effective wrestler than Heili, and hes better on the feet. Add in that Kang is also a more controlling grappler and it feels like, stylistically, this is a good match for him.

Valentina Shevchenko by KO/TKO, +200

Shevchenko is the greatest female fighter in the world, and arguably the greatest fighter in the world, full stop. Taila Santos is a discount version of Shevchenko, who lost to Mara Romero Borella not that long ago. The question isnt whether Shevchenko will win, but how she will do it. While Santos isnt a novice on the ground, Shevchenko has a huge edge there. I expect Shevchenko to do what shes been doing recently and big sister Santos to the floor, where she will elbow her to oblivion.

Valentina Shevchenko, -630

See above.

Teixeira/Prochazka Does Not Go To Decision, -500

During his current unbeaten run, Teixeira has gone to a decision just one time (against Nikita Krylov in a three-round affair). More importantly, Prochazka has seen the scorecards just once in his entire career, all the way back in 2016. Simply put, Prochazka is a get-or-get-got fighter, and at 42 years old, Teixeira is either getting put out or hes submitting Prochazka.

Weili/Jedrzejczyk Goes To Decision, -225

As mentioned above, these two women already fought to a decision once before, and that was in a five-round fight. Furthermore, Jedrzejczyk has gone to a decision in nine of her previous 10 fights, and Zhang has gone to the cards in three of her previous five. It seems incredibly unlikely that either woman gets a finish in this one.

Parlay these three bets together for +101 odds.

Fight To Be Won Between 4:00 and End of First Round, +1200

As I alluded to above, this fight reminds me a great deal of Bontorin vs. Kara-France, and so for the Long Shot this week, Im rolling the dice on lightning striking twice. Kara-France managed to get out from underneath Bontorin and score a late first-round KO, and Kape won his two most recent fights with KOs in the final minute of the first round. Kape to win in the same time period is +1800, but again, Im being slightly more conservative this week, and this bet allows for Bontorin to secure a late submission in the first as well.

* Alas, Kape vs. Bontorin has been cancelled.

This past week, dear friends, is why gambling is stupid. The difference between breaking even and losing several units was Kowalkiewicz doing something she had never done before: Finish an opponent in the UFC. Credit to Kowalkiewicz, but thats a tough beat for us. Oh well, infinite underdogs this week. Lets hope the puppers are barking on Saturday.

As always, make sure to check out No Bets Barred for more gambling content if you havent already. Good luck yall, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

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UFC 275 gambling preview: Glover Teixeira the underdog champion, and four other live dogs - MMA Fighting

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