Monthly Archives: May 2023

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Trading in unbacked cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ethereum (ETH-USD) should be regulated as gambling, lawmakers on the U.K. Treasury Committee urged in a report published Wednesday.

The country's government, though, wants to regulate retail crypto trading as a financial service, the lawmakers said. That, in turn, "will create a halo effect, leading consumers to believe this activity is safe and protected, when it is not."

U.K. regulators have increasingly scrutinized the emerging industry, as a number of high-profile failures in recent years have drawn concerns about consumer protections. In July 2022, the Treasury Committee opened an inquiry into the risks and benefits associated with cryptos as well as how they would potentially be regulated.

"With no intrinsic value, huge price volatility and no discernible social good, consumer trading of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin more closely resembles gambling than a financial service, and should be regulated as such," Harriett Baldwin, member of Parliament and chair of the Treasury Committee, said in a statement.

"By betting on these unbacked tokens, consumers should be aware that all their money could be lost," he added.

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Crypto trading akin to gambling and should be regulated as such ... - Seeking Alpha

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa Through four-plus months in 2023, Iowas athletic department has engaged in enough drama to warrant a timeout, Yahoo columnist Dan Wetzel said on his College Football Enquirer podcast this past week.

From bringing back Brian Ferentz as offensive coordinator to athletics director Gary Bartas instituting a contracted 25-points-per-game mandate to a state-forced settlement in a racial discrimination lawsuit to now a gambling scandal, Iowa football certainly has found itself in the center of headlines and controversy. Then theres womens basketball star Caitlin Clarks success, Angel Reeses gesture at Clark after the Hawkeyes lost the womens national title, and mens basketball coach Fran McCafferys staredown of an official during an epic comeback.

We havent even reached Memorial Day and sports radio has enough topics to bump up its ratings for an entire year. On deck are the 2024 Iowa Caucuses, and at some point, someone will complain about the lack of organic almond milk for their lukewarm morning latte. Alas, maybe we all need a timeout.

This week, Iowa coaches hit the I-Club trail with three trips: Carroll County, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. Kirk Ferentz and mens wrestling coach Tom Brands participated in all three, and McCaffery attended the first two. Mens basketball assistant Matt Gatens spoke at the final spot.

Plenty of topics were addressed by all three sports, but lets start with the topic de jour.

GO DEEPER

Iowa, Iowa State athletes under investigation for online sports wagers

Gambling investigations at Iowa and Iowa State have become prominent national stories with 41 combined athletes implicated in five sports: football (both), wrestling (both), mens track and field (both), baseball (Iowa) and mens basketball (Iowa).

Athletes who compete in spring sports are being withheld from competition as Iowas Division of Criminal Investigation, the NCAA and Iowas Racing and Gaming Commission investigate this situation. Brian Ohorilko, the administrator for the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, said there were no integrity markers to suggest anyone was betting on their own sport or worse. Ohorilkos organization is assisting DCI with potential criminal conduct, which could be related to underage betting or fraudulent means of access to gaming apps. No charges have been filed.

The NCAA provides clear direction in gambling that athletes cannot bet on sports in which it sponsors championships. That includes pro football, basketball, baseball and even golf. When dispensing penalties, it often comes down to money wagered, according to one school source who has knowledge of the investigation but is not authorized to speak about it. One example is former Virginia Tech linebacker Alan Tisdale, who initially was suspended for nine games for placing more than 100 bets totaling around $400 on the 2022 NBA Finals. He appealed the suspension, and it was cut to six games. Thats still half of the college football season.

The mens track and field teams and Iowas baseball team are competing in their seasons latter stages, and their appeal for information is more urgent. As for the others, its about patience.

Quite frankly, we still dont have a lot of details, Kirk Ferentz said. We are being cooperative, and well continue to be cooperative. Well see where it all goes.

Id venture to say gambling is a big issue in our whole country right now. I remember back in the 80s, FBI agents used to come in and talk to our team, and I was amazed. They threw out estimates of what they thought was going on in Iowa City in those times. I read the other day, its $2.5 billion last year in our state. So its in our face, its accessible to pretty much everybody, and well just see what all comes out of this.

The Iowa and Iowa State athletic departments introduce gambling education and awareness to their athletes, among other life topics, through the compliance office.

I dont really pay attention to gambling, Ferentz said, but Ive learned a lot in the last (few) days.

Iowa football and mens basketball picked up transfers within the past two weeks. The mens basketball team landed Valparaiso forward Ben Krikke, who led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (19.7 points per game) and averaged 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Krikke (6 feet 9, 220 pounds) totaled 1,596 points in three seasons.

Former Belmont center Even Brauns (6-9, 240) committed to Iowa this past week. An Iowa City West graduate, Brauns averaged 7.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.4 blocks last year. The Hawkeyes still have one available scholarship for 2023-24, but its undetermined whether they will use it.

In front of a crowd of about 450 in Carroll, McCaffery lauded his new newcomers but lamented how name, image and likeness and the transfer portal have had an impact on his sport.

(Recruiting) has changed dramatically, in particular in our sport, as it relates to NIL and the transfer portal because now it has become pay-to-play, McCaffery said. That is unfortunate, but it is reality. And I think a lot of people dont truly understand what that means. They think NIL is a big negative thing. Its a positive thing, because it enables our student-athletes to connect with the business community in ways that were not allowed before.

The difficulty is when the transfer pool was instituted at the same time, it became pay-for-play. The transfer portal is the NCAAs mistake in declaring every athlete a free agent at every point in time. Its not how it works in any other sports entity. In the NFL, MLB, the NBA, the players collectively bargain with the owners. I think we all know and understand that when the NCAA mens basketball tournament and TV package gets in the billion dollars range, its only fair for the players to share in some of that compensation. They should have been more proactive, and they were not. Thats on them.

Iowa football picked up former Ohio State receiver Kaleb Brown, a 2022 top-80 recruit, last week. Brown is one of three transfer commitments who will arrive in June, joining Virginia linebacker Nick Jackson and Miami (Ohio) offensive lineman Rusty Feth.

I really feel good about the kind of people that have joined our program and I think what theyll bring to our program, Ferentz said. Not only are we getting some guys that were pretty good players, but theyre going to be guys that really help continue to give us a leadership base and younger guys can model good behavior watching them.

GO DEEPER

Former Ohio State WR Kaleb Brown commits to Iowa

Four Iowa players became NFL Draft picks last month, including three in the top 34 selections. Green Bay drafted Lukas Van Ness No. 13, which was the highest Iowa defensive lineman selected since Alex Karras went 10th in 1958.

Most of the focus last month was set on All-America linebacker Jack Campbells going No. 18 to Detroit. Most projections had Campbell as a second-round selection.

Ferentz, who has coached 13 first-rounders, said he had no inkling the Lions would take Campbell or tight end Sam LaPorta, whom Detroit selected three picks into the second round. But Ferentz was confident in Campbells ability to live up to the pressure.

I saw Jack Campbell as a first-round player, and the experts werent quite seeing it that way, Ferentz said. But when youre around somebody for four years, five years, you really get a good feel of who they are and what they are. The draft doesnt always go the way you predict it. But Im not at all surprised that he was taken. Hes just done so many great things in our program, and hes such a quality person, a really good football player. I think hell have a long, really successful career.

The Hawkeyes have 43 players on NFL rosters, plus others who might pick up opportunities before training camp.

Iowa's NFL players

Atlanta

TE Parker Hesse

CB Matt Hankins

Baltimore

C Tyler Linderbaum

LB Kristian Welch

S Geno Stone

Buffalo

S Micah Hyde

DE A.J. Epenesa

OL Ike Boettger

Chicago

CB Michael Ojemudia

Dallas

DL Chauncey Golston

Denver

LB Josey Jewell

CB Riley Moss

LB Seth Benson

Detroit

LB Jack Campbell

TE Sam LaPorta

T Matt Nelson

Green Bay

OLB Lukas Van Ness

RB Tyler Goodson

Houston

LB Christian Kirksey

DB Desmond King

Jacksonville

G Brandon Scherff

QB C.J. Beathard

OL Coy Cronk

Kansas City

WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette

L.A. Rams

OL Alaric Jackson

DL Zach VanValkenburg

L.A. Chargers

LB Nick Niemann

Minnesota

TE T.J. Hockenson

New England

C James Ferentz

DT Carl Davis

OL Riley Reiff

N.Y. Giants

LS Casey Kreiter

S Dane Belton

Pittsburgh

G James Daniels

FB Monte Pottebaum

San Francisco

TE George Kittle

Seattle

TE Noah Fant

Tampa Bay

T Tristan Wirfs

OLB Anthony Nelson

S Kaevon Merriweather

Tennessee

S Amani Hooker

LB Ben Niemann

K Caleb Shudak

Free agents:

DL Jaleel Johnson

CB Josh Jackson

CB Greg Mabin

(In NFL last year)

DB Jake Gervase

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Kirk Ferentz says gambling is a big issue in our whole country; plus more Iowa notes - The Athletic

2023 NFL Betting Trends: Which Key Betting Trends Will Impact the 2023 Season?

The NFL Draft is in the books. The schedule has been released. Were only down to one Spring football league currently playing. The Sports Gambling Podcast has already posted a way too early analysis of the Week One matchups. While its a bit early to start queuing up to the window and placing bets, we can still look at a few of the trends to know for the 2023 NFL season.

Before we can get to the first week of the season, well have to make it through summer, and you know what that means. So keep the bright summer sun out of your eyes with a pair of Shady Rays for Shady May. Visit Shady Rays and use promo code SGPN to get 50% off two pairs of sunglasses.

Which NFL teams have defended their home? Which teams have been road warriors? Who can we fade, and where can we fade them? First, lets look at the home and away betting trends that may impact the 2023 NFL season.

Which NFL team has the best record ATS since 2020? The Miami Dolphins are 17-8 ATS at home over the last three seasons. They went 5-3 ATS at home last year.

The Dolphins start the year with their first two games on the road and get the Denver Broncos in Miami on Week 3. The current line is Dolphins -3.5. That line could shrink if Miami drops their first two on the road or the Broncos look capable in their first two matchups. Theres no need to jump on this early, but its a line to keep an eye on.

The Detroit Lions have the second-best home record ATS since 2020 with a nice 16-9 record. That includes a 7-2 mark last year. Apparently, the Jared Goff Lions defend their home turf.

The Lions start the 2023 season on the road against Kansas City but get Seattle and Atlanta in Detroit for Weeks 2 and 3. Detroit is a -3 favorite against the Seahawks and a -5 favorite against the Falcons. The line against Seattle could drop if Patrick Mahomes lights up the Lions in Week 1.

However, the line against the Falcons is tougher to predict. The Falcons will open the season with either Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. Thats among the weakest quarterback rooms in the league, but theyre clearly not looking to pass with Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, and Cordarelle Patterson in the backfield. So could a weird, ground n pound Falcons team cover -5 on the road? No. Bang the Lions before the books realize Ridder or Heinicke might be starting.

While Kansas City is still home to Arrowhead Stadium, not Burrowhead, the Cincinnati Bengals have the best road record ATS in the league since 2020. The Bengals are 21-9 away from Cincinnati over the last three years, including an 8-3 mark last year.

The Bengals open the 2023 season on the road against Cleveland. Cincinnati is a -2.5 favorite. The Bengals have gotten off to a slow start in each of the last two seasons, but this is the Factory of Sadness. So bang the Bengals and laugh when it cashes.

The New York Giants own a road record ATS of 16-10 over the last three seasons, including a 7-2 ATS away mark last year. But Brian Dabollsboys can travel! The Giants travel to Glendale to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. The line is currently sitting at Giants -4. Watch the line, but look to be on the Giants with the east coast to west coast travel.

The Atlanta Falcons have an 8-16 record ATS over the last three seasons. The Falcons have chosen to build a run-first offense in a league thats becoming more and more pass-heavy. The Falcons open the season at home against the Carolina Panthers.

The Andy Dalton Panthers in Week 1 wont be a public team. No one is going to be on Panthers this week. The line is currently Falcons -3. See if the line moves ahead of this matchup and look to jump on Panthers if it gets above four points.

The Arizona Cardinals are only slightly better at 9-15 ATS over the past three seasons at home. Were already fading against the Giants in Week 2. The next matchup that looks like an auto-fade is the Week 12 game against the Los Angeles Rams in Glendale. The Rams are road favorites at -2, but what if they somehow stay healthy? This line could balloon if the Rams can keep their key players on the field as they look to make one more run.

The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-18 on the road over the last three seasons. That includes a 2-6 mark that was tied for the worst in the league last year. The Eagles win but rarely cover big numbers away from home.

The Eagles are on the road against New England in Week 1 and get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. Keep an eye on those lines, but New England needs to be more than +5 before sharps jump on. Finally, the Eagles face the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 5. The line is currently Rams +6. If that starts to balloon to seven or eight, jump on the Rams.

The Jets are 9-15 on the road over the last three seasons. Theyve upgraded the quarterback position from Zach Wilson to Aaron Rodgers for 2023, but its still mostly the same core around Rodgers. The Jets are at Buffalo in Week 12, and the line is only Bills -4. However, that line could rise quickly if theres an injury or Rodgers struggles out of the gate. Look to jump on the Bills with the Jets traveling.

Do you want to stay up to date on the latest team previews and early picks for the 2023 NFL season? The Sports Gambling Podcast Network has you covered from all angles. Whether youre checking out the original Sports Gambling Podcast or the NFL Gambling Podcast, weve got the betting tips and trends you need to beat the books this year. So stick with our experts and LET IT RIDE!

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2023 NFL Betting Trends: Which Key Betting Trends Will Impact the ... - SGPN

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at the Bloomberg Business Summit in New York, said

I wonder how many addicted gamblers placed the first bet they ever made on an NBA game. !!

" We have players gambling on airplane trips loosing all kinds of $

Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at the Bloomberg Business Summit in New York, said

I wonder how many addicted gamblers placed the first bet they ever made on an NBA game. !!

" We have players gambling on airplane trips loosing all kinds of $ '.

Commissioner Adam Silver, speaking at the Bloomberg Business Summit in New York, said

I wonder how many addicted gamblers placed the first bet they ever made on an NBA game. !!

" We have players gambling on airplane trips loosing all kinds of $ '.

SEE BELOW

Just look at some of the headlines in the past================

Multiple NBA sources say Allen Iverson is facing alcohol and gambling issues that have derailed his career and threaten his post-basketball well-being,

Charles Barkley claims gambling problem has cost him $10M

Antoine Walker has a scheduled court in Las Vegas in a case involving an $822,500 gambling debt.

Michael Jordan was spotted at the baccarat pit of an Atlantic City casino in the wee hours of the morning before game two of the Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA referee Tim Donaghy is now in recovery for his gambling addiction. "I kept waiting for a Knicks game when Stafford, Bavetta and Kersey were working together. It was like knowing the winning lottery numbers before the drawing!")

Just look at some of the headlines in the past================

rookies earlier this season . . . and it's amazing how many confided to me that they have gambling habits. I'm not going to mention their names, but if I did, you would know them" ``I personally got involved in compromising games with players, and it all came through their gambling habits.' ( THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT -May 11, 1996 )

Athletes may be more vulnerable than the general population when you look at the soft signs of compulsive gambling: high levels of energy; unreasonable expectations of winning; very competitive personalities; distorted optimism;

And over the years, I have spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem. One NCAA study a few years ago reported: "There is a disturbing trend of gambling among athletes in college" You can't think that these people will get into the pros and then just stop gambling.

The National Gambling Study Commission said that there are "5 million compulsive gamblers and 15 million at risk in the U.S" Forty-eight percent of the people who gamble bet on sports

And over the years, I have spoken to many college and professional athletes who had a gambling problem. One NCAA study a few years ago reported: "There is a disturbing trend of gambling among athletes in college" You can't think that these people will get into the pros and then just stop gambling.

IF U MIGHT LIKE A COPY OF OUR BOOK == ALL BETS ARE OFF LET ME KMOW

Arnie and Sheila Wexler have provided extensive training on Compulsive, Problem and Underage Gambling, to more than 40,000 gaming employees (personnel and executives) and have written Responsible Gaming Programs for major gaming companies. In addition, they have worked with Gaming Boards and Regulators, presented educational workshops nationally and internationally and have provided expert witness testimony. Sheila Wexler is the Executive Director of the Compulsive Gambling Foundation

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N B A AND GAMBLING just give them a piece of the action ... - NewsReleaseWire.com

California

Proponents hope a sleek inter-city service between the two US cities will revolutionize public transportation in the region and reduce the amount of cars on the road

Sun 14 May 2023 01.00 EDT

The last time someone tried to run an eye-catching passenger train from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, in the early 1970s, it was more like a cruise ship than a regular rail service, a rollicking ride along an old freight line with booze, gambling and live music nicknamed the Crapshooters Express. It left California on a Friday and returned its passengers drunker, poorer and not always happier in time for work on Monday morning.

The idea did not catch on, largely because the journey took seven-and-a-half hours each way, almost twice as long as crossing the Mojave desert by car and more than seven times as long as flying. On the trains star-studded inaugural run, the scotch, bourbon, gin and vodka all ran out within an hour. Amtrak agreed to run the service only because the Las Vegas chamber of commerce agreed to cover any losses and then only on weekends during the winter months. Passenger numbers fell off precipitously and after going through a few different iterations, the venture collapsed.

Now, though, the idea is being revived, not as an exercise in decadence and debauchery, but as a sleek, high-speed inter-city service with the potential to revolutionize public transportation across the United States.

Many ambitious US high-speed rail projects have come and gone over the past 15 years. The most ambitious of all a bullet train that aims to whisk passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in less than three hours remains stuck in a seemingly endless limbo. Public and private sector experts agree, though, that the LA-Las Vegas project holds a different kind of promise and as currently projected could be up and running as soon as 2027.

Unlike the California high-speed project, this one is not government-run but rather a private-public partnership led by a Florida-based company, Brightline, that already runs a successful commuter line from Miami to Palm Beach, soon to be extended to Orlando. The ambition is to build an all-electric train that can hit a maximum speed of 186 mph and make the journey from Las Vegas to the Los Angeles area in a little over two hours.

The route would initially run from Las Vegas to a suburb on the LA commuter rail network. The company has indicated it wants to keep the cheapest one-way ticket at around $100, making it competitive with the cost of air travel.

So far at least, the line has avoided the pitfalls that tend to plague large-scale rail projects and send their budgets soaring. Brightline hasnt had to worry much about buying land or obtaining right of way permits, because Las Vegas construction magnate Tony Marnell obtained the rights to build a track down the median of I-15, the desert highway linking Sin City to southern California, years before selling the project to Brightline in 2018.

The route doesnt require a lot of expensive bridges or viaducts and environmental approvals have been relatively straightforward since the rail bed wont do much damage that the highway isnt already incurring.

Perhaps most strikingly, Brightline has proved adept at winning political support for its plans and is now in line for a $3.75bn federal grant through Joe Bidens signature infrastructure bill that would allow construction to begin this summer. (The rest of the projected $12bn budget will be raised by Brightlines parent company, a major private equity fund called the Fortress Investment Group.)

Over the past few weeks, the company signed an agreement with labor unions in Nevada and California, promising to use their members when hiring an anticipated 10,000 construction workers. It also lined up a bipartisan group of members of Congress from both states to write to the Biden administration in support of its plans.

A less savvy company might have run into a wall of resistance from California politicians anxious to direct as much funding as possible towards their own high-speed line, which has been in the works since voters approved a ballot initiative to fund it in 2008. If anything, though, the opposite has happened.

Fiona Ma, the California state treasurer, was once one of the most vocal proponents of the Los Angeles to San Francisco line but became convinced, soon after hearing Brightlines proposal five years ago, that the Las Vegas line and the private ownership behind it pointed to a more promising future.

Any high-speed rail network, Ma said in an interview, should not be run by the government. She lamented the wasted time and money that has hamstrung the California high-speed rail project. And she pointed to problems with some of Californias regional commuter lines as other examples of public bodies that struggle to run a clean, safe, profitable service. Government is not in the business of being efficient, thats the bottom line, she added.

Ma grew up loving trains she was raised on Long Island and couldnt imagine traveling into New York City any other way. When she traveled to Florida to see the Brightline operation first-hand, she was blown away not just by the ease of riding its line along the Atlantic coast but also by the attractiveness of the stations and the way they were inducing other investors to develop the surrounding land. Oh my god, we need to have this system, she remembered thinking. They were doing everything right and reviving the neighborhoods where these train stations were.

Ma has taken some heat for allying herself so closely with a private company. Internal documents obtained by Bloomberg News show that her staff worked hand-in-glove with Brightline when the company was applying for California state funding, and a Brightline staffer with Capitol Hill experience helped edit lobbying letters sent under Mas name to members of Congress. But to her this is not a sign of political favoritism it is a high-stakes battle for the countrys future, and cooperation, she insists, is a normal part of any public-private partnership. (Brightline, for its part, said that since it was a government-licensed enterprise, engaging with elected officials wasnt just desirable but a requirement.) The end goal, Ma added, was to get cars off congested roads, combat climate crisis and create the conditions for healthy job growth and community development. But the window for doing so was narrow, with minimal room for further error.

In 2021, around the time that the infrastructure bill was moving through Congress, Ma wrote a letter to Washington lawmakers saying it was not enough simply to throw billions of dollars at high-speed rail projects, as happened when the Obama administration invested close to $11bn, with not a single mile of completed track to show for it.

A repeat effort that spends billions without getting any new lines operational after another decade will be the death of high-speed rail in America, she warned. There is simply no way the public will continue to support such an agenda.

Such public impatience has been particularly evident among Republicans, who tend to regard rail as the embodiment of everything they hate about big government. There are exceptions Brightlines home state, Florida, is run by Republicans and a number of GOP members (13 in the House, 19 in the Senate) threw their support behind the infrastructure bill but Ma is keenly aware that the time for effective action is now, with the White House occupied by a man nicknamed Amtrak Joe.

Theres pressure on everyone to get it done, she said in her interview.

A similar sense of urgency propels Brightline, not for partisan political reasons but because it sees a unique business opportunity and believes the United States cannot compete globally if it doesnt embrace rail. China has 26,000 miles of high-speed rail. We have zero, is a mantra often repeated by company employees and by Wes Edens, the billionaire co-founder of Fortress Investment.

The one significant downside was that the line, as Brightline inherited it, stopped at the hardscrabble desert town of Victorville, about 90 miles short of downtown Los Angeles. Over the past five years, however, Brightline has managed to make plans for another 49 miles to Rancho Cucamonga, a suburban community on the LA Metrolink commuter rail system, and it hopes to be able to build further connections going forward.

If the project comes to fruition, Brightline hopes it will be the first of many high-speed links between cities that are, as it phrases it, too close for flying but too far for driving Charlotte and Atlanta; Seattle and Portland; Dallas, Austin and Houston; Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, St Louis and Detroit. This will be the first high-speed rail line in the country, and it can serve as a blueprint for how we make these systems in America over the next couple of decades, Brightline spokesperson Ben Porritt said. Its important to show that this can be done.

Ma, the state treasurer, has similarly high hopes for what could follow from a successful and profitable LA-Las Vegas route. She hopes, first of all, that it will force changes on the California high-speed line whether that means an act of the legislature or another ballot initiative to remove some of the strictures that have proved unworkable and, if she has her way, to open the project up to private as well as public investment. She disclosed that she has told Brightlines leadership: One day you will run the system.

As Ma talked to the Guardian, she was sitting in a government car in four solid lanes of freeway traffic and watched as a Bart commuter train easily overtook her on the east side of the San Francisco Bay. Im not happy, she said as she described the scene over the phone. Drivings becoming more difficult and airfare is becoming expensive I believe in trains.

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Music, booze, gambling the old Los Angeles-Las Vegas rail had it all. Can a new high-speed project fill the void? - The Guardian US

Financially desperate Britons are increasingly turning to gambling as a quick fix as wealth levels fall to historic lows, a study suggests.

The annual LifeSearch Health, Wealth and Happiness Index compiled by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) fell 11% over the last year to lows not seen since the height of the pandemic.

The wealth index fell to the lowest level since 2013, with 52% of people feeling worse off than they did a year ago.

Almost one in three Britons (29%) have had to raid their savings over the past year to cover rising living costs, one in 12 (8%) have had to ask their families for money and one in 10 (11%) have been forced to take on more debt, a survey for the study found.

The figures show a stark increase in gambling on a year ago, when around a third of people said they had gambled at least once over the past year, spending an average of 43 a month.

Almost 1.5 million people (3%) this year admitted they had turned to gambling as a quick fix solution to their financial problems, upping either the frequency or the amount they gamble or both in the past 12 months and spending an average of 268 more each month.

Men are twice as likely to be gambling more now than they were a year ago, while younger people are also more at risk and are already more likely to gamble in the first place.

Last year, 46% of 18 to 34-year-olds said they gambled significantly higher than the UK average of 32%.

Additionally, one in 20 (5%) under-35s are gambling more compared to just one in 100 (1%) people aged 55 and over.

Ministers are undertaking the most comprehensive review of gambling laws in 15 years to ensure they are fit for the digital age following an explosion in online betting and a string of high-profile cases where customers have suffered huge losses or taken their own lives.

Gambling companies are to be forced to step up checks on punters to better protect even those unable to afford small losses under plans to tackle addiction announced in last months gambling white paper.

Story continues

Plans also include maximum stakes for online slot machines of between 2 and 15 for all customers subject to consultation and a new statutory levy which will see gambling companies required to fund more groundbreaking research, education and treatment.

Emma Walker, chief growth officer at LifeSearch, said: Many people have had to adjust their spending to cope with the soaring cost of living, with 29% forced to use their savings while others feel they have cut back so much that they have run out of options, which is perhaps why in desperation many are turning to gambling to find a quick fix, made so much easier by the multitude of online gambling options now available.

Our research shows that men and younger people are most at risk. Under-35s are more likely to gamble in the first place, more likely to have upped their habit in the past year and spend more than other age groups.

This is a very worrying trend because, while gambling may be seen as a magic solution, it is much more likely to make a financial situation worse, and with easy access to bets and other gambling via mobile phone apps, it can easily spiral out of control.

And while there is no quick fix, when finances are uncertain, it is important for people to look at protecting themselves and their families financially putting the right insurances in place can give peace of mind from any future financial shocks that may impact their income.

A Government spokesperson said: Millions of people gamble safely. However, there are too many cases of addiction and catastrophic financial loss.

Thats why were committed to protecting those at riskof gambling harmby taking forward new measuresoutlined in our Gambling White Paper last month.

This includes player protection checks, a levy on gambling operators to pay for treatment, education and research and online slot stake limits to prevent runaway losses.

Opinium surveyed 3,006 UK adults between April 4-10.

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Financially desperate Britons increasingly turning to gambling quick fix - Yahoo Finance UK

Businesses in every industry need to embrace new technologies like AI if they want to stay competitive. Slotegrator experts rate innovations in the gambling industry.

Every day theres a new headline about how AI, NFTs, Web3, the Metaverse, and ChatGPT are going to fundamentally change our lives. Whether you love them or fear them, learning to use them is fast becoming a necessity.

A new survey from the World Economic Forum found that 60% of people around the world expect that products and services using AI will profoundly change their daily life in the next 3-5 years.

AI-powered Midjourney is a powerful tool for art and design; ChatGPT has obviously been making waves since its release in November of last year. Lets look through the most popular technologies in the gambling sphere.

1) Artificial intelligence (AI) has made unbelievable advances and has a dazzling array of uses. Online casino platforms use AI for data collection, handling player support through chatbots, and automating many of the casinos daily processes. Grand View Research estimated the global AI market was valued at $62.35 billion in 2020, and it is predicted that this would rise to more than $930 billion by 2028.

2) NFT casinos also appeal to a wide audience: NFTs can be used as in-game tokens and to place deposits, but they can also be a reward in themselves; younger generations will play because, besides the traditional motives to gamble, theyre very interested in collecting digital assets. You can read more about NFTs here.

3) ChatGPT presents some amazing opportunities: it can analyze large amounts of data in real-time to provide bettors with up-to-date information and insights about teams, players, and events. ChatGPT can learn a bettor's preferences, betting history, and other factors to provide personalized betting recommendations that are tailored to the bettor's individual needs. It can also provide bettors with betting strategies and tips that are based on historical data, trends, and other factors, as well as monitoring odds and lines from multiple sportsbooks in real time to identify the best betting opportunities for bettors. To learn more about ChatGPT in the gambling industry, read here.

4) Metaverse casinos allow operators to create a full virtual life for players, who can participate in any game they want poker, roulette, baccarat, etc. create an avatar, and most importantly visit any casino in the world and enjoy its unique atmosphere without leaving their homes.

Different markets embrace these technologies at their own pace, but the European market is the most open to adopting technologies, and the next is Canadian and Asian markets. LatAm and African markets are now focused on the mobile penetration and expansion of the internet; AI, the Metaverse, and others are the next level of embracing innovations for these countries.

In the next two years, the gambling industry will develop AI and Metaverse technologies. The former helps to improve customer service and analyze the maximum number of users, as well as having other Big Data applications. The second Metaverse helps to create an immersive atmosphere and enhance customer experience. The gambling industry should engage players with exciting and emotional experiences, and new tech can help operators do that, says Ayvar Gabidullin, Business Development Manager at Slotegrator.

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The most popular innovations in the gambling industry: Slotegrator ... - Yogonet International