Daily Archives: October 7, 2020

Democrats and GOP still fighting over $600 jobless benefits. Where things stand – CNBC

Posted: October 7, 2020 at 8:49 am

The U.S. Capitol stands in Washington, D.C., U.S. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Talks Thursday between Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brought no immediate breakthrough on a deal for a new pandemic relief package, while the House prepared to vote on a Democrat-only plan.

Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Democrats and Republicans still seem unable to find common ground on enhanced unemployment benefits, more than two months after the expiration of a prior, $600 weekly subsidy that had buoyed household income for millions.

White House officials and senior congressional Democrats were still trying to hammer out details of a fifth financial relief package through Tuesday afternoon to help counter the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump upended those talks around 3 pm E.T. on Tuesday, tweeting that he was instructing White House representatives to cease negotiations until after election day in early November. It wasn't immediately clear whether that was a hard line or a negotiating tactic.

Unemployment benefits appeared to be a key sticking point in the negotiations, despite consensus in other areas like stimulus checks and aid for small businesses.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 1.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images

It's unclear whether congressional Republicans would support a $400-a-week policy or a bill with an overall price tag as high as the White House proposal.

"Negotiations are ongoing," according to a White House spokesman said Monday. "The White House continues to reach out to Democrats in good faith to try and reach a deal on delivering relief to American workers."

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during a Senate hearing on Sept. 24.

Toni L. Sandys-Pool/Getty Images

Some experts remain hopeful lawmakers can still come to an agreement, especially as unemployment remains high seven months into the economic crisis and the presidential election looms in a month's time.

"I think there's tremendous pressure on both sides to pass something," said Michele Evermore, a senior policy analyst at the National Employment Law Project. "Nobody wants to go home and campaign on, 'We didn't give you anything.'"

Republicans have criticized the supplement as a disincentive to return to work since it paid many people more than they'd earned on the job.

While anecdotal evidence suggests this may have been the case for some businesses, numerous economic studies found that, in aggregate, the $600 enhancement didn't discourage people from looking for work or accepting job offers.

"Expanded UI benefits from the CARES Act appeared to be an important source of aggregate stimulus rather than an impediment to labor market improvement," according to a paper published last month by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Democrats want to extend the $600 weekly payments, which come on top of state-allotted aid, to help bolster consumer spending and the U.S. economy as signs have emerged that the recovery is sputtering.

"We still have a massive gap in the labor market, and job growth is slowing," said Heidi Shierholz, director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute and a former chief economist at the Department of Labor during the Obama administration.

The unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in September after businesses added 661,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That rate is down from a 14.7% peak in April, the highest recorded since the Great Depression.

There are 10.7 million fewer jobs now than in February before the pandemic-induced recession, according to the bureau. The true figure likely exceeds 12 million jobs when factoring in prevailing monthly job growth trends that had been occurring pre-pandemic, Shierholz said.

President Donald Trump appears intent on passing another relief package before the November election.

"OUR GREAT USA WANTS & NEEDS STIMULUS. WORK TOGETHER AND GET IT DONE," Trump tweeted Saturday from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he'd been receiving treatment for Covid-19.

The Trump administration had enacted a Lost Wages Assistance program in August that offered a $300 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits for up to six weeks, paid for with federal disaster relief funds. (A few states paid an extra $100, for a total of $400.)

Workers in some states haven't yet received that aid, however, due to administrative delays. And hundreds of thousands of workers, primarily low-income and part-time workers, weren't eligible for that money due to program guidelines.

If Congress and the White House reach a deal on unemployment benefits, a relief measure may be delayed by lack of common ground elsewhere, like additional aid for state and local governments. And extra jobless aid would likely only last for a few months.

"I do think there's been some progress made, and now it's [down to] whether they'll get something all the way through," Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, said of relief talks. "Even if this thing passes, they'll have to come back to it in December or January."

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Democrats and GOP still fighting over $600 jobless benefits. Where things stand - CNBC

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Jim Cramer: Here’s Why the President Is Gambling With Stimulus – RealMoney

Posted: at 8:49 am

You knew fromMonday's bizarre session, when everything couldn't go up, that you couldn't have the Biden stocks-- the stocks of companies that want business in China -- and the Trump stocks -- the opening of America trade -- both work at the same time.

You knew that one had to be wrong.

But both?

That was surprising and disappointing to all of those people who have lost their jobs or are about to lose their jobs, because the enterprises they are working for don't have enough money to pay for them. The airlines? They are like milk with a past due date for their employees. You have to wonder where the 14 million people involved in the hospitality industry are going to go with their pink slips.

Maybe all of the newly unemployed can learn how to swing a hammer and hit some nails into Lennar (LEN) bought two-by-fours to take advantage of the red hot housing market.

I know there were plenty of people who just wanted to surge the wave of new money coming from Washington. This is a market that thrives on liquidity and the president just pulled the plug on the ocean of cash that seemed to be headed to peoples' pockets.

What drives this decision, one that seemed to be unthinkable as long as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to chat daily about numbers? They seemed to be getting closer, not further away, until President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House from Walter Reed Hospital.

Plus, speaking of surprise factor, not that long before the Twitter-announced pull, Fed Chief Jay Powellsaid that he favored doing more, not less, because the possibilities of downside were worth avoiding pretty much at all costs.

I think it's a calculated risk taken by President Trump that the economy is stronger than most in Washington and Wall Street think. He's a huge believer that we have a "V"-shaped recovery and he touts it every chance he can get, includingTuesday when he said that "the stock market is at record levels," which they were nearing before he pulled the plugged on the talks.

A president who tweets, "We are leading the world in Economic Recovery and THE BEST IS YET to come" is not one who will be trifling with negotiators trying to beat the election with a deal. Plus, the president made it clear that after the election, "we will pass a major stimulus bill that focuses on hardworking Americans and Small Business."

Can the small businesses hold out until after the election? Can the airlines make it with their cascading losses? How about the hotels that are in arrears? How about the renters who won't pay and the landlords about to go into default? How about the states that are bleeding from their eyeballs because of the pandemic?

Once again, at the risk of sounding heartless -- as someone who just closed his restaurant, because how long can you afford to be a restaurant without any customers? --itwon't matter to the stock market. That's because the stock market is reflecting a triumph of big business over small business and when the smoke clears that will be evident.

Why isn't the president much more worried than he is, and why is he more confident than Jay Powell about the economy?

I think it's because his aides are conscious that there are lots of areas of the economy that are red-hot and will stay red hot regardless of the stimulus. Let's just call them the non-stimulus-needing portions of the economy that rely on people who has jobs, not the ones who don't.

First among these are homes. As long as pandemic rages, there is going to be an exodus from cities to the suburbs and those people need homes. Of course, if you are out of work these low interest rates mean nothing to you. But if you have a job, you can use those low rates to buy a home and furnish it to your heart's content. This bull market could get crushed, if rates were going higher, but rates are sinking on the last of stimulus, so there's not much that's going to undermine this one. I like the housing stocks and I like the stocks of companies that are in the aisles of Home Depot (HD) and Lowe's (LOW) .

Speaking of Home Depot and Lowe's, they are real winners of a lack of stimulus, because many small businesses that were hoping for stimulus have now seen their hopes dashed and they can shut their doors. Target (TGT) , Walmart (WMT) and Costco (COST) are huge beneficiaries of a lack of stimulus. You can't get stronger than these guys, nowthat the remaining competition has to fold.

I absolutely love these stocks, because the lack of competition, and the share donating by loser department stores and small business people trying to make it to Christmas will continue with reckless abandon. This is also a huge win for the dollar stores, because that's where those who struggle to make ends meet do their shopping.

How about the autos? Did you see Group 1 Automotive (GPI) on Tuesday? I mean that thing was on fire, because sales were that strong, as strong as those of Carvana (CVNA) , AutoNation (AN) , Lithia Motors (LAD) and CarMax (KMX) . These are mostly used-car outfits -- precisely what you need if you aren't commuting to the office anymore, lest you have to go on public transit or carpool. The president may have little fear of Covid, but if you car pool or take public transit, you aren't going back to the office. You are buying a used car. You want to stretch the field? Buy the stock of Ford (F) , which is at the beginning of a nascent turnaround.

Needless to say, if you have enough money and you have a job you are back on your Peloton (PTON) , which is a boring, but worthwhile theme. You are still making use of the internet for shopping and you are getting a chance to buy some Amazon (AMZN) , right ahead of Amazon Prime on Oct. 13 and 14. You wouldn't see Federal Express (FDX) and United Parcel (UPS) up if that theme had gone bad.

And don't forget Yum! Brands (YUM) , Darden (DRI) and Chipotle (CMG) , the first two of which were down Monday as they are anti-stimulus stocks. That's because stimulus keeps the little restaurant alive until the vaccinearrives,and the latter is the last man standing.

Now, I don't want to be too glib here. Numbers will have to come down for a bunch of companies, but not much when it comes to technology, because technology supports the enterprise not individuals. You can watch until those sink a little lower and then pick some up. There will be people who say we will go into a recession, which I disagree with, but your buy list is shorter: Pepsico (PEP) , which just reported a great quarter, Conagra (CAG) , the same and Campbells (CPB) , too cheap to ignore. I like Bristol-Myers (BMY) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and Regeneron (REGN) when it comes to the recession-proof drug companies.

But don't out think it. This is a stock market that's filled with, and caters to, people who have jobs and work at solvent or growing businesses. There is a V-shaped recovery in homes. There is a U -recovery in autos. There was never even a downturn in Walmart, Amazon, Costco, Target, Home Depot and Lowe's.

They all work. As do the food and drugs and the stay-at-home, work-at-home Cramer Covid-19 stocks, because as much as it looked good that the president ripped of his mask, most of us will be putting them on extra tight this fall.

The rest of the companies? What can I say? You don't buy stocks in the small- and medium-sized businesses and you were never going to invest in Bar San Miguel, anyway.

(COST, UPS, AMZN, PEP, BMY, JNJare holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS member club. Want to be alerted before Jim Cramer buys or sells these stocks? Learn more now.)

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Jim Cramer: Here's Why the President Is Gambling With Stimulus - RealMoney

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Why Are Democrats Praying for the Speedy Recovery of a Fascist Dictator? – The Intercept

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House Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), on CNN, August 2, 2020

The typical reaction to the death of a tyrant whether by revolutionary violence or natural causes is not one ofgriefand sadness but joyous celebration. It is not hard to understand why: when a nation and its oppressed citizenryare finally liberated from the suffocating, savage grip of fascist dictatorship, they feel joy for themselves, their families and the future of their nation. That is the same reason people have always hoped for, or work toward, the death of despots: they want to rid themselves ofthose who impose tyranny on them.

When Romanians learned in 1989 of the summary execution of their despised dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, residents t[ook] to the streets to celebrate the downfall of the dictator. In 2006, many Chileans celebrated the death of dictator Augusto Pinochet, as a cacophony of horns sounded as hundreds of thousands took to streets and plazas across the country when it was announced the man who ruled ruthlessly for 17 years had died at age 91, a week after suffering a heart attack. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is dead, so celebrate we will, read a 2016 South Florida Sun-Sentinel op-ed by a Cuban-American who appeared to genuinely believe that Castro was a vicious dictator,and thus expressedthe natural, normal reaction of someone who believes a country has been freed from the grip of a despot. So typical is this reaction to the death of a leader perceived as a dictator that history is replete with countlesssimilarexamples over many decades and across the world.

Yet in the U.S., a radically different dynamic is playing out. Over the past several years, but particularly in the months heading into the 2020 election, it has become extremely common for prominent Democrats and their media allies to refer to President Trump as a dictator, a fascist, a tyrant hellbent on destroying U.S. democracy, a genocidal racist, and even a Nazi. And yet, the overwhelming reaction in those mainstream precincts to the news that the fascist dictator has contracted a potentially lethal virus is to hope and pray that he makes a speedy recovery whereby he can resume his democracy-destroying, genocidal, tyrannical, fascist rule.

In March of last year, as CNN put it, two powerful House Democrats invoked Adolf Hitlers actions in Germany and the treatment of Jews during World War I and in the 1920s to warn against the direction the US is moving in, with both saying Donald Trumps presidency presents an unprecedented threat to democracy.One of the Democratic lawmakers who explicitly invoked Nazism and Hitler as the proper prism to understand Trumps rule was House Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. Just two months ago, Clyburn went back on CNN and warned that Trump was preparing to hold despotic power even if he loses, pronouncing: I feel very strongly that he is Mussolini, Putin is Hitler.

CNN, March 20, 2019

Yet when Clyburn learnedthis week that our modern-day Hitler who is on the precipice of ending democracy had contracted a fatal virus, he did not celebrate but instead, for some reason, lamented the news, wishing the First Family a speedy and complete recovery. Why would you possibly wish a speedy recovery rather than a quick demise to someone you believe is a Hitler-like perpetrator of genocide whose recovery would enable fascism to continue? That seems counter-intuitive and counter-productive.

MSNBC star Rachel Maddow began invoking Nazismand Hitler in connection with Trump as early as 2016, when Politico reported that, once Trump secured the GOP nomination, the on-air personality has been reading up lately on Adolf Hitlers rise to power in Germany, the MSNBC anchor told Rolling Stone, because thats where she thinks the United States could be headed. Maddow has notoriously spent the last four years manically obsessed with the claim that Trump has such a corrupt relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin that it is the Kremlin, thanks to Trump, which secretly runs the U.S. and is using that power to plot harm to large numbers of Americans by, for instance, seizing the power tocut off their heat in the dead of winter. Maddow was explicitlylinking Trump to classic fascism as early as 2015.

Yet upon learning that the fascist, Kremlin-controlled, Nazi-like dictator had become ill, Maddow launched a one-woman crusade demanding that her fellow liberals pray earnestly for his recovery. She first posted an extremely effusive tweet: God bless the president and the first lady. If you pray, please pray for their speedy and complete recovery Presumably in response to widespread liberal confusion and criticisms wait, you spent four years telling us hes a fascist racist Nazi-likedespotand now youinsist that we pray for his health? Maddow devoted a segment on her show in which, with great passion and emotion, she urged her viewers to react to Trumps COVID diagnosiswith the same compassion and through the same prism as if a friend who smokes cigarettes learned she had lung cancer:

These sentiments were not unique to Maddow. Indeed, that all decent people should hope and pray for Trumps speedy recovery was the virtually unanimous consensus of leading Democratic Party figures, expressed by Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Jane and I wish the President and First Lady a full and speedy recovery, said the Vermont Senator.

How is this messaging we hope the racist fascist genocidal Nazi-like dictator gets well soon and returns to work? not creating extreme cognitive dissonance among those who believed that they actually were sincere in their maximalist denunciations and invocations of fascism and Nazismregarding Trump? Shouldnt liberals not just be confused but overtly disgusted at their leaders who want Trump to survive and return in full health to imposing fascism and genocide on Americans?

Here, for instance, is the fairly representative reaction of a left-wing political operative the Democratic Socialist of Americas Jack Califano, who served as the 2020 Sanders CampaignsDeputy Distributed Organizing Director to Maddows segment urging that all good liberals pray for Trumps recovery and avoid wishing ill on their fellow human being:

That reaction makes logical sense on its own terms. If one really does believe that Trump is a genocidal Nazi a Hitler-equivalent fascist dictator engaged in the deliberate mass slaughter of a particular ethnic or religious group (genocide) then it would be not just irrational but madness and moral bankruptcy to hope that the Nazi genocidal fascist makes a speedy recovery and returns to work. But thats exactly what virtually every prominent Democratic Party leaderis doing. Is Califano regretful about having worked for the presidential campaign of someone who sends warm wishes to a genocidal Nazi?

There are afew potential explanations that may account for this extremely unusual and confounding behavior of praying for, rather than against, the well-being of a fascist dictator. Perhaps Democratic leaders are simply pretending to be hoping for Trumps well-being for political purposes while secretly hoping that he suffers and dies. Or perhapsnational Democratic politicianshave ascended to a state of spiritualelevation rarely seen in modern political history, in which they are capable of praying for even those they most dislike, including ones they believe are imposing fascism on their nation? Or perhaps, maybe more likely, Democratic leaders do not really believe the things they have spent four years saying about Trump and, like George W. Bush and Dick Cheney before him, are applying such labels of historic evil to him for political advantage but still see him as one of them, whom they intend to rehabilitate and honor once he is out of power.

Whatever else is true, their behavior upon hearing that someone they claim toregard as a genocidal racist fascisttyrant has contracted a fatal virus is extremely unusual when compared to how people throughout history react when learning of similar news. It is worth interrogating what accounts for such a baffling dynamic.

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Online Gambling: The Top 3 Markets Around the World – The Jerusalem Post

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Top 3 Online Gambling Countries: Which Markets are the Biggest?Online gambling is a massive industry that spans the globe and employs hundreds of thousands of people. While the industry is global, there are certainly some markets that are bigger and more valuable than others, while others restrict online gambling to a point where it cant be considered as a legitimate industry at all.

We set out to find out which online gambling markets are the biggest and most valuable and which countries offer online casino operators the biggest opportunity for success. We included two of the current best markets for online gambling as well as the biggest up and coming market, which is the USA.

United States of America: The Great Up and Comer

The USA is not only one of the most populous countries in the world but also one of the richest. Besides that, the high percentage of people using the internet and mobile devices means that access to online gambling is available to nearly every adult American, provided online gambling operators are allowed to offer their services.

United Kingdom: Highly Regulated Online Gambling

United Kingdom has long been an absolute paradise for online gambling operators, considered British bookies above all else. All these major online gambling operators have been offering their services for year in the UK and the market has been growing steadily over the years.

The UK online gambling market raked in over 13 Billion GBP between April 2016 and May 2017 in gross yield and the numbers have continued to grow even further. With over 100,000 people working in the gambling sector in the UK, the country can easily be considered as the number one market for online gambling in the world.

One of the great reasons for the success of the online gambling industry in the UK is certainly the high spending capacity of the Brits, who dont mind chucking a portion of their hard earned salary to have some fun playing online gambling games. The tradition of sports betting in the UK is a long and powerful one, while online casino games have also caught on quite a bit. The UKGC remains the worlds number one licensing body for online gambling and some recent regulations may have a negative impact on the operators bottom line in the long run.

Europe: A Continent That Loves to Gamble

While some may associate Asia with gambling because of clichs, online gambling statistics are showing that Europe is in fact the continent most obsessed with this hobby. Of course, every country in Europe is a different story, but the wealthier Western nations all come quite high on the list of the countries that gamble online the most.

Scandinavians are at the top of the list with Sweden, Norway and Finland all falling in love with online slots and leading the way in European spend in these games. Germany, France, Netherlands and others also feature a high number of players and a reasonably high average bet size. Some of the European countries such as Sweden have set certain limits on online gambling during the coronavirus pandemic, but these are likely to be lifted at a later date.

Players from European countries tend to gamble at MGA licensed operators and while some countries now issue licenses of their own, many players continue to gamble at international operators with licenses in Curacao, Kahnawake and others.

Europe has been and remains one of the worlds premier markets for online gambling and the worlds seat of power for online gambling is situated in Malta, which is a part of the European Union. As such, all EU citizens are more or less able to gamble at MGA casinos and sportsbooks and are heavily targeted with ads from worlds leading gambling operators.

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How esports is quietly spawning a whole new generation of problem gamblers – The Next Web

Posted: at 8:49 am

Most large sports events came to an abrupt halt during the pandemic, but one category was not only unaffected but enjoyed accelerated growth: esports. Esports is the competitive playing of video games such as League of Legends, Fortnite and Fifa Football.

The audiences for the biggest titles are now enormous. Fortnite alone has around 78 million monthly players and professional tournaments draw in many millions of online spectators. League of Legends World Championship attracted over 100 million viewers in 2019 with a peak of 44 million. In comparison, the Wimbledon mens final 2019 peaked at around 9 million viewers.

Its not just the size of the audience thats different, its also their age. The average tennis spectator is 61, whereas esports spectators are on average 26.

Major bookmakers such as PaddyPower, Bet365 and Betway, along with many niche operators, are now offering bets on esports tournaments. Monthly esports betting revenues for UK operators rose 30-fold between March 2019 and March 2020, and by June they had more than doubled again.

The global esports betting market is expected to be worth up to $15 billion (12 billion) this year, compared with less than US$6 billion in 2016. This explosive growth has been fuelled by online advertising, which almost tripled during lockdown.

Esports Counter Strike global event in Moscow, September 2019. Roman Kosolapov

The danger is that younger people are being drawn to gamble on esports. In 2019, 17% of esports gamblers were aged 18-24. In general, more and more UK 16-34-year-olds are gambling, and the average age of gamblers is decreasing. The number of problem gamblers aged 11-16 has also quadrupled to more than 50,000 in just two years. This comes at a time when93% of UK children play video games, averaging three hours a day and a growing number also follow professional esports teams.

There is scant research into whether esports gaming leads to gambling, but our study in 2019 found children heavily engaged with tweets from esports bookmakers and their affiliates. And regulators cant keep up. During the recent House of Lords inquiry into gambling, Guy Parker, chief executive of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), admitted he finds it almost impossible to track and regulate online gambling advertising.

Our research, sponsored by GambleAware and in collaboration with Ipsos MORI, the thinktank Demos and the University of Sussex, analysed 880,000 tweets from 417 UK-based accounts related to gambling operators. We looked at data from their 621,000 UK-based followers, and the 166,969 UK-based individuals who engaged with these tweets by commenting, liking or sharing them. We analyzed tweets related to both traditional sports and esports betting, with the latter making up about a tenth of the accounts studied.

We identified three particular concerns. First, people following esport gambling accounts are very young. We found that 17% of followers were under 16, and another 69% were aged 16-23. In other words, 85% of esports betting-account followers are under 24. The same is true for those commenting on, liking or sharing these tweets: 28% were under 16, and 66% were aged 16-23.

Second, the advertising techniques used by gambling operators are somewhat different from those used for traditional sports (with an older audience). Rather than getting people to sign up or make impulsive gambles by offering free bets, matched bets or sign-up bonuses, esports betting appears to concentrate much more on tweets that are funny, using gifs, memes and esports insider-knowledge.

This content doesnt look like a hard sell or an incitement to gamble. Children might not even realise it is commercial content designed to make them part with their money, and might do little to resist.

Funny stuff is also highly shareable. As these posts are circulated on social media, more children who may have previously had no interest in gambling are inadvertently looped in. So while gambling is illegal for many engaging with these adverts, with a minimum age of 18 in the UK, a positive image is slowly and implicitly building in the back of their minds.

Third, when our researchers analyzed a sample of all the tweets in depth, many appeared to contravene the UKs CAP gambling advertising code. We found esports gambling tweets that used cartoons and animated characters, associated themselves with youth culture or featured esports stars under 25 years old. All of this activity breaches the code.

Other research has highlighted issues with gambling advertising potentially appealing to children, but our focus on esports highlights a worrying trend that has been under the radar of researchers and policymakers.

With the pandemic unlikely to disappear soon, esports playing, following and betting will continue to grow. We need to act now to stop social-media advertising turning childrens gaming into gambling.

After reading our research, the Gambling Commission and ASA sent all UK esports betting operators a reminder of the advertising rules, and published a response to the findings pointing out that many tweets were from non-UK operators and therefore beyond the remit of the CAP code.

However, we found that it is possible in many cases for children to click through to non-UK sites and open accounts by saying they are 18, highlighting a major effectiveness issue with a UK-focused code in a world of international social media. We also believe that the ASA needs to call more UK transgressors to account with sanctions for those who fail to comply.

In our view, the rules do not adequately address the peculiarities of social-media marketing, where funny content can quickly and effectively make esports betting more appealing to children and normalise the link between popular games and gambling. An awareness campaign for parents is also needed. Many parents might know that their children are playing esports in their bedrooms or following professional tournaments, but most are probably unaware of the strong link with betting. Last but not least, we also need a lot more research.

Asked to comment, a spokesperson for the Betting and Gaming Council, which represents most operators in the UK betting industry, said:

We are committed to driving up standards in the betting and gaming industry. It is illegal for anyone under 18 to bet with any of our members and we operate strict age and identification measures to prevent anyone underage accessing these products.

We have also taken further steps to prevent young people from seeing betting adverts. From October 1, the updated industry code for socially responsible advertising means that all sponsored or paid-for adverts on search engines must make clear the products are only for those aged over 18, while YouTube users will need to have age-verified accounts before they can view betting adverts. BGC members will also have to frequently post responsible betting messages on their Twitter accounts.

We look forward to the governments forthcoming gambling review, which we hope will lead to a crackdown on black market operators who have no interest in safer gambling or protecting their customers and do not work to the same responsible standards as BGC members.

This article is republished from The ConversationbyRaffaello Rossi, Doctoral Researcher in Marketing, University of Bristol and Agnes Nairn, Professor of Marketing, University of Bristolunder a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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How esports is quietly spawning a whole new generation of problem gamblers - The Next Web

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Democrats: Americans Shouldnt Have Wait For Coronavirus Relief – MyMotherLode.com

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Microphone and US Flag

During the Democratic Weekly Address, Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) stated that a deal on the next round of coronavirus relief needs to be reached because Americans shouldnt have to wait any longer.

Kilmer was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

Hello, Im Congressman Derek Kilmer, and I proudly represent Washington States sixth congressional district and serve as the Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition. Id like to start by wishing the President, the First Lady and all those who are suffering from COVID-19 a full and speedy recovery.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the biggest public health crisis of our lifetime and has created the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Responding to a challenge of this magnitude requires bold action. Thats why, back in May, nearly five months ago, the House passed the Heroes Act, a comprehensive coronavirus relief package to deliver help to the frontline. But since that time, the Republican-led Senate has simply dragged its feet, and theyve failed to pass any bill, let alone one thats adequate.

So, this week the House took action yet again, passing an updated version of the Heroes Act, a proposed compromise, but one that will still deliver support to our frontline workers, provide additional direct assistance to families and small businesses, support critical operations for state, local and tribal governments and invest in our nations testing capacity so we can crush this virus. House Democrats moved forward with this bill because we want to do all we can to make sure the American people get all the help they need.

Unfortunately, weve seen a different approach from Senate Republicans and President Trump. In their case, lets pause, has been the mantra. But the people I represent are facing challenges that arent pausing. They need help right now.

When my office has gotten outreach from people who have lost their job or lost their business due to this pandemic, Ive tried to reach out to those folks personally. Ive heard a lot of pain.

Just recently, I spoke to a mom from Port Angeles, my hometown, who said shed worked her entire life until this March when she lost her job. She told me she used to donate to her local food bank, and this month, for the first time, she got help from her local food bank. She said she was struggling to feed her family. Her bills arent pausing. And this updated version of the Heroes Act provides direct support for families to pay their bills and put food on the table.

I spoke to a dad in Bremerton who said he was pounding the pavement looking for work but, in the meantime, was really afraid that his family could lose its home because he simply hasnt been able to make payments. His mortgage payments arent pausing. The Heroes Act we passed this week provides rental and mortgage assistance.

I spoke to a small business owner from Tacoma who broke down as he discussed taking 30 years to build his business, and then having to shut it down. He had planned to pass that family business down to his kids. Main Street employers who are hurting cant wait for the help they need to keep folks on the payroll. This bill provides that help to small businesses and non-profits and provides a lifeline to local restaurants that are struggling to weather this storm.

I spoke to schoolteachers who have seen their lives turned upside-down. More resources are needed so that teachers can continue to teach and students, including my two kids, can continue to learn safely. This bill provides those resources to support our educators and our public schools.

I spoke to a Mayor who is trying to figure out how to pay our heroes, like the first responders and public health workers who keep us safe. This bill provides critical support to ensure they dont get laid off at a time when theyre needed the most.

Folks, these challenges arent just happening in my neck of the woods. Theyre happening in communities all around this country. And economists across the political spectrum agree that, in the absence of further federal action, America faces the real risk of a prolonged recession or even a full-scale depression.

I think what sometimes gets lost in these marble buildings in D.C. is that this is about delivering help For The People. Most people agree with the notion that families shouldnt have to worry about paying their bills or putting food on the table as a consequence of circumstances beyond their control. Thats why weve passed a bill to ensure that families and workers arent getting left behind.

Folks agree that health care workers shouldnt have to worry about getting the personal protective equipment they need to be safe and to care for patients. They agree that sick people should be able to get a test and should have affordable care. Thats why weve passed a bill to provide the resources that health care workers and patients need.

The New Democrat Coalition has been pushing for action and House Democrats are working in good faith to reach a deal that meets the needs of folks in communities across the country. The House vote this week furthers our efforts toward an agreement.

Now, more than ever, we need our Republican colleagues and President Trump to continue negotiating so we can finally secure a relief package that is desperately needed by our fellow Americans.

The American people need action. They need a deal because, quite frankly, they shouldnt have to wait any longer.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.

Written by Mark Truppner.

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Ten tips for gambling safely and to help avoid Bet Regret – Goal.com

Posted: at 8:49 am

BeGambleAware is a charity that aims to keep people safe from gambling harms by offering tools and tips to help recognise the risks associated with it

Betting on sports is a popular activity around the world but it is all too easy to find yourself becoming addicted to gambling and betting impulsively, which can lead to Bet Regret.

Bet Regret is that sinking feeling you get the minute you make an impulsive bet, often when drunk, bored or chasing losses.

BeGambleAware is a charity that provides information to help people gamble safely and keep people safe from gambling harms, and they have ten top tips to help you gamble safely.

Gambling should be seen as a form of entertainment, much like going to the cinema. The venue, whether it be a casino or a cinema, is designed to take your money in exchange for you enjoying yourself for a couple of hours. They are not there for you to take money from them.

Only ever gamble with disposable income and never use money that needs to be saved to pay bills or rent. It is also worth allocating a portion of that disposable income for entertainment purposes, and then use a portion of that for gambling.

Allocating a part of your disposable income for gambling allows you to have a set total. It is vitally important that when that money is gone, it is time to stop, and if you happen to win then you should not push your luck with the winnings.

It is easy to get wrapped up in gambling and lose track of time, so the best away around this is simply to set an alarm and when the alarm goes off, stop gambling.

It is no secret that casinos all around the world are free of clocks and windows, making it even easier to gamble for a long time without even realising it.

Chasing losses is one of biggest mistakes that any gambler can make as it almost invariably results in further losses. If you are chasing losses, you should be stricter with your money limit otherwise you may experience Bet Regret.

Making decisions is typically more difficult when you're stressed, upset, or otherwise emotional, and gambling is an activity that requires a clear head to ensure you remain focused and sensible.

As stated above, gambling is a form of entertainment and as with everything, a healthy balance with other activities is good to have. If gambling starts to become your only form of entertainment it can quickly take the enjoyment out of it, and that is when a problem can develop.

If you go to a casino or sportsbook, then leave your cards at home and only take cash. This enables you to be strict with your money limits as there is then no way for you to chase any losses.

Taking breaks when gambling can help you avoid Bet Regret. If you have been gambling for an extended period, it is very easy to become wrapped up in gambling and simply by tapping out of the app, you can assess whether it is worth continuing to gamble.

Drugs and alcohol cloud judgment, and they both make it incredibly difficult to make informed decisions.

BeGambleAware also provides a host of other suggestions about how to gamble safely as well as a variety of resources to help you if you or someone you know has a gambling problem.

For further information, as well as access to support and advice, visit BeGambleAware.org .

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What Biden Means When He Says, I Am the Democratic Party – The American Prospect

Posted: at 8:49 am

At the debate in Cleveland last week, Joe Biden spent a good deal of time getting shouted over by Donald Trump. But one exchange where the Democratic nominee was emphatic and clear came when Trump said, Your party wants to go socialist medicine and socialist healthcare. Biden made clear why that wouldnt happen.

I am the Democratic Party right now, Biden said. The platform of the Democratic Party is what I, in fact, approved of, what I approved of.

Biden was both right and wrong, in ways that will define the next four years (at least) if he should become president.

Need for collective will as eSports industry grapples with unregulated gambling – Firstpost

Posted: at 8:49 am

Recent incidents have shown that there is a greater need to regulate the gambling industry within eSports and the remedial steps must come in the form of a collective effort from the entire eSports and gaming community.

In the last few days, a famous professional Dota 2 player has revealed that he received some borderline death threats. The player is convinced that the death threats have been made to him by people who lost money betting.

Threats being made to famous eSports professional is not very new and there have been a few incidents related to it over the years. As the industry is becoming more established and proving the fact that it is a mainstay for the future, threats being made against players by people who lose money while betting is a cause for concern.

On 2 October, Jonas 'SabeRLight' Volek revealed on Twitter that he received some unsavoury messages that could be considered as borderline death threats. He also made the claim that the messages he received are nothing compared to the messages received by some of his friends. The messages were received on the back of a defeat that his team faced in a recent online tournament.

Following this incident, another Dota 2 player, Rasmus Johan 'Chessie' Blomdin, has also come out revealing that he received threats. He stated that he has been receiving threats after every alternate defeat his team suffers in tournaments.

In the past, there have been some other incidents that left most of the community quite ashamed of the behaviour displayed by a few. Way back in 2015, team Vici Gaming received ISIS videos in their inbox along with death threats. That same year, Peter 'PPD' Dager, who is now retired, had made an appeal for people to stop betting and making death threats to players. He felt betting always brought out the worse from people.

These incidents bring up the question, is betting a problem for the eSports industry?

Betting apps have been gaining popularity in recent years. They allow fans and enthusiasts alike to place bets on not just eSports, but even traditional sports matches. The system offers odds against various predictions and allow betting on more than just the final outcome of the matches. There are many other similar apps as well as apps that feature their own private games for betting. Online Poker is one such option that has gained some favour with the masses.

The cause for concern related to betting comes into the picture when people give in to the urge and decide to place bets involving large amounts of money. The online apps do little to limit such behaviour.

The other major concern is that of gambling/betting organisations fixing matches. In 2018, there was a major scandal involving an admin from VPGame, an organisation that specialises in skin gambling (a form of gambling that uses virtual goods, which are most commonly cosmetic goods and have no impact on gameplay as a currency for gambling).

VPGame are the sister organisation of the well-known LGD-Gaming club. The perpetrator was caught attempting to rig matches by persuading a well-known South East Asian eSports team to throw matches for benefits. The incident was revealed through screenshots of the conversation.

When trying to decide whether betting is good or bad, it is rather easy to look at the situation in an overly simplistic manner and conclude it to be one of these two possibilities. In this writer's opinion, the issue is a lot more complex. Many factors need to be looked at. There are several benefits to betting and gambling operations, including the increase in popularity in brings to the eSport due to the increase in involvement for the fans.

While gambling remains legal in most countries, there are still a number of countries that have decided to do away with it altogether. A few countries who have taken steps to ban it include UAE, Japan, Cambodia, Brunei, Singapore, Qatar, Poland, Cyprus, Lebanon and North Korea.

Representational photo. Image credit: Twitter/@ESL

The issue is not as much about gambling as it is about the lack of regulations and restraint shown by some parties involved. Going forward, it is important to find methods to reduce the damage caused by these individuals. The first and most important issue that should be addressed is the need to ensure safety and peace of mind for players. This includes prompt action against those threatening the players or teams as well as the need to reduce the temptation for players to play outside the spirit of the game.

The first step in this direction would be to educate players as well as the support staff about the downsides of taking part in activities that defile the spirit of the game. Other measures could include making it necessary for people to identify themselves even for online betting and limiting the maximum amount of money and number of bets allowed.

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Democrats will tax us into oblivion – News from southeastern Connecticut – theday.com

Posted: at 8:49 am

Nobody in his right mind would support a political party that condones (silence for several weeks and silence speaks pretty loudly) looting, burning and destroying of private property. Nobody in his right mind would support anyone who sanctions socialist/Marxist ideologies as well as the "new green deal initiative" thatwould gut airplane, train and fossil-fueled auto travel.

Most of us are old enough to realize there is no free this and no free that. Someone will pay for it, and it most likely will be the lower and middle class person who happens to have a job or jobs.

Be in the "right" mind and support the Republicans before it is too late. Republicans do not promise free stuff. They know nothing is free. If you vote Democrat, you will be taxed into poverty-oblivion.

Alice Burbank

Old Lyme

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Daily Archives: October 7, 2020

Democrats and GOP still fighting over $600 jobless benefits. Where things stand – CNBC

Jim Cramer: Here’s Why the President Is Gambling With Stimulus – RealMoney

Why Are Democrats Praying for the Speedy Recovery of a Fascist Dictator? – The Intercept

Online Gambling: The Top 3 Markets Around the World – The Jerusalem Post

How esports is quietly spawning a whole new generation of problem gamblers – The Next Web

Democrats: Americans Shouldnt Have Wait For Coronavirus Relief – MyMotherLode.com

Ten tips for gambling safely and to help avoid Bet Regret – Goal.com

What Biden Means When He Says, I Am the Democratic Party – The American Prospect

Need for collective will as eSports industry grapples with unregulated gambling – Firstpost

Democrats will tax us into oblivion – News from southeastern Connecticut – theday.com

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