Daily Archives: February 18, 2021

Did the Casino Heist in the 21 Movie Actually Happen? – Film Threat

Posted: February 18, 2021 at 2:41 pm

There are many casino-themed movies, but not many become blockbusters like 21 did back in 2008. The movie is based on a novel by Ben Mezrich titled Bringing Down the House, about a group of card-counting university students that take millions of dollars from Vegas Casinos. Despite the world of modern online casinos, 21 is all about the glitz and glam of playing at a real Blackjack table.

The movie made $160 million at the box office, and wasnt short of stars, with Kevin Spacey casted for one of the lead roles. After watching, you may be left wondering about the true story that the movie claims to be based on. Weve done the research, and in this article we separate the fact from the fiction.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the leading universities in the USA, and so its no surprise that this is where the card-counters studied. Its an incredibly difficult thing to do, and requires a significant amount of mathematical knowledge, as demonstrated in the 21 Movie. The group operated between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Jeff Ma is the real name of the main character in the movie, Ben Campbell. He actually made a cameo in 21 as a Blackjack dealer, and had a real involvement in the film adaptation of his story. Following his controversial success in the Blackjack team, hes gone on to have a very successful career in tech and analytics. Bill Kaplan is also one of the founding members of the MIT Blackjack Team, and his character is depicted by Spacey as a University Lecturer.

The movie makers were heavily criticized for their casting decisions. Although most of the MIT Blackjack Team were Asian-American, they were played by white actors. Despite this, the movie was a success, and given the approval from the team itself.

Every movie needs a good plot, and so of course, there are some added extras in the storyline that didnt happen in real life. The most notable being Ben Campbells (Jeff Mas) reason for joining the club in the first place. There was no desperate need for tuition money or the chance of not graduating this was added for entertainment.

The real MIT Blackjack team was formed of six students, and there was no university lecturer involved, despite playing a huge part in the movie. The whole thing was run like a business, including smart planning and calculations of probabilities and profits.

The 21 movie maintains the same cast throughout, but this isnt what happened in real life. The MIT Blackjack team changed many times, as people left, moved on, or formed their own groups. The most recent group of players in the late 90s looked very different to the original founding members.

At the end of the movie, the fictional university lecturer and ringleader tries to steal $600,000 from the team after he is caught. This is also just part of the 21 plot, and didnt happen in real life.

The MIT Blackjack team that the movie is based on had a long and successful history of making money from casinos. So yes, the heist really did happen, and these people really did outsmart casino operators for many years.

Very little is known about the real numbers, such as how much was originally invested and how much they actually walked away with. The financial history is kept very private, and casinos in Vegas dont exactly want to talk about their losses to the group either.

Some sources claim that the MIT Blackjack Team made 10s of millions of dollars during their playing years, but its impossible to know for sure. But these guys were good, and operated for over 30 years, so its very likely that they made an awful lot of money before disbanding.

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Resident Evil 7: How To Beat Hoffman In 21 | TheGamer – TheGamer

Posted: at 2:41 pm

While there is a fair degree of luck at play, Resident Evil 7s version of 21 rewards smart players who play Lucas' game.

No character in Resident Evil 7 suffers quite as much as Clancy Jarvis, the Sewer Gators trusty cameraman. Clancy manages to survive an encounter with Jack Baker first hand, even outwitting Marguerite in the Bedroom DLC, only to end up cooked alive during Lucas Happy Birthday game. Unlike Ethan who at least has a chance of getting a happy ending out of Resident Evil 7, Clancy lives to die and the Banned Footage DLC puts into perspective just how much he actually struggled.

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Find The Clown Key In Not A Hero

Before Clancy got a birthday party all to himself, Lucas Baker forced him to play a high stakes game of 21 against Hoffman a fellow prisoner. Unlike other DLC in Banned Footage, 21 features no conventional gameplay, instead playing out like a full fledged version of Blackjack (albeit with its own set of rules to add a layer of strategy to the game).

Lucas version of 21 features a single 11 card deck that both Clancy and Hoffman share, with no cards overlapping with one another. Lucas also doles out Trump Cards which can be used either by or against Clancy to take cards out of play or even raise an opponents bet. While there is a fair degree of luck at play, Resident Evil 7s version of 21 rewards smart players who hold onto their Trump Cards and dont make unnecessary gambles.

The first round of 21 features no Trump Cards, simply requiring players to plan out their hits carefully and utilizing some degree of card counting. The goal of Blackjack is to get as close to 21 as possible without going over. Since there are no doubles in the deck, its not difficult to piece together which cards are still in play. Always play as if Hoffman has a better hand than Clancy, because he realistically does. Dont hit

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Beat The Final Boss In Not A Hero

If Hoffman ever stays only to hit later in the same round, it means Clancy is currently winning. Be smart and keep track of Hoffmans card cout to spot if/when he goes over 21. The loser of this phase has their fingers sliced off with blades. Ties result in both Clancy and Hoffman losing their fingers. Canonically, Clancy makes it to Resident Evil 7s main story with his hand intact, but expect to lose some digits.

After getting through the first phase of 21, Lucas will up the stakes by electrocuting the loser. The voltage increases with each round, burning the loser alive on contact. Lucas introduces Trump Cards into play here. The key is to use these cards strategically while also saving the best ones for the final round. Keep in mind that Hoffman has Trump Cards as well, many of which are designed to specifically counter Clancys.

RELATED:Resident Evil 7: How To Complete The Daughters DLC

Trump Cards like 3 Card, 5 Card, or 6 Card are especially useful, allowing Clancy to pull cards out of the deck without needing to take a hit. Smart players can use this to build to 21 (while keeping in mind that Hoffman can potentially return Clancys last flipped card back to the deck). Hoffman also has a tendency to play Go For 24, which raises the target number from 21. Try to save any Two-Ups for the final phase. Play resourcefully and only hit when absolutely necessary.

Before the final phase of 21, Lucas will slide Clancy the Love Your Enemy Trump Card, granting Hoffman the best card in the deck on use. While deliberately designed to give Clancys opponent an advantage, the key to winning the final round of Blackjack is saving Love Your Enemy for the absolute last possible round. Once Hoffman is at his limit, Lucas will force a 21 against Clancy that players wont be able to naturally beat. The last round of 21 places a saw between both Clancy and Hoffmans faces, inching closer to the loser every round.

Make sure to use any Two Ups to raise the stakes against Hoffman and get to the final round sooner. As soon as Hoffman has 21 (in the final possible round), use Love Your Enemy to force him to hit. Hoffman wont be able to retaliate and Clancy can comfortably stay at any number under 21. For his loss, Hoffman has his face violently gorged open with a rotating saw. As a reward for his victory, Clancy gets to go star in the main games Happy Birthday puzzle.

Next:Resident Evil 7: How To Complete The Bedroom DLC

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Trump Plaza implosion – 19 things to know – News 12 New Jersey

Posted: at 2:41 pm

News 12 Staff

Feb 17, 2021, 2:41pm EST

Updated on:Feb 17, 2021, 2:41pm EST

Here are some facts about the casino:

The property opened asHarrah'sat Trump Plazaon May 14, 1984.

Donald Trump himselfwas no longer an owner at the time of its closure.

Billionaire CarlIcahn assumed ownership of Trumps former casino company from bankruptcy courtin 2016.

The 10.5-acreproperty where the Plaza sits is owned by Icahn.

The property sits atthe center of the Atlantic City Boardwalk, at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway.

Once cleanup iscomplete, city officials hope the property can be sold or leased and thendeveloped.

City officials hopeanother casino wont be built, and are pushing for more family entertainment.

Demolition wassupposed to take place in January, but a series of delays pushed the event to Feb. 17.

Bids reached as highas $175,000 to push the detonation button, but the auction was cancelledfollowing a lawsuit.

During its heyday, the Plazahosted Mike Tyson fights and WrestleMania IV and V.

Theformer casino once housed over 80 table games and 2,000 slot machines.

MayorMarty Small says demolition has nothing to do with politics, as the buildinghas been closed since 2014.

DonaldTrump lost a legal battle in effort to build a parking area over a home of awidowed mother of 5.

ThePlaza sits at Boardwalk and Mississippi Avenue.

ThePlaza stands at 321 feet tall, with 32 floors overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

Thelast game ever played in the casino was a game of Blackjack on September 26,2014.

The East Tower opened in twophases, in October 1995 and February 1996.The expansion continued withthe May 1996 opening of Trump World's Fair. The renovation cost is $48 million.

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What are the online gambling options in Nigeria – Pulse Nigeria

Posted: at 2:41 pm

However, over the last few years online gambling has become a much more popular option to players. This is because fast internet has become more widespread so players have access to far more online options than ever before. What are the gambling options that are available to Nigerian players though?

Players have a number of different lotteries that can be entered within Nigeria. There are some huge prizes available and players have the option to win life changing amounts of money. Playing the lottery is an extremely popular method of online gambling for players in Nigeria.

Its also easy to carry out. The website makes it easy to buy a ticket and players can even set up a number of different tickets for different draws. Its much easier than in the old days where a physical ticket actually had to be bought. The advent of the internet has taken the lottery through to the next generation.

Nigerian players love sports betting. Its something that is loved the world over. Placing a bet on the big sporting events is something that adds some excitement to your favourite games. There are a large range of different sports available to players in Nigeria, including Soccer and Cricket. It means that there are some fantastic betting options available to Nigerian players and sports betting is hugely popular as a result.

Blackjack is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Its also one of the oldest casino games in the world. This is available to online casino players in Nigeria and is extremely popular. It is a mix of both skill and luck and players can improve their chances of winning if they are able to play to a high level.

Nigerian players enjoy playing Blackjack, especially as its a casino game that is allowed at both land based and online casinos. There are lots of different Blackjack choices available so if players want to enjoy different Blackjack rules then the option is there. Its a great game and is highly popular in Nigeria.

Roulette is another massively popular casino game around the world. As such its popular with Nigerian players. However, its not available at land based casinos. This hasnt impacted on the level of popularity at online casinos though. The reason for this is that Nigerian players have wanted to play the game for a while, the ability to do so at online casinos means that it has been taken up very quickly.

Roulette brings in huge numbers of players across Nigeria and it consistently grows in popularity every year. There are also a range of different rule options available at Nigerian online casinos available to players so it means it brings in lots of different types of players.

Video slots are probably the most popular casino games in the world. There are literally thousands of video slot games available all around the world and Nigerian players love them just as much as other players. What makes video slots so popular is a range of different features, lots of excitement and huge potential wins. There are also progressive jackpot games as well. These are linked to games all over the world which means that the possible prizes are incredible. Video slots are likely to remain popular to players in the long term due to the consistent release of new games to the market.

Dice games are incredibly popular in Nigeria. As they have been played in the streets for many years, its no surprise that online casino players enjoy them as well. Dice games are actually banned at land based casinos so its no shock that online players love to play dice games. Craps is without a doubt the biggest dice game on the market, and it has managed to keep its popularity as soon as online casinos started to increase in popularity.

Bingo is another massively popular game. Its really simple to play with players just having to select the numbers on their card as they are drawn out. The simplicity of the game is what helps to make it such a popular game with players. Its managed to become one of the most popular online casino games in the world and this popularity has carried on to Nigerian players. Its available at a lot of different online casinos and with its simplicity and big prizes its a game that Nigerian players keep coming back to. It also has a lot of different options available to players so theres plenty of variety available to keep players interested in the long run.

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L3Harris leaped from tracking weather to tracking missiles, cracking a competitive field – DefenseNews.com

Posted: at 2:41 pm

WASHINGTON In January 2017, one of the governments newest weather satellites picked up the most bizarre signal: a wildfire moving at breakneck speeds across the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, wildfires dont spread across the ocean, and they certainly dont move at the pace being reported. What was going on?

It turns out the satellite one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations GOES-R series had accidentally detected a rocket launch off the Florida coast, mistaking the fiery exhaust of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for a wildfire.

It was actually honest by accident, where we saw a rocket launch on the East Coast of Florida, L3Harris Technologies President of Space Systems Bill Gattle told C4ISRNET. Our weather sensor actually sent a trigger and said theres a fire our weather sensor actually tracks forest fires or hot spots and today theres this fire moving very fast across the Atlantic and so they ought to go put it out.

That accidental discovery set L3Harris on a multiyear journey to transform its infrared weather sensor technology into a missile detecting capability for the U.S. military. The move would have the potential to bring in billions: The U.S. Air Force doled out $1.86 billion for just two missile warning satellites in 2014. However, the competition is tight.

Traditionally, the Air Force built one missile warning constellation at a time with limited overlap, with only a few companies awarded massive contracts. Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for all four geosynchronous satellites that make up the Space-Based Infrared System, as well as the final two expected to launch later this year. Northrop Grumman was the major subcontractor, building the satellites sensors.

L3Harris isnt exactly a lightweight in DoD contracting its No. 9 on the Defense News Top 100 list of global defense companies and brought in nearly $14 billion in defense revenue in 2019. For perspective, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman secured about $57 billion and $29 billion in defense revenue, respectively.

After the decision to shift its weather technology to missiles, L3Harris immediate plan was to compete to build SBIRS successor, the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared. Like SBIRS, Next Gen OPIR will be made up of a handful of satellites in geosynchronous orbit with two more in highly elliptical orbit. L3Harris faced the biggest defense contractors in the business. But with billions of dollars in contracts at stake, the company went for it.

Starting in 2018, L3Harris began investing several millions of dollars into the effort, according to a company spokesperson, including building a new payload production facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The company quickly realized it needed to refine its weather sensor to meet the militarys needs.

When youre doing a weather mission, youre looking at the Earth, and youre scanning the Earth for weather, but weather doesnt move nearly as fast as a missile does, explained Gattle. We had to get to where we could actually track a missile very fast. So our sensor had to become much faster at tracking things.

The company also had to invest in algorithms that can cut out background noise picked up by the sensor.

You have to be very sensitive to whats happening in the background when youre seeing missiles. Theres a lot of noise, if you will, and [with] infrared theres a lot of heat signature off the Earth. So you have to be able to distinguish if what youre seeing is an airplane, a missile what is it?

The company fell short in its first attempt to break into missile tracking. The Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to build the three geostationary Next Gen OPIR satellites, while Northrop Grumman will build two more for highly elliptical orbits. At first, it might have seemed like the investment was for naught. L3Harris would have to wait years to compete for whatever satellites are added to or replace that constellation.

However, growing concerns over hypersonic weapons from the Pentagon and Congress opened new doors for the company.

The emergence of hypersonic weapons over the last few years poses a problem to Americas missile warning systems. When viewed from space, the weapons appear 10 to 20 times dimmer than traditional ballistic missiles, making it harder for satellites in geosynchronous orbit to pick them up. Because the weapons are maneuverable, they can theoretically move to avoid ground-based sensors. It became clear that the U.S. needed a new constellation of space-based sensors that could detect and track the new threat.

The solution that emerged is both simple and complex. Instead of relying solely on the exquisite sensors more than 22,000 miles above the Earths surface, the military will build a proliferated constellation located much closer to the planets surface in low Earth orbit less than 1,200 miles up. From that lower vantage, it is easier for infrared sensors to pick up the hypersonic weapons, track them as they move around the globe, and provide the targeting data to destroy them.

This tracking effort effectively has three parts:

The Space Development Agency is building those first two sections as part of its National Defense Space Architecture, a proliferated constellation in low Earth orbit that will eventually be made up of hundreds of satellites. The Missile Defense Agency will develop the medium-field-of-view satellites, known as the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, or HBTSS. Meanwhile, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is building Project Blackjack to demonstrate many of the technologies needed to make the entire system work.

In October 2019, L3Harris got its first hint that it could crack the missile warning enterprise. MDA awarded the company a $20 million contract to design an HBTSS prototype, placing the business among heavyweights Northrop Grumman, Leidos and Raytheon.

A second win came months later in May 2020, when DARPA revealed L3Harris was in the running to build an electro-optical/infrared sensor for the Blackjack demonstration. To be clear, there was no direct path from a Blackjack contract to an actual program of record with either MDA or SDA.

Still, the parallels between the DARPA demonstration and those efforts were clear, and a Blackjack program contract could be seen as a pretty significant leg up for those competitions.

Regardless, L3Harris bid failed. The companys proposal was too pricey, said Gattle, and the $37 million Blackjack payload contract went to Raytheon. In response, L3Harris invested to make sure it could build faster and present a more affordable solution. That would be key as the company prepared to bid on the SDA constellations.

SDA released solicitations for its initial data transport layer and tracking layer satellites last May. At stake were four contracts and 28 satellites. L3Harris made its bids.

The company failed to win a contract for the data transport layer satellites, losing out to Lockheed Martin and York Space Systems, the latter of which is another newcomer to building satellites for the DoD. While it was still in the running for the HBTSS and tracking layer satellites, L3Harris was now 0 for 3.

Based on feedback from SDA on its transport layer bid, L3Harris refocused its bid for the tracking layer around its ability to manufacture its own commercial bus for the satellite. That in particular was appealing to SDA, said Gattle.

That was enough to convince SDA that, yes, this was a commercial Ill call it a commercial-like offering, he said.

The real breakthrough and reassurance that the companys investments werent in vain came soon after.

Last October, SDA awarded the two tracking layer contracts to L3Harris and SpaceX. L3Harris received $193 million, while SpaceX got $149 million. The selection was a surprise: Neither of the winners had built a missile warning sensor for the government before. SpaceX hadnt even built a satellite for the government before.

While Elon Musks company fought its way into winning a massive Space Force launch contract last year and is working to integrate its Starlink broadband constellation with various weapons systems, no one expected it to be building missile tracking satellites for the military. SpaceX will build the satellite bus and subcontract for the actual OPIR sensor.

While L3Harris had been in the running for several missile warning satellite contracts, it had never gotten one over the line.

A decade ago, we probably didnt have a shot, said Gattle. To be honest, we were a component supplier. We would build a handful of anything that we built.

This is the culmination for us of a pretty big pivot in our company. We were known mostly as a weather sensor company in this particular area, infrared, he added. Then a couple of years ago we saw that our infrared sensors on our weather satellites could actually pick up rocket launches.

Chris Quilty, founder and a partner of Quilty Analytics, said L3Harris has accomplished a remarkable string of contract successes since it entered the satellite manufacturing business only a few years ago, noting an Air Force remote sensing constellation award, among others.

The fact that SDA awarded this contract to L3Harris is both a testament to L3Harris agility and an indication of SDAs desire to open the aperture to new suppliers, said Quilty, whose financial and strategic firm serves the space industry.

L3Harris started 2021 with more returns on its investment: Of the four companies designing HBTSS prototypes, only L3Harris and Northrop Grumman secured contracts to build their prototypes. L3Harris won a $122 million award, while Northrop Grumman got a $155 million award.

L3Harris journey from building weather sensors to building missile warning satellites kicked off in 2017, when the companys technology accidentally detected a rocket launch off the Florida coast. It turns out that rocket was carrying the third satellite for the nations prime missile detection constellation.

Theres a certain poetry to that story. The accidental detection of a missile warning satellite being delivered to orbit inspired a newcomer to enter the field, and that company went on to win a chance to help build the U.S. militarys new missile warning architecture.

In 2017, L3Harris had ambitions and a weather sensor. In 2021, its a missile tracking company.

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Reasons You Are Losing at Slots – How to Win More Playing Slots – BestUSCasinos.org

Posted: at 2:41 pm

Show me a slots player and Ill show you a gambler who loses money. I know you might make a few bucks playing slots from time to time, but the odds are that youre a losing slots player.

The only way for most slots gamblers to stop losing money to the machines is to stop playing on them. Beyond simple playing slots, there are a few other things that are increasing your losses.

Here are six reasons why you lose when you play slots for real money. With these six things you can learn how to change your results at least a little bit.

When youre gambling you should know as much about the odds as you can. This is true whether youre playing slots or any other gambling game. The problem is that the odds arent always easy to decipher, find, and understand.

To help you Im going to show you a few different ways to look at the odds and probabilities for gambling games.

Most people think of odds as something like 3 to 2 or 4 out of 52. 4 out of 52 is how many aces there are in a deck of cards compared to the total number of cards. 3 to 2 is what you get on your bet when you get a blackjack.

When youre gambling its easier to look at odds when theyve been converted to either a return to player percentage of a house edge.

The games with high return percentages or low house edges offer better odds. The return for slots is usually somewhere between 85% and 95%. These arent very good odds.

The fact is that the odds, no matter how you look at them, for slots are bad. You can get better odds playing a wide number of other gambling games. Your best bet is to stop playing slots and play a game with better odds.

With the odds stacked against you when you play slots, the more money that you put in the machine the more youre going to lose.

Slot machines work with a simple concept that guarantees that over time they make a profit for the casino. This simple concept is a built-in edge that the slot machine is programmed to create for the casino.

In this case, it means that when you play $200 worth of spins the machine is going to keep $16. And if you bet more the machine is going to keep more.

You can bet too much when you play slots 2 ways. Youre going to learn more about the second way you bet too much in section 4 below.

In this section, you need to understand that you should risk the smallest amount possible when you play a slots game. The main way to do this is to play on slot machines that have a low cost to play. A machine that you can play for a quarter is better than a machine that costs $1 to play.

Everyone who plays slots games has a budget. Some gamblers have a bigger budget and others have a smaller budget, but everyone has a limit to how much they can lose playing slots.

If you know what your slots budget is and how much the slot machine that youre playing is programmed to keep you can get an idea of how long you can play before exhausting your budget.

For example, if you have a $200 budget to play slots and the machine is programmed to take $25 every hour you play you can play for around 8 hours. But what if you have $400 instead of $200? You can play for twice as long.

This is how mobile slots bonuses and online casino bonuses work. They give you a bigger bankroll so you can play slots longer.

Notice that I didnt say that bonuses help you win. In most cases, slots bonuses dont help you win. They just let you play longer.

The reason why a slots bonus doesnt help you win is because the bonus has rules about how you clear the bonus. You have to do what the rules say, and the rules are designed to make you play for long enough that you lose the bonus before you clear the bonus.

I mentioned that there are two things that you do that make you risk more money than you need to when you play slots in section 2. In that section, you learned that playing on slot machines with bigger bets costs you money.

The second thing that youre doing that costs you too much money when you play slots games is taking too many spins when you play. Every spin you take adds to the amount of money that youre risking.

If youre playing a slots game at $1 per spin and play 500 spins in an hour youre risking $500. But if you play on a machine that has a .25 bet and you play 400 spins in an hour youre only risking $100.

Looking at the example you saw earlier of a machine with a program to keep 8%, you lose $40 every hour when you risk $500, but only lose $8 an hour risking $100.

This shows you how youre risking too much money, and shows you how to make two simple changes to start losing less money when you play slots games. Bet a lower amount on every spin and take fewer spins.

Youve read a couple of examples for a slot machine thats programmed to take 8% of the money the machine takes in bets. This tells you that a machine thats programmed to keep a higher percentage is going to take more of your money and a machine programmed with a lower percentage is going to take less of your money.

Heres the amounts of money three machines with different programs are going to take. In each example, youre risking $200 every hour.

A machine programmed to take 4% is taking $8 every hour.

A machine programmed to take 8% is taking $16 every hour.

A machine programmed to take 12% is taking $24 every hour.

This shows why you need to play slots games that are programmed to take a lower percentage of your bets. The problem is that this isnt easy information to come by.

Do a quick search online to find the slots games that you play to see if you can find the programmed percentages. Then look for information about slots games that are programmed with a high return to player.

In the first five sections of this article, youve learned several different reasons why youre losing when you play slots games. The basic fact is that playing slot machines lead to losing money. Youre not going to find slots games that are programmed to give you back more money than you risk.

The best hope you have is to get lucky when you play slots games and hit a big jackpot. In the long run each slot machine is going to keep the percentage of money that its supposed to keep. But in the short run the percentage the machine keep varies.

If you get lucky and play slots games during one of the times when the machine is returning more over a short period of time you can win. The problem is that its impossible to predict when these times are. This leaves you with hope that you get lucky.

If you want to lose less money gambling, you need to play casino games that have a better return or odds than slots games. I recommend learning more about video poker games and blackjack if you want games with a higher return.

The main problem that creates more losses when you play slots is that youre playing slots. The odds are against you and if you dont get lucky youre going to continue losing.

If you can identify the slots games that offer the best odds it helps you lose less, but youre probably still going to lose. And you make your losses worse when you bet more than you should either by making wagers that are too big and/or taking too many spins.

Look into slots bonuses that are offered by mobile and online casinos to help offset some of your slots losses.

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UK Gambling Commission Overhaul Online Regulations, WPT Targets Asia with Mobile App, and China Gets Tough over Cross-Border Gambling – HighstakesDB

Posted: at 2:40 pm

The UK Gambling Commission has conducted a review into the 2005 Gambling Act with a view to protecting the most vulnerable. The regulatory organisation aims to make online gaming safer in conjunction with the providers, ultimately preventing predatory behaviour.

By: Mark Patrickson

New rules that were published on Tuesday lashed out at slot machines in particular, while leaving online poker mostly undisturbed.

The UKGC disclosed data that showed slot machine play accounts for as much as 70% of all online gambling activity in the UK. With gambling generally getting negative viewpoints in the media it was high time that providers were forced to rein in some of their slots games to protect addicts.

Updated regs include the following changes:

The final point is the only regulatory change that affects online poker players.

Anything that helps problem gamblers is a positive change but we hope that the UKGC dont go as far as the Spanish government in banning most advertising.

The football league in the UK relies heavily on sponsorship money from betting companies. In the Premier League this is close to 50% of the clubs, while in lower leagues this figure rises to 70%.

Kindred Group, owner of Unibet, have vowed to cut out all revenue from gambling addicts by 2023. The management team will now include this information in the financial reports to ensure that players who exhibit poor gambling habits will be better protected.

It is believed that this is the very first time a gambling provider has taken such a step to distinguish between profits from high and low risk players.

This is good news, in our opinion, because the more willing the providers are to self-govern like this the more governments will be prepared to give the industry an easier ride.

Responsible gambling is a topic were all hearing a lot about lately, Hopefully as many providers as possible will get on this bandwagon to show us all in the best light possible as we strive to help those who gamble in a harmful way.

The World Poker Tour has partnered with Poker Kingwho sponsor Phil Ivey and Tom durrrr Dwanto target Asian mobile gamers during the WPT Spring Festival, running until February 22.

The mobile only series has 13 events scheduled with a tidy $1.85 million in guarantees available. Only Poker King customers in Asia will be eligible to play in the festival which provides a fantastic way for recreational players to get involved with a major organiser like the WPT.

Poker King said they currently have 1.2 million customers registered with them. Thats a good size player pool to introduce the first major mobile only series in the region.

We keep on crossing our fingers that another poker boom will come from Asia, so maybe, after all, it will come with a new generation of mobile players.

It has been a few years now since the Chinese government took aim at overseas gambling outlets targeting Chinese citizens. Its no secret that the Chinese people love to gamble and many cities around the world have stepped up efforts to take full advantage of this.

The Chinese government is now fighting hard to end what they see as predatory behaviour, even going as far as drawing up blacklisted destinations.

JP Morgans DS Kim, Derek Choi and Jeremy An said: This seems to us like a continuation of its efforts to curb illegal overseas gambling (e.g. proxy betting, video streaming and online casinos among others) and illicit cross-border capital flows since last year that have been stepped up materially in recent months. At this stage, its difficult to know exactly how the government will clamp-down and what it means by black-listing, but we suspect capital flows through underground banks and agents, as well as junkets promotion of these overseas markets, will be heavily scrutinized.

Last month the Ministry of Public Security of China announced that more than 3,500 cross border cases were investigated in 2020 leading to more than 75,000 arrests.

More than 600 Chinese suspects were brought back to China from abroad by Chinese police in collaboration with their counterparts in countries including the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The ministry gave operators a deadline of April 30, 2021 to cease providing services to Chinese nationals or they will face prosecution.

ErisX, a cryptocurrency exchange operator, and an attorney called Jeff Ifrah have mooted the possibility of setting up a futures market for sports betting.

The idea is centred around helping out local sportsbooks who often face the vast majority of the market ending up on the home side. Because inter-state gambling is illegal the bookmakers have no way to hedge. This leaves them open to a seriously bad day at the office if things go wrong.

It might sound a little pie in the sky to get such an idea off the ground but ErisX filed a request with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) around Christmas which started a 90-day commenting period to investigate.

Gambling futures contracts were actually banned in 2010 but maybe some distinction can be made between this new idea and plain, old gambling.

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UK Gambling Commission Overhaul Online Regulations, WPT Targets Asia with Mobile App, and China Gets Tough over Cross-Border Gambling - HighstakesDB

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Home Lands gambling bill debate pushed to Thursday – Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Posted: at 2:40 pm

A key Senate committee postponed decision-making until Thursday on whether to allow a controversial gambling bill that would allow the possibility for generating revenue for the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands through some form of legalized gaming and break Hawaiis prohibition on any form of legal gambling.

The original version of Senate Bill 1321, which would allow DHHL to develop Hawaiis first casino resort, was amended to give the Hawaiian Homes Commission five years to figure out whether it wanted to permit any form of gambling whether in the form of a casino, lottery, bingo or even horse racing in order to help clear the backlog of more than 28,000 beneficiaries who have been waiting sometimes decades for homes and land.

The House Committee on Economic Development earlier deferred the original House version, effectively killing the DHHL casino resort concept in the House.

In the Senate Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Tuesday, the Senates amended version of SB 1321 faced deep opposition from at least two of its five members and possibly three, prompting Chairwoman Maile Shimabukuro to defer it until 1 p.m. Thursday.

Committee member and state Sen. Laura Acasio (D, Hilo) said, This measure is egregiously divisive. Settler culture seems to love to watch Hawaiians fight against Hawaiians, and this measure, in my experience with constituents and those writing in, is exactly that adding to more deep historical trauma, generational cultural trauma.

Fellow Hawaiian Affairs Committee member and state Sen. Kurt Fevella, Senate Republican minority leader and minority floor leader, helped generate a petition opposed to SB 1321 that was signed by 15,600 people.

Fevella said Tuesday that he plans to vote against the bill, which he said is causing division.

Fevella, who represents Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point, said the Hawaiian Affairs Committee is kicking the can down the road while opponents have spoken loudly.

Its only getting louder, the voice, Fevella said.

The question of whether to allow the Home Lands Commission to have five years to consider approving any form of gambling on DHHL land by a so-called supermajority vote of six of nine members comes during the states worst financial crisis, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, the current level of state funding for DHHL is estimated to take another century to clear DHHLs backlog of more than 28,000 beneficiaries.

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Home Lands gambling bill debate pushed to Thursday - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Jekyll board voices opposition to casino gambling on island – Brunswick News

Posted: at 2:40 pm

The board of the Jekyll Island Authority approved Tuesday a resolution opposing any effort to bring casino gambling to the island.

There is no plan to open casinos on Jekyll Island. The resolution is in opposition to House Resolution 30 now under consideration by the state legislature.

The resolution calls for a statewide referendum authorizing a limited number of casino resorts.

The legislation does not call specifically for casino gambling on Jekyll. Instead, it seeks to require a vote from local jurisdictions that would be interested in creating casino gambling opportunities.

I understand that there are three jurisdictions in Georgia that are interested, said Jones Hooks, JIA executive director. Nevertheless, there was just recently an editorial in The Brunswick News which expressed concern about casino gambling as it related to Jekyll Island, and as a result of that editorial there was social media discussion about expressing concerns, that is this something thats being considered for Jekyll Island?

In response to those concerns, Hooks and board members felt compelled to propose their own resolution making their opposition clear.

We are proposing a resolution today that would confirm that Jekyll Islands interest continues to be in quiet, open spaces, limited traffic, limited congestion, where people will experience healthy recreation, Hooks said.

JIA has in past years expressed its opposition to bringing casino gambling to the island. As Jekyll has undergone significant revitalization efforts in recent years, the focus has been on the islands family-friendly activities and natural attractions.

It would be of concern from a management standpoint if in fact there were to be an effort to look at casino gambling on Jekyll, Hooks said.

A state legislator from Savannah expressed an interest in Jekyll Island as a potential destination for a casino if the General Assembly approved legalized gambling in Georgia. Jekyll Island is owned by the state.

The JIA resolution reads, in part, that the Jekyll Island State Park Authority Board of Directors expresses its strong opposition to any thought, discussion or action that would include Jekyll Island as a location for casino gambling; and in light of Georgia House of Representatives Resolution 30 calling for a statewide referendum authorizing a limited number of casino resorts, that the Jekyll Island Authority Board has not, does not and will not support casino gambling on Jekyll Island.

Board members also voted during the meeting to amend the language of the resolution to include clarification that the JIA does not oppose gambling in the state.

In other business, the board voted to revise and amend the 2021 fiscal year budget to allow for $130,000 for employee compensation/merit increases and $242,000 to include $150,000 for the new Public Safety Complex design, $65,000 for a Jekyll Island Master Plan update and $27,000 for replacement bicycles at the Bike Barn.

The budget, approved by the board in July, was revised from the originally discussed spending plan and took out $3 million worth of expenses. These cuts were made in response to the pandemics financial toll on the island.

We did talk about the fact that since the future was so uncertain and unknown that we would like to bring forward the idea that, if in fact after six months or so we were making good progress, that there may be some items that we would like you to realign in the budget, Hooks said. Today thats what were looking at.

In early 2020, as the pandemic began affecting island operations, JIA made significant adjustments to decrease expenditures, including at one point the furloughing of 43 percent of its workforce. One of the changes proposed and approved Tuesday was a 2 percent merit pay increase for all full-time and part-time Jekyll staff based on the normal qualifications for merit increases.

The cost for the remainder of this fiscal year will be approximately $130,000, said Marjorie Johnson, JIAs chief accounting officer.

Were not asking for any additional funds to be put into the budget at this point because our human resources expenses are $539,000 less than budget at this point she said. So well be able to absorb the increase without asking for additional funds.

Noel Jensen, chief operations officer on Jekyll, asked for consideration of a request for proposals for architectural and engineering services for the public safety complex, which is envisioned to be a 12,000- to 15,000-square-foot structure that will house Georgia State Patrol, Jekyll Island Fire Department and emergency service workers in one location. Hooks and board members recently met with Gov. Brian Kemp in Atlanta to discuss plans for the project, which will require funding from the state legislature.

The board approved the RFP to seek architectural and engineering services at a cost of up to $150,000.

A resolution endorsing the Glynn County 2021 SPLOST, through which Jekyll is set to receive $2.5 million of the $68.5 million collected if voters approve the three-year SPLOST during a referendum election March 16.

Consideration of a University of Georgia proposal for a 2021 master plan update.

A letter in support of the Brunswick Area Transportation Study (BATS) committees opposition to a proposal from the Federal MSA Standards Review Committee to raise the minimum metropolitan population from 50,000 to 100,000.

An amendment to the fire alarm ordinance.

Consideration of a contract renewal for Summer Waves management.

Consideration of a lease agreement for Tribuzios Grille, LLC, to operate the restaurant currently known as McCormicks Grill at the Jekyll Island Golf Club.

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Jekyll board voices opposition to casino gambling on island - Brunswick News

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Experts explain investing versus gambling, concerns regarding increase in online investing – RU Daily Targum

Posted: at 2:40 pm

In January, a surge of investing coordinated by the Reddit channel r/WallStreetBets (WSB) caused many hedge funds to lose billions of dollars, The Daily Targum previously reported. Many people from WSB used Robinhood, a commission-free investing application, to process their transactions.

The ease with which people can now invest in the stock market raises questions about the differences between gambling and investing as it relates to platforms like Robinhood and the future of these platforms.

When you're investing, you're making educated decisions about future earning potential on a stock over the long-term, said Lia Nower, professor and director of the Center for Gambling Studies and the Addiction Counselor Training Program in the School of Social Work. Gambling is when you are staking (money) on an outcome of random chance.

She said that although both actions involve the element of risk, investing revolves more around making informed choices, whereas with gambling, people are making bets more for the action than for the long-term earning potential.

For the average individual, investing in stocks might be riskier than for a financial advisor or wealth manager. After all, the financial advisor has been trained and has years of experience looking over balance sheets and other facts, said Devin J. Mills, assistant professor in the Department of Community, Family and Addiction Sciences at Texas Tech University.

Mills said that while stock trading is a form of gambling, since one hopes their investment is going to increase in value, the definition of gambling itself should not be conflated with the extent of the risk. Stock investing does not have to be as risky or riskier than other forms of gambling, he said.

People gamble for a variety of reasons including social and financial circumstances or for the high they may get from the act itself, Mills said.

It is also possible that (the coronavirus disease) COVID-19 increased interest with additional discretionary funds and no sports or casinos or traveling People might have been looking for something to do, he said. It will be interesting to see if this trend persists after COVID-19 becomes less of an issue.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, retail accounts on trading platforms have greatly increased, with Robinhood recording three million new accounts in its first quarter, according to The Wall Street Journal.

From an analysis done by JMP Securities, more than 600,000 people downloaded Robinhood on Jan. 29 amid the rising of the GameStop stock, whereas its previous best day in March was 140,000 downloads, according to CNBC.

Nower said that the popularity of day-trading itself is not new but that it is now experiencing a resurgence due to WSB and Robinhood.

In the past, she said the infrastructure for investing greatly slowed down the speed at which someone can take risks, but now, people can take risks 24 hours a day right from an application on their phones.

With the ease of stock trading on these platforms, Nower said this likely means that more people are not fully researching the product or understanding it to invest for the long-term, but instead are conducting a flash mob, pushing the needle on a particular stock.

She said that although this method may work at times, there are people that spend years learning how to properly buy and sell stocks.

I would like to caution anyone to learn about options trading and the platforms before they start, Mills said. Trading options spreads is not risk-free. There is no financial security or trading strategy that is risk-free.

Robinhoods success and longevity depend on a number of factors, including future government regulation and recent high-profile negative press, Nower said.

Following the surge of the GameStop stock, Robinhood placed temporary restrictions on the trading of certain stocks by retail investors, or everyday users, but continued to allow insiders to trade as per usual, according to the Targum.

The app is now facing dozens of lawsuits from several states, and its CEO, Vlad Tenev, is expected to testify on Thursday in front of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, according to The Verge.

There is also a court case brought by the parents of Alex Kearns, a 20 year old who died by suicide when he saw his Robinhood account balance was at negative $730,000 and was not able to get into contact with Robinhood employees about what he actually owed, according to CNN.

Nower said she anticipates more regulations for Robinhood and similar platforms coming in the future.

This type of behavior can really destabilize the financial markets for the country. So it's not like there's not a risk in general to a lot of people's 401(k) (plans) and a lot of things that could get wiped out, depending on how unstable the market becomes, she said.

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Experts explain investing versus gambling, concerns regarding increase in online investing - RU Daily Targum

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