Daily Archives: February 15, 2022

Microsoft Brings Together Tech, Healthcare Giants To Answer Hard AI Questions – CDOTrends

Posted: February 15, 2022 at 5:32 am

By now, everyone understands the potential of AI in healthcare, especially in our fight against COVID-19. But because of the nature of the emerging technology, it has also thrown up some major questions that no single tech or healthcare provider can solve on their own.

So, Microsoft is bringing together leading public, private, educational and research organizations across the U.S. healthcare and life sciences industries to form the Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Coalition (AI3C).

The coalition list includes the top names from healthcare and technology, including Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, Intermountain Healthcare, Novant Health, Plug and Play, Providence, UC San Diego, and the University of Virginia.

We at Providence feel that the responsible and equitable implementation of AI will be a critical element of healthcare transformation [to] achieve our vision of Health for a Better World. We applaud Microsoft for bringing this coalition together and are excited to partner with these esteemed institutions to drive progress on how AI can be a force multiplier for good in healthcare,said Brett MacLaren, chief data officer at Providence.

AI3C will provide recommendations and advice on a wide array of AI topics, including responsible healthcare innovation, health equity, and workforce transformation to reduce clinical fatigue.

The goal of the newly created AI3C is to establish a pragmatic coalition with public and private organizations to advance health by identifying and addressing significant societal and industry barriers, said Patty Obermaier, vice president at U.S. health and life sciences at Microsoft.

I am excited about the launch of AI3C and working with its distinguished board as we continue the momentum toward serving the needs of patients and communities through AI innovation, she added.

Every organization will appoint volunteer senior executives for The AI3C board. Acting as advisors, they will co-create AI solutions for positive societal and healthcare outcomes, identify and set the AI strategy and vision for a variety of projects, and track the success of AI adoption in the industry, said the announcement. All members will also have an equal voice in how the coalition operates and is governed.

As the role of AI continues to grow in our society and economy, this community of independent scientists would be a conduit between healthcare industry and technology companies, academia, policymakers, and the general public, ensuring faster development of AI solutions and smoother adoption of such technologies by end-users,said Niam Yaraghi, a nonresident senior fellow at The Brookings Institution.

The AI3C intends to apply AI to resolve the economic and industrial challenges, including research transfer, industry standards, and funding instruments, and addressing digital skills and employabilityissues facing the industry, including organizational and cultural challenges, as well as labor policies. Another area the coalition will examine is data privacy, especially regarding data access and sharing innovation.

By focusing on these areas, the AI3C is looking to speed up AI innovation in healthcare by:

Historically, it has taken up to 17 years from the inception of an idea to the market introduction of a novel therapy. The COVID-19 pandemic made it very clear this is too long. We need to shrink that, and advancing AI can help us accelerate research as historical computational limitations of storage, handling, and analyzing data have not been equipped to handle the volumes of data we now generate. The potential for AI use in clinical research is immense. It will enable us to ask questions in new ways, speed discovery, and begin individualizing medicine,said Matthew Kull, chief information officer, The Cleveland Clinic.

AI3C members will focus on providing a comprehensive program for responsible AI education and upskilling to meet these goals. It will also engage with the healthcare community through white papers, new tools and programs, and social media outreach to make AI more applicable and impactful. Quarterly meetings and events will transparently communicate the resolution and progress of solving critical challenges through AI adoption.

Meeting the urgent need for new health technologies requires diverse partners coming together across sectors. With perspectives from AI practitioners, healthcare professionals, and the research community, the AI3C can guide collaborative projects that accelerate the translation of frontier technologies from research to solution development, to implementation, said Ashley Llorens, vice president and managing director, Microsoft Research and Incubations.

The AI3C is following in the footsteps of theNational Coalition for Artificial Intelligence in Financial Services, which was launched in December 2020.

AI has enormous potential to advance health care through improvements in the treatment and prevention of disease. I am particularly excited to explore the ways AI can be used to improve health equity and ensure everyone has access to the latest advances in machine learning-enabled diagnostics and clinical assessments,said Donald E. Brown, senior associate Dean at the University of Virginia.

More details about AI3Cs programs and impact will be available later this year.

Image credit: iStockphoto/gorodenkoff

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The problem(s) with a GOP senator pushing cognitive tests for Biden – MSNBC

Posted: at 5:32 am

Feb. 14, 2022, 1:00 PM UTC/UpdatedFeb. 14, 2022, 1:12 PM UTC

By Steve Benen

As Republican optimism grows about this years midterm elections, GOP leaders continue to face awkward questions about the partys complete lack of a policy agenda. If Republicans were in the majority on Capitol Hill next year, what exactly would they do with their power?

Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas appeared on Fox News yesterday and offered an example of the kind of policymaking the GOP would like to do. The Kansas City Star reported:

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said Sunday he may sponsor legislation requiring President Joe Biden to take an annual mental test, suggesting that the Presidents cognitive capacity is in decline. I think were all concerned for President Bidens mental health, Marshall said. I think if you compare todays films from some of his films even a year ago, you see a deterioration in his mental capacity. Maybe we need to be proactive.

As part of the same interview, the senator added that he intends to work with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on formal legislation that would require the president presumably, any president to take a mental test alongside his annual physical.

The Stars piece added that Marshalls comments came in response to a question from host Maria Bartiromo, who asked for the senators opinion about Bidens mental health she claimed to be worried about security threats given the senators background as a physician.

Its worth noting for context that Marshall is an obstetrician by trade. He has no medical training in making cognitive assessment of people by way of television appearances. (The newspaper added, The American Psychiatric Association considers it unethical for a psychiatrist to offer their professional opinion about the mental health of a public figure unless they have personally conducted an examination. Marshall is not a psychiatrist.)

At this point, we could note that this entire line of attack is cheap, ugly, and more than a little ageist. We could also note that Republicans were unsubtle in pushing a similar line in 2020, right up until Biden scored the biggest win for a challenger against an incumbent president since FDR.

We could even take a moment to note that this isnt even politically smart for the GOP, since the attempted smear tends to lower public expectations for Biden. While were at it, we could even explain why the attack is plainly wrong, as people who interact with the Democrat come away unconcerned about his acuity.

But for now, lets put all of that aside and focus less on the message and more on the messenger.

After former Sen. Pat Roberts announced his retirement in Kansas ahead of the 2020 election cycle, plenty of Republicans saw a unique opportunity and launched statewide campaigns. Among the most notable was former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, whom many in the GOP saw as radical and unelectable.

The Republican establishment rallied behind Marshall, a physician and sitting congressman, whom they saw as far more normal than the far-right Kobach.

The partys efforts worked: Marshall prevailed in a GOP primary and won the general election with relative ease.

But consider what happened when the Kansan began his Senate career. As regular readers may recall, the trouble began immediately: The first two votes Marshall cast as a new member of the institution were to reject certification of Bidens victory, even as most Republicans rejected such a radical tactic.

By the summer, Marshall was calling on the president to resign immediately. By the fall, he was partnering with far-right allies on a government shutdown scheme over vaccine policies.

All the while, the Kansan, whos always eager to remind folks of his medical background has pushed Covid-19 rhetoric that defies medical consensus and places him closer to the medical fringe.

Last month, while pushing an odd conspiracy theory, Marshall badgered Dr. Anthony Fauci to put financial disclosure information online that was already online. (At one point, Marshall suggested that tech giants are keeping the materials secret, despite the fact that the documents he sought were readily available.)

All of which is to say, after Republicans rallied behind Marshall as the conventional alternative to his extremist primary rival two years ago, the senator has positioned himself as one of the Senates most outlandish members. The result is a question the political world should grapple with in more detail: Is there still much of a line separating the GOP fringe from the GOP mainstream?

Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "The Impostors: How Republicans Quit Governing and Seized American Politics."

The problem(s) with a GOP senator pushing cognitive tests for Biden - MSNBC

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Microsoft Starts Charm Offensive to Push Through Activision Deal – The New York Times

Posted: at 5:32 am

Microsoft on Wednesday kicked off a charm offensive in Washington to gain government approval for its $70 billion deal to buy the video game company Activision Blizzard, saying it would not give preferential treatment to its own games in its app stores.

Satya Nadella, Microsofts chief executive, and Brad Smith, its president, said at a news conference in Washington that they planned to meet officials to discuss the deal. Mr. Smith said he had been sharing where were going with members of Congress and that the company had been meeting with people in the think tank community and the like.

Regulators are expected to give Microsofts proposed acquisition of Activision the largest in Microsofts history a tough review. The deal would combine Activision, which has games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, with Microsofts Xbox operation, which publishes hits like Halo and makes consoles and gaming subscription services.

To get ahead of that scrutiny, Microsoft executives brought a list of promises.

We are proposing to write the biggest check in the history of Microsoft for $68 billion and will only be permitted to write that check if 17 governments around the world approve that transaction, Mr. Smith said. We want to be clear with regulators and with the public that if this acquisition is approved, they can count on Microsoft to adapt to the rules that are emerging.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Nadella said they would commit to loosening restrictions on how other developers can gain access to Microsofts app stores. They said they would also not force other developers to take payments from users using Microsofts systems, would allow game developers to talk directly to players and not promote the companys own games over rival products.

Microsoft has pledged to continue to allow Activisions major franchises, like Call of Duty, to be available on Sony PlayStation, an Xbox competitor, beyond the companys current agreement with the company.

The Microsoft executives acknowledged the steep challenge of getting their blockbuster deal approved in a time of increased scrutiny of big tech companies from the Biden administration. Lina Khan, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, is a critic of tech giants like Amazon and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

Under her, the agency sued to block chip maker Nvidias acquisition of Arm and she has promised to be more aggressive in scrutinizing more mergers and acquisitions. She began a process to toughen standards on so-called vertical mergers, which could include Microsofts bid for Activision, a combination of two companies along a supply chain.

Microsoft may also face challenges abroad. Regulators in Britain and the European Union have been even more aggressive in filing antitrust lawsuits against the tech giants or moving to block their acquisitions.

Microsoft has said Activision will help it compete in the nascent business of the so-called metaverse, or virtual worlds where some tech companies believe people could work and play.

Mr. Nadella said the main message was that Microsoft would not dominate gaming if the merger was approved. The company would become the third largest provider of video games with about 13 percent of the market, he said.

In traditional times, being the number three in a highly fragmented market wouldnt be that interesting to anyone, Mr. Nadella said.

Mr. Smith said Microsoft had expressed support for antitrust legislation to show members of Congress that the company would not fight what it viewed as inevitable regulations.

We are not in the world of 2018 and 2019, he said. We recognize there will be more scrutiny of any large accusations made by a large tech company. It behooves us to move quickly and transparently and be clear on how we manage this.

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Microsoft Starts Charm Offensive to Push Through Activision Deal - The New York Times

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Sturm und Drang | German literary movement | Britannica

Posted: at 5:32 am

Sturm und Drang, (German: Storm and Stress), German literary movement of the late 18th century that exalted nature, feeling, and human individualism and sought to overthrow the Enlightenment cult of Rationalism. Goethe and Schiller began their careers as prominent members of the movement.

The exponents of the Sturm und Drang were profoundly influenced by the thought of Rousseau and Johann Georg Hamann, who held that the basic verities of existence were to be apprehended through faith and the experience of the senses. The young writers also were influenced by the works of the English poet Edward Young, the pseudo-epic poetry of James Macphersons Ossian, and the recently translated works of Shakespeare.

Is there life after death? That’s the million-dollar question – The Canberra Times

Posted: at 5:32 am

life-style, books,

When the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies in Nevada announced an essay contest in February 2021, they were raising the stakes in what is set to become one of the most significant controversies in modern science. The topic was the survival of consciousness after death, and founder Robert Bigelow put up US$1 million in prize money, making it the monetary equivalent of the Nobel. Bigelow, who has a long-standing interest in the paranormal and has invested extensively in UFO research, has a counterpart in the late James Randi, a magician and hard-line sceptic who set up a US$1million award for anyone who could offer definitive proof of the paranormal. It remained unclaimed for two decades and was terminated in 2015. But in this instance, Bigelow was not looking for sensational phenomena. The Institute sought applicants who would take an evidentiary approach. There were to be no quotations from scripture, no faith-based outpourings: adjudication would be according to legal and scientific standards of verification. The six judges brought impressive credentials. They were Jessica Utts, emeritus professor of statistics from Irvine; theoretical physicist Harold Puthoff; Jeffrey Kripal, chair of philosophy and religious thought at Rice University; journalist Leslie Kean, who had written front-page stories on UFO evidence for The New York Times; and distinguished forensic neurologist Christopher C. Green. When the list of winners was announced in November, the prize haul had grown to well over US$1.5 million with an additional endowment to reward those on a short list of 29 submissions, all now published on the Institute website. Clearly this bid to promote life after death as the $1.5 million question was something more than gimmickry and wacky extravagance, so what does it all amount to, now that the evidence is out there? Eight out of the 10 authors who each won US$50,000 for highly commended essays, and nine of the 15 on an extended shortlist, hold postgraduate qualifications in the "hard" sciences. They include a pharmacologist, a computer engineer, an evolutionary biologist, a clinical oncologist, a bioengineer, and a postdoctoral research fellow in biomedical engineering. Third prize (US$150,000) was awarded to Leo Ruickbie, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in Britain and author of several books on the history and sociology of paranormal beliefs. Runner-up (US$300,000) Pim van Lommel is a clinical cardiologist whose previous honours include winning the Scientific and Medical Network book prize in 2010. First prize, a unanimous choice, was an essay by Jeffrey Mishlove, who holds the only doctorate yet awarded in parapsychology. Central to many of the essays is a concern with how evidence for the survival of consciousness beyond biological life presents a fundamental challenge to prevailing models of human perception and cognition. As Bigelow put it in an interview on the announcement of the prize, if the mind does not cease functioning with the death of the brain, "Where the hell is your mind?" Mishlove's essay pursues this speculation, drawing on extended discussions he has hosted since the mid 1980s with researchers in diverse fields for his You Tube channel, New Thinking Allowed. Mishlove is a skilled interviewer, meticulously attentive to argument and data, but he knows how to focus on key points and steer the dialogue at a pace that allows a general audience to follow. An early guest was pioneering biologist Francis Crick, co-winner of the Nobel Prize for his breakthrough work on the structure of DNA. "It's very rash to say that these things are beyond the scope of science," Crick says, in response to Mishlove's challenge about how consciousness can be understood purely in terms of neurons, "though we can't see how to do it at the moment." A generation later, Mishlove persuades philosopher Ruth Kastner, who belongs to a research group on the foundations of physics at the University of Maryland, to address the question again. Kastner professes herself "paranormally challenged", but interested in how witness accounts of near-death experience may be understood in terms of quantum theories of space-time. She insists, though, on avoiding slippage between modelling possibility and claiming actuality. This points to an essential problem with the brief for the competition. Bigelow does not seek to invest in speculation. He wants evidence, and evidence that will at least point in the direction of proof. But legal and scientific approaches to proof, assumed to be almost interchangeable in the competition brief, are divergent in essential ways. The law counts evidence by "weight", so multiple indicators from multiple sources may add up to proof beyond reasonable doubt. Proof in science depends on identifying causality and being able to replicate apparently causal relationships in predictable ways. Witness testimony, often central to a court case, has no place in scientific understanding. Our senses deceive us, so interpretations we regard as common sense may be no more than consensual delusion. But to what extent should we disbelieve our senses? Ruickbie's essay presents this challenge as what he terms "the Scrooge paradox", a reference to the withered old sceptic in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Scrooge, who sees a ghost and assumes it's a symptom of indigestion, is an emblem of how human intelligence withers under the constraints of hard rationalism and rational self-interest. It may take a supernatural apparition to burst the locks on embargoed dimensions of the mind. Van Lommel argues that mounting evidence surrounding the phenomenon of near-death experience (NDE) is testing the viability of prevailing scientific assumptions about the relationship between consciousness and the physical brain. There are now over 20 million documented cases of NDE in Europe. "Some scientists do not believe in questions that cannot be answered," but it may be a matter of adjusting the formulation of the question. Not "What is the biological basis of consciousness?" but "Is there a biological basis of consciousness?" Whatever the evidence of the survival of consciousness after physical death, scientific proof is surely a chimera. "It's not our system," as Officer Ripley puts it in Ridley Scott's Alien. Only through consciousness can we contemplate the mysteries of consciousness, and if we are doing so in ways that are restricted through certain kinds of framing, we're pretty much stuck. All that can be proved is the limits of science.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/9gmjQxX8MpSQh6J68NHMnY/67a3a0bf-e5d3-47fa-847d-85c7d9bd83da.jpg/r0_831_2428_2203_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg

February 12 2022 - 12:00AM

The authors presented evidence, not speculation, to form their arguments. Picture: Shutterstock.

Bigelow, who has a long-standing interest in the paranormal and has invested extensively in UFO research, has a counterpart in the late James Randi, a magician and hard-line sceptic who set up a US$1million award for anyone who could offer definitive proof of the paranormal. It remained unclaimed for two decades and was terminated in 2015. But in this instance, Bigelow was not looking for sensational phenomena.

The Institute sought applicants who would take an evidentiary approach. There were to be no quotations from scripture, no faith-based outpourings: adjudication would be according to legal and scientific standards of verification.

Bigelow Aerospace president and founder Robert T. Bigelow. Picture: Getty Images

The six judges brought impressive credentials. They were Jessica Utts, emeritus professor of statistics from Irvine; theoretical physicist Harold Puthoff; Jeffrey Kripal, chair of philosophy and religious thought at Rice University; journalist Leslie Kean, who had written front-page stories on UFO evidence for The New York Times; and distinguished forensic neurologist Christopher C. Green.

When the list of winners was announced in November, the prize haul had grown to well over US$1.5 million with an additional endowment to reward those on a short list of 29 submissions, all now published on the Institute website. Clearly this bid to promote life after death as the $1.5 million question was something more than gimmickry and wacky extravagance, so what does it all amount to, now that the evidence is out there?

Eight out of the 10 authors who each won US$50,000 for highly commended essays, and nine of the 15 on an extended shortlist, hold postgraduate qualifications in the "hard" sciences. They include a pharmacologist, a computer engineer, an evolutionary biologist, a clinical oncologist, a bioengineer, and a postdoctoral research fellow in biomedical engineering.

Third prize (US$150,000) was awarded to Leo Ruickbie, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in Britain and author of several books on the history and sociology of paranormal beliefs. Runner-up (US$300,000) Pim van Lommel is a clinical cardiologist whose previous honours include winning the Scientific and Medical Network book prize in 2010. First prize, a unanimous choice, was an essay by Jeffrey Mishlove, who holds the only doctorate yet awarded in parapsychology.

Central to many of the essays is a concern with how evidence for the survival of consciousness beyond biological life presents a fundamental challenge to prevailing models of human perception and cognition. As Bigelow put it in an interview on the announcement of the prize, if the mind does not cease functioning with the death of the brain, "Where the hell is your mind?"

Mishlove's essay pursues this speculation, drawing on extended discussions he has hosted since the mid 1980s with researchers in diverse fields for his You Tube channel, New Thinking Allowed. Mishlove is a skilled interviewer, meticulously attentive to argument and data, but he knows how to focus on key points and steer the dialogue at a pace that allows a general audience to follow.

An early guest was pioneering biologist Francis Crick, co-winner of the Nobel Prize for his breakthrough work on the structure of DNA. "It's very rash to say that these things are beyond the scope of science," Crick says, in response to Mishlove's challenge about how consciousness can be understood purely in terms of neurons, "though we can't see how to do it at the moment."

A generation later, Mishlove persuades philosopher Ruth Kastner, who belongs to a research group on the foundations of physics at the University of Maryland, to address the question again. Kastner professes herself "paranormally challenged", but interested in how witness accounts of near-death experience may be understood in terms of quantum theories of space-time. She insists, though, on avoiding slippage between modelling possibility and claiming actuality.

This points to an essential problem with the brief for the competition. Bigelow does not seek to invest in speculation. He wants evidence, and evidence that will at least point in the direction of proof. But legal and scientific approaches to proof, assumed to be almost interchangeable in the competition brief, are divergent in essential ways.

The law counts evidence by "weight", so multiple indicators from multiple sources may add up to proof beyond reasonable doubt. Proof in science depends on identifying causality and being able to replicate apparently causal relationships in predictable ways. Witness testimony, often central to a court case, has no place in scientific understanding.

Our senses deceive us, so interpretations we regard as common sense may be no more than consensual delusion. But to what extent should we disbelieve our senses? Ruickbie's essay presents this challenge as what he terms "the Scrooge paradox", a reference to the withered old sceptic in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol.

Scrooge, who sees a ghost and assumes it's a symptom of indigestion, is an emblem of how human intelligence withers under the constraints of hard rationalism and rational self-interest. It may take a supernatural apparition to burst the locks on embargoed dimensions of the mind.

Van Lommel argues that mounting evidence surrounding the phenomenon of near-death experience (NDE) is testing the viability of prevailing scientific assumptions about the relationship between consciousness and the physical brain. There are now over 20 million documented cases of NDE in Europe. "Some scientists do not believe in questions that cannot be answered," but it may be a matter of adjusting the formulation of the question. Not "What is the biological basis of consciousness?" but "Is there a biological basis of consciousness?"

Whatever the evidence of the survival of consciousness after physical death, scientific proof is surely a chimera. "It's not our system," as Officer Ripley puts it in Ridley Scott's Alien. Only through consciousness can we contemplate the mysteries of consciousness, and if we are doing so in ways that are restricted through certain kinds of framing, we're pretty much stuck. All that can be proved is the limits of science.

Is there life after death? That's the million-dollar question - The Canberra Times

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Can You Feel the Love With Juicy Stakes Casino? – Business Wire

Posted: at 5:31 am

SYDNEY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Who said romance is dead? Its certainly alive and well at Juicy Stakes Casino, with the popular poker platform providing a glut of gorgeous gifts to players this Valentines Day and beyond.

First things first, Free Spins and lots of them. You can get over 100 with this Casino Slot Spins Special between February 14th and February 21st. Juicy are sprinkling a little fairy dust with 40 Free Spins for Pixie Magic when depositing $25 with code FAE40, and if you want to get lucky on Lucky Clovers, a $50 deposit with RAINBOW70 will earn you 70 Free Spins. Lovely!

From the slots to the tables, where the only Valentines Cards you need come straight from the dealers hands. Valentines Day is also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, and you really are in for a feast with Juicys Blackjack Jackpot, where $2,000 worth of bonuses are up for grabs.

Heres what you need to do: Load up any Tangente Blackjack game and hit one of the featured events for a little extra. On offer is $5 for a Suited Blackjack, $10 for a Small Suite 21 and $25 for a Big Suite 21. And the pice de resistance $500 for the first player to hit a Suited Big Suite 21.

Third offers a charm, and it comes in the form of a Valentines Day Big Bounty Tournament! Flowers and chocolates dont quite compare to $3,000 GTD which is what you could win in this Juicy Stakes special event.

And not only could you land a share of this pretty prize pool, youll also pick up a bonus for every heart you break with a $30 bounty on the head of every player eliminated.

You simply love to see it.

Valentines Day $3,000 GTDBig Bounty February 14th7:30pm EasternBuy-in + fee: $40 + $4

John Murphy, manager of Juicy Stakes Casino, said: Were really sharing the love this week at Juicy Stakes with not one, not two, but three awesome offers to celebrate Valentines Day.

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ENDS

Editors notes:About Juicy Stakes Casino:Juicy Stakes offers online poker and online casino games to players all over the world. Known for its generous player rewards program, the online poker room is one of the most popular sites on the Horizon Poker Network and the online casino features games from WorldMatch, Betsoft and Lucktap.

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Can You Feel the Love With Juicy Stakes Casino? - Business Wire

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Grab A Week Of Bonuses Throughout February At FanDuel Casino – PartTimePoker News

Posted: at 5:31 am

Whats better than a fantastic casino bonus?

Well, how about a casino bonus that is fresh and new every day that offers you great value casino gaming with one of the premiere casino and sports betting sites available across the United States?

Well, that is what FanDuel Casino, sister site of FanDuel Sportsbook and Fantasy Sports is offering to customers throughout February.

We last brought you details of the sites Christmas offer back in December, so it is about time we got up to date with what the site offers.

So how do these different offers work and how can you access them? Read on for more details about these different offers and how you can participate.

First online wager only. Refund issued as site credit. 21+ and present in NJ, PA or WV. Gambling problem? Call 1-800 GAMBLER or in WV visit http://www.1800gambler.net. Terms apply.

The first thing you need to do to participate in any of these offers, is to log in to your FanDuel account and head over to the Casinos promotions page.

For each offer on each day, you will need to Opt In to the bonus on each specific day and complete the terms of the bonus on the same day (unless otherwise stated).

Any bonus that you may receive for the offer may take up to 72 hours to be credited to your account if applicable.

Lets now take a closer look at each of the different bonuses available starting with one that is available for you today and for the remaining two Mondays in February thereafter.

Outlined below are the six different offers you can access on each day of the week at FanDuel Sportsbook. You can access any offer at any time during the stated promotional period, but remember that you must opt in to each promotion on that day.

Kick off the week in style by making a deposit of $100 into your FanDuel Casino account on Monday after opting in to the offer.

Then wager through that $100 on the same day and when you do, you will receive a $10 bonus to play at the casino, which should be with you on Tuesday, but may take up to 72 hours to reach your account.

If Mondays offer is not quite to your liking, then you dont need to wait too long for another offer that may well be more to your liking.

Opt in on Tuesdays offer and wager more than $200 on Live Dealer Table Games on any Tuesday in February and you will receive back $20 of the money you have staked, regardless of how much you have won.

You will receive your risk free cash back on Wednesday.

Opt In to Wednesdays offer at FanDuel Casino and you can receive back $10 of your stake money if you wager $25 or more on any table games at the casino.

One thing to note this with this offer, is that bonuses are only paid if the player has incurred losses up to $10 and this does not include any bonus money play that the player may have used up during the promotional period.

Complete this offer and you will receive your $10 cash back on Thursday.

Claim this offer by Opting In and playing any game to earn a bonus of between $2 and $250 depending on how much you wager across that Thursday in February.

Payouts start at $100 to $199 in wagers earning a $2 bonus and go up to a $250 bonus paid to players that wager $10,000 or more on blackjack games during the promotional period.

As you will probably guess by now, any bonus you earn from this offer should be in your account on the following Friday.

After opting in to this offer, simply make a deposit into your account and you will receive a 10% deposit bonus matched to your deposit, up to a maximum of $10.

So, to maximise your bonus, you would need to deposit $100 into your account, smaller deposits will mean you receive a smaller deposit bonus.

Make your deposit on the Friday in February to qualify for this bonus and you should get your 10% bonus on Saturday.

Opt in and choose from three slots, either Asgardian Stones, Blood Suckers 2 and Butterfly Staxx risk free every Saturday and Sunday in February.

Wager a minimum of $25 on the slots and if you make a loss playing on these games, then you will receive up to a maximum of $10 back from those losses.

One thing to note with this offer is that you only need to Opt In to this offer once, not each time.

So with a whole week of offers to pick from every week in February, what a great opportunity for you to discover more about what is available at FanDuel Casino.

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Grab A Week Of Bonuses Throughout February At FanDuel Casino - PartTimePoker News

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How to Increase Your Chances Of Winning Blackjack? – TheWestNews

Posted: at 5:31 am

Ready to join an online casino in Canada? Congratulationsyoull be one of thousands of Canadians who spend their free time playing slots and poker online.

There are plenty of legit gambling sites in the country. The problem is finding a legit casino site that suits your needs. Dont lose hope, though. This article goes into detail on how to check if an online casino is legit. Lets get started.

Licensed and Accepts Canadians

The simplest way to check whether an online casino is legit is by looking for a valid license. Most casino sites in Canada get their licenses from the Malta Gaming Authority. Some also acquire licenses in Panama, Curacao and Costa Rica.

Can you find an online casino licensed in Canada? Yes, most provinces in the country have one official gambling website. Nationally, Canada doesnt license gambling sites.

To be clear, just because Canada doesnt license casino sites doesnt mean you cant gamble at offshore casinos. If anything, most people prefer to play blackjack and slots at overseas-based iGaming platforms.

That being said, a license from the MGA wont do you good if the casino doesnt accept Canadians. As such, pay attention to the list of countries a casino supports. If Canada isnt among them, find an alternative.

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Nowadays, theres a review website for every product online. This includes online gambling apps. Casino review sites publish comprehensive reviews of popular casinos to help Canadians better understand these operators.

In many cases, they also rank 5-20 best casino sites. Of course, you want to join of the top-rated operators for a delightful gaming experience. To find good online casinos in Canada, check at http://www.online-casinos.com.

Look for a casino with your ideal features. If you want a site with diverse games, pay attention to games and software providers. If youre more interested in bonuses, find a site with the best welcome and loyalty freebies.

Secure

Logically, an online casino isnt genuine unless its safe and secure. So, what defines a secure gambling operator? The first sign is a valid license. If this is present, a casino will often also feature SSL encryption.

SSL encryption protects your personal information while gambling at a website. Its compulsory for all licensed casinos to use SSL to secure their websites and apps.

In case youre wondering, an SSL compliant website has an address that starts with HTTPS and not HTTP. Additionally, it has a locked padlock sign on its address bar.

SSL encryption aside, a secure casino complies with data protection laws. For example, it asks for permission before collecting your data. And it explains what data it collects and how it uses it.

Another sign of a secure casino is its account protection measures. Can you add a password to your account? Does it support two-factor authentication?

Supports Renowned Canadian Payment Providers

By law, licensed casinos can only partner with safe, reputable and well-known payment providers. As a Canadian, its in your best interest to find a gambling site that accepts local banks, cards and e-wallets.

Truth be told, there are benefits for using varying payment options. Lets start with bank transfer. Its slow but safe. It can also support large deposits and withdrawals at low fees.

On the other hand, cards like Visa and MasterCard are faster than bank transfer. But they are slower than digital wallets and cost a tad more. On the bright side, almost every casino in Canada accepts Visa, MasterCard and iDebit.

Digital wallets are the most preferred payment options for Canadians. You can transact from as low as $1 to $10,000 at near-zero fees. Transactions are instant and you can link your e-wallet to your bank or debit card.

You can also use cryptocurrencies and eChecks at some casinos. The only disadvantage is that you need to jump a few hoops to buy, store and sell crypto safely.

Provides Games from Licensed Developers

Contrary to popular belief, many casinos dont create the games they offer on their sites. They lease gaming software from third party developers like Canadas Amaya (the Stars Group), NetEnt, Microgaming, Betsoft, BTG and Evolution.

Now, some operators partner with dozens of software developers. It doesnt mean less popular providers are unsafe. However, look out for the big names. They wont work with a casino unless its legit.

Furthermore, top-tier developers have a reputation for creating quality slots and table games. Take a look at NetEnt. Its the brand behind fan-favorites like Starburst, Gonzos Quest, Twin Spin and Mega Fortune.

Evolution supplies live casino software. Its the reason you can play poker, blackjack or baccarat against real human opponents in real time.

An Intuitive Web Design

If theres one thing scam casinos wont do, its to take time in creating an intuitive mobile, friendly website. They spend the absolute minimum in their site and app. Web pages are slow or fail to load while the grammar is horrible.

Owing to that backdrop, a few minutes at a casino site can give you an idea of whether to create an account. If its beautifully designed, easy to use and secure, its certainly legit.

But if you experience numerous problems while trying to use the casino, take it as a red flag. As mentioned, legit casinos in 2022 support all major mobile devices.

Functional Customer Service and a Good Reputation

Fraudulent casinos have no time for customer service. After all, their goal is to create problems by stealing your money and data. Some of them might claim to have contact channels. But they dont work.

In light of that information, ensure a casino has contact methods before you create an account. Live support is the most desired contact method nowadaysyou can interact with a casino in real time.

With that in mind, also learn more about a sites reputation. Naturally, legit operators have a good reputation. By contrast, scams casinos have negative reviews all over the Internet. Some of them have also been blacklisted on review platforms due to their fraudulent ways.

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How to Increase Your Chances Of Winning Blackjack? - TheWestNews

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Singapore Moves to Have a Single Regulator for All… – Casino.Org News

Posted: at 5:30 am

Posted on: February 14, 2022, 08:57h.

Last updated on: February 14, 2022, 12:06h.

Singapores parliament has taken the next step toward the completion of its goal to have a unified gambling industry. Legislators discussed the countrys updated gambling laws today and made progress on their implementation.

Singapore has spent the past several years updating its gambling industry. It announced in 2020 that a new Gaming Authority was coming that would oversee all gambling in the country. That regulatory agency was to make its arrival in 2021.

However, like so many other countries, COVID-19 had other plans. Attention was temporarily given elsewhere.

While lawmakers determined that they needed to focus their energy on other issues, they didnt hesitate to approvea new tax regime last month. Gross gaming revenue will be taxed at 18% instead of 15%. This applies through the first SG$3.1 billion (US$2.3 billion). After that, the rate jumps to 22%.

Now, with COVID-19 seemingly starting to loosen its grasp, Singapore is pushing forward with its gambling law revision. Its parliament conducted its first reading of the new Gambling Control Bill and the Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) of Singapore Bill today.

The GRA is a new concept for Singapore. It would be a single regulator for all gambling activity, instead of having a separate regulator for casinos and one for other forms of gambling. Currently, the Casino Regulatory Authority oversees the countrys two integrated resorts.

The arrival of the GRA will cause several other gambling laws to disappear. The Betting Act, the Common Gaming Houses Act, the Private Lotteries Act, and the Remote Gambling Act will no longer exist, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Although the GRA bill creates a new regulator for all forms of gambling, it stops short of creating new rules for the two casinos. The Ministry added that this will be addressed through a new Casino Control (Amendment) bill. However, it didnt mention when the new rules will arrive.

Once the Gambling Control Bill becomes law, which could happen before the end of this summer, proxy betting will be forbidden. This includes formal and informal proxies friends wont be able to place wagers for friends.

The prohibition on proxy betting stems from several different issues. If a proxy bettor is able to place a bet, it bypasses financial safeguards designed to prevent money laundering. This runs afoul of the guidelines established by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The FATF doesnt have the legal authority to act against those who violate internationally-established laws. However, its recommendations are almost always supported by the global financial community. Failure to appease the agency can make it difficult for countries to have open trade and economies.

Proxy betting doesnt stop problem gambling, either. If someone has self-excluded or has been excluded by family members, a proxy bettor bypasses that control.

Previously, proxy betting was not a criminal offense. However, it is now. But the punishments are still in the works.

Entering a gambling area as an underage individual will also be a criminal offense. The good news is that the legal ages arent changing. The legal age for gambling is 21 everywhere, except at Singapore Pools locations. The legal age for these sports betting and lottery shops are 18.

Social gambling is still on the table. This includes any gambling activity among family and friends. However, it cannot be treated as a business or be done for private gain.

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Singapore Moves to Have a Single Regulator for All... - Casino.Org News

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Here are some of the things you can find while using Melbet’s casino – FTNnews.com

Posted: at 5:30 am

Gambling websites that want to become among the leaders in the online betting industry use all sorts of things to stand out.

Some brands only pay attention to their bonus section, whereas others are keen on giving their users access to an impressive range of betting categories.

The good news is that companies like Melbet fall into both categories because this brand has everything you can think of. Thanks to Silentbet, the Melbet casino was reviewed here:https://silentbet.com/melbet-casino-review/ with a good rating, which probably doesnt come as a surprise. Everyone with some iGaming experience knows that Melbet is one of the trendsetters in online betting. The website is home to an impressive number of security features, a professional customer support department, and a fantastic range of payment solutions.

However, the purpose of this article will be to point out some of the things that make this companys casino section among the best. With that being said, lets go over a few of the important aspects you should be aware of.

Despite the fact that some people rarely check whether a given brand has a good design, this is one of the things that sets some companies apart. Melbet is one of the names in iGaming that didnt have a contemporary design. However, it decided to change a lot of things, which is why its casino section is one of the most innovative ones yet.

Besides looking good, Melbets casino section is designed to allow you to access everything within seconds. Instead of looking for a game for several minutes, you can use the numerous subcategories. Whats even more impressive is that Melbet has a search feature. The latter will allow you to type the name of a given title, and it will show up.

One of the essential things to remember about Melbet is that this gambling operator works alongside an impressive range of casino software suppliers. People who read the Melbet casino review from Silentbet might be surprised to hear it, but those with more experience are well aware that every modern online casino does not develop its own games. There are brands that try to go through this process, but the results are not impressive. Consequently, every big name in the business works in conjunction with the top-rated casino software suppliers.

Speaking of the devil, Melbet has partnered with more than 80 different software brands. This allows the online casino to offer a diverse selection of games that will satisfy even the most niche tastes. Melbet works alongside companies like eZugi, 1x2 Gaming, Microgaming, Evolution Gaming, and more. All of them have several years of experience.

Aside from everything mentioned so far, Melbet is where online bettors can find an impressive selection of titles. Thanks to the numerous software brands, this casino can satisfy even the most niche tastes. If you look closely at the Melbet review from Silentbet, you will find a variety of online slots, table games, titles with real dealers, and other kinds of things. Of course, the games are split into several sections because it will be hard to access them otherwise.

The last important thing that people have to know about Melbet is that the website offers a demo mode. Even though online casinos usually dont provide many features, Melbet is an exception. This place gives its clients the chance to play some of the most popular games for free before deciding whether they should make a deposit. Despite the fact that the demo mode is not available for every game, most titles will allow you to put them to the test.

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Here are some of the things you can find while using Melbet's casino - FTNnews.com

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Daily Archives: February 15, 2022

Microsoft Brings Together Tech, Healthcare Giants To Answer Hard AI Questions – CDOTrends

The problem(s) with a GOP senator pushing cognitive tests for Biden – MSNBC

Microsoft Starts Charm Offensive to Push Through Activision Deal – The New York Times

Sturm und Drang | German literary movement | Britannica

Is there life after death? That’s the million-dollar question – The Canberra Times

Can You Feel the Love With Juicy Stakes Casino? – Business Wire

Grab A Week Of Bonuses Throughout February At FanDuel Casino – PartTimePoker News

How to Increase Your Chances Of Winning Blackjack? – TheWestNews

Singapore Moves to Have a Single Regulator for All… – Casino.Org News

Here are some of the things you can find while using Melbet’s casino – FTNnews.com

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