Daily Archives: March 21, 2022

On April 10, 2021, DeSantis signed the Combating Public Disorder Act, a conservative response to Black Lives Matter and other protests that turn violent or destructive. On Sept. 9, 2021, however, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker blocked enforcement of the law because a person of ordinary intelligence could not be sure if he or she broke the law while participating nonviolently in a protest that turned violent:

The vagueness of this definition forces would-be protesters to make a choice between declining to jointly express their views with others or risk being arrested and spending time behind bars, with the associated collateral risks to employment and financial well-being.

DeSantis has capitalized on Floridas outdoor culture to become the nations leading opponent of mask mandates and lockdowns of schools and businesses, including a May 3, 2021, executive order declaring:

In order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals in this State and to accelerate the States recovery from the Covid-19 emergency, any emergency order issued by a political subdivision due to the Covid-19 emergency which restricts the rights or liberties of individuals or their businesses is invalidated.

For DeSantis, the pandemic offered the opportunity to distinguish himself from Trump. In January, Jonathan Chait described his strategy in New York magazine:

Where Trump was tiptoeing around vaccine skepticism, DeSantis jumped in with both feet, banning private companies like cruise lines from requiring vaccination, appointing a vaccine skeptic to his states highest office, and refusing to say if hes gotten his booster dose.

DeSantis may or may not actually be more delusional on Covid than Donald Trump, Chait wrote, but it is a revealing commentary on the state of their party that he sees his best chance to supplant Trump as positioning himself as even crazier.

Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic, has a similar take on the Trump-DeSantis Covid feud, writing on Jan. 18:

Whats suddenly intriguing is that DeSantis has decided to try to outflank Trump, to out-Trump Trump, in terms of his hard-trolling of the libs on the vaccine question. And its Trump Donald Trump! who is playing the role of civilizing, normalizing truth teller.

Politically speaking, however, DeSantiss stance on Covid policy, together with his culture war agenda, has been a success. His favorability ratings have soared and in the third quarter of 2021, the most recent data available, Floridas gross domestic product grew by 3.8 percent, third fastest in the nation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, behind Hawaii and Delaware.

DeSantiss aggressive posture and threats to bring legal action have created anxiety about retribution in some quarters. In January, for example, Dr. Raul Pino, the administrator for the Florida Department of Healths office in Orange County, wrote his staff to say that only 77 of 558 staff members had received a Covid-19 booster, 219 had two doses of the vaccine and 34 had only one dose, according to reporting by my colleague Patricia Mazzei in The Times. I am sorry but in the absence of reasonable and real reasons it is irresponsible not to be vaccinated, Dr. Pino added. He went on: We have been at this for two years, we were the first to give vaccines to the masses, we have done more than 300,000 and we are not even at 50 percent. Pathetic.

Shortly afterward, Pino was put on administrative leave for a month. Jeremy T. Redfern, the press secretary for the Department of Health, said when the leave of absence was announced that the department was conducting an inquiry to determine if any laws were broken in this case. Redfern said in a statement that the decision to get vaccinated is a personal medical choice that should be made free from coercion and mandates from employers.

This and other similar developments have certainly not hurt DeSantiss poll numbers. The latest survey released on Feb. 24 by Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida found not only that of the elected officials on this survey, Governor Ron DeSantis had the highest job approval rating at 58 percent, with 37 percent disapproval, but also that Florida Republicans preferred DeSantis over Trump 44-41 as their presidential nominee.

John Feehery, a Republican lobbyist who previously worked for the partys House leaders, argues that DeSantis is

attuned to the libertarian impulses of an electorate that simply doesnt trust the conventional wisdom coming out of Washington. DeSantis also seems willing to court cultural conservatives in ways that most Washington politicians dont, like with the sex education bill that he signed. DeSantis also seems willing to take on big corporations for their wokeness, a potent issue among the G.O.P. base.

Feehery described DeSantis as a wild card, noting he was also right on Covid, which took an incredible amount of courage.

As governor, DeSantis is wary when he senses the potential for blowback, waiting days before commenting on Russias invasion of Ukraine. When he finally did so, his comments were largely focused on domestic politics.

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Opinion | Ron DeSantis Is Gambling on Out-Trumping Trump - The New York Times

All Bets Are Off: Calvin Ridley was suspended from the NFL for at least a full season for gambling on football.

In November 2021, Calvin Ridley, a wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons, placed several multi-legs parlay bets on his team through the Hard Rock Casino app, totaling $1,500.

The gamble could end up costing him $11 million.

A few days later, Ridley, who was on a non-football related illness list, tried to place another bet and his activity was flagged by Hard Rock and Genius Sports, the U.K.-based tech platform that provides play-by-play statistics and data to sports betting and media companies for the NFL, NBA, NCAA, FIFA, EPL, and dozens of other leagues.

Genius integrity services arm, which monitors betting markets across hundreds of thousands of sporting events, alerted the NFL that one of their players broke the leagues cardinal rule: do not bet on football. And last week, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Ridley for at least the 2022 season, meaning he will forfeit his multimillion-dollar salary.

The process worked, says Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the NFL, explaining that guarding against gambling by players and team personnel is one of the reasons the league contracted with Genius Sports in April 2021. Integrity of the game is crucial to the health of the NFL.

Genius Sports, which was founded 20 years ago by entrepreneur Mark Locke and went public on the New York Stock Exchange last year through a special purpose acquisition company deal, puts all 16,000 players, coaches and NFL staff through educational seminars and tutorials about the leagues gambling rules. Players are allowed gamble but not on football; staff members cannot place a wager on any sport. During every game, Genius monitors betting activity to look out for anomalies.

Simon Martyn, the director of integrity at Genius Sports, says that even though his division is not a major revenue-driver for the companythats the data and statistics divisionit is a foundational service that prevents entire sports leagues from crumbling.

The reason we all love sport, at the end of the day, is the unpredictable nature, isn't it? says Martyn. We trust the sport, we turn up knowing that any result can happen. So it's important that we have measures in place, which protect that because without it, you're going to undermine everything. We're talking about a threat to the whole commercial ecosystem. Its in the interest of everyone to have a clean sport that has the proper integrity measures in place.

The cornerstone of Genius Sports integrity division is its bet monitoring system. Genius has a predictive algorithm that suggests what a particular wagering market should look like and what the odds should be based on whats going on before and during a particular event. The companys database includes key historical records on teams, players, and competitions, which also inform the algorithm. We look for suspicious odds movements, says Martyn, by monitoring both regulated and unregulated bookmakers.

If the system catches any deviation from the predicted outcome, the company will flag it and investigate. The company then forwards any suspicious activity to sportsbooks and leagues that cannot be easily explained.

If the money line were to change drastically in one team's favor, that would be flagged in our system, Martyn says. We want to see movements that can be explained by genuine sporting factorsteam news changes or weather. Can it be explained? If it cant be explained, theres a further investigation.

Athletes are subject to a different standard of monitoring by Genius, leagues and sportsbooks. There is a level of information sharing where appropriate and required, says Martyn. Its in the interest of everyone to have a clean sport that has the proper integrity measures in place.

One of the most high-profile scandals Genius Sports helped to uncover was a fixed FIFA soccer match. On November 12, 2016, Joseph Lamptey, a Ghanaian soccer referee, awarded a penalty kick to South Africa during a match against Senegal during a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. The penalty, for a handball, was a shamthe ball clearly hit Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly on his leg. South Africa won 2-1. A couple days later, Sportradar, Global Lottery Monitoring System, Starlizard Sports Betting Consultancy and Genius Sports all filed reports that the sports betting market for that game showed irregular movements and showed evidence that gamblers knew what the score would be ahead of time. FIFAs judicial body banned Lamptey for life and the Court of Arbitration for Sport found him guilty of unlawfully influencing match results to make pertinent bets successful.

See What: FIFA referee Joseph Lamptey was banned for life after he was found to have unlawfully influenced a match result during a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

The 1,500-employee company is large in size, but not in financials. Genius Sports has a $922 million market cap and it increased its revenues by 75% in 2021, hitting $263 million, over 2020. But it reported a $592 million net loss last year and a dramatic 90% drop in EBITA from 2020 to a meager $1.6 million.

As for future Calvin Ridleys, Genius Sports would not reveal the number of suspicious activity reports it sends to the professional leagues. When asked if these types of incidents are getting worse as sports gambling is now legal in 30 states across the U.S., Martyn says legalization has helped with transparency and information sharing. I wouldn't characterize it as an issue that we're constantly rooting out, he says. It's something that we are working with everyone in the industry to put in place the best practices that protect the integrity of their sport.

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Meet The Gambling Tech Company That Caught The NFL's Calvin Ridley - Forbes

Global online gambling and the betting market was valued US$ 47.2 Bn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ 107.2 Bn by 2026, at a CAGR of 9.54% during a forecast period.The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. The report also helps in understanding global online gambling and betting market dynamics, structure by identifying and analyzing the market segments and project the global market size. Further, the report also focuses on the competitive analysis of key players by product, price, financial position, product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence. The report also provides PEST analysis, PORTERs analysis, SWOT analysis to address questions of shareholders to prioritizing the efforts and investment in the near future to the emerging segment in the global online gambling and betting market.

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Gambling can be defined as risking money or anything of material value for uncertain results. The initial intent is to win additional money or material goods. Online gambling, more usually known as Internet gambling, is typically betting on casino or sports type games over the Internet.

Constant development in the internet infrastructure along with the strong penetration of mobile devices, rising urbanization & disposable incomes, increasing usage of the internet is driving the growth of the global online gambling and betting market. Virtual reality headphones are created a better environment for online gambling and betting. Crypto-currency and increased adoption and popularity of Internet-based devices are growing the market of online gambling and betting. Easy convenience of these games and the lure of easy money are the key factors powering global online gambling and betting market growth.

However, incorporation of live streaming with online gambling and development of online gambling & betting sites with innovative technology as per requirement of end-users are expected to generate new opportunities in the market.

Sports betting is estimated to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period. Rising the popularity of sports and followers of sports among the globe will boost the market. Increased craze regarding sport in youth is growing the market of sports betting. Mobile is estimated to hold the largest share of the market during the forecast period. Rising usage of the smartphones and penetration of internet is a growing share of the market. Rising trust being online operators, as well as an increase in mobile gaming.

Software segment is projected to hold the largest share of the online gambling & betting market during the forecast period owing to the availability of various online payment options. Additional, the online gambling & betting market is divided on the basis of gaming type into poker, casino, sports betting, bingo, lottery, horse race betting, and others. Poker segment is expected to hold a notable share during the forecast period.

Legalization for online gambling and betting in Europe region is estimated to hold the largest share of the market in this region. The UK is the first country which one is legalized for online gaming and betting and also various countries are legalizing for online gaming and betting such as Italy and Spain. However, Asia Pacific is estimated to generate the highest CAGR in the forecast period as increasing penetration of internet and relaxation of regulations regarding online gaming and betting in this region. Also, North America is estimated to grow at a substantial rate in the global online gambling & betting market meanwhile it is the most technically developed region. The U.S. is expected to be a key contributor in the region.

Scope of the Global Online Gambling and Betting Market

Global Online Gambling and Betting Market by Gaming TypePokerLotteryBingoSports BettingFantasy SportsOthers

Global Online Gambling and Betting Market by Device TypeDesktopMobileTab

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Global Online Gambling and Betting Market by ComponentHardwareSoftwareService

Global Online Gambling and Betting Market by GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle East & AfricaSouth America

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Key Players in Global Online Gambling and Betting Market888 Holdings plcThe Stars GroupPaddy Power Betfair plc.Fortuna Entertainment Group,GVC Holdings Plc.PlaytikaSciGamesZyngaBet365 Group Ltd.Betfred Ltd.Paddy Power Fortuna Entertainment GroupThe Betway GroupWilliam Hill PlcKindred GroupRank GroupPlaytechHong Kong Jockey ClubMybet HoldingKindred Group

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Online Gambling and the betting Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth through 2021-2031 ChattTenn Sports - ChattTenn Sports

DC bar betting big to cash in on sports gambling money

In the District, there's only one local business that is allowed to have its own sportsbook. FOX 5's Katie Barlow reports from Grand Central in Northwest D.C.

WASHINGTON - March Madness kicks off this Thursday and with sports betting now legal across the DMV, restaurants, and bars are looking to cash in. But in the District, there's only one local business that is allowed to run its own sportsbook Grand Central Restaurant in Northwest.

If everyone is trying to get in on the sports betting action, why is Grand Central the only one?

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Well, it's pricey to run a sportsbook in the D.C. area. You have to apply for a license with the office of lottery and gaming, and just the application alone will cost you $100,000. The amount is non-refundable, so if the business is not approved, they're out of cash. A spokesperson for the D.C. government said they try not to let that happen.

"I think $100,000 is a lot for any small business," said Brian Vasile, the owner of Grand Central. "But youre getting access to something that should be a large revenue stream. It should help you in the long term. Its a marathon, not a sprint. And were the first to do it in the country, so its hard to tell whether $100,000 is worth it or not because we dont have a lot of data and no one does. Were the first."

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Currently, there are three different ways to bet on sports in D.C. Gamblers can go to a major sports venue like the Capital One Arena or Audi Field, or stop by Grand Central.

The District also offers its own sports betting via the GameBetDC app and select kiosks.

"We are not trying to be Vegas.," said Nicole Jordan, spokeswoman for D.C. Office of Lottery and Gaming. "We are building sports betting in the District in a responsible way. And so we don't want to have lounge parlors, and you know a strip. That's not the District's model."

There's one more application for a sportsbook in process at the moment, but for now Grand Central is the only shop in town gamblers can place bets at. They say they're ready for a St. Patrick's Day tip-off on Thursday.

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DC bar bets big to cash in on sports gambling - FOX 5 DC

Following a 2018 Supreme Court decision that lifted a federal ban on sports betting, many states have rushed to create new laws to allow sports betting. There are now 32 states with at least some form of legal gambling an increase of five states from two years earlier.

With new forms of wagering that people can access without having to go to a casino, gaming revenues are hitting all-time highs in the U.S. In nearly every state with legal wagering, revenues are up well above what they were two years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit more than doubling in a few states.

To determine the states where gambling has grown the highest, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed The American Gaming Associations Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. Adult population figures came from the U.S. Census Bureau. States were ranked on the change in gaming revenue from January 2020 to January 2022.

In highest of the states with some form of legal gambling, revenue increased anywhere from 0.1%-35% from January 2020 to January 2022. In five of these states, revenue declined but typically just slightly. In two states, revenue more than doubled. The AGA found that casino visits in early 2022 were roughly equivalent to what they were in January 2020. The growth in the industry is being driven by sports betting and iGaming.

Five states Connecticut, Tennessee, Virginia, Wyoming, and Montana had no gambling revenue in 2020 but have since allowed at least one type of gambling. Other states, like New York and Ohio, already had casinos but recently enacted laws that permit sports betting as well. Gambling can produce tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for these states. These are the states that spend the highest on gambling.

Click here to see the states where gambling revenue is skyrocketing (and plummeting)

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States Where Gambling Revenue Is Skyrocketing (and Plummeting) - 24/7 Wall St.

A Norwegian study has estimated the total cost of gambling harm in the country to be NOK5.14bn (444.8m/526.2m/$585.5m) per year.

This total, the National Competence Centre for Gaming Research said, represented just under half of the Norwegian regulated markets annual net revenue.

In order to calculate the cost of gambling harm in Norway, the Centre conducted a cost-of-disease analysis. It said that the expenses it looked into are divided into direct costs, including the cost of gambling harm treatment services and indirect costs indirect costs such as the loss in production due to the effects of harmful gambling. The study also considered intangible costs, such as the emotional impact of gambling harm for family members.

The report noted that a 2019 study of gambling harm conducted by the University of Bergen found that 63% of Norwegians had gambled that year.

Using the Canadian Problem Gambling Index, it classed 50% of the population as being at no risk of harm, 8.8% as low-risk. However, 3.1% were considered to be at medium-risk and 1.4% were classified as problem gamblers. The percentage of citizens classed as problem gamblers using the scale was up from 0.9% in 2015.

This means some 524,000 Norwegians would be classed as being at some form of risk, including 55,000 high-risk gamblers.

Looking at direct costs, the study said that gambling harm directly leads to costs of NOK822.8m.

The Competence Centre said that problem gambling treatment costs came to NOK157.5m, plus a further NOK168.5m to treatment of the consequences of problem gambling and NOK4.9m to gambling-harm nonprofits.

The largest direct costs by far, however, was recruitment, with costs in this area coming to NOK321.7m. This was mostly linked to replacing personnel who lost their jobs due to gambling-related reasons, with the assumption that 1,320 Norwegians at a given time are unemployed because of gambling harm.

The Centre added NOK38.2m in budgeting and debt advice costs, plus NOK27.8m in police costs, NOK29.6m in court costs and NOK20.4m in prison care. The study noted that as Norwegian data on the portion of criminal charges that are linked to gambling harm was not available, it used a study from Australia and adjusted for Norwegian crime rates.

In addition, NOK12.1m was attributed to prevention and treatment, plus NOK19.1m for regulation.

Indirect costs of gambling harm were significantly higher, however, at NOK2.43bn. Lost production related to unemployment made up NOK891.9m, while lost production due to sick leave and other absences made up NOK464.5m and NOK103.4m, respectively.

Production losses related to gambling-linked premature suicides came to NOK891.8m, based on 51 suicides with a median age of 32.5.

Costs related to lost production due to imprisonment came to NOK18.5m, while for disability this was NOK56.1m.

Finally, the study calculated NOK1.89bn in intangible costs. Of this total, NOK1.27bn was related to friends and family, while NOK618m was related to the gamblers themselves.

For intangible costs from the players perspective, NOK127.3m was related to the effects of violence, while NOK153.0m to mental health, NOK116.0m to divorce or seperation and NOK106.0m to unemployment. In addition, NOK16.9m was linked to suicide attempts.

Meanwhile for affected others, intangible costs related to mental health came to NOK342.8m, while for violance there were NOK285.2m and for divorce or separation NOK260.5m. For unemployment, intangible costs to friends and family were NOK237.4m, while costs related to suicide attempts were NOK37.8m and premature death NOK2.5m. Costs related to being the victim of crime were NOK205.7m.

As a result, the total cost to society was calculated as NOK5.14bn.

These are serious numbers, Henrik Nordal, department director at regulator Lotteritilsynet said. This illustrates that problem gambling is a public health problem, and that it is absolutely necessary to protect vulnerable players.

Using the estimate of 55,000 problem gamblers, the study noted that this would be a cost of NOK93,548 per player.

Alternatively, it said, the total could be considered 0.14% of Norways gross domestic product or just under half of the regulated Norwegian markets net revenue in 2019.

The final estimate of NOK5.14bn emphasises that problem gambling constitutes a significant cost to society, the study said.

It went on to note that given the calculated figure was much larger than the amount spent on problem gambling prevention, more should be devoted to this area as it could potentially lead to greatly reduced spending elsewhere.

Nordal went on to say that the study backed up the countrys regulatory structure, in which Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto are the only two licensed operators.

We have the strictest regulation of the games that potentially create the greatest damage, Nordal said. Although the report does not cover individual games, it shows that it is the right approach.

The report shows that it is important to continue the work of preventing illegal gambling companies from reaching Norwegian customers.

The study also noted that in the 2019 survey, the median self-reported annual spend for recreational gamblers using Norways regulated gaming monopoly was NOK2,866, compared to NOK4,610 for low-risk players, NOK8,078 for medium-risk players and NOK31,079 for those classed as problem gamblers.

Looking at unlicensed sites, meanwhile, the median recreational player spent NOK114 and low-risk players NOK704, but medium-risk players spent NOK3,183 and problem gamblers NOK13,438.

Looking at the combined figures, the spending represented 0.5% of annual income for recreational players, 1.0% for low-risk players, 2.8% for medium-risk players and 11.5% from problem gamblers.

Taking these numbers and the problem gambling prevalence figures, the National Competence Centre for Gaming Research estimated how much revenue the regulated and unregulated sectors made from at-risk gamblers.

It calculated that regulated operators receive NOK1.71bn from problem gamblers, NOK985.5m from medium-risk players, NOK1.60bn from low-risk players and NOK5.68bn from those at no risk of harm.This would suggest a combined total of NOK10bn, which was only slightly less than the 10.58bn in net revenue that Norsk Tipping and Norsk Rikstoto combined for in 2019.

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Study estimates cost of gambling harm in Norway to be NOK5.14bn - iGaming Business

For many readers on our site, it is very likely that you are an avid gamer who has definitely tried or at least heard of CSGO. CSGO was one of the first shooter games made available on the market that provided equal interaction for multiplayers to play. However, more recently, CSGO gambling has been made possible and has gained the engagement of many proactive gamers within the CSGO gaming community.

For those intrigued by the idea, we have provided an outline and overview of some elite CSGO Exchange sites. After understanding more about what CSGO gambling is, you have the opportunity to explore and know exactly where to gamble at the best spots on the internet!

What is CSGO gambling?

CSGO gambling is where CSGO gamers join up and register, gambling their CSGO skins and coins for the possibility of winning even more. Gamers can choose to sign up and selectively gambler their existing skins within the games that the CSGO gambling sites provide. Many involve you gambling all with the chance of walking away with nothing. However, if you do win, you can win cash prizes or receive more in-game items to play with as you play CSGO. For this to successfully happen, you would need to link up your Steam account used to play CSGO in the first place. That is how you are able to deposit skins and withdraw them.

What can you play on CSGO gambling sites?

There are many games that players can check out, to place a wager with their skins or alternative currency. Some of the most popular games on CSGO gambling sites are the following listed below.

Coin Flip

A simple game, players will wager on the possibility of an outcome dictated by the coin toss. You will be able to keep going as you wager in increments, however, there is a choice to go in, all or nothing. Meaning all the winnings you have can be doubled or lost. A game designed to intensify the gaming experience; it can certainly get your adrenaline going as you play.

Dice

Another game that is popular on CSGO gambling sites, is the Dice game. Similar to the Coin Flip, this game bases its betting system on the odds of getting certain dice variations after rolling. For every guess you make correctly prior to rolling, your winnings increase. Just like the Coin Flip however, you get the choice to play all or nothing. If you win, you will walk away with double the amount you won in previous rounds combined.

Crash

Crash is a game where players will see a rising multiplayer. As the game commences, you need to time your wagers correctly and in accordance with the multiplier. When you click the cash out option, this will either trigger an outcome where you can win the amount you wagered, multiplied by the multiplier on the screen, or you will lose everything as the crash feature triggers a 0 multiplier, and essentially crashes out.

What makes CSGO gambling the future?

CSGO gambling is overtaking standard online casinos because it is more flexible and innovative for todays highly requested niche-eSports gaming. Many players within the recent pandemic, opted to go into online gaming, making skins and in-game items in high demand. The increased traffic for eSports, with particular examples to CSGO, makes CSGO gambling a perfect opportunity. Additionally, due to the many convenient opportunities to offer to players, such as deposit bonuses, giveaways and blockchain technology to support gaming, CSGO gambling has become a huge security convenience within the gambling realm.

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CSGO Gambling: The Next Craze in Gaming - GLYFE Nation

Lee Richardson MBA, regular Gambling Insider contributor, CEO of Gaming Economics and Co-Founder of the Big Betting Balagan, asks where we are in the drive towards responsible gambling.

The term responsible gambling (RG) was according to a recent Australian state government paper analysing the topic first coined about 30 years ago, as a means of describing both gambling behaviours (as those demonstrated by consumers) and gambling environments (as that facilitated by policymakers, regulators and operators).

It seems probable it was itself borrowed from the alcohol industry, and its policy discussions concerning consumption patterns, where the concept of responsible drinking had been around since the early 1980s.

Whatever its lineage, weve been aware of the RG term for at least a generation; yet theres evidence the industry still struggles with its very definition, and subsequent implementation and effectiveness.

By way of evidence, in a 2004 paper published by the University of Las Vegas (Challenges In Responsible Provision of Gambling: Questions of Efficacy, Effectiveness and Efficiency), academics Hing and Mackeller argued that there was a lack of agreement over the facts (efficacy), a lack of agreement over goals (effectiveness) and a lack of agreement over the means to achieve those goals (efficiency). Almost 20 years on,is that still the case? Sadly, I fear it is.

More recently, in a well-researched background paper (Responsible Gambling; Past, Present and Future) published just five years ago by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation in Australia, one key conclusion was it may (still) need to be clearly articulated that the focus of responsible gambling is reducing gambling harm, rather than reducing or preventing problem gambling.

Such long-standing doubt about definitions, descriptions and scope continue to dog debate and hinder collective RG best-practice around the globe.

In the UK, where the industry awaits the publication of a (now overdue) White Paper on the UK governments Review of the Gambling Act 2005 later this spring, RG has been a common point of discussion, debate and disagreement for just about all involved in the advance consultation; whether within the industry itself, the media, critics or parliamentarians.

The latest skirmish appears to be the so-called single customer view (SCV) which, ostensibly, will deliver the industry with a holistic and detailed perspective of an individual consumers gambling activity and behaviour; and thus provide a better picture of potential indicators of harm from that gambling.

Some say its a vital part of the RG landscape, others claim its fraught with data protection and privacy issues. Nonetheless, after the UK ICO gave its blessing late last year, new Gambling Minister Chris Philp called on the industry to act, saying: Operators must now come together quickly to deliver a meaningful solution

In quick response, industry body the Betting and Gaming Council has just invested 1m ($1.3m) and selected self-exclusion organisation GamStop to deliver its first workable SCV application, for delivery before the end of March 2022. By this summer, the industry should then be in a position to properly evaluate the pros and cons of such a new RG tool, and the scale of benefits for consumers be better quantified.

On the point of backing such initiatives, the UK industry now appears to be embroiled in a spat over how, and from whom, research, education and treatment (RET) for gambling-related harm should best be funded, with the NHS due to stop accepting industry money in 2022.

Health services in England received 1.2m last year to help specialist gambling addiction clinics organised by GambleAware a charity set up to reduce gambling harms itself largely funded from industry donations. It insists it is fully independent, with the UK gambling industry havingabsolutely no influence over its activity.

However, in late January 2022, Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Director of the National Problem Gambling Clinic, said NHS clinicians have been asking, for a long timefor independence of funding from industry.

Frankly, its difficult to know if this development brings a mandatory RET-funding operator levy closer in the awaited White Paper, or pushes it further away. Either way, the demand for more funding for RET seems assured, even if the mechanism might now be murkier.

Despite its critics, the UK gambling industry, particularly online, has much to look back on with confidence. It satisfies millions of consumers on a daily basis, is of significant benefit to the UK economy, has created thousands of high-value, skilled jobs and has developed innovative products now widely adopted throughout the rest of the gambling world. With a once-in-a-generation chance, through a proportionate, evidence-led government review, it has a golden opportunity to also lead the world in implementing evidence-based, sustainable and effective responsible gambling. Lets hope it gets the chance to do so.

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Are we there yet? - Gambling Insider

I felt like Id become two people the Tracy who was gambling and the Tracy who was trying to cover it up. It was like having a split personality.

Tracy Galvin, who lives in Essex, was introduced to gambling at the age of 17, when she would play the slot machines, after finishing a shift in the bingo hall she worked in.

What she didnt realise back then was that something that began as harmless fun would come to take over her life.

It started small, Tracy, 58, explains. And it just got worse and worse.

The mum of one experienced her first big win one night after she finished work, when she won 250 a moment she recalls as a turning point.

From there, things escalated and the slot machines quickly became something that she would turn to for escape and comfort. She describes gambling, and the distraction that it created, to fill a void in her life and as a way of dealing with difficult things she had going on.

But it became so much more than that. It was on my mind constantly and it got to the point I felt like an outsider looking in on my life, she says. I was a shell of myself.

Tracy is one of a huge number of women who are classed as problem gamblers and its a figure thats growing.

The gambling landscape has significantly shifted and evolved in the past decade or so, mostly due to the rise of accessibility and availability of online gambling, Zoe Osmond, chief executive of GambleAware, told Metro.co.uk.

The number of women gambling online has risen by over 50% over the past four years, she continues. This is almost double the growth rate of men over the same period of time.

And with the latest data showing that up to one million women may be at risk of experiencing some sort of harm as a result of gambling be it financial, emotional, or in terms of impacting their relationships with loved ones and leading to isolation its critical we drive awareness around early warning signs, such as losing track of time, spending too much, or a tendency to hide gambling from others.

Tracy found herself guilty of all three of these. For decades, she spent every spare minute on the slots and was unable to confide in anyone about the extent of her addiction. Emotionally, this was incredibly difficult.

Ive had two nervous breakdowns as I just wasnt able to cope with it all, she tells Metro.co.uk. And financially, I have lived a life of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Tracy was working three jobs in order to fund her habit, leaving the house at 7am and getting home at 1am. In between, all she could think about was gambling.

At the age of 40, I had seven strokes, and spent a year in hospital. I fully believe that this was caused by the emotional damage it was doing.

Physically it nearly killed me, she says. I was lucky not to lose my life, but I lost the most important thing: Time.

After reaching breaking point, Tracy finally went to her first support group. She found that she was the only woman, out of over 50 attendees.

For her,this is part of the problem: Female gamblers feel more shame than men and are often more reluctant to ask for help. Women are seen to be the nurturer, the homemaker, she says. We have to be the strong ones.

Since then, Tracy has worked on her recovery, with the help of organisations including Gordon Moody a charity dedicated to providing support and treatment for gambling addiction.

She successfully obtained a degree in social sciences and recently qualified as an addiction counsellor, as well as supporting others during peer support meetings.

Despite this, Tracy still speaks carefully and with emotion about her addiction, stressing that just because youve stopped, youre not an ex-gambler. Its something that stays with you forever, she says.

The increase in female gamblers has been on the rise for some time and is likely a result of a few different factors, explains Osmond.

Since the pandemic, for example, we have seen the rate of growth in online gambling almost triple (36% between 2019-2021, compared to 13% between 2017-2019), with some turning to gambling apps whilst feeling isolated and anxious.

We also know part of the problem is likely driven by the accessibility of it; its on our laptops and our phones, therefore within touching distance at all times. And its easy to hide a screen.

Many women are drawn to online gambling, such as bingo or casino games, as the games are often perceived as more innocent and familiar. They appear very similar to the seemingly innocuous digital games were used to playing on our phones and, in a similar way, become a form of escapism.

And, according to GambleAware, women are exposed to a higher number of gambling adverts than men.

A recent report discovered that much of this promotion is found to be especially targeted at women, tending to portray gambling as innocent social fun and for lotteries, as a national pastime, for people like us, or about supporting communities.

This is something that Bev, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne is all too familiar with.

She was on her laptop one night, pottering around doing unrelated tasks, when an advert popped up, inviting her to play online bingo.

At that point, Bev had never gambled before. But the advert was colourful, shiny, and it looked like a bit of harmless fun, and so, without giving it much thought, she decided to deposit a ten pound bet.

Bev didnt win anything that first time. But she decided to have another go. And then another. Very quickly, she won 800 and couldnt believe her luck.

Id never won anything in my life, she tells Metro.co.uk. But it seemed so easy and, so, I decided to keep playing.

Very quickly, Bev lost the 800 and found herself trying to win it back. And then again. And again, as she lost more and more money.

This would be the start of a 10 year battle with an addiction that, ultimately, would lead to her attempting to take her own life.

Bev found herself placing more and more bets, until she was playing constantly, spending every spare minute and penny gambling online.

I had a good job and I was making around 2,200 after tax sometimes more. But at the end of every month, I would find myself sitting up until midnight on payday, so Id see my wages go in. Id blow the whole lot that night.

Over the years, the amount is staggering. The NHS employee estimates that shes gambled hundreds of thousands in total. I had a hundred grand in credit card debt alone, never mind all the loans from friends and family, she says.

Bev is married with a daughter. At home, she was spending all her time on the computer, but they had no idea what she was doing. She describes making sure she always had her screen facing away from her family, often finding herself sitting in the same room as them, betting hundreds of pounds at a time, with them none the wiser.

Eventually, she ran out of sources for money she, and by default her husband, were up to their eyes in debt. Bev was in charge of the bills they werent getting paid and things got to the point where she had to ask for help.

Initially, nobody could believe it. But, with the help of her husband and sister, the family made a plan to pay back the money that was owed. Everyone including Bev thought that would be it. Now that shed come clean, surely she would stop. But it wasnt as easy as that.

Bev tried several times to give up, but the sites kept enticing her back in.

She was depositing so much money hundreds at a time that she became known as a VIP. This meant that, when she hadnt played for a few days, she would start getting emails offering her free money to get extra plays sometimes to the value of hundreds of pounds.

Then you cant say no to that, she says. Its an awful, predatory tactic.

This is a huge part of the problem, she says, these sites do their utmost to lure new users in, and to keep bringing old ones back. Often, at great financial cost.

Not long after opening up to her family, Bev found herself taking out more secret payday loans, and defaulting on bill payments again. However, the impact wasnt all financial for Bev as it rarely is.

Gambling in secret took a massive toll on her mental health, her physical health, and her relationships. Bevs marriage started to suffer, with her husband on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

Then, on Christmas day 2016, it all came to a head. Bev decided to put a bet on. My logic at the time was, surely they wont let you lose at Christmas? she says.

Within 45 minutes I emptied my husbands account and blew 5,000.

I then took an overdose. That night was when I realised I couldnt carry on like this anymore. I just didnt want to be alive anymore.

Bev finally sought help after her sister scoured the internet for advice and came across a charity that specialised in supporting those with gambling addictions. Its now been three years since Bev placed her last bet.

She believes that there needs to be more regulation and a duty of care within the industry.

If affordability checks had been carried out like they are if youre getting a loan 99% of problem gamblers probably wouldnt be allowed to play, she suggests. But I was just allowed to continue to deposit and deposit and deposit.

To anyone struggling, I want to say that there is help out there. I am living proof.

But, with huge stigmas and shame attached to gambling, it can be hard to ask for help.

Its often dubbed the hidden addiction, with recent GambleAware data showing that more than half (59%) of people stated they felt society is judgemental towards those who struggle to stay in control of their gambling.

And this can be even worse for women with almost two in five (38%) people agreeing that society is more critical of womens gambling.

But its important to remember that there is not a stereotypical problem gambler it affects people of all ages, from all walks of life.

Liz Karter, MBE is a gambling addiction counsellor and psychotherapist with over 22 years experience supporting women. She has also published three books on the topic of gambling, addiction and women.

Over the last two decades, Liz has seen it all and not only has she noticed the rise in female gamblers, shes seen diversification in her clients.

I run womens groups which are pro-bono as well as a private practice and I would say that 50% of the women I treat are from a more typically middle class, affluent background, she says.

These are women with high-flying jobs, and people who from the outside look as though theyve got it all.

Its not true that people who are less knowledgeable about how to manage money are more susceptible. Lots of the women I treat are from financial backgrounds. I also see doctors, accountants, lawyers. Mainly, its driven by escapism.

These women, she says, are the unheard voices and they are even more reluctant to come forward for help. But there are many.

Liz stresses that shes seen people lose everything. Ive seen women lose their homes, their marriages, their lifes savings and in some really sad cases Ive seen women lose their children, she says. You name a figure, Ive seen it.

But its not just about trying to win money, explains Liz. Gambling addictions are often a result of people trying to fill a void, or distract themselves from other problems.

Its very much tied to the stress that women are under these days, trying to do it all, she says. Women with too much responsibility and not enough support.

Gambling can be meditative, she continues. Youre in that world so, temporarily, it puts to sleep other anxious thoughts.

However, after a while any excitement over initial wins subsides as they get deeper into it, before they find themselves in a pit of despair.

Jemima*, aged 35, started gambling after becoming a young mum.

Her ex-husband was an alcoholic, drinking every day. Jemima felt that it wasnt safe to leave her son in his care, and was therefore unable to leave the house.

However, feeling ashamed of her situation, she didnt ever confide in anyone. She was lonely and one night online, she decided to try bingo.

For Jemima, it was a form of escapism and it also became a replacement for the social life that she was sorely missing.

At the beginning it was fun, she admits. You had a chat forum where you could talk to other people who were playing. It was like a network of friends, and it felt like an alternative to a night out.

However, struggling to cope with the loneliness and difficulties of her life, Jemima soon found herself gambling constantly and obsessively.

I got to the point where I was then logging on at night, and before I knew it, Id hear birds singing outside and realise that Id been playing all night.

What started out as 10 or 20 bets gradually became deposits of up to 600 at a time. In the end, she estimates that she gambled well over 100,000.

It didnt even feel like real money, it just felt like a number on a screen, she admits.

Jemima says her life had deteriorated before her eyes.

Everyday I was digging a deeper and deeper hole, she remembers. I could have been in a room with 100 people and I would have felt so alone because I couldnt tell anyone how I was feeling or what I had going on. I was dead inside.

Thats when I turned to crime to fund that gambling habit.

Desperate for more money to feed her addiction, Jemima committed fraud, illegally accessing and spending money from a friends bank account. Realising what had happened, her friend then reported the fraudulent activity to the police.

When Jemima found this out, she turned herself in. She knew shed go to jail for what shed done, yet it felt like a relief as it meant that everything would be out in the open and it would force her to stop.

After ten months on bail, which Jemima used to try and sort out some of her debt and make sure her son would be ok, she served a total of nine months in custody, and four months on a tag.

Upon her release, she got help from charity Bet Know More UK, who she says were pivotal in getting her life back on track. After volunteering with them, she was offered a job and now uses her experience to help others.

She agrees that the stigma is much worse for women, making it harder to ask for help.

I think gambling is seen as more typically male, she says. We often think of betting shops and casinos. And, in the glamorous casino scenario we think of the woman being there on the arm, rather than being the ones gambling.

I didnt feel able to turn to anyone and admit the mess Id got myself into I felt so ashamed.

Research from GambleAware has found that womens experience of gambling differs from men.

Stigma, such as feeling ashamed or embarrassed in particular play a huge role, both in women recognising that they may be experiencing harm, but also in feeling secure and empowered to seek help without being judged, explains Osmond.

The charity has also found that women experience gambling very differently to men, all the way from their initial motivation through to how they experience harms and how they might seek treatment.

We also know that women are more likely than men to say their gambling has caused them mental health issues such as stress and anxiety, adds Osmond.

Following their gambling addiction, Tracy, Bev and Jemima have all received help, and all have turned their lives around, coming back from rock bottom.

They each wanted to stress that help is out there for people who are struggling, or who think they might have a problem.

Dont be embarrassed or ashamed, you are not alone, says Jemima.

We need to break that stigma. It doesnt make you less of a mum, sister, daughter, or person youre still you.

The more women that come forward, the more we normalise asking for help. I want people to know that you can get your life back, like I did.

Do you have a story youd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Claie.Wilson@metro.co.uk

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In Focus: The rise of the female gambling addicts - Metro.co.uk