Daily Archives: June 1, 2022

Live streaming is pushing IT infrastructure to its absolute limits – IT PRO

Posted: June 1, 2022 at 8:16 pm

Like regular contributor Davey Winder, I have my hobby-horse subjects. Every so often he writes about his dislike for the slow evolution of hacking from industry-insider compliment to mass-media warning label. For me, 2021 was the year streaming took a turn for the worse.

From the outset, it was something of a fake jargon term, loosely covering all delivery of media (sound as well as video) without an initial download to local storage. Mostly, people would throw the term around when a sporting event, Royal wedding/birth/defenestration, or record-breaking volcanic eruption spiked interest in unfolding events. Streaming was a sign you were on the leading edge of the home multimedia revolution.

Then, things started to get a lot more complicated. Both Facebook and YouTube took the video captured by their phone apps and beamed it onto a web page with potentially millions of viewers, either live or on-demand. This concept has been curiously slow to take off, and seemed to have many fans in the upper reaches of the IT product design business, with almost zero support down in the more variably connected lives of everyday consumers. Too much faff; kills the battery; need to change your phone twice a year to keep up with the software, they said.

Protesters use Facebook Live to gain both attention and new followers to their cause

Personally, I have a valid interest in this game because my partner has been a habitual visitor to both Parliament Square, and Speakers Corner, as part of her permitted exercise circuit during COVID-19. It turns out shes pretty good at talking to the various tribes inclined to turn up in those locations, no matter their affiliations or, in my view, how crazy some of them might be. This was all very well until I was shown a YouTube video: of course, it shows Sandra in the midst of a lot of chaps, almost all of whom are holding smartphones.

My concern is, if something goes amiss in this vast focus of the worlds protests, how do I guarantee staying in touch? Her new mates will instantly say Telegram, but to my mind, watching that video, the main obstacle to asking what time tea wouldnt be the government snooping on the data packets; its all those guys connected live to YouTube or wherever, uploading around a MB a second of streamed video. Not forgetting all their buddies who watch, rather than stream, in the crowd. Telegram wont do me any good in a small area occupied by 10,000 people all trying to update their social media, no matter how unbreakable its encryption. Encrypted or not, secret or not, worthy or not all data packets look the same and get an equal shake when the bandwidth metre is on 100%.

The key problem here is contention. Almost everybody forgets, when benchmarking their internet speeds and crowing about 5G signals, that theyre not making a single hop over-the-air instant connection. No matter how fast the radio signal portion of the link might look on your benchmarking software of choice, it will be connected to a backhaul: a piece of fibre with often substantially less capacity than the radio side of the cellular connection. Remember, quite a lot of the earlier backhauls from the days before 2G or 3G were even contemplated, were made over ISDN copper circuits. Thats an absolute maximum of 128Kbits/sec per cell tower.

Yet, nobody noticed. People like me, whose lives are run by an influx of messages, might have occasionally spotted the odd delay, but these were in the order of a few seconds and, rarely, several hours. People dont think about how this performance is achieved and what it means for them. In the case of the modern-day protest march in central London, led by the Pied-Piper-like figure of Piers Corbyn, contention hardly does the technology justice. Corbyns favourite protest trick is literally blowing fire: when he spits out a ten-foot fireball, people nearby do two things. One, they step smartly back, and two, they take a picture, or stream a video. While they do that, the local infrastructure gives each phone a piece of the actual underlying bandwidth, divided up between all the in-range users. Tens of thousands of them, sometimes.

Firebrand Piers Corbyn knows how to ignite the phones of passers-by

Streaming is probably the most profligate bandwidth consumer of the modern era, and worse than we dared to imagine because the whole vlogger/streamer culture is itself controversial. Streaming brings with it a certain guarantee of validity: no editing, no picking and choosing, just the rawness of an uninterrupted feed. This appeals to those with a slightly paranoid outlook, as viewers and the range of protests in central London that attract streaming vlogger coverage are also right from the modern conspiracy theory playbook. In fact, theyre so driven by paranoia that the fossil copies left behind of their live stream sessions get deleted from common social media platforms within hours of them finishing whether by the site managers, trying to kowtow to government public order requirements, or by the originators, convinced that the live faithful are their only true friends, it matters not. The evidence self-disappears.

Which, for techies beleaguered by over-adventurous partners, really doesnt help me figure out the best solution to our ongoing need to communicate. I wouldnt mind something like Telegram, and yet not quite so politicised: something that lets me run a message window on my PC, which tells me the round-trip delay (if any) for each of my contacts, and optionally has links from there to the bit of Google that shows you their location and journey history, if theyve turned that stuff on.

I remember an improbable Scottish business unit of Telefnica, the Spanish phone company, demonstrating something quite like but not exactly the same as this: the bandwidth requirement for such a thing is apparently pretty low, though I expect the battery life might not be a big winner. Id like to see how those functions would work on a modern phone like the Nokia X20, which amazed me with its stamina doing sat nav duty before Christmas, for instance. As for our need to stay in touch, we have found that short SMS messages are still the most predictable platform in a big meeting or event.

I talked over the whole streaming thing with a senior colleague, and he was surprisingly negative on the subject. Give it a few months and everyone will be doing it, he said. I didnt see why he was right for some time after that, when strange twists of fate left me with a small bucket of 5G-capable phones. After only a few weeks of not very diligent fiddling, I see his point one of those major benefits to the long delays produced by lockdown and by truck driver shortages is that the phone makers have been sitting back and thinking carefully about what features they can present, and what software they can wait to be written before releasing their new models.

Youve been streamed: will we all be doing this in a few years time?

With at least a years delay in all manner of sectors from COVID-19 or from simply trying to restart after the pandemic, there has been lots of free developer time to address the more difficult and time-consuming features. Suddenly, in 2022, even the cheapest 5G phones have both the horsepower and the code to support much more compute and communication-intense functions. Barriers to being live online were a big part of the reason why doing this was only of interest to to be polite about it fanatical types. With these actual new-generation devices in the hands of practically everybody, the more contentious and fame-hungry vloggers are likely to disappear behind the sheer volume of more mainstream interests and past-times.

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Live streaming is pushing IT infrastructure to its absolute limits - IT PRO

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KatEvolved: "Due to so many mechanical players on the KR server, they fail to realize that there’s also macro in the game." – InvenGlobal

Posted: at 8:16 pm

Recently, some of the travel restrictions [COVID] in Korea have been lifted. Youre no longer required to quarantine upon arrival, which became a huge incentive for pro teams, pro players, and streamers to travel to Korea to practice. All these individuals have a different goal when traveling to Korea; pro players/teams travel to hone their skills by scrimming with Asian teams, as well as grind the solo queue ladder, while those that travel independently, such as the streamers, come to just grind the solo queue ladder.

Ever since the champion Katarina got reworked, I, the writer of this interview, have almost exclusively played her. Call me one-trick or whatever, but there was something about the explosiveness of the champion that really made this game refreshing. For me to interview one of the best Katarina players in the world, Jackson KatEvolved Dohan had me very excited. I had a chance to chat with him during his time in Korea to talk about his journey as a pro player, as well as his thoughts on what its like to play on the Korean server.

Howve you been enjoying your time in Korea so far?

Oh, it's, it's insane here. I love it. Ever since I even started playing solo queue, in general, it's been a very good time for me. Streaming has been so fun, I've been able to put in many more hours than I normally would. Usually, if I'm to play NA solo queue, I wouldn't be able to play more than eight hours because I would just go insane. But here, I can play for 12+ hours, I'll stream for 10 hours and then I'll take a small break. And then I'll play again for another four. It's crazy.

Do you play off-stream in Korea?

Yeah, every now and then. Not too often. I would say around only 5% of my games are off stream. The rest 95% are all on stream.

Before we get into your time here in Korea, I do want to talk about how you had a very interesting career of being a streamer first. That's where I found you first. Do you mind talking about that?

I first got into streaming years and years ago, probably back in 2016, I would say. I started streaming when I was 14 years old. When I started doing that, I wasn't Challenger yet. It was like my second year playing the game. And then as I was streaming, I eventually hit Challenger. And because I hit Challenger, I started making connections with a lot of people and started growing a little bit on YouTube and Twitch. It wasn't by any means where we are right now, but it was really nice.

Was the purpose of you starting streaming because you wanted to go pro?

Oh, no. I only started shooting just for fun. It was always like in the back of my head that I wanted to be known for something someday in LoL. I was always caught up on looking at websites to see if I was the number one Katarina back in 2014-2016, and that was my goal. I wanted to be the best at something. So I kept on trying and I just kept on streaming, even though I wasn't making a living off of it or anything. I was just streaming every single day because it was fun.

According to my research, you got drafted to EG first through Scouting Grounds, then onto TSM Academy. Talk to me about that transition.

My path to pro was actually a lot more complicated, because I was streaming and doing YouTube the entire time and while I was doing that... The story of it kind of starts when Katarina as a champion was not in a good spot in the meta. It was around the time when Irelia got reworked and Zoe got released. Those two were the mid lane meta for months; the four-second Irelia passive, she Qs you level 2 and you die.

As a Katarina player myself, I remember those terrible days [laughter].

[Laughs] It was definitely unplayable. I was like, "I can't lock Katarina in any of my games because I'm gonna get stomped." So I just stopped playing her for a while. And I kind of stopped streaming and YouTube for a bit, but my audience wanted to see Katarina and I was like, "Okay, well, I don't want to let down my audience." Uploading Katarina was just not good at all.

So I didn't upload Katarina, I didn't really stream at all, I just played solo queue all day and instead of playing Katarina all day, I played those champions: I played Irelia Zoe, Akali, older Swain, Kassadin, etc, right? Just learning those champions basically for an entire year, all of 2018, I would say. I didn't even know about Scouting Grounds at the time, but by the time I learned it, Scouting Grounds had already started. So I already missed the first opportunity to participate. After I learned about it, I was like, "Wow, if I only knew about it earlier, I couldve probably taken part in it". So I made it my goal next year to go there.

I played in the amateur scene in 2019 for the entire year before I went to Scouting Grounds. The way I got onto my amateur team was through the Tyler1 Championship Series in Dec of 2018. We got second place in that tournament; the team that we lost to, their mid laner wasn't gonna play for them, so they asked me to play for them next year. I joined, we won a lot of amateur tournaments together, we took part in multiple LAN and online tournaments, and did really well. It was my first team environment, and I had a good time playing with them. As a gamer, it's very secluded because you normally play LoL 15 hours a day, dont go outside, and not make friends in real life. It was nice to go to LAN events with this team, and understand what it was like to be in a team.

So at the end of 2019 was when you went to Scouting Grounds?

Yes. There used to only be the solo queue requirements, but this time, they picked the top two amateur players from each role, and the top two players from each role on the solo queue ladder. Our team didn't make the cut. It sucked, and it was really sad to not be going with everyone.

Lucky for me, I got in through the solo queue; I was like the number 2 or number 1 mid player on the NA solo queue ladder in 2019. I got invited, and I of course went without hesitation. Funnily enough, before I went to Scouting Grounds, I was invited to multiple team bootcamp tryouts, and one of the ones I went to was TSM. And while I was going to TSM, I landed with two of my other friends [Gorica and Johnsun] that were also going to the TSM bootcamp. We were hanging out at LAX, when Gorica checked his email and said, "Oh, I got my Scouting Grounds invite."

I didn't know I was going to get invited, because I wasnt keeping track of the solo queue ladder. But when we got back to the hotel, I got wifi, looked at my email and I had the invitation. It was actually really funny because the bootcamp was two weeks before Scouting Grounds. So I was in LA for the bootcamp and Scouting Grounds took place after three days.

Id say Scouting Grounds was the highlight of my career. You learn a lot. I feel bad for the players that had to do it online because of COVID. However, my in-person experience included meeting every LCS coach, a lot of the management from the teams, and other players that are in the same shoes as you are, who are trying to become pro.

As a region, NA failed to achieve international success in LoL Esports. There are a lot of speculations as to why thats the case, but one of the major reasons that keep coming up is because NA teams do not really practice as hard as the Eastern teams. What has your experience been like in terms of practice regimen with TSM?

I'll start by kind of adding onto what you said about the whole laziness aspect. I don't think it's necessarily the players' fault a lot of the time. I think the year before I started playing Academy, they actually changed how scrim blocks worked. When I started playing, you would scrim five games a day, usually for four days a week because you'd have one off day and then two match days. So each day, you would set your scrims at around noon, and then practice until around 5 p.m. Now that I'm here in Korea, I've actually heard from people how the Korean pros scrim and how LPL pros scrim. [Triple blocks?] Yes, they start scrims at 1 p.m. and end at 11 p.m.

I can assure you that's the case based on my experiences.

Yes. They do three sets of three, which is insane to me. I wish that was what it was in NA when I was playing, but it wasn't. They kind of made it universal with every team to do only five hours a day, because some players didn't feel like they had any free time.

I can understand why some people want to have free time because if you're scrimming five hours a day, your schedule is still already packed. You don't have much free time off because a lot of people are obligated to stream, even if they don't like to. Some pro players might just want to finish scrims and just play solo queue. So my usual schedule would be to wake up at 9-10 a.m., eat breakfast, go to the office, scrim for five hours, eat dinner. And then you go home, and you do whatever.

Personally, I would always rather scrim more. I was always excited for double blocks, where Id scrim five hours, take a break for dinner, and then play like another two or three games. That was always fun to me, and was always good practice, but that is sadly not the case anymore, because it takes every team to agree to such a schedule, or at least one other team to scrim against.

Overall, I think NA is like the Champions Queue situation, where the whole laziness aspect of it is just part of the culture. Of course, there are a lot more internal issues with Champions Queue, where people have complained about the MMR system and how there's a lot of players there that they feel like shouldn't be there. But there's also the problem that there's a lot of players that should be there but aren't.

While were on the subject, can you elaborate on your thoughts a bit more on Champions Queue?

A lot of players have different ways of practicing, right? There's no doubt about that. I know players that literally play better if they scrim more and play less solo queue or vice versa. There are different practice methods, depending on what you're trying to focus on. In general, if you're looking at an LCS bot laner, they would probably improve more if they were to just do 2v2s after scrims rather than solo queue, especially since duo queue is gone. What are you going to learn if you're queuing up as a solo support, and you get like the grandmasters on your team? The matchup isn't going to be the same that it would be in an actual match.

I can understand why some players decided to not play Champions Queue, because its a waste of time for some players.

So after your tenure with TSM, you transitioned back into full-time streaming. Talk to me about that transition.

I had multiple opportunities, but I didn't really want to play Academy anymore and I didn't really see the point in playing LCS at the time. So I decided to just go back to streaming. I wasn't even planning to go back to streaming initially but I started streaming every single day and doing daily uploads. In the process, I regained my passion in content creation and I started to really enjoy it. It was going really well for me so I was like, "Okay, I'm going to stick to this."

In general, I have more free time. Before I played Academy, I would stream for 10 hours a day. And then when I started playing, my time was obviously very limited. Even though I only scrimmed for five hours a day, I'd only have around like three-four hours of free time a day to stream. Some days, I wouldn't even feel like it because maybe we had a bad day of scrims, or maybe I just wanted to play different champions in solo queue.

Fast forwarding to the present day, what made you decide to take this trip out to Korea?

My reason was just to just to stream. I've been playing NA solo queue for the past six years. I've always wanted to go to Korea. It was actually a plan I had since my Academy days. It was my plan to go to Korea during the first off-season, which would be around May-June 2020. But COVID hit February or March of that year, so that's when all the restrictions came into place. When the restrictions were lifted, this was like my only chance. I saw it. I was waiting this entire year for the visa applications to open, and the visa allowed me to stay here up to six months.

I was like, "Okay, well, I've always wanted to do this. I feel like if I don't do this now, then I probably will procrastinate and just never do it again." This is my first time being in a different country, and its been a good time so far.

Did you have any specific goals, such as hitting a certain LP or anything like that?

No, just Challenger. My initial plan was to hit Challenger on the Korean server and then go play on the Chinese super server, but I wasn't able to get an account on the super server.

You're currently at what? 900 LP [during the time of the interview]?

I keep going from 900 to 800, just going up and down. I wouldn't say I'm stuck because I'm gonna be there for a few days but definitely our LP graph is going up slowly, slowly but surely. [He finished at 756 LP on the ladder when he left Korea - Ed.]

Did you expect to hit that high?

In a way I did. I didn't expect to climb the Challenger that fast; I wasn't expecting to hit Challenger in 13 days, that's for sure. But I was definitely expecting to hit Challenger at some point in the trip, just not as early as I did. I was going to hit Challenger, maybe a few weeks in, maybe like near the end of the trip.

From someone that played NA solo queue almost exclusively, what are some of the things that you like and you disliked so far about the Korean server?

The server itself is very good mechanically. Maybe the ping has something to do with that, because everyone's playing on 9-20 ping, as well as the Chinese players playing on 35. Obviously a lot better than NA solo queue. In NA, if you're on the west coast, you're playing with 60+. If you're on the east coast, you're playing with 20. So there's a very big gap there. So overall, a lot of the mechanical players on this server shine because of low ping.

Overall, though, I feel like due to so many mechanical players on the KR server, they fail to realize that there's also macro in the game. A lot of my solo queue games in Korea are about perma fighting. There's no thinking about what can happen after the fight. I've had solo queue games where someone will go for a 1v2 and die, which leads to losing Baron. But I feel if a lot of players just think properly then they just won't go for the 1v2. I feel like the players here take a lot of risks.

I feel like part of that reason is because pro players use solo queue to experiment more, so for them, its more about limit testing.

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KatEvolved: "Due to so many mechanical players on the KR server, they fail to realize that there's also macro in the game." - InvenGlobal

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Get This Betting Promo for The Match 2022 Bet $5, Win $150 on Either Team at DraftKings Sportsbook – Sports Betting Dime

Posted: at 8:15 pm

May 24, 2020; Hobe Sound, FL, USA; NFL player Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after holing out from the fairway on the seventh during The Match: Champions for Charity golf round at the Medalist Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Handout Photo by Getty Images for The Match via USA TODAY Sports

The Match returns on Wednesday, June 1st on TNT to entertain sports fans and bettors alike. It will be an all-NFL QB affair, with Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes facing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

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For the first time, no professional golfers will be playing in the match. While all four quarterbacks find their teams near the top of the Super Bowl odds, on June 1st theyll be duking it out on the golf course. Sign up at DraftKings Sportsbook and bet $5 on either team to unlock 30-1 odds.

Whether your QBs win or lose the match, the $150 bonus will be credited to your account at the conclusion of the match.

After you make your bet on the winner, theres different kinds of props and special wagers you can make on the match. Prop wagers on hole winners, closest to the pin, tee shot distance and each quarterback to hit a hole in one are just some of the other ways to bet on golf and the Match 2022.

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All odds as of June 1st at DraftKings Sportsbook

As you can see in the odds, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are heavy favorites. According to the latest data from DraftKings Sportsbook, money is also heavily concentrated on the team of vets. 82% of the money and 72% of the vets expect the old guys to get the job done against Allen and Mahomes

You can bet on either side with 30-1 odds using the DraftKings promo for the Match 2022. Dont wait any longer, and get your bets in before Wednesday nights match begins!

NBA Golf NCAAF NCAAB Lead NBA Editor

Mitch graduated from Ryerson University's Sport Media program in June of 2018, and has been with SBD since 2019. He's worked in broadcast and digital for the Score, Sportsnet, TSN & CBC and has done play-by-play work for basketball at all levels including NCAA, Pan Am Games & U Sports.

NBA Golf NCAAF NCAAB

Mitch graduated from Ryerson University's Sport Media program in June of 2018, and has been with SBD since 2019. He's worked in broadcast and digital for the Score, Sportsnet, TSN & CBC and has done play-by-play work for basketball at all levels including NCAA, Pan Am Games & U Sports.

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Get This Betting Promo for The Match 2022 Bet $5, Win $150 on Either Team at DraftKings Sportsbook - Sports Betting Dime

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theScore to Pull Its Sports Betting App from US Markets on July 1 – Casino.Org News

Posted: at 8:15 pm

Posted on: June 1, 2022, 11:25h.

Last updated on: June 1, 2022, 11:28h.

Another sports betting operator has decided to leave the US market. On Wednesday, theScore Bet announced it will stop taking bets in the four states where its licensed on June 15.

After that date, theScores customers will only be able to make withdrawals. All US wagering operations will cease by July 1 in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, and New Jersey.

In an announcement to its US players, theScore said it will continue its wagering operations in Canada, where the sports media company is based. Last August, Penn National Gaming acquired theScore, giving it a second sports betting operator. It also operates Barstool Sportsbook, another sports media branded operator licensed in 12 states including Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, and New Jersey.

According to information shared with theScore Bet users, events that take place on or before July 1, such as the NBA and NHL playoffs, will be graded and settled accordingly. The operator said it recommends players withdraw the funds from their accounts before July 1. After that, theScore Bet will mail checks or issue ACH transfers to account holders.

Patrons whose address on file with theScore Bet is outdated should contact theScore Bets Customer Support team to update their address prior to July 1, 2022 to ensure checks are sent to the correct address, the FAQ stated.

In a statement, theScore President and COO Benjie Levy said Penns plans since the acquisition have been to let Barstool front the US market and theScore lead up north.

With theScore Bet launched and thriving in Ontario, and as we approach a major undertaking this summer with the launch of our proprietary risk and trading service, the timing is right to focus our US efforts on marketing Barstool Sportsbook and our Canadian efforts on marketing theScore Bet, he said.

The departure by theScore from the US market comes a few months after Churchill Downs Incorporated announced it would pull its TwinSpires brand out of the online sports betting business for now in the US. Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen said in February the company raised concerns about whether sports betting would ever be a profitable venture.

Penn National, though, shows no signs of pulling up. Rather, the move makes business sense, as theres no need for two sports betting brands under the same umbrella to compete in the same markets.

As Levy noted in his statement, besides focusing on growing the Canadian market, theScore will also wrap up work on its risk and trading platform. According to information from Penn Nationals first-quarter earnings presentation last month, theScore expects to transition to its proprietary platform by the third quarter of this year.

As that work goes on, Penn National will look to integrate Barstool Sportsbook onto theScores platform.

Sometime later this year, US users of theScores sports media app will be able to use that app to make bets through Barstool. That would be identical to the integration theScore Bet had with theScore media app. Then in 2023, Penn National faces a deadline of acquiring the remainder of Barstool Sports. It bought a 36% stake in the media company founded by Dave Portnoy in January 2020.

If all goes to plan, Barstool Sportsbook is expected to switch over to theScores account management and trading platforms in the third quarter of 2023.

Bringing together theScores powerful sports media platform with Barstool Sportsbook, supported by our in-house technology, will strengthen the overall US product offering and broaden its reach, Levy added.

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theScore to Pull Its Sports Betting App from US Markets on July 1 - Casino.Org News

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Sports betting in Texas: When it will be legalized, how to bet online, where to find picks, new promos – CBS Sports

Posted: at 8:15 pm

Online sports betting is now legal in 30 states, and Texas could be the next state to join them. The effort to legalize Texas sports betting was halted in 2021, but there is a strong belief that Texas online sports betting could become a reality in 2023. There is even one candidate for governor who said he will back Texas mobile sports betting if he is elected. Since Texas loves its sports teams so much, there is little doubt Texas online sportsbooks will be successful. If Texas sports books get the green light, sports fans across the state will be able to take advantage of many Texas sports book sign-up offers and Texas sports book promo codes. With so many sports to choose from and so many promo offers out there, online sports betting in Texas is sure to be a big hit.

Before Texas online sportsbooks get the go-ahead, new bettors should be familiar with common online sportsbook terminology. Here is a guide to sports betting terms from our friends at SportsLine that will help you get ready in case Texas online sportsbooks become a reality.

There are several ways you can make sports wagers both online and in retail sportsbooks and plenty of bet types you'll want to familiarize yourself with.

Handle: The handle is the total amount of money taken in by a sports book for a particular event and it includes every type of wager.

Live-betting: Texas online sportsbooks will let you wager on your favorite sports in real-time thanks to live in-game odds updates. During the baseball season, online sportsbooks in Texas will let you wager on live-updated totals or even the outcome of the next at-bat. With both Houston and Texas playing competitive baseball, there will always be an opportunity for Texas sports fans to place exciting live bets on the home teams.

Parlay: Parlays are popular because they offer sports bettors a chance to win big with a minimal investment, and they are exciting because the risk is higher. Parlays involve the selection of two or more propositions on a single wager, and all of the teams must win for the bet to become a winner. For example, if you pick five pro baseball teams on a parlay, then all five teams must win for the bet to be a winner.

Teaser: This method pays lower odds than a parlay, but remains popular because handicappers still find them profitable. Teasers are a variation of point-spread betting in which they allow the bettor to increase the point value of their selected team. This method is very popular for betting on pro football. For example, let's say Dallas and Houston are both seven-point favorites and you think they will win their games but you are unsure if they will cover the spread. Using a six-point teaser will drop each team to a one-point favorite, meaning they only need to win by two points for your bet to be good.

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Sports betting in Texas: When it will be legalized, how to bet online, where to find picks, new promos - CBS Sports

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Why sports betting never made it to Gov. Parsons desk this session – KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

Posted: at 8:15 pm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Its legal in nearly all of Missouris surrounding states to place a wager on college and professional sports teams, but the chips are stacked against the Show Me State.

The odds of legalizing sports betting at the beginning of the session in January were high, but once May rolled around, Missourians placing bets on their favorite sports teams became a long shot. Some of it is due to Senate Republicans not agreeing. Some are already working on a plan for next year.

Youre going to have unfinished business, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) said. You dont get to do 15 big things in a year. Its just never going to be that way.

Legally betting on the Kansas City Chiefs or the St. Louis Cardinals has been put on hold for another year in Missouri. Back in March, the House passed legislation to allow anyone 21 and older to legally place wagers on colleges and professional sports teams online or at side sports venues and casinos.

Back in 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a federal law against sports betting. Since then, roughly 30 states have legalized it, including Illinois. Earlier this month, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation into law, legalizing it in the Sunflower State. Missouris governor says hes indifferent.

It depends whether you want sports betting or not, whether its a failure, Gov. Mike Parson said. I mean, I dont know about that. Everybody has an opinion and whether it goes through the legislative process, thats up to the legislators. I dont know if thats disappointing one way or another.

Members, especially Republicans, in the upper chamber couldnt find a path forward. A big hurdle is what to do with video lottery games like slot machines.

The attorney general has turned a blind eye to this issue and lets this continue on, Senate President Dave Schatz (R-Sullivan) said. There are millions of dollars every day going through thats not getting into the hands of the taxpaying base in this state that should be going to education.

Lawmakers call them grey machines. Its been a priority for Schatz over the years to get rid of the unregulated illegal slot machines that have been popping up in gas stations. These slot machines contain no consumer protections and can say that someone will win two out of every 100 times, but there are no laws regulating that.

There are people who are living off the backs of people that are benefiting from illegal gaming on the 25,000 plus games that are going on throughout this state right now, Schatz said. If Im disappointed in one thing that didnt get done, thats one thing that needs to be stopped in this state.

Sen. Denny Hoskins (R-Warrensburg) has been filing legislation and working to legalize sports betting for years in the Show Me State. He says there are roughly 20,000 grey machines in Missouri. In the Senates version of the bill, 5,000 video lottery games would be allowed in the state with no more than seven per location in truck stops, fraternal and veterans clubs, and the entertainment districts around the six sports venues where the states professional teams play.

Shortly after the debate started, an amendment offered by Sen. Mike Bernskoetter (R-Jefferson City) would remove those lines from the bill, doing away with all slot machines. This is where debate ended in the Senate and with session now over, leaving members until next year to try again.

Another barrier to sports betting in the upper chamber the tax rate on wagers. The Senates version increased the wagering tax to 10% compared to the 8% the House approved. Hoskins said that during discussions in the final weeks with stakeholders, it wasnt enough for the casinos.

The casinos want a golden ticket, Hoskins said. They want all the revenue to themselves and dont want to provide the kind of revenue we need to help fund our veterans homes. Casinos basically killed this because of their greed.

He said casinos were offered a 15% rate during the final hours of session but wouldnt accept it. Compared to Missouris surrounding states, Illinois is up to 17%, Nebraska and Tennessee are 20% and Arkansas is between 13% and 20%, according to Hoskins.

I think were going to see a lot of states realize that the casinos are getting really rich on this and its causing a lot of problems that those stakeholders, such as casinos, are not paying into the state to help out mental health when in regard to problem gambling, Hoskins said.

Other Republicans in the Senate, think expanding gambling only causes more burden on the state.

This is detrimental to society, Sen. Bill White, R-Joplin said. How many more people are we going to have that are going to need some sort of assistance because someone spent a little too much money on any of these forms of gambling?

White said he also sees grey slot machines at gas stations when he stops on his drive from Joplin to Jefferson City.

What are the social costs dealing with this? White said. How much money isnt going home.

Hoskins said all of Missouris professional sports teams were on board with legalizing sports betting, but it was the casinos who werent. Hes going to use the summer to talk with stakeholders on both sides, with the goal of lawmakers addressing the topic again next year.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, around 92,000 Missourians are currently struggling with a gambling problem, ranking Missouri 33rd out of 50 states. Last year, there were 4,000 calls and texts to the National Problem Gambling Hotline from Missouri.

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Why sports betting never made it to Gov. Parsons desk this session - KTVI Fox 2 St. Louis

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Colorado Becomes First State to Nix Sports Betting Tax Write-Offs – The Action Network

Posted: at 8:15 pm

Colorado is set to become the first state to get rid of tax write-offs for sports betting promos.

In a move to raise more revenue for the state, Gov. Jared Polis is expected to sign a bill (H.B. 22-1402) that gradually reduces tax write-offs for sportsbooks. Currently, sports betting companies in Colorado can write off as much as they desire from their taxable revenue, as long as it comes from free bets.

Thats anything from a free $1,000 deposit match to boosted odds on a basketball team to score at least one point, regardless if the sportsbook loses or not.

The bill, which passed the House 50-15 and Senate 25-8, also earmarks an extra $3 million a year for problem gambling treatment.

In Colorados two years of legal sports betting, the state has made $17 million in revenue off its 10% tax. Sportsbooks, however, have made $408 million, which means about $23 million has gone untaxed and makes the real tax rate more like 4%.

That money is earmarked for the Colorado Water Plan, which was promised about $16 million a year from sports betting when voters legalized it.

Starting Jan. 1, 2023, no more than 2.5% of an operators monthly betting handle may go untaxed as free play.

That number decreases by .25% every year until 2033, when free play write offs will be gone entirely.

The tax perk was designed to make it easier for sportsbooks to induce people to bet in newly legal states.

Some states like New York dont allow it at all while others, like Virginia and Louisiana, have tried to get rid of it, though their attempts have failed.

Those two states, like Colorado, have seen tax revenue fall short of initial projections.Virginia generated $20 million in sports betting taxes in 2021, while its less populous neighbor, Tennessee, made nearly $40 million off of a similar tax rate.

By 2023, Colorado will have had sports betting for over a dozen years. While free play will likely continue, at that point itd be hard to argue its value to the state.

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Colorado Becomes First State to Nix Sports Betting Tax Write-Offs - The Action Network

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Colorado sports betting and revenue up YoY in April – iGaming Business

Posted: at 8:15 pm

Players in Colorado spent $392.3m (310.2m/364.7m) wagering on sports in April, a year-on-year increase of 60.5%, while revenue also jumped 28.4% to $22.6m.

The states handle was comfortably ahead of $244.4m inApril last year, but 22.4% behind the $505.6m bet by consumers duringMarch of this year.

Of this total, $389.1m was spent wagering online, while $3.2m was bet at retail sportsbooks across the state.

In terms of gross gaming revenue, this was up year-on-year from $17.6m in April 2021, but 19.9% lower than $28.2m in March this year.

Online betting was responsible for $22.2m of this total with the remaining $379,972 coming from retail sportsbooks.

Breaking down performance by sport, basketball drew the most wagers, with the $146.4m spent by players representing 37.3% of all wagers placed during the month.

Baseball ranked second with $69.9m in total bets, or 17.8% of all wagers in April, then ice hockey with $26.0m, corresponding to a 6.6% share. Some $73.4m was also wagered on parlay bets.

Players won a total of $369.7m from sports betting during the month, while the state was able to generate $1.2m in tax.

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Colorado sports betting and revenue up YoY in April - iGaming Business

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How to live bet NBA basketball: Tips, strategies to beat the in-game lines – Sporting News

Posted: at 8:14 pm

Not long ago, sports bettors had few options when wagering on NBA games. For the most part, you could evaluate the odds and put down some action before things tipped off or at the start of the second half. In the past few years, sports betting has evolved to a point where live betting at virtually all points during games has increased in popularity and is now commonplace.

Novice bettors arent always comfortable live betting, nor do they understand the best tactics to beat the in-game lines. Below, well break down three worthwhile strategies to help bettors understand the live betting process.

In a nutshell, live betting, or in-game betting, allows bettors to make wagers on games after the game has started. Live betting odds will fluctuate throughout the course of a game with changes to the moneyline, point spread, and total occurring after every shot taken. While there arent as many options for bettors in live betting markets as there are pre-game, the following bet types exist at most, if not all sportsbooks:

Moneyline:Simply, a wager on which team will win the game. A moneyline bet, in essence, is an implied win probability. For example, a team whose live odds sit at -150 implies it wins said game at a 60-percent clip. If youre curious about what odds correlate to what implied win probability, check out this moneyline converter from Boyds bets.

Point Spread: A wager on the difference in the number of points between the two teams at the end of the game.

For example, a -3.5-point favorite in an NBA game must win the game by four or more points in order to win the bet. Conversely, an underdog can lose the game outright, but if it stays within the point spread, the bet still wins. Betting on an underdog of +3.5 points in an NBA game will win if the team loses by three or fewer points.

Total:Also referred to as the over/under, a total bet is a wager on the number of points scored relative to the over/under line. If a total on a game is set at 215.5 points, a wager on the over means 216 or more points must be scored in order to win the bet. A wager on the under of 215.5 total points means 215 or fewer points must be scored in order to win the bet.

In terms of navigating legal U.S. sportsbooks to make live bets, all sportsbooks have their live betting odds under a tab titled "live" or "in-game." The live odds will refresh on their own, and sometimes its a challenge to get your bet in before the live markets alter.

While live betting is not an exact science, understanding these concepts can help bettors gain an advantage in winning their bets.

Utilize the closing line as a marker: The closing line is the last line available before betting markets close prior to tip-off. Historical data has shown that the closing line is the best indicator of the outcome of a game. This makes sense, as more information (injury status, sharp betting money, etc.) becomes known as game time approaches, which causes the moneyline, point spread, and total to sharpen up.

For example, in Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, the Heat closed as consensus five-point favorites after opening as shorter two-point favorites. The Celtics were without two key starters (Marcus Smart, Al Horford). Smart and Horford have an impact on the implied win probability for the Celtics, and without them on the court, the Heat have a better shot of winning the game outright and by several points.

Given the volatility in NBA games, the Heat found themselves trailing by 13 points with 5:37 remaining in the second quarter. If making a live bet on this game utilizing the closing line as a marker, at that point the Heat were around a +6.5-point underdog. Making a live bet on the Heat +6.5 made sense. The Heat erased the double-digit deficit, winning the game 118-107 and covering the closing line of -5 points.

Its important to note that sometimes the closing line can be a misleading marker, primarily when injuries occur, which brings us to our next tip.

Monitor in-game injuries: In-game injuries can present opportunities to take advantage of live odds. When a key player goes down mid-game, it takes a bit of time for the live odds to factor in that players impact on the money line, point spread, and total.

Back in the first round of the 2022 Western Conference playoffs, Suns guard Devin Booker left Game 2 against the Pelicans with a right hamstring injury. At the time of the injury, the Suns trailed the Pelicans 77-74 with 4:47 remaining in the third quarter. Following the injury, the Suns were unable to come back, losing by a final score of 125-114.

A star like Booker obviously stands out more, but even a key role player could have a big effect on a team's ability to maintain a lead or come back from a deficit. You don't want to jump to conclusions and immediately live bet as soon as you see a player down on the floor for a few seconds, but you also shouldn't completely ignore the telltale signs of a serious injury either.

Sometimes, you'll get burned, like when Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum both looked seriously injured -- only to return minutes later -- during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but if youre paying close enough attention, taking advantage of how an in-game injury will impact the final score can be a profitable endeavor.

Understand teams rotations: With NBA games being 48 minutes in length, there are times in which teams star players and starters are not on the floor. Coinciding with utilizing the closing line as a marker, a double-digit difference, say, early in the second quarter, of an NBA game doesnt mean the trailing team is in panic mode.

This allows for an opportunity to make a live bet, likely on a pre-game favorite thats trailing, knowing it will bring back its key players for the more important stretches of the game. This is especially true in the postseason, where starters play extended minutes, particularly in the second half when theyre needed most.

Live betting brings an entirely different way to wager on NBA games. It allows you to adjust to new information that might not have been available (or widely known) before tip-off.Sticking to the basic live-betting strategies above should help you cash some tickets and enjoy a more dynamic betting experience.

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How to live bet NBA basketball: Tips, strategies to beat the in-game lines - Sporting News

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When Ohio is expected to start sports betting, Cavaliers hire Luke Walton as assistant coach, and more: 3News Now with Stephanie Haney – WKYC.com

Posted: at 8:14 pm

On 3News Now, Stephanie Haney shares the details from today's most-read stories on WKYC.com and the WKYC app

CLEVELAND New on 3, get the latest information on what's happening and impacting you across Northeast Ohio on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, on 3News Now with Stephanie Haney.

Find out why a Wellington High School student was arrested on Monday.

In sports news, hear when Ohio is expected to start sports betting, whats next for Cantons Hall of Fame village, and what you need to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers new assistant coach Luke Walton.

Plus, geta preview of why people fall for love scams on the 3 Things to Know podcast, what to do if you find a baby deer and more on 3News Now.

Get the details on these stories, and more on 3News Now with StephanieHaney, by watching the video below:

Catch the highlights from each days most-read stories on wkyc.com, Monday through Friday, on the 3News Now with Stephanie Haney podcast.

Find links to watch on YouTube, or subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast platformhere.

Need a break from bad news? WatchIts All Good (News!) with Stephanie Haney, every Wednesday.

Like this show? Check out the award-winning3 Things to Know with Stephanie Haney podcast, for longer conversations with experts and insiders, the hidden gems you Need to Know in NEO, and who is A Good Follow on social media.

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When Ohio is expected to start sports betting, Cavaliers hire Luke Walton as assistant coach, and more: 3News Now with Stephanie Haney - WKYC.com

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