Daily Archives: July 31, 2022

The PGA Tour has a roulette wheel full of Camerons at the moment – GolfDigest.com

Posted: July 31, 2022 at 9:22 pm

Cameron Davis, Cam to his family and on his PGA Tour bio page, is the defending champion at this weeks Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. It was his breakthrough tour victory, a career-changing event that earned him a berth in the Masters, among other perks.

But he is just another Cameron in the crowd these days.

Yeah, his given name is rather popular in golf right now, prompting this amusing exchange on Wednesday at Detroit Golf Club:

Cameron, a hard-hitting question here. Cameron Smith won The Open, Cameron Young was second, you're the defending champion here this year, Cameron Tringale is having a pretty good year, Cameron Piercy is here. Have you ever sort of sat back and said, jeez, there's quite a few of us, or had a conversation with any of the other Camerons about what a year you guys are having?

Good on this Cameron for answering the question. And with sincerity.

We're all doing well, said Davis, 27, who is just a year younger than his fellow Australian native, Smith, against whom he competed in junior golf. My name got changed to Cam just out of nowhere, so I think I know why. I think we needed something to start defining us a little bit more as individuals because we all just seem to be collecting out here.

I don't know, something in the name. I'm proud that the Camerons are doing well. It's nice to be one of them. Yeah, I don't know what it is, but it seems to be a popular name in a certain age range at the moment. We'll see if any more turn up. I think there's still a few more in the pipeline on their way up here, so we'll see.

Yep, more Camerons in the pipeline. Its a thing.

But what about this name change from Cameron to Cam? Davis acted as if he didnt have a say in it. Apparently, he didnt. Or at least not entirely.

Cam's fine, Cam's on my bag. I really don't mind, to be honest, he said. For a long time Cam was what my family called me. So, I'm happy to feel like family out here now, so Cam's good.

But there was a change, he explained. I don't know, it was sometime last year. Like I wasn't notified or anything, just all of a sudden, my name started turning up on the leaderboard as Cam instead of Cameron, Davis said. I'm like, I guess someone's made the executive decision because there's too many of us now, so I don't know. I'm fine with it, it's all good.

Well, hes one of the good Camerons. So, yeah, it's all good.

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The PGA Tour has a roulette wheel full of Camerons at the moment - GolfDigest.com

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Evolution adds new Gold Bar Roulette variant to its live gaming portfolio – Yogonet International

Posted: at 9:22 pm

B2B online casino services provider Evolution announced Wednesday the launch of its Gold Bar Roulette, a new addition to its live Roulette family. The company describes it as a game that "puts players in control while offering increased entertainment and rewards."

According to Evolution, the putting players in control element means players can now choose their own lucky numbers instead of multipliers being assigned to random numbers. At the same time, players can take advantage of the potential for multiped wins by choosing the size of the multipliers.

In Gold Bar Roulette, every player can win Gold Bars with multipliers during the course of what is an otherwise standard game of Roulette. A random number of Gold Bars can be won when winning on a Straight Up bet. Each Gold Bar is worth 88x and can be used in future game rounds on any Straight Up bet to increase the payout in the event of a win. A players won Gold Bars remain available in their account for 180 days.

Additionally, players can choose to stack multiple Gold Bars on a single Straight Up bet spot, with the potential multiplied payouts growing accordingly. Chip bets and Gold Bar bets are kept separate, with the Gold Bars having their own value as well as their 88x multiplier value. This presents many exciting winning possibilities for players, Evolution says.

"What also stands out in Gold Bar Roulette is the stunning live game environment. It resembles the most enticing gold bullion vault imaginable, with the suspenseful opening of the vault in every game round playing a key role in determining how many Gold Bars players are able to win in that round," the company stated.

Todd Haushalter, Chief Product Officer at Evolution, said: Having witnessed the amazing popularity of our Lightning Roulette game, we know there is an appetite for unique Roulette games that add extra suspense, entertainment and potential for big payouts. We also know how much players love big multipliers, so for Gold Bar Roulette we thought why not go a step further and give the player more controlwhy not let the player choose what numbers will pay big and how big the payout should be?

Haushalter added: In Gold Bar Roulette, the golden wheel and Gold Bar vault environment is spellbinding. Players just love it when the number of Gold Bars that can be won is revealed, and then having the freedom to stack high their won Gold Bars on their own lucky number or numbers. The Gold Bars offer the chance of some big, multiplied winsdepending on how players choose to use their Gold Bars its possible to reach multiplied payouts as high as 10,000x or even double that!

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Evolution adds new Gold Bar Roulette variant to its live gaming portfolio - Yogonet International

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Looking back at the NFL’s QB roulette – Deadspin

Posted: at 9:22 pm

Carson Wentz is back in the NFC EastPhoto: AP

The quarterback troubles from the nations capital have been well documented. No starter has manned the team for a majority of its games for more than three seasons in a row since Mark Rypien, who quarterbacked Washington from 1989-93. Since the start of the 2018 season, 10 different quarterbacks have started a game for the now-Commanders, and none had any sort of long-term success.

That led Dan Snyder and friends to bring in Carson Wentz, after swinging for a bigger name on the trading block didnt pan out (more on where the biggest target landed soon). The former No. 2 overall pick is back in the NFC East after turbulent stays with the Eagles and Colts, who individually preferred to go younger and older with Wentzs successors. Thats the vote of confidence Washington is looking for.

Some, if not most, believe Wentz is a band-aid until another quarterback can develop to help the team. Wentz is clearly delaying the inevitable if his play from Indianapolis shows up in Landover. Help is around. Wentz hasnt had a receiver as talented as Terry McLaurin around him ever. And the Commanders defense is underrated. Theyre a stable secondary away from taking a decent amount of pressure off Wentz, who clearly needs assistance in stabilization.

The biggest thing helping Wentzs case is the lack of other options for the Commanders. Taylor Heinicke got his shot to be the teams starter. Ron Rivera and Snyder felt comfortable enough with that prospect to trade for Wentz. The team also drafted former North Carolina QB Sam Howell in this years draft but hes very much a long-term project.

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Looking back at the NFL's QB roulette - Deadspin

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Doodle World Codes (July 2022): Roulette Tickets and Doodles – VG247

Posted: at 9:22 pm

25th July, 2022: We added a new code!

You can collect a variety of cool creatures with different abilities (known as Doodles) to have as your companions in Doodle World. This is the Roblox equivalent of Pokmon, where you can befriend numerous creatures and then battle them! You also have the option to trade Doodles if you end up with multiples of the same kind, or if there's a specific one you're after.

Doodle World Codes can provide you with different, and extremely useful, items for free. These items often include Roulette Tickets that you can use on the Roulette Wheel to win a random prize or Doodle. They can also give you special or powerful Doodles, who come in handy during fierce battles. The developers, Doodle World Studios, release codes almost every week so make sure to check this page regularly to see what's new!

To redeem codes in Doodle World and claim your rewards, you'll need to follow these simple steps:

If you are successful, a small text box will appear at the top of the screen that tells you what your reward is. Also, if you try to redeem an expired code, that text box will notify you too.

Do you want more free stuff? Check out our Starving Artists codes to earn free coins to put towards your career as a budding artist. For aspiring pirates, check out our Blox Fruits codes and our One Piece Game codes to get a head start at ruling the seven seas.

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Doodle World Codes (July 2022): Roulette Tickets and Doodles - VG247

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Pragmatic Play Live Casino Content Approved in the City of Buenos Aires – iGaming Brazil

Posted: at 9:22 pm

Pragmatic Play, a leading provider of content for the iGaming industry, has strengthened its position in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina following the approval of its live casino content by the capitals regulator. Thus, Pragmatic Play becomes one of the first brands to receive authorization for its games from this important vertical in the territory.

Lotera de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA) has approved a selection of Pragmatic Plays market-leading portfolio of live casinos for delivery to operators in the jurisdiction. Titles included are Blackjack, Roulette, Auto Roulette, Speed Roulette, Baccarat, Speed Baccarat, Mega Roulette, Sweet Bonanza Candyland, Mega Wheel and ONE Blackjack.

Already occupying a prominent position with its slots in the local market, the approval now allows yet another important vertical of the suppliers multi-product offering to be available to operators and is expected to further drive growth in the City of Buenos Aires.

Victor Arias, Vice President of Latin American Operations at Pragmatic Play, said: This is fantastic news for Pragmatic Play and is an excellent indication of our growth ambitions in Argentina.

Our multi-vertical proposition is vital to us in every market in which we operate and the approval of our live casino games in the city of Buenos Aires will allow us to reach more partners and players here than ever before.

Pragmatic Play currently produces up to six new slot titles per month, as well as offering Live Casino and Bingo games as part of its multi-product portfolio, available through a single API.

Pragmatic Play is an industry-leading content provider offering a portfolio of various award-winning slots, live casino, bingo and virtual sports titles.

With a passion for creating unparalleled, innovative, immersive and mobile-focused entertainment, Pragmatic Play has developed the most immersive experiences in all currencies, 31 languages and all major certified markets.

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Pragmatic Play Live Casino Content Approved in the City of Buenos Aires - iGaming Brazil

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The 5 Best Casinos to Visit in England – Wales 247

Posted: at 9:22 pm

England has some of the best selection for land-based casinos and reasonable gambling regulations. Here are the top 5 most reckoned casinos in the UK!

Grosvenor Casino, or as the locals call it, The Vic, is located in the heart of Londons entertainment centre. West End. It offers a mix of typical casino games and modern options. Unlike a classic casino, at Grosvenor, you wont have to be worried about putting on your nicest suit, as they have a more relaxed approach to the venues atmosphere.

From the usual casino games like Roulette, Blackjack, and Poker, at Grosvenor Casino, you will find slot machines such as Cleopatra or Lucky Ladys Charm. Also, this casino has a designated poker room for all fans of poker tournaments and hosts The UKs Poker Tours Grand Final Tournament.

For sports enthusiasts, the casino puts at its guests disposal several screens to watch The Premier League or other sports events such as Formula One, boxing, or rugby.

Grosvenor Casino hosts a fine-dining restaurant that combines Eastern and Western cuisine to satisfy anyones taste. Also, theres a bar where you can serve beers, cocktails, and wines.

Therefore, Grosvenor Casino has everything you would look for in a casino. The Telegraph also made an extensive review of this casino. Next time youre in the UK, you can visit it, as Grosvenor has more than 50 locations across the country, eight of which are located in London.

Hippodrome Casino is reckoned to be one of the oldest casinos in the UK, located near Leicester Square. It attracts numerous visitors as its impressive architecture, elegant atmosphere, and great selection of entertainment makes this casino the perfect place where you can spend your night with your friends.

Hippodrome Casino has four floors; all organised around a theme. The building has around 75,000ft2, multiple floors, and rooftop terraces. There are three casinos spread across five floors, a steakhouse, and eight bars, all at the disposal of Hippodromes guests. So, this place is more than just a regular casino.

Here you can find a floor dedicated to table games and other traditional casino games such as slot machines.

Victoria Gate Casino is the third largest casino in the United Kingdom, packing 50,000 ft2 of entertainment zone and hosting more than 1,400 players. Apart from the classic casino games, Baccarat, Poker, Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps, visitors can also try out at least 140 slot machines, 24 live table games, and 80 electronic games.

The atmosphere is completed by the restaurant where different cuisine is served so that guests can enjoy many delicacies. The bar serves custom-made, and choice cocktails and other beverages, all meant to impress the visitors.

Even though the casino is open 24/7, the happy hour is between 5 pm to 7 pm. However, visitors dont need a membership, so you can visit this casino anytime you want.

Located in the centre of Birmingham, Rainbow Casino is considered UKs most glamorous casino as its modern style impresses everyone. The game selection includes 20 electronic roulette terminals and 20 machines featuring new slot games such as Dominator and Super V+ Gaminator. As for the casino games, Rainbow Casinos game variety includes Roulette, Blackjack, Slots, and MahJong. However, if youre a poker fan, the only choice is Three Card Poker.

The venue also includes a heating terrace for smokers where players can play games and Clarendon Restaurant on the first floor. Sports fanatics are not omitted as they can watch any sports events from around the globe live. The sports events shown include Formula One, NFL, Premier League, any UEFA Champions games, or other games of hockey, rugby, and cricket.

Famous across the globe, The Ritz Club offers the most luxurious gambling experience, as this casino is dedicated to high rollers. Located in the hotels basement, this casino provides not just table games but also private gaming rooms. You need to pay 1000 for registration, so theres no surprise. The Ritzs staff take it very seriously when it comes to how they treat their clients you can even ask to be picked up in a limousine and brought to the casino.

If youre visiting this casino, expect to see roulette tournaments. There you can find games such as Baccarat, Blackjack, Roulette, Punto Banco, and Three Card Poker. The minimum bet for Blackjack, Baccarat, and Three Card Poker is 25, and for Roulette, the minimum is 5.

Considering that not all gamblers have enough to visit such places frequently, online gambling has become a great alternative. That is why players can enjoy their hobby without any limitations. Usually, gamblers on the go prefer gambling through online casinos from trusted sources, where their deposits, winnings, and personal information are safe.

Even if we talk about online casinos and land-based casinos, the United Kingdom has good options for any type of gambler. Whether you prefer grand or laid-back physical casinos or gambling online, you definitely will find the right place for your preferences.

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The 5 Best Casinos to Visit in England - Wales 247

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Best Comic Book Villains Who Gamble – The Joker and More – Gambling Sites

Posted: at 9:22 pm

Many great comic book stories have been told throughout history, with many unique characters. Although the superheroes are great, I want to focus on the villains here. One of the main reasons why the superheroes are so great is because they have incredible battles with the best comic book villains.

You could say the story isnt as good without strong villains. Some of those villains have a background in gambling, as they often like to take a lot of chances. We will break down the best comic book villains of all time who have some experience with gambling.

You may know some characters already, but there could be a few on the list you havent heard about. Lets get right into 10 of the best comic book villains that gamble, even though being a bad guy is a risk by itself.

Joker

Kicking things off on our list of the best comic book villains of all time that gamble is the Joker.

Not only is the Joker a gambler, but hes also one of the best villains in general. There have been a lot of different variations of the Joker, so a certain version of him might stand out to you a bit more than others.

Personally, thats going to be Heath Ledgers Joker from the 2008 film, The Dark Knight, while Juaquin Phoenix was also incredible in the role in Joker (2019). The Dark Knight is one of the best superhero films of all time, and the Joker is a big reason why. Hes a terrifying character in a lot of different ways.

Some villains are scary because of their incredible powers, but the Joker is even more frightening because he doesnt have superpowers. Hes a criminal mastermind with a devious sense of humor, causing lots of trouble in the world of Gotham.

Not having powers means that the Joker is an incredibly realistic character. Some villains arent scary because we know they cant exist, but the Joker can.

As you can see in the YouTube video, the Joker says his gambling problems played a role in how he got his scars. He also left the Joker card at the scene of crimes as an extra gag.

When making a list of the top comic book villains who gamble, its impossible to leave out the Joker. He gambles at points throughout his timeline, but his biggest gambles are when hes committing crimes or tricking Batman, risking his life in the process.

Amos Fortune

Next on our list might not be the most popular villain in comics, but hes a gambler. You should already know that Amos Fortune is a gambler considering the group hes the leader of, which is the Royal Flush Gang.

The Royal Flush Gang members included characters named after playing cards, such as King of Spades, Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades, Ten of Spades, Ace Android, and more. Amos Fortune could control the luck glands in his body to manipulate probabilities.

He was also quite the handyman, inventing gadgets such as the Stimu-Luck Machine, which would change someones luck. Im sure you would be interested in an invention such as the Stimu-Luck Machine if you were in the midst of a cold streak.

Fortune was an antagonist in the Justice League whose father was a gambling addict. Amos became obsessed with his fathers old playing cards while trying to connect with his lone interest.

He battled the Justice League twice and left the group after being defeated. After that, he created more groups to fight the Justice League again. Those groups consisted of the Luck League and Tarot Gang.

His first appearance in the DC comics was in the Justice League of America #6. One of his famous quotes is, Luck of the draw, my dear. Youve got to play the cards youre dealt. Now, if youre done carping, let our little game begin!

If Amos Fortune and the Royal Flush Gang are making you want to play some poker, be sure to check out the best online casinos.

Two-Face

Another one of the best comic book characters who made an appearance in The Dark Knight is Harvey Dent or Two-Face. Dent was a great ally of Batman, but Two-Face is one of his biggest enemies.

One of the most remembered lines in movie history was during Dents transition into Two-Face. He said, You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain, foreshadowing the transition between the two characters.

The Joker was responsible for half of Dents face being melted off in the movies, but it was Sal Moroni or Boss in the comics who threw acid on his face. Dent, being an attorney, played a significant role in what made Two-Face a criminal mastermind.

He was obsessed with the number two, and he often used his two-headed silver dollar to determine the fate of his victims. His victims think they have a 50-50 chance to live, but Two-Face knows it will always land on heads.

Like Amos Fortune, he had an abusive father who was also a gambling addict. Dent enjoyed gambling in The Dark Knight movie series as well.

Two-Face used the coin for his own measures. One side was scratched, and the other wasnt. If the coin landed on the scratched side, he would commit the crime, and vice versa.

The fact that he put things up to chance with his coin proves that Two-Face is a gambler and one of the best comic book characters.

8-Ball

Jeff Hagees worked as a defense contractor and missile propulsion engineer for the Department of Defense. He often played pool to get his mind off work but became addicted to gambling.

Hagees would end up owing tons of money to pool sharks and was fired from his job because of his addiction. After being out of money and a job, he became the villain 8-Ball (or Eight Ball), combining his professional pool skills and engineering wits.

He carried out organized crime in New York and was an antagonist of the Marvel superhero Sleepwalker. Sleepwalker would often wake up to return to his usual self (Rick Sheridan), which happened during his first encounter with 8-Ball.

8-Ball would also play pool with Oddball, Hobgoblin, and more. He and Hobgoblin were in a game for $100,000 but ended up changing the game to whoever kills Sleepwalker first wins.

She-Hulk was another character who had run-ins with 8-Ball. Maybe he will make an appearance in the upcoming series.

8-Ball ended up doing more crime, but this was in an attempt to pay off his grandmothers hospital bills. He stole an important computer chip from Ricadonna and ended up being blown up by an RPG shot by the Wrecker.

Hagees was resurrected by The Hood and eventually became friends with another character in their Disney+ TV show: Moon Knight. Hes not a primary antagonist, but he could be someone with an outside chance to appear in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law or Moon Knights Season Two.

If you werent aware, betting on which characters appear in upcoming projects is often available on the best entertainment betting sites. 8-Ball could be a candidate for either of those shows or others.

The Penguin

The list of Batmans comic book villains that gamble goes on as we have reached The Penguin. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, is one of the best comic book villains of all time.

Hes one of Batmans most infamous antagonists, alongside the Joker, Two-Face, the Riddler, and more. The Penguin may not have an imposing figure, but hes a criminal mastermind and gifted inventor.

He was also the Iceberg Lounges owner, a casino and nightclub. It was a hot spot for his fellow criminals, and Batman would find himself there due to the activity.

A lot of Batmans foes are insane, but not The Penguin. Hes in complete control of his actions, which mostly happen to be illegal and dangerous.

The Penguins father died of bronchial pneumonia, which he got from walking in the rain. His mother always wanted him to walk around with an umbrella because of that, giving him an iconic look. His short stature, heavier build, and nose that looked like a beak caused him to be bullied from a young age, but he would grow to become a fearsome villain in the DC universe.

He also loved birds, which also plays into the name of The Penguin. Cobblepot went to college to study ornithology and was more knowledgeable than his professors. Hes been featured extensively in Batman-related comics, video games, TV shows, and movies.

Most recently, he was in the 2022 film The Batman, played by Colin Farrell. In the end, owning your casino guarantees you a spot on the list of the best comic book movie villains who gambled.

Gambler

You might think theres no other character on the list of the top comic book villains who gambled than The Penguin, considering he owned his own casino. What about a character who is literally named the Gambler?

The Gambler is one of the oldest characters in DC comic book history, making his debut all the way back in 1944. He was an antagonist in the Green Lantern #12 stories titled The Gambler.

Steven Sharpe III was a gambler like his father and grandfather. After he graduated high school, he asked his girlfriend to marry him, but she wouldnt accept until he proved he wasnt addicted to gambling.

His girlfriend ended up running away with someone else, who won a fortune through gambling. Steven decided to make a new life for himself and quit his occupation. After that, an armored car crashed and spilled some money, which Steven helped himself to.

Steven vowed from then on that he would take whatever he could get. He was convinced that luck was the main factor in everyones life and took on the new persona of the Gambler.

The Gambler quickly became one of the most wanted villains in the country after diving into the crime world. He specialized in knife throwing and firing pistols after traveling around with the circus and translated his skills into his criminal activity.

Growing bored of the smaller banks and trains, the Gambler moved to the city for bigger jobs. Thats when he encountered the Green Lantern, who eventually captured him at a horse race.

Like most comic book villains, he escaped prison and even death row. He went on to become one of the founders of the Injustice League, whose goal was to take down the Justice Society to control the country.

No one fits the role of top comic book villains addicted to gambling more than the Gambler. Steven Sharpe III might have you thinking of ways to be a sharp sports bettor.

Ever wonder how to become a sharp bettor? Before we answer that question, we have to examine the meaning of a sharp bettor. Sharp bettors are professional bettors who are capable of moving betting lines with their wagers. These people are much different from...

Gambit

Gambit is another character who is one of the best comic book villains who gambled. While Gambit could also be considered an anti-hero, he should still be on our list. He was born in the Thieves Guilds criminal society and became a secret agent for Mister Sinister.

His mutant powers could make inanimate objects explode, like a deck of cards that he often used. After becoming friends with Storm, he was invited to the X-Men. Gambit also falls in love with Rogue, another member of the X-Men. The X-Men eventually discovered his association with Mister Sinister and rejected his membership.

His first appearance was in the X-Men Annual #14 comics in 1990 and was also in the X-Men Origins: Wolverine film in 2009, played by Taylor Kitsch.

There were rumors of a Gambit solo film with Channing Tatum in the role, but it was scrapped due to the Disney and Fox merger. Tatum was so disappointed that hes boycotting future Marvel films.

It would be exciting for the project to be revisited because Im sure many X-Men fans would like to see Gambit in action. Its unclear what the plot of the movie was going to be, but there were plenty of events in his life that they could have explored.

His time in the Thieves Guild, X-Men, or even a new storyline could have been created for him.

Gambits real name is Remy LeBeau, and his card-throwing skills make him one of the best comic book characters related to gambling.

Chance

The name of the game when it comes to gambling is chance, which brings us to another one of the best comic book villains who gambled. Chance is a compulsive gambler who is constantly chasing the thrills of life. He made his first appearance in the Web of Spider-Man in 1986.

His real name was Nicholas Powell, and he built his own suit to help him commit crimes. Chances suit gave him flight, 360-degree vision, infrared vision/radar, blasters, darts, and more. He might have been participating in and committing criminal activity, but his main focus was getting that rush of excitement.

Chance would accept jobs with an odd way of payment. He would only receive payment if he could complete the job, or he would end up paying them if he failed. It doesnt seem like the usual way of business, but its quite the motivator for him.

His deals would be $5,000 for burglary, $10,000 for murder, and $20,000 for an important theft. He was hired by The Foreigner to kill Andre but countered with an offer to kill Spider-Man within 24 hours. Spider-Man defeated him, but Chance escaped before he could be arrested.

Chance is an interesting villain in the Marvel universe, but his gambling addiction could be his downfall. Either way, he makes our list of the best comic book characters who gambled.

Blockbuster

Another casino owner in the Marvel universe is Michael Baer, also known as the Blockbuster. He was an enormous 610, 386lb specimen after a mutation, giving him superhuman strength, stamina, and durability.

Blockbuster was able to lift 70 tons at once, but theres a chance he could lift more. His stamina allowed him to exert himself at full capacity for 24 hours without slowing down. In addition to having a full days worth of stamina, Blockbuster also had the durability to survive blaster attacks, extreme temperatures, pressures, and even falls from insane heights.

The Marauders were a superpowered mercenary group that Blockbuster was a part of as well. They were involved in the massacre of the Morlocks, which was where he encountered Thor. After a short and vicious battle, Blockbuster was able to break Thors arm.

Thor was still able to hurl Mjolnir into Blockbuster and kill him. Mister Sinister even cloned Blockbuster, but the clone became a demon due to Infernos influence.

Blockbusters first appearance in Marvel comics was in X-Factor #10 back in 1986, while his death was documented in Hellions #4 in 2020. That said, Mister Sinisters cloning of him doesnt make his death exactly clear.

He was seen playing some casino games throughout his timeline, and his ownership of the Marcus Casino makes him one of the best comic book villains with a gambling background.

Roulette

Amos Fortune and Roulette have a connection thanks to Roulettes ownership of the casino called The House.

Roulettes real name is Jennifer Stavros, and shes a professional gambler. She was an original member of the Hellions, a group organized by the White Queen (Emma Frost). The group was formed to rival Professor Xs young mutants.

Her main power was her probability alteration disks. The disks created an energy that altered the probability of her victims. The red discs were good luck, while the black discs were bad luck.

The New Mutants were the main opponents to Roulette, but they were killed and resurrected by the Beyonder. Emma Frost tried to mend the two groups together since the New Mutants were in a traumatic state.

She threw a dance party but was attacked by Trevor Fitzroy and his group, The Upstarts. Roulette was killed in the battle but was resurrected by the Transmode Virus. They tried attacking Utopia but were killed again by the New Mutants.

I wouldnt say Roulette was the most powerful villain in the comics, but her name and casino guarantee her a spot on our list. Check out our experts guide to roulette if you want to learn how to play.

Comic Book Characters with a Gambling Background

In the end, some of the best comic book characters have had gambling backgrounds. The Joker, Penguin, and Two-Face played significant roles in the Batman franchise, arguably one of the best ever.

Other characters have played more minor roles in the comics, but maybe we will see them in later adaptations. The Gambit movie had some serious legs but was sadly shut down. Perhaps they will revisit it, or maybe another character will appear in a new story.

Either way, the release of Marvels Phase 5 could be a great way to incorporate some of the best comic book villains of all time.

If youre in the mood to do some gambling after checking out the most popular villains in comics related to gambling, head over to the best gambling sites, and hopefully, Amos Fortune and Roulette will give you some good luck.

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Best Comic Book Villains Who Gamble - The Joker and More - Gambling Sites

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Inclusive populism wont fly and other commentary – New York Post

Posted: at 9:20 pm

Liberal: Inclusive Populism Wont Fly

The Liberal Patriots Ruy Teixeira examinesa new entrant in the Democratic messaging sweepstakes: inclusive populism. Proponents wont move to the center on culturally-inflected issues like crime, immigration, race, gender and schooling. Instead, they argue forturning it up to 11on economic populism. Yet cultural issues are a hugely important part of how voters assess who is on their side and who is not, and Democrats need to convince these voters that their views on culturally-freighted issues will not be summarily dismissed as unenlightened. E.g., crime worries are unlikely to be magicked away by attacks on greedy corporations. Plus: It defies common sense to think Democrats can win over working class voters who are suffering from inflation simply by pointing to greedy oil companies and promising to fight harder for the working class.

Metas third-party fact-checkers have flagged as false information posts on Instagram and Facebook accusing the Biden administration of changing the definition of a recession in order to deny that the U.S. economy has entered one,gripes Reasons Robby Soave. Yet this authority, PolitiFact, used the now-false definition (two straight quarters of negative GDP growth) to debunk GOP claims about coming recessions and to bolster Democratic claims. Fact-checkers are supposedly somehow above the fray, only weighing in when something can be proven or disproven quite definitively. Instead, they are often making dubious judgment calls on issues where reasonable disagreements exist.

Team Biden doesnt justnotfeel our pain it jumps through hoops to tell us we arent feeling that pain at all,notes the Washington Examiners Salena Zito. Last week, it insisted the nations not technically in a recession, which does nothing about what it feels like to the American people. And in American politics one of the most important things you have to do is validate people, to acknowledge their concerns, even if you privately think to yourself they are unfounded. President Biden has embraced the same dismissive attitude that elites often cast toward voters. . . . Otherwise, he wouldnt be telling people there is no recession when they are clearly feeling or fearing its effects on them. No wonder every new poll . . . seems to show him at a new low.

Americans find their country in a recession,observes The American Spectators Daniel J. Flynn, yetThe New York Times Paul Krugman, like Team Bidens other media allies, insists we wait for word from the people who actually decide were in a recession.Whodecides? The elite eight National Bureau of Economic Researchs Business Cycle Dating Committee members, who can go years without meeting. They include James Stock, who donated to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Pete Buttigieg and President Bidens 2020 campaign and David Romer, another Joe donor. The latterswife, Christina Romer, also sits on the committee; she chaired Obamas Council of Economic Advisers. Sorry: Economists do not decide on a recession. The economy does.

Gov. Hochul cheered that the just-approved Cider Solar Farm, a 3,000-acre, 500-megawatt facility upstate, can power about 125,000 homes. But the numbers dont add up,warns the Empire Centers James E. Hanley. New Yorks average home uses 7,000 kilowatt hours of electricity yearly. A 500-megawatt power plant operating at 90% percent capacity, like a nuclear or natural gas plant, would power 530,000 homes but New York solar produces only about 12.6 percent of its theoretical capacity, enough power for 79,000 homes, 37 percent less than advertised. And thats just 14% as many homes as a more reliable source of electricity could power. Like Cider Solar, the states entire climate plan is based on dubious assumptions and questionable math. We must keep reliable energy sources, like our nuclear and natural gas plants, to ensure we have the energy to supply our needs.

Compiled by The Post Editorial Board

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Inclusive populism wont fly and other commentary - New York Post

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Textbook Reactionary Populism – The Duck of Minerva

Posted: at 9:20 pm

I recently posted a piece atLawyers, Guns and Moneyabout Jonathan Swanstwopart series on Trumpworlds plans for a second term. The gist is that Trump and his inner circle intend to revive his Schedule F executive order.

What is Schedule F? Eric Katzexplains:

In October 2020, just before the presidential election, Trump signed his controversial executive order creating a new class of federal employees excepted from the competitive service. The order sought to remove career federal workers in confidential, policy-determining, policy-making or policy-advocating jobs from the General Schedule into a new job classification where virtually all of their civil service protections were absent, essentially making them at-will employees. Although the Trump administration began efforts to reclassify jobs into the new Schedule F, they ultimately were unable to move any workers before January 2021, and President Biden quickly signed an executive orderrescinding the edictas one of his first acts as president.

The former Trump administration officials envision quickly shifting many employees under the new classification, making those positions eligible for quick hiring and firing without the normal protections afforded to civil servants. The new flexibility would allow a future Trump administration to get rid of any employees it deems as standing in the way of implementing its agenda and replace them with loyalists.

It literally takes five minutes to reissue it, a former Trump administration official involved in personnel policy and current talks about Schedule Fs revival toldGovernment Executive. There was real value to issuing Schedule F because it turned it into a flip the switch thing for the next administration that wants to do it.

The original Schedule F order faced widespread condemnation from lawmakersincluding members of both partiesgood government groups, unions, employees and former government officials.

Swans article provides another reminder that Trump remains an existential threat to U.S. liberal democracy. But its not just Trump. Any number of other GOP presidential hopefuls say Ron DeSantis or Josh Hawley would likely implement the same kind of plan.

The specifics of the Schedule F plot also track with how Ive come to understand Trumpism: as aspecificformofreactionarypopulism.

Reactionary populism has in one form or another been around for quite some time. If I remember correctly, we can find a reactionary-populist faction of the Republican Party at least as far back as the 1930s, and the Democrats used to be home to one as well. Reactionary populism started, as best I can tell, gaining real traction in the GOP during the Obama years. It did not, however dominate the party.

This changed with Trump. He not only mobilized reactionary populists. He also mainstreamed the reactionary-populist worldview.

What does this have to do with Schedule F?

Once in power, reactionary populists pretty much always pursueneopatrimonial styles of governance. This involves breaking down state autonomy and transforming government bureaucracies into an extension of their own personal authority.

Ive mentioned before that IconsiderStephen Hanson and Jeffrey Kopsteins Understanding the Global Patrimonial Wave (Perspectives on Politics, 2022) an essential read.

As theyexplain:

German sociologist Max Weberconsidered the key act of politics to be obedience to the leaders command. Such obedience is more likely and consistent, Weber argued, when subordinates subjectively believe that orders from their superiors are legitimatethat is, that they have a duty, and not merely a self-interested motive, to obey. Without obedience to commands there can be no government, no matter how it is chosen. The core link is between the leader and his or her administrative staff. This relationship can be highly personal and intimate, or it can be impersonal and legalistic. The staff accept commands as legitimate for basically one of two reasons: because of their sense of duty to the person of the leader or because of their sense of duty to law and abstract rules. For much of human history, this sense of duty was based primarily on personal relationships. During periods of social crisis, followers might obey orders under the spell of a leaders personal charisma. Yet charismatic leadership generally does not last long. The patrimonial bond, when durable, was emotional, one of respect, friendship, and devotion, embodied in the beloved monarch whose royal lineage had ruled since time immemorial. Finding a loyal staff is not easy, so in its purest form patrimonialism amounts to rule by the family and friends of the leader. To provide a succinct definition, a patrimonial regime is a form of legitimate domination in which the ruler and his staff fuse administration with personal authority, considering the state itself to be a family business of sorts.

We should not conflate patrimonialismwhether new-style or in its OG formwith authoritarianism.

democracies are becoming more personalistic.

Plenty of authoritarian regimes operate along more legal-rational line. They make use of state bureaucracies staffed by a civil service of educated professionals who follow rules and procedures and are recruited on the basis of merit rather than personal relationships. In more rational-legal regimeswhether democratic or authoritarianthe basic grounds on which commands are obeyed stem not from duty to the person of the ruler but from duty to the impersonal abstraction of the rules themselves.

Of course, all real-world political systems combine different forms of authority. But the term neopatrimonialism describes a specific kind ofhybrid arrangement.

On paper, neopatrimonial regimes look like legal-rational ones. Most civil servants do standard civil-servant things. State bureaucracies and political officials invoke principles of fairness, equal treatment, merit, and following the rules.

In practice, patrimonial authority predominates; the state serves the personal interests of its leadership; agencies just happento target opponents of the regime for audits and regulatory violations (the Obama IRS scandal, if it werentbullocks, would have been a good example of how this works). Supporters somehow almost always submit winning bids for government contracts.Opponents dont.That kind of thing.

Hanson and Kopstein point out that the current patrimonial wave affects both democratic and autocratic regimes. Manycommentatorswarn about the rise ofpersonalist authoritarianismin countries like Russia and China. As others point out,democraciesare also becoming, on average, more personalistic.

Erica Frantz and her co-authorswritethat:

[O]bservers intuitions are correct: Levels of personalism have increased in democracies in recent years. Importantly, we show that greater personalism is associated with a variety of negative outcomes, such as higher levels of populism, a higher probability of democratic erosion, and greater political polarization. In addition, we explore the potential causes of the personalist wave and find evidence that new technologies and digital tools are facilitating it.

We should distinguish betweenpersonalist regimesandpersonalist politics.

When we talk about the personalist politics we mean, more or less, the relationship between parties and their leaders:

Personalist politics do facilitate neopatrimonialism; personalist regimes tend to exhibit higher levels of neopatrimonial governance. But keep in mind that we also find neopatrimonial styles of governance in contexts where authority rests in families, ethnic groups, or parties.

Indeed, one plausible future in the United States is that term limits produce a succession of reactionary-populist regimes. Perhaps they might crystalize around a family. It is more likely, I expect, that wed see authority derive from a flexible arrangement, in which party provides a bridge between personal loyalty to presidents.

Americans dont tend to think in terms of patrimonial authority

Hanson and Kopstein make a lot of important arguments, but one is that political scientists have generally dropped the ball because were used to thinking about regimes mostly in terms of the autocracy-democracy continuum; when we do study neopatrimonialism, we typically assume its confined to the developing world (this tendency is, in part, a holdover from modernization theory).

This myopia explains, in part, why the field struggles to make sense of regimes that combine electoral democracy with neopatrimonial governance: we tend to try to put their square pegs into the round holes of democracy and authoritarianism.

Of course, neopatrimonialism does erode liberal democracy.

Despite this, neopatrimonial quasi-democracies are going to look and behave differently than legal-rational quasi-democracies.

The conceptual challenge here extends far beyond political science. Americans dont tend to think about regimes in terms of patrimonial and legal-rational authority. This is a real problem. It makes it much harder for people to understand the nature and extent of the threatespecially if it involves reforms that, on face, might seem reasonable.

This is particularly true, Id wager, for Republicans who otherwise do not particularly care for Trump or Trumpism. The reason? Trumps efforts to establish personal authority over the civil services easily slot into longstanding GOP complaints about bureaucracy.

Republicans have spent decades attacking the federal bureaucracy, and the rhetoric that they use has a strongly polyvalent quality. It communicates distinctive meanings to different audiences.

Lets keep things simple by limiting ourselves to three difference valences of anti-bureaucracy rhetoric: libertarian, technocratic, and populist.

These valences can combine in a lot of different ways. Technocratic criticisms commonly feature in more populist and libertarian attacks on the civil service. By the 1980s, national politicians usuallyencodedpopulist objections to Civil Rights in libertarian and technocratic language.

Some reactionary populist demagogues are true believers. Others are cynical opportunists. But, as I noted above, no matter where they fall on that axis, they invariably attempt to consolidate their power by transforming the state into their own personal patrimony.

Populist leaders paint their actions as returning power to the people

Successful populist leaders are able to turn their efforts into a self-reinforcing process. They use every incremental increase in personal control over government finances to reward supporters, thus encouraging business leaders and political officials to throw in with the regimeand reducing the clout of those who refuse; when their loyalists take control of a regulatory body, they turn it into a political weapon for weakening opponents; this makes the next body easier to capture. Rinse and repeat.

The irony, of course, is that populist leaders paint their actions as returning power to the peopleeven as they consolidate elite control, they claim to be breaking the power of elites.

With Trump, though, we saw an interesting (and worrisome) twist.

His uncoordinated assault on the independence of the civil service was also legible in libertarian and technocratic terms. In essence, Republicans fromdifferentwings of the party each could view his action throughdifferentframeseach of which obscured the nature of Trumps personalist power grab.

Well, maybe obscure isnt quite the right word. Lets put it this way: they had an easier time accommodating Trumps neopatrimonialism.

From a technocratic or libertarian perspective, Trump wasnt making the state his own personal patrimony. He was finally reining in those liberal, big-government bureaucrats! Talk of Trump killing U.S. democracy? Liberal hysteria. Even if he actually wanted to, theres no way he could succeed because of the guardrails built into the system (i.e., the ones he was trying to dismantle).

For what its worth, this gets at why, after January 6, it took massive intervention by FOX News and the broader right-wing media ecosystem to rescue Trump form political collapse. Its also why the January 6 Select Committee hearings are damaging, however modestly, his changes of winning the presidency in 2024. January 6 was consistent with a more traditional understanding of how leaders try to destroy democracy. It wasnt slow and complicated.

Now, as far as I know, its true that members of the civil service lean Democratic. Theres apparentlylittle evidencethat this translates into a disposition to undermine Republican presidents.

So did some parts of the civil service thwart Donald Trump? Sure.

Sometimes, I expect civil servants prioritized bureaucratic interests or organizational mission over enacting policy directives. The same thing happens to Democratic administrations.

There are also clearly pockets of active partisanship. This is most worrisome when it shows up in the security services a pattern thatseemstoskewright, not left.

But it is important to stress how little disloyalty the Trump administration would accept. Swan reports that the idea for Schedule F began early in 2017, when the State Department rebelled against the so-called Muslim Ban.

How, exactly, did State rebel? Something like 900 members of the State Departmentsigneda dissent memo. They used normal channels and standard-operating procedure toregisterdisapproval. Yeah, it blew up in the press. But thats not a refusal to carry out Trump policy. Not even close.

Indeed, most of the time, though, civil servants thwarted Trump becausethey were doing their jobs.

For example, a career employeeblew the whistleover concerns that Trump pressured Ukraines president to investigate his political rival. Aninspector generalcited whistleblower protection laws when siding with a Customs and Border Protection employee who blew the whistle on his agencys racial profiling of motorists. A court relied on civil service lawsto issue an injunctionprotecting several Voice of America employees from an agency head accused of political meddling and trying to disseminate political propaganda. An inspector generals report later vindicated other VOA employees in this work environment.

Both the technocratic and libertarian frames imply that this is precisely what the civil service should be doing. Unfortunately, thanks to Trump, the populist frame now predominates. It is conventional wisdom in the GOP that civil servants make up a hostile deep stateone dedicated to destroying Republican presidencies.

The only solution, it follows, is to purge it and install reliable Republicans. Or those loyal to the current GOP president.

Doesnt really matter.

Same difference.

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Textbook Reactionary Populism - The Duck of Minerva

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One of the worlds leading populism experts says Pierre Poilievre isnt quite a populist – The Hub

Posted: at 9:20 pm

The Conservative Partys leadership race has been conventionally seen as a battle between the moderate establishment candidate Jean Charest and the rowdy populist Pierre Poilievre.

But one academic who studies populism and its cultural causes says Poilievres campaign has been fairly traditional, especially when compared to the global populist movement that has swept the Western world in the last decade.

The populist moment really was about parties moving away from just talking about economics to talking about those tricky cultural issues. Its happened with the Peoples Party, but its not happened with Poilievre. I guess I would still see that as pretty much a standard conservatism, more of an establishment conservatism, said Eric Kaufmann, a professor of politics at Birkbeck, University of London and the author of Whiteshift: Immigration, Populism, and the Future of White Majorities.

On a recent episode of the Hub Dialogues, Kaufmann said one clear sign that a candidate is pushing into populist territory is a fixation on immigration and the social justice politics (or wokeness) embraced by the Left. Instead, Poilievre has trained his rhetorical sights on inflation, the Bank of Canada, the countrys housing shortage, and an all-encompassing opposition to gatekeepers.

Poilievre, I think, has shied away largely from those (cultural) issues except in a few places. Hes largely about economics, which in my view is a relatively safe topic. Youre not going to get canceled for it, said Kaufmann.

Although Poilievre has been the consistent frontrunner in the race to succeed Erin OToole as the permanent leader of the Conservative Party, he has been dogged by questions about whether he will be palatable to moderate voters in a federal election.

A recent survey by the Angus Reid Institute seemed to confirm that Poilievre is disliked by previous Liberal and NDP voters, although Peoples Party of Canada voters view him favourably. Poilievre may also be shunning the conventional strategy of chasing swing voters and, instead, pursuing people who have previously chosen not to vote in federal elections.

In chasing these new voters, Poilievre has doubled down on opposition to COVID-19 restrictions and vaccines mandates, while vocally supporting the cause of Freedom Convoy protesters, to the chagrin of establishment Conservatives.

Kaufmann believes that the populist spasm in response to the pandemic, seen in Canada and other Western countries, will pass quickly and wont necessarily fuel the larger populist movement.

I actually dont think that that is a significant source of populist movements we see across the West now. Even though it has played in Canada, I think thats a departure from the pattern that we tend to see across the West, said Kaufmann.

Kaufmann said that conventional populism, which targets immigration and other cultural issues, hasnt taken root in Canada due to a strong taboo against those topics in the media and other elite institutions.

I think its because of the power of the cultural Left in Canada. Now, of course, the way the power of the cultural Left works is that it works up until the point it doesnt work. The suppression works to keep ideas such as reducing immigration out of the political debate until that crumbles, said Kaufmann.

In his book Whiteshift, Kaufmann wrote that attitudes in Canada arent very different from other countries, like the United States, that were rocked by a populist candidates.

What you see in Canada is you do see the Peoples Party raising these issues. You do see that Conservative voters, for example, compared to Liberal and NDP voters, are like 50 points apart on immigration. Theres a natural place for the Conservatives to go, but of course, the media environment and the cultural environment in Canada is very strongly dominated by the cultural Left, he said.

Kaufmann said he views populism as a fundamentally cultural phenomenon, and with the Left currently dominating important institutions like the media and academia, it could mean that our populist moment turns into a populist era. In his research, Kaufmann has tracked the ideological shift in journalism and academia that, over decades, has pushed progressives from a slight majority to utterly dominant in these institutions.

I think there is a kind of in-built dynamic here where were going to see populism as long as there is a very strong cultural Left controlling these institutions, said Kaufmann.

Theres an awful lot of incentive to rail against the elites in those institutions.

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