Sporting Data, the company embroiled in the "courtsiding" affair at the Australian Open tennis tournament, used the betting exchange to make its wagers.
The company at the centre of the “courtsiding” affair at the Australian Open tennis tournament was set up by three former Betfair staff, who used the betting exchange to place their bets.
Steven High, Martin Pendlebury and Simon Allen are the three directors of Sporting Data, a company that has shot to prominence in Australia after one of its analysts was arrested courtside at the Open a week ago and charged with “engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome”.
Daniel Dobson, 22, was found to have an electronic device sewn into his shorts and linked to a mobile phone that allowed him to relay back the scores to Sporting Data – enabling the company and its clients to exploit a time lag of up to 10 seconds between real-time play and broadcast pictures.
Speaking to the Australian Financial Review, Sporting Data’s chief executive Mr High said the company had bet £74,346 on the match between Nick Kyrgios and Benjamin Becker at Melbourne’s Rod Laver arena. It made 148 bets on Betfair, whose exchange acts as a middle man to match punters who want to place or lay a wager.
While the exchange does not allow in-play betting on individual points, the information from Mr Dobson theoretically allowed Sporting Data and its clients to gamble on the result of a game, knowing the outcome before those who accepted the wagers.
Mr High, who spent almost seven years at Betfair as senior product manager, said he was “shocked that the police got involved”, adding he was “strongly of the opinion” that Mr Dobson’s conduct was “not illegal” – even under the state of Victoria’s new gambling laws.
In a statement on its website, Sporting Data said “the bets are all determined by the individuals in London and not by the employees on court”, adding: “We have no interest in corrupting the outcome of a match.”
The company makes most of its bets via exchanges because traditional bookmakers subscribe to the ENetPulse service. That takes the score entered by the umpire after each point and is ahead of the broadcast pictures.
Betfair sources said the exchange also uses ENetPulse and relays “this to customers on our website”, though many punters rely on the television pictures.
Mr Pendlebury is a former sportsbook team manager at Betfair, while Mr Allen was a former software engineer at the company.
Curiously, despite a real tennis advantage, Mr High said Sporting Data lost £2,763 on the Kyrgios-Becker match.
January 22, 2014
January 17, 2014
William Hill boss removes Twitter account after argument
Ralph Topping the Chief Executive of William Hill has removed his Twitter account from public view following a heated exchange with anti-FOBT campaigners.
The argument happened at the beginning of January and was initially an exchange of Twitter communications by William Hill’s public affairs manager, Andrew Lyman and The Campaign for Fairer Gambling group that is funded by millionaire ex-poker player and former games inventor Derek Webb.
In an argument over the merits of a Daily Mail article headlined “Gambling’s crack cocaine” about “betting machines that enslave the poor and earn bookies BILLIONS”, Mr Topping joined the debate on Twitter saying “his uncle died in WW2 for freedom. He would (twirl) in his overseas grave at its restriction. Died for honesty. Great value to die for”.
As the exchanges got more heated the boss of William Hill then said that the campaigners were hiding their funding source and had “success fees” for driving out FOBTs from bookmaker shops, in total the Twitter jousting lasted seven hours.
Only a few days later Topping took his Twitter account private – and his tweets disappeared from public view.
The FOBT debate is a high stakes one, analysts say that they are worth £1.5 billion in profits for bookmakers and represents 25% of William Hill’s earnings.
If politicians acted to reduce the maximum bet on FOBTs by 50% of the current limit then William Hill’s group pre-tax profit for 2015 would be 30% lower than at present. Even lowering the amount of FOBTs in a shop by one machine would still take 10% from William Hill’s total profits for the year.
William Hill spokeswoman Kate Miller said “it was a reasoned debate that is commonplace on social media. He was raising questions about the campaigner’s funding. Ralph Topping took his account private because he is travelling.”
The argument happened at the beginning of January and was initially an exchange of Twitter communications by William Hill’s public affairs manager, Andrew Lyman and The Campaign for Fairer Gambling group that is funded by millionaire ex-poker player and former games inventor Derek Webb.
In an argument over the merits of a Daily Mail article headlined “Gambling’s crack cocaine” about “betting machines that enslave the poor and earn bookies BILLIONS”, Mr Topping joined the debate on Twitter saying “his uncle died in WW2 for freedom. He would (twirl) in his overseas grave at its restriction. Died for honesty. Great value to die for”.
As the exchanges got more heated the boss of William Hill then said that the campaigners were hiding their funding source and had “success fees” for driving out FOBTs from bookmaker shops, in total the Twitter jousting lasted seven hours.
Only a few days later Topping took his Twitter account private – and his tweets disappeared from public view.
The FOBT debate is a high stakes one, analysts say that they are worth £1.5 billion in profits for bookmakers and represents 25% of William Hill’s earnings.
If politicians acted to reduce the maximum bet on FOBTs by 50% of the current limit then William Hill’s group pre-tax profit for 2015 would be 30% lower than at present. Even lowering the amount of FOBTs in a shop by one machine would still take 10% from William Hill’s total profits for the year.
William Hill spokeswoman Kate Miller said “it was a reasoned debate that is commonplace on social media. He was raising questions about the campaigner’s funding. Ralph Topping took his account private because he is travelling.”
January 16, 2014
British books lick their wounds after disastrous Premier League results
Misery loves company and this week, US sportsbooks still reeling over the massive losses from the NFL Divisional round playoffs can take comfort knowing that they counterparts over in the UK are feeling the same way.
It was a bad weekend for British books who had to stomach the sight of seeing the top seven teams in the English Premier League win all of their matches over the weekend. It got so bad that, according to Reuters, the total losses piled up to the tune of 30 million pounds, which is about $49 million based on US exchange rates. Smashing a hammer over their heads must’ve felt a little better than stomaching the amount punters took from books over the weekend.
“This is as bad a weekend as there’s ever been,” Ladbrokes spokesman Ciaran O’Brien told the news agency. All of the top seven teams – Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham, and Manchester United – in the EPL posted wins over the weekend. It’s a rare occurrence that books’ have affectionally (or not) dubbed a “magnificent seven” result, in large part because these seven teams, despite getting shorter odds, are still heavily bet on by the public.
Usually a loss or draw from at least one of these teams is enough to offset the losses when any of these teams win. But when all of them show end up with three points to their total, it turns into a recipe for disaster that this week translated to losses amounting to close to $50 million for sportsbooks.
Results like this are rare though, so it shouldn’t mean too much for the bottom line of these books. But as they say, once is too many, especially when that particular instance results in lighter pockets.
It was a bad weekend for British books who had to stomach the sight of seeing the top seven teams in the English Premier League win all of their matches over the weekend. It got so bad that, according to Reuters, the total losses piled up to the tune of 30 million pounds, which is about $49 million based on US exchange rates. Smashing a hammer over their heads must’ve felt a little better than stomaching the amount punters took from books over the weekend.
“This is as bad a weekend as there’s ever been,” Ladbrokes spokesman Ciaran O’Brien told the news agency. All of the top seven teams – Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham, and Manchester United – in the EPL posted wins over the weekend. It’s a rare occurrence that books’ have affectionally (or not) dubbed a “magnificent seven” result, in large part because these seven teams, despite getting shorter odds, are still heavily bet on by the public.
Usually a loss or draw from at least one of these teams is enough to offset the losses when any of these teams win. But when all of them show end up with three points to their total, it turns into a recipe for disaster that this week translated to losses amounting to close to $50 million for sportsbooks.
Results like this are rare though, so it shouldn’t mean too much for the bottom line of these books. But as they say, once is too many, especially when that particular instance results in lighter pockets.
January 15, 2014
Problem gambling declines in the UK
The UK Gambling Commissions recent survey contained in the Health Survey for England shows a decline in overall gambling and also a reduction in problem gambling within the UK population.
The data, contained in the Health Survey for England (2012) show that 65% of adults (almost 28 million people) in England gambled in the past year. Excluding those who gamble only on the National Lottery draw, the figure is 43%.
The rate of problem gambling in the adult population is estimated to be 0.5% on one measure and 0.4% on the other measure used (see notes).
The Health Survey gambling questions were designed to be broadly comparable with the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, which gave figures for Great Britain of 73% for gambling participation (56% excluding those who had only gambled on the National Lottery draw), with problem gambling at 0.9% and 0.7% on the corresponding measures.
While firm trend figures will not be available until further health surveys, patterns of decline have also been seen in data collected through the Gambling Commission omnibus survey, and the patterns of distribution for gambling participation appear to remain broadly stable. In particular, younger men tend to gamble on a wide range of activities including those associated more strongly with problem gambling. Problem gambling also appears to be more prevalent in areas where the local environment is more challenging in terms of health deprivation. This supports the need for more targeted efforts to prevent and mitigate the risks in these groups.
The Commission will publish its own in-depth analysis in a series of papers to be published next spring, drawing on the data from both this Survey and the Scottish Health Survey.
Rebekah Eden, the Commission’s Programme Director – Evidence and Analysis, said:
“The figures suggest that fewer people are experiencing gambling problems directly, but that there are groups of the population where the risks remain significantly greater. This puts even greater emphasis on the industry finding ways to identify people who are suffering problems or who are at risk, and intervening effectively.”
The data, contained in the Health Survey for England (2012) show that 65% of adults (almost 28 million people) in England gambled in the past year. Excluding those who gamble only on the National Lottery draw, the figure is 43%.
The rate of problem gambling in the adult population is estimated to be 0.5% on one measure and 0.4% on the other measure used (see notes).
The Health Survey gambling questions were designed to be broadly comparable with the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, which gave figures for Great Britain of 73% for gambling participation (56% excluding those who had only gambled on the National Lottery draw), with problem gambling at 0.9% and 0.7% on the corresponding measures.
While firm trend figures will not be available until further health surveys, patterns of decline have also been seen in data collected through the Gambling Commission omnibus survey, and the patterns of distribution for gambling participation appear to remain broadly stable. In particular, younger men tend to gamble on a wide range of activities including those associated more strongly with problem gambling. Problem gambling also appears to be more prevalent in areas where the local environment is more challenging in terms of health deprivation. This supports the need for more targeted efforts to prevent and mitigate the risks in these groups.
The Commission will publish its own in-depth analysis in a series of papers to be published next spring, drawing on the data from both this Survey and the Scottish Health Survey.
Rebekah Eden, the Commission’s Programme Director – Evidence and Analysis, said:
“The figures suggest that fewer people are experiencing gambling problems directly, but that there are groups of the population where the risks remain significantly greater. This puts even greater emphasis on the industry finding ways to identify people who are suffering problems or who are at risk, and intervening effectively.”
January 14, 2014
Bermuda readies casino gaming legislation
The Bermuda government is expected to legalise casino gaming for the first time, according to Shawn Crockwell, Bermuda Tourism Minister. Gaming will be used as an anchor to lift the hospitality industry, with casinos only permitted in existing or new hotels, rather than standalone facilities.
Speaking at a press conference last week, the Minister said that the Government would begin a public education program later this month to outline its “vision, goals, objectives and measurable outcomes associated with casino gaming.” He remarked that the Government has “worked diligently” in order to establish the gaming industry should be operated on the island.
CrockwellA public referendum previously announced to determine the outcome of casinos has been dropped by the Government, claiming that the Opposition Labour Party had threatened to undermine the process. Instead, the measure will now go through Parliament and a forum would be established for the public to provide feedback on the subject and still have a voice throughout the process.
“It is paramount that the Government now engages the public with salient information concerning what we are proposing and all of the main issues surrounding the industry,” informed Crockwell. “We want to disseminate the facts and hear everyone’s view on the issue.”
A series of public consultation meetings and programs will commence on 27th January. Topics will include the integrated resort model, favoured by the Government; infrastructure and job creation; tourism and hospitality; and the social impact of legalised gaming. A dedicated website will launch for the public to voice their opinion and six town hall meetings have been lined up next month.
“We will be working with numerous entities to ensure the information provided is timely and accurate,” continued Crockwell. “We are also confident the majority of Bermudians support the introduction of casino-style gaming. This is supported by recent polling results which suggest that approximately 70 percent of Bermudians favour legalisation of gaming in Bermuda.”
Travel and tourism to Bermuda are showing signs of growth and government date shows 84 percent of visitors arrive from the US. The introduction of cruise ship casinos last year increased the number of ships porting on Bermuda shores. Integrated resorts that offer casinos would appeal to customers from the US, as well as the rest of the world.
“Casino gaming is not a panacea,” concluded Crockwell, “but a much needed amenity for our tourism product. We have a wonderful opportunity to set the example by working together to implement the best holistic casino gaming model this world has seen. We must augment our tourism offerings and we must enhance our tourism infrastructure.”
Speaking at a press conference last week, the Minister said that the Government would begin a public education program later this month to outline its “vision, goals, objectives and measurable outcomes associated with casino gaming.” He remarked that the Government has “worked diligently” in order to establish the gaming industry should be operated on the island.
CrockwellA public referendum previously announced to determine the outcome of casinos has been dropped by the Government, claiming that the Opposition Labour Party had threatened to undermine the process. Instead, the measure will now go through Parliament and a forum would be established for the public to provide feedback on the subject and still have a voice throughout the process.
“It is paramount that the Government now engages the public with salient information concerning what we are proposing and all of the main issues surrounding the industry,” informed Crockwell. “We want to disseminate the facts and hear everyone’s view on the issue.”
A series of public consultation meetings and programs will commence on 27th January. Topics will include the integrated resort model, favoured by the Government; infrastructure and job creation; tourism and hospitality; and the social impact of legalised gaming. A dedicated website will launch for the public to voice their opinion and six town hall meetings have been lined up next month.
“We will be working with numerous entities to ensure the information provided is timely and accurate,” continued Crockwell. “We are also confident the majority of Bermudians support the introduction of casino-style gaming. This is supported by recent polling results which suggest that approximately 70 percent of Bermudians favour legalisation of gaming in Bermuda.”
Travel and tourism to Bermuda are showing signs of growth and government date shows 84 percent of visitors arrive from the US. The introduction of cruise ship casinos last year increased the number of ships porting on Bermuda shores. Integrated resorts that offer casinos would appeal to customers from the US, as well as the rest of the world.
“Casino gaming is not a panacea,” concluded Crockwell, “but a much needed amenity for our tourism product. We have a wonderful opportunity to set the example by working together to implement the best holistic casino gaming model this world has seen. We must augment our tourism offerings and we must enhance our tourism infrastructure.”
January 13, 2014
Have Paddy Power broken UN sanctions over North Korean debacle?
Have Paddy Power gone a step too far with their North Korean joke, after the Associated Press run a series of stories suggesting that the Irish funsters, and Dennis Rodman, may have broken UN Export Sanctions, and US Treasury Laws, by giving the North Korean leader birthday gifts.
The wheels on the Paddy Power/Dennis Rodman/North Korea bus keep on turning with news coming out of the weekend press suggesting that the Irish Bookmaker, and the former NBA Basketball star, may be in hot water over birthday gifts that were handed to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
paddy-power-could-have-broken-un-sanction
In October 2006, the North Koreans angered the European Union by moving ahead with its planned nuclear testing. The result was the imposition of UN Security Resolution 1718, which banned a list of ‘luxury goods’ for export to North Korea. US Treasury Law also forbids the export of luxury goods into North Korea either directly, or indirectly, meaning even if Rodman had given the gifts on behalf of Paddy Power he could still be facing the Beak.
The noise surrounds a game of pass the parcel that saw Kim Jong-un receiving an Irish whiskey set for his 31st birthday during the high profile visit to the state back in mid-December.
Paddy Power have issued a statement to NK News, a website based in South Korea, confirming that it did send the presents but was ‘satisfied’ that it had not broken any sanctions.
“The whiskey set consisted of a bottle of Jameson, a decanter and two glasses … I can confirm that we didn’t buy anything else for Dennis to give to Kim.” A Paddy Power spokesperson was quoted as saying in the Telegraph this weekend.
Dennis Halpin, a former US consul to Busan, chirped in to say he believes the gifts were in excess of £6,000 and included European crystal, Italian Suits and a Mulberry handbag; Paddy Power have denied these claims.
It seems karma is biting Rodman on his ass, as he has also angered his fellow countrymen after making comments with respect to imprisoned American Kenneth Bae, who was sentenced to 15 years’ labor in a North Korean prison back in Nov 2012.
Speaking to CNN, from North Korea, Rodman said, “If you understand what Kenneth Bae did. Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country? I’d love to speak about this.”
Stick to the basketball Dennis.
After a quiet word in the shell a publicist working for Rodman distributed an apologetic e-mail to the Associated press
“I want to apologize first to Kenneth Bae’s family. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy were quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset.”
The quick turnaround came after Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, slammed Rodman’s comments and suggested that he may have harmed Bae’s chances of freedom.
“He is playing games with my brother’s life. He is clearly uninformed about Kenneth’s case, and he is certainly not in any position to pass judgment.” Chung told the Telegraph.
We all know that the North Korean leader needs to take a chill pill, and the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, believes he has the answer: The Teletubbies.
Hague has revealed that BBC Worldwide is negotiating with the North Korean television companies to provide them with programs such as Doctor Who, Eastenders, The Good Life and Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, in a bid to expose the North Koreans to the life that we lead in the West.
“I have always believed that what brought down the Berlin Wall was not highbrow diplomacy but Dallas and Dynasty.” A senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office source told The Sunday Times.
Now we are expecting psychedelic alien toys to prevent a nuclear war.
“You couldn’t send Dad’s Army as it is about war.” Said the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Sir Richard Ottaway.
I guess Tenko, Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Railwayman are also out of the question.
The wheels on the Paddy Power/Dennis Rodman/North Korea bus keep on turning with news coming out of the weekend press suggesting that the Irish Bookmaker, and the former NBA Basketball star, may be in hot water over birthday gifts that were handed to the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
paddy-power-could-have-broken-un-sanction
In October 2006, the North Koreans angered the European Union by moving ahead with its planned nuclear testing. The result was the imposition of UN Security Resolution 1718, which banned a list of ‘luxury goods’ for export to North Korea. US Treasury Law also forbids the export of luxury goods into North Korea either directly, or indirectly, meaning even if Rodman had given the gifts on behalf of Paddy Power he could still be facing the Beak.
The noise surrounds a game of pass the parcel that saw Kim Jong-un receiving an Irish whiskey set for his 31st birthday during the high profile visit to the state back in mid-December.
Paddy Power have issued a statement to NK News, a website based in South Korea, confirming that it did send the presents but was ‘satisfied’ that it had not broken any sanctions.
“The whiskey set consisted of a bottle of Jameson, a decanter and two glasses … I can confirm that we didn’t buy anything else for Dennis to give to Kim.” A Paddy Power spokesperson was quoted as saying in the Telegraph this weekend.
Dennis Halpin, a former US consul to Busan, chirped in to say he believes the gifts were in excess of £6,000 and included European crystal, Italian Suits and a Mulberry handbag; Paddy Power have denied these claims.
It seems karma is biting Rodman on his ass, as he has also angered his fellow countrymen after making comments with respect to imprisoned American Kenneth Bae, who was sentenced to 15 years’ labor in a North Korean prison back in Nov 2012.
Speaking to CNN, from North Korea, Rodman said, “If you understand what Kenneth Bae did. Do you understand what he did in this country? Why is he held captive in this country? I’d love to speak about this.”
Stick to the basketball Dennis.
After a quiet word in the shell a publicist working for Rodman distributed an apologetic e-mail to the Associated press
“I want to apologize first to Kenneth Bae’s family. At this point I should know better than to make political statements. I’m truly sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy were quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset.”
The quick turnaround came after Bae’s sister, Terri Chung, slammed Rodman’s comments and suggested that he may have harmed Bae’s chances of freedom.
“He is playing games with my brother’s life. He is clearly uninformed about Kenneth’s case, and he is certainly not in any position to pass judgment.” Chung told the Telegraph.
We all know that the North Korean leader needs to take a chill pill, and the UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, believes he has the answer: The Teletubbies.
Hague has revealed that BBC Worldwide is negotiating with the North Korean television companies to provide them with programs such as Doctor Who, Eastenders, The Good Life and Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, in a bid to expose the North Koreans to the life that we lead in the West.
“I have always believed that what brought down the Berlin Wall was not highbrow diplomacy but Dallas and Dynasty.” A senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office source told The Sunday Times.
Now we are expecting psychedelic alien toys to prevent a nuclear war.
“You couldn’t send Dad’s Army as it is about war.” Said the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Sir Richard Ottaway.
I guess Tenko, Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Railwayman are also out of the question.
December 16, 2013
PayPal Admits To Sharing Customer Info With Company Tied To UB Poker Scandal
According to PayPal's Privacy Policy, the popular payment company contracts Iovation to "retrieve risk information regarding the IP and device from which you are accessing PayPal [and] research and testing as to appropriateness of new products and services."
Iovation, for those of you unaware, has a CEO who founded Ultimate Poker, the now shuttered online poker site scarred by an internal cheating scandal that ultimately wound up being profiled on a segment of the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes".
Whether the folks behind PayPal were aware of Iovation’s skeletons, few seem to really know. PayPal bigwigs might not follow industry poker news but they certainly keep tabs on their own community forum, which now features a posted message regarding the controversy.
USPoker.com was among the first websites to note the cozy relationship between PayPal and Iovation.
And it is not the first time Iovation has developed business partnership arrangements with otherwise reputable companies.
Last March, the Station Casinos backed online poker site Ultimate Poker (not to be confused with UltimateBet) severed ties with Iovation once these past revelations came to light.
“We understand that there were concerns among some of our customers, we hope this makes our players feel more comfortable,” a short statement from Ultimate Poker read at the time.
Iovation is subcontracted through CAMS, itself a subsidiary of Verifi.
From US Poker:
Travis Makar, a former business associate of Russ Hamilton, released tapes that implicate Hamilton and Greg Pierson, among others, in a cover-up of the UltimateBet insider cheating scandal. Pierson is the CEO and co-founder of Iovation.
A documentary on the UltimateBet insider cheating titled UltimateBeat connects Iovation co-founders directly to the scandal. Scott Bell, director and creator of UltimateBeat, published a detailed outline of the tapes leaked by Makar here. These tapes were used in the UltimateBeat film.
Iovation, for those of you unaware, has a CEO who founded Ultimate Poker, the now shuttered online poker site scarred by an internal cheating scandal that ultimately wound up being profiled on a segment of the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes".
Whether the folks behind PayPal were aware of Iovation’s skeletons, few seem to really know. PayPal bigwigs might not follow industry poker news but they certainly keep tabs on their own community forum, which now features a posted message regarding the controversy.
USPoker.com was among the first websites to note the cozy relationship between PayPal and Iovation.
And it is not the first time Iovation has developed business partnership arrangements with otherwise reputable companies.
Last March, the Station Casinos backed online poker site Ultimate Poker (not to be confused with UltimateBet) severed ties with Iovation once these past revelations came to light.
“We understand that there were concerns among some of our customers, we hope this makes our players feel more comfortable,” a short statement from Ultimate Poker read at the time.
Iovation is subcontracted through CAMS, itself a subsidiary of Verifi.
From US Poker:
Travis Makar, a former business associate of Russ Hamilton, released tapes that implicate Hamilton and Greg Pierson, among others, in a cover-up of the UltimateBet insider cheating scandal. Pierson is the CEO and co-founder of Iovation.
A documentary on the UltimateBet insider cheating titled UltimateBeat connects Iovation co-founders directly to the scandal. Scott Bell, director and creator of UltimateBeat, published a detailed outline of the tapes leaked by Makar here. These tapes were used in the UltimateBeat film.
Men Prefer Gambling Over Sex Recent Study Reveals
A “neuroeconomics” study has revealed that both taking risks with money and sexual arousal affect same parts of the brain. Men who were sexually aroused or shown sexy pictures gambled / played more daringly than those shown scary pictures of animals like snakes, scorpion etc or even neutral pictures.
The research proved that both sex and money trigger the same part of brain that plays the main role in the experience of pleasure. Not only for gambling, the same results could be seen in actions where money was at stake like stock market trading etc.
The case study was done over people of various age groups and both the gender. Pretty Interesting results were seen in the case study. Firstly the results were same irrespective of the gender. Both men and women gambled more daringly after seeing some sexy pictures.
Another interesting observation was that the urge of having sex increases with the winning of the gambles especially in women. Many people agreed that they had the best sex of their life while making out in casinos only.
And the degree of influence of sexy pictures on people of various age groups was also studied. It was brought to attention that youth is affected the most by it and the influence decreases as the age group of people increased. People were divided in groups of 10 like: 30 years – 40 years, 40 years – 50 years, 50 years – 60 years and so on. People in the first age group were the ones who were influenced in the experiment the most and those of the last age group were the one who were affected the least by the experiment. The first batch played more daringly however the last batch played almost the same way they always did.
Another case study conducted in Netherlands brought another interesting point to attention. The study proved that men who gamble on regular basis prefer gambling over women. In simple terms it can be summed up as brain of people who gamble regularly is hardwired to prefer easy money over easy women. The study involved 18 pathological gamblers and 20 healthy individuals into an MRI and their brain activity was monitored while performing one of the two tasks.
The participants were asked to press a button as fast as they could and in reward they could either win cash or view pictures of hot women. It was observed that the gamblers responded 4% faster when money was the reward compared to when the pictures of hot women was the reward.
The two case studies clearly highlight the relationship between sex and gambling. Also we understand the difference in the way in which the brain of a professional gambler and a person gambling not so often react differently when allowed to choose between easy money and easy women.
The research proved that both sex and money trigger the same part of brain that plays the main role in the experience of pleasure. Not only for gambling, the same results could be seen in actions where money was at stake like stock market trading etc.
The case study was done over people of various age groups and both the gender. Pretty Interesting results were seen in the case study. Firstly the results were same irrespective of the gender. Both men and women gambled more daringly after seeing some sexy pictures.
Another interesting observation was that the urge of having sex increases with the winning of the gambles especially in women. Many people agreed that they had the best sex of their life while making out in casinos only.
And the degree of influence of sexy pictures on people of various age groups was also studied. It was brought to attention that youth is affected the most by it and the influence decreases as the age group of people increased. People were divided in groups of 10 like: 30 years – 40 years, 40 years – 50 years, 50 years – 60 years and so on. People in the first age group were the ones who were influenced in the experiment the most and those of the last age group were the one who were affected the least by the experiment. The first batch played more daringly however the last batch played almost the same way they always did.
Another case study conducted in Netherlands brought another interesting point to attention. The study proved that men who gamble on regular basis prefer gambling over women. In simple terms it can be summed up as brain of people who gamble regularly is hardwired to prefer easy money over easy women. The study involved 18 pathological gamblers and 20 healthy individuals into an MRI and their brain activity was monitored while performing one of the two tasks.
The participants were asked to press a button as fast as they could and in reward they could either win cash or view pictures of hot women. It was observed that the gamblers responded 4% faster when money was the reward compared to when the pictures of hot women was the reward.
The two case studies clearly highlight the relationship between sex and gambling. Also we understand the difference in the way in which the brain of a professional gambler and a person gambling not so often react differently when allowed to choose between easy money and easy women.
December 13, 2013
Skrill exits Canadian gaming market
Ewallet service provider Skrill will be leaving the Canadian online gaming market.
The news came suddenly to both gaming firms and players on Skrill’s departure from the Canadian market. Skrill sent out notifications to gaming firms and players stating they have 4 weeks to cash out their balances, and will cease their services as of January 2nd 2014.
Canadian players have experienced a similar story in the past, when Neteller exited the market back in 2007. Currently, Canadian players have some options left for placing wages online with the likes of MasterCard, Visa, InstaDebit, Ukash, PaySafeCard, EntroPay and electronic checks.
Skrill is the (un)official ewallet for online gambling in New Jersey, and plans on expanding their presence in North America as more states decide to follow suit and legalize online gaming. The sudden, short announced decision does leave many wondering. There are rumors of provincial lottery sites posing a stand against offshore firms who do not pay Canadian taxes, and they are taking action against them.
There is no word from Skrill as of yet on why they have decided to leave the Canadian market.
The news came suddenly to both gaming firms and players on Skrill’s departure from the Canadian market. Skrill sent out notifications to gaming firms and players stating they have 4 weeks to cash out their balances, and will cease their services as of January 2nd 2014.
Canadian players have experienced a similar story in the past, when Neteller exited the market back in 2007. Currently, Canadian players have some options left for placing wages online with the likes of MasterCard, Visa, InstaDebit, Ukash, PaySafeCard, EntroPay and electronic checks.
Skrill is the (un)official ewallet for online gambling in New Jersey, and plans on expanding their presence in North America as more states decide to follow suit and legalize online gaming. The sudden, short announced decision does leave many wondering. There are rumors of provincial lottery sites posing a stand against offshore firms who do not pay Canadian taxes, and they are taking action against them.
There is no word from Skrill as of yet on why they have decided to leave the Canadian market.
December 12, 2013
Romania to change gambling tax laws
The Romanian state is planning to double the tax casino operators currently pay along with adding an extra 200 Euros to each slot machine used in the country per year.
The current law tries to figure out how much each gambler loses and then taxes the operator on the loses, but slot machines operators agree it is impossible for companies and the tax administration to highlight how much a gambler actually wins or loses, and tax it, so they welcome the change, even if it represents a tax increase.
The new tax regime will cover a whole host of gambling including slot machines, video lottery, online gambling, casino and poker clubs. Last year the government revenue from gambling tax was EUR 7.5 million.
With over 65,000 slot machines in the country estimates have that they earn over 1 billion Euros for operators each year. With casino operators the new tax will be on net earning set at 2% tax, which will be the same for online gambling operators.
Also for online gambling operators more changes will come as the state wants to block access to online sports bets and gambling sites which are not owned by the state or not licensed to do business in Romania.
A black list of sites unauthorized in Romania will be compiled, and will be monitored by the National Office for Gambling.
The current law tries to figure out how much each gambler loses and then taxes the operator on the loses, but slot machines operators agree it is impossible for companies and the tax administration to highlight how much a gambler actually wins or loses, and tax it, so they welcome the change, even if it represents a tax increase.
The new tax regime will cover a whole host of gambling including slot machines, video lottery, online gambling, casino and poker clubs. Last year the government revenue from gambling tax was EUR 7.5 million.
With over 65,000 slot machines in the country estimates have that they earn over 1 billion Euros for operators each year. With casino operators the new tax will be on net earning set at 2% tax, which will be the same for online gambling operators.
Also for online gambling operators more changes will come as the state wants to block access to online sports bets and gambling sites which are not owned by the state or not licensed to do business in Romania.
A black list of sites unauthorized in Romania will be compiled, and will be monitored by the National Office for Gambling.
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