siri, alexa, google home or many more are some of the well known virtual assistants or chatbots you can talk to via voice and give them commands

today i asked siri what was the price of bitcoin and it answered correctly. aren’t they just older versions of AI? though when i asked siri whether or not bitcoin will rise, it didn’t say anything definitive.

when you are sending some bitcoin or making transactions, will you trust siri or any other virtual assistant to do it for you? how safe are we with them listening?

i had this thought trying to scroll here on the forum looking for discussions about bitcoin and i want to ask whether we think bitcoin has become too simplistic? i do not mean simplistic in a way that the very core of bitcoin has changed but rather how it’s perceived by people

since there’s more and more people getting into bitcoin, we should expect that bitcoin will be explained and understood in easier ways and its technically advanced or more complex parts would not be explored by most people anymore

all they would know is how to buy, sell and hold and that’s it

but in your opinion, if majority of the people knew bitcoin and its basics but not the more technical part of it would you consider this as a success? is simplicity
the point of adoption?

A new lawsuit accuses Drake, who partners with the online casino Stake, of glamorizing online gambling while misleading fans and using house money to place his bets.

we all have the responsibility to do our own research before we succumb into any type of promotions just because drake promoted a casino doesn't mean you should use it but if drake really uses house money to bet, do you think this misleads people because he makes everyone think that he is actually placing huge bets or do you think this is just a normal advertisement procedure?

sports is like fuel to gambling

sports provide the content for gamblers and with gamblers’ interest, sports get more money because they are being paid to provide said content it’s a whole cycle and we can’t really separate sports with gambling

some may even say that anyone who enjoys sports will enjoy gambling and anyone who enjoys gambling will enjoy sports

it’s impossible for the sport industry to be void of the gambling industry and vice versa so governments trying to control this would only find their efforts to be unsuccessful

philippines' department of finance is pushing for graphic warnings against online gambling

the department of finance has conducted research they have weighed the benefits of online gambling against the disadvantages of online gambling and they have concluded that this industry only contributes minimal part to the economy which is why they are pushing for strict regulation or a complete ban of online gambling. obviously gamblers would want to at least be able to gamble even if it is heavily regulated. are graphic warnings across the country too much? has online gambling gotten so worse that it warrants this much reaction?

read news here

[The UK has roughly 5,900 licensed betting shops, employing 46,000 people.]

when lawmakers discuss about anything with regards to gambling or casinos, they usually focus on its effects on gamblers so they always reason that it is always valid to ban gambling or discourage it because it will make gambling less prevalent in their countries but what the lawmakers do not take into consideration is that behind these casinos are also normal citizens who are trying to make money by building businesses or working

this is what can happen in the UK: The chancellor is considering increasing duties on sports betting from 15 to 30%, and on machine and online slots from 20 to 50%.

But Betfred chief executive Joanne Whittaker told The Sunday Times it would “lose the whole retail business” as a result.

The UK has roughly 5,900 licensed betting shops, employing 46,000 people.

why is it that the authorities often do not consider or acknowledge gambling as a real or legitimate profitable industry that drives the economy and helps thousands of people in their livelihood?

land-based gambling was once banned in ecuador 14 years ago but is now set to return to the country. the government of ecuador seems to want to change its mind after decade long censorship of gambling as they propose to allow casinos within five star resorts. the catch? they are planning to tax casinos 25% of its sales which i think is high but they say the money from this industry will be used to combat child malnutrition.

casinos are a cash grab and governments will realize this sooner or later. it’s a lucrative industry after all. i just wonder if the 25% tax rate will deter casino owners or are they too excited to operate in ecuador to care?

see news here.

hbo max has bookie, disney+ has big bet and now netflix is set to complete the gambling shows we have on big platforms with ballad of a small player

“Ballad of a Small Player” is an adaptation of Lawrence Osborne’s 2014 novel of the same name and is set to debut with a limited theatrical run beginning October 15, 2025, ahead of its worldwide release on Netflix on October 29. The movie follows the life of Lord Doyle, played by Farrell, as he grapples with addiction and debt as he tries to keep his head above water in Macau’s casino world.

with these shows available in big platforms, many people are able to watch shows about gambling and casinos. have you watched any of the shows mentioned and do you think there is accuracy in what is portrayed? we know that hollywood can exaggerate a few things to appear entertaining so what do you think are things that hollywood always gets wrong when it comes to gambling or gamblers?

will you still feel pretty lucky if shortly after winning the lottery you end up getting assaulted? this is not a rare case because we know how greedy and evil people can be that it becomes dangerous when we are carrying large amounts of money or just acquired one

this is what happened to a man named Joel Vargas-Guitierrez after winning $2,600 in a slot machine. after winning the casino told him to wait as they process his winnings but a group of people were able to see the machine displaying his jackpot win and claimed it to be theirs and this entire argument ended with the jackpot winner being physically assaulted.

vargas-gutierrez filed a lawsuit against the casino. do you think the casino is also responsible for what has happened or should the assaulters only be the ones responsible?

read the whole story here.

A court in Tokyo sentenced a former employee at one of Japan's biggest banks to nine years in jail for repeatedly stealing gold bars and cash totaling nearly $2.6 million, slamming her crimes as "heinous."

Yukari Yamazaki, who worked for Mitsubishi UFJ and had a gambling addiction, began stealing after falling into debt due to currency trading and horse betting, according to a court ruling seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday.

came across this story and it made me realize how stealing to gamble is not only exclusive to petty crimes because it can be as big as stealing as a total of $2.6 million just to gamble. i think it is revealing how addicted this woman is to gambling because it seems like she had a good job, working at big bank and having access to gold bars and cash of the bank. may this be a reminder that addiction can hit anyone and we should all try our best to stay responsible. once you start losing, do not try to win back your money through the same strategies i.e gambling.

[escape, esteem, excess and excitement.]

i found a research which identified four psychological traits contributing to risk for problem gambling. these are the four Es: escape, esteem, excess and excitement.

escape: when people try to find an escape from stress and all their other problems through gambling, more problem arises and addiction happens
esteem: when people try to find their value through materialistic things and wins in gambling, addiction happens
excess: when people gamble excessively, that is when addiction happens
and excitement: people get excitement from gambling and they no longer know how to stop and that's when addiction happens

this is my understanding of the four Es. do you agree or no?

which has better odds: physical casinos or online casinos?

the answer is online casinos. the reason for this is they have a lower cost for starting and operating the casino if it is online so there is not much needed to break even or get profit but physical casinos has a lot of costs just from the building, working employees, electricity or other maintenance needed.

maybe this is the reason why that online casinos are being seen as the better of the two but physical casinos now are just for the experience. if you are hoping to win big, stop going to physical casinos and instead open up your phone or your laptop and gamble there

is there a connection between gambling and divorce rate?

Research from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission and the Gambling Impact and Behavior Study indicates that divorce rates for those dealing with gambling issues are estimated to be around 40% for problem gamblers and approximately 54% for pathological gamblers.

i think the moment we hide our gambling habits from our partners that is the moment we will get in trouble because that is when trust crumbles and when you get in trouble in gambling and have to tell your partner you will be surprising them

not to mention some people also spend money from money that both the partners contributed in

so aside from gambling responsibly, will you agree that we should disclose our gambling habits or is it not the business of our spouses? does gambling really have the capacity to break up a marriage or a family?

i wonder if there are anyone here who have been betting on lottery multiple times then finally won at some point

is it really possible to win lottery through repeated bets? or most of them have won on their first try and it was beginner's luck? and i wonder if the amount of money won is enough to cover all the money you made a bet with if you kept betting multiple times before winning a bet

what happens after a calamity? a calamity is a event that causes extreme destruction to a community an example is a typhoon which my country just recently experienced and i observed that after the typhoon has passed there seems to be higher cases of people breaking into other people's houses and it made me wonder whether it is because after a calamity people have lost a lot of their properties or money which is why they especially need it this time and this pushes them to do illegal things

do you think that there is an association between a calamity and higher cases of crime in a country?

with the rise of gambling these days, more and more celebrities and influencers are found to be promoting gambling platforms sometimes on television or sometimes on their social media platforms

well this one streamer is not an exception... See news

The KSA’s investigation began after reports surfaced of LeftlanePapi, whose real name is Djade Sadloe, livestreaming and promoting gambling activities on platforms not licensed in the Netherlands, such as Skyhills.com.

The influencer’s YouTube channel, with over 53,000 subscribers, featured videos that not only showcased live gambling but also included direct links and invitations for viewers to participate, as well as access to a Dutch-language Discord channel for additional support.

As a result of non-compliance, the KSA imposed a penalty order requiring the immediate cessation of all illegal promotional activities.

The order stipulates a fine of €25,000 (£21,519) per violation, up to a maximum of €75,000 (£64,559.62). If the influencer fails to comply, the regulator will also approach the social media platform directly to ensure the removal of harmful content.

this should be an example for influencers and celebrities to always check the kinds of things they are paid to endorse if they do not want to get in trouble

if you are an influencer, would you promote gambling on your page?

scatter game, a type of online casino game, has been making its rounds in the philippines it has become extremely popular and almost everyone of all genders and ages are playing this game

in one instance, two men ended up arguing about the winnings of this scatter game the exact details of the argument is unknown but the story ends in a tragedy as one man ends up killing the other

the killer was a 18 year old and the one who got shot was 45 years old. i do not want to blame scatter for what happened specifically but i think the fact that a 18 year old was gambling and owned a firearm is the mistake here. teenagers are incredibly sensitive and when frustrated tend to be impulsive

in the philippines, 18 is the legal age but i still do not think they are mature enough to gamble

do you think this instance is caused by the age of the suspect? should 18 year olds be gambling?

source

recently i went into a billiards place and noticed that the kids of the owners were there playing in a table as well this got me thinking whether this is an appropriate environment for these kids to be at

i am talking 5-7 years olds both boys already holding billiards cue there’s this association between gambling and billiards because usually the players bet and whoever wins the game wins the bet as well so the kids might be hearing these conversations about betting

what do you think? is it normal for kids to be at billiards places now or should they not be allowed there?

[1. you take a risk but it ends in a loss or;2. you play safe but after time you see that you could have made profit if you took that leap]

humans make mistakes and it is almost impossible to completely eliminate them from life but for you what would be more painful

1. you take a risk but it ends in a loss or;
2. you play safe but after time you see that you could have made profit if you took that leap

the first one could be more painful because you lose some money after believing that you could have find success in engaging in a specific project but the second one could also be more painful because you will be plagued with what if's but at least you would not have lost some money you just simply did not gain anything

what decision would be harder to live with?

i am a sports fan before i am a gambler i watch sports and i bet on my predictions to amplify the entertainment and enjoyment i get from that sports i could not bet while watching a sport but it is always much more fun to look forward to the results knowing especially that you might win in the end so if your favorite team wins you are happy as a fan but you can be happier if you also win some money from betting on them

this leads me to thinking whether do people bet on sports they do not enjoy or are not a fan of? maybe there are people out there who are just really in for the money and they would bet on sports that are popular and they have a bigger chance on winning at even if they do not particularly enjoy them

personally i can't imagine having to sit and watch and analyze countless of matches of a sport i do not enjoy watching just to bet on them

what about you?