Going again

Attempts to push through iGaming legalization in New York have proven unsuccessful over the past few years. Undeterred, Senator Joseph Addabbo, who chairs the New York State Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering, has reintroduced Senate Bill 856 (SB 856) in the latest attempt to push through legislation.

It is the same bill as last year and would allow for the launch of online casinos while also permitting the purchase of lottery tickets online.

would allow sportsbook operators to seek an iGaming license

SB 856 would allow sportsbook operators to seek an iGaming license, as well as tribal and commercial casinos. It proposes a 30.5% tax rate on operators, which compares favorably to the 51% rate that is in place for online sportsbooks in New York. Licensees would also have to pay a one-time license fee of $2m.

Big money

Any revenue that iGaming generates would go towards the state’s Lottery Fund, which mainly finances public education programs in the region. New York’s finances have been under pressure recently, with the 2024 budget deficit hitting $4.3bn and some analysts predicting that it could almost double to $8bn in 2025.

Senator Addabbo believes that iGaming could make a dent in the deficit, especially as hundreds of millions of dollars are currently leaving the state through offshore platforms. He estimates that the legal sector could generate as much as $1bn for the state each year and wouldn’t negatively impact lottery retailers or land-based casinos.

A small club

Only six US states have legal iGaming platforms up and running so far, with Rhode Island set to become the seventh in April. Lawmakers in various jurisdictions across the country are set to seriously consider the matter this year. Online casinos have much healthier profit margins than sportsbooks, which would in turn lead to more tax revenue.

potential for problem gambling rates to skyrocket

One reason why the adoption of online casinos has been much slower than sports betting is down to the perceived social costs of allowing people to play slots and table games remotely. Some lawmakers cite the potential for problem gambling rates to skyrocket and a negative knock-on impact for land-based casinos as reasons to oppose expansion.

The post New York Bill Seeks to Legalize Online Casinos in the State appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

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2023 NFL betting surprises

With the NFL playoffs ready to begin this weekend, we thought we’d take a look back at the biggest betting surprises from the 2023 regular season.

Last year’s Super Bowl competitors, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, turned out to be resoundingly underwhelming in 2023, while a decrease in scoring around the league led to wacky results all season.

Here are five of the biggest betting surprises from the 2023 NFL regular season.

#5: Texans triumph as Jaguars collapse

The Houston Texans finished 2022 at 3-13-1, the second-worst record in the entire league. They drafted QB C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick and teamed him up with first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans and several other first-timers on the roster and staff.

Houston went 10-7 and finished with their best record since 2019

Rather than use the excuse of youthful ignorance, Houston went 10-7 and finished with their best record since 2019. Their Week 18 win ensured that they would make the playoffs, but did not guarantee an AFC South title since the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were 9-7 at the time, still needed to play the next day. 

Jacksonville had been as low as -1000 (90.9% implied probability) to win the division after beating the Texans in Week 12, but an untimely injury to QB Trevor Lawrence and an overall decline in play plagued them as they lost five of their last six games. Their Week 18 loss to the 6-11 Tennessee Titans meant that they lost not only the division, but missed the playoffs entirely.

#4: Buffalo’s blistering turnaround

The Buffalo Bills had won the AFC East three years straight and were +120 favorites to do so again at the start of the season. However, after falling to 6-6, they found themselves at +950 to claim the title, well behind the Miami Dolphins at -1550, and were +460 to even reach the playoffs.

Buoyed by a change at offensive coordinator and adjustment to their on-field identity, the Bills won five consecutive games and beat the Dolphins 21-14 in the final game of the year to lock up the AFC East title and the second seed in the AFC.

Oddsmakers have positioned the Bills as the third most likely team to win the Super Bowl following their dramatic late-season turnaround. They haven’t made it that far since they lost four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s, but the AFC is wide open and this is as good of a chance as they’ve had in recent years.

#3: Joe Flacco saves the day

Joe Flacco made one of the best playoff runs ever and topped it off with a Super Bowl ring in 2012. Yet early this year, he was sitting on his couch, watching the games like any ordinary fan.

 last-ditch effort to save their season

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns were really struggling at the quarterback spot. Deshaun Watson and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson both struggled and got injured, while PJ Walker played like the worst QB in the league. The Browns’ desperation led them to call Flacco to come in as a last-ditch effort to save their season. 

The Browns unsurprisingly lost his debut and fell to +7000 odds at major sportsbooks, but Flacco then led them to four straight wins and helped guide them to the fifth seed in the playoffs. They are now +3100 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. While the Browns are still four wins away from a Super Bowl title, the wily veteran already made the magic happen once and might have another run in him.

#2: Prime time prints money

NFL betting is both an art and a science, and nearly impossible to master. That’s why the trick of blindly betting the under in prime time games came as such a surprise during the 2023 NFL regular season.

Prime time unders over the last five years are 149-99-1 (60.1%) and hit at just about a 70% clip in 2023. Using 52.4% as the breakeven mark for lines with -110 odds, the prime time under was well in the green all year.

Possible explanations for this trend include the added pressure of the national stage, varying rest times, and a leaguewide decline in offensive production, but regardless, this proved to be one of the best betting strategies in the NFL.

#1: $5 to $489k touchdown parlay

Winning parlays is really hard. That’s why sportsbooks advertise them so heavily, since the profit margins are much wider and they know people will be willing to take the extra risk because of the excitement.

One DraftKings bettor must have missed that memo, as against all odds, he cashed a 14-leg parlay that turned $5 into $489,383.01. All 14 legs were anytime touchdown scorers, culminating with Christian McCaffrey on Christmas Day.

The bettor recorded himself watching the final game, jubilantly celebrating with his family when McCaffrey crossed the goal line. Safe to say, he had a pretty great Christmas thanks to NFL betting. 

The post Five 2023 NFL Betting Surprises and Unforgettable Moments appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

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Over the years, there have been many excellent NBA point guards. But even in such a talented league, there are only a few players that can be considered the best point guards of all time.

These athletes not only played well, but changed how the point guard position – and NBA basketball – is played forever.

1. Magic Johnson

At the top of our list is the most iconic point guard of all-time, Magic Johnson. Johnson is 6 ft 9 which made him the tallest point guard in NBA history when he entered the league in 1979. 

Johnson didn’t just rely on his height to dominate the league. Instead, he controlled games with excellent dribbling, shooting, and above all else, passing. 

His incredible ability to find an open teammate is demonstrated by his career assist total of 10,141. But even this impressive number fails to capture the beauty of his trademark no-look pass.

During his 13 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Johnson won five NBA Championships, was named the league MVP three times and the Finals MVP three times. 

The first of his NBA rings and Finals MVP awards came in Johnson’s rookie year. He was only 20 years old; a fitting start to what would be a magical career, and see him become the third wealthiest NBA player.

2. Steph Curry

Steph Curry is the best point guard in the NBA who is currently playing. 

To put it simply, Curry is the best 3-point shooter the NBA has ever seen, and he has the stats to prove it. He once scored 402 3-pointers in a single season. That’s an average of 4.9 over 82 games.

Curry is also the all-time NBA leader when it comes to 3-pointers made. He has made 3,390 3-pointers in the 882 NBA games he’s played. Ray Allen, who comes in second of all-time, racked up 2,973 in 1,300 games.

Curry’s exceptional 3-point shooting has led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA Championships. He has also been named the league’s MVP twice, and the Finals MVP once. 

From high school to college, NBA and elsewhere, it hasn’t taken long for players all over the country to adopt Curry’s style of play. 

As NBA coach Doc Rivers said: “What he’s doing is revolutionary. Only the greats can do that, leave their mark like that. Actually, the great-greats. They change the game.”

3. Oscar Robertson

Oscar Robertson was a groundbreaking NBA player that dominated the league during the league’s star-studded ‘60s era. 

Unlike other point guards before him, Robertson was not happy with just facilitating others’ scoring.

Instead, he used his 6ft 5, 210-pound frame to create scoring opportunities of his own. As a result, Robertson redefined what the point guard position could be, and cemented his position as one of the best point guards of all time. This would provide inspiration to the next generation of players, including Magic Johnson.

Statistically, Robertson’s best season came in 1961-62, his second year in the league. 

During this season, Robertson averaged 30.8 points per game, 11.4 assists per game and 12.5 rebounds per game, making him the first player to ever average a triple-double on the season.

The next person to average a triple-double on the season was Russell Westbrook over 50 years later.

Unlike Westbrook, however, Robertson is an NBA champion. He lifted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks, the pinnacle of an incredible career.

4. Chris Paul

You don’t get a nickname like the Point God without dominating the NBA for years. That’s exactly what Chris Paul has done since entering the league in 2005. 

Like John Stockton, Paul has brilliant vision unique to the best point guards. This has allowed him to make 11,501 assists.

His defense on the perimeter is aggressive, proactive and disruptive. Thanks to this, he has 2,544 steals in his career so far. 

Scoring wise, Paul is no slouch either. He uses his exceptional handles to create space, meaning he can score from anywhere on the court. This includes sinking buckets from the notoriously difficult mid-range. 

While his skills are exemplary, Paul’s greatest asset is his ability to improve the play of those around him. This has seen him compete for the NBA Championship with multiple franchises. Although the Larry O’Brien Trophy has always slipped through his fingers, he was certainly one of the best point guards in the NBA.

5. John Stockton

If you had to design the ideal point guard, you’d probably end up with someone like John Stockton. 

To begin with, Stockton saw the game better than anybody else. Over his 19 seasons in the NBA, he used his vision to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. In a single season he once totaled 1,164 assists. 

His career assist total of 15,806 is the highest ever.

Stockton’s own shooting was effective and reliable. He had a career shooting percentage of 51.5% and he was known for scoring under pressure, like when he drained a three to send the Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals (above).

On the defensive end, Stockton was a menace: he has the most steals of any NBA player with 3,265. 

Although he never won an NBA Championship, Stockton is rightly seen as one of the best NBA point guards the world has ever seen. 

6. Isiah Thomas 

Although he is only around 6ft tall, Isiah Thomas was the point guard of the most feared team in NBA history, the Detroit Piston Bad Boys. Thomas didn’t let his lack of size impact his game and was never one to shy away from conflict. 

It was this attitude that allowed him to transform the Detroit Pistons from one of the NBA’s worst teams into two-time NBA Champions. 

Thomas’ greatest moment came in Game 6 of the 1987-88 NBA Finals when he severely sprained his ankle in the third quarter. Playing on one leg, he went on to score 25 points in that quarter – an NBA record that rightfully helps position him as one of the best point guards of all time. 

Although the Pistons came up short in that series, they went on to win back-to-back Championships in 1989 and 1990. Thomas led the team on both occasions and was named Finals MVP in 1990. 

Despite only playing 13 seasons, Thomas became the Piston’s all-time leader in points, assists, steals and games played.

7. Steve Nash

Canadian-born Steve Nash was an eight-time NBA All-Star and the league’s MVP twice. While known for his passing and shooting, Nash’s most lasting impact on the NBA was how he revolutionized the game of basketball itself.

While playing for the Phoenix Suns, Nash became the key part of the 7 second or less offense, an offensive scheme that drastically sped up the league. 

This transformed the game from the slow, systematic format popular in the 1990s, into a rip-roaring fast-paced game that prioritized the 3-point shot.

Nash’s skills were essential to this offense as he had to react to a team’s coverage, improvise, and set up a shot for his team in under seven seconds. 

Nash is also known as one of the most efficient shooters of all-time. His career average free throw percentage of 90.4% is the highest ever. He also registered four 50-40-90 seasons. 

This is when a player has a 50% field goal percentage, 40% 3-point percentage and 90% free throw percentage on the season. This is a feat that has only been achieved on 10 occasions, and a stat that cements his title as one of the best point guards of all time.

8. Jason Kidd

Jason Kidd was known as the ultimate floor general. During his long career, he controlled the flow of the game masterfully, reading defenses in seconds before playing the appropriate offense. 

When playing for the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns early in his career, Kidd relied on his speed to get the job done, slinging beautiful passes while sprinting down the court. 

This athleticism and skill saw him rack up the second largest assists total of all-time with 12,091. He also achieved an impressive 107 triple-doubles.

As his athleticism began to fade, Kidd completely recreated his game, transforming his awkward jump shot into a smooth, reliable weapon. He was rewarded for his hard work in 2011 when he won his only NBA Championship at 38 years old. 

9. Walt Frazier

Walt Frazier is best known for the 10-year stint he spent playing for the New York Knicks from 1967-77. During this time, Frazier was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for seven consecutive years.

Frazier’s offense was just as strong as his defense. In only Frazier’s third season he led the Knicks to their first NBA championship scoring 36 points and making 19 assists in a crucial Game 7 victory. 

Frazier and the Knicks would win another NBA Championship in 1973. He is certainly one of the best Knicks point guards in history, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.

Even Frazier’s post-playing career has been legendary. 

For over 20 years he has sat alongside Mike Breen, calling Knicks games for MSG Networks. In 2022, Frazier was celebrated by the Hall of Fame again, when he was awarded the Curt Gowdy Award for outstanding broadcasting contributions to basketball. 

10. Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook has not had the greatest time recently, but his stint at the Los Angeles Lakers was just a blip in an excellent career. 

Westbrook burst onto the scene in 2008 after being selected fourth overall by the Seattle Supersonics. 

It only took until March of his rookie season for Westbrook to log his first NBA triple-double. A triple-double is when a player achieves a double-digit total in three of five statistical categories (assists, blocks, points, rebounds, and steals) over the course of a single game.

Soon, securing triple-doubles became Westbrook’s specialty. 

In the 2016-17 season, Westbrook set a new NBA record for the number of triple-doubles in a season. Westbrook’s 42 triple-doubles passed Oscar Robertson’s 1961-62 season record of 41.

Westbrook also averaged a triple-double on the season, becoming only the second player in NBA history to achieve the feat. 

Unsurprisingly, Westbrook won the MVP in 2017. He then went on to average a triple-double over the next three seasons. This makes him the only athlete to have averaged a triple-double for multiple seasons, and worthy of being considered one of the best point guards of all time.

Your Most Frequently Asked Questions

Lead image: Keith Allison/Wikimedia Commons

Pulling a fast one

A man in Scotland has scammed his lottery-winning partner by secretly selling the house that she bought following her windfall. Kevin Scott is looking at jail time after he kept the sale proceeds.

His former partner Fiona Young won £20,000 ($25,415) through a lottery scratch card and proceeded to buy a new house outright in Lanarkshire for £56,000 ($71,162), also adding Scott’s name to the deed. They eventually broke up and Young moved out of the property.

Scott kept the money for himself before Young eventually found out

The 46-year-old Scott then visited a legal firm with a woman that he pretended was his former partner. They expressed their wishes to sell the property with a £45,000 ($57,184) price tag. The deal went through and Scott kept the money for himself before Young eventually found out and reported it to the police.

Unraveling the fraud

The authorities found £40,000 ($50,830) of the sale proceeds in an account under the name of Scott’s mother and £5,000 ($6,354) with one of his friends. Scott has admitted to fraudulently obtaining £45,000 ($57,184) through the 2018 sale. Police were unable to identify the woman who posed as Young.

The new owner of the property ended up selling it just seven months later for £80,000 ($101,661).

Sentencing will take place in February and Scott remains on bail, despite Sherriff Ray Small warning: “All options including custody are still open to the court and you do have a record for crimes of dishonesty.” The sheriff is also considering issuing a non-harassment order that will ensure Scott stays away from his former partner.

A precarious position

Lottery winners often fall victim to scammers, with the people close to them sometimes the perpetrators.

Talking in September to Business Insider, the winner of a $37m jackpot in Canada described how his 2015 win damaged his close relationships, inlcuding that with his best friend who scammed him out of $3.4m.

If there are any cracks in any relationship, money will burst that open.”

Randy Rush is still happy he won, believing he was only able to properly deal with the life-changing money due to the stage in life he had reached. He did note that it showed him the “true colors” of the people around him though, adding: “If there are any cracks in any relationship, money will burst that open.”

The post Scottish Man Scams Lottery Winner Partner by Selling House She Bought With Jackpot appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

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Both online banking and e-wallets are popular payment methods across the world. The Philippines is no exception, as online gambling has never been more prevalent in the region. It is not a surprise that BPI and GCash are two of the leading payment platforms in the country.

Read along to learn the difference between BGI and GCash and discover what they have in common. We will also briefly go through the history of the platforms and then provide you with the process you will need to perform to transfer your money.

BPI And GCash – Similarities, Differences and Fees

When it comes to similarities, both BPI and GCash are based in the Philippines, and both allow you to deposit funds at the best online casinos for real money in the Philippines. They are very popular among casino players, as both are quick and dependable, and most operators accept them.

But there is a glaring difference between these two platforms that we need to mention. BPI, or Bank of the Philippine Islands, is, as the name suggests, a universal bank in the country. You will be able to deposit funds directly to it and withdraw at an ATM or pay for products online.

GCash, on the other hand, is an electronic wallet. You will be able to deposit funds there from a bank and then use it to make transactions conveniently and easily on hundreds of merchants online. You can also transfer money to another GCash user without a fee.

It is important to mention that there will be a BPI to GCash transfer fee, as you are essentially sending money from a bank to an e-wallet. BPI has GCash as a listed partner, making the process seamless. As of the time of writing this review, the fee is ₱25.

We will cover the fees, transfer process and any other details further on, but what you need to know from now is that even though BPI and GCash aren’t platforms of the same type, they still have integrations that allow you to deposit and play at your favorite Philippines casino sites.

BPI – The Universal Bank in the Philippines

BPI, or Bank of the Philippines Islands, is the fourth largest bank in the country, and the first to open in the region of the Philippines and Southeast Asia^[4].

The bank has a network of over 900 branches in the Philippines, Hong Kong and Europe, and more than 3,000 ATMs, allowing you to deposit and withdraw money with ease. The bank has several subsidiaries and partners, including BPI Capital Corp, BPI Computer Services, and others.

Here are some key details regarding this platform:

The data above shows that BPI has been around for a long time, making it one of the oldest banks in the world. The number of subsidiaries shows that the company has developed and spread beyond the Philippines, increasing its popularity.

GCash – Most Popular E-Wallet in the Philippines

Originating in 2004, GCash is a popular mobile payment platform based in the Philippines. We will cover the topic of how to transfer money from BPI to GCash further on in the blog, but let us first discuss some key features of this e-wallet.

GCash started out offering prepaid phone credits, but after being acquired by one of the largest telecommunication companies, it became a reliable mobile wallet. Throughout the years, GCash has gained over 40 million users.

The list below will present you with the main advantages of this platform:

Every platform will also have areas that need improvement. We found the customer service of GCash rather lacking, so we hope they improve their response times. Another factor that needs to be considered is the ₱25 charge for a cash-out of more than ₱1,000.

Despite the cons, GCash still is a reliable and highly versatile platform. It’s no wonder that there are so many online casinos in the Philippines using GCash, as players are quite satisfied with the provided security and speed of transactions.

The platform has an extensive network of partners, allowing for ease of use and accessibility. When it comes to the BPI to GCash^[2] transfer fee, we can say that it is fair, totaling up to just ₱25 Fees are inevitable when you’re transferring money to an e-wallet from a bank.

Important Details About the Transfer Process

What you will need to know to prepare yourself for the transfer is that the BPI to Cash fee will be ₱25, regardless of the amount you transfer. That’s why we recommend doing large transfers and not several smaller ones.

As GCash is an official partner of BPI, they already have an integrated process detailing exactly how to proceed with cashing into e-wallets^[1]. When it comes to local bank transfers, you will be able to proceed via BPI’s app.

The process is made simple and convenient for the end user, but the accounts need to be linked. If you don’t want to use an app, there is a way to accomplish the process via a browser. Read along to learn how to send money from BPI to GCash.

How to Send Money from BPI to GCash – Easy Steps

It is time for us to present you with the process regarding how to transfer money from BPI to GCash. We will walk you through its entirety and show you just how simple these companies have made it for their customers.

You will first need to have your BPI account linked to GCash. Follow the steps below to do this.

Once your account is linked, follow the steps below to send money from BPI to GCash:

After you have completed this process, the funds will appear in the GCash’s user account you transferred them to. BPI also allows users to do the abovementioned process on their desktop’s web browser, and the steps will be very similar to what we already described.

How to Send Funds from GCash to BPI

As GCash has been evolving throughout the years, they have now made it possible to transfer money from GCash to BPI. Similarly to the process we discussed above, you can do the opposite by linking your two accounts and using GCash as the primary platform.

It’s important to note that not every bank will be compatible with GCash transfers, as the two need to have an established partnership. Thankfully, BPI is on the list, so all you’ll need to do is open the GCash app and select BPI as the destination for the bank transfer.

After signing the terms and conditions and selecting the “Cash In” option within the GCash app, you will get confirmation for the transaction. It may take up to three business days for the funds to appear in your BPI bank account.

Deposits from BPI to GCash at PH Casinos

Both GCash and BPI are widely used by gamblers across the best online casinos in the Philippines and with good reason. Both platforms are robust, well made, and extremely easy to use by people in the country.

Most casinos in the Philippines will accept both payment methods, and understandably, players will take advantage of their simplicity. All the transactions occurring between the payment method and the casinos will be secure and encrypted, ensuring maximum safety.

You will be able to do a direct bank transfer if you try to deposit funds from BPI directly to a casino. If the casino does not accept them, however, feel free to use our guide, deposit funds to your GCash e-wallet, and then do the transfer that way.

Our Final Thoughts and Details

It is time to conclude our informative post and provide you with our final thoughts and remarks. We believe that BPI and GCash are two of the most reliable platforms in the Philippines, and we showed you why. They have been operating for years and have a proven reputation.

Casinos in the Philippines widely accept them, and if they only support GCash, you can easily do a BPI to GCash transfer. All you will need is the app and two linked accounts. The process is simple, convenient, and fast.

This will undoubtedly be a first choice for Filipinos looking for an easy way to manage their money. Both platforms are secure, and currently, we believe that managing and transferring funds has never been easier.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In the section below, you will find quick answers to the segments discussed in the blog. We covered a lot, and the most common inquiries are below – you can click on the links that will take you to the relevant section of the blog post.

By Frank Scoblete

Everyone has a grand and delicious sense of expectation thinking about going to the casinos – be that on vacation or for a day out.

Part of the joy of casino play is simply looking forward to the action.

Anticipation is a fabulous thing. It sometimes makes the world go round.

Ask any young kid who wants to be an adult – the anticipation of freedom from all control!

Now, most casino games do not involve the player doing anything. They watch and hope the next decision falls in their favour, making them some money.

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