Addiction Specialists Point Out Dangers of Crypto Trading

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Young males trading bitcoin have begun to seek therapy for symptoms linked with problem gambling, according to gambling addiction advocates. Four or five males, most of them young, have reported a lack of control over their crypto trading in the last two years.

Now, is it possible to become hooked on cryptocurrency trading? Well, the concept is divisive, but it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. That is especially in the lucrative addiction-treatment market which has been growing as gambling and related industries expand across the globe.

Crypto, of all things, has made its way to rehabilitation facilities. Services related to trading addiction now include a $90,000-per-week facility. If that seems to be too pricey there are also alternatives like the comparatively low-cost teletherapies.

A very small percentage of people who experiment with technologies like Bitcoin will ever run into issues. That might make taking addiction seriously a bit of a hassle. Moreover, the exact clinical terminology is also a still point of contention.

Special Scientific Attention

As niche as it may seem, addiction to crypto trading is getting quite a bit of attention from many activists and mental health specialists. A rising number of experts are looking into the world of cryptocurrencies. In their guidelines, they have marked them as a potential source of problems, like gambling but perhaps more devious in some ways.

Our brains have an insatiable need for money. The high from certain drugs and the joy of purchasing a lucrative piece of crypto are both governed by the same reward circuits. In fact, an extended variant of one cerebral receptor, dopamine receptor No. 4, has even been linked to a proclivity for financial risk-taking, according to studies.

To make it even worse, many established digital currencies have taken on the appearance of respectable investments, notwithstanding the lunacy that may exist in the realm of cryptocurrency. As such, many individuals can justify speculative wagers that are often nothing more than a gamble. Furthermore, crypto-trading takes place around the world, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is accessible to lots of people through computers and even mobile devices.

“Excessive crypto trading and high-risk stock trading could be forms of gambling and lead to gambling disorder.”
– Lia Nower, director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University –

It will be very interesting to see where all the studies and efforts to rationalize crypto lead. The sector is growing rapidly and any kind of checks and balances that make it safer for everyone will certainly be well-appreciated.

Formula 1 Enlists Crypto.com as Sprint Series Sponsor

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On Tuesday, June 29, Formula made a grand announcement that it has enlisted Crypto.com to be its inaugural partner for the new Sprint series for 2021. This is not the first partnership between crypto businesses and non-crypto entities. However, it is a very big deal especially considering all the things that it promises with regards to the growth of digital currencies in the mainstream.

Already Crypto.com has amassed a customer base consisting of over 10 million users across the globe. This makes it a valuable partner for Formula 1 and the two can certainly learn and gain a lot from each other.

Fostering Performance and Innovation

As per the terms of the five-year partnership agreement which is projected to be worth over $100 million, Crypto.com will now enjoy brand presence across all F1 events. As mentioned earlier, this will begin with the Sprint qualifying format where Crypto.com will have trackside slots. The first of these will be the British Grand Prix that will go down at Silverstone on July 17.

Speaking on the new development, Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali said that the partnership deal was part of the wider plans to “attract progressive global brands anchored in performance and innovation.” Fans can therefore not only look forward to an exciting new format but also new products. Crypto.com’s commitment to becoming carbon negative also aligns quite well with Formula 1’s sustainability goals which makes the partnership even more promising.

Bringing Cryptos and NFTs to Formula 1

It would be hard to talk about this partnership without mentioning what it means for the crypto industry. Formula 1 is already one of the most prestigious and most popular sporting series on the planet. This makes it a great way to push crypto to the mainstream even further.

In addition to being Formula 1’s Cryptocurrency Sponsor, Crypto.com will also be its official NFT partner. The goal is to democratize the world of crypto for Formula 1 fans through unmatched experiences and education.

“We look forward to many years of innovating together and will begin at the Belgian Grand Prix, where we will present a brand-new award. We are also excited to partner with F1 in the development of exclusive NFTs, connecting fans to the sport in new and innovative ways,” Kris Marszalek, co-founder, and CEO of Crypto.com commented.

It is an exciting time for the world of crypto thanks to all these developments. With more and more businesses beginning to take crypto seriously, we should expect to see even more partnerships and sponsorships in the future.

Renowned Crypto Casino Rollbit Launches Trading Features

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The evolution of the crypto ecosystem continues and now we are not just witnessing the entry of new players but also significant transitions and shifts made by existing members. Rollbit, a renowned crypto casino is one of the latest companies to extend its footprint in the world of crypto.

This move was long overdue as the company’s decisions were already hinting at the possibility of such a shift. It all began on May 10th, 2021 when the operator began to offer its users the opportunity to bet on the price of Bitcoin and Ethereum which are arguably two of the most important digital currencies right now. The platform later went on to add Litecoin and Dogecoin to the mix thus bringing together the most popular digital currencies in a manner that has barely been done before especially by a company of its kind.

By so doing, the operator has been able to establish itself as a leading platform in the crypto space. It is not stopping there though. Now, its next venture involved offering its users a way of enjoying trading digital currencies without having to deal with all of the complexities that are often associated with other crypto trading platforms.

“We’re very excited to offer crypto trading on Rollbit. Our goal was to eliminate the complex nature of trading on traditional crypto exchanges, and the team has certainly done an excellent job. With crypto being extremely popular right now, we couldn’t think of a better time to launch this. Not only are we the first crypto casino to offer crypto trading, but users can also be rewarded for trading on Rollbit as all profit and loss contributes to our lucrative rewards program,” Razer, Rollbit’s co-founder commented on the decision.

It seems this is just the beginning of a totally new segment in the world of crypto casinos.

Market-Leading Features

Rollbit came to the limelight with the launch of X-Roulette, an innovative and provably fair game that has been making waves since February 2020. Just like it did with the game, the platform has entered the crypto-trading space with just as many great and innovative features including:

Zero-Fee trading
Automatic cashout
Up to x1000 leverage
A focus on community
Additional benefits like cashbacks, bonuses, and rakebacks carried over from the casino

As if that is not enough, the platform’s management has promised that they have no intention to stop delivering innovative products and experiences to their growing customer bases. It only gets better from here and we cannot wait to see the direction that the entire crypto sector will take going forward.

Crypto Market Booms as World Ushers in A New Year

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2020 was, without a doubt, one of the worst years of the past decade. The coronavirus pandemic dealt a huge blow to societies, businesses, and industries all around the world – most of these are, in fact, yet to recover.

Even so, thanks to all of the efforts that were meant to help the world return to normal, things began to get better as the end of 2020 drew nearer. The stock market, for instance, was slowly approaching record highs and the same applied to crypto which is considered to be an alternative to the existing financial system.

Bitcoin Breaks Records

This digital currency is widely considered to be the mother of all crypto and has been known to break several records throughout the time that it has existed. As of December 31, Bitcoin was trading for a little over $29,000 per coin. The previous record for the digital currency was $20,000 and experts believe that the cryptocurrency will probably hit the $30,000 mark pretty soon.

Over the last six months, interest in Bitcoin and crypto, in general, has increased significantly. So, while Bitcoin might be well ahead of the pack, it is not the only one that has been breaking records. Alt-coins like Litecoin and Ether have also seen their prices go up significantly, something that has boosted the overall crypto markets. Several other digital currencies have also been on the rise.

What Does 2021 Hold?

Needless to say, the latest price surges for digital currencies have continued to fuel discussions about the readiness of crypto to go to even greater heights in terms of mainstream adoption. In the case of Bitcoin which is now being likened to gold, there are lots of people who already see it as a great hedge against dollar weakness and inflation risk. At that same time, some people are still questioning its validity as an asset class especially considering its rather volatile nature.

Still, if the past few months are anything to go by, 2021 could turn out to be an even more memorable year for crypto and related technologies as well as their applications. Most notably, the rapidly growing acceptance of these alternative currencies will pave way for even more developments such as a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund.

This will not only open the doors for new investors but also create new opportunities or uncover untapped spaces that disruptive companies can exploit. As always, we will be keeping you updated every step of the way. Happy New Year!

PayPal Finally Allows Users to Buy, Sell and Hold Crypto

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The gradual mainstream acceptance of digital currencies has recently made a huge leap forward after PayPal, one of the world’s most popular payment services, entered the digital currency market. Its customers will now be able to buy, sell, hold and spend digital or virtual currencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin among others.

Thankfully, the rollout of this new measure is already underway in the United States. A global rollout will follow but the earliest this will happen is next year. PayPal users from non-US customers will therefore have to wait a little longer before they can be able to transact using these virtual currencies. The stated timeline is, however, very encouraging.

How Will It Work?

As mentioned above, PayPal has already laid out a roadmap for the new development. In case you are wondering how the new system works, here is a brief explanation of what to expect. Whenever you use any of the accepted digital currencies to pay someone on PayPal, the payment service provider will convert the amount to the equivalent national currency. Sent amounts will not be received in the virtual currencies themselves. This can be rather disappointing but perhaps some changes will be made soon.

For now, the plan seems to revolve around getting as many people on board as possible. Their goal is “to increase consumer understanding and adoption of cryptocurrency. As part of this offering, PayPal will provide account holders with educational content to help them understand the cryptocurrency ecosystem.”

Naturally, the move has been met with some criticism. For instance, renowned economist Nouriel Roubini believes that the decision to bring digital currencies to the service is the same as “crypto gambling”. This kind of criticism is, of course, expected but there is a pretty huge possibility that more people will come around in the not so distant future.

Why This Is A Big Deal

It goes without saying that this is a pretty big milestone for the crypto community. Businesses such as online casinos that have been paying out winning in crypto will, for instance, have an extra option. It really helps that PayPal is already an established brand with a very robust customer base.

For PayPal, this move represents a unique opportunity for customer engagement. More digital currency users are definitely going to be giving the payment service provider way more attention now.

High Hopes as Third Bitcoin Halving Approaches

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There is currently a lot of chatter in the Bitcoin community and the crypto industry at large as Bitcoin’s third-ever block halving nears. Set to take place this month (May 2020), there has been a lot of speculation regarding what will happen to the digital currency’s price.

What the Halving Means

In essence, the bitcoin halving means that the reward for mining a block of bitcoin will be divided by two. When the network finally hits block number 630,000 the amount will drop from 12.5 BTC to just 6.25 BTC. This will be the third time that a halving will be happening since the Bitcoin network went live over a decade ago.

Halving is one of the things that set bitcoin apart from all other digital currencies including other popular digital currency networks such as Ethereum’s. In many ways, it is one of the things that drive the price and value of Bitcoin.

As for the impacts, some of them are already coming into play.

Mining Machines Become More Valuable

Needless to say, the halving will have a huge impact on the companies that depend on bitcoin mining. While the systems themselves will not be affected much, their value is a totally different thing altogether.

Now even mining rigs that were previously said to be obsolete have become profitable again. For instance, mining rigs such as the AntMiner s9 and the Avalon A851 are now able to generate between 10 percent to 20 percent gross margin at an average electricity cost of $0.05 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). These margins could increase to as much as 30 percent to 40 percent to miners who adopt more efficient methods.

Even so, considering the dynamic nature of bitcoin mining, this might not be sustainable in the long term. As bitcoin’s halving approaches it is likely that many of the people relying on the older equipment will eventually be squeezed out by people using newer and more efficient mining rigs.

The Current State of Bitcoin

Over the past week, Bitcoin’s price has surged towards the $10,000 mark – this impressive rise has seen the cryptocurrency’s market return to its pre-coronavirus bull run. In fact, the crash losses that experienced because of the impacts of the pandemic have almost been completely erased.

“The interest in cryptocurrencies is now building as investors look to the month-end and forward to May and June.”
-Marcus Swanepoel, chief executive of London-based bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange Luno.

In general, members of the bitcoin community are pretty optimistic about the future of bitcoin’s price even after the supply squeeze that will take place this month. However, the actual impacts remain to be seen.

Germany To Become a Crypto Haven Thanks to New Law

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On November 29, the German parliament passed a bill that will allow banks in the country to sell and store digital currencies and crypto-assets. This will be effective from January 1, 2020, and only custody providers and cryptocurrency exchanges with licenses will be allowed to operate.

As such, these companies have the whole of December to apply for the necessary licenses in order to be able to legally operate in the country’s new crypto regime. To be eligible for the licenses, the companies will have to be registered as legal German entities with no less than two directors operating in the country by the end of the year.

Now, all that remains is for the bill which implements the “fourth EU Money Laundering Directive” amendment to be signed off by the 16 German states. It is expected that most, if not all, of the states will sign in favor of the bill.

The bill is a pretty huge step forward for crypto especially with regards to the quest for mainstream adoption of crypto. Before the German parliament passed the bill, banks in the country were prohibited from offering any sort of direct access to cryptocurrencies and related assets. Instead, the banks could only rely on external custodians or dedicated subsidiaries.

The Feedback

According to a number of experts in the financial sector, the move is definitely going to have a huge impact on the European crypto market. In fact, many of them have pointed out that it effectively paves the way for Germany’s ascension to crypto haven in the continent and possibly the rest of the world.

Since financial institutions already enjoy a tremendous amount of trust, they are probably the best options for the safekeeping of digital currencies and assets. Moreover, they will play a huge role in the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing which are by far some of the biggest concerns when it comes to digital currencies.

Is A Crypto Migration Possible?

Well, considering how unconducive certain jurisdictions have become for crypto investors, a shift to friendlier places such as Germany is possible. For instance, China has been cracking down on a number of crypto-related currencies. This is perhaps in preparation for the state-sanctioned cryptocurrency that the country has been pursuing. Still, domestic users are definitely going to find workarounds.

Similarly, Russia also seems to be leaning towards a possible crypto ban – the country’s central bank has recently backed a potential ban on crypto payments. The reason this is a consideration is the large number of concerns that are associated with the sector. For now, nothing has been decided yet but given the recent history of crypto regulation, anything could happen.

Crypto Gaming Platform Helping Physical Casinos Move Online

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Pbet, a brand new crypto-powered gambling platform has recently launched an initiative that is set to help land-based or physical casinos to move online. The initiative not only promises to see the casino operators incur much lower costs but also intends to afford them with the assurance of more savings. In addition to that, the platform is also meant to ensure better credibility for casino players thanks to its blockchain crypto-based Unified Gaming Platform.

Pbet is already considered to be a next-gen gaming platform and its crypto token that is referred to as “PBET” is also beginning to take off. In fact, the platform has already had its Initial Exchange Offering (IOE) in a number of popular cryptocurrency exchanges including the renowned P2PB2B. Furthermore, Pbet has gone ahead to further its participation through IEO sessions in a good number of other leading exchanges like ExMarkets. Now, after the Initial Exchange Offering (IEO), the platform’s token will now be officially listed on host exchanges where its holders will be able to trade it.

Revolutionary Casino Management System

Pbet has been around for over two years now and in that time, it has been able to penetrate the gaming market thanks to “Genuina”, its casino management system. Genuina is the brainchild of some hospitality and gaming industry veteran. Now, as mentioned earlier, Pbet has plans to create a smooth convergence of physical casinos and online casinos while at the same time integrating crypto-based payments.

The platform’s blockchain technology is set to help in ensuring that there is a trust factor for players through the delivery of transparency information among other things. This mission is based on the company’s vision to combine all the three pillars of physical casinos, that is, the players, the physical casinos themselves as well as Pbet.

One of the most notable but rather overlooked features is the fact that, with the adoption of blockchain technology, Pbet will now be able to offer the players crypto payment solutions that are not only more affordable but also assure the customers of much faster withdrawal speeds.

“We will enable physical casinos to beat the high cost of penetrating into online space with our blockchain crypto-based turn-key, zero fix fees, revenue sharing system. Pbet also assures almost ‘0’ transaction fees and super-fast withdrawals for players,” stated a Pbet spokesperson.

The convergence between crypto or blockchain and the gambling industry has been a long time coming but it is certainly refreshing to see companies such as Pbet take the leap forward by actualizing it. As such, it will not be long before even more companies begin to adopt the new model

Japan Ramps Up Crypto Gambling Regulation

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Even though Japan is known to be one of the most welcoming environments for new technologies, the country is seemingly very cautious when it comes to gambling. In fact, it has been very strict about the spread of crypto gambling activities and this has been a major obstacle for the most, if not all, of the crypto gambling companies.

Most recently, in March 2019, the company behind renowned cryptocurrency Tron announced that it would no longer allow gambling DApps (Decentralized Applications) based on its platform to be used in Japan – this move was in compliance with the country’s regulations. Moreover, Tron has discouraged crypto enthusiasts in Japan from creating similar DApps while also imploring non-Japanese developers to block the country’s IP addresses from using their gambling platforms. To top it all off, the company has promised to work alongside Japanese authorities in order to identify breaches of the laws and regulations.

The State of Online Gambling and Crypto in Japan

Japan has been one of the most resistive territories in the world when it comes to gambling. However, the country has softened its stance in recent years with the legalization of casinos and resorts casinos – there was significant resistance to these plans particularly due to concerns that the move would result in more case of gambling addiction. As it turns out, there are already a number of illegal casinos operating across the country’s cities and therefore regulation might have been the best way to go about the issue.

Digital currencies and blockchain have also taken off in recent years and people and business have been working hard to find uses for them across several different platforms. Crypto gambling, for instance, has been one of the most widespread and interesting applications of the technology. In the simplest form, these digital currencies can be used in place of fiat currency in online gambling sites and this means that online gambling will be less costly, transactions will be faster and the gamblers can place bets anonymously.

Anonymity, while considered to be a desirable feature by very many gamblers, is not a very appealing idea for regulators. As such, the Japanese authorities have come to the realization that crypto gambling poses a threat to its ability to regulate the activity. This is precisely the reason why the agreement with Tron to purge all gambling DApps from the territory is a major win for the country as it fights to keep gambling activities under its control.

EOSBet Unveils Bitcoin Betting and Account System

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After making history at the end of last year by becoming the very first blockchain-based casino to receive an official gambling license EOSBet decentralized application recently announced the next step in its journey toward mass adoption of crypto and blockchain. The platform has made its first big step in 2019 by launching a decentralized account system alongside a native bitcoin deposit and betting option.

After receiving its official gambling license, EOSBet became one of top-rated EOS dApps and it will be taking its proactive approach towards innovation into the future with its new and impressive betting option and its neat account system.

The EOS Account System

One of the biggest challenges experienced by users of blockchain technology is the numerous entry barriers that often come in the form of lengthy wallet setup processes among other things. The EOSBet system seeks to solve this problem by developing a system that allows users to deposit funds directly from any source thus eliminating the need for the use of any wallet or third-party software. Furthermore, the system will also cover all the blockchain costs for the players thus allowing them to enjoy the same gaming experience they would find at a tradition centralized casino on the decentralized one.

EOSBet’s account system, just like every other aspect of the platform, is decentralized and completely on-chain which means that all the actions are fully viewable on any block explorer. All the actions also eventually become part of the EOS blockchain and since the system is non-custodial, the players will always be in total control of their funds.

To make the experience even better, the EOSBet team chose to use a simple two-click sign up process that is not only very intuitive but also optimized to work seamlessly across a wide range of devices. With the new system, even people who do not have accounts with ESO can bet securely and get to participate in its very generous player rewards program.

Bitcoin Betting Is Officially Here!

While there have been a number of previous attempts at bitcoin betting with varying degrees of success, EOSBet has beat every other company to becoming the very first on-chain casino to natively accept bitcoin. As if that is not enough, the company plans to implement several other digital currencies in the near future. The betting platform works very well – all a player needs to do is to deposit bitcoin to their accounts, play instantly and then withdraw whenever they may wish to do so.

Both the betting option and the accounts system are slated to take the online gambling industry by storm and this is certainly going to play a huge role in the long-awaited mainstream adoption of digital currencies and blockchain. 2019 might be the year it finally happens.