A crypto enthusiast in Bakersfield, California, has hidden Bitcoin Cash (BCH) around the city in an effort to encourage adoption.

The ‘Bitcoin Man of Bakersfield’ (BMB), who describes himself as an “anonymous growth hacker and media manipulator,” hid 100 Bitcoin Cash (BCH) QR code stickers, worth $1,100 USD, in selected places around the city. 

BMB explained he was primarily aiming to spread awareness of cryptocurrencies in a fun way, and made the whole thing a bit of a treasure hunt, leaving cryptic clues at various locations. 

True to his “media manipulator” moniker, BMB resorted to photoshopping pictures of the QR stickers to fake social media success, and asked all those who found them to contact local news media. 

It seems the stunt did achieve some success, with at least one resident, a certain Indiana London, saying she’d found a sticker and it prompted her to download a crypto wallet for the first time – though she also said she initially thought the giveaway was a scam. 

Talking to his local ABC TV news channel, BMB explained he was encouraging the adoption of crypto in the city so that people could avoid the “scam of fractional reserve banking,” referencing the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented money printing efforts. 

Even high-profile BCH advocate, and tax exile, Roger Ver (who’s currently involved in another legal battle with self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor Craig Wright, this time in Antigua and Barbuda) tweeted a news clip, and Bitcoin.com ran the story.

#BitcoinCash is spreading in ways #Bitcoin no longer can. https://t.co/NWlZsFCaap pic.twitter.com/kODQjFpLBl

— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) September 17, 2020

AYO.NEWS says:

With frustration at the current economic and financial system rapidly growing, exacerbated by the incompetent handling of the COVID-19 crisis, will we see more front line crypto warriors like the Bitcoin Man of Bakersfield? Something tells us the authorities won’t like it. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Flutter Entertainment has appointed former deputy leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson, as a safer gambling advisor. 

Well known as an outspoken advocate of gambling reform in the UK, Watson will be advising the gambling giant, which owns brands including Paddy Power, Betfair, and Sky Bet, as it strives to improve its responsible gambling efforts.

Apparently, Watson will be sticking his nose into all areas of the business, including retail and online, staff training, and marketing. 

Until November 2019, Watson was MP for West Bromwich East and deputy leader of the Labour party, the UK’s main opposition party. Notably, in June 2019, he argued the need for a new gambling ombudsman to protect consumers, and described problem gambling as a hidden health epidemic. 

Watson is also well-known for helping expose the hacking scandal at the Murdoch-owned News of the World, is Chairman of industry group UK music, and is a best-selling author.  

Regarding his appointment, Watson said: 

“I have a long-standing interest in this sector and consistently called for action to protect those that may be potentially vulnerable to harm.

“In taking on this role in Flutter, I intend to get under the bonnet of the business – and the industry more widely – to understand how best to further develop and implement industry leading responsible gambling policies.”

While CEO of Flutter, Peter Jackson, added:

“Bringing in someone with Tom’s gambling reform background is an important part of my commitment to lead the industry’s race to the top.

“We have to work harder than ever before to find a way to continue to bring great products and brands to our customers while always having the need to protect the vulnerable clearly in mind.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Given 2020’s track record so far, nothing should be surprising, but the seemingly rabidly anti-gambling Watson working for one of the world’s biggest gambling operators? 

We hope Watson has taken this role because he genuinely wants to help reform the industry in a reasonable and sustainable way, but he is a politician. And, we’re sure many people will be wondering about his compensation packet. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Casino aggregator and platform United Remote has appointed Jessica Walker to its senior management team. 

In her new Malta-based role, Walker will be leading United Remote’s sales and international development, under CEO and industry veteran Jeremy Fall. She will be responsible for both commercial development in present key markets, and nurturing new territories. 

Walker was previously Head of Media at Malta-based global iGaming event producer SiGMA, and before that she was Head of News at NEWSBTC and Producer-Presenter at BloxLive TV – the world’s first dedicated DLT and FinTech news network. 

Welcoming Walker to the company, United Remote Group CEO, Jeremy Fall, said:

“Jessica Walker is an outstanding appointment for United Remote as we extend the influence of our advanced technologies to operators and partners around the world. 

“I am thrilled to welcome Jessica to United Remote’s senior management team, a highly skilled and experienced woman who will be a key team player in helping us to drive our future development and to achieve our ambitions. Her commitment to United Remote is another mark of confidence in our technology platform and our growth potential.”

While Walker herself added:

“I look forward to being part of this exciting company’s innovative approach and supporting United Remote’s rapid growth in the marketplace and our strategy is to support our business development going forward by identifying and getting ahead of customer needs and desires.”

United Remote recently underwent intensive restructuring, to position itself to better embrace innovation, resulting in major technology and enterprise investments. The company says it has also significantly reshaped its organisational structure, to provide added-value to operators. 

In addition to hiring Jessica Walker, the company has also appointed Volke Rohde as Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Serafino Vaccino as Head of Legal and DPO, Andreas Rauer as Head of Information Security and Internal Audit, Kevin Norville to Human Resources, Joe Griffin as Head of Research & Development, and Daniel Cass as Account Manager. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Global sports data and content provider Sportradar has appointed Chuck Robel to its Board of Directors. 

Robel, a veteran executive with a track record of transforming top tech companies, has been appointed as Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Sportradar. In his new role he will oversee the company’s financial reporting and internal controls, risk and ethics compliance, and provide leadership to the committee. 

Currently Chairman of the Board for the hosting and domain giant GoDaddy, until 2017 he was Lead Director for AppDynamics during its IPO process. He has also helped other top tech and data companies prepare for IPOs, including Sumo Logic, McAfee, Informatica, Palo Alto Networks, Borland, Adeptec, Jive Software, Model N, and DemandTec. 

Discussing the appointment Sportradar CEO, Carsten Koerl, said:

“Chuck’s incredible knowledge and experience in driving growth for some of the largest technology and data companies in the world makes him an ideal fit to lead Sportradar’s audit committee.

“As the primary company creating and shaping the future of the sports entertainment and sports betting spaces, Sportradar was committed to aligning with a leader like Chuck to help steer us through our next phase of development.”

While Robel himself added:

“I am honored to join Sportradar and bring my decades of experience working closely with many leading technology companies.

“Sportradar has established themselves as a leading technology company focused on innovation and groundbreaking products, and I look forward to working closely with Carsten and the board members in this capacity.”

Robel began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, where he spent 26 years, and managed the PWC Software Services group in Silicon Valley, and later the Technology Mergers and Acquisitions group. Later he was General Partner and COO at VC fund Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, where his team managed a $1bn investment portfolio focused on early stage software companies.

AYO.NEWS says:

Sportradar is bringing in the big guns! Robel certainly knows what he’s doing when it comes to taking tech companies to the next level, so it’s going to be interesting to see what effect he has on the company. 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

Ronald Perelman, the billionaire banker, businessman, and investor behind MacAndrews & Forbes, is to sell his 39% stake in Scientific Games. 

According to the Financial Times, Perelman, who is Scientific Games’ majority shareholder and chairman, is planning to sell his holdings in the company in response to the COVID-19 crisis. 

Perelman’s personal fortune has reportedly fallen by over 50% since 2018, and the coronavirus pandemic has piled on the pressure, causing him to consider offloading some of his investments. 

A Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filling from earlier this year confirms the billionaire has been looking at the possibility of selling over 36.8 million shares in the global gambling technology company.

Perelman has valued Scientific Games at around $2 billion USD, and is said to be planning to sell his stake to Caledonia, an Australian global investment management firm.

In the second quarter of 2020, when the COVID-19 lockdowns were at their height around the world, obliterating the global sports calendar and shuttering land-based casinos, Scientific Games racked up a $198m net loss – up dramatically from the $75m for the same period in 2019. Despite group revenue plummeting 36% year-on-year, online gaming revenue actually rocketed 135% in the United States compared to 2019.

In April Scientific Games announced its COVID-19 corporate contingency programme, which focused on reducing workforce costs, was achieving significant cost savings, and in June the company announced plans to offer a private note worth over half-a-billion dollars in order to boost liquidity.  

Staying with Scientific Games, at the end of last week, the company announced it was launching a localised Monopoly Casino in Spain, in partnership with Gamesys Group plc. 

AYO.NEWS says:

There’s no hiding the fact that the COVID-19 crisis has hit Scientific Games hard, but like other suppliers, it has been spurred to pivot away from its reliance on land-based casinos and sports – something that should help it capitalise on future opportunities, and make it more resilient should the lockdowns return (which looks very likely). 

‘AYO.NEWS says’ features the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pentagon Digital Limited or its affiliates or associates. 

All original content featured on this site is © Pentagon Digital Limited, 2020

In-game advertising opens up new worlds of possibilities.

With video gaming and esports now a dominant cultural phenomenon worldwide, in-game advertising is an exciting new frontier – so, Simona caught up with Niklas Bakos, CEO & Founder of Adverty, a company leading the way, to find out more.

Discover more about Adverty here.