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The number of people looking for ways to pass the time without having to venture out of the confines of their own houses led to an increase in the number of people participating in online gambling. Internet gambling is responsible for forty per cent of the total money made by gaming in the UK, according to estimates provided by the nation’s wagering authority. A survey was carried out by Yonder Consulting in which close to 8,000 adult gamblers were questioned about their gambling patterns and posed several questions. It gave the impression that the vast majority of people who considered themselves to be “professional” gamblers had never set foot inside a casino or utilised a slot machine in a public establishment. Although this is not the case, it did appear as though that was the case due to the circumstances. Not only did it find that a greater proportion of us gamble poker online games online as opposed to visiting casinos, but it also revealed that the majority of us gamble using our mobile devices. This finding contradicts a previous finding that found a larger proportion of us gamble online as opposed to visiting casinos. Given that the former option is more convenient, this discovery should not come as a surprise to anyone.
Taking your mobile gaming on the road
- The vast majority of today’s young people have spent the duration of their lives addicted to their mobile phones. This is a problem for society as a whole. Since Apple’s groundbreaking debut of the first iPhone in 2008, which ushered in a new age of innovation in the sector of smartphones, mobile devices have evolved into an essential component of day-to-day living. Apple’s launch of the first iPhone in 2008 ushered in a new age of innovation in the smartphone sector. This shift can be linked to the fact that mobile devices are now more available than they have ever been before.
- It is only natural for people in their late teenage years and early twenties, who are just now experiencing the pleasure of gambling, to want to do so on their cell phones. People in their late teenage years and early twenties are just now feeling the joy of gambling. According to the findings of the poll, just 14% of gamblers aged 65 and older make use of their mobile devices, specifically smartphones. When compared, 74% of gamblers between the ages of 18 and 34 use their mobile phones in some capacity.
- More than twenty per cent of Americans owned a smartphone in 2008; by the year 2021, that number is projected to nearly reach one hundred percent (96 percent). These astonishing numbers demonstrate how dependent we are on our mobile gadgets at the moment, and they should serve as a warning to all of us. According to the findings, a lower percentage of people use personal computers and laptops to bet now than they did in 2015; nevertheless, an unexpectedly comparable amount of people use smart televisions. This discovery comes as a complete surprise. The dramatic rise in the popularity of smart televisions is one possible reason for this apparent paradox.
The gaming that takes on within an organisation is very well received
Even if the epidemic is just a distant memory at this point, the numbers unambiguously reveal that the vast majority of gambling is still done in private households. This is the case even though the pandemic is only a distant memory at this point. Legacy gamblers will need to make adaptations to remain competitive because the focus has switched from being social to being on the individual.
It is not required that this result in something unfavourable. Gamblers have access to a wide variety of competitive gaming options on the internet, which enables them to continue to state their demand for the activity and satiate their urge for the activity. To kill some time, you could play some online poker or maybe even a few rounds of online bingo. Both of these activities can be done from the comfort of your own home. You won’t be able to have a conversation with the dealer while playing poker hierarchy, but the convenience of the game will try its best to make up for this in some way.
You won’t find buy-ins so cheap in traditional casinos, so if you’re just getting your feet wet in the world of gambling, it’s usually advisable to try your hand at it first online because traditional casinos don’t provide the same variety of games. If you are just getting started in the world of gambling, you should give it a shot first over the Internet rather than going to a land-based casino.


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Cognisant of the challenges posed by manual transactions in Nigeria’s foreign exchange (forex)market, a full service Fintech company, Greenov8 Global Platforms Limited, has launched an online currency exchange and settlement medium, kaara.io, to enable investors sell, buy, and close out discrete deals in a secure and safe environment.
The new product provides customers online access to executable forex rates across a wide range of currency pairs, enabling players to securely carry out their transactions with efficiency, convenience, and transparency.
During the unveiling in Lagos, the company’s Managing Director/CEO, Femi Ekwuyasi, described the platform as “a timely innovation that is coming at a time when there is a huge need for a transparent and viable currency exchange market where stakeholders’ interests are well protected.”
He added: “We are focusing on serving buyers and sellers in the Nigerian open market for currency exchange. Our intent is to eliminate trust issues around foreign exchange activities by consummating and settling both FX and non-FX transactions on the Kaara platform using the secured and transparent Escrow platform.
“With Kaara, you can finally curb the diversion of funds or other inefficiencies that are prevalent with currency exchange processes. The platform is built around a Bank Denominated Multicurrency (BDM) wallet system, which allows users access to main multiple wallets in multiple banks and in multiple currencies. Each Kaara transaction is sufficiently secured using a Multi-factor authentication (MFA) authorisation is only granted after successful presentation of two or more pieces of evidence across two or more channels.”
On how the platform works, the Chief Technical Officer, Godson Nkeokelonye, said: “We simplified the engagement into three simple steps to create extra convenience for players, To benefit, users should visit www.kaara.io to register or download the kaara mobile application. After registration, verification of account is next, this is done by providing additional validation and authentication information, and then you can start selling, buying and closing discrete transactions in a secure and safe environment”
To the Business Development Manager, Wema Bank Plc, Frank Alarapo, who was also at the event, said the innovation would kick-start a genuine market place for all stakeholders in the FX money market.
“This is a timely innovation that will organise the open FX market currently ridden with huge risks and uncertainties. If transactions can be closed online and in almost real time, I am sure the market would warmly embrace this platform,” he stated.

domain: news


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Creator of the award-winning Reach Engine media orchestrator hires accomplished executives to lead its 2019 Client Experience initiative.
DENVER, CO (March 28, 2019) – Content creators heading to Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters (#NABShow) conference this April will find an exciting new solution for leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) to manage media assets, on display in the partner portal of the AWS exhibition booth.
“As companies look to fully modernize their media production programs, they’re finding the key to success is in orchestrating multiple solutions to meet all needs,” said Levels Beyond CEO Art Raymond. “Our media production platform, Reach Engine, seamlessly integrates crucial media processes to beautifully manage the entire production cycle, with efficiency and user ease.”
WHAT: NAB Show – Reach Engine 2.6 demonstrations
WHERE: Las Vegas Convention Center – AWS booth (SU 2202)
WHEN: April 8-11, 2019
Reach Engine 2.6 and four essential AWS tools cover all needs for modern media productions to manage everything from media acquisition and project assignments to editing, versioning, formatting, distribution, cloud storage and more.
- AWS Elemental MediaConvert
- Amazon Cognito
- Amazon S3
- Amazon S3 Glacier
Reach Engine’s ability to scale up quickly and orchestrate multiple media processes with time saving automations differentiates it from basic MAMs and DAMs. The platform is in a category all its own, called Media Production as a Service (MPaaS).


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In 2021, Facebook’s parent company got a new name and a new goal. “Over time, I hope we are seen as a metaverse company,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time. He later called the metaverse “the successor to the mobile internet” and noted that the concept would be so big that it was too much for any one company to take on, spanning an entire industry.
That hasn’t happened yet. Even Meta employees barely use the company’s flagship metaverse app, Horizon Worlds, and over the last few years, Zuckerberg’s definition of the metaverse seems to have shifted from a Ready Player One-style virtual world to one that blends the real and the virtual as new buzzwords like AI have taken root. Either way, this vision of the internet hasn’t exactly established itself the way Zuckerberg planned — at least not from Meta. But the metaverse business appears to be booming in Fortnite.
Yesterday, Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games, with the goal of creating what it describes as an “expansive and open games and entertainment universe” that’s tied to Fortnite. This comes off of a major restructuring for Fortnite earlier this year in which it shifted from a popular online shooter to a set of connected experiences ranging from a Lego survival game to a Rock Band-style music festival. (This new era began, in true Fortnite fashion, with a huge virtual concert.)
Disney previously made its own efforts in the space. In 2022, the company tasked executive Mike White with leading its metaverse efforts, with former CEO Bob Chapek touting “the so-called metaverse, which I believe is the next great storytelling frontier.” A year later, its metaverse division was eliminated as part of a wave of mass layoffs.
So what’s the difference? Why haven’t a massive entertainment conglomerate and a massive social network been able to crack the metaverse, but a goofy game where a banana can fight Ariana Grande has? The answer is that, well, it’s a goofy game. Meta and Disney (and every other company chasing the metaverse trend) started with the desire to create a new vision of the internet, an all-encompassing virtual world that could serve as a place to play and to work. But they didn’t give people a reason to want to exist in that space. Fortnite, on the other hand, began as a thing millions of people really wanted to do — play a fun game with characters they know and love — and built its virtual world aspirations on top of that.
“We’re not fighting a trend,” Epic executive VP Saxs Persson told me last year. “We’re just trying to broaden something that we already see today in Fortnite. That’s all we’re doing really is doubling down on the things that we know are successful today.”
Fortnite’s evolution has been slow and steady since it launched. It actually began as a survival game before its battle royale mode took off. Since then, Epic has tried many things to make Fortnite more of a place than a game. There have been virtual concerts, millions spent on esports, art galleries, violence-free hangout zones, and more. But at the core of this has always been an ever-changing and consistently popular video game. In fact, Fortnite’s latest reinvention was preceded by the throwback event Fortnite OG, which was designed to lure back lapsed players. Without the game, the rest doesn’t work.
Of course, it hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing, even for Epic. Not all of those bets worked. Party royale is a wasteland, and the competitive side of Fortnite has largely become an afterthought. And like a lot of tech companies, Epic got ahead of itself after a pandemic-related boom in business. Last year, the company laid off 16 percent of its workforce, with CEO Tim Sweeney saying in a statement, “We’ve been spending way more money than we earn, investing in the next evolution of Epic and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators.”
At present, Fortnite doesn’t exactly match the sci-fi vision of a virtual world. Logging in to the game looks more like browsing the YouTube homepage than jacking into the matrix. But beginnings of that interconnectedness are there, with elements like your avatar and XP carrying over between experiences. If you love being Peely the banana, you can be him while racing cars or playing guitar or checking out a comedy show.
Maybe, whenever it does launch, the Disney universe will be the next step toward that more unified virtual space — one that actually looks more like the metaverse tech execs have been hyping up for so long.


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Jump to navigation
IoT In Action
In the newest wave of room improvements, Marriott International teamed up with Samsung and Legrand to create the hospitality industry’s Internet of Things hotel room.
While gas and electric companies have been quick to adopt smart meters, water utilities are marching at a slower pace.
The state’s first full-fledged smart highway project, SMART Corridor, uses IoT, digital signs and active traffic management tools to reduce jammed sections of I-80 in the San Francisco Bay Area.


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Trust is a critical element in consumer relationships with brands. In our recent Winter 2023 Retail Report: The Future of Retail in 2024 through Store Expansion and Investment Dynamics, we discovered that one-third of consumers distrust retailers who only operate on one channel, whether online or offline. This statistic paints a clear picture: consumers demand flexibility and shopping choices.
The reasons for the distrust vary. ‘Cart abandonment’ is one theory attributed to annual losses of $18 billion in e-commerce sales revenue. Single-channel retailers often lack the depth of product offerings and the personalized experiences consumers crave. Additionally, they may be more vulnerable to disruptions, such as website outages or inventory shortages, which can frustrate customers and damage brand reputation.
When consumers trust a brand, they are more likely to engage across its multi-channel experiences. They browse products online, check reviews on social media, and often make purchases in-store. As consumers are born tech-savvy, the demand for seamless shopping experiences across all channels will become the norm. Retailers that use an omnichannel strategy retain 89% of their customers. Those who fail to embrace it risk losing a significant portion of their customer base. The average lost opportunity cost is about 10% of revenue.
Retailers who fail to implement omnichannel retail strategies run the risk of losing 10% of revenue, and a significant portion of their customer base.
The most successful and trusted brands intersect the in-store and online worlds seamlessly. Amazon leads the charge among retailers but also shares its standings with trusted brands like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, and CVS Pharmacy.
To thrive in today’s competitive landscape, it will be necessary for retailers to embrace and integrate omnichannel retailing into their strategies continuously. Luckily, retailers are listening–94% of retail companies now use multiple channels to engage with customers.
For more compelling insights into what’s in store for 2024, download our 2023 Winter Report.


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UPI is an interoperable instant fund transfer technology created by NPCI that enables interbank fund transfer
Given the low payments infrastructure cost, UPI is bridging the gap between organised retail and small merchants, which is resulting in shrinking of the average transaction size
NPCI is working to enable this feature within the next six months, starting with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore
WhatsApp close to meeting data localisation norms, payments service should be on in two months: NPCI
Many think WhatsApp can help India emulate China's WeChat story, and help achieve the cashless payments objectives.
Even WhatsApp Payments, which is in beta testing stage, is working with four banks.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated payments service providers and third-party payments app to store key payments data ‘only’ in India.
India's rapidly expanding digital payments market is poised to get more crowded as the country races to catch up with China in squeezing out the use of cash
The government has asked the NPCI to look into matter and ensure there is no sharing of user data.
The Nandan Nilekani-headed committee for deepening digital payments favoured a ‘central fraud registry’ to ‘ensure a systematic response to fraud.’
The government has also decided to levy a surcharge of 2% on cash withdrawal of above Rs 1 crore in a year
The money will be credited to e-tailers only after the delivery is confirmed by the consumers. At the time of purchase, UPI would create the escrow-like account where the money for the order would be parked.
Consumers can now give standing instructions to banks online, mandating them to make recurring payments for a wide range of services like payments to insurance companies and into mutual fund schemes.
Incidentally, sources in the regulatory body National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said WhatsApp, which has over 200 million active users in the country, is yet to commit to an official timeline to be fully compliant.
Several other banks have held discussions with NPCI, the umbrella payments body that manages UPI, to bring fees and cap the number of free monthly P2P transactions from one bank account
In a major move, the RBI said that it could allow multiple entities to set up payment systems here and encourage competition.
Several milestones were achieved in domestic payments last year. India’s RuPay Card crossed 500 million and Bharat BillPay on-boarded over 100 billers in its ecosystem.
A senior official at the ministry of electronics and information technology (Meity) confirmed receipt of the RBI letter
New forms of payments, entry of more players, higher adoption during festive sales big positives
ICICI Bank is working with industry and the National Payments Corporation of India to see whether it is possible to use mAadhaar by mapping the QR code


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Jack Henry & Associates Inc. and its competitors say there is high interest in offering new consumer technologies such as mobile remote deposit capture and mobile banking in general.
But Jack Prim, Jack Henry’s chief executive, said during a Nov. 3 conference call to discuss quarterly earnings he doubts the technology will be a significant revenue generator for the technology industry. Jack Henry’s ProfitStars subsidiary announced the availability of a mobile remote deposit capture service in September (see story).
The service “gets a lot of press, it’s a cute application, but nobody’s going to make any money with that,” Prim said in response to an analyst’s question, adding mobile remote deposit capture “is not a needle-mover for anybody.”
Peter Heckmann, a senior research analyst with Avondale Partners LLC, was not surprised by the Prim’s comment about the technology. “Mobile deposit has become one of those buzz items,” he says. “While it’s a must-have, it’s a must-have because there is a cool factor attached to it. But the actual adoption by consumers remains quite low.”
Banking consolidation can be a curse for some technology vendors, but it has helped Jack Henry cushion declines in spending on some of its traditional product lines.
Executives at the Monett, Mo.-based company said during the call that mergers and other consolidation activity involving its clients have helped grow its support and services revenue, which increased 35.1% during its fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with year earlier, to $210.6 million from $155.9 million.
The increase offset a 16.6% drop in license revenue, to $9.5 million from $11.4 million, and a 1.3% dip in hardware sales, to $14.8 million from $15 million.
The overall spending appetite is returning among financial institutions, but “cautious optimism is still the order of the day for our customers,” Prim said.
Overall, the company’s revenue grew 28.8% during the quarter, to $234.8 million from $182.3 million, and net income rose 20.9%, to $31.8 million from $26.3 million.
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Sep 17, 2019 at 14:29
France Shows Red Light to Facebook’s Libra Cryptocurrency
Recently, French financial authorities have shared major concerns about new cryptocurrencies being introduced onto the market. France is planning to block the development of Facebook’s cryptocurrency known as Libra claiming that the token will bring a huge risk to monetary sovereignty in the country and Europe at large.
Sep 16, 2019 at 12:49
Uganda Puts Blockchain on Another Level in Africa
In an effort to become a strong cryptocurrency and distributed ledger technology hub in Africa, Uganda has issued the first license to create a free zone for Bitcoin, blockchain and other developing technologies. The Uganda Free Zones Authority (UFZA)issued a license to designers and developers to launch a free zone focusing mainly on DLT innovations.
Sep 15, 2019 at 12:03
Banks in Russia Want Cryptocurrency Holders to be Identified
The Association of Banks of Russia (ADB) has created a decentralized cryptocurrency turnover concept, that suggests to deploy special programs to recognize the owners of digital currencies, according to Anatoly Kozlachkov, ADB vice president. The banks want to completely remove all kinds of obscurity in digital currency transactions and businesses, a thing that will make Bitcoin (BTC) possession facts and figures public.
Sep 15, 2019 at 09:38
Could Blockchain Transform The Italian Textile-Fashion Industry?
One of the most state-of-the-art projects established by Italian fashion remains held in the shoals of politics. The blockchain project of the textile supply chain, rolled out last winter by the Ministry for Economic Development (MiSE), to which Sistema Moda Italia (SMI) is also collaborating together with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), an American IT company, chosen as its technological partner, has actually hopped some strategic steps. And now it remains tentatively on standby, the time variable being a central factor for the success of this technological standard.
Sep 10, 2019 at 13:52
Blockchain to Transform Print Media and Publishing in Italy
Blockchain technology is playing a big role in publishing and there are some interesting projects underway. The Italian print media and publishing industry is progressively joining the distributed ledger technology (DLT) arena. However, as big companies are trying to use blockchain to enhance their supply chain, the creative industries are testing and utilizing the technology to rise reporters' responsibility and to attempt to get rid of the trust factor.
Sep 10, 2019 at 12:22
European Blockchain Service to Create Interoperable Infrastructure
The European Union is interested in the cryptocurrency and blockchain revolution, a thing that has helped it to put digital innovation at the top of its strategies for the economic development of the continent. Principally, the European Commission has placed at the center of its action the formation of a related digital single market, in the awareness that information and communication technologies constitute the very foundation of all new state-of-the-art economic systems.
Sep 08, 2019 at 12:49
Italian Blockchain Projects Benefit from Dedicated EU Funds
A large sum of European funds was allocated to facilitate cryptocurrency and blockchain-related projects, and Italy and other countries on the continent will benefit from these initiatives. More than €180 million has already been invested in research and innovation initiatives in the blockchain industry. Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things are one of the sectors that have obtained the largest slice of European Union (EU) funding.
Sep 06, 2019 at 13:24
How to Understand Bitcoin’s Hash Rate?
To succeed in the world of Bitcoin and Blockchain one needs to know a lot of relevant tech terms and their implications. Whether you are an investor, a writer, programmer or creator these terms are still essential for your basic success in the industry. The industry has a few thousands of complex terms. One of those is the Hash Rate. Luckily we shall introduce it here and explain its implications.


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Latin America-focused online sportsbook and casino unveils Income Access-powered programme to support brand’s global expansion
Montreal, QC. 19th February 2018 – Campeonbet, the online sportsbook and casino brand operated by CW Marketing B.V., has launched an affiliate programme in partnership with Income Access, Paysafe’s marketing technology and services provider. The Curacao-licensed brand’s new programme, which will be managed using Income Access’ affiliate software, is part of its 2018 strategy to enter new global markets beyond its core focus of South and Central America.
Campeonbet offers pre-match betting on every major global football game and pre-game wagering on basketball, tennis, volleyball and ice hockey as well as eSports such as Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The brand also features live sports-betting on thousands of events a week.
Campeonbet boasts a sophisticated online casino with table games and video slots provided by over 20 software providers, including NetEnt, iSoftBet, NextGen Gaming, and Pariplay. Ezugi, BetConstruct, and Evolution-powered live-dealer versions of baccarat, roulette, poker and other tables games are also integral to the brand’s casino offering.
Now accessible in German, French, Swedish, Norwegian and Russian as well as English, Spanish and Portuguese, the brand will enter new global markets in 2018 following relevant regulatory approval. As part of its international expansion, Campeonbet’s new affiliate programme will support its player acquisition in new markets.
The programme is powered by the Income Access platform, which has won the eGR ‘Affiliate Software’ B2B award four times since 2013. The platform will allow Campeonbet’s in-house team of affiliate managers, which has strong experience managing UK iGaming affiliate programmes, to segment affiliate campaigns and target players according to language, country, city and device.
New affiliates joining the programme will enjoy up to 60% revenue share for the first three months promoting the brand. After the promotional period, commissions revert to up to 50% revenue share.
Joshua Light, Affiliate Manager at Campeonbet, said: “Our strategy and mindset at Campeonbet is strongly focused on international expansion, and we consider Income Access as an ideal ally on our journey into new global markets. Supported by the Income Access platform, our marketing department and affiliate team are dedicated to optimising our customer acquisition and retention across all marketing channels, with a strong focus in 2018 on affiliates.”
Lorenzo Pellegrino, CEO of Income Access and Digital Wallets at Paysafe, said: “Affiliate marketing is a tried and tested channel to establish a brand in new markets through long-term customer acquisition. Our software will allow Campeonbet to tailor its affiliate campaigns very specifically to ensure they succeed in whichever market the brand is targeting.”
For more information, contact Campeonbet.
Campeonbet is an online gaming platform, offering a full sports betting solution to the globe betting community.
Campeonbet is owned by CW Marketing B.V. registration number 143854 under registered address Dr. M.J.Hugenholtzweg Z/N UTS Gebouw regulated by the Government of the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao).
The Campeonbet team consists of a group of highly qualified iGaming professionals, who have previously worked at UK based operators. They are focused on achieving one goal: To deliver a high-quality gaming experience.
We insist on open, honest and fair relationships with each other, our customers and our business partners. The safe and private environment and the integrity of our products are the fundamental pillars of the Campeonbet.com online gaming experience.
With Live Customer Support Service available 7 days/week, our highly trained and friendly staff will ensure that any queries are dealt with and resolved quickly, politely and efficiently.
Our mission is to provide the best online gambling experience for our players; please, feel free to contact us by chat or email at support@Campeonbet.com with your comments and/or suggestions.
We offer a variety of secure and easy payment methods for your convenience. In the fast paced, online environment, things are always changing and we are constantly finding ways for improvement.
If there is anything that would make things easier for you, please get in touch.
Enjoy a fast, secure and fun experience at Campeonbet.com.
About Income Access
Founded in 2002, Income Access is a technology company, affiliate network and digital marketing agency servicing the global gaming market, including regulated iGaming, social gaming, land-based casinos and online financial trading (forex, binary options). Through its award-winning marketing software and a partnership-centric approach, Income Access delivers comprehensive data and strategic insight on marketing campaigns across all digital and offline channels.
In September 2016, Income Access was acquired by Paysafe Group, the company behind the digital wallet brands NETELLER and Skrill. Income Access is partnered with over 300 gaming brands worldwide. These include: Betfred, Bet Victor, BGO Group, Caesars Interactive, Coral, Gala Interactive, IGT’s Lottomatica, Jackpotjoy, Lottoland, Pinnacle, PMU, Sportingbet, Stan James, and TwinSpires.
Paysafe is a leading global provider of end-to-end payment solutions. Our core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through our industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallets and online cash solutions. Delivered through an integrated platform, our solutions are geared towards mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between bricks-and-mortar and online payments. With over 20 years of online payment experience, a combined transactional volume of US$48 billion in 2016 and over 2,300 staff located in 12 global locations, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across 200 payment types in over 40 currencies around the world.
AmAff Launches Props.com, A Full Service Media Hub Targeting U.S. Sports Bettors
AmAff, a leading developer of media sites, content, and apps serving the U.S. sports betting and online gambling audiences, has launched Props.com. Props.com provides wall-to-wall coverage of the news, insights, analysis, and trends relevant to the ever-growing population of U.S. sports bettors.
Patrick Everson serves as the Head of Content for Props.com. Everson brings a wealth of experience to the company; he has held various content-focused roles in the gambling space. Most recently, Everson was a Senior Writer for Covers. Prior, he held roles at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golfing Las Vegas, and Rebel Nation.
Everson says: “In this rapidly expanding space, what I love most is bringing that sports betting experience straight to you, like you’re on the floor of a Vegas sportsbook with me. Taking you behind the counter to tell you where the action is, why the numbers are moving, and more. The idea is simply this: to provide entertaining and informative content that is actionable — info you can then put to use as a sports betting consumer. With the great team Props has assembled, that’s the goal every day.” Everson is joined by Props.com Managing Editor Matt Jacobs and Associate Managing Editor Spencer Limbach.
AmAff brings together a team of gambling experts with years of diverse experience.
Chris Grove is the founder of AmAff. Grove previously co-founded PlayUSA Media, which grew into the largest legal affiliate network in the U.S. before being acquired by Catena Media in 2017. Grove served as the Acting Director of Catena’s U.S. operations through the conclusion of the transaction in October 2019.
“We’ve assembled a top-tier team at AmAff, and the launch of Props.com marks a major milestone on our path to building the first at-scale affiliate company focused exclusively on the legal U.S. sports betting and online gambling market,” said Grove.
Alec Driscoll oversees AmAff’s operations, bringing years of U.S. gambling experience to the table. Driscoll has worked with numerous high-profile gambling organizations, including sportsbook tech provider FSB, Las Vegas casino operator ACEP, and Red Rock Resorts.
Pearl Gallagher adds a wealth of legal expertise to the AmAff team, bringing experience from the real estate, intellectual property, and gaming sectors. Prior to joining AmAff, Gallagher served as Chief Legal Officer for Geocomply.
Sean Hurley rounds out the AmAff team. Hurley has driven the expansion of gaming operations around the world. Notably, he was DraftKings’ first Head of Sportsbook and spearheaded the company’s New Jersey launch.
The launch of Props.com is one aspect of a multi-stage expansion strategy for AmAff, which also operates BetPrep.com, Wagers.com, and one of the fastest-growing sports betting podcast networks in the U.S., including the shows Props City, Hot Read Hits, Givin’ Props, and Givin’ Futures.
Better Collective acquires Soccernews.nl and Voetbalwedden.net to gain leading position in the Dutch online sports betting market
Global sports betting media group, Better Collective, today announces that it has acquired Soccernews.nl, one of the most visited Dutch online sports media, and Voetbalwedden.net, a well-established Dutch online sports betting community, in separate transactions for total upfront payments of 5.9 mEUR, with maximum deferred and earnout payments of 3.75mEUR.
The two acquisitions form a strategic move that will establish Better Collective with a leading position in the Dutch online sports betting market. It is expected that revenue in Better Collective Netherlands will exceed 3 mEUR in 2022, which will be the first full fiscal year in that market. As a new market, the Netherlands is expected to produce high growth for several years.
A new market for on-line gambling
The Dutch ‘Remote Gambling Act’ will come into effect on October 1, 2021, fully regulating online gambling, which until now has been operated as a state monopoly. With the act, iGaming operators will be given the opportunity to apply for a license to operate in the market and more than 20 operators are expected to be licensed by 2022. According to the international betting and gaming consultancy firm, H2 Gambling Capital, Dutch onshore iGaming is projected to increase from 22% of the country’s total iGaming in 2015 to 81% in 2024. As a result, the Dutch iGaming gross gaming revenue (GGR) for online casino and sports betting combined is expected to reach more than 800 mEUR in 2024, making it the fifth largest iGaming market in Europe.
Together, Soccernews.nl and Voetbalwedden.net attract more than 2.5M monthly visitors. The two media platforms will enable Better Collective to take advantage of the Dutch market opportunity from day one and be well positioned to gain from the expected arrival of larger international sports betting operators in the market in 2022.
Financial targets for 2021 remain unchanged
It is expected that the two acquisitions will have a positive impact on Better Collective’s revenue and earnings for 2021 and onwards. The financial impact in 2021 is however expected to be limited due to the time of incorporation and the time needed for the new Dutch market to establish itself. The financial targets for 2021, therefore, remain unchanged.
Better Collective Netherlands
Better Collective has recently incorporated Better Collective Netherlands B.V and the acquisitions add an experienced team to the Dutch business unit. To manage its Dutch operations, Better Collective has hired Joris Dekkers as Managing Director from August 1, 2021. Dekkers knows Better Collective’s business well as he has supported the company’s preparations for the market opening as an external consultant. He brings a strong background and close to ten years of experience from the iGaming industry, where he has worked on both the media and the operator side.
Jesper Søgaard, Co-Founder & CEO of Better Collective, says:
“We are excited about the regulatory opening of the Dutch iGaming market, welcoming licensed operators and laying the foundation for stronger player protection. The Dutch market has high potential and is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. To be able to capitalize on these opportunities, we are pleased to have added two strong Dutch brands to our portfolio and welcomed Joris Dekkers and a new team to Better Collective. These moves will help us establish a leading position in the Dutch sports betting media landscape.”
Rightlander partners with BetBull
Supplier to help tier one operator improve affiliate compliance
Rightlander.com, the ground-breaking compliance platform has signed a deal with BetBull to help them improve affiliate compliance and boost responsible gambling measures.
Nicole Mitton, Head of Customer Success at Rightlander.com, said: “It’s great to see operators like BetBull partnering with Rightlander to ensure adherence to advertising regulations. These efforts are not only noteworthy from a regulatory point of view, but are also a solid indicator that BetBull are invested in protecting the interests of their stakeholders, affiliates and players in regulated markets.”
Rightlander will offer its technology which encompasses a comprehensive range of affiliate compliance tools which include the Automated Compliance Monitor, a PPC Monitor and a Proactive Affiliate Finder allowing BetBull to remain proactive and in control of their affiliate marketing.
Gabrielle Mallia, BetBull said: “We decided to opt for Rightlander because of its ability to give further visibility into our affiliate’s practices. The PPC Monitor is particularly key in allowing us to ensure adherence to policies specifically related to keywords and geos of promotion. Rightlander increases the efficiency in our compliance monitoring with its wide scope and allows us to quickly identify any breaches should they occur.”
The Automated Compliance Monitor helps detect non-compliant content across territories including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Australia and the United States. The monitor flags potential violations such as missing terms and conditions, outdated offers, incorrect marketing assets allowing BetBull to remain compliant according to their jurisdiction’s regulations.
The Proactive Affiliate Finder scans millions of web pages every month to identify new and prominent sites and the innovative PPC Monitor identifies harmful ads to stop them from appearing on an operator’s branded keywords.
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Welcome to the November 2015 Newsletter from Easterbrook Eaton Limited
Business groups have broadly welcomed this month's announcement by Chancellor George Osborne that councils in England will in future have the right to set their own business rates and to keep the proceeds, in a move designed to increase competition and encourage enterprise.
Meanwhile, a recent survey has revealed that a considerable number of small firms have expressed concerns over the effects that the introduction of the new National Living Wage could potentially have on their businesses. A mere 6% of companies surveyed believe that the wage will have a positive impact on their firm.
With the latest figures revealing that inflation dipped below zero once again in September, business groups await the Chancellor's Statement with interest. Our website will feature special coverage of the Autumn Statement announcements, following the Chancellor's Speech on Wednesday 25 November.
Chancellor confirms devolution of business rates
Both the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have welcomed proposals unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne to give councils in England the authority to alter the level of business rates in their area, and the opportunity to keep all of the proceeds of those rates.
Currently, businesses pay a uniform business rate set by the central government, which is calculated by multiplying the rental value of a property by either the standard rate (49.5p) or the lower rate (48p), before subtracting any rate relief. Councils retain 50% of the earnings, with the rest going to the Treasury which then redistributes the revenue to compensate areas with fewer businesses.
The new proposals, announced by the Chancellor at the Conservative Party Conference, will mean that councils can cut these rates and effectively compete with each other to encourage enterprise and attract businesses to their area.
CBI director-general John Cridland said that the change 'could spur councils to take a pro-growth approach, and has the CBI's support,' adding: 'But this must not be a way to increase rates without the consent of the local business community'.
Gary Porter of the LGA commented: 'While this is good news for councils and businesses, local authorities will face almost £10bn of cost pressures by 2020 so we will now seek to work with government about how this proposal can be introduced more quickly.
'We would expect measures to ensure local areas with less ability to generate business rates income do not suffer as a result of these changes and all councils are also given leeway to vary business rates up as well as down.'
However, as some analysts have noted, the proposals are not necessarily as radical as they might first appear. A system of tariffs and top-ups to support areas with lower levels of business activity will be kept in its present state, and the Government also plans to introduce a 'safety net' for any area where business rate receipts fall by 7.5%.
We can advise on all aspects of business taxation. Please contact us for further assistance.
National Living Wage will have a 'negative impact' on hiring, says FSB
A survey released by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has revealed that a significant amount of small firms are concerned about the potential impact that the new National Living Wage (NLW) will have on their businesses.
Of the firms that are likely to be negatively affected, some 50% said they would increase prices, while 52% reported that they would put off hiring new recruits to help offset the wage hike.
According to the FSB's research, wholesale and retail companies, alongside food and accommodation services, are most likely to believe that the NLW will impact negatively on their business.
Additionally, firms located in the South West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Wales are amongst those most likely to foresee a negative impact.
Only 6% of companies thought that the policy would have a positive impact on their business when it is implemented next April.
Announced in the Chancellor's July Budget, the NLW of £7.20 an hour comes into effect in April 2016 for workers over the age of 25.
Following the publication of the latest Cost of Employment Index, the FSB predicts that, for a small retail business with six full-time staff members aged 25 or over and earning the current minimum wage, the NLW will cost an additional £5,900 a year.
John Allan, national chairman of the FSB, stated that: 'Over half of our members already pay their staff above the voluntary living wage, but those that don't are often operating in highly competitive sectors with very tight margins.'
He concluded: 'With the economy recovering it is right that employees should be rewarded with a pay rise - but we cannot allow wage changes to become a political football.
'It's important that the independent Low Pay Commission continues to play a central role in setting the minimum wage - and that includes deviating from the Government's plan to raise the National Living Wage to over £9 an hour by 2020, if it becomes apparent that the economy cannot afford it.'
ESSENTIAL TAX DATES FOR NOVEMBER
£100 penalty if 2015 paper Tax Return not yet filed. Additional penalties may apply for further delay (no penalties if online return filed by 31 January 2016).
Submission date of P46 (Car) for quarter to 5 October.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
'Allowing them instead to share leave with their children will keep thousands more in the workplace, which is good for our economy.'
Chancellor George Osborne commenting on the new scheme allowing grandparents to help care for grandchildren using shared parental leave and pay.
WEBSITE OF THE MONTH
Online tool for discussing business issues with other UK business people.
ON OUR WEBSITE
Key tax advice for you and your business
The Tax Strategies section of our website provides information on tax planning strategies, including tax and employment and making the most of savings and investments.
Useful information for businesses
With topics ranging from limited companies to PAYE, NICs and benefits, the Your Business section of our site is all you need to stay in-the-know.
Businesses warned about new 'whaling' email scam
Businesses are being warned about a new email scam - dubbed 'whaling' - which targets the finance departments of SMEs.
Grandparents in work to receive shared parental leave and pay
Working grandparents could be permitted to make use of shared parental leave and pay in order to help care for their grandchildren, under new plans.
State 'top-up' scheme permits pensioners to increase retirement savings
Over seven million Britons could potentially boost their state pension through a new 'top-up' scheme.
'Delivery is what counts' - business groups react to Prime Minister's conference speech
Business groups including the Confederation of British Industry and the British Chambers of Commerce have stressed the importance of delivering practical reforms to encourage enterprise.
New employment laws come into effect
1 October saw the introduction of a raft of new employment legislation, including an increase in the National Minimum Wage and a new law banning smoking in cars in which children are present.


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FEATURE2 June 2011
FEATURE2 June 2011
Mobile research presents a great opportunity to add insight to research, says Thomas Edwards, the boss of Synovate’s new mobile division. But as numerous providers seek to cash in, will it suffer from the same problems that online research did a few years ago?
Thomas Edwards, who was promoted to lead Synovate’s new mobile practice earlier this week, sees many similarities between the early online research market and its mobile equivalent. But there’s one big difference: the prevalence of the technologies and the speed at which they’ve spread.
He told Research: “We’re 10 years on and we’re still seeing places where online penetration is about 23%, but at the end of the year mobile penetration will be 75% [across the world].”
“There are so many suppliers that offer so many different things and they’re not taking into account whether this is a better way of doing things”
As it was with online, there are hordes of companies offering mobile research-related services – but not always enough care being taken to ensure that clients are getting what’s right for them. Back in 2006 the ARF’s Bob Barocci described online research as “the wild west”, with numerous companies clamouring to get involved and paying insufficient attention to quality. Are we now seeing something similar with mobile?
“It’s gone towards the wild wild west in the last couple of years,” Edwards said. “There are so many suppliers that offer so many different things and they’re not taking into account whether this is a better way of doing things.”
This has led to accusations that the research industry is thrusting the latest technologies on clients, rather than focusing on what may be best for their business, and Edwards agrees that buyers need a helping hand when deciding whether to go with a mobile solution.
“It is new to a lot of clients, you have to work with them, guide them and make sure that the right decisions are made,” he said. “The technology is great but at the end of the day our clients pay us for insights into their products and customer satisfaction levels.”
Edwards said Synovate bided its time before launching the new division, keeping an eye on what solutions were becoming available and running pilot tests with clients in selected markets before rolling the new offering out across the globe.
“A few years ago we had a lot of tech companies bringing out products. What we’re seeing now is companies opening up and accepting these methodologies”
Over the past few years he has seen interest in mobile research from both agencies and clients grow. “A few years ago we had a lot of tech companies bringing out products, but what we’re seeing in the MR industry now is that companies – especially the big companies that use traditional methodology – are opening up and accepting these methodologies.”
The potential benefits of mobile research are widely known, and have the potential to provide information for clients that traditional research methods can’t. Location-based services, for example, are a “game changer” according to Edwards, and in the long run he said that he believes activities such as product testing and online diaries will migrate on to mobiles and away from other methods.
But despite his belief that mobile will continue to grow, he is adamant that it will never replace traditional research methods. “Traditional market research is a rather large beast and mobile research is not going to tackle every problem that we have. The main thing it does is provide additional insight to the traditional methods.”
Baroness Susan Greenfield on research, consciousness & why a generation is being changed by social media and gaming… https://t.co/psKpbbZICa


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Last week, Google released the first version of Android 11 developer preview system, the Pixel 2 to 5 generations of devices can taste. Essential PH-1, Poco X2, etc. have also pledged to upgrade. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus of the Model SM-G975F has been found in Geekbench 5.1, which is already running on android 11 R.
This proves that Samsung has started testing the Android 11 R system for older phones, eventually arriving in the form of One UI 2.5/3.0.
However, Android 11 is still in the early stages of development, and will have to go through at least the iterations of DP2, DP3, And Beta 1/Beta 2 to turn positive, in the third quarter.
In addition, samsung’s Android 11 is likely to start rolling out in January next year, with the S9/Note9 generation of devices without an upgrade, given the timing of the one-UI 2 (Android 10) stable version.
From the Android 11 DP point of view, Google has further improved the rights management, notification messages, background programs and other basic functions, new growth screen capture, range storage, frame rate display and other functions.


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On November 30th, All Africa participated in a global media webinar with Marian Salzman, Senior Vice-President of Global Communications at Philip Morris International (PMI). Considered as one of the world’s top trendspotters, well known for her annual trends forecasts, she presented an exclusive report on upcoming trends in this unprecedented time and what lies ahead in 2021.
In the face of uncertainty, populations have gone through persisting confusion and fear. But contrary to what could be understandably expected for 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic and its direct and indirect consequences could lead to a deeper, slower, and more human oriented world according to the thought leader:
“Amid all this collective suffering I see reasons to offer something better in the post covid-19 world. Social unrest in many countries, crisis and economic meltdown have changed us. They have altered our expectations and our vision of the world and our vision for what we want in the future and I hope that this pause that we’ve experienced will spark a great reset, a chance to change the direction which society and our communities and countries are headed. Because let’s face it: there is a whole lot that needs fixing in the world”.
Significant change and adjustment: an opportunity for localism
There are many thoughts about what the post Covid-19 pandemic world will look like. Everywhere and everybody, from companies, institutions, to regular people… has its point of view on how the world will change, or not. But one thing is certain according to the global trends specialist: the way we consume will be different in 2021:
“Our hyper consumerist economic model has led many of us to be deeply unsatisfied with how we live. We have a lot to stop. This year has allowed us to think about whether we want to maintain the current direction or change it. And the big trend we see into 2021 is really about zooming in on localism. We have slowed down enough to consider more deeply what we want in our lives and in our world. We are zooming in to connect with people and businesses around us. We are zooming in to examine how we can change direction and lead more fulfilling lives. We are zooming in to create homes that work better. It’s living the vida hyperlocal”
For the global futurist, the awareness is so deep that it has also allowed us to “zoom out to get a better sense of the broader world and how we can positively impact it. And then we’ll zoom back into our safe space. This will include being more aware of the people around us including all the people that we call central workers who we once regarded as below or outside our radar. We see them now. Zooming is as much about a mindset as it is a set of behaviors. It’s about taking the time to think more carefully about our lives choices and patterns and change the things that haven’t worked for us. And don’t be surprised if you see friends and relatives make radical change in 2021. Switching to more meaningful pursuits you see a great deal of career change right now. Moving into a tinier home, in a more temperate climate, going back to school for a dance degree”.
How about Africa?
The pandemic hasn’t had the same sort of devastating impact in Africa as it has elsewhere and many helpful and efficient strategies have been implemented to stop the spreading of Covid-19 around the continent.
Also, studies show that Africa has never been as digitally connected as we are now since the advent of Covid-19 and that digital connection has saved a number of lives through video medical consultation, for example. Digital transformation is a reality. This pandemic has jettisoned digital audience and consumer behavior and social media are the new epicenter of human interactions.
The young generation of African people is really connected and digitally aware. However, the new digital era globally cheered around the world is not yet a reality in Africa when two-thirds of the population lacks access to the Internet.When asked the question about the validity of these changes in Africa, and whether the continent could be part of the global transformation, Marian Salzman’s words were unequivocal:
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“Yes (Africa can be part of the transformation). If you go back to when the digital economy hit the US, less than 20% of Americans were online but the people who were going to drive economic changes have gotten there. Young people in Africa have the same kind of energy and enthusiasm and they will bring the others along. They will have to do it by creating low cost or free access to broadband. They will have to do it by creating businesses that actually allow people to get the things they need at an affordable cost. I think we are going to see African entrepreneurs and business leaders begin to transform and recognize that they need to put the technology in the hands of the people and the people that will drive the revolution are going to be the economic beneficiaries. There is no question in my mind that it will happen.”
Following Marian Salzman’s predictions, many voices assert that since resilience and adaptation are already part of the way African societies and populations interact, 2021 may see an acceleration of the continent’s transformation on various levels.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.


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Microsoft is working on its next version of Windows 10, the Fall Creators Update. We have seen a number of Insider Preview builds that the company has been diligently sending to the Windows Insider community. While we have received several major improvements and features coming in with the Insider builds, latest reports suggest this may be the end of all those exciting features.
According to WindowsCentral sources, the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update "is now at its last leg of development internally, meaning the next couple of months will be focused on bug fixes and house-keeping before launch." This essentially means that we might not see any more exciting features coming to the Insider community, as the company starts focusing on bug fixes and performance stability.
There will definitely be a few minor features and changes as we still have over a month left in the development of the Fall Creators Update.
Fall Creators Update: end of all the exciting new features?
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will bring the highly anticipated Fluent Design to the OS along with My People, OneDrive placeholders, Story Remix, Mixed Reality improvements, and other new features. However, the company has postponed some of the very exciting features like Timeline and Cloud Clipboard for now.
When the Creators Update was first finalized in March earlier this year, it was highly expected that the next update - the Fall Creators Update - will be a major upgrade bringing some of the most exciting features. It turns out that the Fall Creators Update isn't as big either. We do get some exciting features as mentioned above, but these are expected even from a minor feature upgrade.
We are still to see if this report of Microsoft having started compiling builds in the rs3_release development branch is true or not, but it seems unlikely if we will see any more major features coming in with the Fall Creators Update. The Redmond software maker is now internally moving to the next update, the Redstone 4. However, we won't get to know anything about the Redstone 4 features until the Fall Creators Update is finalized in September.
Have you been testing the latest Insider Preview builds of the Windows 10 Fall Update? Do let us know if you are happy with the features and improvements that have been introduced so far.


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In September, a Zambian sable bull sold for R27 million. Reports of record prices were soon followed by predictions from industry experts about the likelihood of this “price bubble” bursting and it sparked controversy over the “conservation value” of colour-variant game.
In March this year, the South African Hunting and Game Conservation Association (SAHGCA) continued the debate about selective and intensive game breeding practices. Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, president of SAHGCA, commented on selective game breeding programmes, saying that deliberately selecting and breeding animals for specific traits such as unusual coat colours or large horn length was not compatible with conservation principles.
In reaction to hiscomment, Barry York, game farmer and one of the first people to breed golden wildebeest, said that while he understood the risk and impact of commercialisation of wildlife, responsible game farming had a positive effect on biodiversity that outweighed the risks.
According to the Absa Agri Outlook 2016, colour-variant game numbers were going up, while prices reacted by following a downward trend, pointing to a possibility that the market might be saturated.
July Hayward from Absa said that overall game prices had shown a supply and demand trend in prices, but using 2012 as a base year for colour-variant game, data showed that prices had decreased considerably since May 2015. Volumes had, however, increased drastically. Another trend that emerged was that high-value game, such as buffalo, sable and roan, were increasingly being hunted by international hunters.
Absa will be compiling a national game auction index and national hunting index, to be released in February 2016, and
thereafter biannually. Hunters and hunting associations have complained that colourvariant prices were pushing up prices for game hunting.
But Dr Peter Oberem, president of Wildlife Ranching SA, said that, “since 1991 game prices have not increased at a faster rate than inflation and hunters would continue to get a fair deal. Prices of game for hunting is also not likely to rise nearly as fast as other hunting inputs such as vehicles, rifles, ammunition, among others.”


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It’s been over 20 years since Frankie’s first online shop opened in Washington DC, but that’s all history.
A couple years ago, the popular social media influencer was sold to Ebay for a whopping $3 million.
But for a guy who’s been selling his face makeup for over 20 months, he’s not the same person he was a year ago.
For Frankie, it’s been a long road back to health.
And a very different face.
Before we get into the backstory, let’s talk about how it all started.
When Frankie first launched his online shop in January 2011, he was still trying to get healthy.
And he was struggling with acne and other issues.
In 2012, he even quit his job and started his own company, so he could pay his bills.
But in the months that followed, his website got more popular, and customers started calling in to ask about the makeup.
It’s no secret that the face is one of the most popular topics on social media, and there’s no shortage of makeup tutorials and products available.
When he launched the Face Shop in June 2012, Frankie wasn’t sure what to do with his time.
He said he didn’t want to spend more money on makeup, and he wasn’t happy with the results.
The shop had already been a success, and the sales had grown so much that he thought he could make more money.
So in January 2013, Franky sold his website to Ebays for $3.5 million.
“The plan was to make $2 million from the website,” Franky told BuzzFeed News.
But as it turned out, Frankies success came after Ebays stock price skyrocketed, and a deal with Amazon quickly fell through.
“I was thinking, I’m going to make another $2.5, and I’ll be OK,” Frankies father, Bruce, said.
Frankie said he and his wife were very excited when they found out that Ebays offer was only $3, and they were very confident that they could make enough money from the deal to keep the website going.
Frankies daughter, Stephanie, said she didn’t know anything about her dad’s business before he got the deal.
“Frankie said that he was just starting his online store because he was looking for a way to make some money, and it was a way that he could get healthier,” Stephanie said.
“But when it was over, I thought, he made the wrong decision.
He should have just quit his day job and gotten a real job instead of going through this whole thing.”
So the family decided to sell their business, too.
“It was a really hard decision,” Bruce said.
After Frankie sold his business, he spent a lot of time researching his new product line and buying more products to help him get ready for the launch of Face Shop, a brand he had dreamed about for years.
He’s already got a few products in his arsenal and he’s excited about what he’s going to launch next.
Franky also has a new online store, The Face Shop II, which he’s launching today.
His goal is to bring the same face makeup, face products, and makeup tools he sells online, with a more affordable price tag.
He also hopes to sell a limited number of products that can only be purchased online.
“My goal is not to make it the same, but to make my brand unique,” Frankie told BuzzFeed.
“To make it so that it can reach more people and be more affordable.”
But in an industry that is dominated by big names, brands, and even celebrities, the brand Frankie built has been limited.
Frankys products aren’t available on Ebays or Amazon and he doesn’t have any plans to launch any other products anytime soon.
“You know, I don’t want that money,” he said.
When you have a brand that you build, you want to keep it going, but you don’t have a lot in your pocket.
“When you’re making the same product over and over again, you’re not getting as much out of it,” Bruce Frankies said.
He wants his company to have a consistent quality product, and so he and Stephanie are already starting work on a new product each month.
For Stephanie, it will be a new face product.
“We’ve got a lot more coming in for the holidays,” she said.
And for Frankie?
“I don’t know.
I’ll probably wait to see what’s out there.”


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Toxic Receipts Are Ending Up In The Hands Of Unwitting ShoppersThe store clerk hands them to you all the time, but paper receipts pose a potential health hazard.
Judge Orders Safeway To Pay Shoppers $42 Million For Overcharging OnlineSafeway has been ordered to pay customers almost $42 million to customers nationwide.
Is Apple Getting Sweetheart Deals On Rent At Malls Due To Foot Traffic Its Stores Bring In?Because of the amount of foot traffic Apple brings to malls, in many cases, the stores are able to negotiate for a better rental deal.
I-880 Ramps Open In San Jose, Bringing Traffic Relief To Santa Clara Valley DriversThere's traffic relief for many drivers in Santa Clara Valley now that two of three new ramps are opening at the Interstate 880 Stevens Creek Blvd. Interchange in San Jose.
New Smartphone App Lets Shoppers Decide If They Like A Product's PoliticsA new smartphone app will help grocery shoppers decide if they like the politics behind a brand.
Organic Food Producers Meet In San Francisco To Discuss Trends In Organic ShoppingSan Francisco played host to big players in the organic food world this month, but research shows many people still aren’t convinced the organic label is worth the price.
Russian Hackers Steal 1.2 Billion Internet PasswordsRussian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion user names and passwords in a series of Internet heists affecting 420,000 websites, according to a report published Tuesday.
Company Rolls Out Apple's iBeacon To Grocery StoresSoon, your phone might remind you to pick up detergent as you peruse the supermarket...
BART Police Bump Up Presence, Offer Escorts For Holiday Shoppers In SF, OaklandBay Area Rapid Transit riders can expect to see more police officers in stations, and on trains starting Thursday.
Anonymous Couple Picks Up Holiday Shopping Tabs For 5 Lucky ShoppersChristmas came early for some shoppers at a Walmart in the San Francisco Bay area city of Livermore.
Tech Report: Shopping Safely Online During Holiday SeasonKCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid has some advice for consumers shopping online this holiday season.
San Jose Police Identify Victims In Murder-SuicideAuthorities have released the identities of two people who died in an apparent murder-suicide at a busy San Jose strip mall.


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Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has filed a measure which seeks to allow consumers the preferential option to secure billing statements and other transaction documents either in printed or electronic form without additional cost to them.
De Lima filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 2194 seeking to amend certain provisions of Republic Act No. 7394, or the “Consumer Act of the Philippines,” to protect consumers from deceptive practices of service providers and promote their general welfare.
“The consumers have the right to be properly informed of their full details of the transaction and for them to be charged a premium cost for this information is a violation of this right which can ultimately lead to fraudulent behavior on the part of the sellers,” she said.
Based on news reports, Filipino consumers who chose to be billed in the traditional way are required to pay for the release of their paper bill usually at PhP50 every month by service provider giants Globe and PLDT Inc.
Using their stance on supposed support for environmental sustainability and preservation as among the reasons, telecom giants PLDT and Globe moved from the traditional to digital billing despite surveys revealing that consumers still opt to print their bills at home.
De Lima pointed out that the mandatory e-billing imposed by the Energy Regulatory Commission and some local service providers masquerading as a pro-environment advocacy is only meant to pass the printing costs of billing statements to the consumers.
“Requiring consumers to move from paper to electronic billing becomes merely a ploy of the service providers to shift the burden of paying the costs of printing and mailing the billing statements to the consumers and is not entirely about the preservation and conservation of the environment as they primarily claim,” she said.
“There is a need to improve existing legislation, especially R.A. No. 7394, to strengthen and reinforce its fundamental purposes of shielding the interests of the consumers, promoting their general welfare and establishing ethical standards of conduct for business and industry,” she added.
While going paperless is deemed as a method to solve environmental problems, the former justice secretary noted that certain scientific studies show that the paperless campaign contributes to increase in carbon emissions and global warming.
Citing a report from British daily newspaper The Guardian, De Lima noted that “[u]ntil more research has been done on the life-cycle and environmental impact of electronics, pitting paper and e-media against each other is somewhat futile” and that “There is a place for both paper and e-media.”
Under SB No. 2194, De Lima, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, proposed that billing statements and other transaction documents may be sent in printed or electronic form at the option of, and without any additional cost to the consumers.
“The consumers’ right to select the mode in which they receive their billing statements and other transaction documents may not be conditioned on the value of the products or services provided in the transaction,” she pointed out. In January 2018, De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 588 urging the appropriate Senate committee to probe the said mandatory electronic billing imposed by ERC and several service providers which obviously takes advantage of Filipino consumers.


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Solana’s NFT space updates look promising, but what’s in it for SOL
Solana’s NFT sales volume declined, but transactions per program increased. TVL and token value increased last week, but a few metrics were bearish. Solana Mobile recently made a major announcement that can have a potential impact on the Solana [SOL] ecosystem. As per the announcement, the full Saga product design files became open source.


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- Influencer caution. Brands should carefully choose influencers who align with their target audience to avoid potential backlash and negative impacts on their reputation and market capitalization.
- TikTok popularity. Despite ongoing legislative debates, TikTok remains a powerful platform for reaching younger generations, making it a popular choice for brands targeting Gen Z.
- Authentic engagement. In an age where AI-generated content is on the rise, prioritizing humanized, authentic content and genuine connections with customers is essential for brands to stand out and build trust.
Social media marketing involves the creation of customized content for social media platforms to boost customer engagement and promote a brand. By creating and fostering strong connections with customers on their preferred channels, this strategy offers significant benefits to businesses.
According to a Statista report from March 2023, there are 308.27 million social media users — 91.9% of the total US population. As such, social media marketing offers brands a huge opportunity to engage with their customers in the channels of their choice. This article will look at the ways that brands are using social media marketing and how it has changed in 2023.
Social Marketing, Influencers and Brand Values
Sometimes, even when a brand is standing up for the right things, it turns out to be a bad PR move if it ostracizes its core audience. Recently, such has been the case with Anheuser-Busch, which partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and used her picture on Bud Light cans to promote LGBTQ+ equality and inclusivity. The controversy began when Anheuser-Busch sent her Bud Light beers, and she posted a video of herself dressed as Holly Golightly from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” while promoting the product.
The Bud Light campaign promoted the concept that everyone should be able to be themselves, a value that most of us would agree with; however, it didn’t sit well with many of the brand’s conservative customers. Since the campaign began on March 31, shares of Anheuser-Busch have fallen by nearly 4%, dropping its market capitalization from $132.38 billion to $127.13 billion.
Entertainers Travis Tritt and Kid Rock recently posted videos on social media indicating that they were very angry about Anheuser-Busch’s influencer marketing campaign. Tritt said he would be removing Anheuser-Busch products from his rider while on his concert tour, and Kid Rock used a machine gun to shoot cases of Anheuser-Busch beer. Many others, who were not so famous, also spoke out on social networks, letting people know that they were unhappy with the campaign.
The moral of this story is to know one’s customers. It’s great to be diverse and inclusive, but prepare for backlash.
TikTok Still Leads the Way for Short-Form Videos
Although there is a federal push to ban the use of TikTok, the state of Montana is moving ahead with legislation that will completely ban the social media network. The app is owned by the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and some US government officials are concerned that TikTok poses national security risks.
That said, the popularity of the social network continues to grow. According to a 2023 Insider Intelligence report, TikTok is the third-largest social network and has 834.3 million monthly users worldwide, and by 2025, it will have close to a billion users. A 2023 Statista report revealed that of all those TikTok users, 113 million are Americans — more than any other country. A large percentage of TikTok users, 60% in fact, are Gen Zers. This makes the social network very popular with brands whose target market are members of the Gen Z population.
Sasha Ramani, associate director of corporate strategy at MPOWER Financing, a worldwide provider of scholarships and no-cosigner loans, told CMSWire that in 2023, the lasting impact of working with influencers has strengthened brand awareness and increased a business’s bottom line in innovative ways as social media continues to evolve. “Highly engaging, fan-favorite, social features such as TikTok challenges have taken the world by storm and have made the platform a hotbed of fruitful influencer partnerships,” Ramani said.
Many brands are using TikTok as their preferred medium to reach a younger audience. Although some brands create their own TikTok accounts and post videos that showcase their products or services, many others choose to collaborate with TikTok influencers to reach a wider audience. According to a 2022 Insider Intelligence report, over 42% of US marketers used TikTok for influencer marketing in 2021, a number that is expected to reach 49% this year.
Brands that are using or considering the use of TikTok will be closely monitoring the attempts by both state and federal officials to ban its use, as nobody wants to invest in a campaign that suddenly loses most of its target audience.
A Focus on Youth-Centered Content
According to a 2023 report from Business DIT, around 94% of the Gen Z population actively participates on social media, accounting for 61.1 million users in the United States alone. A 2023 report from Insider Intelligence indicated that although Gen Z only makes up 27% of the US population, they remain the youngest, most ethnically diverse, and largest generation in American history. As such, many brands in 2023 are devoting much of their efforts toward this generation.
Casey Jones, founder, director and head of marketing at CJ&CO, a global digital marketing company, told CMSWire that in 2023, there’s more focus on youth-centered content. “Gen-Z is the present and future generation of consumers, so every piece of content should be tailored to their mindset,” said Jones. “For example, Gen Z does not like the idea of being sold a product. Instead, they’re more into immersive and imaginative brand experiences.”
To effectively market to Gen Z, brands should engage on their preferred platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat, leverage social influencers and focus on their interests and behaviors. “I’ve observed that eye-catching visuals and bright colors work better than ever. Plus, content that truly appeals to their interests is driving more engagement,” said Jones, who suggested that brands leverage this approach and prioritize youth-centered content.
Generative AI Is Impressive, but the Human Touch Is Vital
In the past two months, ChatGPT has gained more than 100 million users, a feat that took TikTok nine months to achieve. Generative AI models such as ChatGPT, Bing Image Creator, Google Bard, Bing Chat, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion and more have enabled businesses to instantly generate content, images and videos by using simple text descriptions. Although generative AI technology holds promise to open up a multitude of opportunities, at the same time, it further reduces the human element in interactions with customers. If all of a brand’s content has been created by AI, it’d be challenging to build a connection with its human customers.
“Another thing about social media marketing that has changed in 2023 is the increased importance of humanized content,” said Jones. “With the rise in the popularity of AI writing tools like ChatGPT and Jasper AI, a lot of brands are using machine-generated content on social media. Well, no matter how good this content is, it lacks a human touch. For example, AI often uses repetitive words and sentences, and talks in the third person, which feels shallow. On the other hand, humanized content uses first and second-person pronouns, which feels like a two-way conversation.”
Content that is written by a human is often laced with humor, wit and compassion, which appeals to people’s emotions, so in a sea of machine-generated content, Jones believes that humanized content is helping businesses shine brighter than their competitors.
User-generated content is another way that brands are able to use humanized content on social media. “One crucial way brands are using social media marketing is by creating more user-generated content,” said Bridget Reed, co-founder of The Word Counter, an online editing tool. “They are involving their customers in the creation of marketing campaigns by encouraging them to share their experiences using the brand’s product or service. This has led to an increase in engagement and brand loyalty,” said Reed. “Brands are using social media to showcase user-generated content and encourage customers to share their experiences with the brand.”
Genuine, Authentic, Organic Content Is Most Appealing
Social media users are very adept at recognizing advertising and marketing hype that is delivered to them on social media platforms. They can also see through an inauthentic brand voice and are likely to push away, unfriend and unsubscribe from any such attempt.
Crystal Uys, marketing and communications manager at ExcitedCats.com, a cat care site that features cat guides, health and gear articles, told CMSWire that in a world where fake news is around every corner, there is one thing that remains invaluable to brands when it comes to social media: telling their audience the truth. “Although various groups consume content differently, people are constantly seeking out the most trustworthy information,” said Uys. “If you can position your brand as one that prides itself on delivering only the highest quality information or content, your audience will do the rest. It’s not about your brand, it’s about the people that your brand seeks to serve,” said Uys, adding that although this has always been true, it is showing to be increasingly more crucial in 2023.
Much like Uys, Kathleen Marchetti, director of marketing at Next PR, told CMSWire that social media marketing in 2023 is all about authentic connections. “Users can smell black-hat marketing tactics and inauthenticity a mile away. Brands need to show up — and show their human side — in order to connect and build trust with target audiences,” said Marchetti, who added that executive social media is also a driving force in humanizing brands. “Company leaders need to be active on their social pages, sparking conversation and making real connections with their followers. They’re the face of the brand, but more than that, they represent the brand’s values on social media more than a corporate page ever could.”
Final Thoughts on Social Media Marketing
Social media became even more important in people’s lives during the pandemic, and it remains a vital way in 2023 for brands to connect and engage with customers in their preferred channels. Brands should be cautious about working with influencers who may not appeal to their target audience, but collaborations with influencers can still be effective.
TikTok is a popular social channel for reaching younger generations through short-form video, despite legislative debates. Overall, social media is an essential component of modern marketing strategies, but it’s crucial for brands to navigate each platform carefully and prioritize authentic engagement with their audience to avoid potential backlash.
Source : www.cmswire.com


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A man wearing a face masks walks past a Nike store in Central Industry District, Beijing, China on February 17, 2020.
Andrea Verdelli | Getty Photos
Shares were down virtually 4% midday. The inventory has won more than 95% over the last year and has a market price of $217 billion.
Nike didn’t expose the jobs cuts in its Thursday earnings document or name with investors. The layoffs were first reported by The Oregonian, which covers the Portland-location primarily primarily based completely sneaker company.
Nike stated the cuts disclose layoffs that began remaining summer. As of Could per chance fair 31, 2020, Nike employed about 75,400 workers worldwide, in defending with a filing with the Securities and Exchange Price.
In a ready assertion, Nike it became “targeted on shifting resources and creating capacity to reinvest in our best seemingly skill increase areas.”
“We are constructing a flatter, nimbler company and more immediate reworking Nike to elaborate the market of the future,” it stated.
On Thursday, the athletic apparel retailer stated its income dropped 10% year over year in North The United States for the length of its fiscal third quarter ended Feb. 28, as backlogged ports delayed shipments. That induced merchandise to near weeks slack to its salvage retail outlets and these of its wholesale partners, such as outlets and sporting goods outlets, and increased the possibility of it winding up on the clearance rack.
Nike stated sales at its retail outlets in Europe, Center East and Africa dropped for the length of the quarter because of the pandemic-connected closures and restrictions, too.
“The supreme news right here is provide chain considerations shoud subside in the subsequent few quarters whereas Europe will initiate wait on up in time because the vaccine is rolled out further, ” Jefferies analyst Randal Konik stated in a compare point to. Konik rates Nike shares a preserve, with a $140 designate goal.
Nike pointed to shining spots such because the increase of its state-to-user industry, momentum in China and trusty on-line sales. The corporate stated it hit its first quarter with $1 billion in on-line sales in North The United States, as customers snapped up new sneakers and workout apparel for the length of their time at house. Gross sales shot up 51% in Better China. And the company stated it expects a a connected resurgence of sales as a ramification of international locations recover from the pandemic.


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Apple intends to step harder in the film industry and compete with more aplomb against other giants in that business, including Disney, Amazon, HBO and Netflix. A Bloomberg report ensures that the cradle of the iPhone will invest 1,000 million dollars in original productions and that it intends to release it in movie theaters before on its streaming platform, TV+.
Apple wants to be a heavyweight in the world of cinema
Instead of just buying film distribution rights, Apple plans to boost its movies and series service with a greater focus on movie theaters. According to the source, the million-dollar annual investment by the company headed by Tim Cook will be accompanied by premieres that will be available on the big screen, before Apple TV+, for at least a month.
Also read: He is Argentine, created a video game at age 11, got a scholarship in the US and now works at Apple
These measures seek to “get the public used to thinking of Apple Studios and Apple TV Plus as serious players in the world of movies,” says the Engadget site in this regard.
Apple is expected to increase its investments in the movie industry. (Photo: Reuters/David Gray)
Apple has yet to officially announce these media-revealed plans, though it won’t be surprising if it does. The American firm has already held talks with major film studios and has even produced series with well-known directors, including Steven Spielberg.
Why does Apple want to release in theaters?
As indicated, one of the Californian company’s intentions is to consolidate its position as a film producer, rather than as a firm that acquires broadcasting rights. On the other hand, the arrival of films in theaters in the first instance could better position Apple TV +, although the move is partly paradoxical: why pay a subscription if the content has already been seen in theaters?
Also read: Apple would create a pen with a built-in camera, just like James Bond’s
“Although the industry is still in a period of flexible experimentation to bring broadcast projects to big screens, it remains to be seen how the models will change,” they note in this regard in Hyperbeast.
Apple will release movies in the cinema: what are the projects you are working on?
There are two films in the crosshairs to start Apple’s landing in theaters as a premiere platform rather than on its own service. One of them is the historical drama Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix, and the other is Argylle, a thriller with Dua Lipa and Henry Cavill.
A scene from “CODA”, Apple’s biggest hit to date in the movie industry. (Photo: Press)
Apple’s biggest success with movies was CODA, a film that won recognition in 2022, with Oscars for Best Film of the Year and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Apple competes with Amazon, Disney, Netflix and other bigwigs
In times of change for Netflix, with the growth of Disney+ and the presence of other powerful companies such as HBO and Paramount, among others, the business of streaming movies and series is increasingly challenging. In such a context, Apple intends to accommodate itself with a million-dollar annual investment.
Also read: Netflix lowers its subscriptions in more than 100 countries and Argentina was left out of the list
For its part, Amazon announced that it will also invest $1 billion a year in movies that will hit theaters first.


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"Change is not a threat, it's an opportunity."
Salesforce.com to Acquire Tableau Software
martinwolf Transaction Analysis
- Enterprise Value: 14.5B
- EV/Sales: 12.2X
- EV/EBIDTA: N/A
- Cloud-based software company Salesforce.com Inc (NYSE: CRM) announced early today its plan to acquire data firm Tableau Software Inc (NYSE: DATA) in an all-stock transaction in which shares of Tableau Class A and Class B common stock will be exchanged for 1.103 shares of Salesforce common stock, representing a 42 percent premium over Friday’s closing price.
- This is Salesforce’s biggest acquisition. Tableau has more than 86,000 customers and will merge its platform with Salesforce’s Customer 360 platform.
- The transaction is expected to increase Salesforce’s FY20 total revenue by approximately $350 million to $400 million, an increase of 24 to 25 percent. It is expected to decrease fiscal 2020 non-GAAP EPS by 37 cents to 39 cents.
- Shares of Tableau closed up 35 percent, while shares of Salesforce closed down 2 percent.
- The transaction is expected to close in Q3 2019 subject to customary closing conditions.
- Extending Its Engagement: Salesforce’s acquisition of Tableau helps extend its engagement and data intelligence for Salesforce customers and allows the company to bulk up its analytics visualization strategy and reach to new customers. Tableau’s integration with Salesforce 360 will provide new capabilities to existing and new customers and will enable organizations to improve data-driven decisions with new interactive and visual analytics platforms.
- Building Customer Stickiness: Tableau’s Q1 2019 financial results showed momentum in its subscriptions, with a 41 percent increase year-over-year which president Adam Selipsky attributed to the ease and flexibility of Tableau’s end-to-end platform. This customer stickiness indicates confidence in its services. Salesforce’s acquisition capitalizes on this customer confidence and shows its commitment to its own customers and platform by its ability to forecast and adapt its service offerings with in-demand technology and data platforms.
- Confidence in the Markets it Serves: Salesforce is putting money where the company’s mouth is. The company isn’t buying back shares or sitting on cash, it’s investing in its business. They think the timing is right to make a big bet. Most importantly, they are diluting current shareholders by buying a company with no current EBITDA and exchanging shares. That is a sign where the enterprise SaaS market may be headed, and that is bullish.
For more information about this transaction, click here to read the press release.
*Financial information from Factset. EV/EBIDTA is not available as target EBIDTA is negative.
martinwolf was not the advisor in this transaction.


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Cash generated from a series of profitable quarters seems to be burning holes in the pockets of SWsoft founder and CEO Serguei Beloussov, who spent last week in London “hinting” at plans to announce several acquisitions.
Belassouv’s candour didn’t stretch to naming names, but reports in The Inquirer, citing Israeli tech-business daily The Marker, suggest a deal has already be done the deal with Sphera, a developer of software that manages multi-tenant software-as-a-service systems.
The Sphera rumour fits with SWsoft’s previous acquisition record, which stretches back to 2003 when it acquired two German software companies, Plesk and Yippi-Yeah E-Business, and continued in 2005 with the purchase of Value of Software Technology Co Ltd.
Plesk gave SWsoft a server control console that had already been integrated with its own Virtuozzo server virtualisation product, whilst Yippi-Yeah contributed yet more hosting management software with its Confixx package. Value of Software Technology was an early mover in China’s hosted service systems space, and his since become SWsoft China.
What SWsoft’s other acquisitions may turn out to be remains to be seen, but it would be no surprise if the company is planning to add more virtual machine management or provisioning tools to support both its Parallels hardware virtualisation products, and the Virtouzzo software virtualisation portfolio.
As VMware’s recent IPO has shown, virtualisation is the hot ticket in the industry right now, but insiders like Beloussov are already down-playing the importance of core virtualisation technology, and predicting that future profits will be driven by products and services that make it easier to own and deploy virtual machines