Online gambling for real money

which online gambling sites are legal

which online gambling sites are legal - win

Lockdown 3.0 Things to do, plus help and support.

Disclaimer I want to thank everyone for the gilds, replies and suggestions. I just do not have time to reply to everyone, but I am reading everything. I am not sure how much bigger the thread can be, I already typed this but it vanished so I think I'm at the limit. I will try to keep updating, but I don't expect the thread to be up top for much longer and will likely vanish soon, so if you need anything save it.
Yes, it's hard, it sucks, it's depressing. It is something we all have to do if you want to see this virus go. Everyone knows the deal, too many think they're the exception but no one is. However, staying home is hard so maybe I can help at least one or two people with some incentives. I'll try to give links to some things that can help cure the boredom, and some support if you need it.
Most of this might be obvious to some, some might not even have internet and of course, money is a big issue, so I'll try to give some suggestions:
For streaming and on demand things such as Netflix et al, don't forget you can subscribe for free for your first month. This goes for most things in the list. If you are worried about putting in your payment details and forgetting to cancel a month later, don't worry! You can sign up and immediately cancel and you still get your free month!
For people who don't have a smart TV, you can buy a cheap Amazon Fire TV stick or a Roku box. The Fire stick can go as low as £20 often for 1080p. It will drop to £30 for 4k.
I picked up a 4k Roku device for £18 on Amazon once. It's fast and snappy. currently it's going for £33 for the 4k version. Having both, there is little difference between the devices. NowTV also do their own roku powered device.
Subscription based streaming sites that all offer 2-4 weeks free for first timers
  • Netflix *According to comments the second month is free.
  • Amazon Prime You can either get Amazon video on its own, or take prime with other benefits. I strongly urge those who use Amazon for buying off their store front to use [https://smile.amazon.co.uk/] as there is literally no difference except everything you buy amazon donates to a charity of your choice.
  • Now TV (I believe it's 7 days)
  • Disney+
  • Britbox
  • Amazon channels. I believe you can get all these individually but Amazon offers them as channels bound to your prime account, and they are again either free for a couple weeks (again, take them, cancel instantly) or very cheap. I recently subscribed to Starzplay for £1 for 3 months. It has some good shows on it like Fringe, doom patrol. It also has channels like Curiosity stream and shudder
If you have not subscribed to the any of the above, you can get a few months of free TV by signing up and cancelling instantly. I suggest waiting at least 5 minutes just to let it go through the system.
Some tips for Now TV. IF you already have a subscription, I've noticed you can get it cheaper by cancelling. When you cancel they will beg you to stay. Select "I can not afford it this month" and they should beg again, telling you what shows they have. If you say you still want to cancel, they'll beg one last time and offer you the subscription for cheaper. This won't work every month, but I've noticed they'll always offer it the first time, then again after a couple months. If you're subscribed to both films and entertainment do the most expensive one as it may not work both times (but it might!). You can also pick up passes from storefronts a lot cheaper sometimes, before I could pick one up on Amazon for £3 but, they seem to have cracked down on it. If you shop around (or if anyone knows of a legitimate store please let me know) you might be able to pick it up cheaper. Lastly, check their website and under your account they should have an "offers for you" section.
Completely free TV
If you do have a smart TV and/or device, there are some good free streaming apps. One I really love is called PlutoTV. I know this is on both Roku and the fire stick, as well as Ps4/Ps5 and xbox.
Pluto offers a bunch of live channels and now an on demand section, all for free. It has adverts but they are actually short (shorter than regular TV and fewer of them). Some of the channels are just streaming certain shows like Mythbusters 24/7 or Dog the bounty hunter, but it has a lot of old movie channels as well as 24/7 kickboxing and MMA. It also has a 24/7 poker channel I quite like.
Another one I like is Rakuten Viki however, I haven't watched it for a while as my fire stick is only 1080p and I have too many other devices attached. I believe it is on Roku but you have to jump through some hoops and have an account. The last I checked on the fire stick you did not. Viki offers a metric ton of Asian shows, mainly from Japan and South Korea but it does have chinese, Malaysian etc. It has subtitles. Some Japanese shows are hysterical, albeit weird.
Roku also do their own channels with free shows if you own a device.
For those who don't have a smart TV or a Streaming device, you can set up your own computer as a dedicated streaming device with Plex. It's been a while since I used it but I believe it now also offers free movies and TV.
Anime
If you are into Anime there is
The first 2 are free to watch, or offer premium without ads which you can have a trial with. Crunchyroll is the better of the two with more original choice for Japanese voice and subs, while Funimation has more Dubs. I don't believe HiDive is free to watch but you do get a 2 week trial. These are more exclusives than the previous two.
PC Centric software
If you are a gamer or like Audiobooks or anything that uses computers for things like music making, programming or graphic design
Humble Bundle offers, as per the name, bundles. A long running site that got bought out by IGN. It offers both single items and bundles you can buy individually/as a pack while also offering a separate monthly subscription for around £8-9. The subscription gives you 12 games on average per month. That's the simplest explanation but it changes somewhat as sometimes you get to pick 10 out of 14 games, or get all 12.
Humble bundle offers more than just games though. Every Tuesday they bring a new bundle of games, while Thursday (I "think) a new bundle of books. They very often have books from the Black Library giving you a ton of Warhammer books. Sometimes it's standard E-books, other times it's audiobooks. A few times a year they do bundles for graphic design, a typical bundle would include programs like Paintshop Pro Corel Painter etc, They usually go for £0.76 for tier 1 up to around £18 for tier 3, which would include 4-6 full titles with 10+ addons. They also often have Music making bundles or video editing software as well as Programming or video game development.
The bundles change often, they usually have around 11 bundles at a time that last for 20 days. Sometimes it's trash but they do often have some very good deals.
Fanatical offers the same as humble bundle except usually not as high quality, but sometimes they do have some incredible deals, and they are very very cheap.
Both humble and fanatical are safe, trusted and been around a long time, and they are NOT grey market key sites. They work with the publishers and developers. You can buy games both old and new for a lot cheaper than you would most other places. Unless it states otherwise, keys are usually for steam.
**BOTH HB and Fanatical (HB much more common) offer free games fairly often. The catch is linking your steam account to them (at least HB). It is safe however.
IndieGala is another site like above. Except, these are much much lower quality. However, they offer a metric ton of free games. Quality is low but it is legitimate, and a lot of free stuff.
Game Store Fronts
  • Steam This one is so obvious I didn't add it, but apparently many want me to. It is the best out there, and you can find almost everything, with fantastic deals.
  • Greenmangaming offers games cheaply. Again, not a grey market site (which are legal but unethical) and they sometimes do bundles.
  • GoG (Good old games) is a DRM free site run by CDPR, the makers of the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk. They offer you games quite cheap and not needing DRM (such as Steam, Uplay etc which is less invasive versions of dodgy DRM from the olden days).
  • Epic Games Despite the controversy whether you care about their rivalry with valve, they offer free games ever week. Without ever having bought anything I have gained over 170 games. literally. Good games for the most part. They often give you £10 coupons as well.
  • Twitch Everyone knows twitch, but if you don't, it's a streaming service for watching gamers and girls with low cut tops accidentally bending over in front of the game. However, if you're signed up to prime, you get free games each month (and randomly between the set bunch).
  • Playstation Store Currently has January sales. Currently the free games for PS+ are for PS4: Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Greedfall. For the Ps5 it is Maneater
  • Games with Gold Bleed 2 and the King of Fighters XIII is available until Janurary 15th whilst little Nightmares is available until January 31st.
Gaming Subscriptions
Like the TV versions, you can sign up to these for a free trial (or very cheap). If you do sign up to only one at a time, it should keep you busy for a few months
  • Xbox Game Pass You can do this on both/either an Xbox or PC. If you sign up to the regular one, you can get a month (maybe three!) for £1. After you have done that, you can sign up to the premium version for 3 months at £1 a month. Most people know game pass, but you can download a large selection of games for free. The premium version gives you games with gold, allowing you to keep the games forever (but can only play with a subscription)
  • Ubisoft+ I'm not 100% sure if you get a trial or not. This allows a large collection of Ubisoft titles to play for £12.99 a month. Quite expensive but good if you like Ubisoft titles I guess.
  • EA Play EA's version. Goes by a ton of names I think, EA Access, EA Play, Origin Access etc etc. There's a couple of versions of this, and it is across all platforms (PS4/5, Xbox, PC) but not sure about the switch. I "think" the premium allows you to play on all platforms, while the cheaper one on a single platform, but I may be mistaken.
  • PS Now a once terrible service that is now actually very good. Allows you to download some Ps4 games to your PS4/5 and lets you stream a massive amount of Ps2/3/4 to your PC or playstation.
There's more like nvidia's service but you need the Shield device which is quite expensive. I'll leave it at that.
Audiobooks & Ebooks
  • Audible Not sure what the current deal is but if you are a prime member you can sign up for a trial and get a free Audiobook each month for 3 months. Some warhammer books are 48 hours long, 3 of those gives you a good 100+ hours of listening!
  • Comixology Another Amazon company, but lets you download some free comics I believe.
  • Marvel Unlimited No experience with this. ItFuckingWont wanted me to add it. A subscription service for Marvel.
Education
  • Sign Language BSL here No experience myself, suggested by n21brown and asked for a few times. Didn't know SL was so popular! Listed as "Pay what you can"
  • BBC's Bitesize here is apparently good for home learning. Again, no personal experience.
If you need some spare change
Okay, I don't generally bother with it, but maybe some of this could be useful to you. These are NOT a quick way to make a fortune. These are small things you can do over time for a bit of pocket change
  • If you have prime you can get a FREE FIVE POUND GIFT CARD by literally just streaming a song from Amazon music (which is included in prime) here is the details According to the comments it's only for select people, but it's worth trying If the link doesn't work for you just google "Amazon £5 coupon music"
  • Now, these sorts of sites have been around for years, I haven't used any other than talkInsights which I must have signed up to 10-15 years ago. Basically they send you surveys and you answer them. They are confidential and don't ask for personal details in the survey. You need 2000 points and you get £20. During the pandemic they've slowed down but I probably get around £40 a year. Not much I know, but it's an email followed by a quick survey ticking boxes. Depending on your answer sometimes you get screened out, I'm not telling you to lie but just be consistent with your answers and you should be able to work out how to not get screened. Some emails are only worth 20 points, others 200. It's slow to get to the 2000 but very quick to just answer a few questions.
  • Apparently beermoneyuk is a good sub to make some pocket change with.
  • There is also matched betting. I have never done this, I don't have the patience but from what I've read, it's legitimate, it works and you can make a fair amount of cash from it so long as you do it correctly, and there's a ton of guides. I mention this because people stuck at home could get into it and as long as you're careful (I.E not entering in the wrong numbers) it's risk free AND it pisses off the betting shops. It seems people in comments have had success with it. Disclaimer A couple have complained about gambling. This arguably is not gambling. If you are susceptible to addiction do not do it. However, it's argued that there is no fun or buzz in this, and it's a very tedious and time consuming thing. Others argue you can't make the same money anymore (People were making thousands, now only hundreds if that). It's risk free providing you know what you're doing, the risks are user error, such as entering the wrong numbers. Someone pointed out that due to the lockdown, bets could potentially be cancelled due to sport stopping. So use on a side of caution. We're (mainly) adults so I'll leave it up just because this doesn't have the excitement of regular gambling.
  • Microsoft Rewards This is an easy way to make pocket change doing very little. Most people have a MS account. The rewards program offers you numerous ways to grab points, by playing free to play games, answering small questions (you don't even need to answer most of the time, just open the link and shut it) and by using bing and searching on it. I've gotten 20k points JUST by answering questions over a couple months. There are many rewards but you can grab a £5 gift card for 6k for example, or a month of game pass (and AFAIK you can make points playing the games)
  • Google rewards Someone mentioned this in the comments. I have not used it, so can not give any input on it. Sounds similar to TalkInsights which I linked. Google states "Complete short surveys while standing in line, or waiting for a subway. Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We’ll notify you when a survey is waiting."
That's it for now. I will try to update as I go along. A long post but I hope that it can help some of you with finding something good to do that's free, cheap or a bargain. I do suggest getting prime, especially since you get free music, free delivery, free TV and music and free video games each month. In fact, there's a ton of perks and I feel I've gotten way over the cost investment.
Hope it helps someone at least
PartTimeCrazy said if you bought an Apple product you get 3 free months of Apple Arcade and Apple TV free for a year
fakehunted is upset I didn't mention wanking. Tesco have 225 sheets of Tissue for £0.75!
tale_lost suggested Project Gutenberg for a collection of free E-Books
Learning Language
Unfortunately, I don't have time to check every link listed so I will link the comments:
Togtogtog Gives a lot of links for Spanish
Board & Tabletop games
Corporal_Anaesthetic has made a list of Board games
ilyemco suggested these
HEALTH
I'm not a doctor! But if you're a smoker, something I strongly suggest is to quit. I struggled for years but in the first lockdown I quit, technically. I haven't had a cigarette since, however, I do that silly thing millennials do. I vape, but, it made quitting extremely easy. I would not have been able to do it if it wasn't for 88Vape They sell extremely cheap liquids at £1 each. You can find these in B&M but you can pick up 25 for £20 or buy your own mix.
Vitamin D deficiency has been said to be a big problem for the virus. I'd suggest (again, not a doctor!) that you pick some up. Tesco do a 3 for 2 deal. So you can pick up 270 tablets for £7.
If you are vulnerable you MIGHT be able to phone tesco and get put on their delivery saver list (currently it's paused but phoning may help. At the very least they might give you a priority slot. I did this for my mum, we didn't shop at Tesco but I phoned for her, and they put her on with no hassle, so she can always get a delivery.
HELP & ADVICE
The lockdown Rules.
Reasons to leave home include:
  • Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home. This includes work in someone else's home, such as that carried out by social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople
  • Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies
  • Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day). This includes meeting one other person from another household in an open public space to exercise
  • Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
  • Communal religious worship
  • Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents Activities related to moving house
I want to add, if you are in danger you are also allowed (and must!) to get away from the situation for some reason, BBC seems to have missed this very important thing (or I am blind)
Support
FOR THOSE SHIELDING YOU CAN CONTACT THE ROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE. These people helped my mother with picking up her medicine from the chemist. They were very helpful and went out their way to keep in touch and do it immediately. (It's the only experience I have with them though)
_riotingpacifist wanted these links added, but I simply just don't have the time to vet and check all the suggestions here, so I will link as is:
Update:
Digital Art
These are Free
  • Krita Arguably the best in my opinion. It has a load of options, brushes and a decent UI. It works fantastic with a tablet.
  • Gimp This is a decent program but last I used, the UI was a pain, and it isn't so user friendly while misses features, but it works, and it is possible to do some incredible creations on it.
  • Medibang Paint This is slightly geared towards Comics and Manga. I really enjoy using this with my drawing Tablet. As far as I know, it also for regular tablets for Android/Ipad and is free.
You can pick up a drawing tablet on Amazon quite cheap these days! Small ones that are just a black slate such as the wacom ones are good but takes some practice to get use to, but very worth it if you can't afford a dedicated drawing tablet with a screen.
Office suit software
A couple of free applications for word processing, spreadsheets etc.
  • LibreOffice This has most the average user would need to write their own books or to work from home. There's not a huge amount of difference between the two I'm linking (since I last used anyway) so it's more for preference.
  • Open Office You can pick this up here and again, like above it's just preference.
Music Making
I'm going to direct to matthewharris806 for some links as all the programs I've used like Reason are expensive, or cheaper stuff in bundles such as Magix software.
Games development
D_Dad_Default gives some links for that here
submitted by MrSoapbox to unitedkingdom [link] [comments]

"I think I've lived long enough to see competitive Counter-Strike as we know it, kill itself." Summary of Richard Lewis' stream (Long)

I want to preface that the contents of this post is for informational purposes. I do not condone or approve of any harassments or witch-hunting or the attacking of anybody.
 
Richard Lewis recently did a stream talking about the terrible state of CS esports and I thought it was an important stream anyone who cares about the CS community should listen to.
Vod Link here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/830415547
I realize it is 3 hours long so I took it upon myself to create a list of interesting points from the stream so you don't have to listen to the whole thing, although I still encourage you to do so if you can.
I know this post is still long but probably easier to digest, especially in parts.
Here is a link to my raw notes if you for some reason want to read through this which includes some omitted stuff. It's in chronological order of things said in the stream and has some time stamps. https://pastebin.com/6QWTLr8T

Intro

CSPPA - Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association

"Who does this union really fucking serve?"

ESIC - Esports Integrity Commission

"They have been put in an impossible position."

Stream Sniping

"They're all at it in the online era, they're all at it, they're all cheating, they're all using exploits, probably that see through smoke bug got used a bunch of times"

Match Fixing

"How many years have we let our scene be fucking pillaged by these greedy cunts?" "We just let it happen."

North America

"Everyone in NA has left we've lost a continents worth of support during this pandemic and Valve haven't said a fucking word."

Talent

"TO's have treated CS talent like absolute human garbage for years now."

Valve

"Anything that Riot does, is better than Valve's inaction"

Closing Statements

"We've peaked. If we want to sustain and exist, now is the time to figure it out. No esports lasts as long as this, we've already done 8 years. We've already broke the records. We have got to figure out a way to coexist and drive the negative forces out and we need to do it as a collective and we're not doing that."

submitted by Tharnite to GlobalOffensive [link] [comments]

Lockdown, things to do, help & advice.

Disclaimer I am posting this here because I got a message from the mods asking me to. I'm not from London so links aren't London centric (but hopefully still of help) and the main post is here so any updates will likely be there (I will try here but it's hard to keep up with the amount of suggestions)
Thanks.
Yes, it's hard, it sucks, it's depressing. It is something we all have to do if you want to see this virus go. Everyone knows the deal, too many think they're the exception but no one is. However, staying home is hard so maybe I can help at least one or two people with some incentives. I'll try to give links to some things that can help cure the boredom, and some support if you need it.
Most of this might be obvious to some, some might not even have internet and of course, money is a big issue, so I'll try to give some suggestions:
For streaming and on demand things such as Netflix et al, don't forget you can subscribe for free for your first month. This goes for most things in the list. If you are worried about putting in your payment details and forgetting to cancel a month later, don't worry! You can sign up and immediately cancel and you still get your free month!
For people who don't have a smart TV, you can buy a cheap Amazon Fire TV stick or a Roku box. The Fire stick can go as low as £20 often for 1080p. It will drop to £30 for 4k.
I picked up a 4k Roku device for £18 on Amazon once. It's fast and snappy. currently it's going for £33 for the 4k version. Having both, there is little difference between the devices. NowTV also do their own roku powered device.
Subscription based streaming sites that all offer 2-4 weeks free for first timers
  • Netflix *According to comments the second month is free.
  • Amazon Prime You can either get Amazon video on its own, or take prime with other benefits. I strongly urge those who use Amazon for buying off their store front to use [https://smile.amazon.co.uk/] as there is literally no difference except everything you buy amazon donates to a charity of your choice.
  • Now TV (I believe it's 7 days)
  • Disney+
  • Britbox
  • Amazon channels. I believe you can get all these individually but Amazon offers them as channels bound to your prime account, and they are again either free for a couple weeks (again, take them, cancel instantly) or very cheap. I recently subscribed to Starzplay for £1 for 3 months. It has some good shows on it like Fringe, doom patrol. It also has channels like Curiosity stream and shudder
If you have not subscribed to the any of the above, you can get a few months of free TV by signing up and cancelling instantly. I suggest waiting at least 5 minutes just to let it go through the system.
Some tips for Now TV. IF you already have a subscription, I've noticed you can get it cheaper by cancelling. When you cancel they will beg you to stay. Select "I can not afford it this month" and they should beg again, telling you what shows they have. If you say you still want to cancel, they'll beg one last time and offer you the subscription for cheaper. This won't work every month, but I've noticed they'll always offer it the first time, then again after a couple months. If you're subscribed to both films and entertainment do the most expensive one as it may not work both times (but it might!). You can also pick up passes from storefronts a lot cheaper sometimes, before I could pick one up on Amazon for £3 but, they seem to have cracked down on it. If you shop around (or if anyone knows of a legitimate store please let me know) you might be able to pick it up cheaper. Lastly, check their website and under your account they should have an "offers for you" section.
Completely free TV
If you do have a smart TV and/or device, there are some good free streaming apps. One I really love is called PlutoTV. I know this is on both Roku and the fire stick, as well as Ps4/Ps5 and xbox.
Pluto offers a bunch of live channels and now an on demand section, all for free. It has adverts but they are actually short (shorter than regular TV and fewer of them). Some of the channels are just streaming certain shows like Mythbusters 24/7 or Dog the bounty hunter, but it has a lot of old movie channels as well as 24/7 kickboxing and MMA. It also has a 24/7 poker channel I quite like.
Another one I like is Rakuten Viki however, I haven't watched it for a while as my fire stick is only 1080p and I have too many other devices attached. I believe it is on Roku but you have to jump through some hoops and have an account. The last I checked on the fire stick you did not. Viki offers a metric ton of Asian shows, mainly from Japan and South Korea but it does have chinese, Malaysian etc. It has subtitles. Some Japanese shows are hysterical, albeit weird.
Roku also do their own channels with free shows if you own a device.
For those who don't have a smart TV or a Streaming device, you can set up your own computer as a dedicated streaming device with Plex. It's been a while since I used it but I believe it now also offers free movies and TV.
Anime
If you are into Anime there is
The first 2 are free to watch, or offer premium without ads which you can have a trial with. Crunchyroll is the better of the two with more original choice for Japanese voice and subs, while Funimation has more Dubs. I don't believe HiDive is free to watch but you do get a 2 week trial. These are more exclusives than the previous two.
PC Centric software
If you are a gamer or like Audiobooks or anything that uses computers for things like music making, programming or graphic design
Humble Bundle offers, as per the name, bundles. A long running site that got bought out by IGN. It offers both single items and bundles you can buy individually/as a pack while also offering a separate monthly subscription for around £8-9. The subscription gives you 12 games on average per month. That's the simplest explanation but it changes somewhat as sometimes you get to pick 10 out of 14 games, or get all 12.
Humble bundle offers more than just games though. Every Tuesday they bring a new bundle of games, while Thursday (I "think) a new bundle of books. They very often have books from the Black Library giving you a ton of Warhammer books. Sometimes it's standard E-books, other times it's audiobooks. A few times a year they do bundles for graphic design, a typical bundle would include programs like Paintshop Pro Corel Painter etc, They usually go for £0.76 for tier 1 up to around £18 for tier 3, which would include 4-6 full titles with 10+ addons. They also often have Music making bundles or video editing software as well as Programming or video game development.
The bundles change often, they usually have around 11 bundles at a time that last for 20 days. Sometimes it's trash but they do often have some very good deals.
Fanatical offers the same as humble bundle except usually not as high quality, but sometimes they do have some incredible deals, and they are very very cheap.
Both humble and fanatical are safe, trusted and been around a long time, and they are NOT grey market key sites. They work with the publishers and developers. You can buy games both old and new for a lot cheaper than you would most other places. Unless it states otherwise, keys are usually for steam.
**BOTH HB and Fanatical (HB much more common) offer free games fairly often. The catch is linking your steam account to them (at least HB). It is safe however.
IndieGala is another site like above. Except, these are much much lower quality. However, they offer a metric ton of free games. Quality is low but it is legitimate, and a lot of free stuff.
Game Store Fronts
  • Steam This one is so obvious I didn't add it, but apparently many want me to. It is the best out there, and you can find almost everything, with fantastic deals.
  • Greenmangaming offers games cheaply. Again, not a grey market site (which are legal but unethical) and they sometimes do bundles.
  • GoG (Good old games) is a DRM free site run by CDPR, the makers of the Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk. They offer you games quite cheap and not needing DRM (such as Steam, Uplay etc which is less invasive versions of dodgy DRM from the olden days).
  • Epic Games Despite the controversy whether you care about their rivalry with valve, they offer free games ever week. Without ever having bought anything I have gained over 170 games. literally. Good games for the most part. They often give you £10 coupons as well.
  • Twitch Everyone knows twitch, but if you don't, it's a streaming service for watching gamers and girls with low cut tops accidentally bending over in front of the game. However, if you're signed up to prime, you get free games each month (and randomly between the set bunch).
  • Playstation Store Currently has January sales. Currently the free games for PS+ are for PS4: Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Greedfall. For the Ps5 it is Maneater
  • Games with Gold Bleed 2 and the King of Fighters XIII is available until Janurary 15th whilst little Nightmares is available until January 31st.
Gaming Subscriptions
Like the TV versions, you can sign up to these for a free trial (or very cheap). If you do sign up to only one at a time, it should keep you busy for a few months
  • Xbox Game Pass You can do this on both/either an Xbox or PC. If you sign up to the regular one, you can get a month (maybe three!) for £1. After you have done that, you can sign up to the premium version for 3 months at £1 a month. Most people know game pass, but you can download a large selection of games for free. The premium version gives you games with gold, allowing you to keep the games forever (but can only play with a subscription)
  • Ubisoft+ I'm not 100% sure if you get a trial or not. This allows a large collection of Ubisoft titles to play for £12.99 a month. Quite expensive but good if you like Ubisoft titles I guess.
  • EA Play EA's version. Goes by a ton of names I think, EA Access, EA Play, Origin Access etc etc. There's a couple of versions of this, and it is across all platforms (PS4/5, Xbox, PC) but not sure about the switch. I "think" the premium allows you to play on all platforms, while the cheaper one on a single platform, but I may be mistaken.
  • PS Now a once terrible service that is now actually very good. Allows you to download some Ps4 games to your PS4/5 and lets you stream a massive amount of Ps2/3/4 to your PC or playstation.
There's more like nvidia's service but you need the Shield device which is quite expensive. I'll leave it at that.
Audiobooks & Ebooks
  • Audible Not sure what the current deal is but if you are a prime member you can sign up for a trial and get a free Audiobook each month for 3 months. Some warhammer books are 48 hours long, 3 of those gives you a good 100+ hours of listening!
  • Comixology Another Amazon company, but lets you download some free comics I believe.
  • Marvel Unlimited No experience with this. ItFuckingWont wanted me to add it. A subscription service for Marvel.
Education
  • Sign Language BSL here No experience myself, suggested by n21brown and asked for a few times. Didn't know SL was so popular! Listed as "Pay what you can"
  • BBC's Bitesize here is apparently good for home learning. Again, no personal experience.
If you need some spare change
Okay, I don't generally bother with it, but maybe some of this could be useful to you. These are NOT a quick way to make a fortune. These are small things you can do over time for a bit of pocket change
  • If you have prime you can get a FREE FIVE POUND GIFT CARD by literally just streaming a song from Amazon music (which is included in prime) here is the details According to the comments it's only for select people, but it's worth trying If the link doesn't work for you just google "Amazon £5 coupon music"
  • Now, these sorts of sites have been around for years, I haven't used any other than talkInsights which I must have signed up to 10-15 years ago. Basically they send you surveys and you answer them. They are confidential and don't ask for personal details in the survey. You need 2000 points and you get £20. During the pandemic they've slowed down but I probably get around £40 a year. Not much I know, but it's an email followed by a quick survey ticking boxes. Depending on your answer sometimes you get screened out, I'm not telling you to lie but just be consistent with your answers and you should be able to work out how to not get screened. Some emails are only worth 20 points, others 200. It's slow to get to the 2000 but very quick to just answer a few questions.
  • Apparently beermoneyuk is a good sub to make some pocket change with.
  • There is also matched betting. I have never done this, I don't have the patience but from what I've read, it's legitimate, it works and you can make a fair amount of cash from it so long as you do it correctly, and there's a ton of guides. I mention this because people stuck at home could get into it and as long as you're careful (I.E not entering in the wrong numbers) it's risk free AND it pisses off the betting shops. It seems people in comments have had success with it. Disclaimer A couple have complained about gambling. This arguably is not gambling. If you are susceptible to addiction do not do it. However, it's argued that there is no fun or buzz in this, and it's a very tedious and time consuming thing. Others argue you can't make the same money anymore (People were making thousands, now only hundreds if that). It's risk free providing you know what you're doing, the risks are user error, such as entering the wrong numbers. Someone pointed out that due to the lockdown, bets could potentially be cancelled due to sport stopping. So use on a side of caution. We're (mainly) adults so I'll leave it up just because this doesn't have the excitement of regular gambling.
  • Microsoft Rewards This is an easy way to make pocket change doing very little. Most people have a MS account. The rewards program offers you numerous ways to grab points, by playing free to play games, answering small questions (you don't even need to answer most of the time, just open the link and shut it) and by using bing and searching on it. I've gotten 20k points JUST by answering questions over a couple months. There are many rewards but you can grab a £5 gift card for 6k for example, or a month of game pass (and AFAIK you can make points playing the games)
  • Google rewards Someone mentioned this in the comments. I have not used it, so can not give any input on it. Sounds similar to TalkInsights which I linked. Google states "Complete short surveys while standing in line, or waiting for a subway. Get rewarded with Google Play or PayPal credit for each one you complete. Topics include everything from opinion polls, to hotel reviews, to merchant satisfaction surveys. We’ll notify you when a survey is waiting."
That's it for now. I will try to update as I go along. A long post but I hope that it can help some of you with finding something good to do that's free, cheap or a bargain. I do suggest getting prime, especially since you get free music, free delivery, free TV and music and free video games each month. In fact, there's a ton of perks and I feel I've gotten way over the cost investment.
Hope it helps someone at least
PartTimeCrazy said if you bought an Apple product you get 3 free months of Apple Arcade and Apple TV free for a year
fakehunted is upset I didn't mention wanking. Tesco have 225 sheets of Tissue for £0.75!
tale_lost suggested Project Gutenberg for a collection of free E-Books
Learning Language
Unfortunately, I don't have time to check every link listed so I will link the comments:
Togtogtog Gives a lot of links for Spanish
Board & Tabletop games
Corporal_Anaesthetic has made a list of Board games
ilyemco suggested these
HEALTH
I'm not a doctor! But if you're a smoker, something I strongly suggest is to quit. I struggled for years but in the first lockdown I quit, technically. I haven't had a cigarette since, however, I do that silly thing millennials do. I vape, but, it made quitting extremely easy. I would not have been able to do it if it wasn't for 88Vape They sell extremely cheap liquids at £1 each. You can find these in B&M but you can pick up 25 for £20 or buy your own mix.
Vitamin D deficiency has been said to be a big problem for the virus. I'd suggest (again, not a doctor!) that you pick some up. Tesco do a 3 for 2 deal. So you can pick up 270 tablets for £7.
If you are vulnerable you MIGHT be able to phone tesco and get put on their delivery saver list (currently it's paused but phoning may help. At the very least they might give you a priority slot. I did this for my mum, we didn't shop at Tesco but I phoned for her, and they put her on with no hassle, so she can always get a delivery.
HELP & ADVICE
The lockdown Rules.
Reasons to leave home include:
  • Work or volunteering where it is "unreasonable" to work from home. This includes work in someone else's home, such as that carried out by social workers, nannies, cleaners and tradespeople
  • Education, training, childcare and medical appointments and emergencies
  • Exercise outdoors (limited to once a day). This includes meeting one other person from another household in an open public space to exercise
  • Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
  • Communal religious worship
  • Meeting your support or childcare bubble. Children can also move between separated parents Activities related to moving house
I want to add, if you are in danger you are also allowed (and must!) to get away from the situation for some reason, BBC seems to have missed this very important thing (or I am blind)
Support
FOR THOSE SHIELDING YOU CAN CONTACT THE ROYAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE. These people helped my mother with picking up her medicine from the chemist. They were very helpful and went out their way to keep in touch and do it immediately. (It's the only experience I have with them though)
_riotingpacifist wanted this links added, but I simply just don't have the time to vet and check all the suggestions here, so I will link as is:
Update:
Digital Art
These are Free
  • Krita Arguably the best in my opinion. It has a load of options, brushes and a decent UI. It works fantastic with a tablet.
  • Gimp This is a decent program but last I used, the UI was a pain, and it isn't so user friendly while misses features, but it works, and it is possible to do some incredible creations on it.
  • Medibang Paint This is slightly geared towards Comics and Manga. I really enjoy using this with my drawing Tablet. As far as I know, it also for regular tablets for Android/Ipad and is free.
You can pick up a drawing tablet on Amazon quite cheap these days! Small ones that are just a black slate such as the wacom ones are good but takes some practice to get use to, but very worth it if you can't afford a dedicated drawing tablet with a screen.
Office suit software
A couple of free applications for word processing, spreadsheets etc.
  • LibreOffice This has most the average user would need to write their own books or to work from home. There's not a huge amount of difference between the two I'm linking (since I last used anyway) so it's more for preference.
  • Open Office You can pick this up here and again, like above it's just preference.
Music Making
I'm going to direct to matthewharris806 for some links as all the programs I've used like Reason are expensive, or cheaper stuff in bundles such as Magix software.
Games development
D_Dad_Default gives some links for that here
submitted by MrSoapbox to london [link] [comments]

Extensive DD post - $BBRRF (CSE: BBM) - Long-term MJ play

Extensive DD post - $BBRRF (CSE: BBM) - Long-term MJ play
Highlights:
  1. Cultivation costs substantially below Canadian/US growers. Yield substantially higher.
  2. Recently began revenue generation. Exports to multiple markets, including EU market where regulatory environment is more stable (i.e. long-term cash flow benefit, imo). Diverse set of revenue streams including proprietary genetics, cannabis derivatives, cosmetics, CO2 oil extraction. Continued to expand facilities and raise capital despite COVID.
  3. Just closed $1M capital raise, bringing in Facundo Garreton, well-known venture capitalist.
  4. Holds licenses for both THC and CBD products. Operations in both Colombia and Argentina.
  5. Strong leadership team with South American regulatory/political contacts, pharma sales, and startup experience. However, some senior management churn indicative of activist investing.
Operations:
Multiple developing revenue streams across cannabis industry, including: CO2 oil extraction services and sales, genetic research and licensing of both low- and high-THC varietals, cloning and sales to growers, and cosmetics production.
2019: Basically a dedicated production-scaling year. Engaged in the expansion of cultivation area, development of contract grower relationships, and establishing CO2 oil extraction line w/ capacity of 75000kg/year dried flower at EU-GMP standards. Secured a distribution agreement with EU pharmacies.
2020: was marked by the establishment of product lines (oil, cosmetics) and the initial generation of revenue from selling cloned cuttings of proprietary genetic strands to growers and some initial cosmetics. Additional capacity expansion from the purchase of BBV labs in Argentina, a joint venture with Argentinian state cannabis company, Cannava.
2019-2020 marked harvesting of first commercial crop.
2021: 1H 2021 forecast to begin sales of CBD-only and CBD/THC extractives, final approval of proprietary THC genetics, sales of tolling services for oil extraction, and ramp-up of cosmetics sales.
Cultivation Costs/Yield:
Long-term cultivation costs at $0.13 CAD/gram compared to $1+ for ACB/Aphria and $3.50+ for TLRY. Outdoor cultivation - which is where BBRRF is focused long-term - is $0.06 CAD/gram.
Why is this possible? Climate advantages, Outdoor cultivation and contract growing. South American producers have a tremendous long-term advantage over indoor growers in the US and Canada, due to extremely low labor costs (pre-existing sharecropper models in other agricultural goods drive prices down), and a warmer, drier climate than their North American counterparts. Plus outdoor growing has lower capital investment requirements per gram produced.
Broader macro political note: Colombia is trying to integrate previous FARC members into mainstream society. IMO, this means exportable cash crops are likely to be pushed by the government. Cannabis cultivation stands to gain substantially in that environment. The reason isn't the prettiest - lots of farmers that depended on or were forced into the FARC-sponsored drug trade will be looking for new crops - but it is a durable reason to think the political environment will favor cannabis to reduce US drug war pressure, and integrate former FARC members and dependents into the Colombian economy.
Financials:
  • Recent capital raise of $1 million from Garreton when brought in on Board/Interim CEO provided significant bump to cash runway.
  • Just began revenue generation in Q3 2020 - sales of cloned cultivars to associate growers @ 40% gross margin + some introductory cosmetic sales. Still small but compares with 30% gross margin in the legal cannabis industry. Bulk oil sales expected 1st half 2021.
  • Substantial loss/cash burn reduction over 2020. Quarterly loss of $1.1mln Q3 2020 vs. $2.5mln Q3 2019. Picture is similar for 9-month period (loss of 3.7 mln 2020 vs. 9.2 mln 2019). Prior losses attributable to capacity expansion initiatives.
  • Debt/Equity Ratio: 0.44 ($2.35 million liabilities, $5.30 million equity).
Note: All dollar values are $CAD as primary stock exchange is the CSM.
Licenses/Regulatory:
Summary of licenses and regulatory risk from most recent financial report
Leadership Team:
  1. CEO and Board President: Facundo Garreton - "Mr. Garreton is a successful entrepreneur in the fields of innovation, technology and life sciences, and a former member of Congress in Argentina. His successful track record as an entrepreneur includes founding InvertirOnline.com, one of Latin America’s largest online brokerage firms, as well as founding and serving as director of SociaLab and Sistema B, the most important platform for social entrepreneurs in Latin America. Mr. Garreton also has strategic involvement with other cannabis companies including YVY Life Sciences in Uruguay and Flow Kana in California. Mr. Garreton is a director of various successful companies such as: YVY Life Sciences, Pachama.com, VU Security, Untech.bio, Bulltick, GoodPeople, Inipop.com and others. Also, he is an investor in companies such as ClaraFoods, TheNotCompany, Blue Planet Ecosystems, Memphis Meat, Cambridge Crops, Electro-Active Technologies (EAT), Unbox Robotics, Prellisbio.com and MycoWorks."
  2. CFO: Ian Atacan - " Mr. Atacan is a finance leader with more than 25 years of experience in business strategy development, valuations of M&A, debt and equity financing, divestitures and investment transactions, financial modeling, project management, competitive analysis and developing strategic investment recommendations. He has worked with renowned international companies such as Sprint, DHL Worldwide Express, and Procter & Gamble. Most recently, Mr. Atacan was the Chief Financial Officer of Natura Naturals Holdings Inc., a Canadian cannabis company licensed for cultivation, production and bulk sales under the Cannabis Act of Canada, until its acquisition by Tilray Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRY) for $82 million. As Chief Financial Officer of Blueberries, Mr. Atacan brings entrepreneurial and financial acumen cultivated through business start-ups, recapitalizations, and expansion projects to drive national and international business growth."
  3. CMO - Eduardo Molinari: Formerly with Abbott Labs and AbbVie (Abbott's pharma spinoff) in roles of steadily increasing responsibility. Indicates lots of experience marketing pharmaceutical products and contacts across the industry.
  4. Experienced technical team including VP of Operations with experience at GlaxoSmithKline/Abbott (Carlos Maldonado); Medical Director with experience at Merck (Dr. Andres Vidal); and R&D Director with experience at PharmaCielo (Cristina Tora).
Note: One possible trouble spot - company has had a number of prior CEOs, including Patricio Stocker (formerly @ PharmaCielo), and then Camilo Villalba (resigned family issues) and Christian Toro (interim, was COO). I get the impression there has been some activist investor activity due to 2019 cash burn rate being excessive, but this is just a guess as there haven't been any clear corporate statements of why Stocker or Villalba left. I suspect Stocker was pushed out after building some initial contacts with export markets. However, the CFO and CMO are both quite experienced and bringing in Garreton is a major plus. Also the R&D Director from PharmaCielo is still there, as are both longer-term ex-Abbott senior people, so this may have been mostly amicable activist investing. There were also some board resignations/replacements when Garreton became CEO, one of which was Andres Vidal, still employed as medical director, so I suspect some of these moves were transparency/governance-based as the company scales up.
Note 2: Former Board Member: Fabio Valencia Cossio - former Minister of the Interior under Uribe. Resigned from board when Garreton was named CEO, along with a few others. But to my knowledge he hasn't disposed of his shares. Coupled with Garreton, and BBRRF's partnership with a state-owned Argentinian cannabis company, I see this as a sign of broader political support for the company.
Sources:
  1. Analyst Research (FRC, need an account to view full reports, but free)
    1. https://www.researchfrc.com/blueberries-cse-bbm-large-latin-american-cannabis-low-cost-producer-intro-note/
    2. https://www.researchfrc.com/blueberries-medical-corp-cse-bbm-otc-bbrrf-fra-1oa-latin-american-cannabis-producer-with-a-flexible-cultivation-footprint-and-low-production-costs-initiating-coverage/
    3. https://www.researchfrc.com/blueberries-medical-corp-cse-bbm-otc-bbrrf-fra-1oa-achieving-milestones-revenue-generation-imminent-update/
  2. Financials: https://blueberriesmed.com/en/financials
    1. Most recent: https://blueberriesmed.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/BBMMDA2020Q3%28FINAL2020.11.30%29.pdf
    2. Margin comparison: https://csimarket.com/Industry/industry_Profitability_Ratios.php?ind=509
  3. Investor presentation (Jan 2021 update): https://blueberriesmed.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/Blueberries%20Medical%20-%20Master%20Deck%20January%2020%2C%202021_0.pdf
  4. News:
    1. Fundraising and Garreton Chairman/Interim CEO: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/01/20/2161422/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Closes-1M-Strategic-Financing-Led-by-a-Leading-Latin-American-Private-Equity-Group-with-Extensive-International-Cannabis-Industry-Expertise-Appoints-Facundo-Gar.html
    2. Approval of 9 psychoactive strands & prior CEO resignation: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/10/26/2114178/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Announces-Approval-of-Nine-Psychoactive-Strains-Corporate-Update.html
    3. 2019 Capacity Expansion: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/07/18/1884520/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Makes-Significant-Advances-Towards-Commercial-Production-Provides-Operational-and-Corporate-Update.html
    4. December BBV labs acquisition: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/12/04/2139778/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Announces-Closing-of-the-Acquisition-of-BBV-Labs-A-Milestone-in-its-Argentina-Project.html
  5. Board/Management
    1. https://blueberriesmed.com/en/leadership-team
    2. https://blueberriesmed.com/en/equipo/junta-directiva
    3. https://www.weforum.org/people/facundo-garreton
    4. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-molinari-51344713/
    5. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/04/17/1805364/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Appoints-Former-Abbott-Laboratories-AbbVie-Pharmaceutical-Executive-Eduardo-Molinari-as-Chief-Marketing-Officer.html
    6. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/03/19/1756981/0/en/Blueberries-Medical-Appoints-Former-Colombian-Minister-Ambassador-Fabio-Valencia-to-Board-of-Directors.html
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. All investment decisions taken at your own risk.
Position: Currently long 38,000 shares @ $0.105. Previously was long 70,000 shares @ $0.04. (Did some profit taking @$0.115 in my IRA in case of a re-trace, rebought).
submitted by Delavan1185 to pennystocks [link] [comments]

Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis

NEW INFO 5 Results from share redemption are posted. Less than .2% redeemed. Very bullish as investors are showing extreme confidence in the future of PLBY.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/playboy-mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-120000721.html
NEW INFO 4 Definitive Agreement to purchase 100% of Lovers brand stores announced 2/1.
https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Playboy+%28MCAC%29+Confirms+Deal+to+Acquire+Lovers/17892359.html
NEW INFO 3 I bought more on the dip today. 5081 total. Price rose AH to $12.38 (2.15%)
NEW INFO 2 Here is the full webinar.
https://icrinc.zoom.us/rec/play/9GWKdmOYumjWfZuufW3QXpe_FW_g--qeNbg6PnTjTMbnNTgLmCbWjeRFpQga1iPc-elpGap8dnDv8Zww.yD7DjUwuPmapeEdP?continueMode=true&tk=lEYc4F_FkKlgsmCIs6w0gtGHT2kbgVGbUju3cIRBSjk.DQIAAAAV8NK49xZWdldRM2xNSFNQcTBmcE00UzM3bXh3AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&uuid=WN_GKWqbHkeSyuWetJmLFkj4g&_x_zm_rtaid=kR45-uuqRE-L65AxLjpbQw.1611967079119.2c054e3d3f8d8e63339273d9175939ed&_x_zm_rhtaid=866
NEW INFO 1 Live merger webinar with PLBY and MCAC on Friday January 29, 2021 at 12:00 NOON EST link below
https://mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/press-release-details/2021/Playboy-Enterprises-Inc.-and-Mountain-Crest-Acquisition-Corp-Participate-in-SPACInsider-ICR-Webinar-on-January-29th-at-12pm-ET/default.aspx
Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis
!!!WARNING READING AHEAD!!! TL;DR at the end. It will take some time to sort through all the links and read/watch everything, but you should.
In the next couple weeks, Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp is taking Playboy public. The existing ticker MCAC will become PLBY. Special purpose acquisition companies have taken private companies public in recent months with great success. I believe this will be no exception. Notably, Playboy is profitable and has skyrocketing revenue going into a transformational growth phase.
Porn - First and foremost, let's talk about porn. I know what you guys are thinking. “Porno mags are dead. Why would I want to invest in something like that? I can get porn for free online.” Guess what? You are absolutely right. And that’s exactly why Playboy doesn’t do that anymore. That’s right, they eliminated their print division. And yet they somehow STILL make money from porn that people (see: boomers) pay for on their website through PlayboyTV, Playboy Plus, and iPlayboy. Here’s the thing: Playboy has international, multi-generational name recognition from porn. They have content available in 180 countries. It will be the only publicly traded adult entertainment (porn) company. But that is not where this company is going. It will help support them along the way. You can see every Playboy magazine through iPlayboy if you’re interested. NSFW links below:
https://www.playboy.com/
https://www.playboytv.com/
https://www.playboyplus.com/
https://www.iplayboy.com/
Gambling - Some of you might recognize the Playboy brand from gambling trips to places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, London or Macau. They’ve been in the gambling biz for decades through their casinos, clubs, and licensed gaming products. They see the writing on the wall. COVID is accelerating the transition to digital, application based GAMBLING. That’s right. What we are doing on Robinhood with risky options is gambling, and the only reason regulators might give a shit anymore is because we are making too much money. There may be some restrictions put in place, but gambling from your phone on your couch is not going anywhere. More and more states are allowing things like Draftkings, poker, state ‘lottery” apps, hell - even political betting. Michigan and Virginia just ok’d gambling apps. They won’t be the last. This is all from your couch and any 18 year old with a cracked iphone can access it. Wouldn’t it be cool if Playboy was going to do something like that? They’re already working on it. As per CEO Ben Kohn who we will get to later, “...the company’s casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth.” Honestly, I stopped researching Scientific Games' sports betting segment when I saw the word ‘omni-channel’. That told me all I needed to know about it’s success.
“Our SG Sports™ platform is an enhanced, omni-channel solution for online, self-service and retail fixed odds sports betting – from soccer to tennis, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, motor sports, racing and more.”
https://www.scientificgames.com/
https://www.microgaming.co.uk/
“This latter segment has become increasingly enticing for Playboy, and it said last week that it is considering new tie-ups that could include gaming operators like PointsBet and 888Holdings.”
https://calvinayre.com/2020/10/05/business/playboys-gaming-ops-could-get-a-boost-from-spac-purchase/
As per their SEC filing:
“Significant consumer engagement and spend with Playboy-branded gaming properties around the world, including with leading partners such as Microgaming, Scientific Games, and Caesar’s Entertainment, steers our investment in digital gaming, sports betting and other digital offerings to further support our commercial strategy to expand consumer spend with minimal marginal cost, and gain consumer data to inform go-to-market plans across categories.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tMDAA1
They are expanding into more areas of gaming/gambling, working with international players in the digital gaming/gambling arena, and a Playboy sportsbook is on the horizon.
https://www.playboy.com/read/the-pleasure-of-playing-with-yourself-mobile-gaming-in-the-covid-era
Cannabis - If you’ve ever read through a Playboy magazine, you know they’ve had a positive relationship with cannabis for many years. As of September 2020, Playboy has made a major shift into the cannabis space. Too good to be true you say? Check their website. Playboy currently sells a range of CBD products. This is a good sign. Federal hemp products, which these most likely are, can be mailed across state lines and most importantly for a company like Playboy, can operate through a traditional banking institution. CBD products are usually the first step towards the cannabis space for large companies. Playboy didn’t make these products themselves meaning they are working with a processor in the cannabis industry. Another good sign for future expansion. What else do they have for sale? Pipes, grinders, ashtrays, rolling trays, joint holders. Hmm. Ok. So it looks like they want to sell some shit. They probably don’t have an active interest in cannabis right? Think again:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/09/24/playboy-gets-serious-about-cannabis-law-reform-advocacy-with-new-partnership-grants/?sh=62f044a65cea
“Taking yet another step into the cannabis space, Playboy will be announcing later on Thursday (September, 2020) that it is launching a cannabis law reform and advocacy campaign in partnership with National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Last Prisoner Project, Marijuana Policy Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and the Eaze Momentum Program.”
“According to information procured exclusively, the three-pronged campaign will focus on calling for federal legalization. The program also includes the creation of a mentorship plan, through which the Playboy Foundation will support entrepreneurs from groups that are underrepresented in the industry.” Remember that CEO Kohn from earlier? He wrote this recently:
https://medium.com/naked-open-letters-from-playboy/congress-must-pass-the-more-act-c867c35239ae
Seems like he really wants weed to be legal? Hmm wonder why? The writing's on the wall my friends. Playboy wants into the cannabis industry, they are making steps towards this end, and we have favorable conditions for legislative progress.
Don’t think branding your own cannabis line is profitable or worthwhile? Tell me why these 41 celebrity millionaires and billionaires are dummies. I’ll wait.
https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2019/07/12/top-celebrity-cannabis-brands/
Confirmation: I hear you. “This all seems pretty speculative. It would be wildly profitable if they pull this shift off. But how do we really know?” Watch this whole video:
https://finance.yahoo.com/video/playboy-ceo-telling-story-female-154907068.html
Man - this interview just gets my juices flowing. And highlights one of my favorite reasons for this play. They have so many different business avenues from which a catalyst could appear. I think paying attention, holding shares, and options on these staggered announcements over the next year is the way I am going to go about it. "There's definitely been a shift to direct-to-consumer," he (Kohn) said. "About 50 percent of our revenue today is direct-to-consumer, and that will continue to grow going forward.” “Kohn touted Playboy's portfolio of both digital and consumer products, with casino-style gaming, in particular, serving a crucial role under the company's new business model. Playboy also has its sights on the emerging cannabis market, from CBD products to marijuana products geared toward sexual health and pleasure.” "If THC does become legal in the United States, we have developed certain strains to enhance your sex life that we will launch," Kohn said. https://cheddar.com/media/playboy-goes-public-health-gaming-lifestyle-focus Oh? The CEO actually said it? Ok then. “We have developed certain strains…” They’re already working with growers on strains and genetics? Ok. There are several legal cannabis markets for those products right now, international and stateside. I expect Playboy licensed hemp and THC pre-rolls by EOY. Something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/842996758/10-playboy-pre-roll-tubes-limited?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pre+roll+playboy&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1 Maintaining cannabis operations can be costly and a regulatory headache. Playboy’s licensing strategy allows them to pick successful, established partners and sidestep traditional barriers to entry. You know what I like about these new markets? They’re expanding. Worldwide. And they are going to be a bigger deal than they already are with or without Playboy. Who thinks weed and gambling are going away? Too many people like that stuff. These are easy markets. And Playboy is early enough to carve out their spot in each. Fuck it, read this too: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimosman/2020/10/20/playboy-could-be-the-king-of-spacs-here-are-three-picks/?sh=2e13dcaa3e05
Numbers: You want numbers? I got numbers. As per the company’s most recent SEC filing:
“For the year ended December 31, 2019, and the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s historical consolidated revenue was $78.1 million and $101.3 million, respectively, historical consolidated net income (loss) was $(23.6) million and $(4.8) million, respectively, and Adjusted EBITDA was $13.1 million and $21.8 million, respectively.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Licensing segment contributed $44.2 million in revenue and $31.1 million in net income.”
“In the ninth months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Direct-to-Consumer segment contributed $40.2 million in revenue and net income of $0.1 million.”
“In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Digital Subscriptions and Content segment contributed $15.4 million in revenue and net income of $7.4 million.”
They are profitable across all three of their current business segments.
“Playboy’s return to the public markets presents a transformed, streamlined and high-growth business. The Company has over $400 million in cash flows contracted through 2029, sexual wellness products available for sale online and in over 10,000 major retail stores in the US, and a growing variety of clothing and branded lifestyle and digital gaming products.”
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
Growth: Playboy has massive growth in China and massive growth potential in India. “In China, where Playboy has spent more than 25 years building its business, our licensees have an enormous footprint of nearly 2,500 brick and mortar stores and 1,000 ecommerce stores selling high quality, Playboy-branded men’s casual wear, shoes/footwear, sleepwear, swimwear, formal suits, leather & non-leather goods, sweaters, active wear, and accessories. We have achieved significant growth in China licensing revenues over the past several years in partnership with strong licensees and high-quality manufacturers, and we are planning for increased growth through updates to our men’s fashion lines and expansion into adjacent categories in men’s skincare and grooming, sexual wellness, and women’s fashion, a category where recent launches have been well received.” The men’s market in China is about the same size as the entire population of the United States and European Union combined. Playboy is a leading brand in this market. They are expanding into the women’s market too. Did you know CBD toothpaste is huge in China? China loves CBD products and has hemp fields that dwarf those in the US. If Playboy expands their CBD line China it will be huge. Did you know the gambling money in Macau absolutely puts Las Vegas to shame? Technically, it's illegal on the mainland, but in reality, there is a lot of gambling going on in China. https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/10/19/magic-johnson-and-uncle-buds-cbd-brand-enter-china-via-tmall-partnership/?sh=271776ca411e “In India, Playboy today has a presence through select apparel licensees and hospitality establishments. Consumer research suggests significant growth opportunities in the territory with Playboy’s brand and categories of focus.” “Playboy Enterprises has announced the expansion of its global consumer products business into India as part of a partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, a leading fashion and lifestyle Company in India.” “The Indian market today is dominated by consumers under the age of 35, who represent more than 65 percent of the country’s total population and are driving India’s significant online shopping growth. The Playboy brand’s core values of playfulness and exploration resonate strongly with the expressed desires of today’s younger millennial consumers. For us, Playboy was the perfect fit.” “The Playboy international portfolio has been flourishing for more than 25 years in several South Asian markets such as China and Japan. In particular, it has strategically targeted the millennial and gen-Z audiences across categories such as apparel, footwear, home textiles, eyewear and watches.” https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/playboy-expands-global-footprint-india It looks like they gave COVID the heisman in terms of net damage sustained: “Although Playboy has not suffered any material adverse consequences to date from the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has been impacted both negatively and positively. The remote working and stay-at-home orders resulted in the closure of the London Playboy Club and retail stores of Playboy’s licensees, decreasing licensing revenues in the second quarter, as well as causing supply chain disruption and less efficient product development thereby slowing the launch of new products. However, these negative impacts were offset by an increase in Yandy’s direct-to-consumer sales, which have benefited in part from overall increases in online retail sales so far during the pandemic.” Looks like the positives are long term (Yandy acquisition) and the negatives are temporary (stay-at-home orders).
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921006093/tm213766-1_defa14a.htm
This speaks to their ability to maintain a financially solvent company throughout the transition phase to the aforementioned areas. They’d say some fancy shit like “expanded business model to encompass four key revenue streams: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming.” I hear “we’re just biding our time with these trinkets until those dollar dollar bill y’all markets are fully up and running.” But the truth is these existing revenue streams are profitable, scalable, and rapidly expanding Playboy’s e-commerce segment around the world.
"Even in the face of COVID this year, we've been able to grow EBITDA over 100 percent and revenue over 68 percent, and I expect that to accelerate going into 2021," he said. “Playboy is accelerating its growth in company-owned and branded consumer products in attractive and expanding markets in which it has a proven history of brand affinity and consumer spend.”
Also in the SEC filing, the Time Frame:
“As we detailed in the definitive proxy statement, the SPAC stockholder meeting to vote on the transaction has been set for February 9th, and, subject to stockholder approval and satisfaction of the other closing conditions, we expect to complete the merger and begin trading on NASDAQ under ticker PLBY shortly thereafter,” concluded Kohn.
The Players: Suhail “The Whale” Rizvi (HMFIC), Ben “The Bridge” Kohn (CEO), “lil” Suying Liu & “Big” Dong Liu (Young-gun China gang). I encourage you to look these folks up. The real OG here is Suhail Rizvi. He’s from India originally and Chairman of the Board for the new PLBY company. He was an early investor in Twitter, Square, Facebook and others. His firm, Rizvi Traverse, currently invests in Instacart, Pinterest, Snapchat, Playboy, and SpaceX. Maybe you’ve heard of them. “Rizvi, who owns a sprawling three-home compound in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a 1.65-acre estate in Palm Beach, Florida, near Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, moved to Iowa Falls when he was five. His father was a professor of psychology at Iowa. Along with his older brother Ashraf, a hedge fund manager, Rizvi graduated from Wharton business school.” “Suhail Rizvi: the 47-year-old 'unsocial' social media baron: When Twitter goes public in the coming weeks (2013), one of the biggest winners will be a 47-year-old financier who guards his secrecy so zealously that he employs a person to take down his Wikipedia entry and scrub his photos from the internet. In IPO, Twitter seeks to be 'anti-FB'” “Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia looks like a big Twitter winner. So do the moneyed clients of Jamie Dimon. But as you’ve-got-to-be-joking wealth washed over Twitter on Thursday — a company that didn’t exist eight years ago was worth $31.7 billion after its first day on the stock market — the non-boldface name of the moment is Suhail R. Rizvi. Mr. Rizvi, 47, runs a private investment company that is the largest outside investor in Twitter with a 15.6 percent stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading on Thursday (November, 2013). Using a web of connections in the tech industry and in finance, as well as a hearty dose of good timing, he brought many prominent names in at the ground floor, including the Saudi prince and some of JPMorgan’s wealthiest clients.” https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/technology/at-twitter-working-behind-the-scenes-toward-a-billion-dollar-payday.html Y’all like that Arab money? How about a dude that can call up Saudi Princes and convince them to spend? Funniest shit about I read about him: “Rizvi was able to buy only $100 million in Facebook shortly before its IPO, thus limiting his returns, according to people with knowledge of the matter.” Poor guy :(
He should be fine with the 16 million PLBY shares he's going to have though :)
Shuhail also has experience in the entertainment industry. He’s invested in companies like SESAC, ICM, and Summit Entertainment. He’s got Hollywood connections to blast this stuff post-merger. And he’s at least partially responsible for that whole Twilight thing. I’m team Edward btw.
I really like what Suhail has done so far. He’s lurked in the shadows while Kohn is consolidating the company, trimming the fat, making Playboy profitable, and aiming the ship at modern growing markets.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-ipo-rizvi-insight/insight-little-known-hollywood-investor-poised-to-score-with-twitter-ipo-idUSBRE9920VW20131003
Ben “The Bridge” Kohn is an interesting guy. He’s the connection between Rizvi Traverse and Playboy. He’s both CEO of Playboy and was previously Managing Partner at Rizvi Traverse. Ben seems to be the voice of the Playboy-Rizvi partnership, which makes sense with Suhail’s privacy concerns. Kohn said this:
“Today is a very big day for all of us at Playboy and for all our partners globally. I stepped into the CEO role at Playboy in 2017 because I saw the biggest opportunity of my career. Playboy is a brand and platform that could not be replicated today. It has massive global reach, with more than $3B of global consumer spend and products sold in over 180 countries. Our mission – to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure – is rooted in our 67-year history and creates a clear focus for our business and role we play in people’s lives, providing them with the products, services and experiences that create a lifestyle of pleasure. We are taking this step into the public markets because the committed capital will enable us to accelerate our product development and go-to-market strategies and to more rapidly build our direct to consumer capabilities,” said Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy.
“Playboy today is a highly profitable commerce business with a total addressable market projected in the trillions of dollars,” Mr. Kohn continued, “We are actively selling into the Sexual Wellness consumer category, projected to be approximately $400 billion in size by 2024, where our recently launched intimacy products have rolled out to more than 10,000 stores at major US retailers in the United States. Combined with our owned & operated ecommerce Sexual Wellness initiatives, the category will contribute more than 40% of our revenue this year. In our Apparel and Beauty categories, our collaborations with high-end fashion brands including Missguided and PacSun are projected to achieve over $50M in retail sales across the US and UK this year, our leading men’s apparel lines in China expanded to nearly 2500 brick and mortar stores and almost 1000 digital stores, and our new men’s and women’s fragrance line recently launched in Europe. In Gaming, our casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth. Our product strategy is informed by years of consumer data as we actively expand from a purely licensing model into owning and operating key high-growth product lines focused on driving profitability and consumer lifetime value. We are thrilled about the future of Playboy. Our foundation has been set to drive further growth and margin, and with the committed capital from this transaction and our more than $180M in NOLs, we will take advantage of the opportunity in front of us, building to our goal of $100M of adjusted EBITDA in 2025.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
Also, according to their Form 4s, “Big” Dong Liu and “lil” Suying Liu just loaded up with shares last week. These guys are brothers and seem like the Chinese market connection. They are only 32 & 35 years old. I don’t even know what that means, but it's provocative.
https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1832415.htm
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-ii-002600994.html
Y’all like that China money?
“Mr. Liu has been the Chief Financial Officer of Dongguan Zhishang Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., a regional designer, manufacturer and distributor of LED lights serving commercial customers throughout Southern China since November 2016, at which time he led a syndicate of investments into the firm. Mr. Liu has since overseen the financials of Dongguan Zhishang as well as provided strategic guidance to its board of directors, advising on operational efficiency and cash flow performance. From March 2010 to October 2016, Mr. Liu was the Head of Finance at Feidiao Electrical Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese manufacturer of electrical outlets headquartered in Shanghai and with businesses in the greater China region as well as Europe.”
Dr. Suying Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp., commented, “Playboy is a unique and compelling investment opportunity, with one of the world’s largest and most recognized brands, its proven consumer affinity and spend, and its enormous future growth potential in its four product segments and new and existing geographic regions. I am thrilled to be partnering with Ben and his exceptional team to bring his vision to fruition.”
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company
These guys are good. They have a proven track record of success across multiple industries. Connections and money run deep with all of these guys. I don’t think they’re in the game to lose.
I was going to write a couple more paragraphs about why you should have a look at this but really the best thing you can do is read this SEC filing from a couple days ago. It explains the situation in far better detail. Specifically, look to page 137 and read through their strategy. Also, look at their ownership percentages and compensation plans including the stock options and their prices. The financials look great, revenue is up 90% Q3, and it looks like a bright future.
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF
I’m hesitant to attach this because his position seems short term, but I’m going to with a warning because he does hit on some good points (two are below his link) and he’s got a sizable position in this thing (500k+ on margin, I think). I don’t know this guy but he did look at the same publicly available info and make roughly the same prediction, albeit without the in depth gambling or cannabis mention. You can also search reddit for ‘MCAC’ and very few relevant results come up and none of them even come close to really looking at this thing.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOvAd6lebs452hFlWWbxVjQ3VMsjGBkbJeXRwDwIJfM/edit?usp=sharing
“Also, before you people start making claims that Playboy is a “boomer” company, STOP RIGHT THERE. This is not a good argument. Simply put. The only thing that matters is Playboy’s name recognition, not their archaic business model which doesn’t even exist anymore as they have completely repurposed their business.”
“Imagine not buying $MCAC at a 400M valuation lol. Streetwear department is worth 1B alone imo.”
Considering the ridiculous Chinese growth as a lifestyle brand, he’s not wrong.
Current Cultural Significance and Meme Value: A year ago I wouldn’t have included this section but the events from the last several weeks (even going back to tsla) have proven that a company’s ability to meme and/or gain social network popularity can have an effect. Tik-tok, Snapchat, Twitch, Reddit, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter. They all have Playboy stuff on them. Kids in middle and highschool know what Playboy is but will likely never see or touch one of the magazines in person. They’ll have a Playboy hoodie though. Crazy huh? A lot like GME, PLBY would hugely benefit from meme-value stock interest to drive engagement towards their new business model while also building strategic coffers. This interest may not directly and/or significantly move the stock price but can generate significant interest from larger players who will.
Bull Case: The year is 2025. Playboy is now the world leader pleasure brand. They began by offering Playboy licensed gaming products, including gambling products, direct to consumers through existing names. By 2022, demand has skyrocketed and Playboy has designed and released their own gambling platforms. In 2025, they are also a leading cannabis brand in the United States and Canada with proprietary strains and products geared towards sexual wellness. Cannabis was legalized in the US in 2023 when President Biden got glaucoma but had success with cannabis treatment. He personally pushes for cannabis legalization as he steps out of office after his first term. Playboy has also grown their brand in China and India to multi-billion per year markets. The stock goes up from 11ish to 100ish and everyone makes big gains buying somewhere along the way.
Bear Case: The United States does a complete 180 on marijuana and gambling. President Biden overdoses on marijuana in the Lincoln bedroom when his FDs go tits up and he loses a ton of money in his sports book app after the Fighting Blue Hens narrowly lose the National Championship to Bama. Playboy is unable to expand their cannabis and gambling brands but still does well with their worldwide lifestyle brand. They gain and lose some interest in China and India but the markets are too large to ignore them completely. The stock goes up from 11ish to 13ish and everyone makes 15-20% gains.
TL;DR: Successful technology/e-commerce investment firm took over Playboy to turn it into a porn, online gambling/gaming, sports book, cannabis company, worldwide lifestyle brand that promotes sexual wellness, vetern access, women-ownership, minority-ownership, and “pleasure for all”. Does a successful online team reinventing an antiquated physical copy giant sound familiar? No options yet, shares only for now. $11.38 per share at time of writing. My guess? $20 by the end of February. $50 by EOY. This is not financial advice. I am not qualified to give financial advice. I’m just sayin’ I would personally use a Playboy sports book app while smoking a Playboy strain specific joint and it would be cool if they did that. Do your own research. You’d probably want to start here:
WARNING - POTENTIALLY NSFW - SEXY MODELS AHEAD - no actual nudity though
https://s26.q4cdn.com/895475556/files/doc_presentations/Playboy-Craig-Hallum-Conference-Investor-Presentation-11_17_20-compressed.pdf
Or here:
https://www.mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/default.aspx
Jimmy Chill: “Get into any SPAC at $10 or $11 and you are going to make money.”
STL;DR: Buy MCAC. MCAC > PLBY couple weeks. Rocketship. Moon.
Position: 5000 shares. I will buy short, medium, and long-dated calls once available.
submitted by jeromeBDpowell to SPACs [link] [comments]

[Emulation] Nintendo Vs. LoveROMs: The hundred-million dollar lawsuit, the public apology, the self-proclaimed archivists who made it all happen, and the surprisingly heated legal dispute about playing old videogames.

Context: (you can safely SKIP this section if you know what a ROM is and how it works)
In this context, emulation refers to the process of running a video game on a host system to which it is not native. This is done with the help of an emulator, a special script that translates the game code into something the host computer can understand. Running a ROM (raw game code) in an emulator will produce a playable game. If the emulator does a good job, the code will function identically to how it functions on the hardware in the arcade cabinet.
These ROMs are exact copies of the data found on the computer memory chips in the arcade cabinet or game cartridge. Each game has a unique ROM, and the ROM contains all of the data the machine needs to run the game. It is functionally identical to a modern .exe game file. Owning a ROM is synonymous with owning the game, and pirating a ROM is synonymous with pirating a game.
Seeing the success of the homebrew emulation market and wanting to capitalize on the millenial nostalgia boom, the video game developers themselves took a whack at releasing licensed emulators. These mostly came in the form of (a) porting old games to other consoles, and (b) creating "classic version" re-releases of retro consoles that came pre-loaded with popular games. These attempts would receive mixed reviews, generally skewing negative amongst the enthusiast community. The biggest complaint: the emulation work was laughably horrid. It was good enough for the layman to enjoy a quick nostalgic dip, but those with reasonable baseline knowledge of how the game should look were shocked and offended by the quality of these official, licensed emulators. The PlayStation Classic famously got panned for including the European version of some games instead of the US version, even on consoles sold in the US. Europeans have a different screen refresh rate than "we" do (25 Hz vs 29.97 Hz) and this caused massive gameplay and graphics issues. It was quite clear that these consoles were meant to be quick cash-grabs, not faithful and well-intentioned re-creations of classic and beloved games. The game libraries were too small, and what few games were on the emulator were of very poor quality. These quickly became a running joke in the emulation community, further encouraging the piracy and continued use of the ROMs vis-a-vis the actual IP holder was not treating it with care or respect.
The main takeaway here is that the emulation community places great value on the accuracy and authenticity of their work. Seeing that the commercially available option was not a loving and faithful recreation of these nostalgic games,the emulation community often justified their work by saying that it vastly improved on the low-quality emulated alternatives offered by the actual IP owners.
The dubious legality of obtaining ROMs online (Skip to here!)
Nowadays, the most common way to obtain the ROM for a game is to find it online. This is not a completely legal procedure because that ROM is usually hosted on a website that is not explicitly authorised to distribute it. Some websites which distribute legal ROM games do exist, but they generally do not distribute (nor have they been given permission to distribute) ROMs corresponding to well-known classic arcade games.
Most sources agree that downloading an emulator, in itself, is actually legal. Think: the same way one can legally carry lockpicks in many states as long as the picks are not used to commit a crime. But picks are useless without a lock, and an emulator is useless without ROMs to run. This is actually a fascinating point of contest, too. Some game companies will claim that an emulator contains proprietary information about the game, specifically its BIOS.
Many game developers will maintain the ownership to their old code even if they are not currently offering any way to purchase it. They are within their rights to do this - and well within the understanding of copyright law as it applies to digital media. This means that some classic games may exist, but be literally unplayable - that is, there may be no legal method to obtain code that emulates or runs a certain game. That game is unobtainable. At least to someone following the letter of the law.
So emulation enthusiasts often sail the open internet in search of original copies of game code.
The dubious nature of this task can lead to some sketchy websites. Enterprising hackers are well known to set up fake ROM dumps (viruses disguised as original game code). This attack primarily targets inexperienced emulation enthusiasts who do not know which type of file extension their emulator accepts and tend to be very lax with their downloading habits. When a new site pops up offering ROM downloads - especially if it is a foreign site - it can be very hard to tell whether they are a sincere member of the emulation community offering a selfless service or a hacker looking to gain access to a computer.
Therefore, sites that are known to have safe downloads are spread very quickly around the emulation community.
Enter EmuParadise and LoveROMs
These websites both provided access to ROM downloads - raw copies of game code. Though some would dispute it, these websites had a general reputation for hosting safe downloads. They were both received favourably in the emulation community and their names were thrown around frequently on emulator discussion boards.
Both of these websites hosted ROM downloads for a considerable amount of time. Each of the websites managed to keep their doors open and their downloads working for years. Obviously, both of these websites succeeded in distributing massive amounts of raw game code. If you've been following the story carefully, you know that the legality of such an operation is.... Well...
One hundredTwelve million dollars. Oh, and a public apology.
Nintendo is not to be swayed by the common emulator community argument that "the IP holder does not present a legal way to purchase the game": a relatively complete library of their old games come with a paid subscription to "whatever they're calling the switch online subscription nowadays". Nintendo also has a reputation of being exceptionally defensive of their IP, perhaps in part because they feel they have done an adequate job making their historical content available for purchase.
Needless to say, Nintendo was not thrilled to see code in their ownership being distributed freely without their permission on the LoveROMs website. Nintendo sued the pants off of Jacob and Cristian Mathias, the owners of LoveROMs. Nintendo cited 140 illegal ROMs and 40 instances of copyright infringement, claiming a hefty $100,000,000 in damages for which they intended to hold Mathias completely liable.
As a matter of fact, the case never even made it to court. Mathias immediately admitted to direct and indirect copyright and trademark infringement, presumably (at least in part) due to the astronomical one-hundred-million-dollar penalty that could come with the outright loss of a lawsuit which would be very heavily stacked against him from the start.
The common main talking points "for" the legality of hosting illegal ROM copies are generally not persuasive in a court of law. Website owners will often cite the desite to "create a community resource" and "share nostalgia", but neither of these would provide a valid excuse for what Mathias was being accused of.
The parties settled out of court for a grand total of just over twelve million dollars. At that time, LoveROMs immediately removed all downloadable content from their website. Gone was the iconic Mario-style background decorating their landing page. In its place, they displayed a public apology to Nintendo which read as follows:
Our website ... acknowledges that it caused harm to Nintendo ... and has agreed to cease all such activities.
The commotion must have spooked the owner of EmuParadise too. Almost immediately after the LoveROMs settlement, EmuParadise published a statement on their website that read as follows:
... It's not worth it for us to risk potentially disastrous consequences. I cannot in good conscience risk the futures of our team members who have contributed to the site through the years.
At that point, two of the biggest names in ROM distribution had been effectively cut off at the source. The closure of both within a short period of time presented a significant challenge to individuals who had grown accustomed to using these websites to obtain ROM files. A few "workaround" and "archive" scripts were floating around, but none are able to reverse the inevitable: EP and LoveROMS were gone for good. Those two websites were no longer an option for downloading ROMs reliably.
Without a reliable name in mind, many users have turned back to once again surfing the sketchy high seas for raw game code. some sites have emerged as replacements, but none have fully taken hold. The distribution of ROMs remains at least somewhat disrupted. Nintendo took aim, and it seems they hit their target quite square-on.
So where does that leave the hobby of video game emulation?
Pretty much right where it was. Most of the ROMs hosted on those websites had been copied hundreds or thousands of times onto various private storage media. Copies of a particular game tend to be more resilient than the heads of hydra: should one download link be taken down, two will come back in its place. However, none will be a wholly adequate replacement for two websites with safe track records of 10+ years. Every new, untested site that somebody chooses to download a ROM from is a tremendous gamble they are taking with the security of their computer.
ROM hosting is a battle being fought tooth-and-nail by many who see it as their way of archiving our culture and sticking it to the man.
The drama between emulator enthusiasts and developers is constantly ongoing and has been for a number of years. While the enthusiasts claim that a developer should not maintain claim to a game they have no further plans to profit from (in the interest of preventing lost files), the developers claim that the game is still their intellectual property regardless and thus copying the game remains an act of piracy.
As for Mathis and his debts to Nintendo - no further news has been released since the news of the settlement broke in 2018. Presumably he is still making good on his payment plan.
I will leave you with a request to please keep discussion civil, as I know this is a polarizing topic.
submitted by BeagleInTheSnow to HobbyDrama [link] [comments]

$CATV 🔥 Cannabis Stock ready to 🚀 🚀 (GREAT DD & INFORMATION)

$CATV - New CEO, Patents, Acquisitions, Multiple Revenue-Generating Businesses, Fully Integrated CBD Chain
4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC: CATV) is determined to become a fully integrated Global CBD/Hemp business from seed to sale. Farming is where it all starts, and distribution is where it all goes. Today 4Cable TV, International, Inc. moves one of its chess pieces by announcing it is acquiring CIGN, LLC. As a result of the acquisition, revenues for 2021 are expected to be in the millions of dollars.
$CATV will be OTC PINK Soon
https://www.otcmarkets.com/stock/CATV/news/story?e&id=1797202
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TL6i6MHPtnMQCKcAZ9BgYTMxQNI5LWRF/view
Company Website:
http://www.4cabletvint.com/#home
Company Email
[email protected]
NEW CEO Since Dec 18th 2020
Michael Feldenkrais
https://youtu.be/ArFs-b0ww_Y
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfeldenkraislawyer
His largest accomplishment came when he organized several mergers and acquisitions with a Canadian publicly traded company Amaya Gaming that resulted in the increase of its market cap from 50 million dollars to 4.9 billion dollars in less than 2 years.
Amaya Gaming In Deal To Buy PokerStars For $4.9 Billion
One of the most high-stakes, controversial and intriguing business stories in the history of the modern gambling industry is heading toward its conclusion. PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker company, has agreed to sell itself for $4.9 billion to Amaya Gaming, a small publicly-traded Canadian supplier of gambling equipment.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2014/06/12/amaya-gaming-in-deal-to-buy-pokerstars-for-4-9-billion/?sh=3286a4104469
Experience: Over 20 Years of Professional Experience:
Michael, is a well recognized attorney that has appeared on all major Spanish and English television networks. Michael manages a successful media, lead generation, gaming and marketing portfolio.
CANNABIS
In this video below Michael Feldenkrais is talking about how excited he is to start growing the plants and the business.
https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/capitol-update-extended-hemp-applications-open/
In the Cannabis space, Mr. Feldenkrais has been very active for the last 6 years from intellectual property, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail. (Seed to Sale). Starting his Cannabis career, he focused on acquiring intellectual property in Israel to deploying such in the United States, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. In recent years he built a franchise company to open 22 Medical Clinics recommending the use of Cannabis and sold a total of 50 franchised locations in less than one year.
He then concentrated his efforts in cultivating Cannabis in Florida out of a state-of-the-art Cravo greenhouse in Homestead for commercial and research purposes under the auspices of the University of Florida.
Entrepreneur:
Early in his career, he built two of the largest Prepaid Cellular Phone Card distribution companies in Colombia and Venezuela, wherein he deployed a distribution model using informal workers and converting them into main-stream employees giving jobs to over 14,500 people.
Media and Corporate Related Experience:
In 2008 he developed a success based marketing system. He has proven expertise in the operations, management and procedure implementation of media campaigns, lead generation software, and lead analytics. He expanded the companies business into the gaming category closing transactions in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The company has relationships with television production companies, casino companies, motion pictures companies and more. Using Success Based Marketing, he guided the company and all its aspects from creating the proprietary lead software, harnessing lead analytic's for re-marketing, to purchasing media for lead creation, and to the creative production of the media campaigns that would generate the most response for the money spent.
Lawyer Experience:
Respected and trusted television spokesperson. All the major television stations have contacted Michael to speak on legal issues. He has appeared regularly in television and radio, both nationally and internationally as both a consultant and a host. Has produced several television shows and has appeared regularly on TV stations like Univision, NBC, and Telemundo.
https://www.floridabar.org/directories/find-mbprofile/?num=991708
Specialties: Business Development and Management / Media Production and Distribution / Mergers and Acquisitions / Corporate, International, and Immigration Law
Since he has been CEO of $CATV
  1. Has acquired 3 new revenue producing companies in 3 weeks. Health Care and Wellness Clinics of America, LLC ("HCWCOA"), and Corporation Clinic, LLC ("Corporation Clinic") Chai MD, Hip n Chai and Get Medicated.
https://hip4all.com
http://www.hipnchai.com
https://www.canitindustries.com
http://www.getmedicated.com
  1. LOI for CIGN a 4th revenue producing company (He is already CEO of CIGN) They're finalizing the acquisition of CIGN Farms in FL. They grow and distribute hemp and hemp seeds for CBD products, etc.
http://canitgrow.com
https://instagram.com/cignfarm?igshid=1oyaudokoq0d1
  1. Hired Karma Snack Agency as marketing firm.
https://karmasnack.com
https://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Miami/karma-snack-llc/27468595.aspx
  1. Jan 8th PR saying Filings Imminent and are excited to announce that it is estimating the filing of its financial statement and disclosures in the coming weeks..
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-certain-incoming-financials-filings-are-imminent-301203235.html
Our New CEO Comes Packing ”Trademarks”
Facial skin care preparations infused with hemp, namely, makeup and eye makeup removers, facial cleansers, facial scrubs… Owned by: Michael Feldenkrais Serial Number: 86843184
https://trademarks.justia.com/868/43/hip-86843184.html
PRESS RELEASES
February 3, 2021
Media company 4CableTV International Inc (OTC:CATV) has qualified for Pink Current Information status on OTCMarkets.com. To be eligible, 4Cable must subscribe to the OTC Disclosure & News Service and submit its disclosures in accordance with OTC Market filings and OTC Markets' Pink Basic Disclosure Guidelines. 4Cable was unable to file before renewing its OTC registration or status. Once the reinstatement is completed, the company will submit its disclosures. Its financial reports will be reachable on the company’s website once it’s back and running, which should be around February 5, 2021
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.benzinga.com/amp/content/19469425
January 29, 2021
4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC: CATV) (the "Company") announces today that it hired Karma Snack Agency as their Marketing Firm. While working diligently on the accounting to file and be current, the company is working hard to ensure revenues for the company grow exponentially.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-signs-deal-with-karma-snack-agency-as-their-marketing-firm-301218096.html
January 19, 2021
First, the company has hired Mark Slaugh. Mark Slaugh is the CEO and founder of iComply; the oldest Cannabis Compliance Company in the United States. The second hire is Arthur A. Estopinan, a veteran player in the United States House of Representatives. Effective January 25, 2021 both individuals begin working for the company assisting 4Cable TV International to vet out the Mergers and Acquisitions and assist in the process of growing the company globally in the Cannabis Industry.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-announces-the-hiring-of-two-board-of-advisors-301210558.html
Mark Slaugh
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-slaugh-26713221
https://mogreenway.com/2020/12/21/qa-with-mark-slaugh/
Mark Slaugh was on the board of directors for icomply
https://icomplycannabis.com
Arthur A. Estopinan
https://www.linkedin.com/in/art-estopinan-61359139
http://hispanicpolicygroup.com/arthur-a-estopinan/
January 8, 2021
4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC: CATV) (the "Company") is excited to announce that it is estimating the filing of its financial statement and disclosures in the coming weeks. Working diligently with the accounting department, the company strives to provide true transparency to shareholders.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-certain-incoming-financials-filings-are-imminent-301203235.html
January 4, 2021
4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC: CATV) (the "Company") announced today that it completed the acquisition of several companies devoted to support a global CBD services and products company. Effective December 31, 2020, the Company acquired 100% of the equity interests of each of Health Care and Wellness Clinics of America, LLC ("HCWCOA"), and Corporation Clinic, LLC ("Corporation Clinic")
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-acquisition-of-healthcare-and-wellness-clinics-of-america-llc-and-corporation-clinic-llc-as-the-retail-arms-and-distribution-of-cbd-based-products-301200032.html
December 28, 2020
A group oriented to become a leader in CBD based products markets, today announced they have signed a Letter of Intent (the "LOI") devoted to join forces to control one of the first steps in becoming an integrated hemp company. Signatories to the letter of intent include CIGN, LLC, and 4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC: CATV). 4Cable will take over to operate as the agricultural grower of hemp. This is the first step in the chain for CBD based products to be manufactured by 4Cable TV International, Inc., through its future subsidiaries, which are expected to join the group in any foreseeable future, and function as a global company in the CBD business. The letter signals the intention of the signatories to use their best efforts to work together in establishing an appealing group of business units that will accomplish the expectation of a fast-growing market.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-signs-letter-of-intent-to-acquire-cign-llc-to-grow-hemp-301198599.html
December 11, 2020
Jeff Wildermuth, CEO of 4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC PINK: CATV) announced today that the Company is in the process of finalizing the details in regards to the forward acquisition of a CBD and Hemp Company. The name of the acquired company will be revealed upon final consummation of the deal.
In preparation for the transition, the Company has accepted the resignation of current CEO Jeff Wildermuth, and has appointed Michael Feldenkrais as the new CEO and President of the Company.
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-new-ceo-and-near-completion-of-acquisition-of-cbd--hemp-company-301191242.html
October 22, 2020
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeff Wildermuth, CEO of 4Cable TV International, Inc. (OTC PINK: CATV) announced today that the Company has no plans to reverse its stock. This announcement is in response to the several inquiries that he has received regarding this issue
Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-that-it-is-not-planning-on-reversing-the-common-stock-301157977.html
October 19, 2020
The Company is also still exploring a forward acquisition of a Medical Marijuana and Hemp Company. As was recently announced, Company is still considering two different CBD companies and expects to make its final decision in the upcoming weeks.
Source: https://marketwirenews.com/news-releases/4cable-tv-international-inc-announces-that-it-is-exp-6718975385344526.html
submitted by Awkward-Box-8220 to PennyStocksDD [link] [comments]

which online gambling sites are legal video

This Week in Gambling - YouTube what online casinos are legal in us ! - YouTube SAFETY MONEY & PERSONAL DATA IN ONLINE CASINO SITES ... Online gambling sites face new regulations: James Mildred ... Online Gambling Sites - YouTube BEST ONLINE CASINOS for USA Players 2019 - YouTube Legal Online Casinos Spain - YouTube Online Gambling: Never been easier? - YouTube what online casinos are legal in us ! - YouTube

Legal Online Gambling Sites. We push our legal online gambling sites to numerous countries around the globe. The common misconception in gaming online is that many believe it is based on the location of the customer. But, in actuality, legality can be based on the location of the place of business. Betting online is the real deal lately. It’s the real deal regardless of how much money you’re able and willing to spend. If you want to make the most out of your money online, then you need to prioritize the best online gambling sites around. There are many best online gambling casino choices on hand nowadays. Legal Online Gambling For Nebraska Residents. The legalities of online gambling in Nebraska may be somewhat confusing, but we have examined these laws in order to figure out what our players will have to face. If you are going to gamble online, you will want to familiarize yourself with the regulations, rules, laws and requirements in place by the Nebraska government. Read about legal gambling in The United States. Find legal online gambling sites, USA gambling laws, gambling ages, and the best legal casinos, sports betting sites, and poker rooms. In Oregon, sports betting, horse racing betting, and the state lottery are all legal OR online gambling. Online casinos, however, are not in this category and are still illegal. Scoreboard is the sports betting platform for Oregon residents and is backed by the Oregon Lottery. Online gambling is not legal in Wisconsin. In addition, Wisconsinites cannot engage in sports betting or traditional casino games. Horse racing is legal, but there are also no operating horse racing tracks in the state. Pretty much the only forms of gambling allowed are bingo, raffles, pari-mutuel betting, and lotteries. Yes, it is entirely legal to visit, register, deposit, and play at a casino site in the USA at any of the registered & audited offshore gambling sites that we recommend. Online bettors will not face legal action by registering at any of the casinos recommended here. Foreign gambling sites can be licensed in any jurisdiction or generally operate without it. However, it should be noted that gambling is not necessarily legal in these countries. For example, the Cayman Islands completely prohibit gambling, while the local residents are liable for participation in gambling. Online gambling has proved to be a legal and easy way to make money from home. Best online gambling sites contain enormous quantity of games for different tastes. This is a real chance of adding real money to bank account! Legal gambling online in the USA is still in a bit of a limbo, and there are many gray sites offering their services – but if they have not passed a reputable audit, registering can be dangerous. You can usually do so by checking whether it features certain gambling safety symbols at the footer of its homepage.

which online gambling sites are legal top

[index] [4041] [5171] [9215] [281] [2173] [6927] [3377] [1947] [9390] [5047]

This Week in Gambling - YouTube

Online gambling sites are set to face new restrictions on slot games from October. Holly Cook speaks to James Mildred from Christian Action Research and Educ... When searching for the best casinos, you might need the online casino reviews that will not let you down. If you're looking for the right web casino review, ... Every online casino player makes a deposit and get verified before starting to play. Have you ever thought about the reliability and safety of money and pers... ПОЛУЧАЙ ФРИ СПИН ПО ССЫЛКЕ!!! http://hottopnow.com/BUR what online casinos are legal in us, online casino österreich ohne einzahlung, online ... This Week in Gambling creates news videos for the gambling industry... every week! We report and comment about what's happening in land-based and online gamb... Play at our Recommended Online Casinos for Real Money: https://bit.ly/2ylqqai Which casino should we review? Let us know in the comments section below! --- S... ПОЛУЧАЙ ФРИ СПИН ПО ССЫЛКЕ!!! https://betandwin.best/BUR what online casinos are legal in us, online casino 10 dollar deposit, online casino japan, online ca... Find some amazing bonus codes here: https://bit.ly/39JKzYsSubscribe and turn on notifications to get the latest scoop on the best online casinos for USA play... Misspoker is a trusted online QQ Pkv Games gambling site with DominoQQ, BandarQ, online poker, soccer gambling, casino, lottery, real money Qiu Qiu games. Back in the day, you’d pop down the bookies to put a bet on the horses. But gambling has become a global problem, no longer confined to casinos, racetracks a...

which online gambling sites are legal

Copyright © 2024 top.realmoneygame.xyz