All posts tagged: targeting

Revealed: the vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers | Gambling

Revealed: the vast illegal casino network targeting UK gamblers | Gambling

Published by Sam Flores

Immaculately groomed and beaming from ear to ear, Andres Markou looks every inch the golden boy of the gambling sector. The youthful boss of MyStake, a fast-growing digital casino, has been pictured shaking hands with the Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho over a lucrative branding partnership. Elsewhere, he can be seen collecting industry awards, or offering “visionary” insights to interviewers. There is only one hurdle blocking Markou’s ascent to the very top of his trade: he does not exist. The photos seem to be AI-generated fakes and Markou, it appears, is a decoy, deflecting attention from the true faces behind a sophisticated network of illegal online casinos. An apparently falsified image of the supposed MyStake chief executive, Andres Markou, with Brazilian footballer Ronaldinho, right. Illustration: AI-generated image/MyStake Operating outside the law and based in opaque jurisdictions such as the Caribbean island of Curaçao, they are free from the legal duty to protect addicts and stop money laundering. Unlicensed gambling websites have been linked to fraud, financial harm and even suicide. The Guardian and Investigate Europe, an …

Vance Holds First Meeting of a New Anti-Fraud Task Force Targeting Benefit Programs

Vance Holds First Meeting of a New Anti-Fraud Task Force Targeting Benefit Programs

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new anti-fraud task force he’s leading as the Trump administration seeks to show it’s cracking down on potential misuse of social programs. Vance, speaking Friday before the task force held a closed-door meeting, said that the federal government, for decades, had not taken the issue of fraud seriously and that it needed to be tackled with “a whole-government approach.” “This is not just the theft of the American people’s money,” Vance said. “It is also the theft of critical services that the American people rely on.” President Donald Trump, a Republican, has made a crackdown on fraud a central part of his domestic agenda as voters have expressed concern about affordability ahead of November’s midterm elections. That effort comes after allegations of fraud involving day care centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis prompted a massive immigration crackdown in the Midwestern city, resulting in widespread protests. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who faced Vance as a vice presidential candidate …

Australia’s post-Bondi crackdown accused of targeting pro-Palestinian voices | Police News

Australia’s post-Bondi crackdown accused of targeting pro-Palestinian voices | Police News

Published by Sam Flores

Melbourne – Human rights groups have slammed the Australian government’s new “hate speech” laws, saying they will have a “chilling effect” on those who support the Palestinian cause. Most recently, two activists were arrested and charged for chanting the slogan “From the river to the sea”, a phrase that, along with “Globalise the Intifada”, is now illegal in Australia’s northern state of Queensland. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Anyone arrested under the new law is faced with a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment. Rushed through the New South Wales federal parliament after an attack on a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi Beach in December, which killed 15 people, the new laws operate at both federal and state jurisdictions and specifically target speech considered anti-Semitic. Arif Hussein, senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre in the New South Wales capital, Sydney, told Al Jazeera the legislation could be used to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. “There are serious concerns that the new laws could have a …

A New AI Scam Targeting Authors Invokes Elena Ferrante

A New AI Scam Targeting Authors Invokes Elena Ferrante

Published by Daniella Wilson

This story comes from The Hollywood Reporter‘s upcoming AI Issue, out in April. Authors are at their most vulnerable in the weeks leading up to the publication of a book. With little to do but wait for reviews and social media reactions, they vacillate between the manic hope that the fruit of their labor will imminently top the bestseller list and the dread that it will fall between the cracks of the attention economy and disappear into the void, which, after all, is the fate of most books. One of my fellow authors ruefully calls this nerve-wracking pre-pub period “the calm before the calm.” It was in this harrowing lull ahead of the January release of my latest book, a nonfictional nautical tale titled Neptune’s Fortune, that I began receiving the emails. Sent by purported publishing professionals with names ranging from insipidly Anglo Saxon (Dorothy Stratton) to extra-terrestrial (Futa Concept), they all followed a similar template: Four or five smoothly written paragraphs, beginning with detailed, excessively flattering descriptions of my book — e.g. “Neptune’s Fortune is a masterclass in …

Maryland lawmakers advance gambling bills targeting sweepstakes and college prop bets

Maryland lawmakers advance gambling bills targeting sweepstakes and college prop bets

Published by skeptic

Maryland lawmakers are pushing forward a trio of gambling bills aimed at tightening rules and going after illegal operators. House Bill 518 passed the House without opposition on March 18 and is now under review in the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, along with two related proposals focused on unregulated online markets and sweepstakes-style gaming. Regulators have already shown they are willing to act, ordering two casinos to immediately halt certain activities over compliance issues, signaling a tougher stance across the state. Maryland House advances sweepstakes and college prop bet restriction bills HB 518 focuses on curbing problem gambling and placing new limits on certain wagers. It directs the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to take a more hands-on role, stating that “the Commission shall adopt regulations that are intended to reduce or mitigate the effects of problem gambling.” The rules must include “a voluntary exclusion list of individuals with gambling problems who have requested to be excluded,” along with “a simple mechanism” for people to sign up for a set period. In most …

Indian Gaming Association backs bipartisan Senate bill targeting sports prediction markets

Indian Gaming Association backs bipartisan Senate bill targeting sports prediction markets

Published by skeptic

The Indian Gaming Association (IGA) has stepped into the growing fight over sports-based prediction markets, throwing its support behind a bipartisan Senate bill that would shut them down. The move adds fresh pressure on federal regulators and companies offering the products as scrutiny spreads well beyond the initial rollout phase. Prediction markets are offering sports bets — just with a different name. They are being offered in states where sports betting is illegal, like California, while federal regulators are greenlighting them rather than enforcing the law. My bipartisan legislation with… pic.twitter.com/oNvI2vw9IP — Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) March 23, 2026 Lawmakers Adam Schiff and John Curtis introduced the measure, called the “Prediction Markets Are Gambling Act.” It would stop federally regulated exchanges from listing contracts tied to sports wagering or casino-style activity. The proposal would update the Commodity Exchange Act to block entities overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from offering those contracts. The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to take it up. IGA tribal leaders frame Senate bill as restoring authority against sports prediction markets …

First charge for tailgating under new law targeting ticketless football fans | UK News

First charge for tailgating under new law targeting ticketless football fans | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

A man has become the first person to be charged under a new law banning football fans from entering a game in England and Wales without a ticket. The legislation came into force on Sunday, in time for the match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley, which City won 2-0. It is now a criminal offence for anyone to enter a football game in England and Wales without a ticket. Tailgating is when someone walks closely behind ticket holders to get through entrances. Image: Fans arriving at Wembley ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, but not everyone had tickets. Pic: PA The new law was prompted by serious disorder at the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley in July 2021. The Metropolitan Police said it had charged Benjamin Bailey, 27, from Oldham, in Greater Manchester. He will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on 1 May in connection with the alleged offence. Image: Manchester City lift the trophy after winning the Carabao Cup at Wembley. Pic: PA Two other men were arrested …

Friendship fraud: warnings of rise in ‘insidious’ scam targeting older people | Scams

Friendship fraud: warnings of rise in ‘insidious’ scam targeting older people | Scams

Published by Sam Flores

As you have got older, retirement has left you with more time on your hands. Loneliness has set in. Luckily, you have found a friend through one of the online motoring groups you are in, and a close bond has blossomed over your common interest in cars. But your new friend has found themselves short when it comes to paying for their university textbooks, and has asked you for £50. It’s not much, and you get on so well that you agree to pay via bank transfer. It will be the first of many requests for payment that the “friend” makes, all for seemingly small amounts, but which mount up as part of a structured “friendship fraud” that preys on older and vulnerable people who are in search of human contact. TSB is reporting a rise in scams where criminals are using social media to befriend people before defrauding them out of thousands of pounds, often over lengthy periods of time. The scam has many of the same characteristics as romance fraud, where victims are …

UK allows US to use bases to bomb Iranian sites targeting ships in Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

UK allows US to use bases to bomb Iranian sites targeting ships in Strait of Hormuz – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The spokesperson said the U.K. is still working with partners to develop “a viable plan” to safeguard shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Details on any proposals have been scant so far. Since the beginning of the Iran conflict, Starmer has been keen to stress the U.K. is on its own path, one not dictated by the U.S. This is the first time the U.K. has confirmed that U.S. bombers can use two British bases to hit Iranian missile sites that are targeting commercial shipping in the Strait. Previously Britain had said the U.S. could use its bases to target Iranian missile sites that were attacking the U.K.’s allies in the Gulf, without citing commercial shipping. Downing Street officials insisted on Friday night that defending shipping falls within the existing remit for cooperation with the U.S. that Starmer agreed on March 1. The prime minister has repeatedly called this remit “specific and limited” and stressed it is only for a “defensive” purpose. The two British bases being used by American bombers are RAF Fairford in …

Florida lawmakers advance bill targeting illegal gambling properties with stronger penalties

Florida lawmakers advance bill targeting illegal gambling properties with stronger penalties

Published by skeptic

Florida lawmakers have formally enrolled Senate Bill 168, a measure that expands the state’s public nuisance law to include properties used for illegal gambling and removes limits on fines tied to those violations. The bill was ordered on Tuesday (March 17), after passing both chambers with wide margins, including a 112–0 vote in the House on third reading. In recent months, Florida regulators have stepped up actions targeting unauthorized gaming, including a recent crackdown that led to the seizure of more than 600 illegal gambling machines. State officials say those operations often run in storefronts or back rooms, generating significant unregulated revenue while skirting oversight. How gambling enforcement and penalties will shift under new Florida nuisance law SB 168 revises the list of activities that allow a property to be declared a public nuisance. The enrolled text adds locations used as gambling houses to that list, placing them alongside other recurring criminal uses already covered under state law. According to the bill summary, the measure is “revising the list of places that may be declared …