Monthly Archives: October 2016

Team Lakay’s Kevin Belingon: “I’ll Just Fight Him Like We Are at War”

Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon is a man of patience.

Nine months removed from his last bout, the Baguio City, Philippines­ based bantamweight fighter will return to the cage on Friday Night, 7 October, when he battles Muin Gafurov at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS at the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

“I’ll take this fight patiently,” the 28­year­old says. “I’ll just wait for my opportunity to go inside or wait for my opportunity to attack, because he is a tough fighter. I can go stand­up with him or fight him on the ground.”

Belingon, a former ONE Championship title challenger, is motivated to bounce back from his most recent loss. The Team Lakay product fought ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fenandes at ONE: DYNASTY OF CHAMPIONS (CHANGSHA) this past January, and was submitted via kimura just four minutes into the first round. He simply couldn’t implement his gameplan that night, as he wasn’t able to control the cage the way he normally does.

Ross Ulbricht takes another stab at overturning Silk Road conviction

Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht is returning to the federal court in hopes of overturning his conviction and life sentence for running what was described as one of the most sophisticated criminal marketplaces on the internet.

Lawyers for the 32-year-old are making an appearance at the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New York on Thursday to appeal for a new trial, according to the Wall Street Journal.

For this fresh bid, the lawyers will focus on the U.S. government’s “calculated failure” to disclose the full extent of its federal agents’ misconduct until after the trial ended. The Justice Department revealed more than a year ago that two federal agents, who worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration and Secret Service, had stolen thousands of dollars worth of bitcoin from Silk Road. The agents, Carl Mark Force IV and Shaun Bridges, are serving their sentences in prison after pleading guilty to the charges.

However, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest, who presided over Ulbricht’s case, forbade mentioning the two agents to the jury, which Ulbricht’s lawyers believe was “a violation of Ulbricht’s right to a fair trial.”

Joshua Pacio: “I Will Get the Belt and Bring It Back to the Philippines”

Joshua Pacio has a golden opportunity to turn his lifelong dream into a reality. The undefeated Filipino contender will challenge unbeaten ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito for his title at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS live on Friday Night, 7 October, from the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

“I will do whatever it takes. If it’s five rounds, I will give it my best and make sure that I will not make a mistake. I am sure that October 7 is the night I will get the belt and bring it home to the Philippines,” the 20­year­old confidently says.

“Bringing that gold strap here to the Philippines and to my family would make me happy because I know I would make them proud and the Filipino people proud, too.”

Pacio, a product of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, has yet to taste defeat. In fact, all of his eight victories have yet to go the distance, as three of them ended via knockout and the other five via submission.

Joshua Pacio: “I Will Get the Belt and Bring It Back to the Philippines”

Joshua Pacio has a golden opportunity to turn his lifelong dream into a reality. The undefeated Filipino contender will challenge unbeaten ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka “Nobita” Naito for his title at ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS live on Friday Night, 7 October, from the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

“I will do whatever it takes. If it’s five rounds, I will give it my best and make sure that I will not make a mistake. I am sure that October 7 is the night I will get the belt and bring it home to the Philippines,” the 20­year­old confidently says.

“Bringing that gold strap here to the Philippines and to my family would make me happy because I know I would make them proud and the Filipino people proud, too.”

Pacio, a product of Team Lakay in Baguio City, Philippines, has yet to taste defeat. In fact, all of his eight victories have yet to go the distance, as three of them ended via knockout and the other five via submission.

Muin Gafurov Overlooks Kevin Belingon, Wants Rematch with Reece McLaren

ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS is set for the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, on 7 Oct. Headlined by ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito defending his title against Joshua Pacio of the Philippines, the card features plenty of local talent alongside some of the hottest MMA prospects from around the world.

One of them is bantamweight Muin Gafurov, who at the age of 20, holds an impressive professional record of 10­1. A strong grappler, Gafurov is matched against Kevin Belingon (13­5), a fighter eight years his senior, who hails from the famous Team Lakay in Baguio. Belingon is a wushu practitioner, with equally balanced striking and grappling skills, and is coming back from a loss to ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes via submission.

“I know that this opponent is too weak for me”, says Gafurov about Belingon. “I don’t see him having many strengths. I am pretty confident of winning this bout. I hope it will be a quick one, too.”

Gafurov is a well­rounded fighter with good grappling and striking skills, matched by an aggressive style and excellent cage control. His base is combat sambo, a Russian martial art which name literally translates as “self­defence without weapons”.

Muin Gafurov Overlooks Kevin Belingon, Wants Rematch with Reece McLaren

ONE: STATE OF WARRIORS is set for the Thuwunna Indoor Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar, on 7 Oct. Headlined by ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito defending his title against Joshua Pacio of the Philippines, the card features plenty of local talent alongside some of the hottest MMA prospects from around the world.

One of them is bantamweight Muin Gafurov, who at the age of 20, holds an impressive professional record of 10­1. A strong grappler, Gafurov is matched against Kevin Belingon (13­5), a fighter eight years his senior, who hails from the famous Team Lakay in Baguio. Belingon is a wushu practitioner, with equally balanced striking and grappling skills, and is coming back from a loss to ONE Bantamweight World Champion Bibiano Fernandes via submission.

“I know that this opponent is too weak for me”, says Gafurov about Belingon. “I don’t see him having many strengths. I am pretty confident of winning this bout. I hope it will be a quick one, too.”

Gafurov is a well­rounded fighter with good grappling and striking skills, matched by an aggressive style and excellent cage control. His base is combat sambo, a Russian martial art which name literally translates as “self­defence without weapons”.

Oulala.com marks DFS footprint in LatAm with football

To establish a foothold the Latin American market, Malta-based daily fantasy sports operator Oulala.com will use the kind of language that is known to all South American countries: football.

Valery Bollier, chief executive officer of Oulala.com, said they are now targeting to establishing their fantasy sports footprint in the Latin American markets by offering its platform to South American football clubs.

The first team to experience the thrill of their DFS platform is the Argentinean football clubs, according to Bollier.

”LATAM markets are incredibly competitive, with very few operators, so I think that our interactive platform with live in-play features is a perfect alternative for Daily Fantasy Football fans. Let’s not forget those who are accustomed to sports betting and are simply looking for a different product that allows them to really put their skills to the test,” Bollier said in a statement. “We are happy to have partnered with Sebastian who has vast experience with LATAM markets. I’m sure he will be instrumental in growing our Daily Fantasy Football network.”

Becky’s Affiliated: Top Five G2E 2016 Takeaways

G2E 2016 took place last week at the Sand Expo in Las Vegas and more than 26,000 attendees walked through the doors across the four days of the event.  G2E is the largest event of the year focusing on the North American gambling industry and beyond, featuring a gigantic expo floor, a selection of sessions dedicated to hot topics in the industry, celebrities, networking events, awards and so much more.

There is no better way to get your finger on the pulse of the North American gambling industry than by attending G2E and here are my top five takeaways from our time in Las Vegas.

The talk is about millenials, but slots still prevail

The most shocking aspect of the G2E expo hall is the sea of slot machines on display at the industry-dominating supplier booths such as Scientific Games and Novomatic.  As someone who has attended G2E for the past decade, I can confirm slots on display have maintained their dominance despite shifts, trends and technological developments in the market.

Banking Destinations for Online Casinos Part 2

This is a guest contribution by Lionel Iruk. An i‐gaming, international wealth management, M&A, principal attorney and manager at Empire Legal. If you would like to submit a contribution please contact Bill Beatty for submission details. Thank you.

In the second of a two part series, Lionel Iruk of Empire Legal discusses various banking destinations for online casinos. If you missed part one, read here.

A. Banking Destinations for online casinos

a) Gibraltar

Singaporean Tiffany Teo Set for One Championship Debut at One: Defending Honor

06 October 2016 – Singapore: The largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced three additional bouts at ONE: DEFENDING HONOR to complete the blockbuster fight card. The event is set to take place at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 11 November. The main event features the return of ONE Lightweight World Champion Shinya Aoki who goes up against top contender Eduard Folayang. In the co-main event, ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat Gafurov takes on former champion Narantungalag Jadambaa in a highly-anticipated rematch.

Tickets for ONE: DEFENDING HONOR are available at http://www.sportshub.com.sg/sportshubtix/Pages/one-defending-honor.aspx

26-year-old Tiffany “Soul Crusher” Teo is a female mixed martial artist who is set to make her ONE Championship debut in the promotion’s flyweight division. She holds an unblemished professional record of three wins and no losses, knocking out two opponents and submitting one. Born in Brunei and raised in Singapore, Teo began training in Taekwondo at age 19 before moving on to compete in Muay Thai and eventually transitioning to MMA. Teo is set to make her first appearance inside the ONE Championship cage against Walaa Abbas.

“It is an honor for me to compete in ONE Championship. I am very blessed to be in the position that I am, ready to give it my all and take it one fight at a time. I’m also excited to perform in front of my friends and family in Singapore,” Teo stated.

Week 5 Thursday Night Football Betting Preview

It is on backup QB Drew Stanton to guide the Arizona Cardinals to a rare road win against the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

With Carson Palmer (concussion) out of action, the Cardinals are 3.5-point favorites against the 49ers in a matchup of two 1-3 NFC West teams. The total is 42 points. The Cardinals are a -175 favorite on the moneyline, with the 49ers offering +155 for an outright victory.

The Cardinals are 1-6 straight-up and 2-5 against the spread in their last seven road games against the 49ers. While San Francisco was expected to struggle, Arizona is underachieving in spite of skill position talent such as RB David Johnson and the WR trio of John Brown, Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd.

NFL Power Rankings Week 5 – The One Where Nothing Makes Sense

A lot of other writers who produce power rankings are scared to move teams up from the bottom to the top too quickly. Not me. If you’re covering against the spread, beating decent competition and producing consistently then I’m going to reward you for it. Listen, nothing in this season makes any sense so compiling lists like this is no easy feat.

To put things in perspective, the Vikings are the best team in the NFC. Atlanta might be the second best. Nobody was ready to say that in the preseason when Teddy Bridgewater went down and Mohamed Sanu was the biggest acquisition for the dirty birds. So stay with me here, we’re just trying to get a grip on reality.

1. New England Patriots (3-1 SU and ATS)

The bottom crapped out for the Patriots over the weekend against the Buffalo Bills in a game that won’t have any impact on the remainder of the season. It might actually be the only loss this team suffers for the remainder of the year. I’m dead serious about that.

Securities regulator wonders why Amaya ex-CEO Baazov fails to show at hearing

Quebec’s securities regulator continues to paint former Amaya Gaming CEO David Baazov (pictured) as the architect of a major insider trading ring.

On Wednesday, the first of two days of hearings by a tribunal of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) got underway in Montreal. The hearings are probing the stock trading activity of 12 individuals that the AMF claims earned profits of $1.5m from inside information that originated with Baazov.

Preliminary hearings in September revealed that the AMF’s case against the 12 was largely circumstantial, but AMF lawyer Philippe Levasseur said on Wednesday that this was par for the course. “Direct proof just doesn’t happen,” adding that the AMF lacks the authority to tap people’s phones.

The AMF did obtain phone records and emails that show a pattern of contact between Baazov and some of the 12 individuals, including his older brother Josh/Ofer Baazov, related to transactions dating back to Amaya’s 2011 acquisition of software firm Cryptologic.