A new study linking problem gambling to childhood trauma is muddying the debate over whether nature or nurture plays a greater role in gambling addiction.

A new study of more than 3k male subjects by researchers at the University of Lincoln, UK found that slightly more than one-quarter of subjects who identified as pathological gamblers had witnessed violence in their homes as children.

According to the study, which was published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, around 23% of respondents who identified as problem gamblers – i.e. displaying a less harmful relationship with gambling than their pathological brethren – also reported witnessing violence at home, while the rate for ‘regular’ non-problem gamblers was just 8%.

Similar results were found for respondents who reported personally suffering physical abuse in childhood, with 10% of pathological gamblers reporting being the victim of violence, versus 9% for problem gamblers and 4% for non-problem gamblers.

For the first time in the history of cryptocurrency, a new version of Bitcoin is now being mined. And it’s not as scary as some reports would have you believe.

On Tuesday, a group of miners split off from the main bitcoin blockchain—meaning they started using a new, incompatible software—creating a new cryptocurrency called Bitcoin Cash.

The blockchain split is the culmination of the years-long scaling debate within the bitcoin community as they search for a way to increase the network’s capacity from the original 1MB.

Bitcoin Cash is a project of some of SegWit2X’s original backers who have lost confidence that the proposal, which combines Bitcoin Core’s Segregated Witness and a block size increase, will implement the “2X” part and decided to take the matters into their own hands.

A majority of Kenyans want their government to rethink its new 35% tax on sports betting operators due to fears over what impact the tax will have on local sports teams.

A new survey by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) found that 60% of the 822 respondents surveyed thought the government was wrong to impose a 35% tax on sports betting revenue – up from the 7.5% rate sports betting operators had been paying – while just 22% supported the government’s decision and the remaining 18% were ambivalent.

The new tax rate, which will apply to all forms of gambling in Kenya starting January 1, 2018, was signed into law in June. However, the survey found that 69% of respondents were unaware of the changes, although more than twice as many men were aware of the law than women.

For what it’s worth, the bulk of the 22% who support the tax plan were over 45 years old, and based their opposition primarily on moral grounds.

UK bookmaker William Hill is celebrating modest growth across all four of its divisions in the first half of 2017, although profits failed to keep pace with revenue.

Figures released Wednesday show Hills’ overall revenue rising 3% year-on-year to £837m in the 26 weeks ending June 27, while adjusted operating profit dipped 1% to £129.5m and pre-tax profits slipped 7% to £93.5m.

While Hills CEO Philip Bowcock was keen to point out that the revenue gains came despite the previous comparable period containing the bulk of the Euro 2016 football tournament, the profit shortfall is all the more alarming given that the company says it remains on track to reap £40m in savings this year via “marketing efficiencies” and “substantial” cuts in external spending after renegotiating certain contracts.

Overall online revenue was up 5% to £290m. Sports betting revenue fell 1% to £139m despite an 11% bump in betting turnover and free bet offers rising more than one-third. Gaming revenue rode to the rescue, rising 10% to £151m. Mobile channels accounted for 81% of sports revenue (+11 points) and 61% of gaming (+10).

UK bookmaker William Hill is celebrating modest growth across all four of its divisions in the first half of 2017, although profits failed to keep pace with revenue.

Figures released Wednesday show Hills’ overall revenue rising 3% year-on-year to £837m in the 26 weeks ending June 27, while adjusted operating profit dipped 1% to £129.5m and pre-tax profits slipped 7% to £93.5m.

While Hills CEO Philip Bowcock was keen to point out that the revenue gains came despite the previous comparable period containing the bulk of the Euro 2016 football tournament, the profit shortfall is all the more alarming given that the company says it remains on track to reap £40m in savings this year via “marketing efficiencies” and “substantial” cuts in external spending after renegotiating certain contracts.

Overall online revenue was up 5% to £290m. Sports betting revenue fell 1% to £139m despite an 11% bump in betting turnover and free bet offers rising more than one-third. Gaming revenue rode to the rescue, rising 10% to £151m. Mobile channels accounted for 81% of sports revenue (+11 points) and 61% of gaming (+10).

partypoker LIVE has announced plans to organise a €1m GTD €2,200 buy-in Nordic Poker Championships as part of the annual poker festivities in Prague, Czech Republic.

#7 of Mike Sexton’s ten-point plan when he joined partypoker as Chairman was to develop partypoker LIVE to become the largest live poker tour in the world.

It seems, when you drill down into the nitty gritty of that plan, expanding their reach into the niche tours is a significant milestone.

Yesterday, partypoker LIVE announced plans to host the 2017 Nordic Poker Championships. It’s a move that’s aligned with the signing of the Norwegian duo of Johnny Lodden and Thomas Udness to help promote the brand in the Nordic regions.

Poker Night in America announces plans to launch a new show called The King of the Hill, but it feels a little pushed and pointless.

In a few hours time, I will take my ten-month-old daughter out of the bath, dry her, dress her, and read her favourite bedtime story. It’s the one where we have to guess the little kitten’s favourite colour. My daughter always claps her hands at the end.

“Again!” She says.

Story.

Two different tales of a charitable nature including the North Carolina Governor vetoing a bill to allow gambling in the state to benefit charities, and the Charity Series of Poker hosting an event in Florida to help families who use the Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital.

I know two things about North Carolina.

Shaggy once sang about it in a terrible song that used to batter my eardrums, and they are not the biggest fans of gambling.

It seems castration and cannibalism are preferred alternatives to having a game of cards in the Old North State.

Doug Polk reaches into the Bobby Ewing playbook to poke fun at the largest online poker room in the world as he continues to grow his reputation by bringing down the reputation of others.

When I awoke from my slumber, and my news feed whispered into my ear that Doug Polk had joined PokerStars, I lost all respect for the man. Not because PokerStars isn’t a paragon of par excellence, but because I abhor people who slip one into the enemy after lambasting them for so long.

There was a video.

Was it a lie?