Betting and Depositing Stopped on Just-Dice and Doge-Coin!

With news today that Canada is regulating bitcoin at the national level, gambling websites Just-Dice and Doge Dice (under same ownership and presumably run from Canada) have announced that they ceasing account depositing and betting for the foreseeable future. Just-Dice's main highlight is its provably fair gaming that's why it gained its popularity in no time.

There has been a post made by a staffer from the site's official blog, the staff's simply goes by 'Deb':

"As some of you know and many of you are going to find out, we have determined that the best course of action following Canada's new regulations regarding 'online currency' is to temporarily disable betting and depositing on both Just-Dice and Doge-Dice."

Canada's new regulations make things incredibly difficult for new businesses working in the bitcoin industry to get themselves in compliance with the law.

Bed of Just-Dice/Doge-Dice notes that along with 'Doog' (another staffer) "are working on alternatives for the sites," adding that they'll work to keep the community adequately updated as progress is made. They also make the recommendation that all users withdraw their coin balances and keep it in their own private means of storage until such a time where the website can open for business again.

Until then the sites will still remain functional, but all transaction taking place on the properties will be in what's they've referred to as a "play coin" environment. In other words, not real money.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of your, players, mods, investigators and those who have been active on chat. Without you, we'd not have enjoyed such a remarkable year together," she writes. "We hope to see you all back again once we've had a chance to get our ducks in a row."

Source: newsbtc.com

Blockchain Launches Bitcoin.com

Blockchain Launches Bitcoin.com Android App

Bitcoin Wallet and Block explorer provider Blockchain has officially launched its Bitcoin.com website today, giving visitors a learning portal to the basics of the digital currency. Previously, the site was used by fellow consumer wallet provider Coinbase as a customer onboarding tool. However, Blockchain announced its 5-year deal to manage the domain name earlier this year.

At the time, the company expressed its hope "to help drive consumer adoption and education" using the web portal, standing; "We are excited to create new learning experiences and introduce millions of new users to bitcoin as a result of this exclusive deal."

The site is available in at least 70 languages, including Czech, Persian and Zulu, among others.

Blockchain for Android

The announcement coincided with the news that Blockchain will launch a more consumer-friendly wallet app update on Android devices next month, as reported by Business Insider. Blockchain executives told the media outlet that the app will emphasize security as well, and provided screenshots highlighting the app's improved interface.

The company has also announced that it will further resubmit its app to the iOS store following Apple's most recent policy update, which may now allow for bitcoin apps with money transfer capabilities to be listed via the platform.

Site Overview

At Bitcoin.com, users are greeted by an introductory "What is bitcoin?" video, with the current bitcoin price displayed in the top corner. Just below, the site answers the question of how to use bitcoin, briefly explaining how bitcoin wallets work and directing users to Blockchain.info.

Bitcoin.com directs bitcoin beginners to the main players in the ecosystem-Coinbase, Bitpay, Overstock, among others - to answer other questions about how to become informed and involved with the digital currency.

Source: coindesk.com

If Digital Currencies were Popular Companies

There's no doubt that the technology industry has made its presence in pop culture known load and clear. Gone are the days when only engineers and geeky hobbyists talked about using new software applications or gossiped about the most recent company acquisition.

Though digital currencies may be relatively late to the party, they're certainly making up for the lost time. Thanks to the open source nature of the Bitcoin protocol, anyone with some time and programming experience can create their own uniquely branded digital currency. Now if we were to make some comparison to the most popular digital currencies and their counterpart when it comes to the most successful and popular companies.

Bitcoin would be Google!

Just like how Google is the fact search engine of choice for Internet users, a vast majority of people who use digital currencies are dealing with bitcoin. Bitcoin and Googl'es dominating popularity in their respective industries is not the only similarity between them, though.

Bitcoin has made it this far in part due to its open source development model, which allows developers to build applications that expand on the core protocol. Google has also taken a noticeably open approach to its development.

Litecoin would be Yahoo!

Litecoin was one of the first alternatives to bitcoin for digital currency enthusiasts. Though nearly identical to bitcoin, litecoin distinguished itself with a faster block time of 2.5 minutes (compared to the 10 minutes it takes on the Bitcoin protocol), and has even been declared the "silver to bitcoin's gold".

Though Yahoo! was around before Google, the veteran search engine has fallen behind Google in traffic rankings. In recent years, however, Yahoo! has revamped its marketing approach and has sought out expansion to new verticals, similar to litecoin's quest to use branding to distinguish itself and gain market share from its titan rival.

Ripple would be Uber!

Ripple arrived on the digital currency scene and right away grabbed everybody's attention. Situating itslef more as a payment protocol than an actual currency, Ripple was successful in disrupting the ecosystem of digital currencies that largely consisted of near clones of the Bitcoin protocol.

Like Ripple, Uber made a loud entrance into the world of ridesharing and taxi services when it was founded in 2009. Uber used software to build an app that quickly proved to be disruptive to the taxicab industry.

Dogecoin would be Snapchat!

Aside from bitcoin, dogecoin may be the most buzzed-about digital currency. Members of the dogecoin community are active, loyal, and vocal about their digital currency of choice, There is a lighthearted feel to the dogecoin movement, and supporters of the meme-inspired coin sometimes struggle to be taken seriously by other digital currency enthusiasts.

Selfie-taking teenage users of Snapchat also face some of the same problems of dogecoiners: they're the clear drivers behind their respective movements, but are still scoffed at by peers who consider themselves more mature. Similar to the story of dogecoin, few people expected Snapchat to become so popular in its early days. Both dogecoin and Snapchat have found considerable success!

Source: coindesk.com

Bitcoin Entrepreneur Settles SEC Charges Over Stock Sales

SEC Charges Over Stock Sales!

Erik Voorhees, 29, who published prospectuses and solicited investors through the Bitcoin Forum websites to buy shares in FeedZeBirds and the popular bitcoin casino SatoshiDICE, both of which he co-owned, without first registering the offerings as required under federal securities law, according to the SEC.

A well-known proponent of the electronic currency bitcoin agreed to pay nearly $51,000 to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges that he publicly offered unregistered shares in two Internet ventures, the regulator said on Tuesday.

The settlement calls for Voorhees to give up $15,844 in profit and interest, and pay a $35,000 fine. He didn't even admit or deny any wrongdoings.

Erik Voorhees is also a founder of Coinapult, which lets users transfer bitcoin via email or messaging service. The virtual currency is transacted independent of central control, and it is not backed by any government or central bank.

"All issuers selling securities to the public must comply with the registration provisions of the securities laws, including issuers who seek to raise funds using bitcoin," said Andrew Ceresney, head of the SEC enforcement division.

Brian Klein, a lawyer for Voorhees, did not immediately respond to request for comment. Klein has also worked for the nonprofit Bitcoin Foundation, which advocates use of the currency. The SEC said Voorhees raise 2,600 bitcoins in May 2013 through the sale of 30,000 shares in FeedZeBirds, which promises to pay bitcoins to Twitter users who forward sponsored text messages.

It also accused Erik of helping raise 50,600 bitcoins from August 2012 to February 2013 through the sale of $13 million shares of SatoshiDICE, a bitcoin casino gaming website that pays out casino-like winnings in bitcoin, SatoshiDICE was sold last July for more than $11 million, Eirk Voorhess said at that time.

According to the SEC, the value of bitcoin has fluctuated since Voorhees' first unregistered offering from about $5 to $1,200 per bitcoin. 

The case is In re: Voorhees, SEC Administrative Proceeding No. 3-15902. The SEC's order finds that Voorhees violated SEctions 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1993.

In addition to the monetary sanctions, Voorhees agreed that he will not participate in any issuance of any security in an unregistered transaction in exchange for any virtual currency including bitcoin for a period of five years.

Source: reuters.com

Bitcoin Bots Bought MIllions In Its Dying Days

Mt. Gox Bought Millions in its last days.

Two algorithms, named Willy and Markus, bought around 650,000 bitcoins in the dying days of the bitcoin exchange, a new report alleges.

Bitcoin prices were being manipulated in late 2013 by a pair of autonomous computer programs running on bitcoin exchange MtGox, according to an anonymously published report. The programs, named Willy and Markus, allegedly pushed prices up to %$1,000 before the bubble burst after MtGox collapse in late February.

The report's author alleges that some of the trades were coming from inside the exchange itself. "In fact," the report says, "there is a ton of evidence to suggest that all of these accounts were controlled by MtGox themselves."

The so-called Willy Report uses leaked logs of activity on the new closed bitcoin exchange to analyze the behavior of the Willy trading algorithm, which users had noticed in December 2013. The robot bought small amounts of bitcoin in regular intervals for months, but until the logs were leaked in March, no-one could work out why. The report's author tracked down all the "Willy" trades, looking for accounts making 1-20 bitcoin transactions every five minutes, and found that $112m had spent to buy more than 250,000 bitcoin in the course of November.

"So if you were wondering how Bitcoin suddenly appreciated in value by a factor of 10 within the span of one month, well, this may be why," the writer adds. Bitcoin value went from around $200 at the start of November 2013 to a peak of $1,132 by the start of December - at which point the price collapsed. It stood at about $570 on Wednesday. But following the trail further back reveals a second bot, which the author names "Markus". That bot operated in a less elegant way. "First, its fees paid were always zero (unlike Willy, who paid fees as usual). Second, its fiat [non-bitcoin money] spent when buying coins was all over the place, with seemingly completely random prices paid per bitcoin."

The author suggests that the "Markus" bot, rather than spending bitcoin prices per bitcoin, In fact acquired the coins for free, "and the program that generates the trading logs simply takes whatever value was already there before. In other words, Markus is somehow buying tons of BTC without spending a dime." The total amount of bitcoin that the log shows was bought by Markus and Willy up to the end of November, when the logs end, is 570,00 bitcoin - equivalent to $379m on the average price of bitcoin during the month.

But the author also say that Willy was "active for the most part of December until the end of January as well. Although this was at a slower, more consistent pace (around 2,000 BTC per day), it should roughly add up to another 80,000 BTC or so bought." Add that to the total and it hits 650,000 bitcoin - the amount MtGox said it had lost to hackers when it closed its doors.

Source: theguardian.com

Can Bitcoin Stop Game Piracy?

Could Bitcoin Make Free2Play Games Obsolete?

The much anticipated game Watch Dogs was released yesterday and according to some report the pirated version that showed up on various illegal torrent websites contained a little extra added by the person who pirated it in the first place: a Bitcoin miner.

Piracy has long been the bane of the games industry - but one enterprising pirate may just have figured out how developers could make money from piracy, by using Bitcoin. And could this have implications for how legitimate game developers make money?

The way Bitcoin (and other so-called crypto-currencies) work is clever: essentially, your computer will over time slowly generate Bitcoins for you by 'mining' them - in other words, putting your processor to work by solving complex maths problems. The more computing power you have, to faster you can mine - and the richer you can get.

So what the pirate (allegedly) did was package in a secret bitcoin miner that had been programmed to send the virtual coins to his or her Bitcoin wallet - so when you play Watch Dogs, your computer is secretly making money for the pirate.

Whilst this obviously isn't good for Ubisoft, who put in the hard work making the game, you have to admit that it is very clever. And it is also funny to see people who have downloaded the dodgy torrent getting indignant at how the game that they pirated, giving no money to the developers, isn't quite as it seems.

This ruse though raises a bigger question: has it shown a new way for developers to monetise their games? With all of the talk in gaming communities about how much they hate "free to play" games (where micro-transactions are used for in-game items instead of paying upfront), could Bitcoin mining provide a unique solution?

What if instead of paying £50 for Watch Dogs up front, or £2 for Angry Birds (or whatever), you were able to download the games for free on to your device, with the understanding that it would use your computer (or console) to mine Bitcoins for the developers? This perhaps isn't as crazy as it sounds. When the PS3 first launched, Sony made a big deal about how the console could be used for Folding@Home - a medical research app that used connected consoles to process shedloads of raw research data whilst the PS3 was in standby mode. Essentially exactly what I'm proposing - but for altruistic reasons. There is only one minor flaw in the plan though. People will have to start taking Bitcoin seriously.

Source: techdigest.tv

Starting CoinGG.com with a Bang!

This roulette betting site started making a buzz in the industry with a bang!

CoinGG.com debuts in the online gaming industry and in the community of bitcoin bettors with its introductory bitcoin giveaway, which is set to award the first 100 players who will post in its thread on bitcointalk.org with 0.5 mBTC each starting May 17.

The newcomer CoinGG boasts state-of-the-art technology in providing and maintaining a betting performance that is parallel to those of established Bitcoin casinos online, and therefore, it manages to offer premium roulette betting on the web, highlighting key features and services essential for a seamless betting experience.

The promotion proved to be success based on the response on the bitcoin forum, CoinGG is poised to attract players regardless because it has the makings of a prime-quality online bitcoin roulette game, which it describes as beautiful, clever, generous, swift, fair and secure.

But the best thing about this bitcoin casino and this is the lone feature that makes it stand out among the rest of the bitcoin casino games is the ability of players to invest in the platform and earn a share of the total house profits from every win and loss. It only means that the larger the investment is, the higher the profits will be; although the maximum profit a player can receive from a bet is limited to 2% of the house's bankroll.

Source: bestbitcoincasino.com

Casino M8TRIX License in Jeopardy

Casino M8TRIX License in Jeopardy after profit Skimming Accusations!

A california cardroom may find itself out of business if the state attorney general's office can prove Casino M8trix attempted to hide millions of dollars in profits. The state's Bureau of Gambling Control filed paperwork on May 2 accusing the San Jose cardroom of diverting significant income from its 49 poker tables to limited liability corporations (LLC) controlled by M8trix owners Eric Swallow and husband and wife team Peter and Jeanine Lunardi.

The payments to the LLCs were listed as expenses rather thatn distributions to owners, which reduced the amount of income M8trix reported to effectively zero in three of the four years between 2009 and 2012. This is not only reduced M8trix's tax bill but also its contributions toward city-run gambling addiction programs. The San Jose Mercury News reported that Swallow had admitted there were no invoices detailing the nature of the expenses for which the LLC's received "millions of dollars annually" from M8trix.

Bitcoin Economy is Controlled?

Is the Bitcoin Economy Controlled by Online Gambling?

More than half of all Bitcoin Transactions are from Gambling Sites. But is the Future of Bitcoin a Safe Bet? There are many parallels between the risk of betting on bitcoin as the currency of the future and the risk of placing a bet on the Yankees. For one bitcoin enthusiast those risks are one and the same.

Bitcoin advocate, entrepreneur and CEO of Bitcoin Sports Trade, Tyler Wilson discusses what bitcoin means to the world and how it is the innovation that inspired him to create BitcoinSportsTrade.com

Gambling on Freedom

Wilson shares his thoughts on the true power of Bitcoin. "Bitcoin means much more to the world thatn just a new form of money" he says. "Bitcoin at its core represents the decentralization of a corrupted banking system and the freedom of choice. Bitcoin literally has the potential to unify the world and give the powe back to the people", he explains.

Using bitcoin to facilitate a bitcoin sports betting site is fun and all but what bitcoin really represents has far greater significance to me. Bitcoin gives a voice to the people, so the more we use bitcoin collectively, the louder that voice becomes, according to Wilson. He also says that the more companies start to accpet bitcoin and the more bitcoin based businesses are started, the more we will be able to shift the imbalance of control in the world.

Bitcoin is no controlled by any single entity. Nobody's in control so no one can tell you what to do with your bitcoins and how to spend them. Isn't that true definition of democracy?

Source: coinreport.com

Nakamoto Thanks Bitcoin Donors

Dorian Nakamoto Thanks Bitcoin Donors on Youtube!

Dorian Nakamoto, the California man who is Satoshi Nakamoto but not the one the media is looking for, has appeared in a YouTube video thanking the bitcoin community for its support.


Bitcoin identity Andreas Antonopoulos organized the fundraiser as partial compensation for Nakamoto’s recent troubles, after a Newsweek cover story ‘revealed’ him to be bitcoin’s mysterious originator. The appeal has raised over 47 BTC (roughly $23,000) and Nakamoto says he plans to keep his “bitcoin account” open and become a user.

In the three-minute video, Nakamoto appears alongside Antonopoulos and holds up a copy of Newsweek’s now-infamous “Bitcoin’s Face” edition, repeating his denial that he was involved with bitcoin or its creation in any way.

“I’m sure you guys will know that Satoshi Nakamoto is not me. But Leah (Goodman) thinks so, and Newsweek said so. But it’s not true,” he says.
“I’m very thankful for all these people in the US, Europe, Asia, in South America and Africa who supported me throughout. Thank you very much. I want to hug you, this 2000 of you who donated.”

He also mocks the notion that anyone wanting to anonymously unleash the world’s most disruptive cryptocurrency to date would use their real name in online communications.

Newsweek and Nakamoto

64 year-old Nakamoto, who has suffered both unemployment and health problems in recent years, was hounded by the media after Newsweek’s cover story appeared, causing him further hardship.

Today’s video is Nakamoto’s first public statement since he hired a lawyer and made an official denial of Newsweek’s claims in late March.

Newsweek and journalist Leah Goodman say they stand by those claims that Nakamoto created bitcoin, and the research behind them. The magazine used the story to re-launch its print edition after its acquisition by new owner IBT Media, but was accused by many in the bitcoin community of rushing to release the story based on flimsy circumstantial evidence.

Source: coindesk.com

Mt. Gox Frozen Assets

Mt. Gox has now filed for bankruptcy protection both in the United States and in Japan. Additionally, both the company and Karpeles have had their US assets frozen in connection with numerous civil complaints and at lease one criminal probe.

Further, Mt. Gox has so far failed to explain the reason for the discrepancy between the amounts of cash liabilities on its balance sheet and the balance of cash held on banks accounts to be owned by the company. Karpeles testified in a Texas bankruptcy court on Monday, march 10th, that Mt. Gox was the target of a massive and lengthy attack by computer hackers, but admitted that the exchange continued to accept trading orders and collect fee income for weeks after management knew that Fox was technically insolvent.

Source: coindesk.com

Bitcoin Casino News Flash

Bitoomba Factory and The Pirates 3D Slot will now join Bitoomba's six other Bitcoin slot titles. While Bubbles Factory offers a more traditional online slots game to users, The Pirates 3D Slot is Bitoomba's first high-definition 3D slot game.

User can access the new titles on a desktop computer or via any mobile browser of smartphones and tablets in the iOS and Bitoomba casino, an online casino platform for the Bitcoin virtual currecny, has announced the addition of two new slots games to its Bitcoin game portfolio.

Check the latest bitcoin casino news at bitoomba.com