Latest News
Ben Affleck’s Career in Gambling
Ben Affleck is a two times Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor who has 71 other winnings and 110 nominations. He is well known for his affection for card games, especially blackjack and Texas Hold’em poker. Affleck has been playing in cash poker tournaments for over a decade and has tried his luck several times in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Read more if you wish to deep dive into his gambler’s career.
Card Counting
Ben Affleck was backed off for card counting at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas in April 2014. He was simply asked not to play blackjack by casino staff. The reason – just because he got really good at it. He used a method of so-called advantage play that has been an industry obsession for over 50 years – card counting.
Counting cards is probably the best-known advantage technique in the casino—it’s certainly the well-known advantage gambling technique in blackjack. But how does it work? The reality is that it’s a lot easier to count cards than most people think. That’s because you don’t have to track exactly which cards have been played and which ones are still in the deck. You only have to track the approximate ratio of high cards to low cards.
History with Blackjack and Poker
Allegedly, the movie star has “a habit of going missing in Vegas for days at a time”. Before being booted out for counting cards at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel, he made nearly $1 million in two trips, as reported by the New York Times. According to The Post, in 2000 The Oscar winner won about 125 000€ in a single sitting while playing with friend Matt Damon. A year later, he won over 710 000€ while playing three simultaneous hands at 17 785 euros each.
He hasn’t had the same luck with poker. Affleck ran into trouble when he hosted a regular Hollywood poker game for A-listers in a posh cigar bar in Beverly Hills. “Ben’s Game” was high stakes and drew celebrities such as Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Tobey Maguire to the Grand Havana Hotel.
The star had luck in 2004 when he won the California State Poker Championship. He took home 316 585€, which qualified him for the 2004 World Poker Tour final tournament. He has since competed several times but has never won any cash, despite top-notch training from poker superstars such as Iranian-born poker whiz, Amir Vahedi, and his personal coach, Annie Duke.
Does He Still Gamble?
After the divorce from actress Jennifer Garner and turning down a role in “Batman” due to drinking problems, he has been trying to get his life back on track. So far there is no information if he still gambles. His recent highlight in his acting career was starring in “The Way Back” (2020). He received praise for his performance as a recovering alcoholic – a topic that has felt “close to home” for him. Affleck relapsed during pre-production in 2018 and the movie was shot in the days after he left rehab. David Sims of The Atlantic praised the “subtlety”, “vulnerability” and “lumbering physicality” of his performance, describing it as “the rawest and most natural” work of his career.
 
																	
																															Latest News
MelBet Partners to Bring UFC Champion Kamaru Usman to SiGMA Central Europe
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SiGMA Europe is one of the most significant events in the iGaming industry. This year, the event is taking place in Rome and will bring together over 30,000 attendees, 1200 sponsors and feature four stages with 550+ top speakers.
On November 05, in partnership with MelBet Partners & Affiliates, former MMA legend and World Champion Kamaru Usman will join the event as a special guest. At booth 5067G attendees of SiGMA Central Europe have the chance to take photos, hear insights and what it takes to rise to the top on a global stage.
During the conference, there will be two activities available for guests at MelBet’s booth:
Punch Challenge. Anyone can come to the booth on November 4 and test their punching power. The person with the strongest punch will have the honour of competing against Kamaru Usman himself.
Want to get exclusive merchandise and take a photo with the MelBet Partners & Affiliates championship belt? Visit the booth. Follow MelBet’s official Instagram account and take a picture with the belt. Those who post a story with the championship belt and tag MelBet will automatically be entered into a drawing for exclusive UFC-themed merchandise.
There will also be a private party, Triumph of the Gladiators, exclusively for the partners and representatives of MelBet Partners & Affiliates, which Kamaru himself will attend. This evening will be an epic event, where history and modernity merge into one.
The post MelBet Partners to Bring UFC Champion Kamaru Usman to SiGMA Central Europe appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
YouTube’s strengthened approach to online gambling and graphic violence in gaming
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YouTube has announced that it will strengthen enforcement of its community guidelines on violent gaming and online gambling content, starting on 17 November.
“Starting on November 17th, 2025, we’ll be strengthening enforcement of our Community Guidelines around online gambling and graphic violence in gaming.
“Our policies are designed to evolve alongside the digital world. We’re making these updates to keep pace with new trends, like gambling with digital goods, and to more closely align our guidelines for mature content with industry standards.
Here’s a Summary of What’s Changing:
Online Gambling Content
“Our current policy prohibits content that directs viewers to online gambling sites or applications that are not certified by Google. We’re expanding our enforcement to now cover online gambling with additional items that have monetary value, including digital goods (e.g. video game skins, cosmetics and NFTs).”
Social Casino Content
“We’re updating our approach to casino-style games where nothing of real-world monetary value is wagered or cashed out. Content that depicts, promotes, or facilitates social casino sites will now be age-restricted.”
Graphic Gaming Content
“In addition to our existing guidelines around graphic gaming content, we will age-restrict an additional small subset of video game content featuring realistic human characters that focuses on scenes of torture or scenes of mass violence against non-combatants. We’ll consider several factors when reviewing this type of content such as:
• Duration – If the graphic scene is sustained (rather than fleeting). For compilation videos, we’ll now consider the cumulative duration of all of the graphic clips combined.
• Prominence – If the violent imagery is zoomed-in or the main focus of the scene
• Realistic human characters – If the violence is happening to a character that looks like a real human.”
“We expect most channels will experience little to no impact but we know this is a lot of information, and we want to ensure you have time to adapt.
Existing videos. Content uploaded before November 17, 2025, that violates these guidelines may be removed or age-restricted, but will not result in a strike. Remember, age-restricted videos can stay on your channel for 18+ audiences.”
“Making edits: For creators who have content that’s in-scope of these updates, you may be able to edit your video description or use our video editor trim or blur tools to make any necessary changes before November 17, 2025.
Notifications: If we age-restrict or remove your content, we’ll notify you by email. If you disagree with the decision, you can always choose to appeal.”
The post YouTube’s strengthened approach to online gambling and graphic violence in gaming appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Latest News
NagaWorld Achieves Exceptional Great Place To Work Certification with Near-Perfect 95% Trust Index Score
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NagaCorp Ltd. together with its subsidiary NagaWorld, a leading Integrated Resort in the Mekong Region, announced that it has recently been Certified by Great Place To Work, a global authority on workplace culture. This prestigious certification, earned with an exceptional Trust Index score of 95%, is based entirely on direct and anonymous employee feedback. A high score indicates a positive work environment where employees felt empowered to be their best selves in a safe work environment while receiving fair recognition, rewards and opportunities for growth.
“It is encouraging and inspiring to see the practice of workplace culture and excellence being cultivated and recognised in Cambodia and being valued by each member in our company. We are both humbled by this international recognition and immensely proud of each member of our Naga family who through their passion for improving livelihoods come to the workplace everyday, not only to work, but to learn, to deliver and to promote the Khmer culture to the world through the works we collectively do. This certification is a recognition of the collective spirit and dedication of every member of our Naga family,” said Mr. Chen Yiy Fon, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director of NagaCorp.
“We will mark this milestone in our ‘Shaping Tomorrow, Together’ journey, which places our people at the core of everything we do. We are immensely proud of our team of over 6000 professionals. This recognition is possible because of you. We congratulate our fellow recipients in Cambodia who have received Great Place to Work certification and together let us continue to build and foster a workplace environment of excellence, integrity, and mutual respect where productivity can thrive and flourish,” Chen Yiy Fon added.
The post NagaWorld Achieves Exceptional Great Place To Work Certification with Near-Perfect 95% Trust Index Score appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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