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The President of the Philippines has ordered the shutdown of online casinos while addressing the issue directly during his annual address to parliament on Monday, July 22.
The plans include banning offshore gaming operators known locally as POGOs, Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. These casinos have largely targeted and been catered to people in mainland China, where gambling is illegal.
Both licensed and illicit operators have expanded across the country and tens of thousands of Chinese and foreign nationals are said to be employed by them.
In his speech, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said: “Disguising as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder.”
“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop.”

Upon this announcement, Mr Marcos was met with a standing ovation from the audience. The cheers heightened even further when he said “Effective today all Pogos are banned.”
‘Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators’ industry to be wound down after bans of online casinos
Following the announcement, the Philippines’ gaming regulator said the licenses of Pogos would be canceled and the sector would be wound down by the end of the year.
According to government estimates, the industry employs 40,000 people directly and indirectly and is made up of over 400 licensed and unlicensed operators.
The industry has an economic cost of 266bn pesos annually and brings in a revenue of around 166.5bn pesos ($2.9bn).
It’s in recent times that the alleged link between Pogos and illicit activities has emerged.
Just a few months ago, in May, law enforcers found that an online casino in the town of Bamban was actually a front for a scam center. This propelled the town into the spotlight and under national scrutiny.
The facility was raided by authorities last March and close to 700 workers were rescued. This included 202 Chinese nationals and 73 other foreigners who were said to have been forced to pose as online lovers.
Featured Image: Via Wikimedia Commons
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The ease of sharing documents, photos, and videos at the click of a button has been a luxury of iOS users for over a decade, but now, WhatsApp is looking to implement a similar feature.
The possibility of a Bluetooth-only transfer could be viable in the near future as the company is exploring a feature that would make this a reality.
How would WhatsApp airdrop work?
According to WABetaInfo, a ‘people nearby’ Whatsapp feature is being developed which would allow a file to be shared with people nearby without the use of an internet connection, effectively an airdrop. This has been submitted under the 2.24.9.22 update.
The leak shows the tool could be available for Android users, but it’s looking like something similar will be brought to those on the iOS app too.
It could look a little different from the tried and true AirDrop, with users instead having to scan an individual’s QR code to allow the process to begin.
At this stage, the feature is under early development which could result in the final version looking a whole lot different from what has just been leaked. The team will be working on the design, functionality, permissions, privacy measures, and user experience as they continue to test ‘people nearby.’
A release date isn’t yet known and the possible feature hasn’t been confirmed by the instant messaging company.
WhatsApp features in development
It’s not just an AirDrop-like feature that the team is working on, as another leak has been reported.
In the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.15.9 update, it was found that the team is working on an instant translation of chat messages.
This means if a chat box pops up with text from another language, it could soon be automatically translated into the language of your choosing. This will rely on technology developed through the company and initial support is believed to be limited to English, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Hindi. More languages could be made available in the future.
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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Google has developed an AI-enhanced weather simulator that can accurately predict warming from climate change.
A research team from the company published their findings in an article on Monday (22 July) sharing how the experimental NeuralGCM model looks at historical sea surface temperature and sea-ice concentration to determine extended climate simulations. It has also been trained on 2.8° and 1.4° deterministic models.
The simulator can do the bread and butter of a weather forecast too, as it’s been found to match or improve on existing predictions.
The hybrid model combines the strengths of traditional forecasts with machine learning and is believed to be the first of its kind to use this technology to make accurate predictions.
“It is also, to our knowledge, the first hybrid model that achieves comparable spatial bias to global cloud-resolving models, can simulate realistic tropical cyclone tracks and can run AMIP-like simulations with realistic historical temperature trends,” writes the researchers behind the project.
Google’s hybrid AI weather simulator could predict hurricanes in the future
For further climate projection, NeuralGCM will be reformulated to include other components like ocean and land and data from greenhouse gasses and aerosols.
While the current research is focused on generalizations, the team notes how the hybrid modeling approach of NeuralGCM has the “potential to transform simulation for a wide range of applications, such as materials discovery, protein folding and multiphysics engineering design.”
The model will be expanded on in the future as the researchers are working on a new feature that could generate year-ahead hurricane predictions. This would allow for greater preparation measures to be taken if extreme weather is known about with better accuracy.
In a conversation with Bloomberg UK, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University who wasn’t involved in the research, R.Saravanan called it “an important advance in atmospheric modeling and long-term weather prediction, but not necessarily a giant leap in climate prediction.”
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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It’s been some time since we got our hands on a new Dragon Age title and while there have been many technical advancements in that gap, one thing has remained the same for Veilguard – an incredible set of voice actors.
With a bunch of new characters introduced this time around though, you might want to brush up on the famous voices behind the in-game faces.
Here, we’l take you through the complete Dragon Age: The Veilguard voice actors list so you’re aware of the new and returning talent for the franchise.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard voice actors: A complete announced list
As promised, here are all of the announced Dragon Age: The Veilguard voice actors as showcased by BioWare themselves:

Rook: Alex Jordan, Bryony Corrigan, Erika Ishii, and Jeff Berg
Harding: Ali Hillis
Davrin: Ike Amadi
Bellara: Jee Young Han
Neve: Jessica Clark
Taash: Jin Maley
Emmrich: Nick Boraine
Manfred: Matthew Mercer
Lucanis: Zach Mendez
Solas: Gareth David-Lloyd
Varric: Brian Bloom

As you can see, Rook, the main character you’ll play as, actually has four different voice actors.
This is pretty unusual, especially in a game of this size, but with BioWare touting Veilguard as having “the most comprehensive character creator in Dragon Age yet”, it only seems fitting.
You’ll also be able to notice some classic names from Dragon Age games of old.
Both Solas and Varric’s voice actors return which is a huge plus not only because Gareth David-Lloyd and Brian Bloom are fantastic voice talent, but this gives a little something extra for those who are fans of the franchise.
The above list isn’t complete though with BioWare also stating that they have “so many more people to introduce you to” before the game’s release.
This means more fresh faces as well as some franchise veterans will be popping up and we’ll update this article with all of them when we get our hands on that juicy info.
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Reddit has confirmed an agreement with several sports entities, sending its share price upward by around 4%.
A “partnership program” with major league bodies, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA Tour, and NASCAR, will deliver new, exclusive content on its leading platform as a catalyst to increase advertising revenue for the company.
Reddit believes the link-up can take advantage of the crossover between its engaged user base and the passion of sports fans and their insatiable appetite for coverage, with the mega-site already hosting communities devoted to their favorite teams and sports stars.
The collaboration is set to deliver additional coverage such as video highlights, behind-the-scenes access, and other fresh content across the seasons and main events, in the respective sports. The envisaged win-win situation will deliver more consumption for fans while allowing advertisers to utilize Reddit’s vast audience to showcase their brands.
The San Francisco-based website combines elements of social media, messageboards, and news aggregation, founded in June 2005 by Steve Huffman and Alexis Ohanian. It received 20.4 billion page views in the sports category over the last 12 months, an increase of 26% on the previous annual period. 

Today, we are excited to share our partnership initiative to boost fan enjoyment on Reddit. We’re teaming up with major sports leagues: @NFL , @NBA , @MLB , @PGATOUR , and @NASCAR to bring more of the content that fans love to Reddit’s communities alongside new… pic.twitter.com/boWz5kZXTF
— Reddit for Business (@RedditforBiz) July 22, 2024

Reddit entices AI development to drive revenue
Jen Wong, the company COO stated, “The country’s major sports leagues see the opportunity to reach global audiences on Reddit”. She also revealed further exploration is underway to develop further engagement between organizations and the engaged communities on the site.
Since it went public in March this year, the company has been seeking partnership agreements to boost its revenue streams. One earlier deal was an agreement with OpenAI to enable access to Reddit’s Data API “which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit,” to transmit discussions from the site to ChatGPT.
In return, the social media site will be able to roll out selected AI features to users and moderators, powered by OpenAI, which will now be an advertising partner on the platform.
Reddit also signed $60m terms with Google in a similar partnership, allowing AI models to be trained on its extensive content base.
Image credit: Via Ideogram
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Shiba Shootout, a new Play-to-Earn game, is primed for rapid growth as its ongoing presale has already raised over $700k. Could it be the next Shiba Inu?
Shiba Inu is already a well-known token with recognized potential. While it is likely to surpass previous highs in the next big rally, it may not be the top performer.
Some experts believe that the best performers will be meme coins currently in presale, as they are set to launch just before the bull run.
One such promising opportunity is Shiba Shootout (SHIBASHOOT), which is seen as the best alternative to Shiba Inu.

New GameFi coin raises over $700k
Shiba Inu is a meme coin that has gained attention for its rapid price rise, featuring a Shiba Inu-themed logo and marketing itself as the “Dogecoin Killer” in competition with Dogecoin. Shiba Shootout is a cryptocurrency project that merges the Shiba Inu Coin with the American frontier’s Western movies.
Shiba Shootout uses a Play-to-Earn (P2E) model, where players earn crypto assets by playing games. This model is especially prominent in the mobile game “Shiba Sharpshooter.” In this game, players engage in intense gunfights set in a digital western town called Shiba Gulch.

Source – Shiba Shootout Twitter
They can enhance their gunfighting skills using $SHIBASHOOT tokens. The game is available on both the App Store and Google Play, highlighting its mainstream potential, which is uncommon for crypto projects. Additionally, a Web3 app version is in development, promising further growth.
This Wild West-themed token is currently in its presale phase and has raised over $700,000. During the presale, $SHIBASHOOT tokens are priced at $0.0196. It’s still possible to join the presale, but investors should act quickly as the token is expected to see its next price increase soon.
You can buy $SHIBASHOOT using ETH, USDT, BNB, or credit/debit cards. The project’s X following has already reached 1,400, and the official Telegram community is rapidly expanding.
Shiba Shootout’s ecosystem: Engaging features, rewards, and staking opportunities
Beyond the P2E game, Shiba Shootout’s ecosystem offers a variety of engaging and utility-focused features.
Participants can join the ‘Posse Rewards’ program by inviting friends to the Shiba Showdown community. They earn bonus tokens for themselves and their friends, with bigger groups earning more rewards.
Additionally, the “Campfire Stories” program lets community members share their experiences with cryptocurrency and meme coins. They also have the chance to vote on key project decisions in ‘Token Governance Roundups,’ reflecting the participatory spirit of Wild West town meetings.
The ‘Lucky Lasso Lottery’ system allows participants to win significant crypto prizes using Shiba Showdown tokens, with a portion of the proceeds supporting charitable causes.
‘Savings Saddlebags’ lets users automatically allocate a percentage of tokens to a dedicated wallet. This wallet remains locked for a set period, earning additional tokens as rewards.

Furthermore, Shiba Shootout includes a staking option called Cactus Staking, offering a high APY rate of 1,377%. Over 23.9 million $SHIBASHOOT tokens have already been staked, demonstrating investors’ enthusiasm for maximizing their rewards.
If you want to explore other top altcoins, explore our guide here.
Shiba Shootout tokenomics and roadmap
Shiba Shootout’s tokenomics has drawn significant investor interest. The presale has allocated 770 million $SHIBASHOOT tokens, or 35% of the total supply, offering a strong opportunity for early participants.
Additionally, the allocation includes 20% for staking rewards, 10% for project development, 10% for liquidity, 20% for marketing, and 5% for sharpshooter rewards. This distribution highlights the focus on both project sustainability and community engagement.
The roadmap for Shiba Shootout is equally promising. Following the presale, the team plans to launch the full P2E game on Google Play and the App Store, and then list $SHIBASHOOT on a decentralized exchange (DEX). The roadmap reflects a strategic approach aimed at ensuring the project’s success and long-term viability.
For security, Shiba Shootout’s smart contract has passed an audit by SolidProof. The project has also gained media attention from leading crypto outlets such as The Times of India, The Coin Republic, The Bit Times, Watcher Guru, and CoinCodex, enhancing its credibility and reach.
To take part in the $SHIBASHOOT token presale, visit shibashootout.com.
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After Google said it would eliminate cookies, sending the advertising industry and policymakers scrambling, they’ve now done a U-turn on the idea.
On Monday, the company said it would no longer get rid of third-party cookies and would instead introduce an alternative.
“Instead of deprecating third-party cookies, we would introduce a new experience in Chrome that lets people make an informed choice that applies across their web browsing, and they’d be able to adjust that choice at any time,” said Privacy Sandbox VP Anthony Chavez in a blog post.
Privacy Sandbox was an initiative set up by the technology giant to test efforts and find solutions for improving online privacy.
The VP notes how the team has received feedback from various stakeholders including UK regulators, publishers, web developers, standards groups, civil society, and people in the advertising industry.
“This feedback has helped us craft solutions that aim to support a competitive and thriving marketplace that works for publishers and advertisers, and encourage the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies.”
While the new pathway has been announced, there’s still work to be done on discussing this with regulators. Google says they’ll engage with the industry as they roll it out.
What are third-party cookies used for and why has this been a huge deal for Google?
Google first announced plans in 2020 to cut support for third-party tracking in Chrome by 2022. This deadline was later pushed back to 2025.
Within that time, the advertising industry and regulators have been left trying to figure out how this will impact them going forward. This is because third-party cookies are small pieces of data stored on your web browser by websites other than the one you’re currently visiting.
These are then used for personalized advertising and website analytics as they can track user behavior across different websites.
If these are to be stopped, businesses wouldn’t be able to run efficient targeted advertisements. These ads mean better engagement which in turn means more revenue for advertisers, publishers, and online platforms.
Featured Image: Via Ideogram
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