Day: December 1, 2017

Security is a crucial component of online gaming. Online casinos handle thousands of monetary transactions daily, and all their customers’ payment information and personal details are stored on their servers, which make them a prime target for cybercriminals. Hackers and digital thieves are continually looking for ways to steal sensitive data and credit card information – and online casinos use security software to guarantee the safety of all their customers.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Security Mechanisms for Internet Casinos

There are various methods which online casinos use to ensure their sites are safe and secure, here are some of them:

•      Secure Socket Layer (SSL Encryption): A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is perhaps the most standard security method used by online casinos. The purpose of an SSL is to encrypt all links between the server (online casino) and the client. This means that whenever information is transferred by the customer, i.e. payment information, confidential documents, social security numbers, etc., the link between the customer and the casino is encrypted and hackers cannot intercept it.
•      Firewalls: A firewall is a network security system which filters traffic between networks. A firewall can be configured to only allow trusted to networks to connect by establishing barriers to prevent untrusted networks from gaining access. Online casinos use firewalls to block unwanted traffic, i.e. hackers trying to infiltrate the servers.
•      Privacy Policy: Online casinos have privacy policies which safeguard customer’s information and ensure that confidential information isn’t disclosed. All online casinos collate data such as IP tracking, personal information etc. A privacy policy guarantees that this information isn’t leaked and the customer’s privacy is protected.

How to Check if a Casino is Secure

Before creating an account with an online casino it’s crucial to check if the casino is secure and safe. A reputable online casino will clearly display its security methods and privacy policies. Many online casinos use third-party verification, which means independent companies scrutinise and audit the casino’s software and ensure everything is safe and secure. ECOGRA is one of the most popular third-party assessors, and you can be confident that a website with ECOGRA certification is reliable.

In Canada for example, a great way to ensure that you’re playing at a reliable and safe online casino is only to use recommended secure casinos. There are several casino review sites which scrutinise and assess casino security and compile lists of recommended casinos which have are considered secure. A casino which isn’t safe is called a “rogue casino” and these casinos are usually blacklisted online. Be sure to research your chosen online casino before creating an account, sending any personal information, or making a payment transaction.

Conclusion

Internet security is possibly the most significant current threat to the online gaming industry. Criminal organisations are constantly developing ways to bypass SSL Encryptions and firewalls and steal credit card information and personal data. To counteract this threat, reputable online casinos are using cutting-edge technology to ensure the safety and security of their customers.

The post A Vibrant Community: Viberate’s Key to ICO and Product Success appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Missed out on the bitcoin bubble? You might have gotten rich (in spirit) along the way.

Things have been very quiet on the Chinese front in regards to Bitcoin regulation these past few weeks. More specifically, ever since the country halted all CNY trading, no news has been made public. It now appears the Chinese government may punish OTC trading platforms after all. It seems there will be some major repercussions for all companies facilitating P2P trading between cryptocurrencies and the Chinese yuan.

China Rears its Head Once Again

If China Central Television is to be believed, the future of cryptocurrency in China may look bleaker than ever before. While no exchange is allowed to conduct CNY-based trading as of right now, that may be the least of their problems. CCTV recently aired a special on Bitcoin explaining how OTC trading platforms may violate the financial regulations in place. It would appear the peer-to-peer trading of CNY and cryptocurrencies is of great concern to the government right now.

Moreover, it is evident the OTC trading market for Bitcoin has grown substantially in China over the past few months. A fair few service providers still facilitate exchanges between yuan and cryptocurrency. Unlike traditional exchanges, however, these platforms are still exempt from governmental scrutiny right now. That situation may come to change very soon, according to CCTV. Huobi Pro is one of the platforms facing scrutiny right now, although no official action has been undertaken just yet.

It is unclear why the Chinese government is going after peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading all of a sudden. Many people speculated that the nationwide ban on exchanges facilitating CNY trading was meant to curb capital outflows. Until now, that has never been confirmed by any source, although it remains the most plausible explanation so far. Moreover, there was never any indication OTC trading would be curbed as well, especially in light of the PBoC’s statement in September.

At the same time, one could make the case that OTC trading platforms effectively violate the laws enforced upon centralized exchanges. They also violate the PBoC rule preventing any exchange provider from trading between cryptocurrency and Chinese yuan. It doesn’t matter if they perform the trades themselves or simply facilitate the process; both types of activity are officially prohibited by the PBoC for the time being.

To be sure, not all peer-to-peer trading of cryptocurrency can be deemed illegal. However, if OTC platforms provide clear guides on how to circumvent legislation put in place, that can easily be considered a blatant violation of the law. Whether or not this means Huobi Pro will face any backlash over its business model and how-to guide remains to be seen. So far, no official communication between the government and the company has taken place regarding this matter.

The latest development will only cause more confusion among cryptocurrency enthusiasts in China. Moreover, it raises even more questions as to whether or not China will ever allow CNY-based trading again. For now, that still appears to be the plan, but nothing has been officially confirmed at this point in time. Peer-to-peer trading has become rather popular in China, but that might come to an end very soon. It will be interesting to see how this situation evolves over the next few months.

The post China Turns Bitcoin Focus Inward appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

The increasing popularity of digital currencies has encouraged people throughout the world to begin trading. High market volatility associated with most high-cap cryptocurrencies provides traders with the chance of earning high-profits, but also with the risk of losing a substantial amount of the investment.

Disclosure: This is a Sponsored Article

Because of this, traders often have to invest numerous hours of their days in monitoring the markets, in order to observe price trends, and hence decide when it’s best to buy or sell. This aspect puts a lot of strain on casual traders, and the amount of labour required can become exhaustive.

Multibot is an interesting platform, whose purpose is to solve this problem. It employs a couple of automated tools, meant to actively monitor the market, keep funds safe, bring in profits, and avoid substantial losses in case the market trends change overnight. Better said, Multibot is a fully automatic, and semi-automatic trading platform, based in the cloud, which implements the advantages associated with the SaaS model.

With this in mind, some of the main functions of the Multibot platform include, but are not limited to:

•       Trading signals: Manually sent out by the team behind Multibot, these signals are bound to alert users about changes in the state of the market. From increasing/decreasing prices, to buy/sell opportunities, traders are constantly notified of the latest market events.
•       The semi-automatic buy/sell feature: Based on several parameters, Multibot can make purchases and sales. Relevant examples include coins hitting a target price, or volatility events.
•       Arbitration: The Multibot platform will be able to purchase/sell on the exchanges offering the best deals, in real-time, to avoid losses and increase profits.
•       Trading bot: directly based on neural networks and machine learning, the trading bot is the flagship feature of Multibot. While the algorithm has not yet been disclosed for security purposes, there’s a lot of potential behind this feature.

In a recent press statement, a Multibot team representative mentioned: “We want to develop and offer a service that will help everyone find their way around tough conditions and be insured from losing their capital investments, as well as guarantee its growth.”

To help raise funds for the development and release of the project, the team behind Multibot will be holding an ICO. Investors will be able to purchase tokens, and then either receive dividends on the profits made by the company, or trade the tokens on supporting exchanges for a profit. A total of 25,000,000 tokens will be created, and sold at $1/token.

Those who wish to learn more about the Multibot project can refer to the website and white paper.

The post ixo Foundation: A Blockchain-Based Response to U.N. Call for a Data Revolution appeared first on Bitcoin Magazine.

Mexico may become the next major frontier for cryptocurrency. Like most other countries around the world, the Mexican government is looking to regulate Bitcoin. So far, that process has proven to be far more complicated than assumed. However, a new framework will need to be put in place, especially for companies storing and transmitting cryptocurrencies on behalf of their clients.

Mexico Ponders the Fintech Law

In a way, it is anything but surprising to learn the Mexican government wants to regulate Bitcoin companies. More specifically, anyone who stores or transmits cryptocurrencies on behalf of their clients will be scrutinized by the country’s central bank. The FinTech Law, as this bill is known, is currently awaiting government approval. The law would create a regulated framework in which banks could store cryptocurrencies and electronic payment processing firms could transfer them. This is a rather surprising development, as most people expected more opposition from financial institutions in this regard.

After all, banks and other financial service providers have opposed Bitcoin and altcoins for many years now. Slowly but surely, the tide is turning in favor of cryptocurrencies, by the look of things. If Mexican banks are willing to embrace Bitcoin in some official capacity, things will get very interesting moving forward. All of this hinges on whether or not the bill will get approved or not, though. It is now up to the Senate to vote on this legislation, and it is unclear when that will happen exactly.

Bank of Mexico’s Alan Elizondo claims the companies falling under the purview of this bill would be monitored more closely than non-banking financial companies. This is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. On the positive side, it would bring more legitimacy to Bitcoin in Mexico, as the effort would have support from both the government and central bank. However, customers would be advised to entrust their cryptocurrency to “approved and compliant vendors”, which implies more centralization.

After all, the main selling point of cryptocurrency is that individuals can store their money in a wallet which only they control. There is no need to give up power over one’s finances to a centralized vendor which is closely monitored by the Bank of Mexico. Although the government can’t force anyone to do that, rest assured it will do everything in its power to make that option as enticing as possible. If consumers don’t control their own crypto, the central bank and government will have a lot of power over them once again.

Moreover, once cryptocurrency balances are in the hands of regulated institutions, this information will be shared with other government agencies. There is no valid reason why any government entity should have to know how much cryptocurrency every Mexican citizen is holding. Granted, for tax purposes, this would make things a lot easier for everyone involved. However, there is no official plan to tax cryptocurrency in Mexico right now, which would render this scenario moot altogether. It’s an interesting situation worth keeping an eye on; that much is evident.

For the time being, we will have to wait and see if the FinTech Law actually passes Mexico’s Senate. It is not unlikely this will occur, though. If it does, the country’s central bank would create additional regulations concerning cryptocurrency in general. It is unclear what those guidelines would entail exactly, yet it seems there is no active plan to prevent Bitcoin and altcoins from thriving in this country.

Digital rent processor ManageGo will instantly convert the digital currencies into dollars before sending it on to landlords.

Cookeville, TN-The traditional belief within the financial market is that brokers are an integral aspect of it. They arrange sales between trader and stock seller for a small commission. That commission was their due for filling a role that only they could fulfill. The ethical issues that arose from this system, though known to traders, were an unavoidable risk that had to be taken. Traders had no way to fulfill the role of a broker effectively unless they wished to take on both roles at once. This, coupled with the power of the broker, prevented the broker’s place in the financial trading system to remain undisrupted for nearly the entirety of financial trading history.

The ethical issues involved in this system are numerous and costly. Brokers take advantage of their traders through various deceitful tactics. A common first tactic is designed to draw in and entice traders. Brokers will offer a promo incentive or bonus to any who open a new account with them. These incentives are far larger than the amount invested and, in many cases, are given with the agreement that the trader cannot withdraw their profits until they match or exceed it. This gives the broker complete control over the account of their traders so that they may prevent, hinder, or at the very least make withdrawal difficult. These unethical practices allow dishonest brokers to manipulate prices by dishonestly reporting them along with hedging bets against their traders in order to increase their commission. The practices outlined above have resulted in a 70-90% industry loss ratio. These practices, along with their result,  are common knowledge but there was little that could be done in the past to disrupt this cycle.

SPECTRE, the shortened form of Speculative Tokenized Trading Exchange, is an innovative platform that has disrupted this facet of the financial market. SPECTRE is built upon Ethereum blockchain technology. This is important as it allows traders to use crypto wallets, rather than an account controlled by a broker, to invest. Ethereum takes the place of the broker and automates all the processes associated with the role. Brokers, in the traditional model, make profits off of the loss of traders; the Etherum technology makes no such profit from the deposit of funds from cryptocurrencies into SPECTRE’s liquidity pool. This reduces the motivation and core reasons that broker fraud occurs within the financial market. The broker, within SPECTRE’s business model, is no longer necessary.

The liquidity pool, along with the Etherum blockchain, takes the place of the broker in SPECTRE’s online platform. The liquidity pool is owned by the traders who invest in it, their ‘share’ measured by how many tokens they purchased, and is therefore far more decentralized than the traditional financial model’s liquidity pool. The ethereum blockchain technology, when combined with the liquidity pool, is what makes this system so innovative. Ethereum blockchain works by allowing traders to convert currency into ‘ether’. The conversion of currency to ether, along with the overall management of the currency, is completely automated. This allows the ether to be transferred to any cryptocurrency or, in the case of SPECTRE, withdrawn from the platform without hindrance from a third party such as a broker.  

Ether can be used to purchase two types of tokens within SPECTRE. These tokens, known as Dividend and Utility tokens, are used to promote trading and growth within the platform. The base token that most users will utilize is the Dividend token. It pays out a 2% dividend to all token holders each time a trader initiates a trade. SPECTRE get a 2% cut of the overall trade in the form of a technology fee each time this occurs. The second is their Utility Token. These tokens, shortened to U-Token, do not pay a financial dividend with each trade but have 1-5% higher pay trade outs in comparison to the D-Token. U-tokens also allow access to exotic trade types such as knock-in-knock-outs, barriers, ladders, and other open smart contract options. These tokens, additionally, can be bought back by SPECTRE through their buyback program. This is made possible by their utilization of 3% of fees generated on their platform to fund the program.  These tokens will each be utilized upon different sections of the platform so there is complete transparency and no concern over the preferential treatment of the token types.

These tokens are protected by an adaptive trading program that utilizes a variety of algorithms. Emotion control, risk management, and trade opportunity recognition are managed by a series of algorithms that assist in keeping track of various statistics. The strengths, weaknesses, and habits of the trader are analyzed by the system so that a report can be built based on these factors. This report will then be used to let the trader know when they are about to make a potentially loss-inducing mistake. The trader is, additionally, given the right to monitor the live fluctuation in the value of the liquidity pool so that they may always be assured that there is complete transparency upon the platform. SPECTRE allows the trader to rest assured that their investments are being protected and that their projected value has been reportedly honestly.

SPECTRE aims to do more than disrupt the financial trading market via the removal of the broker. It also seeks to better educate traders on the proper techniques and strategies to be used in trading. The platform, for this purpose, will also be home to the Spectre Financial Education Academy. This, known as SpecEd for short, has been created in partnership with the

Blue Sky Binary Blockchain Academy. Material from the BBA will be included upon SPECTRE’s platform with the aim of better educating incoming traders.

SPECTRE’s token sale starts on the 17th of November 2017 at 12:00 PM GMT and ends on the 10th of December 2017 at 11:59 AM GMT. The public alpha went live in September 2017 and the connection to the live Ethereum main net environment is scheduled for the first quarter of 2018. Access will be made available on www.spectre.ai.

This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or views held by any employees of The Merkle. This is not investment, trading, or gambling advice. Always conduct your own independent research.

The chief of the French central bank has warned on the risks of investing in bitcoin, calling the cryptocurrency “speculative.”