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GAMING G6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 JULY 2018 For Bitcoin gamblers the World Cup brings mixed emotions IT has been, so far, a mix of un- precedented drama, unending controversy, and daily shocks at the World Cup in Russia. The biggest talking point has been the humiliating exit of the defending champions Ger- many, the avalanche of VAR penalties and England's record 6-1 annihilation of minnows Panama. At the same time, it's been a rollercoaster for non-athletic players who have been busy visiting one of the hundreds of Bitcoin casino and sports- books online. The Bitcoin bets on the various World Cup matches across the numer- ous online casinos distributed around the world have led to some walking away with Bit- coin harvests as others rue their bad luck. Like the VAR, Bitcoin betting has come of age The inaugural World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay but gambling is much older. Over 6,000 years ago, simple bets were placed on fighting animals and dice was a popu- lar game in China. It was not until the USA World Cup in 1994 that the first online ca- sino even appeared, opening from the twin Island state of Antigua and Barbuda. Online poker rooms were a huge pull for enthusiasts as Roberto Baggio missed the last penalty to hand Brazil another World Cup title. Baggio's miss sent shock waves around the world as millions of gamblers placed huge stakes on him scoring in the final and bring- ing the Trophy home. It was in 2009 when we first saw the use of VAR, the video assistant referee, amid contro- versy. Both Bitcoin and VAR are familiar with mixed feel- ings. In the following years, online casinos quickly boomed despite increasingly suffocat- ing legal environments fuelled by the emergence of casinos accepting Bitcoins such as the Wild Tornado Casino. Almost simultaneously, the idea of having a computer as- sisting the referee in a foot- ball match was hated in the Netherlands. But this year, they go hand in hand, as VAR is responsible for some of the most shocking victories in this World Cup, resulting in hun- dreds of thousands, if not mil- lions of dollars in Bitcoin be- ing lost or won. There are more people tuned into the state of the cryptocur- rency stakes of gambling, than the actual games themselves. The Bitcoin casinos compari- son chart provides a full un- derstanding of what Bitcoin gambling options are available to the World Cup fan. How online Bitcoin gamblers are winning the game and fans Winning matches is all about good planning, analysing your opponent, thorough prepa- ration, and a bit of lady luck. Online Bitcoin betting casi- nos take the next step by of- fering an online Sportsbook which takes live bets on all things sports. Such is the case with Nitrogen Sports and the seemingly flawless prop bet of- fers in Bitcoin. It was only a few weeks ago that the Kentucky Derby, the prize of horseracing, the World Cup equivalent of that sport, introduced bitcoin bets for the first time. And it was extremely successful with many people going home win- ners, not just the horse. By putting in place cutting edge technology and systems that complement the live movement bets of gambling, along with cryptocurrency regulations in the long list of countries they operate in, these Bitcoin betting forums have provided the perfect play- ground for the millions of glee- ful gamblers around the globe. And so, even if you aren't one of the estimated 570,000 international visitors flocking to Russia, you can still have a piece of the cake. The best part of all is that these platforms offered ex- tremely low fees and one of the highest returns through the first half of this World Cup. Live betting on leading sites like FortuneJack have also proved to be a major attrac- tion with reputable World cup betting casinos like Cloudbet. Gamblers have a huge range of bets and an ability to wager on the team to score more goals during each half plus the even- tual winner. Russia 2018 records soar and gambling scene on the rise This world cup has already seen several records fall by the wayside. The previous high of 18 spot-kicks scored in a World Cup has already been surpassed with Portu- gal's action-packed 1-1 draw with Iran seeing the 19th and 20th penalties of this tourna- ment. Portugal and Argentina have both been eliminated in the quarterfinals thus far, with more big-time favourites likely to go home too. But the bets keep coming in fast. FIFA is also expected to gen- erate a mammoth $6.1 billion in total revenue, $1.3 billion over what it earned in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup event. Bookmakers are also ex- pected to pocket unmatched profits with some predictions putting the figures at an eye- catching $36.4 billion thanks to the colossal online traffic generated through the betting portals. For example, if you were to visit Sportsbook.AG Bitcoin casino you will first be introduced by a Fox Sports promotion and a reload bonus, giving the casino owners quite the payout too. There have also been other huge promotions to keep the average Bitcoin player inter- ested and still protected with anonymity and convenience. There have been disappointments (and pain) too On the field, some teams and superstars have not lived up to their pre-tournament bill- ing with Brazil and its hero Neymar junior eliciting mixed reactions despite progressing from the groups. For bitcoin gamblers, draw- backs have come in the form of renewed crackdowns on illegal betting operations in Asia and elsewhere in the World forcing takes to come up with alterna- tive betting plans. China has seen illegal Bitcoin casino gam- ing companies busted, which South Korea has witnessed in- creased regulations and inves- tigations into the bitcoin trad- ing exchange markets. Singapore, Hong Kong, Ma- cau, and Malaysia have been actively chasing down bettors despite online gambling being legalised in these places! To make matters worse, some of the Bitcoin speculators have suffered huge dents after their teams lost. However, despite these tem- porary drawbacks, the party seems set to go on both in the stadiums and in casinos. The World Cup has seen very unique moments so far and has captured the imagination of savvy online Bitcoin players as well as billions of excited fans around the world. With the drama being served in plenty, there has not been one dull moment for anyone involved – the footballers, owners, gamblers, betting ca- sinos, and the fans. The best part of all is that these platforms offered extremely low fees and one of the highest returns through the first half of this World Cup