Hocus Pocus Sorcery

What is Hocus Pocus Sorcery?

A deepfake gambling advertisement claiming the father of Canadian soccer star Alphonso Davies was arrested over CA$3 million in purported online casino winnings is shining a spotlight on grey-market enforcement in Alberta’s newly regulated iGaming market.

According to reporting by The Edmonton Sun, an advertiser operating under the name “Prime Spin Zone” placed an ad on Instagram showing Davies’ father being arrested by Edmonton police.

The video shows a vault filled with cash, followed by a scene where Davies’ father is released after police allegedly determine the money came from legitimate gambling, the ad claims.

How to play Hocus Pocus Sorcery

Under the terms of the state’s offer, Pietras will admit to stealing his clients’ money for his personal use. In exchange for his admission, the state has recommended a prison sentence of 7.5 years instead of 15 years, followed by five years of probation.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit, law enforcement began investigating Pietras after an employee with a third-party company that assists funeral homes in managing and administering funeral contracts notified police about possible discrepancies at Pietras Family Funeral Homes in Coventry. Such funeral trust administrators partner with funeral homes to provide various programs, including trust funds, insurance policies, and escrow account management.

Law enforcement investigators uncovered a mountain of alleged theft. As the news spread, clients began requesting escrow statements, only to find that their funds were never deposited.

How to play Hocus Pocus Sorcery

Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, the leading negotiator for Republicans, berated her Democratic colleagues in a statement, saying they “played games” and “were never truly serious about protecting consumers”.

“The Democrats are now anti-American – sad!” she said.

The rejection of the Clarity Act can be viewed as a victory for gaming stakeholders in their fight against prediction markets, which are closely intertwined with the crypto world. Crypto markets have long been the second-largest category of prediction market trading, behind sports, and many crypto exchanges also now offer predictions. These include Crypto.com, Coinbase, Gemini and many others.