HighRisk Media
News for high-risk industries: iGaming and betting, payments and PSPs, crypto, dating, nutra and e-commerce.
Latest
Betting ·
What Democratic Control of Congress Could Mean for Prediction MarketsDemocrats now control the House and Senate. Experts see possible congressional scrutiny of prediction markets, and a Supreme Court ruling on state authority over Kalshi and Polymarket sports contracts is still likely.
Betting ·
Kalshi Sports Parlays Dwarf Election Trading Ahead of US MidtermsKalshi processed over $1.1 billion in election trading around the midterms, about 3% of volume, while sports and parlays dominated. Legal Sports Report analysis of TickerTracker data.
Betting ·
Second Circuit Lets New York, Connecticut Enforce Laws Against Kalshi, CoinbaseThe Second Circuit denied Kalshi and Coinbase's requests to block New York and Connecticut from enforcing gambling laws against sports event contracts while appeals proceed.
Betting ·
Michigan Edges New York in Active NFL Sportsbook Accounts on Nov. 1GeoComply data shows Michigan narrowly topped New York in active sportsbook accounts on NFL Sunday, Nov. 1, with 589,449 versus 587,752 across 28 US markets.
Crypto ·
American Bitcoin reports $126M quarterly profit driven by bitcoin revaluationEric Trump-backed miner American Bitcoin posted $126M in quarterly net profit from revaluing its bitcoin holdings, while mining costs rise and margins narrow.
Crypto ·
Zcash NU7 Upgrade to Freeze About 12,224 ZEC in Sprout Privacy PoolThe NU7 upgrade will make about 12,224 ZEC, worth roughly $15–16 million, in the old Sprout privacy pool unspendable unless holders move them before activation at block 3,543,405.
Fintech ·
Veriff adds audio analysis to detect coached sign-ups and paymentsVeriff has launched Presence Verification, which uses audio analysis to flag sign-ups and payments made under coaching from a third party.
Gambling ·
PENN Entertainment Sees Texas Gambling Opportunity in Midterm Election ResultsAccording to SBC Americas, PENN Entertainment views midterm election outcomes as an opening for gambling in Texas, as key state leadership posts change hands.
Betting ·
California tribes win first injunction against Kalshi sports contractsA federal judge in California ordered Kalshi to keep its sports contracts off tribal land, the first such preliminary injunction against the prediction market operator.
Fintech ·
Affirm CEO Expects AI Shopping Agents to Favor Interest-Free InstallmentsAffirm CEO Max Levchin expects AI shopping agents to steer buyers toward interest-free installments, as US 30+ day delinquencies rose to 2.9% and shares fell more than 9%.
Crypto ·
CFTC Clears Perpetual Stock Futures; Morgan Stanley Tokenizes US Stocks via DTCCThe CFTC opened the way for perpetual futures on individual stocks on US-registered exchanges, while Morgan Stanley became one of the first banks to use DTCC's new tokenization infrastructure.
Crypto ·
Hyperliquid treasury firm seeks US futures commission merchant statusThe Hyperliquid-linked treasury company wants to register as a U.S. futures commission merchant to serve American clients. The timing of approval remains unclear.
Fintech ·
Adyen and Checkout.com Add Passkeys to Card Payment VerificationAdyen and Checkout.com are adding passkeys to shopper verification, replacing SMS codes and banking app confirmations with a fingerprint, face scan or device PIN. Adyen starts in the U.K.
Fintech ·
Priority Commerce Revenue Rises 11% Ahead of Go-Private DealPriority Commerce reported revenue of $268.6 million, up 11.3%, in its last quarter as a public company ahead of a $1.6 billion take-private led by CEO Thomas Priore.
Gambling ·
Iowa Blackjack Player Sues Louisiana Casinos Over Police DetentionEric Michael Temeyer has sued Golden Nugget Lake Charles, L'Auberge Lake Charles and several police officers, alleging he was detained in a casino parking lot and his ID was passed to casino security.
Fintech ·
BILL Cuts Underwriting Wait From Three Hours to 12 Minutes With AI AgentsBILL says its risk team built more than 100 AI agents, and that underwriting case wait times fell from three hours to about 12 minutes, according to CEO René Lacerte.
Fintech ·
Monzo Weighs Venture Funding Round After Nubank Deal and Private Equity Talks StallLondon digital bank Monzo is considering a round valuing it at 7.5 billion pounds after takeover talks with Nubank collapsed and private equity stake talks stalled, FT reports.
Gambling ·
Texas Police Raid Seven Illegal Game Rooms Paying Out in Pokémon CardsDeputies in San Antonio, Texas, raided seven suspected illegal gambling rooms that allegedly paid winners in Pokémon and sports trading cards, redeemable for cash next door.
Betting ·
Hollywood Studios Quietly Ban Staff From Betting on Prediction MarketsStudios and production companies reportedly bar employees from betting on casting, release dates and earnings on Kalshi and Polymarket, and one firm has an anonymous hotline for reporting colleagues.
Crypto ·
US regulators check banks after $6.3 billion Binance hackAccording to Cointelegraph, the Fed and OCC contacted US banks after the $6.3 billion Binance hack. Experts flag transaction security and broader crypto risks.
Gambling ·
US Midterms Shift Gambling Expansion Outlook in Several StatesTuesday's midterm results change the gambling expansion outlook in several states, where new governors or legislative majorities take office in 2027.
Crypto ·
Lombard Systems raises $4m for tokenised securities financingLombard Systems, creator of the Delivery-versus-Lock (DvL) standard, raised $4 million in pre-seed and seed rounds led by Ethereal Ventures, with Alps Capital among participants.
Fintech ·
Segpay expands Pay by Bank service to eight European marketsPayment processor Segpay has expanded its Pay by Bank service to eight European markets. The announcement does not name the countries or the launch timing.
Crypto ·
Gate CEO: crypto exchanges must prove they can survive a hack like Binance'sGate CEO Lin Han says the exchange holds enough assets in cold storage to cover customer balances even if hot wallets are emptied. An independent audit is underway.
Betting ·
Superbet plans €500m investment in Greece over six yearsBetting operator Superbet has set out a plan to invest €500m in Greece over the next six years, targeting technology, staff training and sports sponsorships to become the market leader.
Gambling ·
Cirsa reports sports betting and online gaming as fastest growing division in Q3In its Q3 update, Cirsa named sports betting and online gaming its fastest growing division and targets the upper end of its 2026 guidance as the Lottomatica merger advances.
Gambling ·
MEP David Casa urges gambling operators not to replace staff with AIMaltese MEP David Casa called on operators to invest in staff training before cutting roles due to AI, as job concerns in the gaming industry grow.
Crypto ·
Bitcoin and Ether ETFs draw $128M as crypto rebounds after US midterm electionsBitcoin and Ether ETFs took in about $128M over the trading period as crypto markets recovered from the US midterm elections. Fidelity led inflows, while BlackRock's IBIT lost $201M.
Crypto ·
CFTC Clears Perpetual Futures on Stocks for Trading on US ExchangesThe CFTC has opened the way for trading perpetual futures on stocks on US exchanges. The product was previously popular in crypto and is now moving into traditional markets.
Crypto ·
OpenAI says its AI found 948 Linux vulnerabilities and wrote a working exploit for eachOpenAI says its AI system found 948 Linux vulnerabilities and wrote a working exploit for each. Crypto security specialists argue decentralization helps the industry prepare better.
Crypto ·
Mercado Bitcoin to cover client losses from hack; damage estimates range from $38M to $49MBrazil's largest crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin has paused deposits and withdrawals after a 2 November hack and pledges to cover customer losses. Damage estimates vary widely.
Betting ·
DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics exit Utah prediction markets amid Kalshi caseSportsbook operators are pulling prediction market offerings in Utah following criminal charges filed against Kalshi.
Crypto ·
Tesla, SpaceX and Amazon Block Tokenized Trading of Their Shares on OKX-ICE PlatformThe number of companies objecting to tokenized shares on the OKXICE TSV platform has risen to 56, with Amazon, Tesla, SpaceX, Netflix, Lam Research and SoFi among the latest additions.
Gambling ·
Utah Files Criminal Charges Against Kalshi and Its Co-FoundersUtah authorities have filed criminal charges against prediction market platform Kalshi, naming the company's CEO and COO as co-defendants.
Dating ·
Bumble files Q3 2026 results with SEC as Ithaca sale nearsBumble's Q3 2026 revenue fell 16% to $207.1 million and paying users declined. The company is preparing to sell Ithaca Holdings for $1.3 billion.
Gambling ·
Rush Street: US online casino growth slows, but company still bets on 2027 legalizationRush Street Interactive reported Q3 revenue up 39% year over year and adjusted EBITDA up 73%, and reaffirmed its full-year guidance.
Crypto ·
Binance and Polymarket Propose Polygon Hard Fork to Recover $6.8M in Stolen CryptoPolygon block producers have already frozen the stolen tokens worth $6.8 million. Binance and Polymarket are proposing a hard fork to return the funds to their owners.
Crypto ·
NEAR Drops 7% After Vote to Cut Annual Token IssuanceNEAR fell about 7% after a proposal to reduce the token's annual issuance passed. According to Cointelegraph, the cut would keep 11.8 million NEAR out of circulation over two years.
Crypto ·
Zcash to freeze Sprout, its oldest privacy pool, holding roughly $16 millionZcash is preparing to freeze Sprout, its privacy pool launched in 2016. About 12,200 ZEC remain in it, and roughly 10,000 coins have been withdrawn over the past week.
Crypto ·
Binance Records $2.3B 24-Hour Net Inflow After Monday OutflowBinance ranked among the leaders by 24-hour net inflows at $2.3 billion, reversing Monday's sharp outflow. Cointelegraph links the move to restored user access to funds after a $6.3 billion hack.
Gambling ·
Arkansas Accuses Kalshi of Operating Illegal GamblingArkansas has charged prediction market Kalshi with running illegal gambling, joining Utah and other states that have already filed criminal or civil claims against the company.
Crypto ·
XRP Ledger patches bug that let approved token burners mint new tokensThe XRP Ledger has fixed a bug that allowed approved participants to issue new tokens when burning existing ones. The fix took effect on Wednesday, and XRP itself is not affected.
Crypto ·
France postpones 2027 budget revenue vote and drops crypto exit tax proposalsFrance's National Assembly has postponed the vote on the 2027 budget revenue section for a second time. According to Cointelegraph, crypto exit tax proposals have been dropped.
Crypto ·
BlackRock's IBIT logs largest bitcoin ETF outflow since June: $405M on MondayBlackRock's IBIT bitcoin ETF lost $405.3M on Monday, while US spot bitcoin funds opened November with net outflows of nearly $399M.
Gambling ·
Arkansas Attorney General Sues Kalshi and VGW Over Alleged Illegal GamblingArkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed separate lawsuits against Kalshi and VGW, accusing both companies of illegal gambling. He is seeking large fines, restitution to customers and state taxes.
Crypto ·
Crypto.com to shut consumer app in Hong Kong over regulatory changesCrypto.com will close its consumer app in Hong Kong next February, citing regulatory changes in the city.
Crypto ·
South Korea urges crypto exchanges to expand cold storage after Binance hackSouth Korea's regulator has called on local crypto exchanges to increase the share of client assets held in cold wallets, even though the current minimum is already 80%. The move follows a hack of Binance.
Crypto ·
Morgan Stanley says it is tokenizing US stocks and TreasuriesMorgan Stanley says it is among the first banks to move US equities and Treasury bonds onto blockchain rails, following the launch of DTCC's Tokenization Service.
Nutra ·
NMN supplements show no significant cardiorespiratory or cognitive benefit in Japanese trialAn open-label Japanese study of 42 adults found no statistically significant cardiorespiratory or cognitive gains from NMN supplements compared with placebo.
Crypto ·
Tokenization and stablecoins may hold up under Democrats, but broader crypto rules are uncertainCoinDesk reports experts expect tokenization and stablecoins to continue under existing laws, while SEC and CFTC face tougher oversight and questions about their rules' durability.
Crypto ·
Riot shares rise on $28B AI lease; Hut 8 falls after revenue declineBitcoin miner Riot sold BTC to fund its AI expansion, while Hut 8 reported falling revenue and higher costs ahead of data center income.
Crypto ·
Crypto Super PACs Spend Over $176M on US Midterm ElectionsUS crypto super PACs spent more than $176 million on the midterm elections. A Democratic win in Congress could strengthen oversight of the industry, Cointelegraph reports.
Fintech ·
Western Union revenue falls 2% in Q3 as it pushes USDPT stablecoin cardWestern Union's Q3 revenue fell 2% to about $1 billion as it cut staff and launched the USDPT stablecoin and Stablecard. The Intermex deal faces delays over California review.
Crypto ·
Tron, Tether and TRM wind down T3 FCU crypto crime allianceThe T3 Financial Crime Unit alliance of Tron, Tether, TRM Labs and Binance quietly shut down in August, Bloomberg reports. Members are already announcing new anti-illicit-finance initiatives.
Betting ·
Kambi's Q3 revenue rises 23% on World Cup boost, Casino.org links growth to AI tradingKambi's third-quarter revenue rose 23%, with the World Cup contributing noticeably. Casino.org also links the growth to AI-driven trading.
Crypto ·
Mercado Bitcoin to begin phased reopening Monday and will cover customer lossesMercado Bitcoin plans a phased reopening starting Monday and says it will cover customer losses. Withdrawals and trading remain suspended pending security checks.
Gambling ·
Red Rock Resorts Shares Fall After Q3 Loss, Analysts Defend StockShares of Sunset Station operator Red Rock Resorts (NASDAQ: RRR) fell 5.2% in late trading after a third-quarter loss, while sell-side analysts continue to back the stock.
Crypto ·
Crypto super PAC Fairshake: more than a third of spending fell short, especially in OhioAccording to CoinDesk, Fairshake, the crypto industry's main US political campaign vehicle, spent more than a third of its funds without the intended effect, particularly in Ohio.
Betting ·
Nebraska Voters Reject Online Sports Betting Despite $22.5M Industry CampaignNebraska voters rejected online sports betting at the ballot box. FanDuel and DraftKings put more than $20M of the $22.5M spent on the campaign by gaming operators.
Fintech ·
Yellow Card Acquires GoMoney to Enter Brazil With Stablecoin PaymentsStablecoin infrastructure provider Yellow Card completed its acquisition of Brazilian virtual asset provider GoMoney, adding real-denominated collections and payouts via Pix. GoMoney's full BCB authorization is still pending.