Business

Is Bitcoin the new go-to gambling currency online?

One of the most interesting industries accepting Bitcoin is the online gambling sector

The Manc The Manc - 13th May 2021

As the world’s leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin continues to flourish. While it is yet to impact on the lives of a huge chunk of society, it is becoming more and more prevalent and accepted in far great places than ever before.

One of the most interesting industries accepting Bitcoin is the online gambling sector. Not in the UK yet, where the regulations surrounding betting accounts, payments and money laundering are far stricter than other jurisdictions. But worldwide.

Here in the UK, the Gambling Commission have put in strict regulations that bookmakers and betting sites must abide by. The KYC (Know Your Customer) rules means that identity, payment methods and authenticity are a must if customers are to be allowed to place a bet. 

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Bitcoin

As a result, betting with Bitcoin – or other cryptocurrencies for that matter – isn’t yet possible on these shores. And that is unlikely to change any time soon unless the crypto world can dovetail with the UK Gambling Commission regulations.

Elsewhere, however, bookmakers and betting sites around the world are accepting bets and deposits via ewallets and in cryptocurrencies from Bitcoin to ZCash and Ethereum to TRON.

Some of the leading global bookmaking brands like Betwinner, 1xBet, Melbet and 888Starz, all accept deposits in cryptocurrencies, which is bet in BTC or converted into a currency to bet with online or via their betting apps.

One that has taken things even further is 1xBit, which offers the 1xBit promo code NEWBONUS. They are a sportsbook and online casino that only deals with crypto currencies and particularly Bitcoin. No surprise where the name came from.

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Yahoo Finance

It isn’t something new either, because 1xBit saw this coming some time ago having been formed and founded in 2007. They are a traditional bookmaker in every sense other than the accepted payment methods of initially Bitcoin and now a wider array of cryptos.

What 1xBit saw about cryptocurrencies was the benefits of withdrawing winnings instantly. The experience mimicked that of a betting shop, collecting hard cash as soon as the bet was won. There was no three or five day delay for winnings to appear into a bank account.

Now it is possible to bet online using Bitcoin far widespread than just via 1xBit, although they do remain one of the leading betting sites for crypto customers.

Is Bitcoin about to become the best way to bet online? Not every bookmaker will ultimately accept it as a payment method, particularly when the regulations governing them are tight. But the list of those that do is growing weekly and monthly worldwide.

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InsideBitcoins

Betting via BTC is beneficial on both sides of the wagering fence, because it is easier for both customer and bookmaker to process payments and get their hands on the money quickly and easily.

As a currency that transcends countries, regions and continents, it is a global player and undoubtedly here to stay. While the online gambling sector can be accused of being slow to react from time to time, this is one area where innovation is leading the way.

Expect other industries like online shopping to learn from how bookmakers have adapted and added cryptocurrencies to their offering and business model. Bitcoin is set to boom in online betting and as it paves the way for a far wider impact.

Business

Much-maligned derelict Stockport site to be turned into town’s latest tower block

Danny Jones Danny Jones Stockport town centre's derelict Victoria House building being turned into new apartments tower block

A derelict site in the centre of Stockport is finally set to be bulldozed and turned into a brand new tower block worth a reported £70 million.

The regularly reviled Victoria House on Wellington Street, situated close to the large, grey Stopford House and opposite a local branch of Grosvenor Casinos, was built back in the 1960s – as its old metropolitan exterior makes evident – and has been tipped for redevelopment over the last decade.

Sitting on the corner of the Greek Street roundabout, it has remained mainly empty since 2019, with various developers looking to transform it into various residential reboots.

Now, nearly 10 years later, the building looks to be finally ready for the next chapter and a new lease of life, with property firm Progressive Living (PL) hoping to turn it into two main eight and 20-storey tower blocks, with tiered levels, different room capacities and rooftop spaces.

The land has been subject to plenty of urban exploration.

The former office building was once part of the nearby Jobcentre Plus branch, just down the road, not to mention one of several similar abandoned and underutilised spaces with untapped potential in the area.

Along with the demolition of the structure itself, the adjacent Fletcher Street car park that sits between Victoria House and the aforementioned casino will also make way for the apartments.

With the planning permission application submitted earlier this year and officially greenlit by Stockport Council on Thursday, 3 July,

Promising a mix of one, two and three-bed properties, the company are planning to build a total of 245 homes, though there has been some criticism regarding affordability – a significant increase on the initial idea to turn the 13,000 sq ft office unit into 21 flats some years ago.

The project will be brought to life using funds taken from the £5.7m grant set aside for the town by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Speaking on the project, PL director David Fairclough said: “We’re delighted to have secured planning for what will be a flagship scheme for Stockport.”

“This approval represents a major milestone for a project that’s been six years in the making, and we’re proud to play our part in shaping the next chapter of the town centre’s transformation.

“With demolition due to start later this year, we’re looking forward to delivering much-needed new homes in a sustainable, future-focused way.”

A CGI of what the new residential tower block in Stockport town centre will look like. (Credit: PL)

Construction is slated to start next spring, and they’re hoping to complete the project by summer 2028.

Developers hope to start demolition works this year, with construction expected to start in spring 2026, and completion targeted for Summer 2028.

Local councillor Micheala Meikle, who serves as the town’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is another important step in transforming Stockport as part of the UK’s biggest town centre regeneration.

“These high-quality new homes will bring more people into the heart of the town, supporting local businesses and making the most of our new transport links.

“With the Mayoral Development Corporation delivering 8,000 new homes and Metrolink on the horizon, we’re building a town that works for the future – somewhere people choose to live, work and put down roots.

“This is exactly the kind of accessible, sustainable scheme we want to see in the town centre — creating homes for all ages as part of a thriving, low-carbon community.”

Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of £2.5bn investment package

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Featured Images — Razor Twisted Exploring (via YouTube)/Progressive Living (press shots)

Business

A preview of a promising philanthropic project as Embassy Village makes progress

Danny Jones Danny Jones Embassy homeless village Manchester tour preview progress

Embassy Village, the upcoming homeless village that is set to open in Manchester, is making quick progress, and we recently got to preview the project with an early tour of the site.

Located just outside the city centre proper in Castlefield and near the border into Salford, the humanitarian housing project is looking to provide not just shelter but food and drink, employment, education and all manner of support to local rough sleepers.

Starting out as a controversial shipping container concept, which would have seen repurposed bits of old freight cargo turned into ‘pods’, the idea has grown since then and now

In fact, they’re not far from being done, with the team currently predicting a November finish date. Here’s how it’s looking so far.

embassy village manchester
embassy village progress
Credit: The Manc Group

Situated along a slice of the Bridgewater Canal, running along the length of the recognisable railway arches – 22 of them, to be precise – Embassy Village is set to become the first privately-funded homeless community not just in the UK but anywhere in Europe.

As far as the group behind this inspiring bit of philanthropy can tell in researching for this development, they haven’t found anything like this anywhere on the continent, certainly not on this scale.

Starting out as a repurposed luxury tour bus turned mobile rough sleeping shelter, they have since gone on to run three male and two women’s shelters, helping more than 175 individuals get back on their feet, from being rehomed to getting back into work and, ultimately, living independently.

Created by co-founder and director Sid Williams back in 2018, who has already helped countless vulnerable adults in and around Greater Manchester, there is a lot of faith behind this initiative, quite literally, in fact.

Sid and his wife Tess, who has also been helping spearhead Embassy‘s work here in the UK, are passionate Christians, but there’s no dogmatic or preachy vibes to be detected – at least as far as we could tell, anyway.

homeless village castlefield mcr
The ‘Village Hall’, where work, education and general life skills will be developed.
homeless village greater manchester
Outdoor spaces are being carved out, including areas to relax, sports courts and more.
Suitable candidates in the shelter system will be selected in order to identify those who could manage resettlement. (Credit: The Manc)

Besides a nice ‘tithing’ idea, which sees 10% of all unrestricted funds from the village donated to relevant charities in the region and further afield, the only real Christian value being promoted here is ‘love thy neighbour’, and that’s the kind of ethos we can get behind regardless of creed.

You can see some of the old fashioned values in aspects such as the public hall seen above, where people will not only be encouraged to gather but learn, create, socialise and once again start to reintegrate into a proper community.

There’ll even be parts of the Embassy’s ‘resettlement team’ living on-site to help get people back on their feet, with at least one dedicated staff member assigned to every six residents.

As Sid put it in a spin on the well-trodden old proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, he believes that sometimes, “it takes a city to raise a village.”

Those staying here will not be given a leg up back into the working world, providing inroads to full-time contracts and a proper wage, but they will also be encouraged to take up wellbeing activities, taken on trips and away days beyond the city limits and Greater Manchester full stop.

An example of the on-site staff’s living quarters.
Each unit will have it own front door and all essential amenities.
They have an approximate 92% success rate when it comes to rehoming and reintegrating residents, with many ultimately coming back to work for the organisation. Think of it as a ‘pay it forward’ spirit,

With dozens of local businesses contributing to the construction of Embassy Village, they’ve now managed to raise more than £5.2 million in funding.

As well as backing from developers Capital & Centric (led by Salford-born Tim Heatley) and the likes of regeneration specialist Peel L&P, who made the land available, there are several other organisations chipping in to help house upwards of 40 different individuals.

That being said, they are still roughly £400,000 short of their desired target, which will help them build every aspect of Embassy Village they’re hoping to make come to fruition, so further partnerships are obviously welcome.

Following an official update from Manchester City Council, we can also now confirm that the space will link up to the soon-to-be expanded Castlefield Viaduct, where three of four currently out-of-use tram lines will be turned into one long sky garden, similar to New York’s famous High Line.

Following our tour of Embassy Village so far, there was one salient takeaway: there are a lot of people who really care about this cause working on this project.

Is it perfect? Maybe not? Would it be great if we could simply end Greater Manchester’s rough sleeping crisis by housing every rough sleeper in a traditional home, or one of the many new build properties in 0161? Of course it would, but we sadly all know it isn’t as simple as that.

Nevertheless, this current option is damn sight better than the alternative: allowing more and more people to end up on the streets, bouncing in and out of shelters, struggling with addiction, mental health and so on. They’re trying and they already have a proven track record spanning more than half a decade.

You can get a better idea of what it will look like when completed down below.

A look at Embassy Village as construction on Manchester’s homeless housing project begins
The preview tour did help us picture how these Embassy Village CGIs will be brought to life.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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