Display Comb 4

/ featured media, post meta, title, read more link and full content

Favourite Cross-Platform Games for Canadians

It’s easy to see that gaming has become much more than what it once was. The low graphics, corny storylines, and simple gameplay mechanics we all initially fell in love with have now transformed into realistic canvases, rich stories, and complicated movements that are near impossible to achieve by button mashing. PC isn’t the only platform that gives us a chance to play these games now though. Smartphones have become a fierce competitor when it comes to gaming platforms, so if you’re itching for something fun to play, here are the best games that work on both platforms. 

Jackpot Games

Casino games have been around for a long, long time now, and thanks to technology, they’ve adapted to the times better than ever. Players can now find legendary classic casino games like Blackjack, Poker, slots, and Baccarat online and play them through their phones and computers. What’s better, visiting an online casino to play these games means you can take advantage of an excellent casino bonus CA! These boosts make the overall casino experience much more exciting, giving you a chance to extend your playtime and try out more games.

Fortnite

If you aren’t familiar with Fortnite by now, then you’ve most likely been living under a rock. Fortnite is an insanely popular addition to the recently booming Battle Royale genre that took the world by storm. Players get the chance to face off against dozens of others in an arena, fighting to be the last person standing. The fun gameplay elements of Fortnite made it an instant hit, especially with the younger generation. Luckily for fans, the game can be accessed through PC, mobile, and multiple gaming consoles!

What makes Fortnite’s cross-platform system even better is the online integration. It’s one thing to have a game optimized for multiple platforms, but a whole other thing to connect them. Fortnite’s cross-platform system allows online play between these different devices, meaning that mobile, PC, and console users can join the same battlefield and face off against each other!

Hearthstone

If you’re a fan of Blizzard’s Warcraft franchise, then you’re going to love Hearthstone. The collectible card game Hearthstone features our favourite characters from the world of Warcraft, taking an even deeper dive into the lore of the Warcraft universe and making it come alive in strategic card duels. Hearthstone had a massive player base before it even launched, but now it’s surpassed everyone’s expectations! Millions of players worldwide can enjoy the game on PC, Android, and iOS while building the perfect set to defeat their opponents.

Teamfight Tactics (League of Legends)

With the popularity of auto chess games on the rise over the past couple of years, the gaming giant Riot decided to expand their brand and launch a League of Legends-inspired auto chess title, Teamfight Tactics. The game features a slew of characters from the League of Legends games and incorporates complex gameplay that players might need some help with to master. Players can find the game on both iOS and Android as Teamfight Tactics. On PC, the game is a part of the classic League of Legends client where players can launch it.

Best Ways to Spend a Weekend In

The weekend is finally here, but you’re not exactly feeling up to the task of going out. Your friends might have planned a trip, but all you want to do is stay at home and relax after a rough work week. There’s nothing wrong with this. We all need some time alone from time to time, and just because you’re free from work for a few days doesn’t mean you need to go out and have an adventure. Spending a chill weekend can be just as good as anything, and here are a few suggestions on how you can make it an even more enjoyable experience. 

Play Casino Games

If you’re looking for an activity that doesn’t require a lot of effort but can end up being very rewarding, then playing casino games might be just the thing for you. Online casino classics like Baccarat, Poker, Blackjack, and slots can provide entertainment in abundance, so find the best online casino out there and give it your best shot! The large game collections these places host make them an excellent choice for pretty much anyone. Since they have tons of variety, it shouldn’t take you long to find a game that seems perfectly tailored to your tastes.

Binge a New TV Series

After a particularly rough work week, some of us barely have the energy to get out of bed. Thankfully, there’s an easy fix that can turn this on its head and make it a positive. If you’re too beat to do anything demanding, just open up your Netflix account and browse through its massive collection of quality TV shows. With streaming services becoming the new go-to when video content is in question, there’s more than enough choice to turn your weekend into a binge marathon. All you need now are some crunchy snacks, and you’re good to go!

Read a Thrilling Novel

Another activity for us couch potatoes that are aiming for a mellow weekend is reading. Whether you’re a fan of horror, romance, or sci-fi, there are more than enough books out there to give you exactly what you’re looking for. Reading is the perfect way to disconnect for a bit and not focus on the things troubling you. Immersing yourself in a good story and putting yourself into someone else’s shoes can often give us perspective, and if it doesn’t, then at least you’ve had a small break from reality.

Get Some Exercise In

While most of us want to lay in bed and do nothing in particular on weekends, some people are chock-full of energy they need to release. If physical activity is what helps keep you on your toes, then trying some new at-home exercises on the weekend can be a great way to spend the time. We have a nearly limitless wealth of knowledge on the internet today, so launch your browser and look up some simple at-home exercises. Whether you go for something fun like dancing or more challenging like hot yoga, working up a sweat is sure to do you some good.

Ontario Aims to Launch Single-Game Sports Betting by December

  • September 14, 2021
  • Entertainment
  • Comments Off on Ontario Aims to Launch Single-Game Sports Betting by December

Ontario has marked December as the projected launch-date for legal single-sports betting in the province. This last August, Ontario greenlighted the provision of single-sports betting on the PROLINE+ government-run betting website.

Within a week, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation recorded a betting handle worth C$1M. Although Canadians have always had the opportunity to bet on parlays, more than 80% of bets made between Aug. 27, and Sept. 5, all targeted single matches.

Setting the Stage for Legal Betting

Ontario might have already authorized the official government betting website—PROLINE+–to provide single-sports betting. But it’s yet to provide a framework to help leading online bookmakers, say William Hill and 888Sport, a smooth transition to the Canadian market.

For example, Ontario needs to provide a framework for the taxation, license application procedure, fees, data protection and KYC verification. License applicants need a clear guideline on how to provide sports betting services legally in the province.

Ontario intends to finalize the legalization procedure by December so that it can profit from the revenues of the current sports season. But this process could be derailed by legislators now that they’re yet to agree on different parts of the bill.

The Biggest Betting Market in Canada Potentially

With a population of 14.6M, there’s no doubt Ontario has a bigger income potential than many states in the US. The largest online betting state—New Jersey—has a population of 8.8M. 

Nevada, the long-time home of gambling, has a population of 3.08M. In all fairness, about 40M people tour Las Vegas every year for gambling reasons. That said, the point stands—Ontario will become the largest sports betting market in the country.

How much income can sports betting generate for Ontario in a year? New Jersey generates $5B and earns the Garden State over $400M in tax income. Nevada, which relies heavily on land-based casinos, generate $4B while Pennsylvania ranks third at $3B.

Many American states with legal sports betting also benefit from out of state tourists who visit for mobile betting. In NJ, for example, 20% of sports bettors are tourists from New York. In other words, Ontario can hit C$1B in revenues, but mainly with the help of neighbouring states.

All Provinces Can Legalize Sports Betting

Ontario isn’t alone in fighting to legalize single-sports betting. After the government permitted single-sports gambling at a federal level, it’s up to provinces to make the necessary changes. So, far, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec and BC have already brought betting to their official government sportsbook.

Additionally, they’re completing the legal framework required to launch sports betting on large scale. The remaining provinces seem not to be in a hurry to profit off single-sports betting. 

This could be good news for Ontario and British Columbia. As we mentioned, the biggest sports betting markets in the US generate significant chunks of their income from neighboring states not yet to legalize the industry.

In Ontario’s case, licensed sportsbooks in the province could welcome bets from tourists visiting from James Bay or Hudson Bay. It wouldn’t be unusual for New Yorkers to drive up north for some gambling fan: NY shares a border with Ontario.

Ontario Faces Competition from Overseas Sportsbooks

Last July, Ontario claimed its biggest threat in legalizing sports betting were foreign betting companies. Precisely, the Alcohol Gaming and Commission of Ontario, stated people in the province spend over $1B betting through grey market websites. 

For the uninitiated, grey market websites are foreign bookmakers that take bets from Canadians. The companies have no licenses to operate in the Great White North. However, it welcomes Canadians because no law prohibits them from gambling online.

Owing to that backdrop, Ontario’s biggest threat to its sports betting industry will be these foreign companies. The province has no authority to ban or regulate overseas companies. Instead, all it can do is to provide better alternatives for its populace. 

Betting on Major Sports will be Legal

When the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced it would accept single-sports bets last month, it was referring to bets on American football. However, all the major sports, hockey, baseball, soccer and basketball will also be available for betting in the province.

Vitally, you can bet on games before they start or while in action. PROLINE+ is providing odds using the American format. But more options, fractions and odds, will become available with the entrance of new companies.

It’s unclear whether Ontario plans to prohibit the betting of any sport. But this is unlikely. The only ban could be wagering on local college games—this is already illegal in many states. The province could also illegalize betting on events whose outcomes are known, say celebrity shows, WWE events and movie endings.

Ontario Expects Quick Adoption

Considering there’s a huge population of online gamblers in Canada, Ontario is hopeful its sports betting industry will pick up quickly. Indeed, Canadians have been quick to place single-sports betting on government websites since they launched. 

In BC, for example, the official government betting site—PlayNow—recorded a 72% surge in its betting handle since single-sports betting became legal last month. This growth was fueled by an increase in the number of first-time gambler son its website.

Interestingly, 41% of all gamblers on PlayNow in the last week of August placed single-sport bets. On the other hand, 53.5% of bettors wagered on parlays.

In one particular event—the Tyron Woodley versus Jake Paul boxing match—92.6% of all bets were single-sport wagers. To be clear, punters had the opportunity to combine the main event with undercard bouts. But they opted to focus on the main card alone.

Summary

Ontario is in a race to fully legalize single-sports betting by December. In the meantime, it has joined the likes of Alberta, Manitoba and BC in providing single-sport wagering on its official gambling website.

Sports betting lovers in Ontario are fast-embracing single-sports betting. The province is already recording C$1M per week in betting handle. This amount will most likely skyrocket once it licenses commercial betting companies. 

 

 

How is 5G Performing in Toronto?

How is Toronto handling the switch to next-gen wireless networks? Read on to find out.

With a stubborn and urgent push from mobile providers, 5G seems to be slowly making its way around the world. One of the earliest cities to get it was our very own Toronto. But how has it been doing? Is there a noticeable difference? And what will it mean for consumers? Keep reading to find out.

What is it?

“5G is the way forward”, “5G is so much faster”, “5G won’t slowly kill you, conspirators”: Talk about how good the next generation of wireless data is coming from all around us, mainly coming from suppliers trying to get their customers on board. But unless you’ve really looked into it, chances are you just know it’s wireless data a cut above current 4G.

5G offers faster downloads, often 10x faster, lower latency, and better performance, so, you can browse the best casinos at onlinecasinolist.com without the chance of buffering. You should be able to phone, video call, game, stream, transfer data and anything else you need a wireless connection to do, without the fear of being interrupted by a buffer wheel.

Mobile providers’ shiny new 5G channels will allow mobile networks to handle more people on unlimited data plans without its performance suffering. There’s nothing more infuriating than being in the middle of a conversation, either on video or voice call, and having your phone lagging. The spinning wheel of doom is first on everyone’s revenge list.

There have been arguments that 5G will be a vital component in an increasingly remote working environment, with smart city elements like contactless payment and security relying on wireless data to operate. Having it all working faster will be welcome to the citizens of any city.

In June 2020, Telus was the first company to start rolling out the 5G network in Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto, with a few additional cities thereafter. Meanwhile, Rogers Communications is covering areas in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal in 2020. Other providers now include Bell and Videotron.

A year later, how does it hold up?

How does it work?

The 5G has a lot to speak for, especially when considering the vast landmass of Canada and a population in the millions who will need signal while cell towers are being upgraded.

It has three frequency ranges: low band, mid band and high band operating between 600-700 Mhz, 2.5-3.7 Ghz and 25-39 Ghz respectively. The low band has a greater range and will be useful for large coverage in less populated areas. Mid band is what is currently being used for 5G across Canada and is implemented with the upgrade of a tower. High band frequencies enable faster data transfers and low latency connections. But Canadians will have to wait until 2022 to access it.

The Canadian idea of 5G will differ a little from the American Verizon’s “ultra wideband”. Canada never auctioned off the millimeter wave; Canadian carriers have installed 5G on channels that would have previously or otherwise been used for 4G.

Over the next year, 5G will spread over the country, getting broader and better over time. Carriers will extend their coverage beyond the current limited areas and will explode in 2022, when the government will auction a lot of clear airwaves around 3.5GHx for 5G.

Does it work well?

Performance is in the eye of the beholder, but research is showing that 5G in Montreal was offering the same or better speeds while using less data, meaning that more people can use the network at the same time. In turn, this will mean less blocked connections and more affordable unlimited plans.

5G will use carriers’ airwaves more efficiently, aiming to be more consistent. One reviewer noted higher or the same speeds while using 10MHz less spectrum around Montreal, indicating an improvement in efficiency.

Despite an initial buzz of excitement in 2020, it seems some Toronto citizens aren’t impressed, with @nicksewell saying: “I have had 5G turned off on my 12 Pro Max since I got it. Periodically I’ll flip it on and run a Speed Test to check coverage, but 5G remains laughably bad here in Toronto.”

@_pilot_pirx said: “I’ve had a 5G capable phone since October 2020. I have yet to connect to a 5G network anywhere in Toronto. But all of the big telecoms keep telling me how great their 5G networks are.”

However, any citizens that are in fact enjoying their 5G experience aren’t about to complain about it on the internet.

Calgary artists, actors and performers showcase the city’s talent

  • September 8, 2021
  • arts, film, theatre
  • Comments Off on Calgary artists, actors and performers showcase the city’s talent

Within Calgary exists a wide range of artists, well known in a variety of fields, from visual art, to photography, dance, theatre, film and more. With such brimming talent and passion, there are projects always on the go that reflect the creativity and inspirational nature of the city. This guide will lead you to the best entertainment for your visit to Calgary, to ensure that you catch all of the art and entertainment from the best of the best of Calgary’s arts culture!

CALGARY ARTISTS

Terra Simieritsch is a Calgary based mixed media artist and teacher. She had spent nearly two decades as a respected environmental expert before she decided to pursue her art. Stemming from her background in environmental science, Simieritsch has a profound appreciation for the wild spaces and species of Alberta, and draws her main inspiration from nature. She works to bring ordinary sights to life, infusing animals, plants, and natural objects with colours and textures, thus bonding realism with the creativity and emotion that flows through her work.

Kenneth Locke is an internationally published creative portrait photographer. Locke is originally from Saskatchewan, however he has practiced his art in Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver and has photographed renowned artists that have been on David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellen DeGeneres, The Today Show, and more. Locke is predominantly driven by his ability to capture his subjects in a different light than they’ve seen themselves before, as well as to “Explore the process of art by first surrendering, and then getting to a clear place where I can tell you what I did and why I did it.”

Amy Webber a realist painter who was born and raised in Calgary. After realizing her passion for art, Webber first took to landscape photography, finding inspiration in the Rocky Mountains, painting photorealistic landscapes and seascapes using soft pastels and oils. Webber is now transitioning to a focus on portrait painting, incorporating impressionistic brushwork into her pieces. Her paintings are already in private collections all over the world, including Australia, Finland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

Visit the Calgary Guardian to find more Calgary artists.

CALGARY THEATRE

Vanessa Mitchell is a broadway performer who grew up in Calgary and began dancing at 3 years old at the McDonald Wilson Dance academy. At age 17 Mitchell moved to New York City to study musical theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and soon was cast in a regional production of 42nd Street as Diane Lorimer (The Gateway Playhouse). She then went on to book a variety of golden age style musicals, including Singing’ In The Rain (Arts Center of Coastal Carolina) and Victor/Victoria (Ogunquit Playhouse). Mitchell has since returned to 42nd Street to perform her first national Broadway tour.

Adam Forward is a Broadway actor who joined the StoryBook Theatre in 2015, and went on to perform in StoryBook productions such as Grease, West Side Story, Seussical the Musical, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Outsiders, where his performance of Johnny won him a Broadway World Regional Award. In addition, Adam has appeared in several TV, Film and Webseries. Most recently, Forward has performed the starring role of Melchior Gabor in StoryBook Theatre‘s Spring Awakening in September of 2020.

EJ Candelaria is a passionate young performer who made his debut playing the starring role of The Man in the Yellow Hat in the StoryBook Theatre production of Curious George: The Golden Meatball. Soon after he went on to perform in The Honest Collective Theatre’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Most recently, Candelaria performed in the StoryBook Theatre’s filmed production of Annie the Musical in December of 2020. Here, he optimized the new opportunity by exploring the differences between theatre-acting and film-acting as the divisive lines between the two were blurred throughout this project.

Visit the Calgary Guardian to find more artist profiles from the Calgary theatre world.

ACTORS FROM CALGARY

Adam Scorgie is a documentary film producer who grew up in Canada before moving to New York City where he studied film at the William Esper Studios in Manhattan. Upon his return to Canada in 2007, Scorgie began production on his first feature documentary, ‘The Union: The Business Behind Getting High’ which was met with tremendous success, having been selected to 33 film festivals, and awarded several best feature documentary awards. In the year following, Scorgie has produced ten feature films, including ‘Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo’ and ‘The Recount’, a comprehensive tale of the legendary Michael Bisping.

Cheryl Foggo is an award-winning author, playwright, and filmmaker who has focused her work over the last 3 decades on Western Canadians of African descent. In 2015 Foggo directed the short film Kicking Up a Fuss: The Charles Daniels Story which received the Sondra Kelly Award from the Writers Guild of Canada, as well as the 2015 Alberta Literary Award for Drama from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. Foggo is also a prominent author, having written a variety of novels, most recently released 30th-anniversary edition of Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West, the young adult novel One Thing That’s True, and a children’s picture book, Dear Baobab.’

Brendan Hunter is an extremely talented actor, teacher, and producer who exudes passion and fearlessness when Voice Acting in an anime/video games or when performing in front of a live audience. Hunter is most well-known for voice acting many beloved characters such as Tien from Dragon Ball, Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter, and Elecman in Megaman Powered Up. Hunter also possesses the ability to portray a wide range of characters as an actor, with appearances in productions such as Wynonna Earp, Damnation Fargo, Lloyd the Conqueror, Burlesque Assassins, The Reapers, and The PsyBorgs.

Visit the Calgary Guardian to find more actors from Calgary.

 

 

1 2 3 … 271