Agoracom Blog

North Bud Farms Inc. $NBUD.ca – Role of CBD Edibles In Boosting Cannabis Industry $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $TRST.ca $OGI.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:10 PM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019

SPONSOR: North Bud Farms Inc. (NBUD:CSE) Sustainable low cost, high quality cannabinoid production and procurement focusing on both bio-pharmaceutical development and Cannabinoid Infused Products. Learn More.

NBUD: CSE

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Role of CBD Edibles In Boosting Cannabis Industry

By Megan Stevens

How does a business persuade its clients to purchase their product when marijuana is easily accessible in the market? The ideal approach lies under the art of marketing, and for some organizations, that implies an emphasis on wellbeing. That is why some brands are approaching towards healthier CBD infused edible products, for example, Gluten free edibles.

Much healthier options in the market specifically target the audience that are health conscious. Additionally, people have started taking health more serious than ever. To inspire these people and use the influence on getting more profit, professionals in the market have to advocate health and wellness in their companies.

CBD edible trends in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is probably the biggest promoter of cannabis in the planet. In addition to that, it is the world capital of restricting diets. Many wellbeing focused brands implant marijuana into the dietary prevailing fashions, which touch base with the tides.

There are options to buy, such as gluten free edibles and cannabis infused tea. Companies are also incorporating cannabis with ginseng to guarantee calm.

CBD edibles are getting popular in restaurants

The specific compounds in cannabis have benefits of their own. THC comes with terrific medical benefits when it comes to alleviate pain and treat different diseases. On the other hand, CBD plays a role in the overall promotion of good health. This concept has hit the restaurants and cafes. Now every now and then, you will see a CBD infused label on their menus. With its property to provide benefits without altering the mental and emotional state with euphoria, it is getting even more popular in the restaurant industry.

The potential market goal for cannabis is to bring it for health promoting purposes. CBD infused product users will notice a general uplift in their creativity levels, perseverance and tolerance, self awareness and mood. It will also ultimately make people more conscious of their surroundings and make them more empathetic and open.

Many brands have been instilling scientific researches and putting them into use by making specific products that address certain issues. These health issues include anxiety, chronic pain and insomnia as well as other health problems.

Future of CBD edibles

Currently in the United States, over a thousand brands are claiming to be the best in the market. However, it is still not a time to decide which brand stands the best. the number of national level US brands are very limited in the present times. At this point, there is no data or clue addressing the main method of cannabis consumption once the substance gets legal at the federal scale.

The central goal of the industry at this point is to erase misconceptions and create a sense of awareness in the people regarding its benefits. For this thing to occur, all health brands relating to cannabis will play an integral role in the market. Products like Gluten free CBD edibles do not only hint the variety of the products but also points towards the importance of CBD edibles health wise.

Source: https://cannabishealthinsider.com/682/role-of-cbd-edibles-in-boosting-cannabis-industry/

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – #Blockchain Is Gaining Trust In The Enterprise $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:41 AM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

Idk large
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Blockchain Is Gaining Trust In The Enterprise

These and many other insights are from Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business. Based on interviews with 1,386 senior executives in twelve nations (Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Luxembourg, Singapore, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States), 53% of whom say blockchain technology has become a critical priority for their organizations in 2019. Please see page 2 of the study for a methodology. The study is available for download here (PDF, 52 pp., no opt-in).

Blockchain is gaining trust in the enterprise by succeeding at pragmatic, well-defined pilots that show the potential to scale into production. Deloitte found financial services leads blockchain adoption today with adoption accelerating in technology, life sciences, media, telecommunications, and government. Key insights from the survey include the following:

  • 53% of senior executives say blockchain has become a critical priority for their organization this year, 10% higher than last year. Deloitte found that senior executives are gaining more experience and insights into blockchain’s potential contributions and pitfalls as more use cases are evaluated, piloted, and moved to production. The following graphic compares blockchain’s relevance between 2018 and 2019.

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • 86% of senior executives interviewed believe that blockchain technology is broadly scalable and will eventually achieve mainstream adoption. The majority of senior executives (83%) believes there is a compelling business case for blockchain. 81% are planning to use blockchain to replace their system of record, which reflects a shift in mindset away from relying entirely on legacy systems. A growing number of senior executives also believe blockchain is overhyped (43% in 2019, up from 39% in 2018).

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • Blockchain’s three greatest organizational barriers include implementation (which includes replacing or adapting existing legacy systems), regulatory issues, and potential security threats. Additional barriers include lack of in-house capabilities, uncertain Return on Investment (ROI), concerns over the sensitivity of the information, and the lack of a compelling application of the technology. The following are the respondents’ responses to the question, What are your organization or project’s barriers, if any, to increase adoption and scale in blockchain technology?

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • 73% of enterprise leaders in China are prioritizing blockchain as one of their top five strategic priorities, the most in the ten nations surveyed. The Chinese government’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology cited blockchain as a key driver of economic development in a recent economic analysis. The Chinese government sees product traceability, copyright protection, and smart contracts as examples of blockchain’s potential to strengthen China’s global technology direction. “China, more than anywhere else in the world, will use blockchain strategically instead of tactically,” says Paul Sin, consulting partner, Deloitte Advisory (Hong Kong) Ltd., and leader of Deloitte’s Asia-Pacific blockchain lab. “More projects are driven by top management who use blockchain as a strategic weapon rather than a productivity tool.” The following is a comparison of countries’ differing attitudes about blockchain along with several metrics.

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • 18% of enterprises are planning to spend $10M or more on blockchain initiatives this year, and 23% will spend between $5M to $10M. Senior executives based in each of the twelve nations included in Deloitte’s survey are predicting wide variations in blockchain investment levels. Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Germany are the home nations of enterprises planning to invest $10M or more in blockchain technologies in the next twelve months.

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • Blockchain use cases are proliferating today, with data validation (43%), data access/sharing (40%), and identity protection (39%) being the most popular. Enterprises are piloting blockchain to improve payments, achieve track and trace accuracy throughout their supply chains, and evaluating the digital currency aspects of the technology. It’s important to note that 87% of enterprises first start evaluating blockchain due to its innate strengths for enabling completely automated or touchless business processes. 86% of enterprises are evaluating and piloting blockchain to achieve the goals enabling new business models and revenue streams. Please click on the graphic to expand for easier reading.

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

  • For the majority of enterprises actively piloting and promoting blockchain into production, success is defined by greater process efficiency first. 55% of enterprises define blockchain success by the process efficiencies they can accomplish first, followed by cost saving (51%) and risk reduction (50%). Deloitte also found blockchain is proving to be an effective platform for revenue generation, enabling new business models and customer acquisition.

Source: Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey: Blockchain gets down to business.

Louis Columbus is an enterprise software strategist with expertise in analytics, cloud computing, CPQ, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-commerce and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2019/05/19/blockchain-is-gaining-trust-in-the-enterprise/#3cc304823aa0

CLIENT FEATURE: Gratomic’s Definitive Graphite Concentrate Sales Agreement a precursor to commercialization of GUET $GRAT.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 10:29 AM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.agoracom.com/public/companies/logos/564608/hub/Gratomic_large_new.jpg
Gratomic is a leader in the mining and commercialization of graphite products
  • The global tire market acknowledges that employing graphenes within tire treads, walls and the inner linings can make tires lighter, provide better grip and reduce rolling resistance to an extent that is not possible with existing tire compounds
  • Key to the ability for Gratomic to establish the first mass-market Mine to Graphene to Tire, is the production of large quantities of graphenes nano surface modified to enhance tire performance
  • Gratomic is developing and commercializing its Graphene Processing capacity in Wales through its partnership with Perpetuus carbon technologies.
  • Soft launching Gratomic Fuel Efficient Tire in the summer.
  • Gratomic has recently prepared an additional 2 tonnes of Graphite concentrate which it will be shipping to wales in the coming days for converting into high quality Graphenes targeted for the use and development of several high value Graphene applications.
https://i.ibb.co/tDdGRFG/GRAT.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/xjyfvZt/Grat2.jpg

About Gratomic Inc.

Gratomic is an advanced material company focused on mine to market commercialization of graphite products, most notably high-value graphene-based components for a range of mass market products.

Gratomic Hub on Agoracom

FULL DISCLOSURE: Gratomic is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.

Good Life Networks $GOOD.ca to Present at International Deal Gateway in London $TTD $RUBI $AT.ca $TRMR $FUEL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:18 AM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
  • Invited by Global Partnership Family Offices to present to the UK investment community at International Deal Gateway in London today, May 22, 2019.

Vancouver, British Columbia–(May 22, 2019) – Good Life Networks Inc. (TSXV: GOOD) (FSE: 4G5) (“GLN“, or the “Company“), a Vancouver-based programmatic advertising technology company, is pleased to announce that it has been invited by Global Partnership Family Offices (“GPFO”) to present to the UK investment community at International Deal Gateway in London today, May 22, 2019.

Jesse Dylan, CEO of GLN commented, “After our successful TSX presentation last month to the Toronto investment community, I’m thrilled to be one of only 10 companies in the world to be invited to this event in London. I’m looking forward to expanding GLN’s reach globally by introducing our company’s success story to the European investment community.”

About International Deal Gateway

International Deal Gateway is a digital marketplace for entrepreneurs and deal makers that facilitates direct, peer-to-peer transactions on a secure blockchain platform. Access to Deal Gateway gives members the power to discover deals and opportunities that could not be found through their usual networks.

About Global Partnership Family Offices

GPFO is a definitive source of information, unbiased advice and thought leading research and education to family office executives, wealth owners, family members and their close advisors worldwide.

The GLN Story

GLN’s patent pending technology is the engine that sits between advertisers and publishers. A highlight of GLN’s tech is that it does not collect PII (Personal Identifiable Information). Built for cross device video advertising: Mobile, In-App, Desktop and CTV (Connected Television) the GLN Programmatic Video Advertising Platform has among the lowest fraud rates of similar vendors in the industry. Advertisers make more money by reaching their target audience more effectively. GLN makes money by retaining a percentage of the advertiser’s fee.

GLN is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with offices in Newport Beach and Santa Monica California, New York and UK and trades on the TSXV under the stock symbol “GOOD” and The Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the stock symbol 4G5. For further information on the Company, visit www.glninc.ca

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements:

Forward-looking statements relate to future events or future performance and reflect the expectations or beliefs regarding future events of management of GLN. This information and these statements, referred to herein as “forward‐looking statements”, are not historical facts, are made as of the date of this news release and include without limitation, statements regarding discussions of future plans, estimates and forecasts and statements as to management’s expectations and intentions with respect to the Company’s performance and business strategy. These statements generally can be identified by use of forward-looking words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intends”, “believe” or “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations.

These forward‐looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties and actual results might differ materially from results suggested in any forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary include without limitation, risks relating to the Digital Marketing Industry and general economic conditions or conditions in the financial markets.

GLN does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, unless and until required by applicable securities laws. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in GLN’s filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:
[email protected]

CEO Jesse Dylan
604 265 7511

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/44951

Enthusiast Gaming $EGLX.ca Doubles Network Reach to 150 Million Monthly Visitors $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $WINR $TCEHF $ATVI $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:15 AM on Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
  • Fastest growing North American gaming network achieved through organic growth, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships
  • Diverse platform of gaming sites and YouTube channels provides unique advertising solutions
  • Scaling rapidly to own the largest piece of industry market share

TORONTO, May 22, 2019 – Enthusiast Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV: EGLX) (OTCQB: EGHIF), (“Enthusiast” or the “Company”), the largest publicly traded video game media and esports company in North America, is excited to announce that its network of video game enthusiasts has grown to 150 million total monthly visitors(1). Enthusiast’s platform is the fastest growing gaming network in North America(2) and includes owned and operated gaming related websites and a network of YouTube channels.

Monthly visitors across the network has doubled since Enthusiast completed its going public transaction in October 2018 and has grown from two million monthly visitors since 2015. The increase validates the rapid growth of the gaming industry and further positions Enthusiast as a leader in the space. The significant growth and size of Enthusiast’s network has provided the Company with a number of different revenue streams, including direct sales, revenue sharing and subscription models that diversifies the business and supports continued future growth.

Through its aggressive acquisition and organic growth strategy, Enthusiast has been able to scale and grow its business quickly, in an attempt to gain significant market share within the gaming industry. Enthusiast has seen consistent monthly organic growth across its network, with more visitors engaging with its content rich gaming properties. As an early industry leader, Enthusiast has built a solid framework to take advantage of future growth opportunities and capitalize on the overall sector growth in the coming years.    

Menashe Kestenbaum, CEO of Enthusiast commented, “Our consistent growth further validates our business model, as we continue to outperform visitor growth month over month. Our team continues providing innovative, rich content which attracts dedicated gamers. This content allows us to deepen our reach both vertically and horizontally across a number of sub-sectors within the gaming industry.” Kestenbaum continued, “In a relatively short period of time, we have managed to amass a network of over 150 million monthly visitors and now major brands are taking notice. In addition to our core revenue generating verticals of content, advertising, and events, the size of our network has provided a number of different revenue opportunities, that we believe will add sustainable, long-term value to our network moving forward.”

About Enthusiast Gaming

Founded in 2014, Enthusiast Gaming is the largest vertically integrated video game company and has the fastest-growing online community of video gamers. Through the Company’s organic and acquisition strategy, it has amassed a platform of over 150 million monthly visitors across its network of websites and YouTube channels. Enthusiast also owns and operates Canada’s largest gaming expo, Enthusiast Gaming Live Expo, EGLX, (eglx.ca) with approximately 55,000 people attending in 2018. For more information on the Company, visit www.enthusiastgaming.com.

  1. Source: Google Analytics, April 2019
  2. Source: Comscore Media Metrix Multi-Platform, Dec 2017-Dec 2018, US

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Investor Relations:
Julia Becker
Head of Investor Relations & Marketing
[email protected]
(604) 785.0850

This news release contains certain statements that may constitute forward-looking information under applicable securities laws. All statements, other than those of historical fact, which address activities, events, outcomes, results, developments, performance or achievements that Enthusiast anticipates or expects may or will occur in the future (in whole or in part) should be considered forward-looking information. Such information may involve, but is not limited to, comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations and future actions of the Company. Often, but not always, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as “plans”, “expects”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates”, or “believes” or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements formed in the future tense or indicating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” (or other variations of the forgoing) be taken, occur, be achieved, or come to pass. Forward-looking information is based on currently available competitive, financial and economic data and operating plans, strategies or beliefs as of the date of this news release, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Enthusiast to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors may be based on information currently available to Enthusiast, including information obtained from third-party industry analysts and other third-party sources, and are based on management’s current expectations or beliefs regarding future growth, results of operations, future capital (including the amount, nature and sources of funding thereof) and expenditures. Any and all forward-looking information contained in this press release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The securities of the Corporation have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

AGORACOM Surpasses 600 Million Page Views From 55.2 Million Visits And 7.7 Million Users

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:39 PM on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
  • AGORACOM Engagement Metrics Beat Benchmarks By 402%*
  • AGORACOM Cashless Marketing and Awareness Program Is 100% Compliant

We are very proud to announce AGORACOM achieved another major milestone on February 28, 2019, when we surpassed 600 Million page views (90% AGORACOM / 10% Twitter) from 7.7 Million investors that visited 55.2 Million times.

These milestones are significant because they continue to demonstrate that AGORACOM is the primary home for serious small cap investors that want to discover their next great small cap investment. That is because on AGORACOM, we don’t talk about large-caps or general economic news. Investors come to AGORACOM for just one thing – small cap stocks.

AGORACOM ENGAGEMENT BEATS FINANCE BENCHMARKS BY 402%

AGORACOM small cap investors don’t just flip through pages, they invest a significant amount of time reading, studying and researching our small cap stocks like yours. …. And they do it far more than everywhere else.

In a recent survey of 275 finance sites, LittleData determined the average number of pages read per visit was 2.4. The average number of pages read on AGORACOM are 9.67, which is 402% higher than the benchmark.

Moreover, LittleData determined anything greater than 5.7 pages per visit represents the best 10% of Finance sites. At 9.67 pages per visit and 170% higher, it is fair to say AGORACOM is in elite status for engagement.

Finally, the average visitor to AGORACOM stays for an average of 8mins 32secs To put this into perspective, the average visitor to the Wall Street Journal stays for an average of 3 mins 18secs, putting AGORACOM 257% higher.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO SMALL CAP COMPANIES?

We attribute this significant amount of research time to our philosophy of Quality over Quantity. We don’t allow profanity, bickering and nonsense found on other sites. We believe that driving away the crazies attracts smarter investors – and the numbers tell us we’re right.

DON’T SPEND $1 … OUR CASHLESS & COMPLIANT PROGRAM IS THE SOLUTION

Your cash is still invaluable and needed for operations, so how do you start raising awareness without breaking the bank?

The AGORACOM Cashless, Shares For Services Program is fully compliant under TSX Venture Policy 4.3 and has already been pre-approved by the CSE. Highlights include:

  • Shares are issued pro-rataover your 12 month contract;
  • The number of shares issued is determined by your share price at each issuance. As your share price increases, the number of shares issued decreases;
  • Each issuance comes with customary 4-month hold periods. As such, AGORACOM is a shareholder for at least 16 months;
  • $0 in cash gets you the full firepower of AGORACOM

CALL ME TODAY AND GO LIVE WITH YOUR PROGRAM IN 10 DAYS

Our massive audience + cashless and compliant program is a win-win. Just ask any of the 20 companies that are using the program today

Contact Us

Best Regards,

George Tsiolis, LL.B

Founder & President

AGORACOM

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – Which tournaments attract the most #Esports bettors? $NFLX $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:29 PM on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

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Which tournaments attract the most esports bettors?

  • As competitive gaming evolves, as too has the rise in esports betting.
  • Though the exact value of esports’ betting handle is difficult to pinpoint
  • There’s a reason to believe it has now surpassed $1 billion based off Business Insider’s evaluation last year.

By Cody Luongo

As competitive gaming evolves, as too has the rise in esports betting. Though the exact value of esports’ betting handle is difficult to pinpoint, there’s a reason to believe it has now surpassed $1 billion based off Business Insider’s evaluation last year.

Each esport boasts its own unique community, ecosystem and infrastructure; despite there being several competitive gaming communities in existence, only a handful of them are fit to be a bookmaker’s product.

Though the consistency exhibited in esports such as the Overwatch League or NBA 2K League is a big motivator for bookies to offer spreads on them, there are a number of key tournaments that trump the rest when it comes to attracting significant volumes of bettors to risk. In this report, we’ll detail the leading tournaments that you’ll want to keep an eye on if you want to be involved in esports betting.

The International

Since 2011, The International, also referred to as TI, has brought forth the best esports has to offer in terms of size, viewership and of course, prize money. The annual tournament organised by Valve assembles 16 of the toughest contenders in Dota 2 from direct invites, regional qualifiers and those who amass enough Dota Pro Circuit (DPC) points through the competitive season.

Aside from establishing itself as the pinnacle of Dota 2 championships, The International’s reverence is bolstered heavily by the lofty prize amount raised each year. Dota 2 developers, Valve, contributes $1.6 million as a base amount for The International’s tournament winnings which are then passed off to the community to raise through crowdfunding; by dedicating a portion of Battle Pass sales to the total prize pool.

The International has seen a year-over-year growth since its inception – last year’s TI8 amassed a whopping $25,532,177 ($20,035,099). This year’s The International has already garnered over $12 million just two weeks into its fundraising period, with the tournament poised to kick off on August 15 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.

League of Legends World Championship

Photo courtesy: Riot Gamesp

Riot Games’ League of Legends is by far the most played game in the world at the moment; the most recent report from Riot confirmed in 2016 the game boasted 100 million monthly players, which we can only assume has grown based off the lofty increase in tournament viewership over the subsequent years. When it comes to League, there is one event that stands well above the rest on the yearly calendar – the League of Legends World Championship also referred to as Worlds.

The World Championship is the annual culmination of the competitive season organised by Riot Games, currently coming up on the ninth event in the tournament’s history this November. Worlds brings together the 24 best League of Legends teams to clash over a month-long period for the game’s most prestigious title as well as the Summoner’s Cup which weighs in at 32kg.

The prestige, popularity and length of the World Championship make it a hot product for bookmakers to feature spreads on. Last year’s Worlds was just barely shy of 100 million unique viewers, orbiting similar statistics to that of the Super Bowl – and where there are viewers, there are punters. Legal Sports Report’s overview of the esports betting market in 2018 illustrated League of Legends accounts for 38% of the total handle.

If you’re looking to place a wager on League of Legends, it’s a safe bet to assume any bookmaker that carries esports will offer lines on this game. As exemplified by eSportbetting.eu’s guide to betting on League, the catalogue of sportsbooks that support the game is quite extensive – including major US fantasy sports contest provider, DraftKings.

CS:GO Major Championships

Photo courtesy: HLTV

Counter-Strike is one of the oldest and most prosperous esports today. Valve’s first-person shooter has truly withstood the test of time in our current esports panorama with a bustling ecosystem supported by tournament organisers, online platforms and big sponsors.

Counter-Strike’s large player base across a number of divisions makes for a seemingly infinite amount of offerings from bookmakers; the aforementioned study by Legal Sports Report estimates CS:GO is responsible for 29% of the betting handle, only second to League of Legends.

Though, when it comes to betting on Counter-Strike, Valve’s CS:GO Major Championship series is the choice event for punters. Since 2013, CS:GO Majors have furnished the most enthralling narratives and display of CS the game can generate; the format of the Major builds off the last by incorporating teams who can go deep enough in the previous tournament and spans across roughly three weeks.

The volume of matches between high-profile teams ramps up the number of bets placed on CS while bookmakers often capitalise on Majors by offering exclusives and specials linked to the tournament.

Recap

While there are several other tournaments such as the Overwatch League Season Finals and Call of Duty World League Championships that are able to congregate a number of bettors to wager, those mentioned above three are by far the market leaders. If you do decide to get involved in esports betting,  Esports Insider reminds you to bet responsibly!

Source: https://esportsinsider.com/2019/05/which-tournaments-attract-the-most-esports-bettors/

BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca – Improving rural #education in #India can be a game changer $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:25 PM on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
SPONSOR:  Betteru Education Corp. Connecting global leading educators to the mass population of India. BetterU Education has ability to reach 100 MILLION potential learners each week. Click here for more information.
BTRU: TSX-V

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Improving rural education can be a game changer

India’s high youth population won’t be of help to the economy if universal education is not achieved all over India.

  • India is relatively young as a nation with around 28 million youth population being added every year.
  • In 2020, the average age of an Indian is expected to be 29 years, while it will be 37 for China and 48 for Japan.

India Today Web Desk New Delhi May 21, 2019

Education in India has improved dramatically over the last three decades. Schools have become accessible to most children; both student enrollment and attendance are at the highest level.

The RTE Act guarantees a quality education to a wider range of students than ever before. However, challenges in teaching and learning outcomes across all regional, cultural and socioeconomic subsets prevent us from harnessing the true potential of vast human resource and keep the country educationally backward.

One of the biggest concerns is to make the present generation learners future-ready. India is relatively young as a nation with around 28 million youth population being added every year. In 2020, the average age of an Indian is expected to be 29 years, while it will be 37 for China and 48 for Japan.

However, India’s high youth population won’t be of help to the economy if universal education is not achieved all over India.

Improving education is a critical area of investment and can be a game changer to achieve sustained economic growth by tap into its young workforce. The weak foundation in primary education derails the lives, careers, and productivity of millions of our citizens. With 65 per cent of the population residing in rural India, education in rural belt truly deserves much more attention.

Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) shows that even though the number of rural students attending schools is rising, but more than half of the students in fifth grade are unable to read a second grade text book and are not able to solve simple mathematical problems. Not only this, the level of math and reading is further declining.
Some of the major problems that plague the rural education system in India are related to both quality and access of teaching learning facilities and basic infrastructure. While dearth of teachers, teacher absenteeism and poor quality of teaching are directly affecting the learning outcomes, poor and inadequate infrastructural facilities in terms of classrooms and benches, blackboards, playgrounds, toilets, water, etc, also hamper the delivery of quality education and make the school unattractive to a child.

The foundation to turn India into a strong nation has to be laid down at primary and rural levels and so the quality of education right from the beginning should be excellent. A complete reform in education system is required which should start from policies which promote talent in teaching system. Teachers are the backbone of education.

All efforts should be made to hire the best teachers, keep them engaged and motivated, reduce their absenteeism by making them more accountable and provide regular in-service training and capacity building to upgrade their skills.
To improve the student’s attendance in the schools, especially in villages, the school curriculum should involve extracurricular activities and fun-learning exercises. Education and text books should be made interesting. Textbooks related to their culture, their traditions and values should also be there so as to create their interest in studies.

The reasons behind so many drop-outs in spite of free education should be found out as this is a hurdle on the road to progress.
Sensitizing parents to make them understand the importance of education would certainly be helpful. This can be done through skits, street plays and holding meetings with the parents on a quarterly basis to make a student excel in his life. Emphasis should be given to educating a girl.

Though girl education has improved in our country a lot has to be done in this sector.
In this digital era when technology is touching every aspect of society and changing it dramatically, rural education can also greatly benefit from appropriate use of technology. Smart Classrooms which facilitate online teaching create extended classrooms for interactions and discussions. An expanded option is to record classroom courses in a real time and use it for teaching the students who cannot attend the classes. Rural education needs e-learning technologies. Apart from this, audio and video conferencing should be made part of the education system in rural India.

Teachers at the schools are not well equipped with the gadgets. So teachers should be given printers, laptops, for giving notes and notices to the students. By using technology the problem of unqualified teachers can also be solved. Dropout rates have reduced to a great extent wherever digital and computer-aided education has been introduced in rural schools.


Several initiatives in public private partnerships are playing significant role in making rural India tech savvy and in providing better education. These efforts have given positive results. We have to take proper remedial measures with a sense of urgency and create better learning environments for rural children so that they are able to participate in nation building process and reap the full potential of our demographic divided.

Authored article by Dr Neelam Gupta President and CEO AROH Foundation

Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/featurephilia/story/improving-rural-education-can-be-a-game-changer-1530761-2019-05-21

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Posted by AGORACOM at 2:17 PM on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
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Aiming to become a Wollastonite producer focused on delivering high quality products to multiple industries.
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WOLLASTONITE

  • St-Onge-Wollastonite Deposit located approximately 90 kilometres Northwest of the city of Saguenay, in St-Onge township, in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region of Quebec, Canada.
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  • Research and testing in the Phase 1 program for use in cannabis growth was managed and monitored by AGRINOVA, a highly-regarded Center for Research and Innovation in Agriculture in Quebec

St-Onge-Wollastonite Deposit:

Utilizing Wollastonite as A Soil Additive

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  • Phase Three trials measured and recorded significant improvements in root mass, powdery mildew control and pest elimination.
  • In every case the most optimal results occurred with an admixture rate of 10% to 15% wollastonite to the growth medium

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Tartisan #Nickel $TN.ca – EV Metals Demand: The Calm Before The Storm $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:37 AM on Tuesday, May 21st, 2019

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Fact Sheet
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EV Metals Demand: The Calm Before The Storm

Matt Bohlsen

Summary

  • Right now, many cannot see the forest for the trees. By that I mean the big picture for EVs and EV metals demand.
  • What percentage of buyers do you think will buy an electric car by end 2022 if it is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and cheaper to maintain?
  • What if 50% of buyers want to buy an electric car in 2022, and 75% by 2025.
  • In a recent British survey, 71% of British car buyers said they are considering an electric car as their next vehicle.

In this article, my goal is to remind investors that the electric vehicle [EV] and EV metal miners (lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel) opportunity is a long-term event. By this I mean the next decade or two. If as I have forecast electric cars continue to gain in popularity, then the demand boom for EVs and the EV metal miners will be unprecedented in history and we will see an EV metals super-cycle over the next decade or two.

Right now, many cannot see the forest for the trees

Quite often in investing we get so caught up in the details that we forget the big picture. In other words “we can’t see the forest for the trees.”

In the world of electric vehicle metals (particularly the key battery metals lithium, cobalt, graphite and nickel) market participants continually focus on what will happen this year, and what will stock prices do in the next 1 year. The problem here is that short-term market events can mean we sell down our stocks at the worst possible time when the market is negative and we forget to see the big picture.

Take the lithium and cobalt markets the past year. Concerns of oversupply have caused large sell-offs in the lithium and cobalt miners. Retail investors have fled the market. Does this really make sense when we look at the big picture over the next decade?

The big picture for EVs and EV metals over the next decade or two

Investors should focus on what lies ahead in the next decade or two. For example:

  • According to Bloomberg, we can expect EV sales to increase (from 2017 levels of 1.1%) 10x by 2025, 27x by 2030, 50x by 2040.
  • CNBC reported that JP Morgan forecasts “electric cars would take 35 percent of the global market by 2025 and 48 percent by 2030.”
  • The chart below compares my electric car penetration forecast to Bloomberg’s forecast.

Bloomberg forecasts annual electric vehicle sales – 30m by 2030, 60m by 2040

Source: Bloomberg research

Do these forecasts sound realistic or possible? Only readers can decide for themselves.

My view remains that by end 2022, an electric car will start to become cheaper than a conventional Internal Combustion Engine [ICE] car (assuming zero subsidies). This is based on lithium-ion battery prices falling ~16% pa, which has been the case the past decade. With 76 lithium-ion battery megafactories to be in production by about 2028 (~45 in production now) this looks highly realistic as scale and fierce competition take effect.

My model forecasts a 60kWh battery will sell for less than an ICE engine system by end 2022 (earlier for a 50kWh battery)

Source: My Model

My forecast above states by end 2022, a 60kWh lithium-ion battery will sell for US$5,300 which is less than the cost of a standard car’s engine system (includes the engine, exhaust, transmission, petrol tank, etc.).

If the above forecast is correct, it will mean a consumer by end 2022 can buy an electric car cheaper than a comparable ICE car. Furthermore, the electric car will have up to 10x cheaper running costs (electricity vs. gasoline) and up to 10x cheaper maintenance costs.

Once this happens, who would buy an ICE car if they are happy with a range of at least 208 miles or 335 kms (Tesla (TSLA) Model S 2012 model range).

The 2022 Tesla Model S

Source: TopSpeed

The chart below shows by ~2017/18, an electric car can sell cheaper than the average US conventional car, and by ~2031, an electric car can be cheaper than the lowest priced new US conventional car. In 2018, Reuters reported in ‘VW plans to sell electric Tesla rival for less than $23,000: source’ “Volkswagen intends to sell electric cars for less than 20,000 euros ($22,836).”

Electric car selling prices are forecast to fall rapidly as battery costs fall

(Source: Powur)

What percentage of buyers do you think will buy an electric car by end 2022 if it is cheaper to buy, cheaper to run, and cheaper to maintain than a comparable ICE car?

Added to the above headline the electric car will have better acceleration and be more trendy than an ICE car.

Given the above, it would seem quite clear to me that most people if given the option will choose an electric car post 2022. Certainly, by 2025, when an electric car is even cheaper it would seem almost everyone will want one.

If again the above assumptions are correct, then electric car penetration rates will be way higher than my forecasts above. For example, my end 2022 forecast is at 10%, and end 2025 is at 20%. The real demand could in fact be 3-5x higher than my forecasts, and higher than Bloomberg’s forecasts. Perhaps JP Morgan’s forecasts of 35% by 2025 (and 48% by 2030) will be a better guide.

On March 1, Auto Trader UK reported:

Nearly 75% of car buyers are considering an electric car as their next vehicle. Sales of electric and hybrid cars will overtake petrol and diesel by 2030, report claims. Searches for alternative fuel vehicles on Auto Trader up by 40% in 2018. The British public’s appetite for electric vehicles is growing significantly, according to a new report published by Auto Trader. Almost three quarters (71%) of car owners said they’d consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, which is a huge leap from the 25% who answered positively when asked the same question in 2017.

What if 50% of buyers want to buy an electric car post 2022, and 75% by 2025

Clearly, if we get to levels above 50% by 2022, the electric car industry would probably not be able to meet this demand.

For example, the lithium demand to meet 50% electric car penetration rates by end 2022 would be ~2.6mtpa. This would be almost 10x the level of lithium demand from 2018. Similar problems would occur with the other EV metals as well as the battery and electric car producers.

In other words, we could very well see a period post 2022 until perhaps 2030 where people will be on waiting lists to get an electric car. Similar to the ~400,000 list for the Tesla Model 3, but several magnitudes higher. Even the expensive Porsche Taycan (OTCPK:POAHY) already has a 20,000 waiting list.

Porche Taycan – All electric

Source: The Drive

The car companies and 76 megafactories confirm the boom is coming

BNEF forecasts by 2020 there will be over 289 different models of electric cars across the spectrum. Added to this will be electrification across the entire transport sector (limited for planes) and widespread adoption of energy storage (home, office, utility).

Source

A vision for the car of the 2020s is shown below. All electric and very trendy.

BMW iNext (OTCPK:BMWYY) exterior and interior

Conclusion

My purpose in this article is to encourage investors to think outside the box, or to have a clearer view of the big picture. Demand levels of 50% electric cars by end 2022 once an electric car is cheaper to buy/run/maintain would seem very logical.

Should this occur, then we will see an EV metals super-cycle. Waiting lists for electric cars will become normal, battery shortages the norm, and very strong EV metal prices a reality.

While 2018 and early 2019 have been bleak for the EV metal miner stocks, I would encourage investors to think beyond 2019, and towards 2022 which is less than 3 years away. The quality EV metal miners that are very oversold today may look like absolute bargains tomorrow.

I suggest to investors that 2019 is very likely the “calm before the storm of demand” for the EV metal miners.

Source: https://seekingalpha.com/article/4265357-ev-metals-demand-calm-storm