The 2020 US presidential election is little more than a week away. However, as November 3^rd approaches, a debate on how Americans can cast their ballot without fear or favour still spreads across the states.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread like wildfire across America, a record number of votes are predicted to be sent via mail before next Tuesday.

For the first time, New Jersey, along with several other states, has sent ballots to all of its residents. And, it is believed that nearly two-thirds of voters will take advantage of the mail-in option this year – a rise from just one-quarter of voters across the last two elections.

In the past, both the Democrats and the Republicans have both supported the mail-in system. However, in the build-up to this year’s election, President Trump, who is now the outsider to Biden in the next US President odds, has continuously slammed the process, and has even branded it a scam. It comes as a poll by The Wall Street Journal revealed that 47% of Democratic voters are likely to use the mail-in system than just 11% of Republican backers.

Evidence suggests that President Trump’s claim of the mail-in vote being a scam is ‘fake news’. Due to identity verification, ballot tracking, and several other security measures, fraudulence via mail votes is few and far between. In fact, voter fraud is that rare that a study from Loyola Law School professor Justin Levitt discovered just 35 credible allegations in over 834 million ballots cast between 2000 and 2014.

Actually, if anyone should be wary of the mail-in system, it should be Mr Biden himself. With many of his supporters set to cast their ballots in the mail, there is the very real risk that not all of the votes will be counted, and undercounting could seriously affect his candidacy.

Back in the summer, the US Postal Service admitted that they could not make assurances that all mail-in votes will arrive in time to be accounted for, meaning that the ballot could be null and voided.

That’s not all there is to worry about when it comes to postal ballots, either. Mail-in votes are also more likely to succumb to loss and error, another factor that could severally damage the Democrats attempt at winning back control of the White House.

Moreover, there is further evidence to suggest that, in certain areas of the United States, Democratic voters are more likely to have their postal ballot rejected than those who favour the Republicans. A recent study, which looked at the last two general elections in Florida, discovered that Black and Hispanic voters are two times more likely to have their ballots rejected than white voters, whilst 18-21-year-old’s are also a whopping four times more likely to have their ballots dismissed than those in the 45-64 bracket.

For these reasons, the advantage of potentially more voters casting their ballot due to the mail-in system could be quashed, and when you factor together all of these crucial points, it is probably President Trump who holds the advantage when it comes to the mail-in system – whether he likes it or not.

With most states waiting to count the influx of postal ballots until November 3rd, be prepared for this election to drawn out, and for Trump to shoot into an early lead, as in-person votes are often counted first. But, will Biden be able to claw back into the race as the postal votes are counted? or will he be left ruing his decision to back mail-in system? We will just have to wait to find out!

Inevitably, the election is nearly upon us, as the 2020 US election odds take centre stage on the majority of betting sites, and news outlets are filled with the stern faces of both Trump and Biden, this election’s front-running candidates.

As you may have found in previous years, when the results of the vote are revealed, the outcome isn’t always quite what it seems.

You see, the candidate who receives the most public votes isn’t necessarily the next resident of the White House. In America, despite citizens being urged to vote, the next President isn’t chosen directly by these voters, but rather the final decision is made by the Electoral College. If this makes you scratch your head and frown, read on as we explain the US Electoral voting system.

So, who are the public voting for?

When the American public go to their local poll station, the vote they’re casting is more for the party they believe in, rather than the person. In short, the public are voting for the group of officials who make up the representatives for their area, within the Electoral College.

How does it work?

In total, there are 538 electors in total, making up the Electoral College. The number of electors that each state has is roughly decided by the size of its population. So, the more people, the more electors that will be assigned. California has the most electors out of all of the states, standing at a grand total of 55! Whilst the smallest of the states, such as Wyoming, Alaska and North Dakota only hold a minimum of three.

Each elector will represent one electoral vote, and these votes will then decide the winner of the election. A candidate must receive the majority of these votes – 270 or above – to win the presidency.

Ordinarily, a state will award all of their Electoral College votes to the candidate who won the poll amongst the general public of that area. For example, if the Republican candidate gained 50.1% of the vote in Texas, then they would receive all 38 of that state’s Electoral College votes.

This is why presidential candidates are seen to target areas that are thought of as “swing states” – or states where the vote could go either way. After all, it would take just that one extra vote from the Electoral College to get a candidate closer to 270, and over the line into presidency.

Why is this system used?

Going all the way back to 1787, when the US constitution was being drawn up and finalised, conducting a national popular vote to elect a new President was an almost impossible feat. The size of the country and the difficulty of communication at this time were large contributing factors. However, some form of democracy was still required, and the framers of the constitution were eager for the people to get a say in their new ruler, so, they created the Electoral College.

Smaller states were found to favour this system as they felt that it gave them more of a voice, than a nationwide popular vote. But, since the number of electoral votes were determined overall by the size of a state’s population, the southern states also had a lot more influence in electing a new President this way, more so than a direct public vote would have given them.

Roulette is a game of chance. During a game of roulette a dealer spins a ball on a small wheel with 37 slots, or 38 depending on the variant you’re playing, containing numbers 1-36 and a 0, or 1-36, 0 and 00). The players have to guess the number or type of slot where the ball is going to land – play today.

Since roulette is based on luck, there is no way in which you can significantly improve the way you play. It is basically a guessing game. The only thing you can do is try to improve your odds of winning, try to even out your wins and losses or win back what you have already lost.

Get the odds in your favour

To improve your odds of winning, you want to choose a type of roulette where your odds of winning are higher. Take for example European and American roulette. European roulette has 37 pockets, each pocket containing a number from 1 to 36 and 0, while American roulette has 38 pockets, each pocket containing a number from 1 to 36, 0 and 00. Your odds of winning on a European roulette wheel are 1 in 37, in comparison to 1 in 38 on an American wheel. It would thus make more sense to choose European roulette where you would stand a bigger chance of winning.

D’Alembert roulette strategy

This strategy is based on the principle of increasing and decreasing wagers by one. Start by placing a small wager on either red or black, odd or even, numbers 1 to 18 or 19 to 36. Every time you lose, increase your bet by one and each time you win, decrease it by one.

The objective here is to balance out your wins and losses. So the key is to walk away once you have had roughly as many wins as losses. The only disadvantage to this strategy is having to keep track of your all your wins and losses.

Fibonacci roulette strategy

Back in the early 1200s Fibonacci, an Italian mathematician wrote about a very particular series of numbers. This series was later named the Fibonacci sequence. In this series of numbers every third number is the sum of the two previous numbers.

When using the Fibonacci Strategy you would bet the sum of your last two bets. This strategy allows you to make a profit regardless of having lost more games than you won.

Like the D’Alembert Roulette Strategy, you start with a small wager on either red or black, odd or even, numbers 1 to 18 or 19 to 36. If you lose a game, increase your bet by moving on to the next number in the series. After each win you should go back two numbers in the series and use that as your bet.

These strategies should be used with caution. None of them can guarantee a win on the next bet. If used irresponsibly you could end up in the red. Know when to take the loss walk away.

Typically, online casinos instantly charge you for playing. Players know this transaction as a game deposit –  it’s an instant process without any chance of delays.

As should be the rule, the online casino must promptly pay the player their respective winnings. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen. At times, there are legitimate reasons for delays in payments, such as:

·        The account details are incorrect
Your casino account revolves around the verification of your personal details. Also known as, Know Your Client (KYC), things can go wrong during this step. Have you entered the correct name and address? If not, then you should say goodbye to your winnings.

·        You have duplicate accounts
You can open only one account at the casino; any other subsequent account will be considered duplicate and lead to prize confiscation. Casinos check for all kinds of details such as account numbers, IP addresses and login IDs to ensure there is no duplication.

·        You used someone else’s bank account or credit card details
Online casinos make sure that the deposit money is directly from your account and not someone else’s. Moreover, their terms and condition policies mention sharing details pertaining to financial tools such as credit card and bank account

·        You played foul
Using tools to calculate your move when gambling or abuse system loopholes for your benefit are considered cheating and thus exempt you from the prize money.

·        You used a VPN or proxy setting to play online
Casinos explicitly prohibit VPN use as it hides most of the important information such as IP address, tracking data, cookies and your current location. Using a proxy setting, you can also enter multiple bank accounts, which is again a policy infringement.

·        You are underage and ineligible to play in casinos
Online gambling is only allowed at the age of 18 and above. In some countries, you can’t play before the age of 21, so make sure you meet the age criteria.

In rare cases, online casinos add unnecessary “Pending Period” to withdraw cash prize, resulting in weeks of delay. These pending days are unacceptable for players, as the payments should be as quick as the deposits.

Moreover, players can even cancel the withdrawal at a point of the pending period and reinvest it in the new game; chances are you may lose it. On challenging these policies, casinos often come up with an excuse of a software issue

So, what can players do to ensure that they rightfully receive their “win” in a reasonable amount of time? Here are few tips that you or any of the winning contestants should follow:

Tip 1: Document all records

Suppose the casino fails to make timely payment, it is best to make communication through email. By registering your complaint through email, you get to have a soft copy of all the correspondence. Moreover, you can also take a printout and use it as a sign proof while making substantial payment claims.

Tip 2: Talk to higher authorities

Whenever trying to settle payment disputes, you should speak to higher authorities—may be a manager to lodge your complaint. Talking with someone’s experience and authority will help you get more insightful information on your payment details. They will go to the depth of your issue and try to resolve it as soon as possible.

Tip 3: Recruit a third party

If you cannot get your issue resolved and find it hard to get your payment, then call a third-party specialist as a last resort. You can start by talking to the person who referred you to the casino as they may have better connections and help you with your payment issues. You may even lodge complaints on online portals that deal with casino disputes