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FIFA arrests bid to take 2018 World Cup away from Russia: Putin

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Vladimir Putin

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the arrest of FIFA officials was an attempt to prevent FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s re-election and to prevent the 2018 World Cup from being held in his country.

Putin’s remarks came after seven FIFA senior officials were apprehended on Wednesday – six of them at their hotel in Zurich – on charges of corruption, reports Efe.

“In my opinion, the election for FIFA president on Friday must be held as scheduled and Blatter has every chance of being re-elected,” Putin told reporters on Thursday, noting that there were pressures exerted on Blatter to rescind Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup.

Moreover, Putin saw the FIFA arrests as part of the US’s political agenda: “This is yet another blatant attempt (by the United States) to extend its jurisdiction to other states.”

The Swiss police arrested the FIFA officials at the request of the US judiciary on charges of fraud and money-laundering, among other allegations.

They will be detained in Switzerland until a decision is made regarding their extradition to the US.

Blatter, who has led FIFA since 1998, will seek a fifth term in Friday’s election against Jordanian Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, the only rival candidate remaining after Dutch football association president Michael van Praag and Portuguese former player Luis Figo withdrew last week.

FIFA said Russia and Qatar will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively. However, the organisation asked the Swiss public prosecutor to investigate suspicions of corruption linked to the location selection process.

FIFA spokesperson Walter De Gregorio said in a press conference in Zurich on Wednesday that “Russia and Qatar will be played, this is fact today, this is what I can tell you, not more not less.”

Entertainment

Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones

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CasinoDays India

International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.

Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.

The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.

Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile

The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.

CasinoDays India

The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.

“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.

Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings

Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.

 

CasinoDays India

Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).

Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.

The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.

Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.

Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities

The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.

On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.

Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.

“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.

The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.

 

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