Treat Monthly - December 2022 Winter Special

Merry Christmas Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Season's Greetings from the whole Treat team!

EDITORIAL

The Fallout from the FTX Implosion

The announcement was as unexpected as it was eye-opening, and rocked the crypto space. FTX had been valued at $32 billion merely weeks before the news. The MIT University graduate Sam Bankman-Fried is one of crypto’s most recognizable faces, a self-made young billionaire celebrity in an often anonymous industry.

MERRY XXXMAS HO HO HO!

Gather around the Treat Christmas Tree and unwrap our advent pinups, naughty greetings cards, and Christmas (sheer) stocking fillers direct from our creators

SEASONAL SHOPPING GUIDE FOR A TOTALLY CRYPTO CHRISTMAS

Trying to find the perfect in-person prezzies to pry your resident crypto maximalists and web3 enthusiasts offline and around the tree this Christmas?

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SHOPPING FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING

We all know those people in our lives who are nearly impossible to shop for: the Grinches who claim to own everything, need nothing, or are simply aggressively picky (the worst!). Finding anything to make them happy may seem like an impossible chore, -so we’ve gathered our extensive gift-finding resources to try to help you.

A LOOK AT THE EXCITING WORLD OF SPORTS BETTING ONLINE

As the biggest event in Sports, the World Cup, kicks off in Qatar, it is worth taking a look at the explosive growth of online Sports Betting

A SPECIAL TREAT COMMUNITY UPDATE: INTRODUCING TREAT GAMING

Treat Gaming is an online sportsbook and casino launched under the Treat brand with Treat DAO as a primary affiliate and promoter. Treat Gaming is based in Costa Rica and offers a wide variety of gaming options that are customized based on the customer's location.

ADVERTISE WITH TREAT

The Treat Magazine is available to everyone in our community online. The Treat Magazine is also now available to buy physically from the Treat store. The magazine is also heavily circulated at crypto exhibitions and trade events.

EDITORIAL

The Fallout of the FTX Implosion creates a Nuclear Winter for the Crypto Market

It’s true to say that 2022 has been a particularly grueling year for DeFi stalwarts and crypto diamond hands. We’ve had to endure more than our fair share of currency turbulence this year, due in no small part to a weekly news diet of revelations about fraud, criminality, or simply badly mismanaged projects.

Still, few in the crypto space were prepared for the seismic disruption caused by the implosion in mere hours of FTX - previously the fourth biggest crypto currency exchange in the market - which, until a few fateful days in November, was considered a pillar of the industry.

Donny lives in Mandaue City, in the Philippines. He works as a manager of a call center for businesses processing orders and supports his family, meaning his above average income of $500 a month is tightly budgeted. He was an early and eager adopter of the crypto craze and would deposit all his disposable income in altcoins and staking in $FTT on the stalwart FTX exchange. Through the pandemic, he worked from home and avidly followed CoinDesk, crypto Twitter advice and had invested successfully in altcoins, and banked the profits with his hero, the flamboyant mogul Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF). Donny’s FTX account was his nest egg and he had already planned his wedding later this year around the $20,000 in assets (equivalent to a decade of savings) he had judiciously accrued.

Donny caught some tweets on November 6th mentioning issues with FTX and their coin $FTT, but considered the reports as FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) from paper hands investors. He read the CoinDesk article but dismissed any fears as he believed FTX was “bulletproof” and SBF a “genius” who couldn’t fail. Indeed he followed SBF on Twitter, who up to November 7th continued to tweet to reassure investors that everything was “fine” (tweets that are now deleted).

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX

-Image courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

Shock and awe.

Within

‘‘ ‘‘

leader went from crypto hero to bankrupt zero.

Donny arrived at his desk early on November 8th and checked his crypto news feed. His hands began to tremble, and despite the air conditioning, he began to sweat profusely. FTX had suspended all withdrawals. “I wanted to cry. I was in shock and awe. Within hours, the multibillion-dollar leader (SBF) went from crypto hero to bankrupt zero.” Donny recalls how the bottom fell out of his world. He says he understands that he took a leap of faith and lost, but feels betrayed and scammed. SBF did make a last public tweet stating: “I’m sorry, I fucked up, and should have done better.” As far as Donny is concerned FTX joins the sordid ranks of Three Arrows Capital, Terra, and Celsius; infamous names in the crypto halls of shame.

A few days later, on November 11, 2022, FTX tweeted that the parent company, Alameda Research, and 130 affiliated companies of the FTX Group had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Twitter statement further announced that Sam Bankman-Fried, the erstwhile founder and CEO of FTX, would step down with immediate effect.

The announcement was as unexpected as it was eye-opening, and rocked the crypto space. FTX had been valued at $32 billion merely weeks before the news. The MIT University graduate Sam Bankman-Fried is one of crypto’s most recognizable faces, a self-made young billionaire celebrity in an often anonymous industry.

As lawsuits swirl and millions of ordinary depositors are left holding nothing of their crypto, people are quite rightly demanding to know how this could happen (again)? Especially following the eerily similar collapse of the purportedly infallible TerraUSD stablecoin?

hours, the multibillion-dollar

Until November, FTX and Alameda Research had appeared to be moving ahead, being seen by investors as having successfully navigated the market liquidity crisis caused by the contagion from the fallout from the $60 billion disintegration of Terra. Self-styled altruist SBF proposed that Alameda go further, and become a lender of last resort to help struggling crypto firms such as Voyager Digital and Celsius weather the Terra storm. He proposed a similar scheme to the one which central banks had employed during the 2008 global crash. In effect, extending emergency liquidity to bail out crypto companies in danger of going down the drain.

In 2019, Bankman-Fried tweeted: “Alameda is a liquidity provider on FTX, but their account is just like everyone else's. Alameda's incentive is just for FTX to do as well as possible; by far the dominant factor is helping to make the trading experience as good as possible.”

Like many other decentralized organizations and crypto exchanges, FTX had created its own token, $FTT, to support its various projects and market activities.

Holders of the $FTT coin could use the token for staking to earn additional interest on their crypto holdings, or gain advantageous discounts on trading fees. It is a common practice in the industry —market leader Binance, for example, supports two of its own branded tokens, the Binance Coin ($BNB) and the Binance USD ($BUSD).

It was how the token was being used between Alameda, FTX, and the other companies in SBF’s crypto empire that became questionable, and subsequently led to extreme volatility in $FTT. Not unlike TerraUSD with $Luna, it seems ironically, that FTX was in many ways simply a house of cards waiting to be blown over.

All it would take is a liquidity crunch (like a run on the bank) with enough investors losing confidence and withdrawing deposits for a storm to start blowing.

On November 2nd, CoinDesk ran an article that raised doubts about the solvency of FTX’s operations. The story's major focus for concern stemmed from Alameda Research’s balance sheet. The company appeared to be completely reliant on large quantities of $FTT. This showed that Alameda was not a separate entity from FTX and that both were recklessly over-exposed to volatility in the value of $FTT.

FTX rival exchange Binance owned a sizable position in $FTT, and following the CoinDesk report, it liquidated its holdings, setting off the inevitable liquidity crunch. This precipitated a chain reaction in the market as other $FTT whales scrambled to dump their holdings.

$FTT hit an all time high (ATH) of $78 in September 2021. The events of November 6th saw the coin crash to a trading price of less than $3.

FTX is �ine. Assets are �ine.

-Sam Bankman Fried

“$FTT was outweighed by the declining value of the token and the increased likelihood of total loss by continuing to hold it. Much like the Terra/$LUNA tokens earlier this year, it is possible for $FTT to become valueless in days,” warned Josh Peck, the founder of TrueCode Capital.

With $6 billion withdrawn since the CoinDesk report broke, FTX was now in urgent need of its own altruistic white knight to steady the (sinking) ship. Following their previous business arrangements, it was assumed that Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, the CEO of Binance, would provide that lifeline.

Binance offered an acquisition, in order to manage a less chaotic default, and safeguard some of the depositors' assets. Within a few hours, the offer was withdrawn, the die was cast, and SBF’s, $FTT’s, and Donny’s fates were sealed.

CZ tweeted only 24 hours after offering the initial FTX bail-out: “As a result of corporate due diligence, as well as the latest news reports regarding mishandled customer funds and alleged U.S. agency investigations, we have decided that we will not pursue the potential acquisition of FTX.com.”

SBF suffered an astonishing overnight defenestration from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with his net worth plummeting 94% in a single day. In the same dizzying period, Zhao has become the undisputed heavyweight champion of crypto.

Lawyers looking into the collapse of FTX aren’t optimistic. They state that there is little in the way of legal recourse for people like Donny, especially with the unregulated nature of decentralized finance. In time, the facts surrounding the misuse of funds will come to light. What is crystal clear right now is that FTX was taking advantage of the gray areas of DeFi in the expectation of large profits irrespective of the best interests of their investors and depositors.

DECEPTION

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX -Image courtesy of The Hill Journal.

Sam Bankman-Fried FTX -Image courtesy of Financial News London

Ray wrote in the filing with the Delaware bankruptcy court: “Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here.”

“From compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad to the concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated, and potentially compromised individuals, this situation is unprecedented.”

Patrick Hillmann, Binance CSO, spoke to the news channel CNBC about how SBF had convinced so many investors to trust FTX. He gave the opinion that SBF was either like Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes, whom Hillmann said was “completely delusional,” or like Bernie Madoff, who was “manipulative” and created a “cult of personality.”

“There’s no middle ground,” Hillmann was unequivocal. “It’s one of the two.”

As with Donny, so many investors had believed, with false confidence, that a global exchange like FTX was simply too big to fail. The cut-throat moves between the market leaders, and FTX’s implosion, has spread an ice cold contagion around an already fragile DeFi market, leading investors to fear a long, dark crypto winter ahead.

While the bears hibernate, it’s a great time to build.

Patrick Hillmann -Image courtesy of PRovoke Media.

Welcome to the Crypto Winter of 2022. Now let’s get busy!

It has been a very interesting year (as the Chinese might say with a smirk) in Web3. Many much-touted projects have appeared promising the world, only to disappear just as rapidly as funds and confidence have dried up. The root problem with almost all of these startups is they lack real substance. They didn’t demonstrate a concrete business model, a roadmap beyond initial investment goals, or any ‘real world’ experience with products or services generating revenue streams. They also overhyped their potential growth on the promise of a metaverse that simply doesn’t exist yet.

The crypto winter dramatically challenges these types of companies to deliver, or go home. When trading activity flatlines and nervous paper hands sell-off their assets, then everyone in the industry

‘‘ ‘‘

is affected. The sustainable projects will thrive in the upturn as long as they can prove they have planned to deliver on utility and substance.

There are other advantages in a bear market. When markets cool down, we get to see beyond all the hype. Many projects claim to be the next big thing and heading to the moon on social media. Yet, under serious scrutiny, they start rowing back on public expectations, downsizing teams, and firing staff, or collapse into Chapter 11.

-Crunchbase News.

We’ve seen this job crunch extend to the wider tech industry this year as Netflix, Amazon, Meta, and Twitter have all cut workforce numbers to take account of reducing advertising revenues, market conditions, and inflationary pressures.

We are still early in Web3. There is a lot of work to do to ensure mass adoption of the metaverse, NFTs, and DeFi. This bear market shines a spotlight of public scrutiny on shady projects, bad players, and projects without substance. Many won’t survive the exposure to reality, as with FTX, and BlockFI.

DANI PARIS

It isn’t all doom and gloom. There will be losers, but the market will adjust, and winners will emerge. This is the perfect time to avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO) and resist the hype of vested interests. Instead, we can observe the creativity behind building exciting long term projects that are worth investing time and money into.

Web3 is the future, and the opportunities for growth and innovation are limitless. Those companies that present plans for building solid projects today, tomorrow, and for the upturn are going to benefit most from this bear market.

The money is still flowing. Venture capitalists (VCs) are still investing in crypto and Web3 in record amounts. If your project has utility, substance, and value, then this bear market is a great time to consider being bold, raising funds, and building for future growth.

It’s the countdown to a new year, so let's get busy and build. See you in 2023!

Take our hands as we call on the spirits of crypto future, and peer into the Treat crystal ball (it needs a good dusting). Whisper HODL three times as we scry through our old tea leaves to show you what you may expect to see in 2023.

A quick confession, it’s really hard to predict with certainty what the next big trend will be in 2023, as the technology landscape is constantly evolving and new devices and apps are always appearing on the horizon.

That said, we do firmly believe that some trends that are likely to bed-in and potentially accelerate in the coming years include the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), the increasing use of Web3 blockchain technology, the proliferation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and the rise of metaverse virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR).

Elon Musk’s OpenAI funded company is one to watch in 2023. Its DALL-E 2 AI art technology is already disrupting the media industry, and along with Stable Diffusion and Midjourney, it is causing dismay among artists who are drawing red lines on the training of the models with consent to use their content. It isn’t just artists who are starting to feel the heat from our future AI overlords. Teachers,

professors, programmers, and journalists could all be out of a job in just a few years after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Since launch, it has stunned users with its proficiency at complex tasks and ease of use. The bot can instantly tackle complicated programming and math challenges, with some academics admitting its answers would easily pass undergraduate exam questions.

While the debates rage about who owns the rights to AI created art and texts, the next big AI trend is nearly ready to kick off another fierce argument. Text-to-video AI has the potential to be used in a variety of applications, such as automatically creating videos for social media or online advertising, generating explainer videos or tutorials, and creating personalized video content. Meta has published a research paper and examples of AI generated video on its Make-a-Video page. Google has announced two new AI applications for converting text to video, and Adobe and Nvidia are developing their own projects. It’s likely the intense competition will rival that in the AI art generation space.

Despite the current crypto bear market, we can safely predict that NFTs are not going anywhere. Christies, Formula 1, Nike, Louis Vuitton, and The New York Times: these are just a few of the brands already exploring the use of NFTs in their products and services, such as creating unique and authenticated digital collectibles, unlocking collectors' exclusive benefits, or using NFTs to verify the authenticity of physical goods. It’s a safe bet that other major brands will also begin to experiment with NFTs in the coming year, as they recognize the potential value and opportunities that this technology offers.

Meta has literally bet the farm on the metaverse. So, despite the spotty adoption to date, we can see that through 2023, it is likely that the broader metaverse will continue to develop and evolve, as more projects start to realize its potential and focus on creating better experiences and more appealing applications within it. This could include the development of Web3

technologies and platforms to promote new virtual environments and communities within it. Further blurring the lines between the digital world and our physical reality. With the staggering levels of investment being pumped into the metaverse, there is very likely to be an increase in the use of the metaverse for business and e-commerce, as companies explore the potential for service innovation and customer engagement.

The news cycle has been dominated by Elon Musk’s hostile takeover and dismantling of Twitter. What this means for the future of the social media platform is yet to be seen, but big changes are certainly coming to the way it is moderated and funded. The social media landscape is evolving with new applications and platforms appearing as the hegemony of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram continues to decline, along with advertising revenue. Additionally, social media may face challenges and competition from other emerging technologies, as well as potential regulatory scrutiny. How the industry responds to these challenges and opportunities will likely play a role in shaping the internet's future.

Disclaimer: Our predictions are, of course, not a perfect science (being based on the psychic and supernatural, notwithstanding). If the last few years have taught us anything, it should be to expect the unexpected (or, more accurately, the ‘unprecedented’). Nonetheless, it’s good practice for everyone, especially community based projects such as TreatDAO, to not only reflect on the lessons learned of the year in the rearview mirror, but also prepare for the demands of the road ahead.

PolyAnnie

Despite the highs and lows of 2022, we’ve been developing on multiple fronts. We’ll host a Twitter Space in December and post an article to Medium to update the community. We’ve been focusing on great updates to the site and NFT platform. New services like Treat Gaming, and exclusive content from our awesome creators.

We’ve had a really fun time creating our Halloween Special Edition in 2022. With the Halloween content, we opened up some exciting new sales avenues. We raffled an exclusive NFT with Cryptoidolz, and auctioned another from the magazine with them. The TOTM Signature Series NFT collection is available on Treat.com and OpenSea (with a floor of 6 $ETH).

We’ve been working on developing more strategic partnerships and business relationships with projects as diverse as Ape in Poker, RDLand, and Vice World that will help generate new income streams for TreatDAO. We are in the very early stages of developing a Treat brand influencer marketplace, coming in 2023, where our top creators and adult celebrities, social media stars, OnlyFans stars, and others, can find the tools to more easily monetize their endorsements and promotional efforts for others.

We’ve introduced a bridge for NFTs to $ETH and $Polygon (Matic) for our creators and collectors. As of November 2022, we’ve bridged over 800 TreatDAO NFTs, and that number keeps growing.

We are proud of our partnership with the XP network. Creators are the biggest winners here, as they can reach out to new audiences and boost their income. Adult content is about creators connecting with fans rather than about speculating on NFTs, so a multichain NFT bridge like XP.network creates real utility where it matters most - at the source.

talking about content, we’ve been privileged to have worked with some amazing creators through 2022, including our Treats of the Month (TOTMs); Ona Artist, Eliza Rose, Brittany Andrews, and Stormy Daniels; to name but a few we admire and respect. They took part in revealing ”ask me anything” (AMA’s) with our team on Twitter Spaces, and recorded videos for our YouTube channel. We’ll be working hard to bring you more amazing creators in 2023, and feature their exclusive Treat NFTs and interviews in the magazine.

And a quick update, right now, Treat NFTs are available on the leading platform OpenSea (NFT) Marketplace. You can view them right here: https://opensea.io/collection/treatdao - this follows OpenSea’s recently announced integration of BNB Chain NFTs. This is great news for Treat creators, as their Sweet Shop NFTs will now be visible to collectors on OpenSea.

We’ve also added to the growing Treat brand family of companies, having just launched Treat Gaming in November (more on that in the community reveal below). We plan to bring a lot of new features to our platform and can’t wait to add more NSFW content creators, new physical products and merchandise, and bring the benefits of listing in $ETH and $Polygon to our robust NFT marketplace.

The Treat team is ready and able to build on our core platform with added utility, generate the best NSFW content in the space, and add more tangible substance to our little pink corner of Web3. Last, but never least, we’ll be continuing to grow our amazing community for the New Year. Come join us!

Merry XXXmas ho ho ho!

Gather around the Treat Christmas Tree and unwrap our advent pinups, naughty greetings cards, and Christmas (sheer) stocking fillers direct from our creators

Wherever you are this winter, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a very merry Christmas! Season’s greetings and salutations from the entire Treat family!

Wishing you all a very merry xxxmas! -image courtesy of Rob Sloane

Avoid

Part

Trying to find the perfect in-person prezzies to pry your resident crypto maximalists and web3 enthusiasts offline and around the tree this Christmas?

Your local high street may still be very 20th century, but as ever, our intrepid Treat team has scoured the internet to find you the latest and greatest IRL gift ideas.

Where better to start our list than with a heartfelt GM

Wake up to social media in style with the “GM” heat-activated Mug -image courtesy of Visualize Value

Good morning! Now say it back! You can’t spend a day on Twitter or Discord without experiencing a dozen “GMs." The Web3 way to say your good morning greetings and salutations to the community. Give the gift of an IRL warm “GM” and help your loved ones beat the blues this ‘crypto winter’ with this classic heat-activated mug.

Natal Lotus

The Ledger Nano X The Ledger Nano X

Available from: https://shop.ledger.com/products/ledger-nano-x

The days of stuffing your savings into a piggy bank, or under the nearest mattress to keep your money safe are over. The smart way to ensure you own and keep your crypto safe, is to store the balance offline in a “cold wallet”. The Ledger Nano X is a hardware wallet that resembles a USB key and is just as easy to keep in your pocket. The device is a good blend of simplicity with security, keeping your funds safely in your hands, and out of the reach of hackers. Give your Bitcoin baby the gift of security and peace of mind this Christmas.

The Blockclock mini is a compact, e-ink panel with a neo-classical desktop design. It connects to the internet and cycles through the current $BTC price vs the $USD, as well as new blocks, and stats on your precious satoshis. A decorative gadget with utility for every budding crypto Warren Buffett.

The Ledger Nano X -image courtesy of Amazom.com

The Blockclock mini is the classic e-ink

real time price display -image courtesy of the Bitcoin Forum.

The Ledger Nano X DogeCoin Face Mask

Available from: Etsy store

Recommended retail price: $16

Though the worst of the pandemic is thankfully behind us now, plenty of health conscious people are still sporting the trend of wearing face masks. What better way to show off your “crypto Christmas” credentials than wearing one of these stylish and durable masks this winter?

The Ledger Nano X Dalix HODL Dad’s Cap

Available from: Amazon Store

Recommended retail price: $12.95

This may be the most apt gift for Winter 2022. Never has it seemed more appropriate to shout “hold on for dear life” than after this roller-coaster of a year we’ve had in crypto! Help your beloved web3-head forget their woes with a bullish cap that says; hold on for the “all time highs” (ATH’s) to come in 2023.

Hold on for dear life, a crypto maxim we can all get behind this year! -image courtesy of Amazon.com

The DogeCoin mask for your health conscious budding Elon Musk -image courtesy of Etsy.com

The Ledger Nano X The NFT Handbook

Available from: Amazon Books

Recommended retail price: $13.40

Everything you wanted to know about Non-Fungible Tokens, but were afraid to ask.

It has been a couple of years since NFTs blew up the crypto space and became the post-modern trading medium of the metaverse we love today. Though a lot has been written and said about NFTs, there are still people who find it all very mysterious. Which blockchain is best, how to mint, which platform to list on? Here is the perfect book to help show them what NFTs are, why they hold value, and how they are evolving. It can also teach them how to create, mint, and list their own while avoiding common mistakes and online scams.

Part two: Our Black Friday and Tangible Christmas Treats

Tough cookie fixes: the ultimate guide to buying gifts for those people who (think) they have everything

We all know those people in our lives who are nearly impossible to shop for: the grinches who claim to own everything, need for nothing, or are simply aggressively picky (the worst!). Finding anything to make them happy may seem like an impossible chore -so we’ve gathered our extensive gift-finding resources to try to help you.

From the most practical gifts, to indulgent little luxuries, we’ve compiled a list of all the things they’d probably never think of themselves, but wish they had. No matter how hard they may protest, we’ve selected treats to please even the most jaded grinch this shopping season.

Now, dear gift shoppers, let’s go shop:

Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6

Available from: Fujifilm Store

Recommended retail price: $129.00 + $20 film (pack of 20)

Yes, we know, it’s a Polaroid camera designed for the mobile generation, but that’s exactly why it is so much fun and the perfect gift for the fussy gadget geek in your family. Nothing quite screams retro-cool to generation-z as taking and printing off instant selfies to hand to admirers. OnlyFans eat your heart out! These 2.8” by 3.4” prints are perfect for scrap books, cork boards, and framing and displaying on a dresser table. Film packs are $20, so that’s about $1 per print.

The Fujifilm Instax Square SQ6 is a Polaroid for the mobile generation! -image courtesy of Fujifilm.

LivX Jem

Wyze Smart Bulb Color

Available from: Amazon Store

Recommended retail price: $14.00

Let there be colored light! Don’t listen to any nonsense about your beloved tech-head already having bulbs (doh!), they don’t have these amazing hundreds of colors, voice activated, time scheduling, wifi enabled, future rulers of Earth robo-bulbs! Thanks to your bright gift, they’ll never have another dull moment, quite literally.

Zodiac Star Sign Socks

Available from: Uncommon Goods Recommended retail price: $12.00

Unless the gift is for an astrologer friend, then we doubt they’d see these socks coming. Nothing quite says “I thought of you” like giving a personalized gift based on their star sign - just be sure you get their birthday right! Every sign of the horoscope is represented by these sustainably made, naturally antibacterial and antifungal (non-fungible?) toe-pleasers. What’s not to love?

Everyone deserves warm feet this winter, be they Gemini, Libra, Leo, or Pisces -image courtesy of Uncommon Goods.

Wyze Smart Bulbs operate via Wifi app, Alexa and Google assistant -image courtesy of Wyze.

NatalLotus

Flikr Personal Fireplace

Available from: Nordstrom store

Recommended retail price: $125.00

Give the timeless gift of fire. For that friend who is constantly complaining of “always being cold” present them with their own portable personal fireplace! They can toast their marshmallows, warm their toes, and bask in the cozy ASMR radiance, wherever they go. The concrete fireplace safely operates on clean-burning isopropyl alcohol, so no annoying soot or pungent smoke to worry about.

Lelo Gigi 2

Available from: Lelo store

Recommended retail price: $112.00

Ahem, well they might claim to have everything, but we can bet they don’t have a Gigi 2 -but will soon wonder how they lived without it. This small, sleek, modern device looks more like Objet d'art than a traditional vibrator, but is guaranteed to hit the spot. The G-spot. Instead of “ho ho ho”, it’ll be “oh, oh, oooh!”, this Christmas.

The Gigi 2 is the gift that will keep them coming -image courtesy of Lelo

Spread cozy vibes wherever you go with the Flikr Personal Fireplace -image courtesy of Nordstrom

Criterion Collection Gift Card

Available from: Criterion store Recommended retail price: $25

The ideal present for the cinephile in your life who talks in movie quotes, and believes they are the only authority on ‘real’ cinema. No matter how geeky they think they are, the Criterion Collection is the definitive curated source of classic film noir, pulpy 80s schlock horror, or mind-bending mystery box indies. The gift card unlocks an endlessly entertaining Christmas for them, with over 3000 titles for them to discover and savor.

The key to cinephile cinematic bliss -image courtesy of the Criterion Collection

That’s it for this year! We hope you’ve enjoyed our yule tide guide. Always remember, when gifting your picky friends, the key is to think outside the box and find something that is both thoughtful and unique. Happy holidays, shoppers!

Dani Paris

exciting world of Online How to get started in the Sports Betting

As the biggest event in Sports, the World Cup, kicks off in Qatar, it is worth taking a look at the explosive growth of online Sports Betting

The projected revenue growth for US Sports Betting over the next 7 years.

AFTER THE SUPREME COURT'S DECISION TO STRIKE DOWN THE FEDERAL BAN ON SPORTS BETTING IN THE UNITED STATES IN MAY 2018, VARIOUS STATES HAVE LEGALIZED, OR INTRODUCED LEGISLATION TO LEGALIZE, THE SPORTS BETTING INDUSTRY. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, THE SPORTS BETTING INDUSTRY IN THE U.S. GENERATED A REVENUE OF 4.33 BILLION U.S. DOLLARS IN 2021, SHOWING A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN REVENUE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

It’s been over four years since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting, allowing states to legalize it if they wish. The anti-gambling stigma that existed for decades has faded quickly in American popular culture, opening the door for a booming, multibillion-dollar legal sports betting industry to emerge. More than half of the US has begun legalizing online sports betting. States like Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia have begun taking bets both in-person and online with many other states ready to follow suit.

The current state of sports betting legality across the USA -image courtesy of the Washington Post

If you’re new to sports betting, it can be difficult to know where you should begin. The sheer volume of numbers and bet types may seem complicated at first, but once you get your bearings, a typical online sportsbook is less complex than you might think.

To start betting, all you need to do is register an account at an online sportsbook and make your first deposit. After that, you can start to place bets on certain games.

Sports betting sites offer different kinds of wagers, depending on which sports are available and the series or tournaments currently being played. The nature of a given sport will determine what kinds of bets will be placed.

For your information, and to help you get started, we’ve outlined some of the most commonly made types of bets below:

The Moneyline Bet

Let’s start with the most basic type of bet: the moneyline. Regardless of sport or style, betting a moneyline simply means you’re betting on a team to win its contest.

Here’s the catch: In sports, most teams are not created equally. That means that betting on a team just to win can bring all sorts of multipliers or penalties, depending on how big of a favorite (or underdog) they were before the game started.

In American-style odds, a team that’s a -200 favorite is a moderately significant favorite. The -200 means bettors must place a $200 wager to earn $100 worth of winnings. (Bettors always receive their principal back in the event of a win, but it’s not considered part of their winnings.)

Wagers don’t have to be that big – winning bets happen at scale. So a successful $10 bet on a -200 favorite would yield $5 worth of winnings.

Thus, favorites pay at less than a 1-to-1 ratio.

Conversely, moneyline underdogs pay at a much greater rate.

For instance, a $100 bet on a +425 underdog would pay out $425, plus the original $100 principal.

Alternatively, a $60 bet on a +200 underdog would pay out $120, plus the original $60.

Moneyline bets are all about winners and losers, so there are no extra variables in the bet. An uneven playing field between teams correlates to uneven payouts on bets.

If you use that to your advantage by successfully betting on underdogs, it can be very lucrative.

Moneyline bets are most popular in soccer, hockey and baseball, but they are generally available in every sport.

Juice

The juice comes into play on moneyline bets, point-spread bets and bets on the over-under total, and it determines how much you will be paid if your bet wins.

In moneyline bets, the favorite is given a negative number, and the underdog is given a positive number. In the case of the Commanders-Jaguars game, Washington is a -180 favorite to win the game. This means you have to wager $180 to win $100 if you pick the Commanders to win (or $18 to win $10 or $1.80 to win $1). Likewise, the Jaguars are +155 underdogs. This means a $100 bet on Jacksonville to win will pay $155 (or $10 to win $15.50, or $1 to win $1.55).

Multiples of 100 and 10 are the easiest to understand, but your wager can be any dollar amount you want. The possible payout will be calculated for you, no matter how much you bet.

Spreads

Spreads,orpointspreads,arethenatural alternativetowageringon moneyline bets.

As covered in the previous section, moneylines offer various payout ratios for unequal teams.

Point spreads introduce a new variable into the equation. A spread is a simple numerical way to find balance between two unequal sides. In practice, this often means that one of the teams involved will need to win by a certain number of points for you to claim your wager.

Each game will typically still feature a favorite and an underdog, and the favorite must win by a certain number of points. In gambling parlance, winning by this predetermined margin is called “covering the spread.”

On the other side, an underdog that receives points from the spread market may lose the game but still cover the spread.

If you’re struggling, it helps to think of a point spread as a final score modifier. Imagine that the Cowboys are playing the Giants, and the Giants are +7 underdogs. The Cowboys could win 24-20, but the Giants would cover the spread, 27-24.

In point spread markets, winnings are roughly equal for both sides because a numerical variable was introduced to flatten the odds for both teams. Instead of winning a reduced payout with a favorite, you’ll win roughly 1-to-1 with your principal if your favorite covers the spread.

Mercy

Total

A total – sometimes referred to as over/under bets – is not a bet on a game’s winner or loser.

Instead, it’s a bet on how many total points will be scored by both teams in various types of contests. Depending on the odds, you can bet over or under the number of the predicted total.

This type of bet is popular with games like football and basketball and can be placed before the game or during the first half.

For example, in a modern NBA game between the Suns and Kings, you might wager $20 on whether or not the two teams will combine to score over or under 238 points.

Betting on this kind of outcome might seem like guesswork, but once you’ve got some experience betting on a number of games, you will begin to understand how these point totals are calculated.

It can also help to practice making these kinds of bets before you put down any money to gauge your track record.

Prop bet

A prop bet is, in most instances, a bet on one player’s performance. In football, it could mean a bet on how much yardage a player will gain (usually separated by position into rushing, receiving, and passing) or a bet on whether a player will score a touchdown.

Parlay Betting

One of the most difficult (but rewarding!) bet types is a parlay, where you place a bet on the outcome of multiple games at once and need to win every leg for the whole ticket to win.

This is risky, but parlay odds increase exponentially with each new leg. That means you can win big money if you predict the outcome of all of the matches correctly.

Experienced bettors often like to experiment and tweak their best parlay strategy. That often includes some variation of a moneyline parlay.

Futures Betting

A futures bet is when you bet on a team’s future success.

For example, many bettors like to make early wagers on whether or not a specific team can win a future championship, like the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup.

Proposition bets can also be placed on smaller outcomes during a game, such as the winner of a coin toss.

Once you start to become a more experienced bettor, you’ll find that there are all sorts of options available, depending on the sportsbook you choose and the sports or games you want to follow.

The difference between betting at a brick-and-mortar sportsbook and betting on your mobile device or computer is minimal, especially considering the same companies operate both. At a sportsbook, you will wait in line to place your bet, either with a human teller or at an automated kiosk, and pay with cash, receiving a paper ticket documenting your wager. With online betting, you can wager anywhere it’s legal and fund your account using a credit card or an online money transfer.

One other difference: Live betting—wagering on a game after it has started—iis much easier online.

Some final words of wisdom for beginners

In the end, you have the final say on how much to risk on a game, but a good rule is to risk only what you can afford to lose. Sports betting is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be good days and bad days. As a result, we recommend a flat-betting approach.

This means betting the same amount on every game and risking only 1%–5% of your bankroll per play (the bankroll is the starting amount you have at your disposal to bet with). For example, if you are starting with a bankroll of $100, you should risk no more than $5 per game.

By employing a flat-betting approach, bettors guard themselves against losing their entire bankroll during a bad stretch but also set themselves up for a positive return on investment (ROI) when they’re doing well.

Never pay anyone to make picks for you, or be fooled by touts offering unbelievable odds on their winning formula. Hot tip, note the “unbelievable” and don’t be fooled. Scammers abound in the sports gambling space. If they were anywhere near as fortunate as they claimed at picking winners, they’d certainly keep the information to themselves and not share their “lucky charms” with others!

Grab your rabbit's foot, you are ready to go and make your first sportsbook wager. Good luck!

Dani Paris

A special Treat community update: introducing Treat Gaming

We are proud to announce Treat Gaming. Our new baby in the ever growing family of Treat branded services

The Treat Family is growing, offering our community the benefit of more varied Web3 services.

Gaming!

Treat Gaming is an online sportsbook and casino launched under the Treat brand with Treat DAO as a primary affiliate and promoter. Treat Gaming is based in Costa Rica and offers a wide variety of gaming options that are customized based on the customer's location.

Now sports bettors, including those from many places in the US, can enjoy placing bets on exciting sports events. Typical bets include the moneyline (“who will win") and total (“will the point total be over/under the line") scored for both teams.

You can also bet live during sporting events happening in real time all over the world, and customers are free to adjust their bets as they watch the game unfold.

Parlays, where you can bet on the outcomes of multiple games at once, including same game parlays, are available and offer amazing odds. Odds can be achieved of over 1,000 to 1!

The myriad of propositional betting opportunities available to players are both fun to learn, and fascinating to master.

Casino players (sorry US customers, currently not for you) have all the usual gaming tables to choose from, as well as a few not so common. There are games like video poker, roulette, and craps. We also have dozens of unique slot machines to choose from. Zip tabs are available too. How do you play it? You have to peel back a small strip, which reveals symbols. Just like real life lottery tickets, when you match 3 symbols in a row, you win!

For those of you who prefer to see cards being turned over by a human croupier, Treat Gaming features a variety of live dealers. They are available 24/7 dealing blackjack and spinning the roulette wheels!

Treat DAO is excited to introduce you to Treat

Introductory Offers

If you would like to check out a working demo, use the credentials “DEMOACCT01” for both username and password at www.treatgaming.com

Treat Gaming is offering a few exclusive promotions to members of our Treat community. Reach out to a team member if you would like to take advantage of the offer and get started playing today.

With the free second chance promotion, you will get two bites at the apple (if necessary) with your first bet. Hopefully you win straight away, but if you do not, you will get to play for free again in the amount of the first bet that you lost.

The bet can be any size you choose and on any sporting event, up to $1,000.

The $100 Deposit Bonus promotion provides an extra $100 in free play with a deposit of $50 or more. Free Play can only be used for sports betting.

If you are non-US and expect to primarily play the casino options, let us know, and we can do a $100 match of a $100 deposit instead. These funds can be wagered anywhere on the platform.

GETTING STARTED

The only way to access the Treat Gaming platform for real money play is through an affiliate. Treat DAO is the primary affiliate, and staff members can assist you in getting set up. We would love to see members of the community take advantage of some of these limited time promotional opportunities.

Utilizing $Treat will create an additional advantage for you while the gaming platform is crediting $Treat deposits at an above market rate ($0.01/$Treat).

Treat Gaming accepts a variety of crypto currencies as well as fiat through the cashier within the platform.

Affiliate Opportunities

Reach out to @nftdevan if you have an interest in learning more about the opportunity to promote Treat Gaming to your network. We can all win together!

The Treat brand ecosystem of services expands with Treat Gaming https://treatgaming.com/

Advertise with Treat

The Treat Magazine is available to everyone in our community online. The Treat Magazine is also now available to buy physically from the Treat store. The magazine is also heavily circulated at crypto exhibitions and trade events. The Treat of the Month (TOTM) features the top OnlyFans and social media influencers, alongside world famous adult celebrities with millions of combined followers across social media.

For more information and our RFP, please contact us at treatmagazinesales@gmail.com

Thank you for an amazing year