Balloons

How to play Balloons

The Florida native—known on his driver’s license as Scott Thompson—was facing legal troubles, according to news reports.

Carrot Top’s legal team told TMZ that the comedian was the target of an extortion attempt in the weeks leading up to his suicide attempt, according to a Sept. 3 court filing obtained by the entertainment website. His attorney alleges that Brian Evans threatened to leak a sex tape involving the 61‑year‑old performer into the court docket unless he received a $500,000 payout.

In response, Carrot Top’s attorneys argued the messages were “a malicious threat to expose Thompson to disgrace… with intent thereby to extort money under the guise of litigation conduct.”

About Balloons

What is the point of life if you’re not allowed to live?

How is this insanity even happening?

The good news is that the only way lockdowns can continue is if they can be funded through more debt. And that is about to end. What happens then, is a different world. A new world.

What is Balloons?

Strip away the language of contracts, order books and event trading and Bernard Marantelli has a blunt description of what is happening inside US sports prediction markets. “Kalshi is a sportsbook that’s just not allowed to have an in-house risk team,” says the founder of White Swan Data, one of the specialist firms now making markets on prediction exchanges.

The difference is all about the risk function. A sportsbook employs traders to price bets and manage its exposure. An exchange provides an API through which firms compete to quote prices and supply liquidity.

“Here’s an API. Bernard and 88 other people can market-make all these request-for-quotes (RFQs),” Marantelli says. “Some people might come in and just do esports because they’re esports experts. Others do everything. Some focus on same-game parlays. But it’s a sportsbook.”