In my intro, I told you that this blog is about the stock market. I live, breath and sleep all things stocks and shares, and there is rarely a piece of trading news that passes me by. In fact, I perused an interesting article earlier today predicting a surge in PayPal shares, due to its Venmo app. This got me to thinking about how the internet payment service has evolved over the years.

At one time, PayPal was synonymous with eBay, there was little else you would consider using PayPal for. Yet these days, you can send money to friends abroad, pay for your online shopping, heck, you can even use PayPal to play at online casinos. And it is this precise category that I want to talk about in today’s blog post.

Why to Use PayPal at an Online Casino

When you play at an online casino, you need to add funds to your account. When you use PayPal, there is an extra layer of security added to your transaction. You do not have to divulge any personal banking info, making is more secure.

It is also quicker. Forget entering your 16-digit bank card number, card holder name, expiry date, CCV code, blah blah blah. All you need to do to deposit at an online casino using PayPal is to enter your PayPal user name and password. Quick, simple, secure and easy. What more could you ask for?

Depositing and Withdrawing

I have already mentioned that making a payment using PayPal is quick and easy. Once you make a deposit, your money is instantly available for you to play real money games with. You can get stuck straight into the fun without having to wait around. A bone of contention with many online casino players however is the lengthy timescales for withdrawals.

PayPal is one of the fastest options available to get your hands on your cash once you have cashed out. Whereas it can sometimes take up to 8 days for a withdrawal to be credited to your bank account. Once processed, some casinos release your winnings to your PayPal account instantly.

Which are the Best Casinos that Accept PayPal?

Due to strict quality controls implements by PayPal, only the safest and most reputable of operators are authorised to accept this payment method. As such, you can play with peace of mind that you will be protected. Yet of the many casinos where you can deposit with PayPal, how do you know which is the best? You should opt for an operator that offers a generous welcome bonus, regular promotions and a rich and diverse game selection.

There are useful websites, such as www.casinoreviews.co.uk/paypal/ that provide independent and honest reviews of PayPal casinos. This takes away the time and effort of trawling through numerous casinos to decide find one which is perfect for you.

Forget the 90s gangsta image, in this day and age rappers are all about the lavish lifestyle. And when you come to think of it, if any part of the image they picture so vividly in their songs should be true, it’s much better that it would be the bling bling part as opposed to the gun-powered feuds. They’re entrepreneurs riding a few different waves cuz being a success in the music industry just isn’t enough. They can often be seen endorsing big brands – sports equipment, fashion designers, food and beverages. But that’s not all. While anyone can sign a contract to have their name associated with a perfume and simply pose for a commercial and a photo shoot, there are a certain rappers who have gone and made millions from investing. I’ve picked the three most successful ones, so here they are:

#3 50 Cent

Did you know that Curtis Jackson, a.k.a. 50 Cent, got shot 9 times and not only survived but rose to prominence? He started telling that curious life story in his debut studio album from 2003 “Get Rich or Die Tryin'” and continued exploiting it in his movie debut from 2005 bearing the same name. The rapper / producer / actor surely made a lot of money off his personal life, including too many endorsement deals, but none of it could come even close to the fortune he amassed thanks to his investor intuition. Despite the fact that he suffered heavy losses during the 2008 economic crisis, Forbes ranked his net worth at $155 million. I’ve put him at third and, consequently, last place simply because despite his investor career, in 2015 he filed for bankruptcy.

#2 Nas

Nas got in the spotlight in 1996 with his first of many smash hits, entitled “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” and he followed that visualization with an actual world takeover not only with his ten studio albums and many awards and nominations but also with his position as one of the most successful rappers turned investors. He’s cofounder of Queensbridge Venture Partners – an L.A.-based company which was started in 2014 and has already invested in over 100 tech companies. Their portfolio includes some high-profile startups, such as Dropbox, Rap Genius, Lyft, and SeatGeek. This multiplatinum-selling rap mogul and angel investor is allegedly worth $20 million.

#1 Chamillionaire

You might remember Hakeem Seriki, a.k.a. Chamillionaire, as the artist behind the highly successful single from his first album “Ridin'”. The song and the video expose problems, such as racial profiling, stereotyping, and police brutality. The song won a Grammy and the video – the Best Rap Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards. Moreover, with 3.2 million sales, “Ridin'” was the best-selling ringtone in 2006. But now, over ten years later, the rapper from Houston, Texas, has shifted his focus from fighting for social justice through hip hop to investing. He has also relocated to a fitting location – the mecca of startups California. He has been investing in various companies since 2003. In 2015, he became entrepreneur-in-residence at Mark Suster’s Upfront Ventures, an investment company based in L.A. So, not only is this rapper a successful investor but he actually teaches others how to become successful investors, too.

Hello and welcome to Dow Ethics! It’s a blog about the stock market or at least that’s what I hope it’s going to be. You see, I’ve had the idea of starting a blog for quite some time now and looks like I’ve finally reached that pivotal point where intentions meet reality, so we’ll see where this all will lead us. Well, where it will lead me, actually, but if you stick around, you’ll find some useful and interesting information, I’m sure.

Who am I? I’m Jones, Dow Jones! Nah, I’m just pulling your leg. But you can, indeed, call me Jones if you like. Let’s go with that. I’ve been involved in trading stocks more or less all my adult life. Since I’m a huge fan of the stock market, you probably wouldn’t be surprised that Benjamin Graham and David Dodd’s “Security Analysis” is my bible. Speaking of books that have influenced me, I still remember the time when my peers were reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five and trying hard to wrap their head round the layers of meaning and I was in awe reading Napoleon Hill’s classic from 1937 “Think and Grow Rich”.

Apart from stocks, I’m a fan of the hip hop culture – I have a strong preference for old-school rap – and all kinds of sports. I’m no jock but I’m not the typical bookworm, either.

To start this blog right, I must admit I haven’t done this before, so I’d appreciate any feedback you might have for me. Drop me a note letting me know what you like or don’t like about this blog and do tell if there’s any topic you’d like me to cover. Once again, welcome and enjoy!