Entertainment

How Welsh Casinos Support Players with Self-Exclusion Tools?

Published

5 months ago

June 5, 2024

There is always the possibility that gambling can move from being a fun and exciting pastime to becoming an addiction and a loss of control. In this text, we will look at what a self-exclusion period is and what positive consequences it has had on players in Wales. In addition, below is a list of questions to ask to determine if you should be concerned and think about taking part in the programme.

What Is a Self-Exclusion Program?

Currently, this programme includes about 85% of available operators and is an effective tool in the fight against gambling addiction. It allows voluntarily restricted access to gambling for a certain amount of time. An important detail is that players can choose how long they want to block their accounts. It’s possible to self-exclude from both land-based casinos and online platforms. The standard programme that operates in Wales is GamStop, which was developed by the British government. It allows setting a period of mutual exclusion from 6 months to 5 years. This tool is designed to help people who feel that gambling may become a problem or has already caused them to take a break and pay attention to their health and well-being.

How Welsh Casinos Promote Responsible Gambling?

In addition to participating in the self-exclusion programme, the platforms additionally try to support players in need. For example, they provide a safe and responsible gaming environment by implementing betting and deposit limits. Moreover, platform employees and customer support teams are trained to detect signs of problem gambling and provide appropriate support. Most casinos in Wales also cooperate with organisations that specialise in helping people with gambling problems, providing access to the necessary resources and assistance.

The Advantages of Self-Exclusion

Thousands of users have already experienced a positive impact on their lives after completing the self-exclusion tools. Therefore, the platforms like GamStop has a number of benefits, helping to maintain financial stability and improve mental health. When you want to remove GamStop self-exclusion, it’s not an easy thing to do. But here are a few more positive changes we’ve seen thanks to GamStop:

• It’s easy for players to take a break from gambling, which may be necessary to regain control over behaviour.

• Lack of access to games helps to prevent further financial losses.

• Instead of wasting time on gambling, it’s possible to focus on work, family, and other important areas of life.

How to Start Self-Exclusion in Welsh Casinos?

Gaining access to the GamStop programme is as convenient and simple as possible. Do not be surprised if the application asks you to provide such data as your full name, passport number, or date of birth. The more options you have for blocking, the more reliable your self-exclusion from the casino will be. Blocking by IP address alone may not be enough because it can always be changed, for example, if you log into the account from another computer. Here is a list of steps to follow if you want to use this feature:

• First, go to the app’s official website and click on the ‘Create Account’ or ‘Register’ button.

• Next, enter personal details, including your name, date of birth, email address, and phone number.

• Then, you need to come up with and enter a password for the account.

• Once you have created the profile, you will need to fill out the registration form. Enter a home address and any other addresses you have used to register with an online casino. Select the desired self-exclusion period.

• Next, confirm the personal data and agree to the terms of use of the GamStop app.

How to Understand When It Is Time to Use This Feature?

Even when you are in the midst of gambling, it’s important to stop and check for signs that indicate a potential gambling problem. This can be difficult at times, but many people do not even notice when they start to lose control of their betting habits. Here are a useful questions below to help you be honest with yourself:

1. Do thoughts about online gambling take up more and more time and make it hard to concentrate on anything else?
2. Do you often catch yourself lying? Whether to yourself or someone else, how much time and money do you spend on play?
3. Has playing games caused problems in your relationships with friends or family?
4. Do you notice that after a loss, it makes sense to deposit more money or increase the amount of deposits?
5. Suppose you have already tried to reduce the number of gambling sessions. Have you noticed that you have become more irritable as a result?
6. Have you borrowed money from friends or relatives to gamble?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, there may be symptoms of an uncontrollable addiction. In this case, it’s worth considering a period of self-exclusion or trying to reduce the time spent playing.

Additional Tools for Responsible Gaming in Wales

If it’s difficult to tune in to such radical measures at first, pay attention to other tools that contribute to positive changes:

• Casino websites usually have sections dedicated to responsible gambling, where people can find information about the risks of gambling and ways to avoid them.
• Welsh casinos offer a variety of self-monitoring tools, such as reminders of gambling time and the ability to set breaks between sessions.
• Moreover, it’s possible to set limits on their bets and deposits to control spending.
• Setting a time limit to avoid spending the whole day betting is also possible.
Final Thoughts
A self-exclusion function is an essential tool to support players, and early detection of signs of gambling addiction helps to analyse the situation. A programme like GamStop allows one to maintain financial stability, improve mental health, and focus on other important aspects of life. This opportunity can be used completely free of charge and in different terms.

Entertainment

Ambitious Welsh Wildlife Centre plans submitted

Published

5 days ago

November 8, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS to modernise the Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cardigan with a new public entrance and a raft of other works which will make it more accessible to all have been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council.

The Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales seeks permission for a long list of changes at the Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran, including an extension to the visitor centre building and associated works, with a new public entrance with a timber canopy roof structure, an open terrace with ancillary rooms below, an enclosed platform lift for disabled access, an external stepped access, a new pathway connection, reconfiguration of the vehicle turning area and disabled parking bays, a replacement footbridge, a new plant enclosure and the introduction of ‘Brise Soleil’ to the south and west.

A supporting statement, by Childs Sulzmann Architects, says: “The visitor centre was built in the 1990s with an award-winning concept design. However, the usability of the building and some elements of its condition have deteriorated over the years, requiring modernisation.

“In particular, access to the visitor centre for people on the approach to the building is confusing and unclear, with external entrance doors provided at each side of the building. For instance, visitors can often be found in the offices on the lower ground floor level by mistake, whilst looking for the shop or café which are provided on the upper floors.”

It adds: “The Welsh Wildlife Centre welcomes an average of 70,000 visitors per year including tourists and has a strong local following. Whilst the centre is much-loved, there are a number of inherent failings developing at the site which are putting pressure on the centre’s ability to operate and WTSWW are addressing these with a programme of building and site improvements with the support of external funding bodies.”

It says: “This important local facility and visitor attraction will be enhanced and improved, by providing a clear and legible single entrance to the building, together with re-configured accessible parking bays and a platform lift for wheelchair users and ambulant disabled people to directly access the new public entrance.

“Further improvements to accessibility, which include the new external stairway to the open terrace and public entrance, the widened replacement footbridge and the connecting path to link the accessible parking area with the main footpath to the visitor centre, will contribute to the principles of promoting and providing access for all.”

Plans for a new play area at the Welsh Wildlife Centre near Cardigan were recently approved by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The latest proposals will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Entertainment

Other Voices Cardigan celebrates record attendances

Published

6 days ago

November 7, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE fifth Other Voices Cardigan 2024 Festival was a record breaker, having attracted more than 15,000 music fans from across the world to the pretty Mid Wales coastal town over three days.

The event, which ran from October 31to November 2, featured a curated programme celebrating music, friendship, language, ideas and culture from both sides of the Irish Sea and beyond.

Festival highlights included stellar performances from Nadine Shah, Bill Ryder Jones, and Fabiana Palladino.

St Mary’s Church audiences were treated to an acoustic performance by Manics’ frontman James Dean Bradfield, who performed special renditions of the classics ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’, ‘A Design for Life’, and ‘Ready for Drowning’.

Other Church performers this year include Charlotte Day Wilson, Melys, Victor Ray, and Georgia Ruth.

Providing an extraordinary and inspiring programme across a myriad of musical genres, events took place in cafes, bars, places of worship and arts venues.

More than 42 established and emerging acts from Wales and Ireland played the Music Trail and around 300 artists and crew worked and performed. The festival also boosted the local economy, with many businesses reporting increased foot traffic and sales during the event.

Over the past weekend, the festival saw more than 15,000 individual event admissions to more than 100 performances across the weekend, representing a 36% increase on 2023.

Visitors from outside Wales also increased significantly by 41%, with music fans coming from Ireland, Italy, New York, Sweden and Germany.

“This year has been another fantastic success,” said Dilwyn Davies, chief executive of Mwldan, co-producers of the event. “We’ve celebrated the vibrancy and vitality of the music scenes on both sides of the Irish Sea, and the spirit of our communities.

“The audience response has been incredibly positive and joyous, and we can’t wait to bring everyone together again in 2025.”

Phillip King, founder of Other Voices, added: “Cardigan/Aberteifi came alive with great music and stimulating and provocative banter when Other Voices came to town this past weekend.

“The event is growing and expanding year on year, attracting more visitors to this beautiful town. It’s a real delight to bring Other Voices across the Irish Sea, to collapse between Ireland and Wales and to bring us together in a way that deepens and strengthens every aspect of our relationship.”

Church performances were live-streamed on Other Voices YouTube channel and simultaneously streamed to the big screen at Mwldan in Cardigan. Highlights will be later broadcast on BBC Wales TV, BBC iPlayer and RTÉ and RTÉ Player via media partners. The event was presented by BBC DJ and Other Voices regular Huw Stephens.

Other Voices Cardigan is staged with the support and investment of Welsh Government and Government of Ireland, The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund.

The festival is produced by South Wind Blows in partnership with Mwldan and Triongl. This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, supported by Ceredigion County Council.

Entertainment

Casinos outside GamStop: Freedom, risks, and the UK gamblers’ perspective

Published

6 days ago

November 7, 2024

Staff Writer

Non-GamStop casinos are popular amongst UK residents, particularly those who have an active self-exclusion with GamStop and no longer have access to gambling sites.

With significantly more freedom than casinos on GamStop, it’s no surprise that people use

non-GamStop casinos. However, they are accompanied by some increased risks that you don’t get with UKGC-regulated casinos. So, with this in mind, let’s delve into what attracts people to casinos outside of GamStop as well as the risks associated with them, and where you can find these types of casinos.

What attracts people in the UK to casinos outside of GamStop

Freedom

Typically, these casino sites not on GamStop offer more freedom to their players in a variety of ways. The biggest being from the GamStop self-exclusion programme. GamStop offers people who have developed unhealthy gambling habits the chance to exclude themselves from gambling sites – this could be for a few months or a few years. However, casinos outside of GamStop override this and you are free to play even if you have an active self-exclusion.

More benefits

Along with the freedom to gamble whenever you want, non-GamStop casinos are usually more generous with their players. They have bigger welcome bonuses and better offerings, easygoing wagering requirements, more payment options, and lenient ID verification. It’s important to state here that not all non-GamStop casinos are the same, but most have similar benefits.

A better gaming experience

Non-GamStop casinos often provide a better gaming experience as they have a wider selection of games available, with more flexible betting limits. As games are usually available worldwide, you get the benefit of an increased number of players and 24/7 access. This creates a more immersive gambling experience. Added to this, the limited restrictions also ensure interruption free gaming.

Risks of using non-GamStop casinos

The freedom that non-GamStop casinos provide is undoubtedly appealing to UK gamblers, however there are some risks to using non-GamStop casinos. Knowing the risks is essential to ensure safety when using online casinos.

No UKGC oversight

Non-GamStop casinos are unregulated by the UKGC (UK Gambling Commission), which can make it tricky to raise disputes. Similarly, if you feel like you have been a victim of unfair gaming, receiving compensation is highly unlikely because the gambling website isn’t regulated.

This goes hand in hand with a lack of customer support. Many casinos outside of GamStop have very poor, if any, customer service, which can make it even more difficult to raise concerns or make a complaint.

Reduced security

Data protection in non-GamStop casinos is typically much weaker than GamStop casinos, and they may not have the same level of encryption as those regulated by the UKGC. The risk of cyber threats or your personal or financial information being compromised is much higher. You can reduce this risk by checking for SSL certificates or other indications of proper cyber security when choosing a non-GamStop casino to use.

Scams

Encountering fraudulent gambling sites when using casinos not on GamStop is not uncommon. Unregulated gambling sites have a much higher potential for scams and there is a bigger risk of being caught out if you’re not careful, but there are ways to avoid being scammed, starting with choosing a licenced site.

Finding casinos outside of GamStop

With the enticing benefits that come with non-GamStop casinos – more freedom, better gameplay, reduced restriction, and less stringent verification processes – casinos not on GamStop have increased in popularity amongst UK gamblers. Particularly as regulations continue to get tighter in the UK with a ban on credit cards and tighter betting limits in recent years.

However most gamblers are aware of the risks that the lack of security and regulation can have and why it’s so important to do your research on non-GamStop casinos prior to using one. The best options are licensed and offer player safety whilst retaining the advantages of high stakes, fast payouts, generous bonuses, and complete freedom.

Whether you’re looking to find a way around your self-exclusion or simply want a better gambling experience, non-GamStop casinos are an ideal choice. However it’s important to be aware of the risks – lack of protection, weaker security, and potential for scams – and choose your gambling destination carefully.