Entertainment
How Welsh Casinos Support Players with Self-Exclusion Tools?
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
What are the best Welsh versions of Monopoly?
Monopoly is one of the most beloved board games in history, enjoyed and argued over by groups of players since the 1930s. The original board was named after streets in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the London version of the game is iconic, but now fans can find editions of just about any locale, from Hong Kong to Preston.
There are no fewer than six Welsh Monopoly games to choose from, including a Welsh-language version, and the newest, set in the mountainous locale of Snowdonia, which launched in Portmeirion earlier this year. Let’s check it out.
Rhifyn Eryri/Snowdonia edition
There’s no doubt that Monopoly is a phenomenon — it’s a sprawling empire of a franchise, with video games and theme parks, as well as a Monopoly casino site. A review describing this particular platform explains that it gets its name because it devotes an entire section to “custom Monopoly games”, giving players a hybrid board-game/casino experience. With the Monopoly name so widespread across game types and genres, it’s unsurprising to see the game take on not only the world’s great cities but also the wonders of the natural world. Released in March this year, the Snowdonia edition was launched with a special event at Portmeirion and Porthmadog.
The public was invited to suggest landmarks, towns, and organisations when the game was announced, and Yr Wyddfa took the prestigious “Mayfair” square on the board. The highest mountain in Wales is a national symbol and a major tourist attraction year-round – so arguably has the prestige to be able to take the place of one of London’s most affluent streets. At the other end on “Old Kent Road” is Ty Hyll (‘ugly house’ in English), the mysterious 15th century house in Betws y Coed. Legend tells that it was built overnight to pass a law that such rapid construction on common land meant the house could stay. In between are all manner of other iconic landmarks from the region.
Other Welsh Monopoly editions
But the Rhifyn Eryri/Snowdonia edition isn’t the only Welsh version of the classic game — there are actually five others. 2000 saw the release of the first Wales edition, featuring Brecon Beacons, Holyhead, and Caernarfon Castle, amongst plenty of other locations which reflect Welsh history, identity, and natural beauty. Although the rules for that edition came in Welsh and English, a Welsh language (Yn Cymraeg) version also hit the market in 2007, with a distinct board layout — players pass Ewch, rather than Go.
Monopoly fans can also work their way around the capital city of Cardiff, landing on the Millennium Stadium, the National Museum and Cardiff Castle, amongst many others. There are also editions for Anglesey, Swansea, and Newport.
Roots of Monopoly
Monopoly originated from “The Landlord’s Game,” created in 1904 by Lizzie Magie, an American game designer, to demonstrate the unfairness of land monopolies. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Charles Darrow, an unemployed salesman, played a homemade version of the game with friends and decided to publish it.
He modified the rules and sold the game to Parker Brothers, who bought the patent from Magie and credited Darrow as the creator, launching it in 1935. Monopoly was a huge success, symbolising both the allure and pitfalls of capitalism, and has been providing rainy-day entertainment ever since.
The idea of owning an iconic mountain might seem a bit strange, but there’s no doubt that the Rhifyn Eryri/Snowdonia edition of Monopoly is an interesting and fun entry in the franchise. With many instantly recognisable landmarks, the region is well suited to the classic game.
Entertainment
Miles Jupp: On I Bang
SINCE Miles’ last tour finished at The London Palladium in 2017, he’s been in The Full Monty on Disney Plus, The Durrells and Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? on ITV, as well as a heap of episodes of Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and Have I Got News For You. He’s made an award-winning radio series and he’s published a novel. But for Covid, he would have played a lead at the RSC. Hey ho. Nevertheless, he’s done a play in the West End and played the Emperor of Austria and Europe in a Ridley Scott film and now he heads here to the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven!
Yet one sunny day in the middle of all this, he suddenly suffered a brain seizure. This led to the discovery of a tumour the size of a cherry tomato, and a rather pressing need to undergo major neurosurgery. Obviously, one doesn’t wish to make a big deal of it, but the experience has left him with a story to tell and a few things that he’d like to share with the room. So that’s exactly what he’s doing in his new show On I Bang – a tale about surprise, fear, luck, love and qualified medical practitioners.
Having received rave reviews by The Times, The Guardian and The Telegraph, On I Bang with Miles Jupp is one not to be missed here at the Torch, and tickets are selling like hot cakes. Awarded four stars and described as “Elegantly funny, terrible English account of a tumour” by The Guardian and awarded five stars by The Arts Desk 2024, this a performance that will be talked about for months to come.
Join Miles Jupp: On I Bang when he visits the Torch Theatre on Friday 10 January at 8pm.Ticket price: £25. For tickets phone the Box Office on 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.
Entertainment
How to improve your home in a cost of living crisis
Welsh households have faced an increase in the cost of living over the last few years. Between 2022 and 2023, nearly half of Welsh residents (43%) reported a worsening of their financial situation.
With bills ever on the rise, things like home improvements have taken a back seat in an effort to save money. However, making some improvements to your home can be advantageous and there are plenty of ways to make positive changes without having to break the bank.
Benefits of home improvements
Enhanced comfort
Your home should be a positive and comforting place to be. When there are aspects of your home that you’re not happy with, it can create a negative environment. As the cost of living crisis takes its toll on people’s mental wellbeing, creating a safe and comfortable space is more important than ever.
Increased house value
Perhaps the biggest advantage to home improvements – increasing the value of your home. It’s important to make your home as valuable as possible if you’re looking to sell. A few touch ups and improvements here and there can make a significant difference to your home and increase its value substantially.
Better energy efficiency
Swapping out older elements, like lightbulbs, for more energy efficient ones is a great way to not only improve aesthetics but also keep costs down in the long run.
How to improve your home for less
Get painting
Painting is one of the easiest and most effective ways to transform a home. A fresh coat of paint on a tired looking wall or a splash of colour in a dull room can make all the difference in a bedroom, living room, or hallway. Professional decorators in Wales cost around £15 to £25 per hour or £150 to £190 per day, but you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.
Kitchens and bathrooms can also benefit from a lick of paint. Painting kitchen cabinets is an easy way to modernise the space and bathrooms can be completely revamped with a bit of colour.
Upcycle furniture
With platforms like Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Gumtree, it’s easy to find inexpensive furniture that you can transform into great pieces for your home. Instead of spending hundreds of pounds in IKEA, you can spend significantly less purchasing old furniture that with some cleaning, sanding, and painting, can be remoulded into a lavish piece for your home.
Swap out old lighting
Lighting can make a huge difference to the ambiance of a room. Consider replacing old bulbs with energy efficient warm white LEDs. Not only will the room have a cosier feel, but you’ll also be lowering your energy bills.
Add a touch of nature
Plants are a great way to make a house feel more like a home, and they have plenty of health benefits. To keep costs down, fake plants are a great alternative. They offer the same aesthetic benefits but are less expensive and require very little maintenance.
Home improvements worth spending more on
Some aspects of home improvements are better left to the professionals in order to get it right the first time.
Upholstery cleaning
Refreshing something you already own is almost always a cheaper and easier alternative to buying brand new. Professional upholstery cleaning services start from £49 per hour which is significantly cheaper than re-carpeting your entire house or purchasing a new sofa which could set you back thousands. By giving dull furniture a good clean, you can give your home a new lease of life.
Electrics and plumbing
Whilst there is a lot you can do yourself, it’s important to leave things like plumbing or electrical elements to the professionals as it can be difficult, or even dangerous, and getting it wrong could cost you considerably more in repairs. On average, the hourly rate of an electrician is £33 and a plumber is £32 per hour in Wales.
Small changes can have a big impact
Improving your home during a cost of living crisis is entirely possible as long as you’re smart about it. By doing things yourself or giving old items a new lease of life, you can massively cut down on costs and give your home the refresh that it needs.
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