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What You Need to Know About a Gambling Addiction

Gambling is the voluntary wagering on an event with an unknown outcome with the objective of winning some other thing of equal or greater value. It involves risks and so requires three elements for it to occur: risk, consideration, and reward. It is also known as ‘poker gambling’ in the United States, although many other countries use ‘gambling’ to refer to the same activity. Gambling can take many different forms. For example, gambling at a racecourse may involve placing bets on the winner; but, ‘gambling’ generally refers to betting on horse racing.

Gambling addiction is characterized by an uncontrollable and persistent craving for the rewards typically associated with gambling activities. While this desire isn’t always potent enough to keep the individual gambling indefinitely, it makes it exceedingly challenging for them to quit. Despite their efforts to stop, repeated failures can intensify the urge to gamble further, ultimately leading to the development of a gambling addiction. In such cases, individuals often require additional support from their family, friends, and professionals from rehab facilities like Heal Treatment Centres to get rid of addiction.

As stated above, there are many different types of addictions, but the most common form of gambling addiction is the one that involves an investment in something that is not certain to be of some benefit in the future. These types of addictions include things like poker, lotteries, sports betting and horse racing. In all these cases, the person is putting their money at a greater risk than they could afford to lose.

Treating gambling addiction is quite tough. In the past, the usual approaches were either trying to patch up the person’s self-esteem or sending them to a mental hospital, both of which had their own problems. One significant issue was that people often didn’t want to fully rely on professionals for help, creating resistance to treatment from the addicted person and their support network. Nevertheless, it’s important to know that recovery is possible. If you’re struggling with a gambling addiction, consider working with a behavioral therapy practitioner or a similar professional who can guide you through this challenging phase.

Wondering how it can help? Behavioral therapy is known to offer a structured framework for understanding and modifying the patterns of thinking that contribute to addictive behavior. It can help individuals develop coping strategies, enhance decision-making skills, and build a supportive network for sustained recovery. By fostering a collaborative and client-centered approach, behavioral therapy can empower individuals to actively participate in their recovery journey. That being said, the support of an expert offering Behavioral health services in San Francisco or elsewhere can provide tailored strategies, fostering a sense of control and facilitating the path to recovery. They can provide an opportunity for those struggling with gambling addiction to engage in a comprehensive, evidence-based treatment approach that holds promise for positive and enduring outcomes.

However, in order to get better, the first thing you need to do is acknowledge that you have an addiction problem, whether you admit it or not. If others have noticed your problem, that can only strengthen your resolve. It will also give you something to aim for, something to work towards and if you feel too ashamed to admit it, then see if there is a support group out there who are prepared to help you out. There are many online and offline support groups for addictions of all kinds, so look into as many of them as possible.

Treatment for gambling addiction varies, but for many people, it involves some form of therapy. Many people often find success through a form of behavioral therapy like hypnosis, age regression therapy, or cognitive-behavioral therapy wherein the therapists attempt to re-train their brains to stop being a compulsive gambler. Similarly, others opt for more traditional, inpatient programs that allow them to go through therapy sessions one on one.

That being said, whichever path you take, make sure you treat your addiction as you would other addictions.

How Do Online Casinos Work?

While real numbers are scarce, many in the gambling industry say the total number of professional gambler may be as high as 500,000 nationally, while some say it may even be higher. These gamblers are highly regulated and must be very careful – and win often – in order for the books to work properly.

Professional gamblers do not just go out and gamble alone in hopes of winning big. They need a place to hide their wagering and their money. While these gamblers have a need to protect their money, they also need to conceal their identity from other gamblers.

In most cases, these gamblers conceal their identity because they fear that they may lose all their money and face legal trouble. This is why these gamblers use online casinos to launder their money.

The good thing about being a gambler is that these gamblers can enjoy the benefits of gambling without risking too much. However, for the best outcome, it is always better to play at the best casinos.

The best online casinos in uk offer professional gambler games and tournaments a great alternative to conventional casino gaming. Online casino gaming requires the gamblers to play a minimum amount of money and still earn a huge amount of points or cash to cover their bets. There are so many of these websites available from all around the world, from alle online casino schweiz websites (all online casino Switzerland websites) to a large number of UK sites there are on offer. Some players also choose to play at a variety of casino sites in order to earn more points, cash and prizes.

Although playing an online casino is a bit expensive compared to going to a local casino, the advantage of playing at a computer is that players can play any time and wherever they want, which allows them to make quick play of the games that they want to play. This is especially useful for those who may want to play a game such as Blackjack but cannot play it at the nearby casino because they are currently away on business. Finnish players can enjoy online casinos without registering by checking out this list of great sites here – kasino ilman rekisteritymist. There’s hours of fun to be had, whether you’re just playing for the enjoyment of it or actual money!

Online casino gambling is also good for those who don’t have much money to spend. These gamblers can play without spending a dime while still earning lots of prizes.

Online casino gaming also offers a lot of conveniences. Since these gamblers only need a username and password, they can now have their entire home or office secured at the comfort of their homes – even if they travel often.

Most gamblers prefer to play at online casinos for the fact that they can play with real money or at least a portion of the prize money they won. Unlike traditional casino gaming, players can now make bets with real money and take the prizes that they win without having to worry about gambling away their own money.

Finding a safe online casino could be the key to increasing your chances of winning or at least playing fair. Secure online casinos are not hard to find; players just need to choose the right one. For example, if you are from Austria and want to find gaming sites that tend to be safe, check out österreichische online casinos here!

Online casino gaming also offers gamblers the chance to learn different betting techniques, strategies and skills. Through experience, a player will be able to play his game to the highest level.

Online casino gambling also provides the player with the opportunity to interact with other gamblers. Through these chat rooms, they can share tips, techniques and strategies that they have used in the past in order to increase their winnings.

Most online casino sites allow gamblers to register with them in order to access their websites. These registered gamblers can play their favorite games and play against the best players around the world. Players who are serious about winning huge sums of money can try their hands in some of the popular casino games.

In many cases, players get to play with an internet poker bonus when they join an online casino site. This is another way for gamblers to earn more money.

Playing games online and getting paid to do so

Making money while enjoying what you do

A dream come true for most gamers, you do what you like, and you get paid to do so. And on the bright side, you do not have to work in a stuffy office, rather you can do it from the comfort of your own home, making sure that you enjoy every last second you spend on playing your favorite game, whether that be something as old as this super mario 3d world rom, or you enjoy playing all the newest titles on release. However, you have to make sure that you are a dedicated and avid player, otherwise, you will not be able to make some serious money in the end.

Continue reading Playing games online and getting paid to do so

Internet poker’s online Jesus and ‘a global Ponzi’

Internet poker’s online Jesus and ‘a global Ponzi’

Bobby Ingram punched the air with delight. He had just scooped the £10,000 first prize in an internet poker tournament.

A semi-professional player with accounts at several online poker companies, his mood soured when he tried to claim his winnings. Despite receiving several emails confirming that the money would be paid into his account, Ingram — not his real name — is yet to receive a penny of it.

“To be honest, I’ve written the money off,” he said. The 29-year-old won the windfall at Full Tilt, the world’s second-biggest online poker operator, and is one of hundreds of players worldwide unable to withdraw funds from their accounts with the firm.

Last week, prosecutors in New York accused Full Tilt of making hefty payouts to its owners despite owing its players millions of dollars. They claimed the company had defrauded its players out of more than $443m (£287m) over four years.

“Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company but a global Ponzi scheme,” said Preet Bharara, a senior prosecutor in the New York state attorney’s office.

He accused the firm of enriching its owners at the expense of its customers. By the end of March 2011, it is alleged the website owed its customers $390m — but had less than $60m in the bank.

Despite this, the company allegedly distributed hundreds of millions to its owners. The biggest beneficiary, say prosecutors, was Chris Ferguson, Full Tilt’s co-founder, who was allocated about $85m.

The charges, contained in a civil claim, are the biggest scandal ever to rock the online gaming world. The allegations may also dash hopes that America, the world’s biggest gambling market, could legalise the $14 billion internet poker market five years after it was banned.

Full Tilt had been popular because it allowed its customers to play against — and be coached by — some of the world’s top poker players. It was one of these star players — Ferguson — who was behind the site’s launch in 2004.

Sporting a trademark cowboy hat and nicknamed “Jesus” because of his thick beard, Ferguson developed the site with former stock market trader Raymond Bitar.

Bitar, who has been playing poker since he was 12, ran a team of 35 traders in Los Angeles in the late 1990s. It was there that he met Ferguson, a computer expert who was fast becoming one of the most successful players on the poker circuit.

Together with a number of other professional players, they launched the site at a time when online poker was booming. It was one of several sites to shoot to prominence, along with Party Gaming, 888 and Pokerstars.

All the sites shared a common business model. Players deposited money into accounts, which they could access to bet on each hand of cards. The websites collected a percentage of the pot generated — known as the “rake” — for providing the playing facility. When players won, they could withdraw money from their accounts. This set-up proved a goldmine, making hundreds of millions for the sites’ founders.

Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company but a global Ponzi schemeIt seemed that nothing could derail the gravy train — until, in October 2006, the industry hit a massive problem. Lawmakers in the US — the industry’s biggest source of income — banned internet poker.

Publicly-traded operators, such as Party Gaming and 888, immediately stopped allowing US citizens to play on their sites, but private groups, such as Full Tilt, most of whom were based offshore, continued despite the crackdown. Indeed, they went to extraordinary lengths to do so.

For example, poker companies set up phony, non-gambling companies — online florists and pet supply stores — through which all payments from players were channelled. This made it appear to big credit card firms that transactions arising from online gaming were anything but.

The poker companies would also frequently engage third-party “payment processors” to help them with the alleged deception.

One such company, Intabill, based in Brisbane, Australia, provided this service for Full Tilt, Pokerstars and others. In the two years between mid-2007 and March 2009, Intabill processed more than $500m of gambling transactions.

It was so lucrative, Intabill’s twenty-something founder Daniel Tzvetkoff became a multi-millionaire with a garage full of sports cars, a super-yacht and a stake in a trendy nightclub.

In 2009, however, Intabill collapsed, owing its poker operator clients tens of millions. Full Tilt successfully sued the company for $43.5m plus interest.

Sometime afterm Intabill’s collapse, Tzvetkoff was arrested in Las Vegas and is reported to have informed on his former customers, the online poker firms.

The failure of Intabill sent poker firms scurrying to find fresh ways to ensure that US-based punters could continue to play.

They found a payment processor in Arizona willing to help by setting up dummy corporations through which transactions could be made.

After handling more than $100m of payments, the arrangement came to an end in the summer of 2009, when the Arizona firm had its bank accounts seized by US authorities.

Full Tilt and its rivals tried a new tactic. They began to persuade small banks under financial pressure to handle their transactions without disguising the fact that they were gambling-related.

One such lender was Sun First, based in Utah. The bank handled payments via third-party processors on behalf of companies including Full Tilt and Pokerstars.

The latter had even found a prominent law firm to write to the bank explaining that handling payments for online poker companies would be legal under US rules.

Sun First processed more than $200m of poker-related payments but ended its involvement with the internet gaming firms in November 2010, when forced to by US banking regulators.

As it became increasingly difficult for Full Tilt to collect money from its US-based customers, it allegedly began allowing players to gamble with “phantom money” the company had “never actually collected or possessed”, according to the civil claim.

Poker-related internet bulletin boards began filling up with posts from players wondering why they could not withdraw their winnings. Various class action lawsuits are now being prepared to help players reclaim their funds.

In England, Edwin Coe, the law firm, is reportedly preparing a claim on behalf of British Full Tilt customers. In Canada, Jeff Orenstein, a lawyer at Consumer Law Group, said that more than 1,000 players had registered interest in pursuing a case.

Some blame gambling authorities on Alderney, in the Channel Islands, that were responsible for regulating Full Tilt, and wonder why they did not intervene sooner.

Last week, Alderney held a hearing to decide whether to revoke the company’s licence, having suspended it in June. The outcome should be revealed this week.

Full Tilt, which could not be reached for comment, has blamed its problems paying players on issues with the third-party processors and on the actions of the US government. It has previously said it has always been committed to the integrity of the game and to abiding by the law.

Lawyers acting for Ferguson and Bitar have hit out at prosecutors’ description of Full Tilt’s activities as a Ponzi scheme. “Under any reasonable interpretation, the worldwide operations of the online cardroom are not a so-called Ponzi scheme,” said Ian Imrich, Ferguson’s legal adviser.

Four ways to save money at your business

Running your own business can be a costly exercise, no matter how big or small it is. Luckily there are plenty of ways to cut costs down to make sure you’re not spending when you don’t have to.

Shop around

Comparison is part of business and home life. Keep an eye out for special deals at the bank or building societies, for example, get free bank accounts for the first 24 months. Seek out the best broadband deals and mobile phone contracts to make sure you’re getting the added value from shopping around. Shopping around can also be applied to many of your items or appliances that will need to be purchased for the office itself, such as furnishings and workstations. You can find by shopping around that you’ll be able to find reputable suppliers such as office monster and others that may actually be able to offer businesses lines of credit when looking to purchase office equipment and furniture.

Energy saving

Yes, it continues to be headline news: energy and fuel bills. You have to meet them. But as the costs have gone up, so has the necessity to find ways to manage them. There are many ways to save energy in the office. For instance, you could install energy-saving light bulbs or a smart meter, which some of the “Big Five” energy companies recommend. Tempt staff to switch off when they leave for the day by giving a prize out when the quarterly bill goes down. It’s a win-win.

The classic mistake is leaving equipment on standby, so go on, turn it off and be kind to your business and the environment. Even self-adhesive thermal strips around doors can keep out drafts, which account for nearly 10 percent of heat loss. Technology continues to help businesses in this area, so apply daylight sensors to lights to maximize the use of daylight, which is free.

And finally, a well-maintained and clean office environment can contribute to better energy efficiency by ensuring that heating and cooling systems are not overworked by dust and debris. So, if you are looking for ways to ensure that your office is kept clean, then consider taking the help of business cleaning services in Palm Beach, FL (or elsewhere) as they may prove to be handy. They can also keep your office space tidy and as well as provide green cleaning through biodegradable chemicals, for example. In this way, you could potentially create a more sustainable and cost-effective workplace by integrating energy-saving practices with professional cleaning services.

Travel costs and pooling resources

Many large corporate companies have car sharing schemes. It can be scaled up and down depending on size of business. Shared travelling is brilliant for saving on costly fuel consumption, and means fewer car parking spaces are required.

Conference calls are another way of cutting costs; why not check in with your clients on a conference video call? It’s almost as good as being in the boardroom without forking out on train tickets and petrol.

There’s a shift in thinking that small businesses have to buy all their own equipment, so join a small business consortium to share the expense. Else, you can also look for something like Las Vegas Office Equipment Support (or nearby), and take their assistance in setting up your business for the time being.

Purchase second hand

Be clever, look out for second-hand office equipment sales. Perhaps you’ll be lucky and find a couple of designer office chairs at knock-down prices. Business loans can help in the short term to get these essential things.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/smallbusiness/article-2391148/How-small-businesses-cut-costs-boost-profits.html