Tag: #libraries

How to Slash Your Tech Spending Without Losing Features

Your technology expenditure doesn’t have to run out of control. Modern gaming and betting platforms use identical payment technology. You can enjoy the latest games, remain productive, and keep your digital lifestyle through smart subscription models pioneered by casinos.

Gaming can become your most expensive hobby if you’re not careful. New releases cost €60 or higher, before DLC and season passes. Casino-inspired subscription services like PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass give you access to hundreds of titles using shared cloud infrastructure with live betting platforms for around €15 monthly instead of individual purchases.

The same principle works beyond traditional gaming. Many online casinos not on GamStop use HTML5 technology and provide generous welcome bonuses that multiply your initial deposit, effectively giving you more entertainment value per euro spent. You are basically paying for the access and not the ownership, which makes all the difference. You can have access to huge libraries at a fraction of the price of spending €180 on three new games.

Stop letting old devices collect dust when they could be funding your next upgrade. That smartphone you replaced last year? It still has real value. Gaming consoles, tablets, and laptops—they all retain enough worth to make selling worthwhile. Physical stores offer same-day cash transactions, though you might get slightly less than selling privately.

Timing matters more than you think. Sell before new model announcements hit. Your two-year-old iPhone will fetch significantly more in month 23 than in month 25, right after Apple reveals new features.

Your internet and phone bills probably creep higher every year without you noticing. Most providers have retention departments specifically trained to offer discounts when customers threaten to leave. These specialists exist to prevent cancellations through better deals.

Don’t accept their first counteroffer. Research competitor pricing beforehand so you know your alternatives. With annual churn rates ranging from 20% to 50% and acquiring new customers costing 6-7 times more than retaining existing ones, providers are highly motivated to keep you from leaving. Carriers would rather reduce your monthly fee than lose you entirely.

Free trials exist everywhere, but most people use them wrong. Casino platforms pioneered the “freemium” model now used across tech, offering demo modes that convert to paid subscriptions. Instead of signing up randomly, treat them as temporary access to expensive tools:

 

  • Adobe Creative Suite for video editing projects
  • Cloud gaming services that power live dealer platforms
  • Streaming services for specific shows (especially with rising subscription costs)
  • Analytics software is used in both gaming and betting optimization

You don’t need the latest everything. Refurbished devices typically deliver 80% of new device performance at 60% of the price. Stick with manufacturer refurbished items – they include warranties and proper testing that third-party refurbishers often skip.

Previous-generation models offer another smart compromise. Last year’s flagship smartphone handles current apps perfectly while costing considerably less than whatever just launched. Modern apps optimize for three-year-old hardware, ensuring PlayStation Plus subscriptions give you access to constantly rotating game libraries without buying individual titles.

Find a device that matches your real requirements and not the specifications. The majority of users use smartphones to send messages, social media, and simple applications—something a three-year-old gadget can accomplish without even sweating.

 

New Tech in Ireland: Regulators, Crypto and 14,000-Game Libraries Fuel Casino Innovation

You’ve probably noticed Ireland taking bold steps to modernise its gambling framework. In October 2024, the Gambling Regulation Act was passed, replacing outdated laws and introducing a clear system to manage the entire sector. At the centre of this shift is the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland or GRAI, which officially began operating in March 2025. It is the first independent body to oversee licencing, compliance and player safety on a nationwide scale.

The government has already committed over nine million euros to fund its operations in 2025, including four million dedicated to building digital infrastructure. For you as a player, this represents the beginning of a far more structured environment where consistency replaces uncertainty. licencing and enforcement are being phased in rather than rushed, with the regulator taking time to establish proper compliance systems. That means while sweeping change is underway, you’ll see new casino sites unfold gradually in a way designed to balance stability with progress.

Licencing Rollout and Player Safeguards

licencing will arrive in stages, and you’ll start to see changes by mid-2025. Remote operators are expected to move into the new framework from July, while bookmakers are scheduled to follow by December. However, the full licencing regime won’t be enforced until mid-2026, giving the regulator and operators time to adapt. During this transition period, existing licences issued through Revenue will remain valid, so you won’t suddenly lose access to your favourite platforms.

When the full framework is active, however, you will experience more meaningful protections. A national self-exclusion register will allow you to block access across all licenced providers with a single action. Advertising rules will also change, with gambling ads banned before 9 p.m. on television and online and promotions like free bets or VIP perks removed altogether. For you, this shift means fewer aggressive offers and a healthier balance between enjoyment and protection, helping the market move away from practices that often left players feeling pressured.

Crypto Regulation Meets Casino Innovation

Alongside gambling reform, cryptocurrency rules are also tightening across Ireland. The Central Bank is now the official supervisor of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework or MiCA, which is reshaping how digital assets are handled. By 2025, crypto firms must hold EU-wide licences, follow strict rules on custody and cybersecurity and provide detailed sender and receiver information for transfers above one thousand euros. This adds extra transparency to a space that once felt unregulated.

For you as a player, that translates into greater confidence when using crypto to deposit or withdraw. Casinos are beginning to explore this regulated crypto landscape by offering faster payments, lower transaction fees and, in some cases, unique crypto-based promotions. Innovation is encouraged, yet it sits within a system designed to maintain trust. You may find yourself trying out a platform that supports your preferred digital currency while also appreciating that it complies with rules intended to keep the financial side of play safer.

Vast Game Libraries Fuel Innovation

One of the most noticeable changes in the new casino environment is the sheer scale of game libraries; in recent years, operators have moved from offering a few thousand titles to collections that now exceed ten thousand, with some topping fourteen thousand games. These libraries span slots, table games, live dealer formats and even experimental categories that borrow from video gaming. When you log in, you are presented with an unprecedented range of options, allowing you to tailor your experience to your mood or curiosity.

Mobile optimisation has made this vast choice accessible anywhere and the integration of crypto payments adds another layer of convenience. However, with so many options, it’s easy to lose track of time or budget, which is why platforms are also embedding responsible play features. Thus, deposit limits, time reminders and self-exclusion tools are now common, giving you control alongside variety. The trend demonstrates how innovation in scale can coexist with meaningful safeguards, so your experience feels equally exciting and manageable.

Balancing Innovation and Protection

As innovation flourishes, the real challenge is balancing it with protection. The GRAI has placed consumer safety at the heart of its mission, establishing a dedicated Social Impact Fund. licenced operators will contribute annually, with the money going toward research, public education and treatment services for problem gambling. That means every spin, bet or wager indirectly supports efforts to make the industry more sustainable. At the same time, crypto regulation creates clarity rather than restriction, letting you enjoy the benefits of digital assets without the sense of stepping into a grey area.

Meanwhile, expansive game libraries showcase how developers are pushing boundaries, while the growing emphasis on mobile usability reflects how people actually play today. For you, the path forward involves navigating this mix with awareness: checking whether platforms are properly licenced, confirming safe-play tools are available and choosing experiences that balance excitement with responsibility. Ireland’s evolving landscape shows that progress and protection can genuinely coexist, giving you more control and more choice than ever.

Key Takeaways

Ireland’s gaming terrain is developing at a remarkable pace, blending cutting-edge technology, expansive game libraries and tighter regulatory oversight. As a player, you benefit from greater choice, enhanced protections and innovative payment options like crypto, all within a structured and transparent framework. The combination of strong governance and rapid technological growth promises a safer, more engaging and forward-looking experience, showing that innovation and responsibility can grow hand in hand.

  • €9.1m Budget Powers New Regulator: Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority launched in 2025 with €9.1m in funding, including €4m for digital infrastructure.
  • 14,000+ Games Now Available: Irish online platforms feature vast libraries, with some exceeding 14,000 titles across slots, tables and live games.
  • Strict Ad Bans Protect Players: Gambling ads are banned between 5:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., with free bets and VIP perks also prohibited.

Mothers are leading the way in their children’s use of technology

A new report shows how the growing OurKidsCode network of creative coding workshops and clubs for families is enabling parents in communities across Ireland to be more proactive in their children’s use of technology, with mothers comprising 72% of the parents involved.

The OurKidsCode project, based in the School of Computer Science and Statistics in Trinity College Dublin, has built an infrastructure and partnership network with county councils across Ireland, including for leveraging Ireland’s rural grid of broadband connection point community centres, and Microsoft Dream Space, as well as with the National Parents Council.

This network of relationships is successfully enabling OurKidsCode to deliver facilitator-led workshops and a ‘Start a Club’ programme that supports the establishment of parent-led creative coding clubs for families with primary-level children.

The OurKidsCode programme builds parents’ confidence and skills in technology alongside their children at informal, hands-on creative coding workshops. These take place outside of school hours in libraries, primary schools and rural broadband connection point community centres.

Creative coding is the playful use of computer programming to make art, stories, or interactive projects, combining coding, crafting and making. OurKidsCode workshops are appealing to parents who are looking for ways to increase their children’s active creation rather than passive consumption of technology.

OurKidsCode has collaborated with Microsoft Dream Space since 2022 to support young people, families and educators in rural communities through inclusive STEM opportunities. Core to this collaboration are the opportunities given to rural clubs to come together to enter The Dream Space Showcase, a national STEM event that celebrates innovation and creativity found within rural clubs, schools and communities.

OurKidsCode has established fiscal and operational partnerships with county councils across Ireland and has worked closely with an increasing number of county council broadband officers since 2021. In 2024, OurKidsCode began to expand its work with county councils to include partnerships with county libraries.

Facilitated by county councils and through its broadband officers, OurKidsCode offers workshops and provides support to clubs at broadband connection points across the country, which are publicly accessible sites in rural and remote areas that have been provided with a high-speed broadband connection.

Funded by Research Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development, OurKidsCode has reached 5,240 parents and children in 111 predominantly rural locations across Ireland. The report shows females (mothers and girls) comprised 55 per cent of participants, with males (fathers and boys) making up 43 per cent, busting the gender stereotype that females are not as interested in computing as males.

OurKidsCode is committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths). By partnering with DEIS schools, local development agencies and NGOs, it strives to make workshops that are accessible to all families.

Speaking at the recent launch of OurKidsCode’s Impact Report, OurKidsCode project lead and assistant professor in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at TCD, Dr. Nina Bresnihan, said: “OurKidsCode is committed to increasing opportunities for parental involvement in children’s computing education and contributing to greater diversity, inclusivity and equal access, with a particular focus on rural communities where access to such initiatives is often limited. Getting parents involved in their children’s coding education can have powerful outcomes.

Research in our new report shows how this boosts knowledge and confidence. It also sustains families engaging together in computing activities and promotes computing as a subject choice and future careers in STEAM-related fields. Furthermore, it challenges stereotypes by promoting female participation in computing based on mothers’ interest in their children’s early education. We see mothers who take part in our workshops acting as powerful role models for their daughters, demonstrating that STEAM is a viable and rewarding path.”

Parent and club leader of the OurKidsCode club Rossmore Scratchers, Co Tipperary, Rona Toft, said: “There’s something really special about learning side-by-side with your kids and other local families in a safe, welcoming space. From starting with the OurKidsCode taster programme to running the now award-winning Rossmore Scratchers, in Rossmore, Tipperary, the friendships and fun we’ve found along the way have been the absolute highlight. I watched my kids take a project from a blank screen to something they built themselves ─ figuring out the bugs, problem-solving, and seeing it through. I’ve never been prouder; it’s amazing to see their confidence grow.”

The full OurKidsCode 2021-2024 Impact Report is available to download at www.ourkidscode.ie/impact.

Find out more at www.ourkidscode.ie.

Dublin City Council introduces Communications Boards in Libraries

Dublin City Council is pleased to announce that it has introduced Communications Boards in some of its libraries, making it the first public library service in the country to do so.

The Communications Boards and augmentative and alternative communications (AAC) devices are of particular benefit to children or adults who are either pre-verbal or non-verbal and/or have communication difficulties.

The Communications Boards were designed in association with Finding Charlie’s Voice, a charity addressing the barriers facing children with speech and language needs.

The AAD devices include Lightwriters, which are text to speech devices, and TD I-110 devices, which are touch screen speech-generating devices.

This initiative is just one of a range of library measures supporting the broader Dublin City Council plan to make Dublin an autism-friendly city.

It has been made possible with the support of money from the Dormant accounts fund.

For more information please see Communication boards and supports rolled out in Dublin City Libraries | Dublin City Council

Esri Ireland creates a digital map of all libraries around Ireland for International Literacy Day #InternationalLiteracyDay

Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), has created a digital map of all of Ireland’s libraries to celebrate International Literacy Day today.

Built using Esri’s ArcGIS digital mapping system, the map details the location of all of the libraries around Ireland as well as their coordinates. The map intends to highlight the facilities available for the public while promoting lifelong learning.

International Literacy Day, created by the United Nations, is celebrated to highlight the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights. 773 million young people and adults are affected by non-literacy worldwide. The theme for 2021 is “Literacy for a human-centered recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. This aims to highlight the importance of literacy and digital skills and how technology can enable inclusive learning.

Click on the image below to access the map..