Ice Valley

What is Ice Valley?

I concede, CEOs know much more about business than I do. That’s why they are business leaders and I am not, nor will I ever be. So who the hell am I then? I will say confidently, I absolutely know my place in this world. It is as clear to me as the sun. I may not understand much about doing business, but I know what money is, and I know what money is not. I know what happens to unbacked paper currency when governments shut down the world and blast currency from monetary firehoses all over the world until we are all drowning in it. It dies.

Are you listening, Oh you gaming industry execs? If you’re a CEO reading this, or a CFO, and you’re struggling with shut down casinos and mounting debt, I’m talking to you. You have only a few months at most to protect your companies from a hyperinflationary nuclear bomb that is about to go off and destroy everything in its path. The fuse is being lit as I write this. I will now describe the fuse.

About 18 months ago I wrote this weird, esoteric, wacky article. I made the case that once U.S. dollar interest rates went negative, all commodities would warp into backwardation. Meaning, the spot prices for all commodities would become more expensive than their futures price. This is now happening. Almost all commodities are now in persistent backwardation. All grains, sugar, lumber, and cotton; energy including natural gas and both Brent and WTI crude oil; base metals including copper, tin, and iron ore. They are all in backwardation now, and some have been that way for months now. The CRB commodities index is now climbing at its fastest pace ever, doubling since March.

How to play Ice Valley

They recommended banning direct marketing by operators and affiliates except for essential account or safety communications.

The committee also suggested a ban on inducements (free bets, sign-up bonuses) as these promotions stimulate betting activity and recruit new or lapsed customers.

Another point of contention was content marketing and influencer promotions. The Lords committee advised treating this as advertising and, if a full ban were not immediately feasible, prioritising its prohibition.

How to play Ice Valley

Historically, building a game studio meant putting all the necessary components in place – from developers and mathematicians to QA and compliance, as well as the underlying systems and integrations. Alternatively, a business looking to enter the market could acquire an existing studio.

Both routes require significant investment. However, as Curwen, adds: “There are plenty of people in this industry with great ideas, brands, audiences or distribution who don’t want to build an entire slot studio from scratch.”

Studio in a Box is designed to provide another option. Yggdrasil handles the technology, infrastructure and support, leaving its partners to concentrate on the brand, creative ideas and commercial direction of their games.