Betting and Cryptocurrencies within Iceland’s Untamed Landscape: Balancing Risk
Betting and Cryptocurrencies within Iceland’s Untamed Landscape: Balancing Risk
Beyond its volcanic terrain and glaciers, Iceland—the land of fire and ice—holds mysteries. This piece explores the fascinating relationship between cryptocurrencies and the excitement of gaming that reverberates through Iceland’s untamed landscapes.
Blockchain Technology in the Land of Fire and Ice
Historical Context
Following the catastrophic financial crash of 2008 worldwide, in Iceland, the government imposed stringent measures to impede the flight of capital. As a means of transferring wealth outside of the nation, cryptocurrencies were thought to be indirectly impacted by these restrictions. Namely, the government prohibited its inhabitants from removing foreign cash from the nation. Due to their ability to facilitate capital transfers outside of the nation, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and others were effectively prohibited even while this rule was still in effect.
However, the Central Bank of Iceland (Seðlabanki Íslands) recently changed its regulations to permit cross-border transactions of the nation’s currency krónur, eliminating the implicit prohibition on cryptocurrency. Nevertheless, there are still constraints and limitations that can prevent cryptocurrency transactions. For instance, it’s mandated that transactions involving foreign exchange between residents and non-residents must be completed without the involvement of a financial institution. Cryptocurrencies might be regarded as foreign exchange transactions that take place between citizens and non-citizens without going through a financial institution, which would still make them illegal.
The legal standing of cryptos in Iceland is still unclear despite these modifications. We’ll explain this a bit more…
Uncertainty in Regulations
Regarding cryptocurrency, the residents of Iceland have continued to act in line with its progressive views on innovation and technology. Many Icelanders made early investments in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as early as 2013, demonstrating the nation’s early adoption of digital currency. Regulating digital currencies has been a lengthy process in Iceland, despite this early adoption.
Since 2018, the nation has been mandating that companies using digital currencies register with the country’s financial regulator and abide by know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) laws.
Still, there are unanswered questions: What role do cryptocurrencies play in Iceland’s financial system? How can they help the economy, and what hazards do they pose?
Iceland’s economy is largely reliant on tourism, and e.g. American travelers frequently choose to go there via flights from New York. Even though there’s now no legislation surrounding cryptocurrency, it has the potential to attract large amounts of investment to the nation. Iceland’s economy might be boosted by attracting more investors by enacting laws that are both transparent and effective.
How well the legislation works to stop illicit activity, though, is still up for debate. According to some experts, the vague language of the regulation could lead to gaps that anyone looking to commit fraud could take advantage of.
Blockchain Betting: Gambling and Risk
Simultaneous Routes
Risk and the excitement of unforeseen results are what makes gambling so alluring. Cryptocurrencies are likewise prone to abrupt fluctuations in value. There’s curiosity, suspense, and the potential for gain or loss in both worlds.
When someone mentions Iceland, a crypto casino is most probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Numerous Icelandic citizens are currently spending time at cryptocurrency casinos. They are excited to adopt blockchain’s safety features. They are also taking full advantage of other advantages and boundless rewards at online casinos in Iceland. The Icelandic people are winning a lot of digital assets every day with these platforms.
Icelandic citizens are becoming more familiar with blockchain thanks to cryptocurrency casinos. They are increasing the accessibility of decentralization and its benefits. They are now aware of what to anticipate from the distributed ledger. They are also now very interested in learning about DeFi (decentralized finance) and other such solutions. Thus, these platforms are doing a tremendous job of popularizing cryptocurrency among Europeans, and for all the right reasons.
Regulatory Difficulties
Because there’s no legal safeguard for cryptocurrencies, the Central Bank of Iceland has issued a warning against using them. Concerns concerning investor safety are raised by the lack of oversight.
Could Iceland find a happy medium ground between investor security and taking risks? It’s still unclear.
Auroracoin Mining: A Harmonious Quest
Mining and Renewable Energy
The effects of the massive deployments of computer hardware needed to mine or produce cryptocurrencies are a cause for concern. Iceland’s cryptocurrency mining farms are powered by the country’s plentiful renewable energy sources, just like its glaciers.
The mining of cryptocurrency accounts for 90% of the 5% of electricity consumed by Icelandic data centers. As a result, the process uses an estimated 4.5% of the nation’s electrical power. In 2019, the Icelandic Centre for Social Research and Analysis performed a poll that revealed that 4% of Icelanders possess cryptocurrency. The abundance of renewable energy in Iceland has contributed to the recent boom in the Bitcoin mining business. The Bitcoin mining sector in Iceland used more energy in 2018 than all of the nation’s homes put together.
The volcanic island has historically produced an excess of hydroelectric and geothermal electricity, which powers it virtually fully. And miners have used that electricity for their high-power computing devices. Iceland is a haven for overworked data centers because of its availability of renewable energy sources and temperate environment.
A further benefit of Iceland’s electrical infrastructure is its complete isolation from the rest of the globe, which shields it from the increase of electricity prices worldwide.
The Icelandic government declared in 2014 that it was considering the prospect of launching a national cryptocurrency. Numerous altcoins exist, but very few have received the same level of attention from mainstream media as Auroracoin (AUR). Heralded as “Iceland’s Bitcoin,” it was founded in February 2014 under the alias of Baldur Friggjar Óðinsson, evoking the gods of Norse mythology. The coins were intended to be given to every citizen of Iceland but only half of the intended coins were distributed. There was some early success for the currency. But it soon, in a few months, lost value following the drop. It was brought back to life the next year by several devs. The ledgers that supported the transactions were also corrupted, with various versions of the ledgers displaying disparate data. As the ledger is what provides everyone with the assurance that the coins are rightfully owned, this effectively means the demise of cryptocurrencies. Auroracoin is essentially worthless right now, having minimal trading volume.
Auroracoin is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that has a value of its own and functions independently of the banking system. It can be used as an investment means or as a replacement for conventional payment systems, just like other cryptocurrencies. AUR allows for safe, anonymous payment processing, and all transactions are recorded on a public ledger.
Resource Resonance
Let’s think about the combination of Iceland’s tradition and virtual money. Does a secret harmony exist?
Maybe the sounds of distant tunes from old Norse mythology are echoed by the buzz of mining rigs. Did the Norse mythology of old foretell the emergence of blockchain technology? Perhaps metaphorically rather than literally.
Much of the important Norse culture and society has been forgotten. The Norse did not survive solely on fighting spirit or battle prowess, as important as the Viking raids were to the history of Europe. Their commerce ships extended their influence beyond those of military missions, establishing Norse commercial colonies on the Volga River and returning home with Buddhist artwork and currency from the Middle East. Nevertheless, sophisticated—for the time—technology, which is nowadays embodied in crypto mining, enabled and supported both the war and the trade effort. The Norse were masters of ironworking, and their shipbuilding and navigational abilities were unmatched in antiquity. Obliged to cope with an ongoing shortage of resources, they also took an active part in recycling.
Conclusion
Iceland is a major hub for cryptocurrency. The industry contributes significantly to the GDP of the nation and attracts millions of dollars in investment each year. Astonishingly, the Icelandic government is still undecided about cryptocurrency, given the wealth that cryptocurrency delivers to the country. The Icelandic government isn’t against cryptography, but much more needs to be done.
The popularity of cryptocurrency casinos is rising globally, and so is in Iceland, and soon, existing online casinos may transition to accept cryptocurrencies in place of conventional payment methods. Players would have access to better gambling rates as a result, which might make the usage of conventional banking methods obsolete in the long term. Even if it’s unlikely to occur anytime soon, the gambling industry is nevertheless glad to see these casinos expanding.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
