PartialLogo
Features
premium

Vision of the betting future is an endless virtual rat race

Robin Gibson searches for solutions in the gaming dystopia of Ice

Ice exhibition: in some ways a glimpse of the future, in other ways certainly not
Ice exhibition: in some ways a glimpse of the future, in other ways certainly not

George Orwell, the 20th-century literary Eeyore whose work less young readers might recall, wrote in one of his least sunny moods that "if you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever".

That seems not quite so close now but it remains powerful in its simplicity.

If you visited the Ice Totally Gaming exhibition (it's Ice, but it's not cool) at ExCeL in London this week you might have seen a similarly powerful and simple picture of the future. It's the slightly bald patch on the top of the virtual Rafael Nadal's head.

Read the full story

Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.

Subscribe to unlock
  • Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
  • Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
  • Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
  • Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
  • Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
  • Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Subscribe

Already a subscriber?Log in

Published on 10 February 2018inFeatures

Last updated 19:14, 9 February 2018

iconCopy