Professor Ross Bight, from the Institute of Polar Science in London, carried out the research for the company last month, using focus groups in temperature control environments. Participants were asked to take part in various casino games where the temperature of the room ranged from a toasty 22 degrees, right down to -5.

Professor Bight comments: “We monitored the performance of the players and found significant differences when the temperature reached the lowest point. Players were concentrating more, making more calculated decisions and ultimately racking up significant winnings, compared to the games conducted in warmer temperatures.”

On the back of these findings, Gala Casino took the decision to become the first company to create a casino made from ice, to be situated under the iconic northern lights in Sweden. With a classic Igloo outer shell design, the building houses all the usual casino games, but in a temperature of -5 they all have a freezing cold twist.

The Gala Ice Casino will house a number of features designed to help players keep their cool. All roulette, poker and Blackjack tables, chairs and drinking glasses will be made from ice. Even the chips and dice will be carved from ice, with a full time sculptor creating these at regular intervals each night behind the scenes.

Following the clean lines of the Igloo inspired design, elements such as the bar, windows and group dining tables will all be circular. There will be a daily changing ice sculpture inside the casino as well as a snow garden outside, for visitors to enjoy the extremely fresh air.

Construction will commence in November this year, with the season lasting until April depending on the weather. The Ice Casino will naturally melt in the spring and summer season, to be reconstructed later that same year.

Planning director at Gala Casino, Flora Lopis (which if you haven’t yet guessed only happens to be an anagram of April Fools), added: “A Gala Ice Casino makes perfect business sense. Players who perform better will keep returning. They can arrive in style by Skis, sled or snowmobile James Bond style, no other casino offers this unforgettable experience. Plus each year as the building melts, we’re not left with any high running costs to cover.”