Bitcoin Spreads To Sin City: Two Las Vegas Casinos Accepting The Digital Currency

by Jeff Patterson
Bitcoin Spreads To Sin City: Two Las Vegas Casinos Accepting The Digital Currency

Two casinos in Las Vegas, the D and the Golden Gate announced that they would each be accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment on goods and services, according to a Reuters report.

The casinos are the first such venues in history to accept the digital currency, which is seemingly spreading to new channels daily. Starting Wednesday January 22, customers of both casinos will be able to spend their hard mined Bitcoin on a variety of goods and services offered by each respective casino – however this service does not extend towards table games as neither will be accepting Bitcoin as Payments for bets. Furthermore, Bitcoin will be accepted at the front desk, concierge, gift shops, and select restaurants in what may very well serve as a trial run to gauge demand.

Casino Owner Seeks To Captivate Tech-Oriented Clientele

According to local proprietor Derek Stevens, Co-Owner of both the D and the Golden Gate, "I'm proud that the D and Golden Gate will be the first casino properties to accept bitcoin," Stevens said in a statement. "We're located in the growing high-tech sector of downtown Las Vegas, and like all things downtown, we're quickly adaptive to new technology. The timing is right for us to launch this initiative, and I'm happy to be able to offer this to our customers."

The move also serves as a wonderful publicity and advertising bid for Stevens’ casinos, given the lack of willingness up to now to extend Bitcoin towards this realm. Stevens noted that each casino will utilize the BitPay service as a means of clearing transactions and orders via tablets and other smart phone devices, installed at cashier stations for this end. BitPay is a popular and widely used Bitcoin transaction site worldwide, used in over 200 countries at over 15,000 merchants.

Coming Soon To A Casino Near You?

The digital currency has certainty managed to tarnish its previously nefarious image, soaring to new heights already in early 2014 by expanding to sports, online retail, and now casinos. Indeed, as the growing demand, and value of Bitcoin swells, many merchants are starting to treat the cryptocurrency as more credible, a trend already indicative of the gradual sway in public opinion over just the last year.

“We recently picked up some business in the US and the fact that we will accept bitcoins might put us in the frame for more business opportunities. We're putting the time in now in order to develop it. One of our clients in Ireland owns a casino and we're talking about the potential of the casino accepting bitcoin payments, for example,” suggested Harold Solomons of Dublin-based online agency Matrix Internet in a recent interview with the Silicone Republic. Bitcoin proponents will no doubt eye the day where the currency extends as a means of all payments in casinos, possibly even in table games.

What Does The Future Hold In The Gaming Industry?

This ambition doesn’t appear to be a reality quite yet as Stevens has reiterated he intends for Bitcoin to be used only for non-gaming payments presently. Time will tell whether the owner changes tune, however an influx in user demand will certainly make it awfully difficult to ignore.

Two casinos in Las Vegas, the D and the Golden Gate announced that they would each be accepting Bitcoin as a means of payment on goods and services, according to a Reuters report.

The casinos are the first such venues in history to accept the digital currency, which is seemingly spreading to new channels daily. Starting Wednesday January 22, customers of both casinos will be able to spend their hard mined Bitcoin on a variety of goods and services offered by each respective casino – however this service does not extend towards table games as neither will be accepting Bitcoin as Payments for bets. Furthermore, Bitcoin will be accepted at the front desk, concierge, gift shops, and select restaurants in what may very well serve as a trial run to gauge demand.

Casino Owner Seeks To Captivate Tech-Oriented Clientele

According to local proprietor Derek Stevens, Co-Owner of both the D and the Golden Gate, "I'm proud that the D and Golden Gate will be the first casino properties to accept bitcoin," Stevens said in a statement. "We're located in the growing high-tech sector of downtown Las Vegas, and like all things downtown, we're quickly adaptive to new technology. The timing is right for us to launch this initiative, and I'm happy to be able to offer this to our customers."

The move also serves as a wonderful publicity and advertising bid for Stevens’ casinos, given the lack of willingness up to now to extend Bitcoin towards this realm. Stevens noted that each casino will utilize the BitPay service as a means of clearing transactions and orders via tablets and other smart phone devices, installed at cashier stations for this end. BitPay is a popular and widely used Bitcoin transaction site worldwide, used in over 200 countries at over 15,000 merchants.

Coming Soon To A Casino Near You?

The digital currency has certainty managed to tarnish its previously nefarious image, soaring to new heights already in early 2014 by expanding to sports, online retail, and now casinos. Indeed, as the growing demand, and value of Bitcoin swells, many merchants are starting to treat the cryptocurrency as more credible, a trend already indicative of the gradual sway in public opinion over just the last year.

“We recently picked up some business in the US and the fact that we will accept bitcoins might put us in the frame for more business opportunities. We're putting the time in now in order to develop it. One of our clients in Ireland owns a casino and we're talking about the potential of the casino accepting bitcoin payments, for example,” suggested Harold Solomons of Dublin-based online agency Matrix Internet in a recent interview with the Silicone Republic. Bitcoin proponents will no doubt eye the day where the currency extends as a means of all payments in casinos, possibly even in table games.

What Does The Future Hold In The Gaming Industry?

This ambition doesn’t appear to be a reality quite yet as Stevens has reiterated he intends for Bitcoin to be used only for non-gaming payments presently. Time will tell whether the owner changes tune, however an influx in user demand will certainly make it awfully difficult to ignore.

About the Author: Jeff Patterson
Jeff Patterson
  • 5335 Articles
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About the Author: Jeff Patterson
Head of Commercial Content
  • 5335 Articles
  • 90 Followers

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