The much-discussed virtual currency, Bitcoin, makes its debut in Las Vegas. In the two hotels with casinos, the 'Golden Gate Hotel and Casino' and 'The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel', it will be possible to pay with virtual currency to stay in the rooms, to buy a gift in their shops or to eat in the Italian restaurant present in one of them. The two hotels announced it yesterday in a statement.
Through Ipads, which will be installed near the tills, customers will be able to use the BitPay platform, an online service that is used to process Bitcoin transactions on a mobile device thanks to a virtual wallet.
“I am proud that D and Golden Gate are the first casinos to accept Bitcoin,” said Derek Stevens, co-owner and chief executive officer of both casinos. “We are located – he added – in an area of Las Vegas where the high-tech sector is growing and, like everything in this area, we adapt quickly to new technologies. It is the right time for us to launch this initiative and I am happy to be able to offer this service to our customers".
Created in 2009, Bitcoin has gained great popularity among some private investors but still raises many concerns in the traditional banking sector and three authorities.
However, an increasing number of businesses accept electronic money. Just two weeks ago, Salt Lake City-based American company Overstock became the first major online retailer to accept digital currency as a form of payment for its products. With Bitcoins it is also possible to buy a house in the Hamptons (New York), a ticket to go into space with Richard Branson's Galactic airline, some Zynga video games or the products of the American basketball company Sacramento Kings.
