In an article published yesterday by CoinDesk, Derek Stevens, the CEO of the D and Golden Gate casinos located on Fremont Street, credited placement of bitcoin ATMs in those properties with helping business:

"Recalling the past year, Stevens told CoinDesk:

"We’re located in the growing tech sector of downtown Las Vegas, so it seemed like the right fit and we’ve definitely seen more business as a result."

http://www.coindesk.com/las-vegas-ca...-new-business/

In Jan, 2014, Nevada Gaming allowed the two properties to install Bitcoin ATMs on their floors, but did not approve bitcoin use for gaming transactions. Rather, customers can exchange Bitcoin for USD, buy Bitcoin using the machines .... or use bitcoin for non-gaming purchases on the properties. At the time, the acceptance of bitcoin at the D Front desk was confirmed, I saw a guest pay his bill, using a tablet provided by the hotel for the transaction, via Bitpay. (By using Bitpay as an intermediary, the Hotel could in practice accept USD, and never take/hold bitcoin directly.)

(Poker players coming to Las Vegas for the WSOP might consider that another bitcoin ATM, located in a nondescript souvenir shop across the Strip from the Aria/City Center, has been described as the highest volume bitcoin ATM in the world.)

This certainly qualifies as a nondescript souvenir shop

When people reach their withdrawal limit from a standard ATM, they resort to bitcoin withdrawals.
Of course it improved business.

the machine at the D casino was very difficult to use. No one at the casino really had any clue how to use it and it seemed to have a pretty high vig which i thought was the whole point of using bitcoin to limit the transaction fees

The shot does not do the shop justice, it is an indistinctive shop among a row of similar shops next to the driveway leading to a Travelodge.

You can exchange for USD, and also buy bitcoin at that machine ....

An accurate depiction...

I've used this machine many times. Has had different Coin Cloud branding on it for a while since this picture was taken. Easy walk across Harmon bridge from Aria. Was instant and intuitive to use. Actually prefer it by far to normal ATMs. There is a BTM at Gold Spike DT thats pretty sweet too.

I like to keep some of my roll in btc to so I can access it online on demand or in vegas.

Anyway, I'm happy to see these things popping up everywhere.

This would also allow you to take money from your bank account and cash out. Albeit for a hefty fee I assume.

Great idea for casinos. Even if the fees are high, they are unlikely to be as high as credit card advance fees. I expect we'll see these a lot more often very soon.

you know that is something i had not thought of.

I also don't understand why btc is not an option at the cage. that would help alot when u are traveling.

I travel to EU a bunch and use CC there to buy chips. the good news is they only charge the 3% CC fee there, so thats a good deal, however its still a hassle especially when u want to put money back into the account.

If you could do all this via btc it would make things so easy. Imagine this vegas. I remeber talking to germans at wsop and they were bitching about 10% fees they were paying at the bank in vegas to get usd.

Just because a place accepts bitcoins, doesn't mean it's an increase in business. It more than likely is offset by a decrease in a normal transaction that a normal law abiding citizen might use.

Jesus Christ.. are people still pushing this rubbish after all these years?

I think it is "more than likely" that when the CEO of a business says something has increased business, then that something has increased business.

Sorry that it seems to bother you that a lawful regulated law-abiding business accepts bitcoin, installs a law-abiding regulated bitcoin ATM on its premises and seems happy with the effect on its business.

Even if you were right, an assumption for which there is no basis whatsoever, there is STILL a benefit to both the merchant and the law-abiding citizen who uses bitcoin, lower transaction costs.

If you for some reason are against squeezing inefficiencies and inflated costs out of the payment processing industry, just say so, okay ? No need to smear "law-abiding" merchants and customers who adopt a new technology.

fyp

How long between the day Al Gore invented the internets and the day the first hands of online poker were dealt for real money ?

(I started doing online legal research in the late-1970s, I got into the online poker industry in 2000. Possibly adoption of new technology (your "rubbish") in different industries requires more patience than you express above.)

Bitcoin and online gaming first converged around 2011, I believe. I think efforts to promote its adoption by the regulated industry began in 2013.

I, for one, am happy about this. Cant be a bad thing.