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A rep for Carbon Poker, the flagship Internet poker room on the Merge Gaming Network, has confirmed that the company is looking very closely at offering the anonymous digital currency Bitcoin as a payment option.
“I know Merge have been looking into the validity of using BC as a funding and withdrawal method for quite some time now,” a Carbon Poker rep posted on the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum.
That same rep alluded to concerns over regulatory frameworks and controls, something that could soon be addressed with news that the Winklevoss twins, who famously alleged that Facebook Inc founder Mark Zuckerberg stole their website idea, have revealed plans for an IPO that will give investors exposure to the value of digital currency Bitcoins, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, which is designed to operate like an exchange-traded fund, will initially sell $20 million worth of shares, with each share worth a fraction of a Bitcoin, a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission showed on Monday.
The shares are aimed at investors "seeking a cost-effective and convenient means to gain exposure to Bitcoins with minimal credit risk," the prospectus reads.
An IPO might be just what the doctor ordered as a means of bringing legitimacy to Bitcoin, the sometimes shadowy online currency.
Other US-facing online poker sites, including Bodog and Lock Poker, are known to be pursuing a Bitcoin alternative though none have moved beyond the research stage as of now.
A handful of European online gambling brands have implemented Bitcoin while others are taking a “wait and see” approach.
Jez San, Founder of online poker site PKR Poker, was slated to be in attendance at the invite-only Bitcoin London conference Tuesday, July 2.
“I’m interested in all efforts to legitimise Bitcoin and help it become an established method of storing and sending funds”, San told the website CalvinAyre.com. “A lot needs to happen to move it from a geek curiosity and black market currency to that of a legitimate Internet currency that it has the potential to become”.
“Bitcoin could easily be the next Visa, or Mastercard, Paypal .. or displace all three!”
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com
