Busking for Bitcoin: Report Finds Street Performers Depend on Digital Payments

July 17, 2021 Bitcoin.com

Payments in a flash: Strip club in Las Vegas now accepts Lightning

July 16, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Guests at the Crazy Horse 3 will soon be able to tip their favorite dancers using BTC.

The Crazy Horse 3 gentlemen's club has announced it has become the first major entertainment venue in Las Vegas to accept Bitcoin using the Lightning Network.

The nightspot will implement the layer two Bitcoin scaling solution enabling punters to make payments in a flash. It has integrated BTC payment processor OpenNode which will initially allow guests to securely purchase VIP bottle packages using BTC through the venue’s website.

According to the announcement, the Bitcoin payments rollout includes plans to accept the digital asset for admission, food selections, craft cocktails and the club's signature “dance dollars” which are used for tipping entertainers. In other words, Lightning for lap dances.

Crazy Horse 3 publicist, Lindsay Feldman, said that the club is embracing the opportunity to accept Bitcoin as a way to deliver convenience and an additional level of anonymity for its guests, adding:

“The club's partnership with OpenNode allows us to cater to our tech-savvy customers' needs by offering an innovative form of payment that's both seamless and secure.”

OpenNode is a Lightning Network-powered BTC payments platform that operates in 126 countries and has more than 8,000 users. The platform will allow the venue to receive BTC payments directly without the involvement of third-party payment processors or associated fees.

The adult industry has embraced cryptocurrencies over the years as much through necessity as choice, with payment processors either banning such businesses or charging them exorbitant fees for being “high risk”.

Bitcoin’s leading layer two scaling solution has seen steady growth over the past year. Since the beginning of 2021, LN nodes have increased by 56% to a record high of 12,844 at the time of writing according to BitcoinVisuals.

The number of unique channels connecting nodes for the first time has also seen impressive growth this year with an increase of 54% since January 1.

Bitcoin and crypto acceptance in Sin City is also showing growth. In May, the Resorts World Las Vegas casino-resort announced a partnership with crypto exchange Gemini to allow patrons to make payments using BTC and cryptocurrencies using their exchange wallets.

NFL’s Saquon Barkley converting endorsements to BTC to create ‘generational wealth’

July 15, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Saquon Barkley will use Strike to convert all of his endorsements into Bitcoin, and noted that he became interested in BTC after researching inflation.

NFL star Saquon Barkley has revealed that he will be converting all of his endorsement money into Bitcoin.

Barkley was the 2018 NFL offensive rookie of the year and plays as a running back for the New York Giants — a team that is also sponsored by Grayscale.

The 24-year-old explained the rationale for the move earlier today during an appearance on “The Best Business Show” hosted by Bitcoin proponent and Morgan Creek Digital co-founder Anthony Pompliano. He noted that his research on inflation is what drove his interest in Bitcoin:

"We're seeing inflation and we're learning you can't save wealth. That's why I am going to be taking my marketing money in Bitcoin."

Barkley was joined on the show by Jack Mallers, the CEO of Strike, a payments company based on the Lightning Network. The NFL star cites the CEO as a key person who helped educate him on the benefits of investing in Bitcoin. Mallers was also highly influential in El Salvador’s embrace of Bitcoin.

As part of the move to convert his reported eight-figure yearly marketing endorsement money, Barkley will take direct deposits into his Strike account and instantly convert the money into BTC.

Barkley stated that he sees his opportunity in the NFL as a chance to emulate cult sports figures such as Lebron James of the LA Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, and Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, by creating generational wealth for his family.

He emphasized that he can't generate that amount of wealth from his NFL salary alone, as a career in the NFL is short-lived and he runs a risk of a career-ending injury at any moment.

"When you see the KD's, the Lebrons and Bradys of the world and you want to create generational wealth, you can't do that with the sport that I play and the position that I play and coming off of injuries. When you sit out of football for a whole year you realize that this game could be taken away from you."

During the show, Mallers offered advice to new investors by asserting that the question shouldn’t necessarily be focused on “Should I buy Bitcoin” but more where “should you store your money” to counter inflation.

BREAKING: Saquon Barkley has announced on The Best Business Show that he is taking 100% of his endorsement money in Bitcoin going forward.

That's more than $10 million annually.

What a legend. pic.twitter.com/6gpQBewgMv
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 14, 2021

Barkley isn’t the first NFL star to convert payments into Bitcoin, and Cointelegraph reported on Dec.30 2020 that NFL free agent and BTC proponent Russell Okung was using Strike to convert a portion of his NFL salary into BTC.

NFL great Tom Brady has also become involved in the crypto sector this year after he announced the launch of his NFT marketplace dubbed “Autograph” in April and also hinted that he owned BTC the following month.

On June 29 Cointelegraph reported that Brady was set to take an equity stake in the FTX crypto exchange as part of an endorsement deal.

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