The Bunny Ranch, which is well known for even those who do not frequent such places thanks to being featured on HBO’s Cathouse show, is mulling over the advantages that could come with offering a Bitcoin payment option.
Bitcoin made its name on the dark web because of the anonymity, and other reasons, it brought to the user, helping them buy anything from drugs and weapons, as well as sex and porn, discreetly.
Things could be going full circle now as the upmarket brothel sees an advantage in harnessing that same privacy in payment.
Exploring the recesses of Bitcoin
Owner Dennis Hof, who has seven such legal establishments across Nevada, says he is exploring Bitcoin as a payment option due to demands being made by their high-end clients.
“We have some of the richest men in the world coming in and out of my brothels. Our high dollar clientele is accustomed to getting anything they want here, so when I started hearing requests from them to look into accepting Bitcoin, I took those suggestions very seriously.”
Bitcoin has created a new breed of the wealthy elite, but it has also become a plaything of those already well endowed in the bank account. Thus, it is not surprising that clientele of the Bunny Ranch have their fingers in the cryptocurrency pie.
The adoption of such cryptocurrencies has spread far and wide, but it is more than just a payment system for such clients, it is a secretive one.
“Friends of mine like Heidi (Fleiss, Hollywood’s most notorious madam) have been trusted with a lot of powerful secrets, and the anonymous nature of Bitcoin is a natural fit for people who have much to lose if their private matters were to ever fall into the wrong hands,” Hof added.
It would also, according to Hof, cut down on the duffel bags of money that are brought to his door, posing a security risk.
Full circle of adoption?
Bitcoin had a lot of things going for it when it was the tool of the dark web for payments. The anonymity, the global transfers, the speed and cheapness of it all - back then.
It was used to buy all sorts of things from the shady underbelly of the Internet, but now, as it has stepped into the light, its image has changed. More a tool of the Wall Street investor than the illicit arms dealer, Bitcoin has evolved.
However, the aspects that made it a success in a secretive world still remain. And, it is because of this, that it looks like it is doing somewhat of a full circle, again being thought of as a tool for paying for sex.
Of course, this is a new era and a much less seedy situation, but the way in which Bitcoin moves, it is showing its versatility to corner and re-corner, all parts of the market.