Imagine the pop when Amazon finally relents...

[Serge]

People won't be excited about bitcoin again until the community can come up with a real world usage case for it. What we need is for someone like PokerStars to accept it.

Looks like you just may get your wiiiiish.

According to Online Poker Report and other sources, PokerStars, the largest online poker room in the world, is preparing to accept Bitcoin.

Gambling Compliance was the first to report that “PokerStars and major Asian-facing operators are among those pushing for Bitcoin’s acceptance.” Shortly thereafter, sources confirmed to Online Poker Report’s Chris Grove that the global market share leader is in the “advanced stages of developing the internal infrastructure necessary to integrate BTC into the platform.”

only bad news, US players won't be able to play there legally, no matter fiat or bitcoin until US legislature turns around on online gambling or at least for online poker.

[riiiiising]

People won't be excited about bitcoin again until the community can come up with a real world usage case for it. What we need is for someone like PokerStars to accept it.

Looks like you just may get your wiiiiish.

According to Online Poker Report and other sources, PokerStars, the largest online poker room in the world, is preparing to accept Bitcoin.

Gambling Compliance was the first to report that “PokerStars and major Asian-facing operators are among those pushing for Bitcoin’s acceptance.” Shortly thereafter, sources confirmed to Online Poker Report’s Chris Grove that the global market share leader is in the “advanced stages of developing the internal infrastructure necessary to integrate BTC into the platform.”

only bad news, US players won't be able to play there legally, no matter fiat or bitcoin until US legislature turns around on online gambling or at least for online poker.

Not true. There is no law preventing US citizens from playing online poker, aside from a few states and districts which specifically ban it. The law is against banks wiring money to the sites, so if you can still find a way to fund your account, you can play. There are thousands of US players who are online via the Merge network based out of Australia, etc.

Granted, it's a bit of a legal gray area, but no US player has ever been prosecuted for playing online poker.

[sherbyspark]

I just started using purse.io to purchase stuff from Amazon.  I just tell my wife, dont buy anything from there anymore, just put it on your wish list.  Then I upload it to purse.io and you can get good discounts.  I am now eligible for a 15% discount.  It works pretty well I would recommend that to all of you as well.

How much do you have to buy, to get 15% discount?
And do you get that discount for all items? I guess, you should start your own amazon with those discounts then

[hector3115]

I am actually now eligible for a 25% discount.  Purse works awesome.  You are eligible for more discounts by the amount of transactions you complete.  Here is the schedule copied from Purse.

Max starting Discount rate: 8%
Max Discount after 1 completed transaction: 15%
Max Discount after 3 completed transactions: 25%
Max Discount after 5 completed transactions: 40%
Max Discount after 8 completed transactions: 50%

It's easy, try it.

[botany]

only bad news, US players won't be able to play there legally, no matter fiat or bitcoin until US legislature turns around on online gambling or at least for online poker.

Bitcoin gambling sites seem to be playing extra safe and blocking access to US ip addresses.
I don't think this is really necessary.

[lay785]

I am actually now eligible for a 25% discount.  Purse works awesome.  You are eligible for more discounts by the amount of transactions you complete.  Here is the schedule copied from Purse.

Max starting Discount rate: 8%
Max Discount after 1 completed transaction: 15%
Max Discount after 3 completed transactions: 25%
Max Discount after 5 completed transactions: 40%
Max Discount after 8 completed transactions: 50%

It's easy, try it.

Their fees are ridiculous. At 50% discount they charge 15% as their "fee"... seriously... how greedy can they get. Youd be better off using offering a 35% discount on some other competing site to get more sales volume and the same profit...

[halfawake]

I still think it's hilarious that people here think that Amazon accepting bitcoin today would create a rally in the price.  The volume Amazon has is so huge that I'm sure that if any of the CSRs forward these messages to Jeff Bezos, he's probably laughing about it.

The only possible way that Amazon accepting bitcoin wouldn't cause the price of bitcoin to seriously plunge would be if this adoption happens after a majority of Amazon's suppliers also accept bitcoin, and don't immediately convert to fiat.  It's going to be a long time, if ever, before that happens.

[thefunkybits]

I don't know about you guys but I'm not expecting to see amazon pick up Bitcoin anytime soon...I have a feeling they could be one of the last to give in (only if they need to stay relevant)

[sherbyspark]

I don't know about you guys but I'm not expecting to see amazon pick up Bitcoin anytime soon...I have a feeling they could be one of the last to give in (only if they need to stay relevant)

I am sure they are aware that there are lots of people looking to buy amazon items with bitcoins. So in a way, it is better for them to actually start accepting.
I still wonder, what stops them from doing so.

[halfawake]

I am sure they are aware that there are lots of people looking to buy amazon items with bitcoins. So in a way, it is better for them to actually start accepting.
I still wonder, what stops them from doing so.

The amount of bitcoin fans who are pestering Amazon is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of people who either a) aren't even aware of bitcoin yet or b) are aware of bitcoin, don't care about it, or are like me and use bitcoin but are happy to buy from Amazon with my credit card.

[inca]

The exactly same argument could be levelled at extremely large companies such as Dell or Microsoft. Given there are probably less than a million global users of BTC that they have adopted the payment system at this stage is surprising in itself. Bitcoin has a poor public reputation due to MSM coverage of the dark net, crime and Mt Gox etc so accepting it is not a decision to be taken lightly from a public relations point of view for corporations with a reputation to maintain.

Dell and Microsoft will have done the maths and realised they are likely to generate a completely inconsequential volume of trade by choosing to accept bitcoin now.

Why do you think these companies have adopted bitcoin? Why exactly would Amazon not do exactly the same (other than because it has 'Amazon coin')?

[Bernard Lerring]

The amount of bitcoin fans who are pestering Amazon is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of people who either a) aren't even aware of bitcoin yet ...

Then wouldn't Amazon having a Bitcoin icon on their payment options list inform more people that there was this thing called Bitcoin?

This is partly what we need, right? We need more people to at least be aware of Bitcoin. Even if 95% of people see the logo and shrug it off, the other 5% that show interest (possibly young, tech fashion conscious people) could amount to a lot of new Bitcoiners.

[inca]

The amount of bitcoin fans who are pestering Amazon is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of people who either a) aren't even aware of bitcoin yet ...

Then wouldn't Amazon having a Bitcoin icon on their payment options list inform more people that there was this thing called Bitcoin?

This is partly what we need, right? We need more people to at least be aware of Bitcoin. Even if 95% of people see the logo and shrug it off, the other 5% that show interest (possibly young, tech fashion conscious people) could amount to a lot of new Bitcoiners.

Exactly. What will drive the next wave of adoption is price highs in the news again. If Stolfi is correct and there are only 650,000 addresses with 0.1 btc or greater then it won't take many newcomers to lift us.

[NotLambchop]

The amount of bitcoin fans who are pestering Amazon is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of people who either a) aren't even aware of bitcoin yet ...

Then wouldn't Amazon having a Bitcoin icon on their payment options list inform more people that there was this thing called Bitcoin?

This is partly what we need, right? We need more people to at least be aware of Bitcoin. Even if 95% of people see the logo and shrug it off, the other 5% that show interest (possibly young, tech fashion conscious people) could amount to a lot of new Bitcoiners.

When AMC Pacer came out, it succeeded beyond AMC's rosiest projections.  Couldn't build them fast enough.  Next year--meh.  Year after that--disaster.  AMC was an odd car--people either loved it or hated it, nothing in between.  The people who loved it absolutely had to have it.  And they did--got it the first year.  The stragglers mopped up the demand the following year.  By third year, everyone who wanted one had one, sales went to shit.  Along with shit press & slews of problems which didn't surface during initial excitement

The point being it's irrelevant how many ad campaigns AMC ran--the niche was already filled.  Bitcoin's niche is filled too.  "Young, tech fashion conscious people" you want to reach knew about Bitcoin years ago.  They are, almost by definition, the first to be aware of tech innovations.
What you're tapping now, five years post the time when Bitcoin tech was new, is the opposite of that demographic.  

[Bernard Lerring]

Yes, what a relevant comparison.

You're exactly right in comparing a global payment system to a model of automobile.

Got any stories about briefly fashionable toasters or grilling machines?

[NotLambchop]

Two problems I can see offhand:

1. You don't know what an analogy is.
2. exaggerated importance given by Bitcoiners to to their coin.

Try to understand that Bitcoin is less relevant & likely has a smaller market cap than, say, the George Foreman Grill that you so sarcastically dismissed



P.S:  This is the 21st century.  Technology that was new five years ago is called old technology.  

[Bernard Lerring]

Don't underestimate my knowledge of the basic English language please.

You're right about the sarcasm, though. It was intended, indeed relevant, to your ridiculous comparison of a consumer product launched within a market already saturated with similar products, to that of a relatively new form technology that currently dominates any of its competitors.

I'm not saying that Bitcoin will always be the number one crypto but I'll speculate that it'll be the first decentralised crypto used by Amazon. That's at least pertinent to this thread.

[sherbyspark]

I am sure they are aware that there are lots of people looking to buy amazon items with bitcoins. So in a way, it is better for them to actually start accepting.
I still wonder, what stops them from doing so.

The amount of bitcoin fans who are pestering Amazon is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of people who either a) aren't even aware of bitcoin yet or b) are aware of bitcoin, don't care about it, or are like me and use bitcoin but are happy to buy from Amazon with my credit card.

But a drop is also a lot. The number of people who would be willing to order things, once they start accepting bitcoins is a lot.
Its true that it might be hard to estimate but there is no harm for them to actually experiment it.

[smoothie]

P.S:  This is the 21st century.  Technology that was new five years ago is called old technology.  

Bitcoin is current technology...not was technology.

It started 5 years ago. Doesn't mean it is old especially if it is refined and updated regularly by developers.

lol

[Bernard Lerring]

It's alright. NotLambchop talks of technology being out of date once it's over five years old, just after ranting about a motor vehicle produced in 1975.

I'm guessing that the vehicle in question failed because it was about 70 years out of date.