GUNS
Central Texas Gun Works was the first dealer in Texas to use bitcoin for gun sales when it began accepting the cryptocurrency in 2014. Beyond bitcoin, Central Texas Gun Works accepts additional cryptocurrencies, including Litecoin and Ethereum, for both in-store and online transactions. Even so, online bitcoin purchases at Central Texas Gun Works are not yet streamlined. The company requires a five-step process to make an online purchase with a cryptocurrency, which involves waiting for a response from the company.
CASKETS
Successful morticians are masters of customer service, making what’s usually an uncomfortable time in most people’s lives as easy as possible. Crescent Tide Funeral & Cremation Services in St. Paul, Minn. takes this idea to a whole new level as it accepts payment in bitcoin for caskets and funeral services. The company not only facilitates bitcoin payments, it also offers customers who pay with the cryptocurrency a 3 percent discount.
REAL ESTATE
Dubai is the ultimate land of excess. The tiny emirate boasts the world’s tallest building, the world’s largest laser light show and an indoor ski slope. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that Dubai is the place where you can use bitcoin to buy an apartment. In September 2017, the Aston Plaza and Residences Development in Dubai Science Park began accepting payments of 30, 50 and 70 bitcoins for some of its studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, respectively.
ONLINE CASINO CHIPS
If you really want to amp up your adrenaline level, use your bitcoins to fund your stake at an online casino. Numerous bitcoin casinos have sprung up on the internet, letting you make deposits with bitcoin and then gamble your chips just as if you bought them with dollars. Be aware that not all online casinos are regulated, and there’s still discussion as to whether or not they are even legal. Another concern is that by the time you cash out, the value of your bitcoin might have dropped precipitously.
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS
Most charities are stable, traditional, reliable institutions that try to protect the money they receive so they can deploy it for the greatest good. So it might seem odd that some charities accept the volatile bitcoin cryptocurrency. Starting in 2015, however, you could make a bitcoin donation to Autism Speaks, an advocate for autism awareness and scientific research. Heifer International, which fights hunger and poverty, began accepting bitcoin donations in 2016. At least 13 charities now accept bitcoin.