Happy Bitcoin Pizza Day!

Four years ago, Bitcoin enthusiast and Florida resident Laszlo Hanyecz wanted two pizza pies, but wanted to pay with bitcoins. Little did he know that his hunger would help jumpstart bitcoin to the burgeoning virtual currency it is today.

Whether or not you are celebrating Bitcoin Pizza Day today or not, the “holiday” is a stark indicator of just how mainstream Bitcoin has become.

In 2010, the cryptocurrency was not a household name and most establishments didn’t accept it. Hanyecz offered 10,000 BTC for someone to buy him the pizzas, which at the time was about $40 USD. A follower in the UK ordered the pizzas for $25 and sent them over to Hanyecz, who in turn sent him some bitcoins. This has entered cryptocurrency legendas the first real-world bitcoin transaction.

Today, those 10,000 BTC would be worth about $3 million, and last fall, when the value of a bitcoin peaked near $1300, they could have been worth more than $6 million.

At the Bitcoin Center in New York City, Bitcoin enthusiasts are celebrating the Bitcoin holiday with pizza tonight, and two events over the next week.

Before Hanyecz’s pizza party, Bitcoin was mainly seen as a hobby. Bitcoin Pizza Day represents how the virtual currency can actually be used. Not only do thousands of merchants worldwide accept payments in bitcoins today, but the cryptocurrency has attracted the interest of governments and regulatory bodies such as the Federal Reserve, and major financial institutions like Bank of America and Goldman Sachs.

Las Vegas & Bitcoin
Bitcoin is even taking Sin City by storm. Earlier this year, The D Las Vegas Casino Hotel announced that it would partner with Robocoin, a popular Las Vegas-based company that produces Bitcoin ATM’s. Today it was announced that The D would have a Bitcoin ATM inside of its casino, where BTC fans can buy and sell Bitcoin.

The D is the first casino to accept Bitcoin and offer customers a Bitcoin ATM to make transactions. It is interesting to note that this deal was approved in the highly regulated state of Nevada, where gamblers still can’t use bitcoins for gambling.

Four years ago, you couldn’t even buy a pizza with Bitcoin. Today, you can use an ATM machine in a casino to gamble it away. Who knows what will be possible four years from now?