The Bunny Ranch is probably the most famous legal brothel in the world, largely thanks to being featured on HBO’s Cathouse show and its owner Dennis Hof giving the Nevada-based business huge exposure through social media, books, as well as podcasts, and live streaming events. He has even done a speech at Oxford University about prostitution.
But for those who do end up visiting the brothel as a client, it’s likely they are looking for the utmost discretion when it comes to payments. This is where cryptocurrency comes into play. In a statement Hof said Bunny Ranch, which is one of the seven legal brothels he owns in Nevada state, has started to “explore” using bitcoin for payment for sexual services.
“We have some of the richest men in the world coming in and out of my brothels” said Hof. “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.
“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 before describing how clients would come into the brothel with duffel bags full of cash, which poses a security problem.
Hof did not say when the brothel will start accepting cryptocurrency for payment, but he and his business would be the latest in a long line that have already started doing so. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity in the mainstream due to their anonymous and secretive nature. Once seen as the currency of choice for the shady underbelly of the internet, cryptocurrencies are now being accepted at mainstream businesses and some employees are even paid in bitcoin.