Merge Network, one of the last US-friendly poker networks in the online poker market, is currently considering the use of Bitcoins in order to help facilitate player withdrawals. The idea came about when a 2+2 poster suggested on the forum that Carbon Poker, Merge Network’s main poker room, start using Bitcoins to pay out US players and at the same time ease the networks long history of withdrawal issues, delays and problems.
Merge would ideally come to an agreement with players wanting to cash outtheir money, and purchase Bitcoins at an exchange and fund the player’s Bitcoin account with the equivalent os the US$ to be paid out. The player would then be able to exchange this money at his own will.
This would definitely be a very innovative way to solve the withdrawal crisis Merge has been going through the last few months. But it also raises a lot of questions and considerations which need to be addressed before making a decision.
The main preocupation among opponents of this proposal is that the value or exchange rate of Bitcoins fluctuates and varies constantly. This could of course mean that players might speculate and earn even more money for their Bitcoins but ti could also mean the opposite, that players lose more money than intended.