Macau’s first bitcoin exchange kiosk has moved from its original location in a pawnshop in the hotel lobby of Sands Macao to a pawnshop across the street from the L’Arc hotel casino.
The company behind the installation, Bitcoinnect, said the move was made to secure a better WiFi connection, but news reports suggest the machine has been caught up in a recent controversy over illicit UnionPay cash card transactions by mainland Chinese gamblers seeking to evade the country’s currency controls. The scandal has forced the Macau government to declare it will not allow new UnionPay swipe terminals in casino-based pawnshops and jewelry stores.
Sands Macao said it had no knowledge of the bitcoin kiosk, according to news reports.
Bitcoinnect, meanwhile, says it plans to deploy three more kiosks in non-casino locations in the coming weeks.
