“This is a town that brings out the worst addictions. If you are weak, you will surrender and become destitute; if you are strong you will be okay.” –Vegas cryptocurrency trader

Looks like cryptocurrency is all the rage now! I caught the crypto fever in Vegas. I knew about the risks, but it was the right city to buy cryptocurrency cash-and-carry at the best rates so I went for it. There was a problem: I had cash in hand but no trader was willing to come to my hotel. They all require meeting up at their preferred spots. Can’t blame them, would you want to meet a stranger for a large cash transaction and risk being robbed? I suppose it’s like booking a call girl without references haha. No way I was going to meet them in remote parts of Vegas I was unfamiliar with. No way. 

It was my lucky day. I found a trader who was willing to come to my hotel for an extra fee. He was cautious and asked which convention I was in town for, I told him. It took some effort to convince him I was legit and safe to see. We met at the bar downstairs. He seemed nervous, so was I. We counted the cash right in front of other people, I bet people thought we were doing a drug deal. Then he released the crypto to my account on the exchange forum and the transaction was complete. He asked me about the convention, I told him about it. We had a conversation about the risk and future of cryptocurrency.

He seemed like a nice person, so I invited him to a bitcoin panel I was planning to go to. The panel was boring, just a sales pitch for wealth management services. We chatted a little. I was fascinated and asked him many questions. Are your clients mostly male or female? How often do you do this? Are you ever afraid for your safety? What else do you do with your time? What are your political beliefs? He answered all my questions. Some answers were ambiguous, just enough to satisfy my curiosity. You can tell he has secrets, who knows what else those underground people are up to. I asked him what it’s like living in Vegas around casinos and whether he enjoys gambling. He said: “This is a town that brings out the worst addictions. If you are weak, you will surrender and become destitute; if you are strong you will be okay.” I found that so poetic and beautiful I asked him to repeat it so I could write it down. He did, and I wrote it down.