The 2015 edition of the St Petersburg Bowl will not be known as the Bitcoin St Petersburg Bowl, according to ESPN.A representative from the TV news source would not comment as to whether the move foretells a sponsorship change for this year's event, or if it is currently seeking a new sponsor for the 2015 bowl game.Last year's event was sponsored by bitcoin processor BitPay, which inked a three-year deal to brand the college football playoff.“The decision to rebrand the event to the St. Petersburg Bowl was a mutual one between both BitPay and ESPN.” While the 'Bitcoin Bowl' was a ratings hit and a symbolic event for the bitcoin community at large, its effectiveness as a marketing tool was called into question by the mixed merchant reaction to its promotional tactics.The comment is a response to strong social media reaction that followed the removal of last year's bitcoin-centric imagery from the event's website and related social media accounts.ESPN offered no additional comment, while BitPay has been unresponsive to requests for further information.

A representative from Tropicana Field, the stadium that hosts the annual event, was unable to provide insight into the matter, stating: "We have no reason to think that bitcoin will not be back."Disclaimer: CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan is an investor in BitPay.The Sacramento Kings announced Thursday that they will become the first professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency.Beginning on March 1, fans will be able to buy gear in the team store and pay for tickets with the digital money."Whenbitcoin library ios"This is an example of that."Ranadivelitecoin wallet weeks behindsaid that the acceptance of Bitcoin is one step closer to allowing fans to keep their wallets at home, thanks to what will eventually be a ticketless and cashless environment at the arena."Myhow does bitcoin escrow work

kids would go to games and ask why we didn't accept Bitcoin," Ranadive said.Although Bitcoin is five years old and has a market value of roughly $11 billion, the idea of retailers accepting this form of payment is in its infancy. became the first major retailer to accept the virtual money, which unlike the value of government-issued money fluctuates rapidly.On Thursday, one Bitcoin was worth approximately $850.Bitcoin users buy the digital money and load it onto a virtual wallet.micro bitcoin to usdWhile there's risk to Bitcoin owners because digital cash can be erased, there's no risk to the Kings.bitcoin cnetThe team will be using Bitcoin processor Bitpay, which accepts the digital dollars and pays the Kings in actual cash.wie bitcoin auszahlen lassenUnlike credit and debit cards, Bitpay charges a flat fee instead of a percentage of sale, which will allow the team to net more money on transactions if this becomes a more popular payment system.As part of pushing techonology, Ranadive also said the team is experimenting with Google Glass, which has a small computer mounted on an eyeglass frame.ethereum coin history

He said he believes the device could enhance the fan experience and even allow Kings coaches to do their jobs better during games.In the latest news from bitcoin’s “Why didn’t I think of that first?” department: one lucky college football fan has reportedly received over $20,000 in donations simply for putting his bitcoin wallet address up for the cameras on ESPN’s College Gameday.bitcoin reichHolding up "Hi Mom Send Money” signs at college sports events isn’t new, but this fan went a few steps further, replacing ‘money’ with a large bitcoin logo and even larger QR code of his payment address.bitcoin euro preevHe even used a vanity address generator to insert the characters ‘HiMoM’ near the beginning of the address for authenticity.A QR code is like a barcode that is used by merchants and individuals to accept bitcoin payments.

The square image is translated into the 27-34 alphanumeric characters that make up a bitcoin address when scanned.Bitcoiners, who never met a QR code they didn’t try to scan, saw the sign on TV and almost immediately began to send donations.When someone posted a screenshot to reddit, even more began to donate with helpful users enhancing the image and even posting the address string itself.Donations skyrocketed after that.At the time of writing, that address had received 103 contributions and over 22 BTC, well over $20,000 despite a dip in bitcoin’s value.A few donations were large, equaling $4,000-5,000 each.Reddit user bitcoinpitcher2 claimed responsibility for the stunt, saying: “I didn’t expect it to take off like this."He apparently proved the claim to doubters by posting a photo of the sign with another ‘Honey Badger of Money’ one with handwriting referencing the reddit thread.Though he appeared to have a good background in bitcoin knowledge, he wrote he was “still learning how to use bitcoins” and like many other suddenly-wealthy bitcoin users, needed fast advice on how to keep wallets secure.

Reddit users soon obliged with helpful hints.Using a slightly different username, the he also posted this to reddit four days before the game: I'm planning on being at ESPN's college gameday show in Auburn, AL this Saturday.I want to see if I can get a creative bitcoin related sign past security (they might have an issue with a QR code if I go that route).I thought this one was ok: "HI MOM, SEND BITCOINS!"After the amount topped 2 BTC, bitcoinpitcher2 promised to re-donate further funds to bitcoin-accepting Florida homeless shelter Sean’s Outpost and a fellow reddit user who accelerated donations by enhancing the QR code.He expressed some concern, however, about the effect the windfall would have on his taxable income.“(I’m) not a bitcoin millionaire.I read about bitcoins on Slashdot couple years back, did nothing.April 2013 bubble had me take a second look.Bought a bitcoin in July for $101 to get my feet wet and see what all the talk was about.Watched it grow rapidly and thought about the sign as a joke not thinking it would work.

DanielTaylor from Europe used GIMP to decode the blurry image.He's getting a tip to an address he PM'ed me.I'll be making a donation to Sean's Outpost as soon as I can work out all the tax implications.Hopefully before Monday when the matching offer ends.In the mean time, someone told me I need to learn how to use Electrum.That's next on my radar.” He admitted donations probably increased after he promised further funds would go to charity, adding later: “I think the big money rolled in because I said that.Now it will go to a good cause.” Early bitcoin miners and pre-2013 adopters aside, many people could use an extra $20,000 right now — especially those attending college.The public could now see a flood of bitcoin QR codes in public places as others try to emulate the college student.Like Alex Tew’s Million Dollar Homepage, it’s an idea that will probably spawn imitators but only be truly effective the first time.Bitcoin and reddit users are known to be generous in the interests of spreading the digital currency word, but there won’t be thousands of dollars for everyone who asks publicly.