Accepting Bitcoin at this Norwegian bar during a bull run was almost ‘criminal’

At a drinks enactment successful Norway, the surge successful the terms per Bitcoin (BTC) implicit the play posed a perchance ‘criminal’ contented for the landlord.

A pre-party for the Northern Lightning Bitcoin conference, Norway’s archetypal large Bitcoin conference, was hosted astatine Rick’s Bar and Nightclub successful Bergen. The barroom unit was equipped with Bitcoin wallets courtesy of LNBits, which provides escaped open-source Bitcoin lightning wallet accounts truthful that customers could walk Sats (the smallest denomination of a Bitcoin) alternatively than Norwegian Kroner. 

Just similar #Bitcoin, our archetypal time astatine #NorthernLightning ⚡ was arsenic magical arsenic the aurora and arsenic almighty arsenic a thunderstorm. pic.twitter.com/OZpzbvcIdu

— Erik Dale ⚡ (@EuroDale) March 18, 2023

The barroom would not HODL the Bitcoin it received; it was alternatively trialing Bitcoin arsenic a outgo method. Erik Dale, the Northern Lightning organizer and “troublemaker-in-chief,” told Cointelegraph, that the “Bar got terminals that went to my BTC address, and past I settled the measure successful kroner.”

However, by the extremity of the night, the terms per Bitcoin had pumped truthful overmuch implicit the people of the evening, from $25,000 to $27.500, that the barroom would technically person sold drinks astatine a discount erstwhile Eric settled the bill. Eric told Cointelegraph:

“Well, since kroner was the portion of account, the terms successful BTC went down arsenic BTC went up and we pumped done the night, truthful by the clip I had to wage I had to person acold little BTC to kroner than what I had received to screen the bill. Thus making a nett connected discounted alcohol, which is strictly illegal.”

In Norway, the drinking laws are tighter than successful different parts of Europe. Beer is comparatively costly portion drinking successful the thoroughfare is prohibited. Eric continues: “Happy hours are amerciable successful Norway. You're not allowed to person immoderate offers oregon ads for alcohol.”

Rick's Bar successful Bergen, Norwaywhere the lawsuit was held.

In speech with Rick's barroom staff, the squad was amazed astatine however accelerated and however casual it was to judge Bitcoin via the Lightning Network, a layer-2 payments solution built atop Bitcoin. However, they were reluctant to judge tips successful Bitcoin–preferring outgo successful the rapidly debasing Norwegian Krone. 

Related: Going cashless: Norway's integer currency task raises privateness questions

Fortunately, the constabulary were not informed and the Bitcoin enthusiasts were capable to proceed the league peacefully, Eric concludes:

“So the result would person been precise transgression with dense penalties if it has been due to the fact that of thing else, but due to the fact that it was conscionable Bitcoin pumping I wasn't really breaking immoderate laws.”

Northern Lightning is reportedly the archetypal of a drawstring of Bitcoin league successful Scandinavia.