Georgia Tech adds Bitcoin payment option to stadium concession sales, campus cards

From left to right: Tony Gallippi. BitPay executive chairman; Brett Dulaney, executive director of the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl; and Stephen Pair, BitPay CEO.

In July, Bitcoin payment processor BitPay announced it would sponsor the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Athletic Association, the sports program of BitPay founders Tony Gallippi and Stephen Pair’s alma mater.

Since then, Georgia Tech and BitPay’s relationship has blossomed.

On Wednesday, the Georgia Tech Athletic Association announced that it would integrate Bitcoin payments into its Bobby Dodd Stadium concession sales, as part of a partnership with BitPay. The partnership also allows students to pay for on-campus food, goods, and services in Bitcoins using their campus card, known as BuzzCard. The Athletic Association said the BuzzCard Center will be home to a Bitcoin-enabled point purchase terminal, allowing for BuzzCard account deposits using the digital currency as a method of payment.

“We look forward to working with BitPay to make bitcoin a viable payment option for our students and fans,” said Mike Bobinski, Georgia Tech’s athletics director, in a news release. “At Georgia Tech, we are always looking to lead in innovative ways, and this partnership with BitPay gives us an opportunity to do so by integrating this new technology at a sports venue and in the daily lives of our students.”

“Georgia Tech is one of the best sources of innovation in the country,” said BitPay executive chairman Tony Gallippi. “BitPay is proud to offer its own innovative bitcoin payment processing to the university and its students.”

Meanwhile, Bitcoin wallet provider Pheeva has released a branded Bitcoin wallet for Georgia Tech students and alumni called “Jacket Wallet,” referencing the Atlanta-based university’s team name: Yellow Jackets.

Featuring Georgia Tech’s school colors – navy blue and gold – Jacket Wallet was unveiled on September 24 at a kickoff event for the university’s first dedicated Bitcoin group, Bitcoin@Tech, reports CoinDesk.

Mallika Sen, Bitcoin@Tech’s founder, told CoinDesk “she expects interest to grow as more students begin to use the wallet and take advantage of its gamification elements.”

The news outlet reports that students who download Jacket Wallet will then be able to join the COG Cooperative, a social network that rewards users based on how they promote it. The wallet will monetize through ads, but pay students a portion of ad revenues based on participation points.

According to Jacket Wallet’s description on Apple iTunes, it has an intuitive, easy-to-use interface; can sync with Pheeva’s Google Chrome web wallet; and uses Coin!Ds to send Bitcoins.

The branded wallet is likely to be the first of many to launch at American universities, reports CoinDesk. Pheeva is currently soliciting submissions on which university should be next to get its own branded Bitcoin wallet.

Image courtesy of BitPay