West Virginia gas stations that sell crypto at ATMs
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Love it or hate it, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of Bitcoin (BTC) or some other form of cryptocurrency, but did you know you could buy it at a gas station in West Virginia?
If buying Bitcoin with cash is something you’ve always dreamed of doing, Circle K at 1525 W Pike St. in Clarksburg can make those dreams come true.
A Coin Depot ATM was installed at the gas station late last year, where users can buy Bitcoin with cash after entering their phone number, name and email address. Purchases of $251 or more of BTC will require a photo of your driver’s license or government-issued photo ID.
However, these machines are far from uncommon. There are also two crypto ATMs in Bridgeport, 29 in Morgantown, five in Fairmont and even one in Thomas in Tucker County.
Coin ATM Radar maps the location of cryptocurrency ATMs and lists at least 100 of these machines in West Virginia. While 100 might sound like a lot for West Virginia, it’s pretty tame when you realize that Pittsburgh has over 300 crypto ATMs alone, and there are more than 34,000 machines across the US
It is important to note that many of these machines will not allow you to withdraw money from your digital wallet in exchange for BTC or other cryptocurrencies. The coin depository in Circle K will only allow the purchase of more cryptocurrency with cash or credit card, not the other way around.
It should come as no surprise that cryptocurrency stations are popping up all over the United States. An NBC News survey in March found that 21% of the 1,000 Americans surveyed have invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency. Another study by the Pew Research Center last November found the same calculation to be around 16%.
According to another survey by CouponBirds, some are even interested in being partially compensated in cryptocurrency by their employers. The study found that among the 3,011 respondents, the average worker would have liked to receive 38% of their monthly salary in virtual currency. Based on the average income of respondents, if 38% of their income was in the form of digital assets, the value of those assets would have decreased by $2,656.67 since January 2022.
West Virginia was significantly lower than average, with only a $590.01 impairment, ranking only higher than Arkansas at $575.73. This is consistent with West Virginia’s apparent disinterest in cryptocurrency integration, ranked 49th in the technology and innovation category of CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business in 2022, with cryptocurrency and blockchain playing a factor in the category rankings according to their methodology.
