Govnt has nothing to do with it other than trying to figure out how to regulate it, so they say.
Ultra underground site called
Silk Road where large volume drug dealers (think kilos), hit men, arsonists, counterfeit activities,, anything illegal would post items or services for sale/hire using Bitcoin.
Had 900,000 members.
Owner had a network he paid incredible sums of $ to many server companies who bounced around the world.
Interesting story;
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/11/silk-road/
US Govnt now has his $28 mil in Bitcoins (worth more like $33 mil now);
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/1...99P01120131026
Read today where ex owner of the Aladin Casino in Vegas is trying to sell his spread of a home for $7.8 mil using Bitcoin. One article said it may be hard to do as value can go up and down by 30% in a day in the time closing / escrow can happen.
http://www.businessinsider.com/las-v...-house-2013-12
Said a San Fran Lambo dealer recently sold car to another man for $91,xxx Bitcoins.