An individual managed to turn $86 into 3,152 Bitcoins in less than 2 hours thanks to NiceHash’s EasyMining service. Using a simple computing power rental package, he found a block and won a reward of over $270,000.
Individual turns $86 into 3.152 Bitcoins thanks to EasyMining
On December 18, 2025, an anonymous individual managed to mine an entire block, winning a reward of 3.152 BTC, or approximately $270,000, with an initial investment of only $86.
The event took place via the NiceHash platform, specifically through its EasyMining service. This lucky miner used the Gold M Package, which allows anyone to temporarily rent computing power without owning any hardware.
He found block number 928,351, earning the entire reward given to the miner who successfully validates a block.
What is the Gold M Package?
The Gold M Package is one of the packages offered on EasyMining, allowing users to rent Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency mining power for a short period of time. It is aimed at users who want to try their luck without having to deal with the usual technical complexities of mining. Although the chances of success are very low, the Bitcoin network is based on a probabilistic proof of work that gives everyone a chance in proportion to their computing power.This exploit reminds us that the Bitcoin protocol remains open and fair: it rewards those who secure the blockchain consensus, regardless of their size. While such events remain rare, they fuel the collective imagination around Bitcoin and maintain its desirability.
Mining Bitcoin at home is within everyone’s reach
In contrast to remote mining via services such as EasyMining, another approach is attracting a growing community: home mining, particularly with small machines such as Bitaxes.
This open-source project, born from the initiative of hackers and committed Bitcoiners, allows users to mine Bitcoin from home at very low hardware costs… but with virtually zero returns.
Depending on the model, a Bitaxe can be purchased from €150 and consumes around 15 to 20 watts, the equivalent of an internet box, and offers a power of 500 GH/s to 1 TH/s. Newer, more powerful but also more expensive models are also easily available from various retailers, notably the Bitcoin Bazar store in the Montmartre district of Paris. It is very low-powered compared to modern industrial ASICs, but it is enough to start mining, understand the Bitcoin protocol, and even, with a lot of luck, mine a block.
Miners have proven it: in July 2024, an individual found block #853742 with a handful of Bitaxes. The following March, another did the same with block #887212, pocketing more than 3 BTC. These stories are obviously exceptions. With equivalent power, it would take an individual an average of 3,500 years to find a block. But let’s be clear: home mining is not profitable. The cost of electricity for individuals is much higher than that of industrial farms, which are often located near energy surpluses or hydroelectric dams.In Europe, mining at home means losing money. Nevertheless, Bitaxe continues to attract interest and embodies educational, sovereign, and decentralized mining, seeking to compete with large mining farms by setting up shop in the homes of thousands of individuals around the world.
