When Bitcoin (BTC) came into the world in 2009, few people predicted the seismic impact it would have on global finance.
Yet over the following decade, BTC, as well as numerous newer cryptocurrencies known as altcoins, have become an accepted payment method by thousands of online businesses, including retailers and entertainment sites. Users can buy products and services via crypto wallets: online holdings that transfer crypto instantly and cheaply.
Many online casinos have seen how popular the digital coins are and now accept them as a deposit method, in most cases alongside traditional currencies.
You can see crypto casinos available in your location on this page, along with several filters that you can use to finetune the list. Read on to find the best option for you, which cryptocurrencies you can use, as well as more information about the digital coins that have taken the world by storm.
What are cryptocurrencies?
The world of crypto is very complex to beginners, but we can define a cryptocurrency in one sentence: it's a digital currency whose transactions are logged on a decentralized system using cryptography rather than a centralized authority like a bank.
There are many pros and cons of using a system like this, some of which we will explore later, but the biggest advantage is that it gives individuals much greater autonomy and, in many cases, a higher degree of security than traditional finance. The downside to this autonomy, though, is that individuals can also exploit it to fund illegal activities.
Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency, launched in January 2009 by a mysterious software engineer using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto built BTC on blockchain technology – a database that serves as a ledger for digital transactions. Users, known as miners, could add to it by creating new blocks, and therefore new Bitcoin.
Most cryptocurrencies are built on blockchain. Following Bitcoin's success, many alternative cryptos, known as altcoins, also used blockchain to build their own systems.
The first-ever altcoin was Namecoin, founded by Vincent Durham in 2011, but other have since surpassed it in size and value. Out of the thousands of coins that have sprung up, many are relatively stable methods that look set to be long-term finance options. However, there are some, informally known as 'sh*tcoins', that have shone for a short time, but then crashed and burned.
Some coins thought to be a joke, though, have surprised people – Dogecoin (DOGE) is the most famous of these, a coin based on the Doge meme created by Reddit users whose explosive growth made headlines in 2021.
With the use of virtual coins increasing all the time, more and more online casinos are recognizing major cryptos as an official payment method. Read on to find out which these are and what you can expect when you use them.
Which coins might be accepted at a cryptocurrency casino?
Bitcoin is the original and most established cryptocurrency, and this is reflected in the large number of Bitcoin casinos. Many of them only accept BTC from the crypto world, but a growing number also allow altcoin deposits.
Here's a list of some of the most popular:
- Ethereum (ETH) – Probably the most successful altcoin. ETH's smart contract function makes it ideal to form the Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) that serve as digital proof of ownership of an item.
- Cardano (ADA) – Increasingly popular in online casinos. ADA also enables smart contracts, but operates on a peer-review system, meaning each upgrade is subject to expert approval.
- Litecoin (LTC) – Litecoin's long life span means that it's been used as a casino deposit option for some time.
- Ripple (XRP) – Ripple is popular due to its quick and cheap transactions, although it has had legal issues in the past.
- Dash (DASH) – Created as a fork of the Bitcoin protocol, Dash often flies under the radar in crypto discussion. Online casinos seem to like it, though.
- Dogecoin (DOGE) – Yes, you can make Dogecoin deposits. It looks like the meme coin is here to stay, too, so more casinos may take it on in the future.
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH) – BCH was created using a hard fork of the Bitcoin protocol in 2017. It promises quicker transactions than the original, but there have been questions over its security. Still, many online casinos accept it as a payment method.
Note: Whichever crypto you'd like to use; make sure your chosen casino accepts it before you sign up.
What are the pros and cons of using crypto casinos?
If you're a fan of crypto, then the obvious advantage of crypto casinos is that they accept digital currencies when run-of-the-mill online casinos don't. This offers greater flexibility in making deposits and puts your digital funds to practical use.
However, there are more advantages. Transfers from crypto wallets are often quicker and cheaper than traditional banking methods. There are no bank fees for a start, although the casino may apply charges, so watch out for that. They also tend not to experience the hold-ups that we may see in the 'real' world, although network delays are possible.
Another bonus for some people is that crypto casinos often offer much higher privacy, to the point that some are known as 'anonymous casinos'. While traditional payment methods are always connected to a personal identity, anonymous casinos don't need any personal info from you, apart from maybe an email address. This simply wouldn't be possibly without the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies.
It's not all great news with cryptocurrency casinos, though. There are fewer options to choose from, and they tend to offer more modest bonuses than their traditional counterparts. That said, you may find some great deals by going to my list of no deposit bonuses and looking for crypto-friendly casinos there.
How do we find the best crypto casino?
Every casino that you see on this page is available to you in the country you're located. However, going through each one to find the ideal option is a tedious process.
This page can help you narrow the list down by using the filters at the top of the page. These include the most popular requirements, such as which sites are mobile-friendly, which you can find by selecting the 'Popular Filters' drop-down menu and choosing your preferred option.
You can also sort through these sites by the currency they accept. If you'd like to find your ideal Bitcoin casino, for example, then just select Bitcoin from the list of payment methods.
The other filters relate to games. Like with traditional casinos, crypto-friendly sites offer popular game types such as slots, roulette and blackjack. You might also have a preferred provider whose games you always look out for. The last two filters will let you pick and choose these two factors from their drop-down lists.
Note: Remember you don't have to sign up to a website to play on your favorite casino games. My list of free casino games has a wide range of titles for you to try out, and you don't need to spend a cent or provide any personal details.
