What's the difference between a Crypto live casino and a Fiat casino?
Online casinos are enjoyable, but they don't generally provide the same immersive feeling that you get when you're in a real casino. There's a completely different environment: you're stuck behind a screen, you don't get to watch a dealer place the cards down, and you don't get the same immersive satisfaction when placing each bet.
While online casinos do have some benefits that in-person casinos don't, it's just not the same. This is where live dealers come into play. A live stream of a real casino with hosts of different players (some you can even interact with). That being said, you don't have to use crypto for these casinos; you could just use fiat currencies.
The difference between a fiat casino and a crypto casino is not all too different in the sense of how the gameplay works. In fact, most casinos will automatically convert your crypto into USD while you're in the live casino to avoid any confusion and for some regulatory reasons. But it's once you start looking at a few smaller changes using Bitcoin/Altcoins that you'll see differences. These differences include how you can deposit funds, how much you're able to spend, anonymity, KYC, etc. There are pros and cons to a crypto casino for sure.
Pros
-
Transaction speed: Unlike your typical bank, crypto deposits do not take long to process. When looking at features like "Lightning Bitcoin". They're pretty much automatically processed and confirmed. This means that the time between jumping on a website and actually jumping into a live game of roulette takes just a few minutes. Many crypto websites even run an "instant deposit" system where your funds appear on the website after just 1 confirmation.
-
Anonymity: Since Sotashi first created the amazing Bitcoin, anonymity has been an essential component of the coin. It's something that we as humans are losing more and more each day; crypto provides a hope to remain anonymous in everything that we do. Gambling included!
-
Quick: Once you've found a website that provides for your needs, from pulling out your PC to jumping into a game with a live dealer, it can take less than 5 minutes. You no longer need to drive down to a local casino.
-
Trustable: Although it's not impossible to fake things, using a live dealer at an online casino is much more trustable. This is for two reasons; first, you can physically watch as the dealer places each bet, just like at a normal casino. Should an issue arise, you can report it through the casino's UI. And second, you'll be using casino providers for the live stream, meaning that they have less incentive to force the player to lose (The payment is still through the online casino).
-
Location: Perhaps one of the biggest draws to live dealer crypto casinos is the fact that you can play almost anywhere and everywhere, especially if you have a good VPN.
-
Limits: If you find the right casino, there will be no limit to the size of the bet you can place. And if you want to stretch your playtime, some casinos allow bets of just 1 Satoshi.
-
Bonuses: Crypto casinos generally offer incentives that you won't find in any other casino. This includes multiple deposit bonuses, rakebacks, cashbacks, VIP programs, Free Spins, and more.
Cons
-
Experience: Although a live casino will provide the closest experience to a normal casino, you're still behind a PC, and so you'll be missing out on some parts of the experience.
-
Security: Due to the nature of cryptocurrencies, there are consistent phishing attempts, scammers, and spoofers trying to grab your funds. This means you need to do your research when looking for casinos, and a general rule of thumb is that you do not leave your funds in the casino for long periods of time.
-
Market volatility: Cryptocurrencies have a "spontaneous" habit of crashing or rising. While this means you could walk away with more winnings than you'd have hoped for, there is always a chance that while you're playing with some DOGE, it loses half its value.
Criteria for a great live crypto casino
There are thousands of live crypto casinos out there. Finding one that best suits your needs can be complicated. Thankfully, our experts have formulated criteria to help you decipher whether the casino makes the cut. Here’s what we base our criteria on:
-
Anonymity: One of the greatest benefits of using a live crypto casino is its anonymity feature. However, not all crypto casinos are completely anonymous, a handful of them require players to validate their accounts with strict KYC/AML policies. Despite this, we always check out a platform's KYC policies under their terms and conditions to see if they truly are anonymous.
-
Reputation: Before we even consider using a live crypto casino, the first thing we do is to verify the platform's online reputation. Bad reviews, customer complaints, and glitches are sure signs to avoid the casino at all costs. Always see what the crypto community has to say about a platform before depositing any funds.
-
Deposit and Withdrawal Limits: If you’re wanting to play big, crypto casinos offer the highest deposit and withdrawal limits. However, some crypto casinos are reluctant to pay out all a player's winnings at once.
-
License: While most crypto casinos are licensed, there are a few that don’t carry one. It may not be necessary for a crypto casino to possess a license, despite this, using one with a license carries less risk and is recommended.
-
Live Dealer/ Game Selection: There are hundreds of Live Dealer games available. Crypto casinos don’t always offer every version and generally stick with the popular titles of games. So, it’s best to make sure a platform stocks the type of Live Dealer game that best suits your needs.
-
Bonuses: Crypto casinos are in a world of their own when it comes to welcome bonuses and rewards. Always check out a casino's welcome bonus offering and requirements so that you can double your potential winnings.
-
Payment Methods: The majority of crypto casinos accept several cryptocurrencies and support various payment methods. It’s always a good thing to first identify which currencies a casino accepts and see if it makes your crypto gambling preference.
-
Customer Support: Gambling with crypto comes with a few complications. When you run into trouble at a crypto casino, it’s essential that there is someone to offer support. Choose a crypto casino that you can reach out to live chat.
How to use a live crypto casino
Although each casino may have a slightly different process, jumping into a live casino game is fairly simple. As long as you understand the few basics of how cryptocurrencies work, you shouldn't run into any issues.
Step 1: Look for the right casino
To start things off, you’ll need to make sure you’ve selected the right crypto casino. To make things easier for you, we’ve included a list below of the best Live Dealer crypto casinos.
Step 2: Sign Up
Each website has its own methods here; you can find websites that allow for Metamask/Connect Wallet and some allow for Google login. However, the general login process requires an email address, a username, and a password. You may need to confirm the email as well.
Step 3: Deposit
You should see a "Deposit" button on the home page: When you tap on this, a new screen should show.
Every crypto casino will provide you with a unique deposit address and a QR code. If the casino implements Metamask, you can just select the deposit amount and sign for the transaction. Alternatively, you'll need to copy the deposit address and send the crypto from your wallet. (We suggest using a private wallet and not depositing from an exchange)
Once you've sent the funds through, it shouldn't take more than 15 minutes before the funds show up in your account.
Step 4: Choose your game
Depending on the crypto casino you've chosen, there will be multiple games you can choose from. The most common live dealer games are
However some providers have alternative games to choose from. Some of the most popular providers are Evolution Gaming, Evoplay, Lucky Streak, and Bombay Play.
Step 5: Start playing!
Once you've chosen your game, it should take a few moments for the live stream to load. For most live casinos, your cryptocurrency is automatically converted to USD. Along with the live stream, you will have betting options, a few streaming settings, a customer support option, and the ability to communicate in a live chat.
Place your bets with a crypto live dealer, trust the numbers, not your gut, and pray that you walk away with some solid profits. Once you leave the live casino, the site should reflect the winnings in the site balance.
Types of live dealer casino games
You should only play a game at a live casino when you understand the dynamics of the game. It wouldn’t be advised to wager crypto if you’re not entirely sure of what to expect from the gameplay. Take a look at some of the most popular types of live dealer casino games for crypto enthusiasts:
Live Roulette
Roulette is one of the better RTP games and is a popular option for anyone looking to win. Who can forget the excitement of hitting a 0 for a massive payout. Live Dealer crypto casinos offer several versions of the game including American Roulette, Auto-Roulette, and Lightning Roulette.
Live Blackjack
Live Blackjack is one of the highest-paying games to play at a crypto live casino. Some crypto versions of the game allow players to re-split aces and double up. Beat the crypto live dealer to a 21 count, and win big with versions such as Blackjack One, Blackjack Azure, and Blackjack Ruby.
Live Baccarat
Baccarat is easily one of the most popular table games at any casino. The game was made infamous by James Bond movies, although its low house edge is probably the reason for its fame. Baccarat is often known as "the gentleman's" game. You can place a bet with the "Banker" or with the "Player" in order to win; you must place a bet on the side that draws cards as close to 9 as possible. If you win, you'll double your money.
Live Poker
Crypto poker and traditional poker are pretty much identical, the difference being the method of payment. However, several variations of the game include Triple Card Poker, Casino Stud Poker, and Bet on Poker.
Game Shows
Live Dealer crypto casinos aren’t exclusively limited to table games, there’s a variety of popular games for you to relive the moments. Popular Live Dealer Game Shows include Deal or No Deal, Monopoly, and many more.
Tips & strategies for live dealers
-
Know Your Game: With so many games available at live dealer casinos, there's a chance you could open a game that you don't know much about. Make sure that you understand the games before playing with real money. Most of the games that live casinos offer will have a demo software version of the game. We suggest playing it there for a bit first.
-
Know when to stop: This may sound like it goes without saying but know when you need to stop playing. If you're running a winning streak, quit while you're ahead. And if you're down, learn to compose yourself and control your actions. As we say in the gambling community, trust the numbers, not your gut.
-
Casino selection: Find a casino that provides the best promotions. You may need to look into the rules of the promotions as live casino bets are not included in their wagering requirements. If you find a casino that provides promotions to the users who play on live casinos, take advantage of this. Any bonus you get as you play will lower that house edge.
-
Martingale strategy: Perhaps the most popular strategy used in casinos is the martingale strategy. The process is simple. You set a base bet at a 2X payout (usually, this will be very low), and each time you lose, you double your bet. This way, when you eventually win, you'll make the same amount of money back that you've started with, plus the profit as if you won the first round.
-
Pick games with the best RTP: Different casino games have a different house edge percentage. If you're looking to maximize your chances of walking away with profits, find a live casino game that holds the lowest RTP. Prime examples of this are Monopoly and PvP poker.
-
Card counting: Contrary to popular belief, counting cards is not illegal in any casino. Casino hosts, however, do not like it. That being said, card counting can be extremely difficult and does not assure you that you'll be walking away with profits.
What are the best live casinos for crypto
BC.Game (Best Overall)
Stake.com (Best for High Rollers + Most Trustable)
Gunsbet.com (Most Anonymous)
Rocketpot
Bitcasino.io (Best Reputation)
