There are always new trends shaking up the gambling world, and one of the most recent is the rise of crypto casino sites. What sets these online casino platforms apart from traditional ones? And what are the main pros and cons of these sites? This article will cover everything you need to know.
Understanding the Basics of Online Gambling
Let’s start with a broad overview of these two different types of online casinos.
What Is a Crypto Casino?
An online crypto casino works like a standard gaming platform; you’ll still be able to play the best casino games online while benefitting from bonuses. The main difference is that you can make payments with cryptocurrencies, including solutions such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, and many others. These casinos come with a unique set of advantages, which I’ll explore later in the article.
What Defines a Traditional Online Casino?
Traditional casinos online are real-money gaming platforms that support payments with popular banking solutions that most people already use. These solutions include credit cards, bank transfers, mobile payments, and e-wallets. Having been around since the 90s, these platforms are still the most common type of online casino today.
Casino Online Comparison – Crypto vs Traditional
Let’s look deeper into the main differences that make up these two types of platforms:
Transaction Methods and Speed
As mentioned, traditional online casinos allow you to make payments with a variety of classic banking solutions. These are often familiar options like Visa, Mastercard, Bank Transfer, Apple Pay, Skrill, etc. Compared to crypto casinos, withdrawals with these solutions take longer to process due to bank verification steps, which can be off-putting to some users.
On the other hand, with the best crypto casinos, you can get your withdrawals almost instantly, as no middleman is needed to verify the payments. The speed of these transactions is one of the main reasons why these sites have been gaining so much traction.
Privacy and KYC Requirements
KYC (Know Your Customer) protocols are there to verify a player’s identity, age, and residence; this is done to help prevent fraud and money laundering. For this reason, when playing at regulated online casinos, you’ll need to submit some form of ID before making deposits and withdrawals.
Now, there are some crypto casinos out there that let you make transactions without providing any personal information; however, these sites are often based offshore. This means these platforms are not regulated in the UK and do not operate legally in the country. Licensed crypto casino sites require KYC verification, just like traditional platforms.
Game Variety and Fairness
Regardless of whether it’s a crypto or traditional platform, when playing at a best-rated online casino, you’ll always have a range of titles to choose from, often from different developers. Adding to this, when playing at regulated platforms, you can rest assured that all the titles on offer work with Random Number Generators (RNGs), which ensure that every result you get when playing is based on luck.
What sets crypto online casinos apart is that they take fairness and transparency to another level by using Provably Fair Technology. This is a system that lets you verify the fairness of each game yourself, which is something that’s not possible at traditional casino sites.
Licensing and Regulation
Since crypto casinos could technically allow players to make payments without inputting any traditional banking and personal data, many choose to operate offshore to allow them to keep offering these advantages. This might sound appealing at first, but for UK players, playing at offshore sites also means fewer player protections, which can lead to issues down the line.
For a safe and secure gambling experience, the UK Gambling Commission must license the casino you’re playing with. This ensures that your rights as a player are protected, the games are fair, and responsible gambling tools are in place.
Key Differences in User Experience
Now, let’s highlight some main differences between crypto casinos and traditional platforms when it comes to user experience.
User Interfaces and Navigation
Regardless of which casino you’re playing at, at a professional site, you can expect a smooth and seamless gaming experience. The main thing to mention here is that, since crypto casino online sites are quite new, they are often more catered towards a tech-savvy kind of audience. For this reason, they tend to experiment with more UI elements, all of which are there to offer a more immersive gaming experience. Still, when it comes to things like loading times, intuitive navigation, and mobile accessibility, both traditional and crypto online casinos offer a high-quality experience.
Bonus Systems and Promotions
Although not many, there are some key differences in the bonuses and promotions you’ll find at these two casinos. However, these mainly depend on the platform you’re playing on. Here are a few common trends:
- The bonuses at crypto casinos tend to be bigger.
- Since they’re still a relatively new concept, many crypto sites tend to offer referral bonuses to help encourage player growth.
- Bonuses at crypto casinos can be less restrictive when it comes to withdrawal limits.
- Crypto casino bonuses may be more flexible when it comes to expiration dates and time limits.
Customer Support & Accessibility
Whether crypto or traditional, the best online casinos in the UK tend to offer reliable customer support around the clock. Often, you’ll be able to contact the team via the following channels:
- Live chat
- Contact forms on their website.
One key difference I’d like to mention here is that traditional platforms can also offer phone support, which isn’t as common with crypto casinos. So, if having a direct phone line is important for you, that’s something to keep in mind when choosing where to play.
Unique Consideration – Blockchain Transparency & Trust
Now, let’s look closer at one of the unique qualities of crypto casinos: provably fair gaming.
What Is ‘Provably Fair’?
When it comes to casino games online, both these platforms operate with RNGs, which ensure that every result you get when playing these games is completely based on luck. In traditional casinos, these RNGs are tested by independent third parties, but players can’t verify the results. What sets crypto casinos apart is their use of Provably Fair technology, which lets players check the fairness of each game outcome themselves.
Is Transparency Always Better for the User?
While the Provably Fair Technology offers complete transparency, it’s not something every player prioritises. As mentioned, RNGs at the best casinos online are tested by independent third parties, and this is satisfactory for most players. Additionally, Provably Fair systems can be more complex to understand and use for some users, so if you’re not particularly tech-savvy, it might feel like more effort than it’s worth.
Online Casino Trust & Regulation – Who Can You Rely On?
Before I wrap up this article, let’s have another quick look at regulations, licenses, and compliance regarding these two types of online casinos.
Licensing Bodies and What They Mean for Players
As mentioned previously, your site of choice must be licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Here are the main benefits of playing at regulated platforms:
- They follow strict rules to keep your personal and financial information safe.
- Use RNGs that are regularly audited to ensure all the games on offer are fair.
- You can rest assured that, after verification, payouts will be sent to you within a fixed time frame.
How Crypto Casinos Handle Regulation
The UK Government and the Gambling Commission have been working to update their frameworks to address crypto gaming. Here are some rules to consider:
- Any platform offering gambling services, even crypto casinos, must have a license from the UKGC to operate legally in the country.
- Just like traditional casinos, crypto gaming platforms must undergo strict Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Counter-Terrorist Financing (CTF) regulations. This means players’ identities must be verified and transactions closely monitored for suspicious behaviour.
- Crypto casinos must follow strict rules when advertising their platforms, making sure they’re clear and transparent about any risks involved.
The Role of Responsible Gaming Features
When playing casino online games at licensed platforms, you’ll always have a set of responsible gaming tools you can use to play responsibly. Here are the most common ones you’ll find:
| Tool | How can it help |
| Deposit Limits | Restricts how much money you can add to your account |
| Reality-checks | Sends alerts to remind you how long you’ve been playing |
| Wager Limits | Sets a cap on the amount of money you can wager on games over a set period |
| Loss Limits | Helps limit the amount of money you can lose in a playing session |
| Self-exclusion | Prohibits you from accessing the casino for a stipulated time frame |
The Future of Casino Online – Are Hybrid Platforms the Solution?
As the benefits of crypto payments become more recognised, we’re starting to see the rise of hybrid platforms. These are essentially sites that combine the benefits of traditional casinos with the more modern features of casino sites. At these platforms, you’ll be able to make payments with both crypto and options such as credit cards and e-wallets. In some cases, you might even find exclusive bonuses or games that are only available to crypto users.
If you’re interested in making payments with crypto but aren’t ready to solely start using these solutions to make your transactions, I highly suggest playing at hybrid platforms; this can be a good starting point to see which one might be the better fit for you
