The crypto-casino industry has come a long way since the days of SatoshiDice. While the main concept of transparent, trustless and fair gambling still remains constant, the space has grown by some distance. More specifically, there are now literally thousands of Ethereum games for those that enjoy the thrill of online gambling.
Not only does this include hallmark table games such as blackjack and roulette, but also heaps of slots, video poker, virtual games, and even sports betting.
If you are yet to experience the weird and wonderful world of Ethereum casinos, then be sure to read our guide. We will discuss why Ethereum games are guaranteed for their fairness, how they offer benefits such as anonymous gameplay, and instant deposits and withdrawals.
Ethereum games: What’s the big deal?
If you are an experienced online gambler, then you might be wondering why you should make the transition from a fiat sector that has been in business since the 1990s, over to that of a new and exciting phenomenon that is still in its infancy. Well, the benefits of what Ethereum casino platforms can offer are significant.
Here is the main crust of why you should consider playing Ethereum games.
The account opening process
Just like you would be expected to do with a traditional online casino, before you can start playing Ethereum games you will need to open an account. However, there is a major disparity in the information you are required to provide. In the case of a fiat casino, you will need to provide a full set of personal information, including but not limited to your name, address, date of birth and nationality. When playing at an Ethereum games casino, you will only need to provide your email address.
The deposit process
If you have deposited funds at an online casino before, then it is likely you used your debit or credit card. While this is super convenient, and most cases – free of charge, it also presents a security risk. This is because you need to enter your debit/credit details straight into the website of the online casino, If the information was to get into the wrong hands, then somebody might have the opportunity to use your card fraudulently.
On the contrary, Ethereum casinos ask you to deposit funds externally. All you need to do is transfers funds from your external Ethereum wallet, and transfer the ETH straight to your unique deposit address. This way, there is no risk of malpractice.
Fairness
When playing casino games at a traditional operator, there is no way for you to ensure the platform is playing fair. Instead, you need to trust that the operator is acting legitimately. This is a huge amount of trust that is required, especially when you consider you are risking your hard earned money.
Ethereum games require no trust at all. Instead, crypto-centric platforms utilise a safeguard called Provably Fair. Developed by the creator behind SatoshiDice, Provably Fair ensures that each and every Ethereum gaming outcome is fair. This includes the ability to verify that the outcome was determined randomly, fully in-line with the game’s RTP (Return-to-Player).
The underlying technology of Provably Fair also ensures that the result cannot be tampered with. The protocol generates a gaming outcome by taking a seed phrase from both the casino and the player. This way, if either party attempted to cheat, it would be clear for all to see.
Finally, Provably Fair is also transparent. This means that Ethereum gaming data is accessible for all to see. Although it cannot be manipulated, it is noteworthy that the data is publicly accessible.
House-edge
Running a traditional fiat casino online is a truly expensive exercise. Much of this is because of overbearing regulatory red-tape that operators must adhere to. For example, anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) forces to online casinos to identify each and every player that uses their platform. Not only this, but operators must also install costly compliance teams to monitor player activity 24/7.
The only way that traditional casinos are able to recoup these costs is to pass them onto their players. To do this, the casino will typically increase the underlying house-edge on the games it offers.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ethereum games require virtually no red-tape at all. As much of the technology is able to function autonomously, platforms are able to operate with a lean labour force. Furthermore, as Ethereum casinos do not facilitate real-world fiat deposits or withdrawals, they are not susceptible to the same regulatory burdens. As such, this much lower costing model allows Ethereum games to offer much lower house-edges.
Withdrawals
Once again, if you have previously had the misfortune of attempting to withdraw funds from a conventional fiat casino, you will know the process can be tiresome. Not only do you need to verify your identity by uploading countless documents, but you usually need to wait between 24-48 hours for the casino to verify your withdrawal request.
Once they do, you then need to wait an additional few days for the funds to arrive back on your debit/credit card. All in all, while depositing money is an instant process, trying to cash out your winnings is a different story.
Ethereum casinos operate in a completely different manner. As soon as you make a withdrawal request, the funds are sent straight to your external Ethereum wallet. There is no need to wait for a payments team to verify the authenticity of your cashout request, as this is done autonomously.
Taking into account the fact that Ethereum transactions take just 16 seconds to confirm on the blockchain, Ethereum games effectively offer instant withdrawals. This comes at no cost, other than a small blockchain mining fee.
So now that we have covered the main aspects of what makes Ethereum games so popular with the crypto-community, in the next section we are going to explore the types of games available.
What Ethereum games do online casinos offer?
In a nutshell, Ethereum gambling platforms offer each and every casino game imaginable – and then some. If you are looking for an Ethereum game in particular, be sure to checkout the most popular casino games to phoneomenon facilitates.
Table games
No matter where you go in the world, if you find a land-based casino, you will have access to the three hallmark table games – blackjack, roulette and baccarat. The good news for you is that you can enjoy all of these games in the comfort of your own home, or even on the go via your mobile phone.
If you want to play blackjack via an Ethereum casino, then you will find a magnitude of variations. This includes the popular variants of Vegas Strip Blackjack, Atlanta City Blackjack, and even Blackjack Switch. If roulette is more your thing, then Ethereum games support European and American Roulette, and in some cases, French Roulette too.
Although baccarat is more popular in Asia, more and more American and Europea casinos are incorporating the game into their suite. As such, Ethereum casinos also support baccarat.
Outside of the three hallmark Ethereum games, you will also find craps at some crypto-centric casinos.
Slots
The online slots space has exploded in recent years. If you fancy playing slots at an Ethereum casino, then expect to have thousands of slot titles to choose from. As we noted above, Ethereum games have little overheads to contend with, meaning that the RTP found on Ethereum slots are usually above-average.
In terms of the types of Ethereum slots available, this covers everything from basic 3-reel games, all the way up to 3D video slots with bonuses and features. Moreover, Ethereum casinos also host progressive jackpot slots. The games are linked across multiple Ethereum casinos, meaning that the jackpots can get quite significant.
Poker
First and foremost, video poker is now a highly established Ethereum game available at most crypto-casino platforms. The idea is simple; you get to play poker against a video machine, with each poker hand represented by a multiplier. If, for example a Royal Flush pays a multiple of 25,000x, this means that a $5 stake would result in a jackpot of $125,000.
Some Ethereum platforms now support real-world poker, whereby you play against other players on a peer-to-peer basis. Player traffick is still a bit thin in the poker space though, but we expect this to continue to increase year-on-year.
Are Ethereum games safe?
While we briefly touched on the safety of Ethereum games earlier, we felt it was important to expand on how platforms keep your money secure. Firstly, as Ethereum games utilise Provably Fair, there is never a need to question the integrity of the casino. In fact, it is virtually impossible for a casino to amend the outcome of an Ethereum game.
The odds of an Ethereum casino achieving this are the same odds of overriding the Ethereum blockchain. Even if they did try their luck at cheating players, they would not be able to get away with it, as the Provably Fair protocol would highlight this through its transparent data ledger.
The second thing that you need to consider regarding the safety of Ethereum games is that the software developers behind the game need to be regulated. Most Ethereum casino games are designed by the same software developers that service the fiat casino industry. This is nothing to be concerned about, as software developers operate completely independently from the casinos they license their games too.
Moreover, not only do they need to be regulated, but software developers must submit their games to a testing house before they can launch a new title. Once the underlying software of the game has been certified by the testing house (who also need to be regulated), it can then be licensed to an Ethereum casino.
As an additional safety net, the Ethereum casino will integrate the Provably Fair protocol into the game before it is made available to players. All in all, Ethereum games are ultra-safe.
Is it possible to claim a bonus?
If you are a seasoned online gambler, then it is like you know a thing or two about welcome bonuses. If not, welcome bonuses are essentially freebies offered by a casino platform, as a way to entice you in. In order to qualify for one of the bonuses, you must not have previously had an account.
When you open an account for the first time, the casino will usually offer a matched deposit bonus, alongside a number of free spins. Regarding the former, this is where you first deposit amount is boosted. Some casinos will offer a matched bonus of up to 300%, which is highly attractive. For example, if you deposited $500, you would have a starting balance of $2,000 to play around with.
Fortunately for you, this appetite for distributing welcome bonuses for new players is also present in the Ethereum casino space. As such, this is a great way to test out Ethereum games before committing long-term.
When you do claim a bonus to use on your favorite Ethereum casino game, just make sure that you make some considerations regarding the terms of the offer. This mainly centres on the wagering requirement, which dictates how many times you need to gamble the bonus before you can withdraw it out.
For example, if you are awarded a bonus for the ETH equivalent of $500, and the wagering requirement is 40x, then you would need to wager a total of $20,000 before you can withdraw the funds out. However, as ludicrous as this sounds, it is actually achievable. If you play an Ethereum game with a high RTP, you stand a good chance of getting through the entire wagering requirement.
Can I play ETH games on my mobile phone?
In the vast majority of cases, you will be able to access all of your favorite Ethereum casino games via your smartphone device. The gaming experience is likely to be just as revolutionary, not least because software developers now optimise all of their games for mobile viewing.
Due to the much smaller size of a mobile screen, you will likely find that the layout of each Ethereum game is somewhat different. This is to ensure you are able to play without being hindered by a jam-packed screen.
While games that have been optimised are perfectly suitable for playing through a mobile browser, the ultimate gambling experience is offered when the Ethereum casino platform releases a mobile app. Native apps are usually only available on Android or iOS devices, so you will need to stick with a mobile web browser if you have an alternative device.
Nevertheless, regardless of which option to opt for, you can play Ethereum casino games on the move. As long as you have a stable internet connection, you have the gaming suite at your disposal 24 hours a day.
What is the future of the Ethereum casino games space?
While Ethereum games have already revolutionised the online gambling industry, insofar they remove the need for players to trust the games they play, it is likely that further innovation will soon present itself. One such angle that looks super exciting is the development of decentralised Ethereum casinos. At present, players still need to gamble through a third-party platform. Not only is this is to provide access to the Ethereum games themselves, but important matters such as processing account applications and instant withdrawal requests.
However, the phenomenon of decentralised Ethereum casinos will eventually remove the need for third party operators. Instead, players will have their bets facilitated purely by the underlying software in a fully autonomous manner.
For example, as soon as the player wins a bet, the funds will be automatically returned to the player’s wallet. This will also allow players to become the ‘banker’. Instead of third party casinos taking player bets, this can be achieved on a peer-to-peer basis.
In doing so, bank rollers will have the chance to earn long-term income streams. The amount that can be earned will be based on the Ethereum game’s RTP. For example, if a decentralised Ethereum slot game offers an RTP of 98%, the bank roller will have a long-term house-edge of 2%.
The verdict?
In summary, online casino lovers can now access all of their favourite gambling games through a specialist Ethereum operator. The key difference is that Ethereum games are transparently guaranteed for their fairness.
As a result, players no longer need to trust that the casino is playing fair. Ethereum games also allow players to receive their winnings instantly through autonomous withdrawals, and the need to upload countless verification documents is a thing of the past.
All in all, Ethereum games have created a complete sea-change in the player-to-casino relationship, with players finally regaining control.
