Despite the recent crypto crash, which has seen even leading token values dip by over 50%, there is no denying that cryptocurrencies remain the most successful digital asset. A powerful financial diversifier, cryptocurrencies are now accepted in most mainstream industries. This includes iGaming, most especially the online poker sector. According to leading online poker providers, up to 60% of all poker players today cash out in crypto. Apart from this, online poker now sees hundreds of millions worth of crypto transactions monthly.
What is crypto poker?
As its name indicates, crypto poker is like traditional online poker except it’s backed by cryptocurrencies. As such, players use cryptocurrencies to fund their player wallets. In many cases, as mentioned above, crypto poker players can also cash out in crypto. Depending on the online poker platform, some players can even enjoy crypto incentives like sign-up bonuses.
To use cryptocurrency in poker, players simply need to connect their crypto wallets to their online player profiles. Since poker player profiles can also be private, players need not worry about their crypto wallet information being publicly shared.
What are the pros and cons of crypto poker?
Given how bankroll management is hugely important in poker, using crypto can enhance efficiency while reducing costs. To elaborate, since crypto is decentralized, it allows poker wallet deposits and withdrawals to be made faster with little to no fees. Aside from this, another benefit of crypto poker is that it may help in legalizing online poker as a whole. In the United States, the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 prohibits gambling sites from accepting online wagers from other jurisdictions. At the same time, this act makes it illegal for banks to process cross-state online gambling transactions. Alternatively, since cryptocurrency eliminates the need for banks, this means that online poker providers who use crypto are not in violation of this act. Over time, the increased popularity of crypto poker may even inspire regulators to legalize online poker nationwide to better monitor increased cryptocurrency transactions.
On the other hand, using cryptocurrency does carry a lot of risks. Since the cryptocurrency market is much more volatile, this opens up players to a lot of uncertainty. Combined with the natural risks of poker, this means that crypto poker leaves no safety net for players. As a result of this, should a platform suddenly fold there is little chance for players to get their money back. On top of this, since crypto values often fluctuate, then there is a chance that players may be overspending on tokens that will be less valuable in the future. For inexperienced players or traders, this can create bigger losses than gains.
Where is crypto poker headed?
But is crypto poker a fad or a game-changer? Considering that online poker is an early crypto adopter—even before the huge crypto boom—it’s likely that the industry will continue to support the digital asset. As a matter of fact, crypto poker is now even expanding past traditional online providers. Recently, crypto poker has emerged in the metaverse. Specifically, crypto and NFT-backed poker are responsible for some of the biggest profits in Decentraland. As a leading metaverse platform, Decentraland’s poker reportedly made almost $8 million in just three months. In line with this, it’s safe to say that crypto poker will not be going away any time soon.
In closing
To sum it up, crypto poker is an exciting new way to experience both cryptocurrency and poker. However, since crypto poker is still relatively new, it may be best left to those with an understanding of poker and digital assets. Otherwise, going all in on crypto poker may simply become a costly learning experience.