Responsible Gambling

We take responsible gambling extremely seriously at Cryptobetting.com, and recognise the importance of wagering safely with our recommended online sportsbooks. Gambling is a fun pastime, considered by many to be a hobby, yet for some, online gambling can get out of control if not managed correctly. 

Responsible gambling is the practice which ensures players are able to practice safe sports betting whilst using online crypto sportsbooks. It encourages users to enjoy sports betting without putting themselves at risk of financial harm. 

Crypto betting sites allow players to wager on hundreds of pre-match and live sports betting events every single day, and with the fairly frequent fluctuations of currencies such as Bitcoin, it’s important that players are able to stay in control by ensuring that they don’t deposit and bet more than they can afford. 

Operators are obligated to provide responsible gambling tools and may be subject to fines by gambling authorities if they cannot provide evidence that they are encouraging responsible gambling and sports betting at all times. 

Crypto bookmakers must protect their players from harm and are obligated to monitor and flag any behavioural patterns which may be related to reckless or irresponsible wagering.

The legal gambling age varies between countries and jurisdictions. The majority of safe crypto sportsbooks stipulate that all new players must be at least 18 years old to begin betting on their platform. 

Crypto sportsbooks will not permit anyone under the legal gambling age to open an account, and they will be closed immediately if they have any suspicions. 

The legal betting age will depend on your location; however, in most countries, you must be at least 18 years old to place a bet using a crypto sportsbook. 

In some US states, including Maryland, New Jersey and Iowa, as well as a handful of Asian countries, such as India, this is raised to 21 years old. Some Canadian provinces require sports bettors to be 19 years old, whereas Greece is one of the few European countries where you must also be 21 to open a cryptobetting account. 

Age limits have been put in place to protect minors from the potential of gambling harm. Crypto betting sites must adhere to these rules at all times. They protect the site from being fined for allowing underage players on its platform and help to prevent illicit activity such as money laundering and identity fraud. 

If they are in breach of these responsibilities, they potentially face significant fines or the revocation and suspension of their license.

The legal betting age varies between countries and regions. These are often decided by a mix of political rulings and cultural practices and principles. Our table highlights the rules for each jurisdiction.

It is worth noting that betting with crypto betting sportsbooks or any other form of online gambling is prohibited in a handful of countries, including Algeria, China and Kosovo.

One of the main benefits of crypto sportsbooks is that they facilitate fast, anonymous transactions. You may be able to sign up for an account, yet you will not be able to deposit or make withdrawals until the mandatory KYC checks have been completed. 

This ensures responsible gambling as the platform must verify the identity of new players before they are legally able to process any payments, and until they can confirm that the user is of legal gambling age, they are in breach of their responsibilities.

It’s fairly easy to sign up for an account with the incorrect date of birth, and that is where age verification will help the crypto sportsbooks to identify underage users. Age verification checks are a key part of the KYC (know your customer) checks, using personal data to safeguard players and ensure that players are of legal gambling age. This manifests itself in responsible gambling and sports betting. 

Penalties will be implemented for any crypto betting sportsbook which is found to be in breach of these responsibilities. Non-compliance with the crypto betting age requirement could potentially result in significant fines or the revocation of local gambling licenses. 

KYC checks are conducted by all online gambling sites, including both Fiat and crypto sportsbooks, to confirm a customer’s identity. They enable businesses to protect themselves against potential harm by highlighting and evaluating potential risks. 

You can sign up for an account, yet you will not be able to complete financial transactions until the mandatory KYC and age verification checks are complete. 

There’s no need to worry about these as long as you meet the age requirements. Crypto sportsbooks are available worldwide, and they are renowned for their speedy transactions, so if you have your ID at the ready, you’ll fly through these checks. 

Unlike Fiat sportsbooks, banking checks do not need to take place, so the KYC process tends to be much quicker with licensed crypto betting sites. Checks with Fiat operators may take up to three days; however, the process with crypto bookmakers should take less than 30 minutes. 

You are likely to be asked to provide ID, such as a driver's license or passport. This will confirm your date of birth and enable the crypto sportsbook to complete the age verification process. 

Moreover, you may be required to upload a recent utility bill for your address. 

You may find this a little inconvenient; however, it is a necessary part of the process and helps crypto sites to prevent fraudulent behaviour and money-laundering activities. 

You may never need to utilise responsible gambling tools; however, it’s reassuring to know that the majority of crypto sportsbooks have employed numerous features to help players combat their gambling issues. 

These tools can be accessed by anyone who signs up for an account and help users understand the risk involved in placing sports wagers. They are mandatory for all licensed sportsbooks, and fines may be handed out to any operator who is found not be offering this service. 

We’ve compiled a list of responsible gambling tools that are typically available for cryptocurrency bettors

Players can cap the amount of money that they can deposit and spend within a set period of time. Many crypto sportsbooks will ask players if they wish to set these limits upon completing the sign-up process. You can decide how much you’d like to deposit or spend per day, week, month or year. Deposit limits are an important feature as it prevents players from spending beyond their means and will block any transactions once you have exceeded this limit.

Session Time Limits

You can restrict the amount of time that you can access the sportsbook’s platform. You will be logged out of your account once this time has elapsed, and cannot return until the time has elapsed. These boundaries ensure that players aren’t spending too much time wagering and placing sports bets, and are able to step away from the online sportsbook.

Cooling-Off Periods

Cooling-off periods provide players with a temporary break, preventing access to the crypto sportsbook for a set duration. These can be determined by the player and can be changed in the settings section of the site. Cooling-off periods are handy for anyone who is concerned that they are spending too much time gambling. This will allow players to take a break and concentrate on other facets of their lives. 

Self-Exclusion Programs

This tool allows players to exclude themselves from all betting and gambling activities with this crypto sportsbook. This will occasionally apply to all sites within a business group, too. This prevents temptation to return to a platform. Self-exclusion is aimed at gamblers who are unable to control their spending and are in danger of causing themselves serious financial harm. 

Players may opt for a temporary or permanent self-exclusion. This will be determined by the severity of their gambling issue. 

This is a vital tool for any player who wants to rid themselves of the temptation and avoid making any further gambling transactions. 

Even if you don’t consider yourself to be at risk from harmful gambling, it is strongly recommended to track your overall spend. All cryptobetting sites offer a profit and loss tool, which provides players with an overview of their recent wins and losses. This is available over a seven day, thirty day or 365-day period and can be easily accessed in the account settings section of the site. 

It helps to identify risky behaviour, offers full transparency and crucially, it will leave you fully informed about your gambling habits. It is a good way to spot potential patterns and trends in your wagering, highlighting which sports have provided the greatest return alongside the less successful bets. 

If you’re on a poor run of form, this gambling loss tracking tool can give you greater clarity on where you may be going wrong. 

There is plenty of leeway when it comes to betting with crypto sportsbooks, and players can enjoy faster withdrawals, more wagering options and far more anonymity. Nevertheless, crypto sportsbooks must still adhere to several rules if they wish to continue operating within their jurisdiction.

Here are some of the directives and regulations that they must follow.

Reputable crypto sportsbooks must obtain a license from a respected authority. This will allow them to accept new customers and maintain their core of existing bettors. Routine checks are carried out by these authorities to ensure fairness, security and transparency. 

These legal requirements tend to be a little looser than with Fiat sportsbooks and give players a little more freedom, yet they must still follow a set of guidelines. 

Licenses are important for players as they offer customer protection, providing a legal framework. It means that they can bring up any legal disputes with the governing bodies should bookmakers refuse to payout or limit a customer’s maximum bets.

Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Compliance

Robust Anti-Money Laundering compliance is carried out by all crypto bookmakers. Crypto sportsbook KYC checks will help to detect and prevent suspicious financial activity, and this will be flagged up to the betting site. High-risk users may be asked for a source of funds before they can make further deposits or proceed with withdrawals. 

Crypto sportsbooks allow them to use blockchain technology to trace the origin of cryptocurrency, highlighting high-risk wallets. Privacy coins, which protect against surveillance, aren’t accepted by all crypto sportsbooks due to their high-risk nature and challenges caused by untraceable transactions.

Data Protection and Security

Strong cybersecurity credentials must be implemented to help protect player data from being shared with unwanted third parties. These will allow users to deposit, wager and withdraw without worrying about their financial details being leaked. 

Nevertheless, anonymity is a huge benefit of wagering with our recommended cryptobetting sites, so players should not be too concerned, as confidentiality is one of the major benefits of using digital currency. 

Sites must still adhere to strict regulatory guidelines, with many bookmakers offering security features such as two-factor authentication and fingerprint technology to help users keep their accounts safe. 256-bit SSL encryption must also be deployed by the site to avoid any unwanted interest from hackers. 

Although it is not impossible to bet responsibly without KYC checks or age verification checks, it is not recommended and is fraught with danger. 

Here at Cryptobetting.com, all of our recommended betting platforms operate under a legitimate license, and we highly recommend using one of these crypto bookmakers for sports wagering purposes. 

Unlicensed crypto sportsbooks may tempt players with generous welcome offers; however, they tend to follow their own rules and have a history of closing player accounts, withholding funds and refusing to pay out on winning bets without consequence. Furthermore, responsible gambling tools with sportsbooks may not be available, increasing the risk of erratic or irresponsible marketing aimed at vulnerable users. 

Accounts may also be closed without any good reason, and this is one of the dangers of using an unregulated crypto sportsbook. 

Although KYC checks aren’t particularly popular amongst bettors, they are completely necessary, and they reassure players that they are wagering with a legitimate crypto betting platform.

It is strongly recommended to use a legitimate online crypto sportsbook. They have protective measures which enable players to use the platform safely and stay within the law. You must be 18 to use these sites, and you must pass the KYC checks to proceed with any payments; however, as we’ve highlighted, these tend to be far faster with crypto betting sites due to the lack of banking checks. 

Responsible Gambling tools are a handy way of staying in control and analysing your own betting habits, and these are an essential part of online wagering. Deposit limits and self-exclusion should be utilised if necessary, and if they aren’t available, the bookmaker may be in breach of their license. 

To protect yourself, we highly recommend betting with legitimate, legalised sportsbooks in your jurisdiction and checking that these operators are complying with local laws. If you’re searching for the perfect sportsbook, you can check out our list of top-rated safe and legal crypto betting sites to guarantee that you can enjoy a safe and secure environment for online punting.