Are Crypto Casinos Safer Than Credit Card Casinos?

Europe’s gambling industry continues to expand, with the European Gaming and Betting Association reporting total revenue of €123.4 billion in 2024, of which €47.9 billion came from online play. This growth shows how digital entertainment has become an integral part of leisure across the continent, and the Baltics are no exception with their own revenues contributing to this upward trajectory.

As gambling moves further into the digital sphere, the role of payment methods takes on greater importance, since trust depends on how players transfer money in and out of platforms. For this reason, certain combined advantages, such as anonymous payments, global access, and a broad choice of games available at crypto casinos only became central in any discussion about safety. This leaves one question for both regulators and players: when measured against card-based options, are crypto casinos really the safer choice?

What Credit Card Gambling Looks Like Today

Debit and credit cards remain the most familiar way to gamble online across the continent, but regulation has drawn clear lines around their use. In April 2020, the United Kingdom became one of the first markets to ban credit cards for licensed gambling, marking a decisive step toward tighter safeguards. The ban was intended to reduce the risk of people gambling with borrowed funds, and it has since been studied widely as a reference point for how governments balance access and consumer protection.

The context is different in the Baltic countries, where players continue to rely on debit cards and direct bank transfers as their primary payment channels. These methods are supported by established protections such as chargebacks, anti-fraud monitoring, and regulated banking oversight. Yet limits remain: regulators in some markets have moved to exclude gambling from consumer credit guarantees. As a result, card payments in casinos carry the reassurance of familiarity, yet fall short of the full safety net players might expect in other areas of commerce.

The Rise of Crypto Casinos

The inclusion of cryptocurrencies in online casinos has moved payment options from small pilot features to widely promoted choices. Operators in Europe and the Baltics now present Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins alongside debit cards and e-wallets, signalling that digital assets are no longer viewed as fringe alternatives. For players, the attraction lies in features cards cannot match: instant settlement times, borderless transfers across jurisdictions, and blockchain records that preserve every transaction.

Global ownership levels also highlight the scale of interest, as cryptocurrency adoption is growing, with industry estimates suggesting that more than 560 million people - about 6.8% of the world’s population - held crypto in 2024. This widespread use explains why operators are building crypto infrastructure: it connects them to an audience that already treats digital assets as part of daily life. Players see in this option both flexibility and direct participation in financial practices that extend beyond traditional banking.

Protections Compared

Payment safety in gambling is defined not just by technology but also by the protections attached to each method. In the context of cards, long-standing consumer rights provide a foundation of trust. Banks monitor unusual activity, flag suspicious charges, and offer dispute channels where customers can contest transactions. These systems have been honed over decades of retail commerce, and while gambling exclusions limit certain guarantees, players are still accustomed to viewing card payments as secure.

Crypto, by contrast, is building its protections through regulation. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation (MiCA) sets standards for custody, disclosure, and governance, aiming to bring digital tokens into line with established financial norms. On the international level, the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, adopted in 2025, extends oversight across borders by requiring tax and transfer information to be shared between jurisdictions. In the UK, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority enforces strict rules on how crypto promotions are marketed to consumers. These measures differ from card-based protections but pursue the same goal: ensuring players can trust that their funds are handled responsibly.

Fraud, Trust, and Transparency

Concerns about fraud remain a central test for any payment method. Banks process billions of card transactions each year, and the systems in place to detect anomalies have become highly sophisticated. Even so, fraud still occurs on a vast scale: worldwide card fraud losses reached an estimated US$33.83 billion in 2023, according to the Nilson Report. The figure illustrates how persistent threats remain, despite advanced monitoring and intervention protocols.

With crypto, potentials for fraud are not fully known yet. Transactions themselves cannot be altered once confirmed, which is a feature that creates transparency and safety on the blockchain. This immutability is an advantage, but it also means that custody failures or exchange vulnerabilities have to be managed through external safeguards. Regulators across Europe have responded by strengthening requirements for wallet providers and exchanges, aiming to close gaps that early adopters experienced. Both systems therefore display a balance of risk and reassurance - one anchored in banking institutions, the other in technological records overseen by evolving regulation.

Psychology of Payment Choices

How safe a payment feels depends not only on the protections built into the system but also on how players experience the act of spending. Behavioural research shows that cards reduce the “pain of paying” compared with cash, making transactions feel lighter and encouraging quicker decisions. Neuroscience adds weight to this finding, with studies on the neural correlates of payment methods showing that cash triggers stronger emotional responses than card or smartphone payments, evidence that digital transactions can feel easier and more acceptable.

These insights matter when comparing cards with crypto. Card payments encourage fluid spending because they are familiar and fast, while crypto often feels more deliberate, involving extra steps that can heighten a sense of control. For some players, this slower, more transparent process enhances confidence, while others prefer the reassurance of card systems they already use daily. Perception therefore becomes as decisive as regulation in shaping what players call safe

Safety in Everyday Play

When players talk about safety, they usually mean what happens at the exact moment money is moved. Confidence is either reinforced or lost when deposits clear without delay, when withdrawals arrive on time, and when records are easy to verify. These everyday points of contact are the real test of whether a payment method feels trustworthy.

Cards provide reassurance through the banking networks people already use for salaries, bills, and shopping. That familiarity supports confidence, but it also ties gambling transactions to clearing systems that can slow payouts.

Crypto approaches safety from another angle. Transfers are processed in minutes, and the blockchain provides an immutable record of every movement. In the Baltics, where gambling revenue reached €939 million in 2023, both systems are firmly in use. Some players continue to equate safety with the stability of their bank, while others trust the speed and transparency of digital ledgers. What stands out is not that one method eclipses the other, but that crypto has advanced into the same league of trust as cards - and safety today is defined by the freedom to choose between them.