Online gambling is changing rapidly, and you risk missing out on the best products if you don’t try decentralized sports betting apps. The problem, however, is that the term “decentralized betting” isn’t well-defined since this technology is still relatively new. So, you have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve, but what you need to look for may not be immediately obvious.
I’ve been using decentralized crypto betting exchanges since 2022, so I know how they work and what they’re useful for. In this guide, I explain these points and review the 10 best decentralized betting sites so you can enjoy next-generation sportsbooks today.
Casino | Best for | Welcome bonus | Sports | Accepted crypto | Minimum deposit |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
eSports betting | 100% match up to €500; €20 minimum deposit | 24, including eSports, MMA, and tennis | All cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, and LTC | €20 (or equivalent in crypto) | |
Overall Gambling Experience | Upto $1500 with $400 worth free chips | Slots, Live Casino, Aviator, Zeppelin, Spaceman, Virtual Sports, Races, Sports Betting | Bitcoin, Tether, Ethereum, Tron, Dogecoin, Binance Coin, Litecoin, XRP | $5 | |
Those new to cryptocurrency | 50% first deposit bonus up to $1,000; $55 minimum deposit | 26, including American football, racing, lotteries, and financials | Fiat currencies + 16 cryptos, including BTC, ETH, SHIB, and SOL | $20 | |
Chatting with other users and getting betting tips | 200% rakeback up to 10 ETH + 50 free spins; $25 (or crypto equivalent) minimum deposit | 51, including American football, tennis, soccer, and eSports | BTC, BCH, LTC, DOGE, ETG, USDTE, USDTT, TRX, XRP, ADA, BNB, USDC, SOL | 0.0001 BTC (or equivalent in other currency) | |
Serious sports bettors | N/A | 10, including cricket, soccer, tennis, and baseball | SOL | N/A | |
Low-fee betting | N/A | 10, including soccer and basketball | SOL | N/A |
After a lot of research and digging into the nuances of blockchain technology, I’ve found 10 decentralized betting sites that stand out.
Thunderpick is a modern sportsbook that looks like a traditional online sportsbook that launched 20 years ago. Specifically, the page is split into three sections: betting menu, odds, and bet slip. Although times have changed, I still like this layout. It’s logical, easy to follow, and ideal for people crossing over from the fiat betting world to decentralized gambling.
I also think it’s great that Thunderpick has a major presence in eSports.
The company hosts a professional eSports event, the Thunderpick World Championship, so it’s well-placed to offer odds on the League of Legends World Championship and M5 Championship. It also sponsors the eSports team Heroic. Traditional sports haven’t been overlooked, but if you want to find competitive odds for eSports, Thunderpick is the place to go.
The final thing to note is that with Thunderpick, you join instantly using a crypto wallet. If you don’t have one, you can use Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay, or Google Pay to buy cryptocurrency from Thunderpick’s cashier page.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | 100% match up to €500, €20 minimum deposit, 10x playthrough |
Sports Covered: | 24 sports, including eSports, MMA, and tennis |
Accepted Crypto: | All cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, and LTC |
Minimum Deposit: | €20 or cryptocurrency equivalent |
Sirwin Casino offers a perfect blend of mind-boggling gaming facilities rolled into Web3 technology. Unlike legacy online casinos, Sirwin Casino adds the much-needed flavor of technology to your gaming experience. Leveraging the power of blockchain, the casino makes only gambling 10x safer and more transparent.
Believe me! That’s just the tip of the iceberg of Sirwin Casino’s offerings. Its gigantic gaming library and amazing banking mechanism have grabbed over a million eyeballs, although it’s super new in the market. So, as an introduction to Sirwin Casino, we will say, It’s a young gun in the iGaming space that is ready to overshadow the legacy players with the quality and consistency of its offerings.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | Upto $1000 with $250 worth free chips |
Sports Covered: | Slots, Live Casino, Aviator, Zeppelin, Spaceman, Virtual Sports, Races, Sports Betting |
Accepted Crypto: | Bitcoin, Tether, Ethereum, Tron, Dogecoin, Binance Coin, Litecoin, XRP |
Minimum Deposit: | $20 |
I started using BetOnline in 2014, which was 10 years after it launched. By that time, it was already established as one of the top international sportsbooks, and it remains a major player today.
I mention the launch date because it’s a full 5 years before Bitcoin’s whitepaper was published. Predating the advent of cryptocurrencies means BetOnline started out as a fiat betting platform. However, the developers have embraced crypto innovations over the last decade.
This means BetOnline represents the best of both worlds, and that’s why I think it’s the top decentralized sports betting platform for newbies. Fiat and crypto deposits make it suitable for everyone. You also get competitive odds and access to software that’s been refined over 20+ years in the business.
Put simply, BetOnline offers the most comprehensive betting experience because it combines crypto technology with everything traditional sportsbooks are known for.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | 50% first deposit bonus up to $1,000. Use bonus code BET1000. $55 minimum deposit, 10x rollover. |
Sports Covered: | 26 sports, including American football, racing, lotteries, and financials |
Accepted Crypto: | Fiat currencies + 16 cryptos, including BTC, ETH, SHIB, and SOL |
Minimum Deposit: | $20 |
TG.Casino is one of my favorite crypto casinos, but it’s also a sportsbook — a very good sportsbook, in fact. Its quick bet slip is a neat feature because it allows you to place wagers without navigating away from the events you’re looking at. I also like that this crypto sportsbook covers 51 sports, including eSports, virtual events, and niche activities such as Mahjong.
Add the fact that you can stake TG.Casino’s native token to get extra rewards, and you’ve got a decentralized sportsbook with many innovative features.
That said, the main reason TG.Casino is one of my favorite decentralized sports betting apps is because it’s available on Telegram. You can access a full selection of sports bets and promotions via the chat app. Plus, you can easily converse with members of the TG.Casino and get sports betting tips — something you can’t do with other crypto sports betting decentralized apps.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | 200% rakeback up to 10 ETH + 50 free spins with no wagering requirement when you deposit $25 (or crypto equivalent) |
Sports Covered: | 51 sports, including American football, tennis, soccer, and eSports |
Accepted Crypto: | BTC, BCH, LTC, DOGE, ETG, USDTE, USDTT, TRX, XRP, ADA, BNB, USDC, SOL |
Minimum Deposit: | 0.0001 BTC or currency equivalent |
BetDex claims to be the “future of sports betting.” I think it can be, but it needs to improve in a few areas first. For example, the odds are competitive, but there needs to be betting markets. It would also be nice if you can use more cryptocurrencies.
Also, this platform is built on the Solana blockchain, which means SOL is the native token. However, some people might not like SOL as a cryptocurrency. Therefore, it would be good if the developers could find a way to build the app on other blockchains in addition to Solana.
These points are definitely something for the team at BetDex HQ to consider, but you shouldn’t get hung up on them.
BetDex is a slick decentralized sports betting site. The interface is easy to use once you’ve played around with it for a bit, and transactions are super quick.
What I like most about BetDex is the fact you don’t pay any fees on losing trades, i.e., losing exchange bets. Winners pay only 2% commission, which is lower than the industry average. Moreover, you won’t have your account restricted if you win a lot. Serious sports bettors will know all about this, which is why I’ve made BetDex my top pick for high rollers.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | N/A |
Sports Covered: | 10, including cricket, soccer, tennis, and baseball |
Accepted Crypto: | SOL |
Minimum Deposit: | N/A (peer-to-peer betting) |
One of the main reasons I switched over to decentralized sports betting exchanges in 2023 was fees. Making winning bets is hard enough, so having my long-term profit reduced because of high fees is far from ideal.
Fixed odds bookmakers can have up to a 30% margin built into their bets — i.e., the odds are set in a way that gives the bookmaker a profit margin of up to 30% per wager. Exchanges are typically better in this regard, with margins being around 8%.
Aver Exchange’s fees are lower than the average online sportsbook. Because Aver is fully decentralized, its fees are as low as 0.5%.
This, coupled with the fact that all transactions are performed on the Solana blockchain, means you’ve got a better long-term expected value (EV) at Aver.
Of course, EV is theoretical in the sense it’s your potential profit per bet. However, it’s an important variable to consider because the less you pay in fees, the more potential profit you can make on each bet.
I’ll admit that Aver isn’t the most active decentralized exchange, but it’s still fairly new, so it has time to grow.
Welcome Bonus and Requirements: | N/A |
Sports Covered: | 10, including soccer and basketball |
Accepted Crypto: | SOL |
Minimum Deposit: | N/A (peer-to-peer betting) |
A decentralized sports betting platform removes the proverbial middleman or woman by leveraging the power of blockchain technology. However, before I discuss the nuances of decentralized sports betting, I need to clarify a few things.
There’s still a lot of confusion and uncertainty surrounding the notion of decentralized betting. The industry hasn’t settled on a single definition because the technology is still evolving.
So, because I want you to be ready for any situation, I’ve summarized the three most common definitions of decentralized sports betting:
Decentralized betting platforms are online sportsbooks and casinos that process cryptocurrency payments. These platforms operate similarly to fiat gambling sites because the products they offer are developed by partner companies. In the context of sports betting, this means the odds are set by a team of in-house bookmakers or come from a betting exchange.
The only aspect of these platforms that is decentralized is payments because systems like Bitcoin are decentralized.
Decentralized sports betting exchange platforms allow users to place bets with each other without any intervention from a third party.
Here’s a basic overview of how exchange betting works: User A offers to back Manchester United in a game against Liverpool. This means User A is picking Manchester United to win. User B believes that Liverpool will win, so they take the opposing side of User A’s bet.
Traditionally, a central authority, such as the owner of an exchange, oversees this process. However, thanks to the advent of blockchains and smart contracts, a central authority is no longer necessary.
Two parties can exchange bets and know that the transactions will be managed according to the rules of a smart contract. No third party needed. All bets are made directly between two parties — i.e., it’s a peer-to-peer system. This is another way decentralized sports betting is reshaping the gambling industry.
In general, the majority of top-rated crypto sports betting decentralized apps fall into my first category. They’re almost identical to traditional online sportsbooks, but instead of processing fiat payments, they allow you to make deposits and withdrawals using BTC, ETH, and other cryptos. The second type of decentralized sports betting platform is coming up quickly. In my view, these platforms will change the way exchange betting happens online.
However, if you look at the sports betting industry as a whole, exchanges aren’t the dominant force. People still want fixed odds betting, i.e., a bookmaker sets the price, and you place a bet. Therefore, in my opinion, we’re going to see more hybrid sites like DexSport rise up.
These sportsbooks offer crypto payments and fixed odds betting, which means the prices are set by a team of in-house bookmakers or bookmaking partners. They also offer decentralized exchange betting. As a customer, you get the best of both worlds and, as I’ll explain in the next section, a variety of benefits.
Decentralized betting is gaining traction because it’s a safe, efficient, and low-cost way of wagering money on sporting events. Through testing the top decentralized sportsbooks over the last few years, I’ve found these to be the biggest benefits:
Crypto transactions are pseudo-anonymous. You don’t need to enter personal details, such as your name and banking information, to send or receive tokens. This means you can make deposits and withdrawals at all of my recommended anonymous crypto casinos.
What’s more, because there are no geographical restrictions on cryptocurrencies, you can do these things from anywhere in the world.
Decentralized sportsbooks feature all of the usual safety features, including TLS encryption. However, the advantage these sites have over their fiat counterparts is blockchain technology. Everything that happens on the blockchain is visible to the public. Add to this the fact decentralized exchange bets are governed by smart contracts, and you’ve got a system that’s totally safe.
Something I always tell aspiring sports bettors is to consider the odds they’re getting. Bookmakers are in the business of making money, which is why the odds they set have an inbuilt profit margin. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it does mean your long-term expected value (EV) — i.e., how much you can theoretically win in the long run — hinges on the odds you get. As I’ve explained, the fees at crypto sports betting decentralized apps like Aver start at 0.5%, which is significantly lower than the 30% margin you pay on fixed-odds fiat bets.
Blockchains such as Solana are capable of processing over 50,000 transactions per second. This means you can make instant fee-free deposits and withdrawals at crypto betting sites.
Moreover, because exchange bets are governed by smart contracts, there’s no need for a third party to oversee transactions. Because of this, bets can be made and settled instantly.
Finally, one thing I’ve noticed while reviewing decentralized betting apps is that many claim not to penalize winners.
Knowing how and where to bet on sports is great, but don’t assume that it’s a risk-free activity. Failure to adhere to the following virtues could leave you exposed to unnecessary risk:
Scroll back to my review of Stake.com, and you’ll see what I said about the problems with assessing crypto gambling sites in terms of legitimacy and reputation.
If you’re using a hybrid platform that offers fiat and crypto payments, make sure it’s licensed by a reputable regulator such as Curacao eGaming. If it’s a fully decentralized crypto platform, the Crypto Gambling Foundation is a great trust marker.
In the absence of these markers, I look at the cryptocurrencies and wallets an operator uses. For example, if you can create an account using MetaMask and deposit Bitcoin, it’s likely a trustworthy platform.
Most people know they shouldn’t disclose their login details to anyone, but what you might not know is that your crypto wallet credentials are just as important. Anyone with access to your wallet password and recovery key could steal your bankroll, so keep them in a safe place and never show them to anyone.
Gambling should be fun and never put a strain on your personal life. That’s why you should stick to your limits and gamble responsibly. Everyone has their own limit, but as a general rule, your bets should represent a very small percentage of your bankroll. My personal limit is 1% and under.
I’ve been in the gambling business since 2010, so I know what I like and, importantly, what sports bettors in general like. I’ve seen trends come and go, I’ve used all of the top betting sites, and I understand the legalities of gambling online. All of this experience makes me well-placed to review sports betting apps in a general sense.
Over the years, I’ve coupled this knowledge and experience with an interest in Bitcoin. I first wrote about Bitcoin poker sites in 2011, when the average price of 1 BTC was $1. I thought it was a passing craze at the time, but over 10 years later, it’s changing the game. I personally own a variety of cryptocurrencies, and the underlying technology fascinates me from a financial perspective. What’s more, I believe that decentralization can solve a lot of issues in gambling, including unnecessary fees, long processing times for withdrawals, and slow software.
This interest in crypto technology and 10+ years working in gambling allow me to offer expert insights. Not only that, I’m honest. I don’t have personal affiliations with any of the platforms I review, which is why I give you honest reviews that point out the positives and negatives. My aim is to provide reliable information so you can make the right decisions for you.
Decentralized transactions between a party and counterparty don’t rely on a third-party authority. In simple terms, two people can send each other money without having to use third-party processors, such as a bank. Blockchains, such as Bitcoin, process transactions in a decentralized manner.
Decentralized sports betting apps allow users to make payments and bets without any third-party oversight. For example, Aver is a betting exchange through which one person backs the bet while another takes the opposing side (i.e., they lay the bet). This transaction is governed by the terms of a smart contract, which means there’s no need for a third party to oversee the bet.
Yes, decentralized sports betting is safe by default because transactions are governed by smart contracts. Smart contracts automatically execute agreements between two parties based on predefined rules. So, in the case of sports betting, smart contracts automatically govern the terms of a bet and ensure they’re executed correctly.
Bet20 and Cloudbet are some of the best new decentralized sports betting exchanges because of their ability to combine blockchain technology with betting. This means you can trust the results and your transactions, for they value security and transparency.
There are a lot of interesting applications for decentralized technology within the gambling industry. Even if fully decentralized sportsbooks don’t become the norm, it’s highly likely hybrid platforms that combine new and existing technology will be.
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