Las Vegas is considered the capital of gaming in the West, a playground for adults to experience entertainment, nightlife, and the excitement of table games and slots in over 60 major casinos.
Given that the city has long been at the forefront of innovation and technology and doesn’t usually lag in adopting strategies to attract new customers, you would expect Las Vegas to be a hub for cryptocurrency adoption.
Yet, as of early 2025, you still won’t be able to play casino games in Las Vegas using your cryptocurrency funds, at least not directly. That’s not to say crypto can’t be used at all in Las Vegas casinos. Several major resorts have already adopted the technology. Yet, for reasons we will discuss, you can only use crypto for non-gaming transactions.
This article delves deeper into how and where cryptocurrency can be used in casinos across Las Vegas, as well as touching on what the future could hold.
Can you gamble using cryptocurrency in Las Vegas?
As it stands, you can’t use cryptocurrency as a payment method for casino games in Las Vegas. You won’t be able to buy chips, play slots, or buy in for tournaments using your stash of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
There’s a good reason for this. The Nevada Gaming Commission, which is responsible for state casino game regulation, has not yet approved cryptocurrency as a payment method for use on the gaming floor.
Even if casinos want to offer crypto gaming, the law prevents them from doing so.
Online casino sites have been quicker to adopt crypto gambling by offering alternative deposit and withdrawal methods. On certain sites, you can play popular casino games using your crypto funds to deposit.
That doesn’t solve the problem for casino gamers looking to use their crypto in Las Vegas. The State of Nevada only permits online poker and mobile sports betting. It has yet to legalize online casino games.
But not all is lost. Despite the restrictions, you can still use your crypto funds at Las Vegas casinos for a variety of other transactions, from booking rooms to paying for meals.
Bitcoin ATMs
Over a decade ago, when the crypto market was still relatively young and the price of Bitcoin stood at just $432, a fraction of what it is today, Derek Stevens, the owner of Golden Gate and The D casinos, made a bold decision.
Stevens decided to install Bitcoin ATMs in his resorts, which became the first casinos in the world to offer Bitcoin payments.
The Bitcoin ATMs are still there today. You can use your crypto wallets on these devices to instantly exchange into dollars, which can be used for any purpose. Likewise, you can deposit dollars into the machines to immediately exchange for crypto, perfect after a winning night at the tables!
It’s worth stressing again that you can’t use crypto directly for gaming. You won’t be able to call the floor staff over and buy chips using Bitcoin. However, by using ATMs, you can grab fiat currency and sit at the tables in minutes. For now, that’s as good as it gets.
Using crypto away from the tables
Having said that, there’s no law against using cryptocurrency for non-gaming transactions. Casino resorts have more to offer than gaming. Most have hotel rooms, restaurants, entertainment venues, and more.
Around the same time Stevens decided to install Bitcoin ATMs, he also partnered with trading platform Bitly to offer direct crypto payments within his resorts. At Golden Gate and The D, you can use your cryptocurrency for hotel rooms, restaurants, and gift shops.
Among those taking crypto payments are Andiamo Steak House, American Coney Island, and the D Grill. At these establishments, you can pay cashiers straight from your mobile wallet.
Other casinos across the Strip have been slower to offer crypto payment methods, except, Resorts World Las Vegas, which recently joined the party.
Resorts World partnered with Gemini
Resorts World opened in June 2021 and cost $4.3 billion, making it the most expensive resort in Sin City. They have partnered with crypto exchange Gemini and are attempting to become one of the most crypto-friendly places in Las Vegas.
Again, due to current laws, you won’t be able to pay for gaming directly using crypto, but you can pay for many non-gaming services.
Future of crypto gaming in Las Vegas
In July 2024, for one minute and a half, the Las Vegas Sphere lit up the night sky with the golden logo of Bitcoin. The advert was unveiled as part of Crypto.com’s eighth-anniversary celebration and became the first ever cryptocurrency to be shown on the $2.3 billion LED globe.
It was a spectacle for those who saw it and a fitting symbol; cryptocurrency and Las Vegas seem destined for each other. It may only be a matter of time before you can use Bitcoin to buy in directly for casino games.
Before that happens, crypto would need to be approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission. One of the stumbling blocks is that for any casino to implement crypto technology, they would still need to adhere to other legal issues, such as KYC.
KYC stands for Know Your Customer. It places a responsibility on the casino to know that players are gaming responsibly with money they can afford. As crypto adoption becomes more widespread, it may be more difficult for casinos to prove KYC or show where funds originated.
Systems must be implemented and laws changed before direct crypto gaming takes over Las Vegas. It is not going to happen anytime soon.
For now, you can head to major casinos like The Golden Gate, The D, and Resorts World to use your cryptocurrency for almost anything other than gaming.
Alternatively, if you live in a country or state where online casinos are legal, you can check out sites that accept crypto payments, or offer crypto slots and table games.
