Bitcoin may be fast establishing itself as the currency of the internet age, but it’s proven very difficult to convince customers that their finances will be safe in this new and, so far, largely unregulated medium. That’s why, for gamblers, June 2013 marked such an important occasion. This was the month when BitCoinRush launched, creating the first ‘provably fair‘ casino and sportsbook for bitcoin gamblers. And ‘provably fair’ is no idle boast.
Take a game like Bitcoin blackjack. The player has the choice of where the deck should be cut. They can leave this setting on its default, but at any time they can opt to have the deck cut differently – they’ll even be able to look back at previous hands to see how the new setting would have affected their luck. This extra level of verification makes it extremely difficult for casinos to ‘choose’ which cards to offer the player. Other casinos have since added such features, but provably fair Bitcoin casinos remain a pretty exclusive bunch.
BitcoinRush’s credentials are bolstered further by their ties to Panama-based financial firm Havelock Investments. This group has extensive interests in the new currency, with over a dozen Bitcoin-related businesses under their wing.
BitcoinRush is both a casino and Bitcoin sportsbook. For those who like to first hit the blackjack tables, before later spreading their winnings across the big game, the ability to do both from the same account is a significant bonus. In fairness, the casino options are currently the more extensive, and sportsbook enthusiasts may find the choice of markets a little lacking. For bettors who want the basics though, the sportsbook will be more than adequate. The firm expects to expand these offerings in the future.
One of Bitcoin’s strengths is the anonymity it confers upon the user. The book allows you to take full advantage of these features. You do have the option of attaching an email address to your account to help with password resets, but at no point will you be forced to supply email details.
Savvy sports bettors may immediately notice the reduced juice lines, allowing them to wager at less than the standard -110. You won’t quite get the cost savings of a traditional reduced juice sportsbook, with even the best value markets on BitcoinRush only going as far as -107, and the majority settling for -109. However, despite giving bettors only a slight advantage over traditional -110 books, these -107/-109 lines will save you a lot of money over the long haul – particularly if you’re putting on large sums. BitcoinRush doesn’t currently offer a deposit bonus, but the ability to bet reduced juice markets is worth much more than a regular deposit bonus with an attached rollover.