Onboarding players on cryptocurrency poker sites has become something that operators have been focusing on lately. They have argued that the only way to make sure that players are having the best possible time is to ensure their smooth transition from intention to action, and onboarding plays a crucial role in that.
Cryptocurrency coins – illustrative photo. Image credit: Kanchanara via Unsplash, free license
Yet, the technology has proven elusive for a long while now, as cryptocurrencies admittedly have a higher entry barrier than, say, traditional payment methods. The good news is that this barrier is becoming far more approachable and crypto payments as a whole are a preferred option for many poker players who are keen to transmit their money quickly and efficiently, without unnecessary downtime.
Today’s reality is such that consumers are not only not intimidated by such payment methods – they are actively seeking them out as they know they are great ways to get started and cut on any potential downtime in the first place.
Bitcoin and Poker: A Match Meant to Last
Although Bitcoin was once seen as an exotic currency and one that certainly would not provide poker players with what they were looking for in terms of efficiency and security, things have been changing at a rapid clip. In fact, Bitcoin has become the go-to currency for many big cardrooms.
Players too use BTC to play online poker as they find it a far more convenient payment option. Although it all started slow, the overall resilience of the currency as a robust payment option and an asset that has overcome various challenges and the vicissitudes of a fickle financial market has inspired confidence in consumers and players who are happier than ever to use this payment method to guarantee smooth deposits and withdrawals.
Poker players are also more tech-savvy and open to innovation as well, which has made it much easier for online poker sites to push for and introduce Bitcoin as a viable payment option. There was an inherent give or take involved in this transaction, however.
On the one hand, poker rooms could serve larger swathes of the poker community, owing to the innate ability of the currency to surpass transactional obstacles and hindrances, while poker players could enjoy quicker payouts, a degree of anonymity, and access to more players.
For new players, this meant having more peers to play against, and for pros, more players to overcome and establish their dominance over.
The Onboarding and Inspiring Trust
Yet, just because Bitcoin is a convenient payment method and poker pros are very keen on getting their hands on new technology this doesn’t mean that it was smooth sailing insofar as the adoption of BTC went on poker sites.
In fact, poker sites had to do some of the heavy lifting and promote as well as educate players about the availability and benefits of Bitcoin payments, all the while inspiring trust and convincing players that the payment option is indeed a smart choice. This has required sites to also understand how the community would respond to different incentives.
Would Bitcoin payments be a preferred option among players if they only offered anonymity or was it a combination of the speed of banking and privacy? Many players are actually believed to be enhancing their winnings by cashing out in Bitcoin.
There are several reasons why this is believed to be the case. For one, players are banking on the fact that there are no transactional fees when it comes to Bitcoin, which makes it much more efficient to transact money and also reduces some of the normally associated costs with this process. Players are able to gain the upper hand in terms of payment speed and efficiency.
Operators also have a significant role to play here as they are usually the ones who ought to inspire players to trust them. This means making sure that Bitcoin is approachable and useful to the player, creating actual value across the board.
For those who are new, Bitcoin onboarding must be a smooth and straightforward process, and many poker sites have focused on making it such, whether through the implementation of payment gateways, education, or a mix of the two.
Future of Poker – Bitcoin Has a Central Role to Play
Bitcoin has become a new operator frontier, with cryptocurrency providing players with an assortment of benefits that are hard to resist and ignore. This is why many operators have realized that in order to stay competitive, they must enable their consumers to pursue and explore Bitcoin betting options willingly.
Creating value, though, is not the same as forcing value. In other words, players appreciate the option of having access to BTC, but they do not necessarily want to feel obligated. The case is that many poker sites now promote Bitcoin as the fastest, safest, and most reliable way to pay, but they also offer other solutions, ultimately giving players and participants a choice in what they end up choosing.
The fact though remains that Bitcoin is being adopted rapidly in the online poker community, seen as a viable way to offer players safe and quick payment methods and gateways, and also ensure that they are fully focused on providing players with the best possible experience across the board.
The future of poker is here, and most card rooms have realized that if they want to stay competitive, they will have to make sure that their offers are Bitcoin-focused and compatible. Whether players pick Bitcoin is down to them, but the availability of this option is what differentiates the best poker sites from those that are becoming antiquated things of the past.