Crypto Casino: Expected Value, RTP Gaps and the UK Regulatory Line

A crypto casino accepts deposits in Bitcoin, Ethereum or stablecoins and settles wagers on the same rails, usually within minutes rather than banking days. This page treats the topic as an arithmetic problem: what does the house edge actually cost you per session, and how does that number shift between a UKGC licence and an offshore crypto-only operator.

The angle here is deliberately cold. No hype about moon shots, no claims that blockchain spins are fairer by default. Just expected value calculations, published return-to-player percentages, licence comparisons, and a firm read on which crypto casinos a UK resident can legally use in 2026.

What Counts as a Crypto Casino in 2026

How does a crypto casino differ from a fiat online casino?

A crypto casino routes deposits, bets and withdrawals through a wallet address instead of a card network or bank transfer. Settlement is on-chain or via a payment processor holding crypto reserves. The game logic, RNG certification and licensing status are separate questions, and conflating them is where most player confusion starts.

Operationally the difference sits in the payment layer. A fiat casino on the UK market runs deposits through Visa, Mastercard, PayPal or open banking, all under the Gambling Commission's payment-monitoring rules. A crypto casino typically uses a custodial processor or direct chain transfers, which removes chargebacks but also removes the reimbursement path a UK cardholder would otherwise have.

Game libraries overlap heavily. Studios like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Evolution, Hacksaw and Nolimit City supply titles to both types of operator, so the reels themselves behave identically. What changes is the wallet flow, the jurisdiction of the licence, and the dispute route if something goes wrong.

Which coins do crypto casinos actually accept?

Bitcoin remains the default, but the 2026 market has settled into a short list of working assets. Most operators take BTC, ETH and USDT (TRC-20 for its low fee), with USDC and Litecoin as common secondary options. Solana and Tron appear at newer brands; Monero shows up mostly at privacy-oriented sites.

Fee structure matters more than coin choice. A BTC on-chain withdrawal during peak hours can cost several pounds in network fees, while a TRC-20 USDT transfer often lands under £0.50. Stablecoin rails are why operators like Stake, Roobet and BC.Game pushed USDT hard: players avoid volatility on the way out, and the house avoids refund disputes when a coin drops 8% overnight.

Are crypto casinos legal for UK players?

Only operators holding a Gambling Commission licence may legally offer real-money play to residents of Great Britain. As of 2026 the UKGC has issued no crypto-asset gambling licences; the Commission's position is that licensed operators settle in sterling through approved payment methods, and that accepting crypto as a wagering medium falls outside the permitted framework.

Players can still hold crypto and use it offshore. That is a personal choice with a specific consequence: no UK regulatory protection, no access to the National Gambling Helpline's case-management referral for that operator, and no route to IBAS adjudication. The site may be perfectly honest and still leave you without recourse.

Practical reading: playing at a licensed UK brand like bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes or Coral gives you statutory protections. Playing at a Curaçao-licensed crypto brand gives you a licence from a different regulator with different standards. Both are legal to access; only one is regulated for you.

What licence should a crypto casino display?

The three you will actually encounter are Curaçao (via the Curaçao Gaming Authority, restructured in 2025), Anjouan, and Kahnawake. Each publishes a licence register you can check in under a minute. A footer claiming "fully licensed" without a clickable certificate number is a red flag, not a nuance.

Crypto casinos holding a UKGC licence are effectively nonexistent for crypto wagering, but several UK-licensed brands do allow crypto deposits converted to sterling through a processor. That is a materially different product from a pure crypto casino, and the distinction decides which dispute body covers you.

Firm conclusion: verify the licence before depositing, and treat a missing or unverifiable licence as a stop signal. No bonus, rakeback percentage or token promotion compensates for operating outside any recognised register.

Expected Value: The Only Number That Matters

How is expected value calculated in a casino game?

Expected value is the sum of every outcome multiplied by its probability. For a slot with a 96% return-to-player figure, the EV of staking £100 across a large number of spins is £96 returned, £4 retained by the house. The calculation does not care about bet size, session length or coin type.

Formula in practice: EV = Σ (payout × probability) − stake. On a single European roulette spin at 35:1 for a straight-up win, EV = (1/37 × 35) − (36/37 × 1) = −£0.027 per pound staked, which is the classic 2.70% edge. Crypto casinos do not alter this arithmetic; they alter the currency it is denominated in.

Where players go wrong is treating EV as a per-session prediction. A 96% RTP slot can return 140% in one 200-spin run. EV describes the long-run average over tens of thousands of spins, which is why variance, not edge, decides whether tonight feels lucky.

What RTP do licensed UK slots actually publish?

The UKGC requires operators to display the RTP of every slot in the game rules, and since 2023 operators must publish aggregate monthly return figures by category. Pragmatic Play titles on UK sites commonly ship at 96.5%, NetEnt's Starburst at 96.09%, and Big Time Gaming's Bonanza at 96.00%.

Multi-RTP packages are the detail most players miss. Pragmatic Play alone ships the same slot in variants at 96.5%, 95.5%, 94.5% and 92% RTP, and the operator chooses which one to run. A crypto casino can legally select the lowest tier; a UK-facing operator must disclose which tier is live in the game info panel.

How much does a 2% RTP difference cost over a year?

Take a player staking £2,000 per month across slots. At 96.5% RTP the annual expected loss is £720; at 94.5% it is £960; at 92% it is £1,440. The gap between the best and worst tier is £720 per year on identical play, which is the arithmetic case for checking the game info panel before every session.

Scale that to a £10,000 monthly turnover and the numbers become uncomfortable: £600 versus £1,200 versus £2,400 in expected loss per year. Same studio, same art, same bonus round, different published return. The crypto casino's choice of RTP tier is the single highest-leverage decision affecting your long-run cost of entertainment.

One honest caveat: crypto casinos sometimes run higher tiers precisely because they have lower payment-processing costs and no UK tax or levy obligations. Some offshore brands publish 96.5% where a UK operator runs 94.5%. Check, don't assume.

What house edge do table games carry at crypto casinos?

Blackjack under standard rules sits near 0.5% with perfect basic strategy, rising to 2% if the dealer hits soft 17 and you play loosely. European roulette is fixed at 2.70%. American roulette with a double zero is 5.26%. Baccarat banker bets run 1.06%, player bets 1.24%.

Crypto casinos add variants that shift these numbers. Evolution's Lightning Roulette multiplies straight-up wins but cuts the base payout, holding the edge near 2.70% while raising variance. Infinite Blackjack keeps the edge around 0.5% but lets unlimited players share one hand, which changes pace, not maths.

Craps is the outlier. A pass-line bet carries 1.41% edge, but proposition bets jump to over 16%. Crypto casinos rarely publish the full odds table, so the discipline is: read the paytable before you place a bet, not after.

Does crypto settlement change expected value at all?

Not directly. The RNG produces the same distribution whether the stake is denominated in pounds or satoshis. Where crypto changes EV is in the frictions around it: withdrawal minimums, conversion spreads, network fees and coin volatility between cash-out and sale.

Work an example. A £500 withdrawal in BTC costs roughly £4 in network fees and, if you convert immediately, 0.5–1% in exchange spread, so about £7 total. Against a £500 stake that is 1.4% of your bankroll gone before a single hand is played. On a 96% RTP slot, that fee drag is equivalent to playing at 94.6% RTP.

Stablecoin rails cut this to near zero. USDT on TRC-20 moves for pennies, and holding USDT until you convert removes price risk. If you are optimising EV on a crypto casino, using USDT rather than BTC is the cheapest improvement available, worth roughly 1–1.5% of turnover annually for a typical player.

Top Crypto Casinos and How They Compare

Which crypto casinos do UK players actually recognise?

Very few of the biggest crypto brands hold a UKGC licence, and several of the UK-licensed names on any shortlist do not accept crypto at all. The honest split looks like this: bet365, William Hill, Ladbrokes, Coral, Sky Bet and Betfair operate under UKGC licences and settle in sterling; Stake, Roobet, BC.Game and mBit are crypto-native but offshore.

Brands such as 888 Casino, LeoVegas, PlayOJO, MrQ and Grosvenor Casinos are UKGC-licensed with fiat rails. On the crypto-native side, Stake and Roobet are the two most cited names, both Curaçao-licensed, both offering original titles alongside Pragmatic and Evolution content. Neither accepts GB residents under their own terms.

For a UK resident the usable list is short: UKGC-licensed operators, some of which route crypto through a third-party processor that converts to GBP at deposit. That is a crypto deposit, not a crypto wager, and the distinction protects your dispute rights.

How do Stake, Roobet and BC.Game compare on the numbers?

Stake runs a published house edge of 1% on its original dice and plinko titles, 2% on crash, and hosts Pragmatic slots at whatever RTP tier the studio contract specifies. Roobet publishes similar originals, with a 1% edge on dice. BC.Game runs its own in-house titles with edges disclosed in the rules panel.

All three process withdrawals in minutes under normal network conditions, and all three are Curaçao-licensed. Withdrawal limits differ: Stake sets no hard cap for verified accounts, Roobet applies tiered limits, BC.Game uses a rolling daily cap that scales with VIP level. None of the three offers IBAS or UKGC dispute resolution.

What does a UK-licensed crypto-friendly brand look like?

Several UKGC operators integrate crypto deposits via processors such as those used by the wider betting market, converting to sterling before the balance reaches your account. The wagering then happens in GBP under UK rules, RTP tiers are disclosed, and disputes route through IBAS or the Commission's own complaints process.

Brands in this category include Betway, Unibet, Virgin Games, Gala Bingo and Grosvenor Casinos. Each publishes monthly return statistics, each must display the RTP of every game, and each participates in GamStop and the National Gambling Helpline framework. Crypto is a funding method, not the operating currency.

Firm conclusion: if you want crypto in and crypto out, you are offshore by definition in 2026. If you want UK regulatory cover, you accept sterling settlement. There is no third option on the UK market today.

How do bonuses differ between crypto and fiat casinos?

Crypto casinos lead with percentage match and rakeback. Stake runs a 200% welcome match up to a set BTC amount; Roobet offers tiered reloads; BC.Game advertises deposit matches alongside a native token. Wagering requirements typically sit between 25x and 40x the bonus amount.

UKGC-licensed brands are constrained by the Commission's 2023 bonus rules: wagering requirements above 10x on slots must be flagged clearly, bonus terms must be displayed before opt-in, and the operator must show a real-money balance alongside bonus funds. William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral all run welcome offers within these limits.

The arithmetic consequence: a 40x crypto bonus on a £100 credit requires £4,000 of turnover before withdrawal. At 96% RTP the expected loss on that turnover is £160, which is 160% of the bonus you were chasing. Read the multiple before you claim, every time.

Which crypto casinos have the fastest withdrawals?

Crypto-native operators beat fiat brands on speed by a wide margin. Stake and Roobet routinely clear withdrawals in under 15 minutes once KYC is complete; some transactions confirm in under 60 seconds on Tron or Solana rails. Fiat UK brands take 1–3 days for card or bank settlement.

Speed has a trade-off. Fast crypto withdrawals mean no chargeback route and no intermediary holding funds during a dispute. Fast fiat withdrawals mean the operator's compliance team has already cleared your account against UK money-laundering rules. Which trade you prefer depends on how much you value recourse over latency.

Verification is the bottleneck either way. Crypto casinos that skip KYC under £2,000 still ask for ID before larger payouts, and UKGC brands verify at registration. Expect 10–30 minutes of document upload either side; everything after that is network speed.

Licences, Regulation and Player Protection

What does a Curaçao licence actually guarantee?

The Curaçao Gaming Authority restructured its framework in 2025, moving from four master-licensees to direct operator licences with defined player-protection standards. Licence holders must publish game fairness information, maintain segregated player funds, and submit to AGR (anti-money-laundering) reporting.

What it does not provide: UK-style dispute adjudication, mandatory contribution to a national treatment fund, or the same standard of responsible-gambling tooling. Curaçao-licensed crypto casinos may offer self-exclusion, but there is no GamStop-equivalent register covering them.

Verification is straightforward: the Curaçao register lists active licences with company names and numbers. If your operator's certificate does not appear there, treat the claim as unverified and move on.

What protections does the UK Gambling Commission require?

Since 2023 the Commission has mandated affordability checks triggered by deposit thresholds, a single customer view across operators in a group, and mandatory display of RTP and time-spent indicators. Licensed operators must contribute to research, education and treatment through the National Lottery distribution model.

Practical protections available to you: deposit limits set at registration, reality checks at 60-minute intervals, cool-off periods from 24 hours to 6 months, and full self-exclusion via GamStop covering every UKGC-licensed site for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. These tools are statutory, not optional.

Firm conclusion: the UK framework is measurably stronger than any offshore regime available to crypto casinos in 2026. If player protection is a priority rather than an afterthought, the licence decides the operator, not the other way round.

How does self-exclusion work across crypto casinos?

There is no unified register covering offshore crypto casinos. Each brand runs its own exclusion tool, and closing an account at one site does nothing to the next. That fragmentation is the practical reason problem gambling crosses operators so easily in the crypto space.

On the UK side, GamStop excludes you from every participating UKGC-licensed operator simultaneously. Crypto casinos that accept UK traffic in breach of their own terms will not appear in GamStop, so the register does not reach them. For those, browser-level blocking software and wallet-level spending caps are the realistic controls.

National Gambling Helpline: 0808 8020 133, free, 24/7 across Great Britain. The service refers into local treatment and can flag self-exclusion requests. Use it before a session becomes a problem, not after.

Which regulators oversee the studios behind crypto casino games?

Game fairness is certified separately from operator licensing. Pragmatic Play, NetEnt, Microgaming, Evolution, Hacksaw and Nolimit City submit RNG outputs to testing houses such as eCOGRA, GLI and BMM Testlabs, which publish payout reports. Those reports are the same whether the operator is UKGC-licensed or Curaçao-licensed.

A crypto casino running Pragmatic titles at 94.5% RTP is running a certified 94.5% game. Certification confirms the number matches the published figure; it does not confirm the figure is generous. Player-side due diligence means checking the RTP in the rules panel, not the lab seal on the footer.

Firm conclusion: studio certification guarantees mathematical honesty of the RNG, nothing more. RTP tier selection remains the operator's decision, and that decision is where your expected value is won or lost.

What happens if a crypto casino refuses a withdrawal?

Offshore operators can delay or deny payouts citing bonus terms, KYC gaps or "unusual activity" clauses. Without a regulator-backed appeals route, your options are limited to the operator's internal complaints process and public review channels. Curaçao's 2025 framework added a formal complaints pathway, but resolution times run into weeks.

UKGC-licensed operators fall under IBAS for disputes not resolved internally, with the Commission able to fine or suspend a licence. That enforcement power is the difference between a complaint and a threat. Ladbrokes, Coral, Betfred and Sky Bet all publish their IBAS membership in the footer.

Practical advice: keep transaction hashes, chat transcripts and screenshots for every crypto wager. If a dispute escalates, on-chain records are the only evidence an offshore operator cannot dispute.

Bankroll, Fees and the Real Cost of Playing

How do network fees eat into a crypto bankroll?

Bitcoin's median on-chain fee has ranged from under £0.50 in quiet periods to over £10 during congestion. Ethereum mainnet spikes further; Layer 2 rails like Arbitrum and Base hold fees under £0.30. Tron's TRC-20 USDT transfers consistently clear for pennies.

Model a monthly cycle: 4 deposits, 6 withdrawals, all in BTC at an average £3 fee each. That is £30 per month, £360 per year, before any exchange spread. Against a £1,000 monthly bankroll this is a 3% monthly drag, which is the equivalent of playing a 3-point lower RTP tier on every spin.

The mitigation is boring and effective: batch withdrawals, hold a stablecoin balance rather than moving BTC every session, and use L2 rails where the casino supports them. Fee discipline is the cheapest edge available to a crypto casino player.

What conversion spreads do crypto casinos charge?

On-site conversion between coins typically runs 0.5–2%, depending on the operator's liquidity provider. Stake's internal exchange is competitive at the lower end; smaller brands wider spreads on less common pairs. Off-site conversion on a major exchange like Coinbase or Kraken runs 0.1–0.4% on spot pairs.

Work the number: converting £2,000 per month at a 1% internal spread costs £24 monthly, £288 annually. Shifting that conversion to an external exchange at 0.2% costs £4.80 monthly. The £240 annual difference is pure process, not gambling, and it sits entirely within your control.

Firm conclusion: treat conversion spread as part of the house edge. A crypto casino charging 1.5% on every conversion is functionally running a 1.5-point higher house edge on your bankroll before a single game loads.

Is bankroll sizing different for crypto volatility?

If your bankroll sits in BTC, its purchasing power moves with the market. A 20% BTC drawdown between deposit and withdrawal converts a winning session into a losing one in fiat terms. Players who hold stablecoins avoid this entirely; players who hold BTC are running a second bet on top of the casino's.

Pragmatic approach: fund sessions from a stablecoin wallet, convert only what you intend to stake, and withdraw back to stablecoin. That keeps the gambling EV separate from market exposure. Holding BTC as a long-term position is fine, but mixing it with a gambling bankroll muddies both decisions.

Session sizing does not change: 100–200 units for slots, 50–100 for table games with higher variance, and never more than 5% of total bankroll on a single spin or hand. The coin you use does not alter these ratios.

What rakeback and VIP schemes are worth calculating?

Crypto casinos publish rakeback as a percentage of house edge returned. A 10% rakeback on a 1% edge game returns 0.1% of turnover; a 25% rakeback returns 0.25%. Against a 96% RTP slot with a 4% edge, 10% rakeback effectively lifts your RTP to 96.4%.

UKGC brands rarely use the term, but cashback schemes do the same job. PlayOJO's no-wagering cashback model returns a fixed percentage of losses, which mathematically functions as a rakeback. Compare the effective RTP after rewards, not the headline bonus.

Table of effective returns on £10,000 monthly turnover at 96% RTP: base expected loss £400; with 10% rakeback £360; with 25% rakeback £300; with a 5% cashback-on-losses scheme £380. Rakeback is worth real money, but it never closes a 4-point RTP gap.

How do crypto casino limits compare with UK limits?

UKGC-licensed operators must offer deposit limit tools at registration and conduct affordability checks at defined thresholds. Crypto casinos set minimum deposits (often £10 equivalent) and withdrawal floors (commonly £20–£50 equivalent) but have no regulatory obligation to prompt limit-setting.

Maximum bet caps differ sharply. UK slots face a £2 maximum online stake under the 2025 review measures; offshore crypto casinos routinely allow £100+ per spin on the same titles. That single difference multiplies how fast a losing session depletes a bankroll.

Firm conclusion: the absence of stake caps and affordability prompts on crypto casinos is not a feature, it is a transfer of responsibility onto the player. If you cannot self-impose a £2 stake ceiling, the offshore route is the wrong one.

Choosing a Crypto Casino: A Decision Framework

What should you check before depositing?

Five checks, in order: licence register entry, published RTP tier on your chosen game, withdrawal minimum and fee, supported coin and network, and responsible-gambling tools available without contacting support. Any failure on the first two is a stop.

Time cost is low. Licence verification takes 2 minutes; RTP lookup takes 30 seconds in the game rules; fee schedule is usually on the payments page. Ten minutes of checking beats a week of chasing a stalled withdrawal.

Secondary checks: does the operator publish monthly return statistics, does it name its testing lab, and does it state a complaints contact with a physical address? Professional operators answer all three without hesitation.

Which crypto casino suits which type of player?

High-volume slot players should prioritise RTP tier and rakeback: Stake and Roobet publish both clearly, and UKGC brands publish RTP but rarely rakeback. Table-game players should check variant rules and dealer behaviour, since a 0.5% swing in blackjack rules outweighs any bonus.

Casual players staking under £100 monthly are better served by a UKGC-licensed brand where protections cost nothing and the fee drag on small balances is proportionally worse in crypto. Large-balance players value fast settlement and will accept the offshore trade-off knowingly.

Live-dealer specialists should confirm the studio: Evolution dominates at both crypto and fiat operators, with Pragmatic Live and Playtech as secondary suppliers. Game availability rarely differentiates; payout speed and licence do.

How do you verify a crypto casino's fairness claims?

Provably fair systems let you check each round's outcome against a server seed hash published before the bet. Stake, Roobet and BC.Game all expose this on their originals. It confirms the result was not altered after the fact; it does not confirm the underlying odds are favourable.

For studio slots, fairness rests on the RNG certification and the published RTP. Cross-check the RTP in the game rules against the studio's own published sheet; discrepancies are rare but worth 30 seconds of verification.

Firm conclusion: provably fair mechanics answer the question "was this spin manipulated", not "is this game worth playing". Both checks belong in your pre-deposit routine, and neither substitutes for reading the licence.

What are the tax implications for UK crypto casino winnings?

Winnings from gambling are not taxable for individual players in the UK, whether the stake was sterling or crypto. HMRC treats gambling profits as exempt, and this applies to gains realised on crypto held between deposit and withdrawal only if the activity remains genuinely recreational.

Where it changes: if crypto trading itself becomes a trade, HMRC may treat gains under capital gains tax rules at 18% (basic rate) or 24% (higher rate) on gains above the annual exempt amount. Mixing a gambling bankroll with active trading muddies the distinction quickly.

Practical rule: keep gambling crypto in a separate wallet from investment holdings, document deposits and withdrawals, and take professional advice if balances grow beyond casual levels. Clarity of records is what keeps the exemption clean.

Is a crypto casino worth it for a UK player in 2026?

Depends on what you are optimising. If the objective is fastest settlement and access to token-denominated bonuses, offshore crypto casinos deliver. If the objective is lowest long-run cost of play with full player protection, a UKGC-licensed operator with disclosed RTP tiers wins on both counts.

Run the numbers before choosing. A UK player staking £5,000 per year at 96.5% RTP loses £175 expected; the same stake at 94.5% on an offshore crypto casino loses £275, before fees, before conversion spread, before volatility. The £100 gap plus £50 of friction buys you speed and nothing else.

Firm conclusion: for most UK players, a licensed operator with transparent RTP is the better expected-value choice, and crypto casinos make sense only for players who specifically need crypto rails and accept the regulatory trade-off knowingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are crypto casinos rigged?

No evidence suggests certified crypto casino games are rigged; the RNG outputs are tested by independent labs and, on provably fair titles, verifiable by the player. What changes between operators is the published RTP tier, which can swing expected loss by several percentage points. Rigging is rare; tier selection is routine and legal.

Can I use a crypto casino with a VPN from the UK?

Accessing an offshore crypto casino via VPN breaches the operator's own terms and forfeits any dispute recourse. UK law does not criminalise the player for doing so, but it removes every protection the operator would otherwise owe you. The practical risk is a confiscated balance with no appeals route.

Which coin is cheapest to withdraw from a casino?

TRC-20 USDT and Litecoin are the cheapest mainstream options, both clearing for well under £1 per transfer. Bitcoin and Ethereum mainnet can cost £5–£12 during congestion. Stablecoins also remove price risk between withdrawal and conversion, which is a second saving on top of the fee.

Do crypto casinos pay faster than UK casinos?

Yes, by a wide margin. Crypto-native operators commonly clear withdrawals in 5–15 minutes after verification, while UKGC-licensed brands take 1–3 days through card or bank rails. The speed comes from skipping the banking layer, which also means skipping the chargeback protection that layer provides.

Is gambling with crypto taxable in the UK?

Individual gambling winnings are exempt from UK tax, including those settled in crypto. The exemption applies to genuine recreational play; if you treat crypto trading as a separate activity, gains there may fall under capital gains tax at 18% or 24%. Keep wallets and records separate to preserve the distinction.

What is the best RTP available at a crypto casino?

Blackjack under standard rules with basic strategy sits near 99.5% RTP, the highest commonly available figure. Among slots, high-tier Pragmatic and Microgaming titles reach 96.5–96.9%. Always confirm the live tier in the game rules, since the same title may run at 94.5% or lower on some operators.

How do I self-exclude from a crypto casino?

Offshore crypto casinos each run their own exclusion tool, requestable through support, typically for 6 months to permanent. There is no unified register covering them, unlike GamStop for UKGC operators. For additional control, use device-level blocking software and set wallet spending caps at the exchange or wallet provider.

Do crypto casinos offer bigger bonuses than UK ones?

Headline percentages are larger offshore, often 200% or more, but wagering requirements run 25x–40x against the UK market's constrained 10x-or-flagged standard. A 40x requirement on a £100 bonus demands £4,000 of turnover, whose expected loss at 96% RTP is £160. Bigger headline, worse arithmetic.

Responsible gambling: gambling is for adults aged 18 and over in Great Britain. Free, confidential support is available 24/7 from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Self-exclusion from all UK-licensed operators is available through GamStop for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. Set deposit limits before you play, never chase losses, and treat every stake as money you can afford to lose.