SAHARA Las Vegas has begun allowing casino patrons to convert Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin into funds for gambling at its Casino Cage, becoming the first Las Vegas Strip casino to offer cryptocurrency-funded play under the arrangement.
The service, announced by payments provider BurraPay on Oct. 14, does not permit direct cryptocurrency wagers at table games or slot machines. Instead, a guest deposits crypto and, once the transaction is confirmed, receives casino chips or a ticket denominated in U.S. dollars. All play and winnings remain in dollars, and winnings cannot be withdrawn in cryptocurrency.
The Meruelo Group-owned resort said the option is available at its 24-hour cage to Infinity Rewards members aged 21 or older. Prospective users need a valid photo ID and must complete a one-time identity check through a secure link and selfie; non-members can join the loyalty programme free of charge.
Players enter the dollar value they want to deposit and choose BTC, ETH or LTC. The exchange rate is then locked for 15 minutes, during which the guest sends the required amount by scanning a QR code with a crypto wallet or exchange application. SAHARA emails the player once the blockchain confirms the transfer, after which the player returns to the cage to collect the chips or ticket.
BurraPay charges a 5% fee on each crypto deposit. A guest may cancel before conversion and receive a refund to a wallet of their choice. The deposits cannot be used for hotel rooms or dining.
BurraPay operates the service, while Byte Federal provides the exchange services. SAHARA said Nevada gaming rules and anti-money-laundering standards require its identity checks, and that every deposit is screened. BurraPay’s platform also uses blockchain-monitoring tools intended to detect problem-gambling behaviour in real time.
Craig Pleva, SAHARA Las Vegas’s general manager, described BurraPay as a compliant solution that would allow the resort to introduce the payment option “thoughtfully and responsibly.” He said the expansion gave guests more flexibility while reflecting payment innovation in Las Vegas.
The launch follows BurraPay’s June introduction at the Circa Resort & Casino sportsbook in downtown Las Vegas, which produced the city’s first legal cryptocurrency-funded sports wager. BurraPay said that earlier deployment made it the first compliant crypto-payments provider operating in Nevada’s regulated gaming market.
The approach keeps cryptocurrency at the funding stage rather than treating it as casino currency. That distinction comes as crypto implementation in gambling remains a relatively new development, according to a 2024 University of Nevada, Las Vegas study, which found that only a limited number of jurisdictions had rules for such payments. The study also said price volatility had constrained wider adoption and increased interest in stablecoins.
UNLV identified conventional anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing controls, regulation of third-party payment providers, regulatory approval, clear operator terms and e-KYC as considerations for gambling operators accepting cryptocurrency. The research examined money-laundering safeguards in nine jurisdictions and noted casinos’ historical exposure to illicit funds being deposited, gambled and cashed out as apparently legitimate winnings.
