Overview of What Crypto Wallets Are
To understand what crypto wallet is best for gambling, we need to understand what a crypto wallet is and does for users. Contrary to the name, a crypto wallet does not store cryptocurrency for users but instead is used as a digital tool to perform a couple of tasks. Cryptocurrencies are recorded and authorized using blockchain technology, not through banks.
This means that there is no middleman and allows users to safely and securely store their crypto with verified blocks through a decentralized ledger. By doing this, no one is able to tamper or alter your withholdings unless they have access to your private keys. This is where crypto wallets come into play.
As we stated earlier, these wallets do not store the coins themselves, so what do they store? For starters, wallets store private keys that show ownership and give access to and control over the crypto in that blockchain. The wallet also contains a public address, which allows others to send you crypto. This is then transcribed into the blockchain and essentially non-reversible.
While this can all be a bit much, this is just the tip of the iceberg. To get a better understanding of blockchain technology and how crypto wallets work, check out our other articles such as How Blockchain Works: A Simple Explanation for Beginners and Crypto Wallets Explained: Hot vs. Cold vs. Hardware. There are many different wallets for users, but to understand the best one for you, let us go over the types of crypto wallets that you can encounter and what each one can do for you.
Types of Wallets
Each of these wallets can be beneficial depending on the use but can also be used simultaneously to create a tiered security layer for users, since each one is used in different scenarios.
Custodial vs. Non-Custodial Wallets
The main difference between these two is who has ownership and control over your private keys. Whoever has control over the keys has control over the funds ultimately, and different wallets are defined as either custodial or non-custodial, so let's go over what each means.
Custodial wallets are wallets that are controlled and managed by a third-party exchange or platform. These platforms hold power and manage the keys and funds on your behalf. Users are able to access these wallets through usernames and passwords and sometimes two-factor authentication (2FA). Essentially, you have claims to the funds but not direct ownership over them. This wallet is best for beginners, daily use with small amounts of funds, and for transferring between fiat and cryptocurrencies (on-ramping and off-ramping).
These wallets work with the platforms pooling many of the user's funds and signing the blockchain transactions internally. The blockchain only acknowledges the platform's wallet and not yours. As well as the transactions being signed internally, your balance is also tracked internally in their database. This can be beneficial but also comes with serious risks.
Custodial wallets work great for beginners since they are easy to use, password recovery is available, no worrying about key management, and if you make a mistake, customer support can help out. While this is great for beginners, these wallets are not as secure as non-custodial due to a number of factors. These factors include no full ownership over the wallet, funds can be frozen or sometimes even restricted, platforms can be hacked as well as the accounts in them, and withdrawals can be paused. If a platform goes bankrupt or out of business, you can lose access completely.
Non-custodial wallets are when the user has complete control and management over their private keys. This means that no matter what company it is, they cannot transfer your funds without your approval first. You must sign the transactions yourself. The software is strictly there to generate your keys and store them locally or in hardware for you to access them directly.
Your non-custodial wallet creates a private key for your funds, a public address to receive funds to, and a seed phrase. The seed phrase is randomly generated, around 12–24 words, and is a backup for your wallet. With this, anyone can recreate your wallet. This wallet also works by sending the signed transactions directly to the blockchain instead of internally.
The benefit of using a non-custodial wallet is that users have full, complete ownership over their keys; they also work directly with DeFi and NFTs. Another plus to using these wallets is due to the fact that your funds can't be frozen or lost due to company issues. While there are some great benefits to using non-custodial wallets compared to custodial wallets, there are always going to be concerns to face as well.
Non-custodial wallets can deter users away since they are in direct and full control of the security. This means if they lose their seed phrase, they lose their funds forever, and there is no customer support to aid them in the recovery of this. Since seeds are the access to the wallets and backup, scams target this wallet much more frequently, so a good rule of thumb is to never store your seed on the cloud or send it out to anyone—even support. Now that we understand the difference between custodial and non-custodial wallets, let's move on to the difference between hot and cold wallets.
Hot Wallets
Hot wallets are going to be the main wallets used when gambling and are more for everyday use. These wallets are software that can be installed through an app on a mobile device and use the internet to store your private keys. The wallet can also be available through programs on a computer as well as browser extensions. These are convenient to access since they are online; however, these can easily be hacked. Once a person has access to your hot wallet and takes the funds, there is also almost no recovering the lost funds due to the irreversible blockchain used.
Since the hot wallet is always online, this allows for the network to continuously update in real time. It also allows users to easily and quickly access their funds. Since this type of wallet is so accessible, this makes it ideal for gambling and trading. A great rule of thumb is to only use this type of wallet for smaller amounts of crypto for daily use.
How to Use Hot Wallets (Software):
Step 1: Select your desired wallet
Step 2: Create an account
Step 3: Store your seed phrase
Step 4: Start receiving and sending crypto
Cold Wallets
Cold wallets are just the opposite of hot wallets and can be considered to be the vaults for crypto. There are many types of cold wallets, but the main type is hardware wallets. Cold wallets store your private keys offline by using hardware, paper, or air-gap technology. The main one users enjoy is hardware wallets. These wallets are used by storing the passkeys using a physical device and user interface. This is very secure due to the fact that they cannot be hacked unless someone steals the physical key.
While this is much safer than a hot wallet, cold wallets are much less convenient since it means the user has to keep track of where they store the hardware as well as use the hardware and connect it to an interface such as an app. Cold wallets are typically used to store large amounts of money for a longer period of time. This makes it much less accessible for daily use, making this good in combination with a hot wallet but not alone when gambling.
How to Use Cold Wallets (Hardware):
Step 1: Select and purchase your wallet
Step 2: Set up wallet
Step 3: Store seed phrase
Step 4: Install software to your device
Step 5: Send and receive crypto
Step 6: Additional features
Best Wallets
Best Overall
When gambling, it is best to use hot wallets for quick access and trading, but when it comes to the majority of your crypto, it is best to keep it stored long term in a cold wallet. Using both types of wallets creates an extra layer of security for your crypto assets and allows you to have control over your funds more than just having one or the other.
Best Hot Wallets (Software)
MetaMask
Trust Wallet
Exodus
Zengo
Best Cold Wallets (Hardware)
Ledger (Nano X, Nano S Plus)
Trezor (Safe 7)
Tangem (2.0 Card)
Best for Beginners
Exodus (Hot Wallet)
Tangem (2.0 Model —Cold wallet)
Trezor (Safe 7— Cold Wallet)
Zengo (Hot Wallet)
What Each Wallet Offers
Each wallet differs from one another, but this section is here to explain the differences and why we believe these are the best wallets when gambling in crypto casinos.
Hot Wallets:
MetaMask is a Web3-based browser extension and app that allows users to stay in control of their private keys. This wallet is considered a non-custodial hot wallet that acts as a way for users to manage their digital assets, connect to thousands of dapps, and even spend their crypto using their card.
The company was founded in 2016 and has continued to keep their popularity and relevance through the years. This is not only due to the reasons above, but due to the fact that they continue to act as a gateway to the evolving decentralized web (Web3). They also support a large variety of blockchains, creating a space for many users. While they are not the most beginner-friendly of the hot wallets mentioned, MetaMask is still moderately easy to use. They offer built-in learning tools for not only educational content but also simulations for practice.
While these are all benefits of this wallet, there are some trade-offs users might encounter. Many users express that MetaMask lacks in customer support, stating that they are slow to respond and can only be reached via tickets and forums. This creates a huge space for scams and people pretending to be support, making it harder for users to find actual help.
As stated earlier, this wallet is not the most user-friendly. This is due to the steeper learning curve around the Web3 design and managing areas that can get confusing, such as gas fees and network switching. Another downside to this wallet is the security trade-off for using the browser extension, making it easier for hackers or malicious extensions to gain control compared to using the app by itself.
Pros:
Web3 integration
Can connect to hardware wallets
Great security for a hot wallet
Clear and friendly UI
Works with a broad range of dapps
Has never been hacked
Cons:
Steeper learning curve
Bad customer support system
Stores keys on device or browser
Doesn't support non-EVM blockchains
Trust Wallet
Trust Wallet is a beginner-friendly mobile or browser wallet that is non-custodial. It allows users to have control over their private keys and provides a simple-to-use mobile app for users. This wallet, unlike MetaMask, supports a wide range of blockchains and is not limited to EVM blockchains. Many users also enjoy this wallet due to the fact that they have a built-in stake feature.
Trust Wallet was founded in 2017 and is considered to be an all-in-one wallet. Again, there are downsides and trade-offs for this wallet. This being that Trust Wallet does not offer hardware compatibility. Many users enjoy combining their hot wallets with hardware wallets, so this can be a major turn-off for users.
Nonetheless, Trust Wallet has gained a platform in the community, and it is mainly due to the fact that in 2018 it was acquired by the world's largest crypto exchange at the time, Binance. This wallet became the default wallet for a wide range of Binance users. They have continued to keep their high status through the beginner-friendly UI and onboarding, along with the multi-chain support offered.
One major security breach to note is that, while Trust Wallet has not been hacked as a whole, they did have an incident in December of 2025. The Chrome browser extension became compromised due to an attack inputting malicious code in an update. This code then gave the attacker access to the user's wallet data but only affected those who used this extension version and not the company as a whole. While this did affect around 3,000 wallets and $7–8 million, Binance announced that they will be refunding the lost funds in full.
Pros:
Multi-chain support (not just EVM)
Beginner-friendly onboarding
Clear and simple UI
Supports large range of coins and NFTs
Web3 integration
Cons:
Browser extension hack in December 2025
Does not support hardware wallets
Owned by Binance—can deter users who do not like custody ties
Slow customer support
Exodus
Exodus was founded in 2015 and is both an app and browser extension wallet for users to manage their crypto through their extremely beginner-friendly design and built-in exchange platform. Exodus supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies, as well as staying up to date with the new digital assets in the growing community—examples include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin.
This wallet aims to keep your information private by keeping personal information needed to a minimum or not required. While this wallet is considered to be adequate by itself, it does work with hardware wallets such as Trezor and Ledger to add an additional layer of security for user funds.
While Exodus itself has never had a breach of security or been hacked as a whole, hot wallet users in general are susceptible to being hacked from malware, phishing scams, and compromised devices. Downsides specifically for Exodus users are that it lacks deep DeFi and dapp integration compared to other wallets mentioned and is not open-sourced for users that enjoy transparency.
Pros:
Cons:
Zengo
Zengo was founded in 2018 and is a non-custodial wallet known for not using seed phrases like the rest. Instead, they are the leading wallet for MPC cryptography and take pride in providing for not only individuals but businesses as well. They are considered to be beginner-friendly but less flexible for advanced users due to the fact that they are not fully or directly integrated with DeFi and dapps.
Going more into the multi-party computation (MPC), this can be both good and bad for users since it splits a private key across multiple devices. This means that in order for a transaction to be signed, multiple holders must collaborate in signing and eliminate ever having the full key in one place acting as a master key.
This creates higher security and privacy for users but also comes with trade-offs. Since there is no seed phrase, users have to rely heavily on Zengo to help recover keys and does not give users full control. This can be a turn-off for users that want full jurisdiction and ownership over their crypto.
Pros:
Cons:
Does not support hardware wallets
No full private key control
Primary mobile-faced
Does not support DeFi and dapps directly like MetaMask does
| Meta Mask | Trust Wallet | Exodus | Zengo |
Year Established | 2016 | 2017 | 2015 | 2018 |
Beginner Friendly | 2.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Web3 Integrated | Yes; directly | yes:directly | Yes; indirectly | Yes; indirectly |
Hardware Integration | yes | no | yes | no |
Variety of Coin/blockchains | EVM-centered | Most Variety | Good Variety | Good Variety |
Been Hacked | no | Yes: in a way | no | no |
Cold Wallets:
Ledger
Ledger as a company has been one of the leading brands for hardware wallets due to factors such as their multi-chain support, user-friendly app (Ledger Wallet, previously known as Ledger Live), and features such as their Secure Element chip for isolated private keys. Ledger wallets support thousands of coins and NFTs, including mainstream coins such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum.
Their wallets allow users to store their private keys fully offline and offer backup solutions for your seed phrase. The backup/recovery options offered for the two devices below are metal backup solutions, Ledger Recover, and, of course, the sheets of paper that come with all devices. Users are given sheets of paper free with all their purchases but have the chance to purchase or subscribe to other options.
For the metal backup options, users can protect their Secret Recovery Phrase against any condition with “marine-grade steel” and “aerospace-grade titanium.” The Ledger Recover subscription encrypts and splits the Secret Recovery Phrase into three fragments and sends them through secure encrypted channels to three companies. Ledger Recover can then reassemble the fragments on your new device. Now that we know what the company offers, let's go into what each of the popular products offer. Note that both use a two-button verification for validating transactions.
Nano X
CC EAL 5+
Device Compatibility:
Desktop: Windows 10+, macOS 12+, Ubuntu LTS 20.04+
Mobile: Android 9+, iOS 13+
Battery Life:
Nano S
Connection
Certified Secure Element
Device Compatibility
Battery Life:
Trezor (Safe 7)
Trezor wallets have a very similar general concept to them, as they completely keep users' private keys stored offline and safe from hackers. The company ensures that the firmware and accompanying Trezor Suite app are both updated regularly for bug fixes and to add new features.
Their Safe 7 is considered future-proof due to the fact that it will be able to keep up with not only the assets and NFTs today but for what is to come tomorrow. Trezor is very beginner-friendly due to the UI and clear setup instructions.
Another factor that Trezor prides itself on is their quantum-ready integration with this wallet. This means that it uses post-quantum cryptography to help ensure firmware updates and booting processes are secure from malware, even with quantum computers and other threats possible. This device is also open-sourced with its security and very transparent.
Here are the key features for the Trezor Safe 7:
Connection:
Security:
TROPIC01 Secure Chip
Quantum-ready
Device Compatibility:
Battery Life:
Tangem
Tangem is considered the most beginner-friendly for users due to the simple fact that it does not use seed phrases. Tangem is a card that is simply used by tapping the NFC card to the user's phone. This company primarily focuses on integrating NFC and mobile apps to make it the most user-friendly. It is less traditional and can be a turn-off for many users since there is less control than seed-phrase wallets like Trezor and Ledger.
Tangem claims that the setup is simple and only takes about three minutes to set up. Just like the other two wallets mentioned, Tangem also generates the private key fully offline and non-compromisable. None of the cards have been hacked, and the app offers thousands of cryptocurrencies for their users. The chip used in their wallets was developed with Samsung Semiconductors and never needs to be charged. This chip cannot be counterfeited due to the verification through the app. Along with this security, they also offer the EAL6+ security standard that Ledger has as well.
With this security comes partial transparency. Tangem allows users and outside developers to view and audit their mobile app and software. This means that you are able to see what is running on your phone; however, they do not have open-sourced firmware. Many suggest this is due to them wanting to reduce the risk of attacks on cloning and tampering.
Features:
Connection:
Security:
Device Compatibility:
Battery Life:
Conclusion
While there is still so much to learn about crypto wallets, such as the apps and what crypto really is, this guide was meant to help you better understand wallets as a whole and show you what we believe to be the best wallets out there. While they can all be great in their own ways, it is best to weigh your options and choose what is right for you. To learn more about how to deposit crypto from your wallet to your casino account, head over to our tutorial on How to Deposit Crypto Safely and Instantly.