BEP-20 is the token standard of BNB Chain (formerly Binance Smart Chain). Technically it is a copy of the Ethereum chain that uses fewer validators and is therefore considerably cheaper and faster — a transfer costs cents and usually confirms in under a minute.
Why casinos offer it
A cheap network means a small deposit makes sense. Where sending five euros costs a euro on the BTC chain, on BEP-20 it costs a couple of cents. That is exactly why it is the default recommended option in many cashiers for stablecoins and wrapped coins.
The risk: an identical address format
A BEP-20 address starts with 0x exactly like an ERC-20 one. They cannot be told apart by eye. If you send ERC-20 USDT to a BEP-20 address or the other way round, the money is lost practically every time. The only protection is to choose the network in the cashier before copying the address and to check that the wallet's network matches.
Wrapped coins
"BTCB" moving on BEP-20 is not bitcoin but its wrapped equivalent. A casino expecting real bitcoin will not credit a BTCB transfer. That is a separate trap on top of the network choice — see the Bitcoin casino list and the payments guide.
In summary
Fast and cheap, if you know exactly what you are doing. For a beginner TRC-20 is the safer choice, because an address starting with T cannot be confused with any other network.
Three things to check before sending
- Network name. The cashier and the exchange must show the same network, for example "BSC (BEP20)". Names differ in places, but the address is the same.
- The fee is paid in BNB. As with ETH for ERC-20, the wallet must hold some BNB, see gas fee. Without it the transaction does not go through.
- The token contract. A token with the same name can be fake. Check that the contract matches the official one listed on the issuer's page, for example Tether: supported protocols.
If you sent to the wrong network
The same address works on all Ethereum-compatible networks, so if the casino holds the keys the funds are theoretically recoverable, but it is manual work and usually costs a fee. Do not send the same amount again. Write to support and include the transaction ID, the network name and the amount. A result cannot be guaranteed. For a larger amount it makes sense to send a 5 USDT test transfer first: two fees are cheaper than losing the whole amount.
Fee comparison
Suppose the BEP-20 fee is 0.10 EUR and the ERC-20 fee is 5 EUR. On a 20 EUR deposit the first is 0.5% and the second 25%. That is why small deposits favour the cheap network, but choosing it does not remove the duty to check the network. The standard Ethereum network is described on the ERC-20 page, the cheapest alternative on TRC-20. How network fees differ is shown by the post TRC-20 vs ERC-20, and casinos where you can play with USDT are on the page USDT casinos.
BEP-20 uses the ERC-20 interface, whose principle is set out in the ethereum.org ERC-20 standard. For how addresses are built see wallet address; an overview of crypto-accepting casinos is also on freespin.ee.