Payment methods: bank cards, cryptocurrencies, mobile wallets (Bahamas)

1) Basic currency facts

The national currency is the Bahamian dollar (BSD), rigidly tied to USD in parity 1:1. For a tourist, this simplifies the calculations: usually both BSD and USD are accepted.

2) Bank cards and "casino payments"

Haccay/Paradise Island hotels, restaurants and stores are widely accepting Visa/Mastercard. In the context of casinos, they have their own tools:

Casino Credit (line of credit) and Front Money (deposit for the game).
Baha Mar applications are submitted online; withdrawal of winnings by bank transfer is available (front money is returned to the original account).
Atlantis has similar forms of Front Money.

How it works in practice.

Credit/deposit is issued with data verification and bank verification; the conditions are described in the application of Baha Mar (credit administrator and rules for processing bank data).

💡 Useful: this format reduces the need to carry large cash, and winnings can be sent wire transfer to a personal account.

3) Sand Dollar mobile wallets and digital currency

The Bahamas is the first country with a national digital currency, Sand Dollar (CBDC, not cryptocurrency). Issue - Central Bank of the Bahamas; wallets are available in applications and in card format.

Wallet ecosystem:

Island Pay - supports acceptance/payments to merchants; together with Mastercard, a Sand Dollar card has been released that converts Sand Dollar into regular BSDs for payment on the Mastercard network.
Kanoo Pays - local payment/wallet provider; notes the growing volume of digital payments, including operations with Sand Dollar.
SunCash is a mobile wallet with money transfers and a wide retail network.

Infrastructure and connection of banks:

The Central Bank said that wallets can be replenished from commercial banks through online transfers; the list of supported providers includes Cash "N Go, Island Pay, Kanoo, MobileAssist, MoneyMaxx, OMNI, SunCash, etc.

Implementation status:

The Central Bank regularly publishes updates on the use of Sand Dollar; the goal is to increase access and functionality (including plans for a greater role for commercial banks in distribution).

4) Cryptocurrencies: Where and how they feature

Sand Dollar is not crypto. It is a CBDC, not a private cryptocurrency.

Payment with cryptocurrency in the Bahamas resort casinos is not standard: fiat solutions (cards/cash/credit/transfers) dominate the sites. Offshore online sites may accept crypto, but this is outside Bahamian jurisdiction and carries CCR/payout risks. (See also our material on offshore sites and their risks.)

5) Payment scenarios: tourist vs. resident

Tourist (Baha Mar/Atlantis):

Resort expenses - bank cards/room charge.
For the game - Casino Credit/Front Money; win output - wire transfer.
Outside the casino - cards work everywhere; BSD = USD 1:1 simplifies calculations.

Resident (domestic segment of web-shops and P2P payments):

Sand Dollar wallets and local providers (Island Pay, Kanoo, SunCash) for household payments, P2P and merchants.
Online bank transfers - replenishment of Sand Dollar wallets.

6) Practical advice on payments in the Bahamas

1. Two cards are better than one. Hold Visa and Mastercard, activate 3-D Secure.

2. Front Money/credit for the game draw up online in advance - this way you will avoid carrying the cache and speed up cash transactions.

3. Wire transfer for winnings: put up to 3 working days to process.

4. Sand Dollar is convenient for local micropayments and P2P; tourists will need a card related product (Island Pay + Mastercard) if you want to try CBDC "in business."

5. Use crypto carefully and remember: it's not Sand Dollar; conditions and protection depend on the jurisdiction of the site.

7) What is important to know about compliance and limits

Casino credit/deposit is accompanied by KYC/AML procedures and processing of personal/financial data according to casino policy.

For Sand Dollar wallets, verification levels and limits are applied (determined by providers and Central Bank rules; see Central Bank publications on growing functionality and integrations).

In the Bahamas, the "working troika" for payments are bank cards, casino credit/front money + wire and mobile wallets with Sand Dollar for local transactions. Peg BSD = USD 1:1 makes calculations intuitive, and the digital ecosystem (Island Pay, Kanoo, SunCash) expands non-cash scenarios. Cryptocurrencies are mainly a story about offshore and increased risks; inside resort casinos, fiat infrastructure dominates. Planning a game - submit Front Money/credit in advance; want to "try the digital Bahamas" - test a Sand Dollar wallet or a bundle with a Mastercard.