Crypto investors and traders have endured an extremely tough last 12 months with the market in a major downturn since the record highs of November 2021.

Since then, the total crypto market has fallen by a staggering 73% going from a peak market cap of just under $3 billion to the current figure of $800 million.

Many top coins such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have posted more than 70% losses, top altcoins such as Solana and Cardano are down even further and many investors have lost confidence given the collapse of Terra in May and the recent liquidation of leading exchange FTX – both of which saw billions of dollars wiped from the market.

However, while crypto prices are on the floor and fear in the market is high, there remains plenty of opportunity for gains if you look in the right places.

Invest in the Best Crypto Presales

One consistent way investors continued to earn ROI in 2022 was to find the best crypto presale projects and invest early.

Projects such as ApeCoin, Aptos, Tamadoge and STEPN all launched at various points in 2022 and made massive profits for those investors willing to risk capital in the early stages of their presales.

Investing in crypto presales is inherently risky, of course, as projects are not yet close to being fully formed and have not found any market for their products.

Furthermore, while some projects are just flawed or misplaced, many others are outright scams that never intend to provide any kind of utility for their token, instead exisiting only to steal investors money through honey pots or rug-pulls.

Therefore, investors should only enter positions in presale projects having done extensive research and due diligence on all facets of a new project.

Key things to look out for include genuine utility and use case for the product and token, solid tokenomics, developing teams with a strong track record and that have undergone KYC verification and token audits and interest from the wider market.

Obvious red flags are anonymous teams, poorly written or incomplete whitepapers and websites and roadmaps that have overly elaborate plans or have no clear development path.

Hundreds of new crypto projects launch every month and while many fall by the wayside or are dead on arrival, those crucial few can see investors make major returns.

Play Games and Wager on Sports in Leading Crypto Casinos

Much like traditional casinos and sportsbooks, crypto casinos offer players the chance to win big on slots, table games and sports betting while playing with their favorite token rather than fiat cash.

Playing with crypto brings several advantages over fiat currency, such as provably fair odds and payments, rapid deposits and withdrawals, a wide range of crypto bonuses and more anonymity while playing.

The leading UAE online casino Lucky Block, which was launched at the end of 2022 but has quickly become a leading destination thanks to its enticing welcome bonuses, wide range of games and market-leading sportsbook.

Signing up to Lucky Block takes less than a minute with players needing only a username, password and email address to start – with no KYC verification needed.

Players can deposit just $1 (or the crypto equivalent) to start playing, with no fees or limits on deposits or withdrawals. 

Ten tokens, including BTC, ETH, DOGE and XRP, are available, with near-instant payout times – although fiat depsoits via bank card, wire transfer or Apple/Google Pay are also accepted.

At Lucky Block, players can win crypto on more than 2,700 games with slots developed by leading companies such as Hacksaw Gaming, Pragmatic Play and Red Tiger.

There are also a wide range of traditional casino games available with both virtual and live tables available for poker, blackjack and roulette and games suitable for players of all levels – from casual games to high stakes.

Away from the slots and casino, Lucky Block also has a market-leading sportsbook that offers thousands of pre-game and in-play markets on everything from the Premier League, NBA, NFL and boxing to badminton and eSports.

New players can take advantage of an enticing welcome offer that sees them earn 15% cashback on losses for the first seven days after signing up – there is also a VIP program where high rollers can earn reloaded bonuses.

Invest in Established Tokens

As mentioned above, many of the leading coins are way down from their all-time highs.

However, as the old maxim goes – ‘buy low, sell high’. The crypto bear market may get worse before it gets better but the bear market won’t last forever, just as the last bull market didn’t.

It is unlikely that investors will realize when a new bull run has started, with prices not likely to shoot up overnight.

But those with a long-term view on crypto could be sitting pretty in the coming years if they invest in solid projects now.

There are also a number of catalysts on the horizon that could see 2023 become a good year for crypto investment. 

The next Bitcoin halving is approaching and expected in the first half of 2024 – every previous halving has prompted a bull run in the months leading up to it and following it.

Furthermore, the XRP court case against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to be settled in 2023 and if parent company Ripple wins the lawsuit, many crypto analysts see that as a huge step for crypto as it will speark institutional and even governmental adoption.

However, investors will need to take a long-term view if investing in the current market and ensure they conduct the proper research.