Gas Fees and Network Costs Explained
Understand blockchain gas fees and network costs for crypto gambling: what gas is, why fees vary, how to minimise costs on deposits and withdrawals, and fee comparison across chains.
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Quick answer
Every crypto transfer costs something. That cost — called gas on Ethereum-compatible chains, or a network fee elsewhere — goes to the miners or validators who process your transaction, not to Duel.com. It is not optional, it is not refundable, and it varies enough that choosing the wrong network can cost more than the deposit itself.
What gas fees actually are
Blockchain networks process transactions in blocks. Block producers (miners on proof-of-work chains such as Bitcoin, validators on proof-of-stake chains such as Ethereum and Solana) choose which transactions go into the next block. On chains where block space is scarce they prioritise transactions offering higher fees, so your fee determines how quickly your transaction is processed and whether it is processed at all during congestion.
Key facts
- Paid by
- The sender (your wallet)
- Paid to
- The network's miners or validators
- Refundable?
- No — even if the transaction fails on-chain
- Set by
- Network demand and transaction complexity
How fees work on different chains
| Chain | Fee model | Typical range | Congestion sensitivity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solana | Fixed base fee + optional priority | $0.001–0.01 | Low |
| Tron | Bandwidth and energy, paid by staking TRX or burning it | Near zero for plain TRX; about $1–4 for a USDT transfer without staked energy | Low |
| Litecoin | Per-byte fee set by sender | $0.01–0.10 | Low |
| Bitcoin | Per-byte fee set by sender | $1–10+ | Moderate |
| Ethereum | Gas units × gas price (gwei) | $0.50–50+ | Very high |
| Base / Arbitrum | L2 gas + L1 data cost | $0.01–0.50 | Moderate |
| Feature | Network fee | Share of a $50 deposit |
|---|---|---|
| USDT on Solana | Under $0.01 | Under 0.02% |
| USDT on Tron (no staked energy) | ~$2.00 | 4% |
| USDT on Ethereum | ~$5.00 | 10% |
| USDT on Ethereum (congested) | ~$20.00 | 40% |
That last row is why network selection matters more than coin selection for small deposits. Which of these routes Duel.com offers for a given coin is shown in the cashier.
Ethereum gas in more detail
Ethereum fees are calculated as:
Fee = Gas used × Gas price (in gwei)
- Gas used depends on transaction complexity. A simple ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas. A token transfer (ERC-20) uses more. Smart contract interactions use the most.
- Gas price is set by market demand. During congestion, gas prices spike because users compete for limited block space.
Factors that increase your fee
- Network congestion — peak hours, market volatility, popular mints
- Complex transactions — token swaps, contract interactions use more gas
- Low fee setting in your wallet — transaction may stall in the mempool
- Using Ethereum mainnet for token transfers instead of native coin transfers
- Sending during a fee spike without checking current gas prices
How to minimise fees
Choose a low-fee network
For stablecoins, Solana is consistently the cheapest common network; Tron is steady at roughly a dollar or a few per USDT transfer and does not spike the way Ethereum mainnet can. See choosing the right network.
Check the fee before confirming
Your wallet shows the estimated fee before you sign. Read it. If it seems high, cancel and try a different network or wait.
Transact during off-peak hours
Fees tend to be lower during weekends and late-night UTC hours. Not a guarantee, but a useful heuristic for Ethereum.
Avoid unnecessary conversions
Each swap or bridge adds a transaction and a fee. Buy the coin on the network you plan to deposit on, rather than buying on one chain and bridging to another.
Deposit larger amounts less frequently
A $0.50 fee on a $500 deposit is 0.1%. The same fee on a $10 deposit is 5%. Batch when practical.
Fee deduction: gross vs net
Wallets and exchanges handle fees differently, and this affects whether your deposit meets the minimum shown in the cashier.
| Sender behaviour | You request | Fee | Platform receives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee deducted from amount (typical of exchange withdrawals) | 100 USDT | 1 USDT | 99 USDT |
| Fee paid separately (self-custody wallet paying gas in TRX, SOL or ETH) | 100 USDT | Paid in the native coin | 100 USDT |
If the minimum for your coin and network is 100 USDT and the sender deducts the fee from the amount, you arrive under the minimum. The figures here are examples: Duel.com sets minimums per coin and network and shows the current one in the cashier. Check the sender's behaviour and that minimum before sending. When sending a token from your own wallet, you also need some of the chain's native coin to pay the fee.
Stuck transactions and fee bumps
If you set a fee too low during congestion, your transaction may sit unconfirmed in the mempool indefinitely.
Step 1
Wait
Fee may become competitive
Step 2
Speed up
Replace with higher fee (RBF)
Step 3
Cancel
Replace with zero-value tx to self
Step 4
Give up
Some wallets drop after days
Replace-by-fee (RBF) and cancellation are wallet-dependent, and they exist only on chains with a public mempool, chiefly Bitcoin and Ethereum-style networks. MetaMask, Electrum, and some others support fee bumps. Check your wallet's documentation. This applies to deposits you send yourself; on a withdrawal, Duel.com sets the fee and you cannot bump it.
Withdrawal fees
Deposits and withdrawals are both blockchain transfers. The difference is who sends: on a deposit your wallet pays the network, on a withdrawal Duel.com broadcasts the transaction and the network cost appears as the fee line in the cashier.
| Fee type | Who sets it | On Duel.com deposits | On Duel.com withdrawals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network fee | Blockchain | Paid by you (sender) | Shown in the cashier before you confirm |
| Platform markup | Operator | None: Duel.com states it does not profit from cashier fees | None: Duel.com states it does not profit from cashier fees |
The exact withdrawal fee and minimum for each coin and network are not published in one place; the cashier shows the live figures. See withdrawal limits and fees and deposit fees explained.
Summary
Gas fees are mandatory payments to a blockchain's miners or validators, varying from fractions of a cent to $20 or more depending on the network and congestion. They are never refundable, and Duel.com states it does not profit from them. For deposits, choose a low-fee network the cashier offers, check the estimated fee before confirming, factor fees into the minimum shown in the cashier, and avoid Ethereum mainnet for small routine transfers.
Frequently asked questions
Does Duel.com charge gas fees?
No. Duel.com states that it does not profit from deposit or withdrawal fees. On a deposit, the gas fee is paid by your wallet to the blockchain, not to Duel.com. On a withdrawal, the fee shown in the cashier before you confirm is the network cost of sending the transaction, not a platform markup.
Why was my gas fee so high?
Fees spike during network congestion — when many people submit transactions simultaneously. Ethereum mainnet is the most congestion-sensitive. Time of day, popular NFT drops, and market volatility all increase demand for block space and therefore fees.
Can I get a refund on gas fees?
No. The fee goes to the network's miners or validators, and no platform can return it. On smart-contract chains such as Ethereum and Tron, a transaction that is included in a block but fails still costs the fee. A transaction that never confirms and is dropped costs nothing.
How do I pay less in fees?
Use a low-fee network the cashier offers for your coin (Solana and Litecoin are the cheapest common ones), transact during off-peak hours, avoid Ethereum mainnet for small amounts, and make fewer, larger transfers instead of many small ones.
Duel.help Research Desk
Payments, verification & compliance research
The research desk focuses on deposits, withdrawals, verification flows, jurisdictional availability and the operational side of crypto casinos.
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Independent and unaffiliated with Duel.com. Read our editorial policy to see how these guides are researched and reviewed.
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Parent category
Crypto · 7 articles
Wallets, networks, gas fees, stablecoins and avoiding costly transfer mistakes.
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