Can you use the same address to send AND recieve Bitcoin?

[KasinoKing]

Bit of a newbie question - but I hope there's some experts here who can answer!

Someone contacted me with a problem:
They sent a small amount of Bitcoin to an online casino using a standard address. e.g. 1AWFZsieMdJH8HJeT956HdhsPjhsf3S
Having won and cashed out, the casino says they sent the winnings back to the player USING THAT SAME ADDRESS.

Is that even possible?

Thanks in advance,
Mark.

[1715329413]

1715329413

[1715329413]

1715329413

[1715329413]

1715329413

[1715329413]

1715329413

[1715329413]

1715329413

[1715329413]

1715329413

[jackg]

Yeah they've just sent the funds back to the address the person paid to. You can reuse an address as many times as you want..

If it's owned by an exchange, you'll have to get in touch with their support.

[BitMaxz]

Depending on what wallet you use sample if the BTC was sent from Coinbase to Casino the address is not yours instead it's from Coinbase address. The balance from your Coinbase wallet is not directly from the address you use for your deposit address it was directly from the Coinbase main wallet(Take note this is just an example Coinbase wouldn't allow you to receive BTC from the casino it may lead to a ban).

What casino did he use exactly? Can you tell us the exact website? I never heard of a casino that automatically returns BTC to Where your Bitcoin came from. If your friend won you can manually withdraw the won amount to any address that you own(even the same address where your BTC came from and if it was generated from your wallet.).

Can you tell us what wallet exactly do you use?

[KasinoKing]

Depending on what wallet you use sample if the BTC was sent from Coinbase to Casino the address is not yours instead it's from Coinbase address. The balance from your Coinbase wallet is not directly from the address you use for your deposit address it was directly from the Coinbase main wallet(Take note this is just an example Coinbase wouldn't allow you to receive BTC from the casino it may lead to a ban).

What casino did he use exactly? Can you tell us the exact website? I never heard of a casino that automatically returns BTC to Where your Bitcoin came from. If your friend won you can manually withdraw the won amount to any address that you own(even the same address where your BTC came from and if it was generated from your wallet.).

Can you tell us what wallet exactly do you use?

OK, so my head is spinning a bit now!

First - thanks for the answer!
The casino did not automatically send the funds back - they asked the player for a new address, but being completely new to cryptos they didn't fully understand or know how to do that. So the casino manually sent the funds.
As it happens, the wallet IS Coinbase.

But what I don't understand is how they can use the same address?
I thought (wrongly it seems!) that an address was literally that - an address where the funds were going TO - just like an address on an envelope or a bank account IBAN number.
So if the casino sent it to that address, in my mind they would be sending the Btc to themselves!
i.e. I knew you could use the same address multiple times to send funds to the same place, but I didn't know they could be sent back on the same #.

Furthermore, I also thought crypto transactions were anonymous - so how would Coinbase know that the funds were coming from a casino?

Cheers,
Mark.

[Marvelman]

Since I am also a rookie, I may not be the most qualified to give answers, but I will try to give my best and the old timers will correct me if I make a mistake somewhere.

But what I don't understand is how they can use the same address?
I thought (wrongly it seems!) that an address was literally that - an address where the funds were going TO - just like an address on an envelope or a bank account IBAN number.

I bet they did not use the same address (which you presented) but the address from which the transaction was initiated.
Each transaction needs to have at least one sender address and at least one recipient address. The recipient (in your case the casino) knows from which address the funds have been sent. As a result, they may initiate a new transaction to that address. Much like when replying to someone's email.

So if the casino sent it to that address, in my mind they would be sending the Btc to themselves!
i.e. I knew you could use the same address multiple times to send funds to the same place, but I didn't know they could be sent back on the same #.

Basically yes. It is possible to send and receive coins to the same address in one transaction (I have never tried that) but, as I stated before, I doubt that is the case here. They most likely sent the funds to an address that may still be unknown to you (the address from which the funds were originally sent to the casino).

Furthermore, I also thought crypto transactions were anonymous - so how would Coinbase know that the funds were coming from a casino?

How do you know Coinbase knows that? Or did I miss something? There is a possibility that Coinbase has a database with the addresses of well-known casinos or the casino has a recognizable (vanity) address. But I don't know if that matters at all now in this case.

Cheers

[ranochigo]

But what I don't understand is how they can use the same address?
I thought (wrongly it seems!) that an address was literally that - an address where the funds were going TO - just like an address on an envelope or a bank account IBAN number.
So if the casino sent it to that address, in my mind they would be sending the Btc to themselves!
i.e. I knew you could use the same address multiple times to send funds to the same place, but I didn't know they could be sent back on the same #.

No they aren't. An address that belongs to you can be used to receive and send funds repeatedly.

Furthermore, I also thought crypto transactions were anonymous - so how would Coinbase know that the funds were coming from a casino?

It isn't. It is fairly easy for anyone to be able to trace transactions. The coins are usually sent to a known address that is controlled by the casino. Afterwhich, it is likely sent directly to your address. Coinbase can reasonably link the connections and deduce that you're sending the funds from a casino.

[nc50lc]

But what I don't understand is how they can use the same address?
I thought (wrongly it seems!) that an address was literally that - an address where the funds were going TO - just like an address on an envelope or a bank account IBAN number.

Technically, an address is just a human-readable representation of a script (eg. scriptPubKey),
which can be 'spent from' by fulfilling the requirements of or solving that script.
Each transaction's output(s) creates a new UTXO (unspent transaction output) that's locked by that script and that's what's being spent, not some kind of balance for that address.

TL;DR: Let's say an address is a "padlock" (not the box that's being locked), its private key is the key for that padlock,
and the UTXO(s) that can be spent by your 'key' as the box which being locked by that padlock.
A padlock can be locked and unlocked as many times as you want. (not the best analogy since each UTXO requires different signatures)

Furthermore, I also thought crypto transactions were anonymous - so how would Coinbase know that the funds were coming from a casino?

I can't find any article that states "Bitcoin is Anonymous",
it's rather "Pseudoanonymous" which could mean it's anonymous in a way that you have the option to not link your identity to your addresses.

[Chivas Regal]

You should ensure you have set a return address for refunds, (or in this case payouts) PRIOR to making any withdraw claims - hope your "friend" is able to get their crypto out quickly.

[KasinoKing]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

How do you know Coinbase knows that? Or did I miss something? There is a possibility that Coinbase has a database with the addresses of well-known casinos or the casino has a recognizable (vanity) address. But I don't know if that matters at all now in this case.

I don't know that Coinbase know it's from a casino.
But Bitmazx said Coinbase do not accept casino transactions (which I also did not know!), so what I am asking is how COULD they know where the funds are coming from.

You should ensure you have set a return address for refunds, (or in this case payouts) PRIOR to making any withdraw claims - hope your "friend" is able to get their crypto out quickly.

What I didn't mention, is the reason I started this thread in the first place, is that the casino say they sent the funds, but the player has not received them.
But I did not know if it was possible for them to send back on the same #.

I don't know the player - they contacted me via another forum to ask for help. But I do believe what she is telling me.  It's not a lot of money.
But I do know the casino, as I have been working with them (as in promoting them on my websites) since 2008.  So I do believe what they are saying too.

So the big question is, if the casino sent the funds but the player didn't receive them, where have they gone???

Would the player have to do something in Coinbase to "claim" the coins?
Or should they just automatically appear in her Coinbase account?

Cheers again!
Mark.

[o_e_l_e_o]

But Bitmazx said Coinbase do not accept casino transactions (which I also did not know!), so what I am asking is how COULD they know where the funds are coming from.

Coinbase spend a lot of time and effort to deanonymize bitcoin addresses. It can be as simple as making a deposit to the casino and watching what other addresses the coins are mixed with.

What I didn't mention, is the reason I started this thread in the first place, is that the casino say they sent the funds, but the player has not received them.
But I did not know if it was possible for them to send back on the same #.

Is the player using a Coinbase exchange account on the web or the exchange app, or have they downloaded and are using the standalone Coinbase Wallet app?

I don't know the player - they contacted me via another forum to ask for help. But I do believe what she is telling me.  It's not a lot of money.

We don't need to believe - we can check. Ask them for the hash of their deposit transaction, or the address they sent coins from. The address you gave in your first post is empty.

So the big question is, if the casino sent the funds but the player didn't receive them, where have they gone???

If you can answer my above questions, we can help to figure this out.

[ranochigo]

But Bitmazx said Coinbase do not accept casino transactions (which I also did not know!), so what I am asking is how COULD they know where the funds are coming from.

On the blockchain, the transactions are completely transparent. You'll know if a transaction spends an input from certain addresses. By recognising the origin or the path that the funds take, you can deduce with a reasonable accuracy that it is from a certain service. It's especially so since most gambling site uses a single address (or a bunch of known addresses) to store their funds as well.

So the big question is, if the casino sent the funds but the player didn't receive them, where have they gone???

Can the casino provide a transaction ID (hash)? Can you see the transaction hash on a blockexplorer (blockchair.com)? Is the funds in the transaction going to the right place? If the answer to any of that is no, then they haven't send the funds.

Would the player have to do something in Coinbase to "claim" the coins?
Or should they just automatically appear in her Coinbase account?

Deposits are automatically credited on Coinbase.

[bob123]

A lot of misunderstandings come from the fact that there are no addresses on a technical level.
Addresses are a construct made for humans.

You could (only in this case, please don't generalize it) imagine an address as your bank account.

You can receive BTC by sending them to your address (just as depositing them to your bank account).
But you can also send BTC from your address (just as sending/withdrawing from your bank account).

A transaction has a sender and receiver. Sending the coins "back to the same address" means that the sender of the first transaction is now the receiver.

[seoincorporation]

Yeah they've just sent the funds back to the address the person paid to. You can reuse an address as many times as you want..

If it's owned by an exchange, you'll have to get in touch with their support.

Most of the exchanges have a different deposit address than the ones they use to pay, and that's why they don't share the private keys with their customers. So I wouldn't recommend sending money to an addy where you get the payment from an exchange.

The right way to receive and send money from the same address is with a propper wallet (One who let you import and export the private key)

[Marvelman]

@KasinoKing, o_e_l_e_o and ranochigo have given you good instructions. Proceed as suggested.

Find out the TXID (hash) from the casino's payout transaction. Then we'll be able to check where the funds ended up.

[KasinoKing]

1. Is the player using a Coinbase exchange account on the web or the exchange app, or have they downloaded and are using the standalone Coinbase Wallet app?

2. We don't need to believe - we can check. Ask them for the hash of their deposit transaction, or the address they sent coins from. The address you gave in your first post is empty.

Thanks once again to all who replied!

1. I have no idea what type of wallet she is using. But as she's 70, I would guess web-based.

2. Yeah - I made up most of that number as I wasn't sure it was a good idea to post the real one!
But I guess it can't do any harm, so here is the actuall number:
1AWFZhxpQGMmSv9KQjRHi1j4bdhPkhh5Qs

I know this can be viewed on the blockchain - but it's like a foreign language to me, so maybe you guys can see what happened...?

Cheers,
Mark.

[o_e_l_e_o]

1AWFZhxpQGMmSv9KQjRHi1j4bdhPkhh5Qs

This is the address she sent coins to that is owned by the gambling site?

There are two payments to that address - one on September 16 for 0.00242101 BTC, and a secnd one on October 28 for 0.02724758 BTC. Which one of these two payments is the one which is being disputed?

[BurningChrome]

But I guess it can't do any harm, so here is the actuall number:
...

Please don't call it "a number". It's such a misnomer that it almost hurts us when we read it.  

To avoid any confusion in communication, this string of alphanumeric characters is best referred to as a Bitcoin address (BTC address) or your public key. Remember the difference between a private key and a public key. You should NEVER share a private key with anyone or publish it anywhere.

[bob123]

Please don't call it "a number". It's such a misnomer that it almost hurts us when we read it.  

To avoid any confusion in communication, this string of alphanumeric characters is best referred to as a Bitcoin address (BTC address) or your public key.

If you are correcting other people while sounding like a douche, at least don't make mistakes.

For example, i could quote your post and say:
Please don't call an address a public key. It is such a misnomer that it almost hurts my brain when reading that you don't know the difference while correcting others.

Am i going to do it? No.

Instead, i'm going to say:
Dear BurningChrome, please keep in mind that an address is not the public key. With P2PKH for example, the address is the hash of the public key. Thanks.

[BurningChrome]

If you are correcting other people while sounding like a douche, at least don't make mistakes.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to sound like a douche. I'm still new here, so that was my attempt at humor (hint: little smiley).

Instead, i'm going to say:
Dear BurningChrome, please keep in mind that an address is not the public key. With P2PKH for example, the address is the hash of the public key. Thanks.

Well, live and learn. Thank you for that!
I was just trying to help a member who is new to the crypto world.

[BitMaxz]

This is the address she sent coins to that is owned by the gambling site?

I think he's talking about the address from Web wallet based on the first post.


@KasinoKing
Why not check the Casino where she gamble I'm sure they have something like withdrawal history that you can check then get the transaction link and paste it here.

So that we can check if the transaction from the gambling casino has this address "13iwmRvSV2ZwnEu78BGiHChkVq986TU9WQ".
If the transaction made from the Casino doesn't have this address well, it might be sent to a random address.

Why not try to ask her the exact website of the wallet so that we can check if it was a legit wallet or not.