WSOP Brings Crypto Payments to the Felt

The World Series of Poker is accepting cryptocurrency for the first time in its history, partnering with the Solana Foundation to let players pay tournament entry fees using Solana. The crypto buy-in option went live on June 10, 2026 at the 57th annual WSOP summer series, held at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas. Players can complete buy-ins using Solana through MoonPay's payment infrastructure, with zero processing fees on every Solana ticket purchase.

The integration marks a significant moment for both organizations. For the WSOP, it is the first time in its decades-long history that players can buy in directly with crypto. For Solana, the deal places its brand on poker's biggest global stage, with the Layer-1 blockchain becoming the first Presenting Sponsor of poker's flagship tournament in roughly 15 years.

The rollout happens in two stages. The first is already underway, with players at this summer's Las Vegas event able to pay tournament entry fees directly in Solana. The second stage comes in December, when WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas will allow tournament winners to receive payouts in stablecoins on Solana, giving players near-instant access to their winnings without the delays that typically come with international transfers.

A First-of-Its-Kind Partnership

As part of the agreement, the Solana Foundation will serve as the official Presenting Sponsor of the 2026 World Series of Poker and the 2026 WSOP Paradise. The WSOP described the collaboration as a first-of-its-kind partnership between the poker series and a major blockchain ecosystem, with a scope that extends across ticketing, settlements, ambassadors, hospitality, and future onchain products.

WSOP CEO Ty Stewart framed the deal as more than standard sponsorship, noting that Solana's ecosystem, like the WSOP, constantly challenges conventions and stays focused on the consumer experience. According to Stewart, Solana's speed and efficiency mirror the fast-paced energy of WSOP tournaments, taking the deal well beyond simple logo placement to include a premier hospitality experience and deeper integration.

Solana Foundation Chief Product Officer Vibhu Norby drew a direct parallel between poker and the activity that has driven Solana's growth. He noted that trading shares many of the same characteristics as poker, including hard decisions, incomplete information, and minding your bankroll. Norby said the Foundation was excited to grow the game of poker and bring the two worlds together, pointing to a significant opportunity to tap into poker's audience while growing both communities.

How the Payments Work

The collaboration runs on the payments infrastructure of crypto firm MoonPay, which provides entrants with zero processing fees when entering with SOL or Solana-based stablecoins. The system is designed to streamline how money moves through the poker ecosystem and reduce friction for players around the world, with Norby noting that poker players gravitate toward seamless, faster experiences.

The benefits the organizations highlighted center on speed and accessibility. The integration enables faster settlement and streamlined payment processing for eligible events, greater accessibility for international players traveling to WSOP events, and near-instant global settlement with reduced friction. Solana's technical profile underpins those claims, with the high-performance blockchain capable of processing thousands of transactions per second at average fees below 0.001 USD.

MoonPay Commerce President Jim Walker called crypto a natural fit for the poker world. He said that by powering buy-ins and payouts through MoonPay on Solana, the partnership was meeting player demand directly with faster, borderless payments that make it simple for players anywhere to participate.

The December stablecoin payout stage targets a specific pain point: the friction tied to international tournament settlements. Stablecoin settlement delivers near-instant access to winnings, removing the delays that international players often face when collecting payouts from major events.

Inside the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is the largest, richest, and most prestigious gaming event and poker brand in the world, having awarded more than 4 billion USD in prize money over the past six decades. It is poker's longest-running tournament, dating back to 1970, and features a comprehensive slate of tournaments across every major poker variation.

The scale of the series is substantial. In 2025, the flagship event in Las Vegas attracted 246,960 entrants and awarded more than 481 million USD in prize money, both all-time records for the series. The WSOP portfolio includes approximately 50 WSOP Circuit Events annually across five continents, WSOP Europe running since 2007, and WSOP Paradise, which launched in 2023. Buy-ins for 2026 WSOP events range from 300 USD at the entry level up to 250,000 USD for the highest-stakes tournaments, with the 10,000 USD Main Event remaining the most prestigious.

WSOP Paradise, where the December stablecoin payouts will debut, has quickly become one of the marquee stops on the calendar. The 2025 edition at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas featured a 25,000 USD Super Main Event with a prize pool exceeding 70 million USD, the largest of any poker tournament other than the WSOP Main Event itself.

Why Poker and Crypto Fit Together

The poker community has long been at the forefront of digital currency adoption, with players embracing decentralized technology for its efficiency and transparency. That cultural overlap is part of why the WSOP and Solana see the partnership as a natural fit. Poker players are accustomed to optimizing their bankrolls and managing funds across borders, making the near-instant, low-fee settlement that Solana offers particularly appealing.

Norby expects strong adoption of the offerings, citing the ability for players to buy in with zero fees and receive winnings instantaneously. The Foundation views crypto buy-ins and stablecoin payouts as a key measure of the collaboration's success, alongside the long-term growth of both the WSOP and Solana communities.

The deal also fits a broader pattern of Solana pushing into mainstream payments. The blockchain has been positioning itself as a payments and settlement layer beyond its trading-heavy roots, with Norby noting that trading on Solana has generated over 4 trillion USD in volume. The WSOP partnership extends that payments ambition into live entertainment and gaming, putting Solana-powered transactions in front of a global poker audience.

What Comes Next

The crypto buy-in option is live now at the 2026 WSOP in Las Vegas, letting players pay tournament entry fees directly in Solana with zero processing fees through MoonPay. The second phase arrives in December at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, where tournament winners will be able to collect their payouts in stablecoins on Solana.

For now, the partnership represents one of the more high-profile bridges between crypto and mainstream live gaming. With the Solana Foundation serving as Presenting Sponsor across both the Las Vegas series and WSOP Paradise, and MoonPay handling the payment rails, the collaboration brings blockchain-based payments to one of the world's biggest gaming events. As the organizations framed it, introducing Solana-powered buy-ins and payouts modernizes how money moves through the poker ecosystem and reduces friction for players around the world.