The World Series of Poker will let players buy into events with crypto for the first time through a new Solana Foundation and MoonPay payment setup.
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WSOP has added crypto buy-ins through a new deal with Solana Foundation, giving players another way to fund tournament entries at the 2026 World Series of Poker and 2026 WSOP Paradise.
The setup covers SOL, the native token on Solana, along with USDC and USDT. MoonPay Commerce will handle the transaction layer, meaning WSOP will not sit there holding the tokens. MoonPay converts the crypto into fiat, so the casino side receives standard currency.
That part really matters for land-based casino compliance. Nevada casinos cannot simply take crypto at the cage like cash for gambling. Approved payment rails and compliance checks need to sit between the wallet and the operator.
“We are incredibly proud to bring such an innovative and passionate community into the fold,” WSOP CEO Ty Stewart said. “Solana’s ecosystem, like the WSOP, constantly challenges conventions and remains laser-focused on the consumer experience. Solana’s speed and efficiency mirror the fast-paced energy of our tournaments, and we are excited to showcase their technology to our global audience.”
The Solana Foundation also becomes the official Presenting Sponsor of both the 2026 WSOP and 2026 WSOP Paradise. The WSOP returns to ESPN coverage in 2026, giving Solana placement across a poker event series with global reach.
The timing is important. WSOP and Caesars Entertainment have had recent reminders that high-stakes poker money comes with serious anti-money laundering risk.
A few days before the announcement, Britney Jing was removed from a high-stakes cash game after arriving from Los Angeles with a large amount of cash. WSOP officials could not verify the origin of the funds, so they kept her out of the game.
Caesars Entertainment also agreed to a $7.8 million Nevada fine in 2025 tied to AML failures involving illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. Regulators said Caesars failed to properly verify source of funds over several years.
Crypto can sound riskier to some readers, but blockchain payments can also make certain checks easier. A processor can screen wallet history, identify sanctioned links, and reject funds before they reach the operator. In that setup, MoonPay takes on the payment compliance work before WSOP receives fiat.
A similar wallet-screening issue recently hit crypto traders who used HTX, a Russian exchange sanctioned by UK authorities. According to Bloomberg reporting, some traders later saw transactions blocked on Hyperliquid because linked wallet activity raised flags. Fair or not for each trader, that kind of monitoring shows why casinos may prefer a crypto processor over loose cash handling.
High-stakes poker has always had a practical cash problem. Players often travel with bundles of money, especially during WSOP summer in Las Vegas. That creates friction for international players and can create real personal safety risk.
In 2019, one WSOP player said he was robbed at gunpoint in the Rio Hotel & Casino parking lot. Old-school cash logistics also create headaches around currency conversion, travel declarations, bank wires, and tournament piece settlements.
Crypto buy-ins do not fix every issue. Players still need wallets, exchange access, and clean source-of-funds history. Still, SOL, USDC, and USDT payments can reduce the need to carry cash and make large tournament entries easier to handle.
Triton Poker has accepted crypto transactions for several years, mainly because high roller fields often include international players who need fast settlement tools. WSOP now brings a similar idea to the largest live poker brand in the world.