WSOP taps Solana to add crypto payments at poker events
The World Series of Poker has partnered with the Solana Foundation to bring cryptocurrency payments into its tournament operations for the first time.
The move will allow players at the 57th annual WSOP summer series at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas to buy tournament entries using Solana.
MoonPay will support the payment system, giving players a direct way to use crypto for tournament buy-ins.
The Solana-powered payment option will come with zero processing fees, according to the announcement.
The partnership marks a major shift for WSOP, which has awarded more than $4 billion in prize money since its launch in 1970.
The crypto integration will expand at the 2026 WSOP Paradise event in The Bahamas this December.
Winners at WSOP Paradise will be able to receive payouts in stablecoins on Solana, giving players faster access to their winnings.
The feature aims to reduce delays and administrative issues often linked to international tournament payments.
The Solana Foundation will also serve as the official Presenting Sponsor of the 2026 World Series of Poker and WSOP Paradise.
WSOP said Solana’s fast transaction speeds and low costs made the blockchain a natural fit for large-scale poker events.
Solana can process thousands of transactions per second, while its average transaction fees usually remain below one tenth of a cent.
The partnership is expected to improve access for international players and support near-instant global settlement.
“We are incredibly proud to bring such an innovative and passionate community into the fold. 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,”
WSOP Chief Executive Officer Ty Stewart said.
“Solana is a digital economy where people can own and trade millions of assets, make payments, earn on their money, and more. Trading in particular has been a huge area of growth on Solana over the last few years, generating over $4 trillion in volume. At its core, trading shares many of the same characteristics as poker: hard decisions, incomplete information, minding your bankroll. We’re incredibly excited to grow the game of poker with the WSOP and bring these two worlds together,”
Solana Foundation Chief Product Officer Vibhu Norby said.
The agreement goes beyond a standard sponsorship deal because it brings blockchain payment infrastructure directly into WSOP tournament operations.
The announcement also follows growing links between poker and Solana-based applications.
Jupiter Exchange launched Jupiter Poker on 11 May as an onchain platform that lets professional poker players sell shares of their tournament entries to supporters.
The platform began with professional players Xuan Liu and Danny Tang, who both have major tournament results and millions of dollars in career earnings.
Jupiter Poker lets supporters connect a crypto wallet, deposit USDC, review tournament listings, and buy portions of a player’s tournament action.
The system records buy-ins, ownership details, and payouts onchain.
The model updates the long-running poker practice of selling action, where players sell parts of their tournament exposure to backers.
The WSOP partnership and Jupiter Poker launch suggest that several Solana-linked groups see poker as a strong use case for blockchain settlement.
WSOP remains the biggest poker brand in the world and continues to expand across live and online events.
The 2025 Las Vegas series drew 246,960 entrants and paid out more than $481 million in prize money, setting new records for the event.
WSOP now runs around 50 Circuit events each year across five continents, along with WSOP Europe, WSOP Paradise, and online tournaments.
The Solana integration gives blockchain technology one of its most visible openings yet in mainstream competitive poker.
At the time of reporting, Solana price was $64.17.