WSOP Surpasses $20 Million in Solana Buy-Ins After Just Two Months

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has reached a major milestone in its partnership with Solana, surpassing $20 million in buy-ins since June 10. This marks less than two months after the WSOP became the first major live poker series to accept direct cryptocurrency buy-ins.

The deal allows players to purchase tournament tickets directly with SOL, USDC, or USDT, processed through MoonPay's Commerce division at zero processing fees. Solana Foundation Chief Product Officer Vibhu Norby noted that trading and poker share similarities in requiring hard decisions and incomplete information.

For international players, the mechanics solve a problem that predates crypto entirely: wire transfers and currency conversion have long added cost and delay for anyone buying into a US tournament from abroad. The partnership's highest-profile moment so far came on August 4, when nine crypto personalities played the first-ever WSOP Solana Showdown.

Stablecoin payouts for tournament winners are scheduled to arrive at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas this December, extending the partnership from how players pay in to how they get paid out. This would mark the first time a major live poker series settles prize money on-chain.