The World Series of Poker (WSOP), the world's largest and most prestigious poker tournament series, has announced a new partnership with the Solana Foundation that will bring cryptocurrency payments directly into the tournament experience.
Beginning at the 57th annual WSOP summer series at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas, players can purchase tournament entries using Solana through MoonPay's payment infrastructure. The move marks the first time in WSOP history that participants can buy into tournaments directly with cryptocurrency.
According to the announcement, the Solana-powered payment option will carry zero processing fees. The integration represents a notable step toward bringing blockchain-based payments into one of the most recognizable brands in competitive gaming.
The partnership will expand further during the 2026 WSOP Paradise event in The Bahamas this December. At that event, tournament winners will gain the option to receive payouts in stablecoins on Solana. This feature aims to provide near-instant access to winnings and reduce some of the delays and administrative hurdles often associated with international tournament payouts. In addition, the Solana Foundation will serve as the official Presenting Sponsor of both the 2026 World Series of Poker and WSOP Paradise.
Why WSOP Chose Solana
The collaboration centers on Solana's reputation for high transaction throughput and low transaction costs. The blockchain can process thousands of transactions per second, while average transaction fees typically remain below one tenth of a cent.
WSOP and Solana say the integration aims to provide several benefits for players, including Greater accessibility for international participants and 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." - Ty Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of WSOP.
“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.” - Vibhu Norby, Chief Product Officer, Solana Foundation.
While crypto companies have sponsored sporting events and entertainment properties for years, this partnership goes beyond branding, introducing blockchain infrastructure directly into tournament operations.
Poker's Growing Onchain Evolution
Although the WSOP announcement represents a major milestone, it does not mark the first intersection between poker and Solana. On May 11, Jupiter Exchange introduced Jupiter Poker, an onchain action-selling platform that allows professional poker players to tokenize shares of their tournament entries and sell them directly to supporters.
The platform launched with participation from well-known professional players Xuan Liu and Danny Tang, both accomplished competitors with major tournament titles and millions of dollars in career earnings.
Through Jupiter Poker, supporters can connect a crypto wallet, deposit $USDC, browse available tournament listings, and purchase shares of a player's tournament action. Buy-ins, ownership records, and payouts settle onchain.
The concept mirrors a long-standing practice in professional poker known as "selling action," in which players sell portions of their tournament exposure to investors. Jupiter's platform attempts to modernize that process through blockchain-based settlement and ownership tracking. The WSOP partnership and Jupiter Poker launch demonstrate that multiple organizations within the ecosystem see poker as a natural use case for blockchain technology.
The WSOP remains the largest poker brand globally. Since its founding in 1970, the tournament series has awarded more than $4 billion in prize money. In 2025, the flagship Las Vegas series attracted 246,960 entrants and distributed more than $481 million in prize money, both records for the event. The WSOP now operates a broad portfolio that includes approximately 50 WSOP Circuit events annually across five continents, WSOP Europe, WSOP Paradise, and a growing online tournament presence.
Given that scale, the Solana integration represents one of the most visible examples of blockchain infrastructure entering mainstream competitive poker.
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