Daily Crypto Briefs 
LAS VEGAS, June 10, 2026
The World Series of Poker began accepting crypto tournament ticket purchases on Solana on June 10, adding zero-processing-fee buy-ins at its Las Vegas summer series while SOL traded near $64.81 in a still fearful crypto market.
The rollout, announced by WSOP and the Solana Foundation, lets players complete tournament ticket purchases through MoonPay Commerce at the 57th annual WSOP event at Paris Las Vegas and Horseshoe Las Vegas. It is the first time WSOP said players can buy tournament tickets directly with cryptocurrency.
Market snapshot: CoinGecko showed SOL at $64.81 on June 10, up 1.3% over 24 hours but down 32.8% over 30 days, with a market value near $37.56 billion and 24-hour volume near $2.90 billion. The same page showed total crypto market capitalization near $2.22 trillion, while Alternative.me printed 9, or Extreme Fear.
Solana
SOLSolana Foundation Chief Product Officer Vibhu Norby said “Trading in particular has been a huge area of growth on Solana,” according to the Solana post, which also said trading on the network has generated more than $4 trillion in volume over the last few years.
The next phase is scheduled for December at WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas, where tournament winners can receive settlements in stablecoins on Solana. The announcements did not disclose projected crypto buy-in volume, the expected number of stablecoin payout recipients, or whether every event in future WSOP series will support the payment option.
The tie-up gives Solana a mainstream payments test tied to a recognizable live-event brand, not only a crypto-native app. It also extends the chain’s recent institutional pitch, which Daily Crypto Briefs covered in Solana’s tokenized-equities and RWA surge.
WSOP Opens Solana Buy-Ins
The payment option starts at the live WSOP summer event in Las Vegas. Solana’s announcement said the ticket-purchase flow is designed for USDC, USDT or SOL, with MoonPay Commerce powering the payments infrastructure.
WSOP framed the move as a way to reduce friction for international players and give players more payment flexibility at marquee tournaments. The company said Solana Foundation will also serve as official presenting sponsor of the 2026 World Series of Poker and 2026 WSOP Paradise.
That sponsorship detail matters because the deal is more than a checkout test. Solana will be visible around the event and broadcasts, giving the blockchain exposure to poker audiences that normally encounter crypto through exchanges, cards or sponsorships rather than wallet-based payments.
WSOP said the 2026 Main Event returns to U.S. television on ESPN from July 2 and reaches more than 130 countries and more than 300 million homes through ESPN networks and international media partners. Its latest corporate boilerplate said the 2025 Las Vegas flagship event attracted 246,960 entrants and awarded more than $481 million in prize money, both series records.
The broader sports and live-events angle has become more important for crypto brands. Kraken’s recent FIFA World Cup supporter deal showed how exchanges are using global sports audiences for brand distribution, while Solana’s WSOP deal adds a direct payment function to the sponsorship layer.
Stablecoin Payouts Target WSOP Paradise
The December stage may be the more important payments story. WSOP and Solana said WSOP Paradise tournament winners in The Bahamas will be able to receive stablecoin settlements on Solana, giving players faster access to winnings and reducing cross-border settlement friction.
Stablecoin payouts are different from accepting crypto at checkout. A buy-in moves money into the event. A payout moves prize money back to players, which can raise operational questions around identity checks, asset choice, custody, conversion, tax reporting and local rules.
The announcements did not specify which stablecoins will be used for December payouts. Solana’s post named USDC, USDT and SOL for tournament ticket purchases, but described winner settlements more generally as stablecoins on Solana.
That distinction is important for readers following stablecoin adoption. Payments firms and banks have already been moving dollar tokens into settlement flows, from Visa’s USDC work on Solana to Western Union’s USDPT integration with Bybit. WSOP adds a prize-payout version of the same basic thesis.
The operational challenge is less about whether Solana can move a token quickly. It is whether a live gaming brand can make wallet onboarding, payment confirmation, compliance review and customer support feel ordinary for players who may not be crypto-native.
SOL Price Trails Payments News
SOL did not enter the announcement from a position of market strength. CoinGecko’s June 10 data showed the token still down more than 30% over the past month, even though the WSOP partnership briefly gave SOL a consumer-payments headline.
Fear & Greed Index
June 10, 2026That gap between adoption news and token price has appeared across crypto during the early June selloff. The market is rewarding cash, bitcoin dominance and lower risk, while individual chain announcements still need time to show measurable transaction volume.
The consumer angle remains useful. MetaMask’s Mastercard card rollout and Coinbase’s USDC-backed card push point to the same pattern: crypto companies are trying to hide blockchain rails behind familiar payment moments.
For Solana, the WSOP test is narrower but visible. If players use SOL, USDC or USDT for buy-ins, the chain gets a real-world flow tied to high-stakes entertainment. If stablecoin payouts work smoothly in The Bahamas, the stronger proof point will be outbound prize settlement.
The next watch points are adoption data from the Las Vegas summer series, the exact asset list for WSOP Paradise payouts, any player eligibility limits, and whether WSOP expands the system beyond the 2026 events. Until those details arrive, the confirmed news is clear: the world’s best-known poker tournament series has turned Solana into a tournament payment rail.
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Primary sources and further reading
| Source | Title |
|---|---|
| | World Series of Poker: Solana tournament purchases announcement |
| | Solana Foundation: World Series of Poker, Dealt by Solana |
| | CoinGecko: Solana price |
| | Alternative.me: Crypto Fear and Greed Index |
Fact-checked by: Daily Crypto Briefs Fact-Check Desk
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can WSOP players buy tournament tickets with Solana?
Yes. WSOP and Solana said players at the 57th annual summer event in Las Vegas can complete tournament ticket purchases using crypto on Solana through MoonPay Commerce.
Which crypto assets does the WSOP Solana rollout mention?
Solana's announcement says the buy-in flow is designed for USDC, USDT or SOL. WSOP described the system as Solana-powered crypto ticket purchases with zero processing fees.
When do WSOP stablecoin payouts start?
The announcements said stablecoin settlements for tournament winners are planned for WSOP Paradise in The Bahamas in December 2026.
Why is the WSOP Solana deal important for crypto payments?
It puts public-chain payments and stablecoin settlement into a large live event with international players, high-dollar prizes and mainstream ESPN distribution.