Solana to Sponsor WSOP; Players Can Use SOL and Stablecoins

The Solana Foundation will present the World Series of Poker and allow players to use SOL and Solana-based stablecoins to buy into WSOP events. Tournament prize payouts in Solana stablecoins will be offered beginning in December at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas.

Crypto payments firm MoonPay will provide the payments infrastructure. Organizers said entrants who use SOL or Solana stablecoins will not incur processing fees for buy-ins. Stablecoin prize disbursements will begin at the December festival, with wider rollouts planned after systems are tested.

The Swiss nonprofit that supports the Solana blockchain will serve as the official presenting sponsor for the 2026 World Series of Poker and World Series of Poker Paradise. Solana branding will appear on broadcast sets and table felt. The groups also plan to develop on-chain poker products for later release, though details and timelines have not been provided.

Organizers and Solana officials pointed to faster processing and easier cross-border transfers as benefits, particularly for international players who face bank and payment friction when moving funds for entries and cashouts. MoonPay will operate the crypto rails and handle settlement to enable immediate or near-instant distribution of winnings via Solana-based tokens.

Vibhu Norby, chief product officer at the Solana Foundation, said, ‘Introducing Solana-powered buy-ins and payouts modernizes how money moves through the poker ecosystem and reduces friction for players around the world.’ He added that poker players often optimize how they hold funds and that Solana buy-ins and instant payouts should encourage adoption.

Jim Walker, MoonPay Commerce president, described the integration as a way to offer faster, borderless payments for players worldwide and said the arrangement makes it simpler for players to take their seats at major events.

The World Series of Poker organizes about 50 live events globally and has paid more than $4 billion in prize money to date. The Main Event carries a $10,000 entry fee; television coverage for the Main Event begins July 2.

Organizers said they will measure the initiative by the uptake of crypto buy-ins and stablecoin payouts and by growth in both the poker and Solana communities. Additional product integrations and on-chain offerings are planned but have not been detailed.