Cryptocurrency
Messi’s Missing Crypto Millions
Poor old Lionel Messi. It’s not exactly going to plan on the pitch for him yet at PSG. And off it – well let’s say he’s not cracked the crypto game either.
In the summer he agreed to be paid part of his signing-on fee in his new club Paris Saint-Germain’s own fan token. With cryptocurrencies at the start of a record-breaking run, it looked like a sure-fire way for the world’s best footballer to make more millions.
But it hasn’t worked out that way, according to analysis from Cloudbet.com the world’s oldest crypto sportsbook.
Messi’s unexpected transfer from cash-strapped Barcelona was announced on 10th August. He signed up for free, in a move designed to get his huge million-dollar weekly wage off Barca’s books. League bosses were penalising them for their abject failure to keep the club’s deficit within permitted parameters.
The vastly wealthy PSG were so delighted to land the world’s biggest football star that they paid him an interesting signing-on fee.
Part of his “welcome pack”, they said, would be paid in cash as normal, but in a first for football, part of the fee would be gifted to him in PSG fan tokens.
Messi could be forgiven for looking kindly on PSG’s offer. The club’s token had almost tripled in value from the start of August to a record on the day of the Messi announcement.
Traders at Cloudbet took a deeper dive into the deal to assess how the Argentinian maestro’s signing-on fee is looking now.
On 10th August, the PSG token was valued at $49.83.
Media speculation across the continent suggests Lionel Messi was gifted one million euros worth of tokens. On that day the Euro-USD exchange rate was 1.17. So let’s estimate that PSG’s wealthy Qatar owners gave him $1.17m worth of tokens.
Trading at $49.83, this means Messi would have received 23,480 PSG tokens.
So how much money has Lionel Messi made from this deal? Well, as of today things aren’t looking terribly good. The PSG token recently traded at…. $19.02
That defeat by Man City hasn’t helped PSG or it’s cryptocoin’s value.
If Messi had received what is speculated to be one million euros in fan tokens on 10th August, his estimated 23,480 tokens would now be worth… $453,436
Which means if he cashed it in now it would only be worth 40% of what it was worth on the day that he signed for PSG!
American football stars like Aaron Rogers might be in the news for all the wrong reasons right now, but they’ve made headlines for being early adopters of Bitcoin salaries. If Messi had embraced BTC he’d be a lot richer.
Back on 10th August 2021, BTC was trading around $45,600.
And now? It’s at $58,000, a +25% rise. That $1.17m signing-on gift would now be around $1,460,000 – more than a million dollars more than the fee is worth in PSG tokens.
Powered by WPeMatico
Crypto
Jackbit Rebrands as Jack.com, Launches Volume 2.0 Platform Upgrade
Jackbit, the fast-growing crypto gaming destination, has officially completed its transition to Jack.com, unveiling a new brand identity and simultaneously launching Volume 2.0 — a comprehensive platform overhaul designed to power its next stage of international growth.
The rebrand comes after years of building a loyal user base on the back of lightning-fast crypto withdrawals, transparent operations, and a player-first philosophy. Securing the Jack.com domain signals the company’s commitment to becoming a major global player in the crypto gaming space.
“Jack.com represents the beginning of a much larger global expansion strategy. We will continue introducing new features, community tools, and strategic partnerships as the ecosystem evolves,” the company said.
Volume 2.0 brings sweeping changes to the platform. Wallet 2.0, a rebuilt payment infrastructure, now features cleaner transaction tracking, improved deposit and withdrawal flows, and expanded visibility across all payment activity. Navigation has been redesigned for speed, and security enhancements have been applied across the board.
The social fabric of the platform has also been strengthened. New community features including a Live Bets Feed, Recent Big Wins display, and High Rollers leaderboard allow players to engage with live platform activity. A new Tips Function enables peer-to-peer tipping directly within the platform — a first-of-its-kind feature in the crypto gaming sector.
On the loyalty side, Jack.com has launched a fully redesigned VIP program offering Instant Rakeback, Weekly and Monthly Bonuses, Level-Up Rewards, and dedicated VIP managers for top-tier members.
Jack.com offers thousands of casino games, live dealer experiences, original titles, esports betting, sportsbook markets, and tournaments — all accessible with seamless crypto payment options.
Existing Jackbit users will experience no disruption to their accounts during the transition. Jack.com operates under a Curaçao gaming license and was founded in 2022.
The post Jackbit Rebrands as Jack.com, Launches Volume 2.0 Platform Upgrade appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Cryptocurrency
Paysafe Research: Crypto Payments to Transform US Online Sports-betting
About 83% of U.S. bettors are keen to use cryptocurrency to fund wagers with online sportsbooks, when permitted, according to research issued by leading payments platform Paysafe. The company’s All the Ways Players Pay: Crypto Edition report also suggests that when a state permits crypto payments, sportsbooks supporting deposits by digital assets and even payouts will gain a competitive edge in player acquisition and retention.
As well as bettors in states where crypto deposits aren’t yet permitted – Florida, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania – Paysafe surveyed Illinois and Virginia, which have the regulatory latitude to give operators specific permission for crypto-to-cash funding products. Importantly, the study included the two states which explicitly permit crypto deposits, Colorado and Wyoming, where 59% and 45% of bettors, respectively, have already funded a bet with a digital asset.
With 64% of active U.S. bettors owning cryptocurrency, deposits using digital assets would almost certainly trend even higher in other states when permitted. In New York, 92% of players have appetite for crypto deposits, with demand in Illinois and Florida almost as high (88% in both).
When permitted, crypto would be a top-3 payment method for funding wagers, with 45% of players listing crypto as a preference after digital wallets (favored by 55%) and debit cards (50%). In New York, crypto would be second only to wallets (54% versus 59%), with a similar dynamic evident in Illinois, where 52% list crypto as a preference compared to 58% digital wallets.
Despite crypto’s potential to rival wallets and bank cards, other payment methods would remain relevant. Even if digital assets were permitted, credit cards (a preference for 37%) and pay-by-bank solutions and bank transfers (also 37%) would still be relatively popular. And even niche payment options would not be completely overshadowed if crypto were thrown into the transactional mix, with almost a quarter of bettors (23%) still listing local payment methods like peer-to-peer apps and 14% eCash solutions like PaysafeCash.
Players also have interest in cashing-out their winnings in crypto, which is not yet permitted by any state. Well over eight out of 10 bettors (85%) are keen for crypto withdrawals.
Given bettor appetite for cashing-out and crypto funding, it’s unsurprising that digital assets would play an influential role in their selection of a new sportsbook. While brand trust dominates sportsbook choice (prioritized by 36%), crypto payment factors are almost as important, including seamless crypto withdrawals (prioritized by 29%), ability to transact with crypto or other preferred payment methods (28%), and seamless crypto deposits (26%).
Crypto payments’ value extends to player retention. Seven out of 10 players (71%) feel that transacting using digital assets would improve their overall betting experience, with just 18% disagreeing and the remaining 11% unsure.
While crypto will invariably enhance customer stickiness, operators need to carefully evaluate crypto payment products as a poor transactional experience will risk churn, with 71% likely to abandon a sportsbook as a result. Players in some states are even less forgiving, especially New York (80% would switch brands), but also Florida and Illinois (75% in both).
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “While crypto payments are only currently permitted in a relatively modest cohort of U.S. states, our latest research indicates that there’s strong player appetite for crypto at the cashier in not just these jurisdictions but across the broader market. As regulation evolves and as more iGaming markets embrace digital assets’ impressive value at the cashier, we’re confident that crypto will not just become an important payment method, but arguably pivotal to the industry’s transactional future.”
The post Paysafe Research: Crypto Payments to Transform US Online Sports-betting appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
British Gambling Commission
UK Heading For Crypto Gambling, But Will Consumers Care?
The UK Gambling Commission has begun scoping out how it will allow crypto gambling to exist within its regulatory framework, but there are concerns that embrace of cryptocurrencies by one of the world’s largest online gambling markets might make very little impact.
The UK’s gambling regulator announced in February that it was seriously considering allowing its licence-holding operator to allow gambling with crypto.
The move is driven in part by a project at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to beef up rules around exchanges and other virtual asset providers.
This bedrock, the commission believes, will give it a solid foundation to open up the world of gambling, while addressing concerns around potential money laundering and value fluctuations.
Speaking in London earlier this week, the commission’s enforcement director, John Pierce, confirmed that he is leading a team within the regulator that is scoping out the project.
He said that formal regulations are unlikely to emerge until 2027, but speaking at the annual CMS Conference on Tuesday (May 12), he was clear that “we are moving increasingly towards crypto”.
Pierce added that he is keen to hear from members of the gambling industry on how they would like to see crypto regulations structured, primarily through the regulator’s Industry Forum, but admitted that the staff currently at the regulator lack skills in this area.
This skill gap is an area the Gambling Commission will need to close if it is to create a workable framework for crypto gambling, with some key players in the industry apparently unimpressed with the regulator’s efforts so far, sources say.
Pressure builds
While the regulator is being careful not to fully confirm that it will develop a model for crypto gambling, there’s good reason to believe it will push forward with the project.
This is due to several factors, including the growing threat of the black market. The commissions’ own research into what motives consumers to look offshore found a desire to gamble with their crypto holdings is a key motivator.
There’s also growing pressure from the international anti-money laundering (AML) establishment to do more than simply prohibit the use of cryptocurrencies.
Current advice from the watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is that nations should look to bring crypto within their regulatory framework so as to better protect against its potential misuse for fraud and terrorism funding.
This position has influenced the FCA’s move to develop more complete crypto regulations and in turn has spurred the Gambling Commission to make its own moves.
The suggested date of 2027 for new regulations is no coincidence. FATF will commence its next mutual evaluation of the UK that year and will expect officials to show how they are limiting the flow of crypto from British shores to potentially illicit offshore operators.
Will it work?
There are real concerns that very few crypto casino players would actually be interested in wagering in the regulated market.
“In the UK, the demand is relatively small,” said Maria Rodriguez, the head of payment strategy for operating giant Flutter.
“It’s a very niche service, but it’s consumer that we don’t have access to at the moment,” she added, also speaking at this week’s CMS event.
One of the key questions is what kinds of crypto will be permitted in the UK market.
Pierce hinted that his team is leaning towards only allowing stablecoins, which rules out a large potential consumer segment who own currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
This is primarily due to concerns around volatility. Stablecoins are pegged to supposedly stable currencies or commodities, like the US dollar, and are less susceptible to sudden market movements.
Pierce and Rodriguez both pointed to potential issues where coins with rapidly fluctuating values, such as bitcoin, drop massively while they are being held by operators as a customer deposit.
There are also other potential issues around financial services. Operators need banking partners in order to do business and they will likely resist any drift towards uncertainty.
So, while that makes a stablecoin-only regime the safe option, it’s a choice that risks alienating much of the current black market gambling which the commission is explicitly hoping to tempt onshore.
“You think about the segment that is the pure native crypto customers, even if we get to the point that we offer it, are there really going to come?” wondered Rogriguez. “I still have a question mark of whether we are going to attract those customers or not.”
The post UK Heading For Crypto Gambling, But Will Consumers Care? appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
-
Brasil7 days agoPara Sportradar, Copa do Mundo 2026 deve redefinir estratégias de aquisição e engajamento nas apostas esportivas
-
Andréa Curral7 days ago“No iGaming, marcas sólidas dependem de consistência, experiência e relacionamento de longo prazo”
-
2026 sports betting7 days agoFor Sportradar, the 2026 World Cup is set to reshape acquisition and engagement in sports betting
-
Latest News7 days agoHow RocketPlay Closed 100% of Its Complaints in 2025: Inside the System
-
Brazil7 days agoMercado de bets en Brasil: nuevas restricciones publicitarias y reglas AML
-
eSports7 days agoG2’s Otis Lawrence wins 2026 F1 Sim Racing World Championship
-
Asia3 days agoEGT Brings High-Impact Asian-Themed Portfolio to SiGMA Asia 2026
-
Africa3 days agoGreentube partners with World Sports Betting to expand in South Africa



