Blockchain

Decentraland makes strategic investment in Decentral Games

Published

4 years ago

September 17, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Companies will deliver Play-to-earn Metaverse Poker, giving huge boost and driving interest and confidence in the disruptive gaming industry

Decentraland, the pioneering blockchain-based virtual world, has made a strategic investment in Decentral Games, a metaverse-native GameFi DAO, in a move that further shows increasing interest and confidence in the disruptive gaming platform.

The investment from Decentraland (MANA) in Decentral Games’ (DG) native governance token $DG, an asset that allocates governance votes within the Decentral Games DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) and its nearly $12 million in treasury holdings today, is aimed at helping the platform deliver free Play-to-Earn Metaverse Poker.

“The Decentraland Foundation is thrilled to support Decentral Games in its new play-to-earn gaming in the metaverse,” said Agustin Ferreira, Foundation Lead at Decentraland Foundation. “The free play-to-earn architecture has undergone phenomenal growth of late, and we believe it will enable the Decentraland platform and the community to continue on the journey of decentralized expansion.”

Mr. Ferreira added that “as a gaming pioneer in the metaverse, we believe Decentral Games is the ideal party to spearhead the next generation of play-to-earn.”

The investment deal also represents a massive endorsement of Decentral Games’ groundbreaking play-to-earn gaming architecture model that distributes tokenized financial rewards for everyday gamers’ participation on the platform.

“This significant deal will enable Decentral Games to debut play-to-earn dynamics applied to a favorite household game, poker,” said Decentral Games Founder Miles Anthony.

“Decentral Games is proud to have a trusted investment partner in Decentraland as we roll out metaverse play-to-earn ICE Poker.”

Mr. Anthony added that “Decentraland has been a pioneer in building the first iteration of an open, decentralized metaverse, so it’s a no-brainer to launch our Play-to-Earn ICE Poker there.”

Decentral Games’ innovative and on-point spirit in pushing play-to-earn gaming forward has generated recent investment from full-stack Ethereum scaling solution, Polygon, among other respected institutional entities.

In June, DG closed a $5-million funding round co-led by Collab+Currency and BACKED VC. Since then, Decentral Games has continued to execute, bringing play-to-earn to fruition, and announced the new GameFi product, ICE Poker, the play-to-earn and NFT game in September.

Decentral Games has also previously worked with Decentraland. The gaming metaverse blockchain project developed several signature games for Decentraland on a white label basis before eventually establishing itself as an enterprise DAO.

After years of proving the use case for metaverse games within Decentraland’s immersive virtual reality environments, Decentral Games is presently thrilled to take its tenured relationship with Decentraland to the next level.

$DG is the versatile, standalone token powering Decentral Games, providing players with a medium of exchange for gaming and governance and liquidity incentives unique to the platform. The model organically incentivizes long-term user growth and customer loyalty through the distribution of daily rewards, empowering Decentral Games customers with the ability to earn a new stream of income on the platform.

As Venture Beat has illustrated, play-to-earn gaming in the Philippines has yielded the potential for residents to earn three times the regional minimum wage. And market indications have clearly shown that play-to-earn is ready for meteoric adoption given its income potential.

Currently, Decentral Games runs multiple metaverse-based play-to-earn and NFT games, including co-branding and business-to-business (B2B) deals with the world’s most iconic brands, including gaming giant Atari, Amnesia Ibiza (the temple of electronic music), and Bored Apes Yacht Club (the iconic NFT series).

$SNACK token

Crypto Snack Unveils Five-Pillar Ecosystem Spanning Sports, RWA Tokenisation, iGaming, Consumer Rewards and Payments

Published

3 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Wladimir P.

crypto-snack-unveils-five-pillar-ecosystem-spanning-sports,-rwa-tokenisation,-igaming,-consumer-rewards-and-payments

Crypto Snack, the blockchain-based crypto infrastructure company behind the $SNACK token, has announced the full scope of its multi-vertical ecosystem — spanning a Premier League football partnership, institutional-grade real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation, licensed iGaming, a live consumer rewards platform and an integrated crypto wallet and payments app.

The announcement marks a strategic repositioning for the project, which has spent the past 18 months building infrastructure, securing partnerships and obtaining licences ahead of a coordinated 2026 launch across all five verticals.

“Most crypto projects pick one lane. We’ve built five — and every single one generates real revenue for the token. This isn’t a roadmap built on promises. The partnerships are signed, the licences are secured, and the technology is built. 2026 is about execution,” Stuart Morrison, CEO and Founder of Crypto Snack.

Premier League Partnership

Crypto Snack has secured a partnership with an English Premier League football club, making it the first project to process cryptocurrency payments for a PL club. The integration covers matchday ticket purchases, merchandise sales, LED stadium advertising, VIP hospitality packages, and Ticketmaster-integrated ticketing — with $SNACK enabled as a direct payment method.

The club name remains under embargo ahead of a formal joint announcement in the coming weeks.

Real-World Asset Tokenisation

Crypto Snack facilitated and represents the Alkemya Metacore Security Token Offering (STO), which is listing on a regulated tokenised securities exchange. The STO comprises 800 million tokens, with Crypto Snack holding a 3% allocation. Proceeds are received in USDT, with remaining tokens generating ongoing cash distributions.

The company is actively tokenising UK real estate, commodities, and securities at institutional scale, with projects valued at up to $1.5 billion.

Licensed iGaming

Snack Casino and Snack Bet — a fully licensed online casino and sportsbook — are scheduled to launch in 2026, operated by a strategic iGaming partner under a licensed agreement to use the Crypto Snack brand. All bonuses, rewards and referral incentives will be distributed exclusively in $SNACK tokens, creating a recurring demand mechanism for the token independent of speculative trading.

Live Consumer Rewards

Snack Rewards is already live in the US through a partnership with Affina Loyalty, offering cashback paid in $SNACK tokens across more than 2000 brands including Apple, Nike, IKEA and Uber. The merchant-funded model means brands fund the cashback directly, with Crypto Snack earning a 1% commission on every transaction. UK and European expansion is scheduled for Q3 2026.

Snack App and Wallet

The Snack App will serve as the central gateway to the entire ecosystem, featuring a built-in crypto wallet with virtual debit cards, buy/sell/trade functionality and unified access to all rewards and loyalty programmes. The app is designed for mainstream adoption, removing the technical barriers that typically prevent non-crypto users from entering the space.

The post Crypto Snack Unveils Five-Pillar Ecosystem Spanning Sports, RWA Tokenisation, iGaming, Consumer Rewards and Payments appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Blockchain

RPM APPOINTS WEB3 EXPERT STEVE WHYMAN TO LEAD ON BLOCKCHAIN STRATEGY

Published

2 months ago

January 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

rpm-appoints-web3-expert-steve-whyman-to-lead-on-blockchain-strategy

RPM, the specialist in retail and online betting and gaming, has announced that it has bolstered its digital markets capabilities with the appointment of Steve Whyman as Director of Web3 & Crypto.

Whyman joins RPM with a mandate to shape the credible adoption of blockchain technology within the global gaming industry, and will assist partners with a unique, high-level consultancy service that helps deliver faster routes to market using decentralised offerings and tokens.

This appointment internalises Steve Whyman’s institutional pedigree, having spent 25 years in senior trading and leadership roles with industry giants including Amundi, Aviva, and BlackRock, while he most recently served as Head of Debt Capital Markets at Fidelity International where he oversaw the $90bn fixed income primary markets portfolio and led the tokenisation of the firm’s money market fund.

With the added, potent combination of Web3 experience as founder and CEO at Fulminata Solutions, a digital capital markets boutique working with Layer-1 blockchains and prominent stablecoins, Whyman is well-positioned to translate digital finance innovations into practical gaming applications for RPM partners.

During his time at Fulminata Solutions, Whyman has established himself as a thought leader in the Web3 space with specific expertise in the Solana ecosystem. He currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to KEEL.FI, the largest allocator on Solana, and his new role will see this knowhow utilised to provide the gaming sector with a more seamless path to new business models, improved transparency, and new sustainable growth opportunities.

Richard Thorp, Founder at RPM, said: “Appointing Steve is a landmark moment for us as we take a major step forward in delivering on Web3’s promise. His background is exceptional. Blending the rigour of institutional finance and a first-rate, hands-on understanding of decentralised markets, we’re hugely confident that our partners will be able to reap the benefits of his expertise in bridging to new product and market opportunities in the space.”

Steve Whyman, RPM’s new Director of Web3 and Crypto, added: “I’m thrilled to join RPM at a pivotal time as the gaming industry moves beyond speculative Web3 trends towards implementing genuine utility. My focus will be on delivering major new value opportunities to clients in digital finance through consulting on various product improvements, such as instant settlement opportunities, smoother payment rails or executing on innovative, tokenised growth models.

“By fostering partnerships between RPM, our clients, and the leading, high-performance Layer-1 blockchains, we have a massive opportunity to build igaming-led systems that improve transparency, operational efficiency, and, critically, improve the bottom line, and working alongside Rich and the team, we’re in a strong position to genuinely lead Web3 gaming innovation from the front.”

The post RPM APPOINTS WEB3 EXPERT STEVE WHYMAN TO LEAD ON BLOCKCHAIN STRATEGY appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Blockchain

GR8 Tech Launches Crypto Turnkey: High-Value iGaming Platform for Global Expansion

Published

2 months ago

January 8, 2026

Wladimir P.

gr8-tech-launches-crypto-turnkey:-high-value-igaming-platform-for-global-expansion

GR8 Tech has officially unveiled its Crypto Turnkey solution, a comprehensive platform designed to give iGaming operators a modern, multi-wallet infrastructure for global expansion. By integrating native multi-currency support from day one, the solution eliminates the need for third-party crypto vendors and complex technical integrations.

According to Denys Parkhomenko, CPO at GR8 Tech, the shift toward crypto is no longer optional for operators looking to dominate.

“Industry data shows crypto players deposit 35-50% more and bet with 40-60% higher frequency than traditional players,” says Parkhomenko. “The operators winning their markets are the ones acting on that data now, not waiting. We built Crypto Turnkey to make that move simple.”

Eliminating Payment Provider Bottlenecks

One of the most significant hurdles for modern iGaming businesses is the dependency on traditional payment providers. Regulatory hurdles or provider outages can delay launches or halt active businesses.

Crypto Turnkey removes these bottlenecks, allowing for:

Faster Market Entry: Go live quickly without waiting for lengthy traditional payment approvals.
Operational Stability: Payment uptime is controlled by the operator, ensuring a 24/7 uninterrupted revenue flow.
Full Compliance: The platform supports over 15 popular cryptocurrencies (including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT) while maintaining strict KYC and responsible gambling standards through existing GR8 Tech modules.

Designed for the VIP Experience

High-stakes players are the lifeblood of the industry. In 2025, VIP players accounted for 47% of total turnover across GR8 Tech’s verticals. These users increasingly demand the privacy, speed, and high transaction limits that only blockchain can provide.

The Crypto Turnkey multi-wallet system provides the flexibility these premium segments expect:

Single Account, Multiple Currencies: Players can hold and switch between currencies instantly.
No Conversion Friction: Deposit and withdraw in crypto without losing value to unnecessary exchange fees.
Real-time Calculations: For games requiring fiat denominations, the system automatically handles balance segregation and exchange rate calculations.

Lower Fees and Zero Chargeback Risks

The economic advantages of the Crypto Turnkey solution are clear. While traditional fiat transactions typically cost between 2.5% and 5%, GR8 Tech’s solution slashes these costs to approximately 0.5%.

Furthermore, because blockchain transactions are irreversible, operators can say goodbye to chargeback fraud and the administrative nightmare of dispute management. Settlement times are also reduced from the standard 3-5 business days to just 10-30 minutes.

The Platform for Champions

When combined with the broader GR8 Tech ecosystem—including AI-driven personalization, advanced CRM tools, and geo-specific “Champion setups”—the Crypto Turnkey solution becomes a powerful engine for maximizing player lifetime value.

The solution is now available globally. New operators can deploy it as a complete turnkey package, while existing GR8 Tech clients can activate crypto capabilities without any additional technical integration.