Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a global payments platform, today announced the launch of Pay with Crypto, a new crypto payment method for iGaming operators and daily fantasy sports brands in the U.S. market. Powered by MoonPay, the leader in global crypto payments and stablecoin infrastructure, Pay with Crypto allows iGaming brands’ customers to use their preferred stablecoin or cryptocurrency to effortlessly fund their player accounts, where permitted.

With a reported ~70.4m American adults owning cryptocurrency and with Paysafe’s own research indicating that 83% of U.S. players have appetite for crypto payments, the company has responded to meet this demand with Pay with Crypto. Whether a player wants to fund their iGaming account using USD Coin (USDC), another stablecoin, or any major cryptocurrency, Paysafe’s new payment option for operators’ cashiers enables their crypto deposit to be rapidly converted to U.S. dollars to allow play.

After selecting Pay with Crypto and their preferred stablecoin or cryptocurrency, players simply connect their crypto or custodial wallet to fund the deposit, with the MoonPay Commerce Checkouts technology also supporting transactions via QR code using users’ phones. Once transactions have been verified, Pay with Crypto instantly converts crypto deposits into U.S. dollars to fund the player account.

The flexibility embedded in the Pay with Crypto solution also extends to operators, which can choose to settle payments almost instantly in stablecoins in their business’s crypto wallet, or settle in U.S. dollars or any major fiat currency through MoonPay’s Virtual Accounts powered by Iron.

Operators can upgrade their cashiers with Pay with Crypto through a single, streamlined integration of the Paysafe Gateway, which has been developed specifically for iGaming and leverages the company’s 30 years’ global experience. With the Gateway already boasting frictionless card payments, the Skrill digital wallet, the PaysafeCash eCash solution, a Pay by Bank product, and 30+ local payment methods, the addition of Pay with Crypto sees Paysafe continue to diversify its offering to meet evolving transactional preferences.

Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “Galvanized by the growing popularity of stablecoins, cryptocurrency is evolving in the U.S. from an investment asset into a unit of value for payments, and we’re seeing this shift gather pace in the country’s iGaming market. Against this backdrop, we’re delighted to unveil Pay with Crypto, a forward-thinking solution that strongly positions U.S. operators for their customers’ changing transactional preferences – the future of how they pay when they play.”

Ivan Soto-Wright, Founder and CEO of MoonPay, commented: “Crypto rails are making payments faster and more efficient, and our job is to close the gap between this technology and real-world utility. People shouldn’t have to convert their digital assets just to make a purchase – they want to use what they already have. Paysafe brings that experience to more people through trusted, regulated platforms.”

The American Football League Europe (AFLE) and SCCG Management, a leading advisory firm in the global gaming industry, have announced a strategic partnership ahead of the league’s inaugural season in May 2026. As part of the agreement, SCCG Management Founder and CEO Stephen Crystal has been appointed Senior Vice President Gaming of the AFLE, where he will lead all gaming-related business development and commercial partnership initiatives.

Building a gaming strategy from the ground up

Together, the AFLE and SCCG Management will develop and execute a comprehensive gaming and sports betting strategy for the league. This includes the establishment of official betting partnerships, affiliate programs, and sponsorship-driven revenue opportunities designed to strengthen fan engagement and support the long-term commercial growth of the league and it‘s eight member clubs.

Leading the way in gaming expertise

SCCG Management brings more than 34 years of experience in the global gaming industry, with offices across North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Brazil. The firm works with over 130 client-partners across diverse iGaming verticals and specializes in strategic growth, sports wagering and technology-driven fan experiences.

In his new role, Stephen Crystal will focus on securing and managing relationships across sportsbooks, gaming operators, affiliate networks and betting media partners, while ensuring full alignment with regulatory frameworks across European markets.

A league built for the modern era

The AFLE is a newly formed professional American football league dedicated to building a sustainable, team-driven competition across Europe. With franchises in Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, the league is designed for scalability, media integration and international fan engagement from day one. Operating under an investor-backed structure with collaborative input from all league stakeholders, the AFLE was founded on principles of transparency, long-term development and professional governance.

That foundation makes gaming integration a natural next step. As global demand for sports betting content continues to grow, the AFLE is positioned to embed gaming partnerships directly into its commercial strategy from inception, creating new revenue streams while expanding it‘s reach to fans across European markets.

What the partnership means to both sides

Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO of SCCG Management, said: “This is a rare opportunity to help build a professional sports league with gaming and fan engagement fully integrated into its foundation. AFLE has the structure, vision, and market timing to become a major force in international sports. We’re excited to lead the development of its gaming ecosystem and establish partnerships that drive meaningful, long-term value for the league and its stakeholders.”

Moritz Heisler, COO and Managing Director of the AFLE, added: “Partnering with SCCG Management is a significant step in building the commercial infrastructure of the AFLE from day one. Gaming and sports betting are a natural part of modern fan engagement, and having Stephen Crystal lead this space gives us the right expertise and industry network to do it properly. We are building a league for the long term, and these kinds of strategic partnerships are exactly what will make that possible.”

With the inaugural season just weeks away, this partnership marks an important step in the AFLE’s commercial journey. Together, the AFLE and SCCG Management are laying the groundwork for a gaming ecosystem that is built to grow alongside the league and deliver lasting value for fans, clubs and partners across Europe.

BR-DGE, the independent payment orchestration provider, has partnered with Betfred, one of the UK and Ireland’s fastest-scaling betting operators, to support high-performance payments.

Betfred is using BR-DGE as its payment orchestration layer to manage both pay-ins and pay-outs through a single integration. Now live in the UK, with additional markets to follow later, the partnership is already delivering strong conversion rates, improved speed and resilience, as well as an enhanced player experience at the checkout. At the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup – Betfred’s most successful to date – BR-DGE processed over one million transactions as part of Betfred’s book, over the 4-day event.

As well as gaining simpler connectivity to multiple PSPs and payment methods (including cards, bank-to-bank payments and digital wallets) Betfred will also benefit from layered pre-and post-authorisation real-time fraud and identity decisioning, with a specialist partner integration via BR-DGE. This will support Betfred’s fraud prevention teams in keeping fraud levels in check, while maintaining smooth checkout process for genuine customers.

During major sporting events, when transaction volumes can spike dramatically, Betfred’s payments infrastructure can now scale effortlessly to meet demand — ensuring players experience no slowdowns or payment restrictions at the moments that matter most.

Betfred also benefits from flexible, independent control over deposit and withdrawal flows, with the ability to apply tailored routing logic. This gives them stronger performance, better cost management and greater reliability across every stage of the payment journey — without the operational complexity.

PCI-DSS scope has also been significantly reduced for Betfred. By using BR-DGE Vault, sensitive card data is captured and stored entirely outside of its own environment. This simplifies compliance obligations and unlocks the freedom to route network tokens across multiple providers — complete with built-in failover protection — delivering higher approval rates and a seamless cashier experience for players.

Jacob Spencer, Chief Revenue Officer at BR-DGE, said: “Betfred operates at real scale, particularly during major sporting events, when transaction volumes increase rapidly and payment performance is put under pressure. This partnership gives Betfred the ability to handle those spikes without slowing or restricting transactions, while providing the flexibility and confidence to support future growth and new payment requirements.”

Nick Cockerill, Group Chief Product Officer at Betfred, said: “From the Grand National to a Saturday afternoon football fixture, our customers expect betting to feel easy and trusted. That includes being able to pay and get paid their winnings without delay. Working with BR-DGE helps us support that experience during our busiest periods, so payments don’t get in the way of the bet. Our business can continue to expand at speed, with the confidence that our payments infrastructure is in safe hands.”

This partnership adds to BR-DGE’s growing presence within the gaming and gambling sector, where operators are increasingly adopting independent orchestration layers to support scale, enhance payment performance and deliver excellent customer experiences.

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