growth is a notable example of how online gambling, cryptocurrency, mobile-first gaming and global sports entertainment have increasingly intersected. Launched in 2017 by Easygo Gaming founders Edward Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the platform entered a fast-developing segment of the iGaming market: crypto-enabled casino and sportsbook services.
Operating under Medium Rare N.V., Stake built recognition through a combination of broad cryptocurrency support, a large casino catalogue, live-dealer games, proprietary casino formats and sports betting markets. Its expansion also illustrates the commercial value of digitally native marketing, particularly influencer-led promotion, celebrity partnerships and prominent sports sponsorships.
While access is subject to local gambling and cryptocurrency rules, Stake’s trajectory shows why crypto casinos became a highly visible part of the wider online entertainment economy. The company did not rely on a single growth lever. Instead, it brought together payment flexibility, product variety, mobile accessibility and brand-building partnerships designed to reach gaming and sports audiences worldwide.
2017 Launch and Crypto-First Positioning
was launched in 2017, several years after Bitcoin had begun to establish itself as a payment option in parts of the online gambling sector. At that point, cryptocurrency was already drawing attention for its ability to support digital transfers without relying exclusively on conventional banking rails.
For an online gambling platform, a crypto-first approach created a clear market position. Rather than treating digital assets as an additional payment method, Stake placed them close to the center of its user experience. This helped the brand appeal to players already familiar with blockchain-based payments as well as online entertainment customers looking for fast, digital-native transaction options.
The broader timing was important. Smartphone adoption had made online gaming more accessible, while the growth of streaming communities and social media gave gambling brands new ways to reach highly engaged audiences. Stake entered this environment with a product designed for internet-native users and a marketing strategy that increasingly embraced digital culture.
Why Crypto Gambling Attracted Attention
Crypto gambling grew alongside wider interest in blockchain technology and digital assets. Users were drawn to features commonly associated with cryptocurrency transactions, including digital accessibility, potentially fast transfers and the ability to hold funds in different types of assets.
Crypto platforms also benefited from the expanding range of available tokens. Bitcoin remained the best-known option, but users increasingly expected access to other major cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and community-driven tokens. For operators, supporting a varied asset selection could make the payment experience more relevant to a broader crypto audience.
It is important to distinguish payment convenience from regulatory permission. Cryptocurrency use does not override gambling laws, financial rules or local restrictions. Online gambling services must determine where they are permitted to operate, and customers should always confirm that a service is available and lawful in their own jurisdiction.
A Broad Cryptocurrency Selection as a Growth Driver
One of Stake’s visible differentiators was its support for a wide range of cryptocurrencies. The platform’s offering included established assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, alongside other well-known cryptocurrencies including Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tron, XRP and Dogecoin. It also expanded support for additional assets over time.
The strategic benefit of this approach was straightforward: users could choose a digital asset that aligned with their own preferences, holdings and risk tolerance. A customer who primarily used Bitcoin did not need to convert to another asset solely to use the platform, while users who preferred Ethereum-based assets, stablecoins or certain altcoins could have more options available.
Key Types of Digital Assets in the Stake Ecosystem
| Asset category | Examples associated with Stake’s historical crypto offering | Potential user appeal |
|---|---|---|
| Major cryptocurrencies | Bitcoin, Ethereum | High recognition and established use across the crypto market |
| Alternative cryptocurrencies | Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Tron, XRP, EOS | More choice for users who hold assets beyond Bitcoin |
| Stablecoins | USDT, USDC, DAI and, historically, BUSD | Designed to track a reference value, commonly the U.S. dollar |
| Meme and community-driven tokens | Dogecoin, Shiba Inu | Appeal among crypto communities and users familiar with popular internet-native tokens |
| Other prominent altcoins | BNB, Chainlink, Polygon, ApeCoin, Uniswap, The Sandbox | Expanded choice across different blockchain ecosystems |
Stablecoins were especially relevant to users seeking to reduce exposure to the price swings that can affect assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. These tokens are generally designed to maintain a value linked to an underlying reference, though users should understand the specific mechanism, reserves, risks and terms associated with any individual stablecoin.
Meme coins, including Dogecoin and Shiba Inu, represented another dimension of crypto culture. Their popularity demonstrated that the digital-asset market was not driven only by technical utility; community identity, online trends and entertainment also played meaningful roles in adoption.
Casino Variety: Live Dealers, Classic Categories and Proprietary Games
Payment options alone do not sustain an online gaming brand. Stake also built its position through product breadth. Its casino offering has included established categories such as slots, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, table games, jackpot games and live casino experiences.
Live-dealer content has been particularly important in the evolution of online casino entertainment. These games are intended to bring a more social, real-time format to digital play by using live hosts and streamed tables. Stake became known for offering more than 40 live-dealer games, with historical reports describing a catalogue of more than 50 at certain points. The precise selection can change over time as providers and operators refresh their portfolios.
For users, the benefit of a broad catalogue is choice. Some players may prefer fast slot rounds, while others may be more interested in the decision-making aspects of blackjack, the classic pace of roulette or the hosted format of live-dealer games. By covering multiple categories, a platform can serve several gaming preferences within one ecosystem.
Proprietary Games Helped Create a Distinctive Identity
Stake also became associated with original or proprietary-style casino games. Titles commonly linked with the platform include Crash, Dice, Limbo, Keno, Hilo, Mines, Scarab Spin, Blue Samurai, Slide, Video Poker and Wheel.
These games helped differentiate the brand from operators that relied primarily on standard third-party casino libraries. Simple, fast-paced formats can be especially compatible with mobile play and streaming culture because they are easy for viewers to follow in real time. They can also give a platform a recognizable visual and product identity.
- Crash-style games offer a rapid format built around timing and multiplier-based outcomes.
- Dice and Limbo use simplified mechanics that can be understood quickly by experienced casino users.
- Mines and Hilo add decision points that create a more interactive feel than a single-spin format.
- Wheel, Keno and Video Poker provide recognizable casino-style experiences in digital form.
As with all gambling products, game availability, rules, payout structures and promotional terms can vary by market and may change over time. Players should review the information presented for a game before participating and should treat gambling as paid entertainment rather than a way to generate income.
Sports Betting Expanded Stake’s Entertainment Reach
Casino gaming was only one part of Stake’s broader proposition. Sports betting gave the company a direct connection to global fan communities, particularly around football, combat sports, basketball, tennis and other widely followed events.
Sportsbooks can complement casino products because they engage audiences differently. A casino game is usually centered on an immediate round or session, whereas sports betting is connected to a calendar of matches, tournaments and leagues. That creates recurring opportunities for customer engagement around major sporting moments.
Stake’s historical sportsbook coverage has included markets for football, tennis, basketball, handball, American football, golf, ice hockey, motorsports and futsal. Football has been especially significant because of its international following and the global visibility of competitions such as domestic leagues, continental tournaments and major international events.
Why Sports Betting Fits a Mobile-First Model
Modern sports fans increasingly follow games through phones, social platforms, live scores and short-form video. A mobile-friendly sportsbook can align with those habits by allowing users to review markets and follow events from a connected device.
This connection between live sports and digital entertainment made sports betting a natural part of Stake’s wider brand strategy. It also gave the company a pathway to build familiarity among fans who may not identify primarily as casino players but who actively follow teams, athletes and competitions.
Influencer Partnerships and the Twitch Era
Stake’s marketing approach became highly visible through streaming and influencer partnerships. Twitch, in particular, was an important channel during the period when gambling-related content attracted substantial viewing interest on the platform.
Gaming creators have often built loyal audiences through live interaction, personality-driven entertainment and shared reactions to in-game moments. For a gambling brand, appearing in that environment could generate awareness rapidly, especially among viewers already comfortable with digital games, cryptocurrency and online communities.
Stake was associated with several high-profile streaming personalities and content creators, including partnerships and brand appearances involving figures such as Adin Ross, xQc and the Nelk Boys. These campaigns helped place the Stake name in front of large, digitally engaged audiences.
Streaming-platform policies have evolved, and gambling content is subject to platform-specific restrictions. As a result, influencer marketing in this category has had to adapt. The wider lesson remains important: in a digital entertainment market, audience attention can be as valuable as traditional advertising reach, particularly when a brand becomes part of ongoing online conversation.
Celebrity Visibility and the Drake Partnership
Celebrity involvement further increased Stake’s brand recognition. The company’s association with Drake attracted substantial public attention, including through the Stake and Drake streaming presence and related promotional activity.
Celebrity partnerships can be powerful because they create cultural visibility beyond a company’s core product category. In Stake’s case, the connection linked the brand with music, sports, streaming and mainstream entertainment. That broader appeal helped transform the company from a niche crypto gambling platform into a name recognized across multiple online communities.
The value of this strategy was not simply celebrity endorsement. It was the way celebrity content could be distributed through social media, live video, sports conversation and fan communities at scale. This created a feedback loop in which brand awareness supported product discovery, while product activity created more material for online discussion.
Football Sponsorships Built Global Brand Familiarity
Sports sponsorship was another major pillar of Stake’s growth strategy. Football, with its international audiences and highly visible shirt sponsorships, offered a direct route to mainstream consumer recognition.
Stake entered partnerships with English football clubs including Watford and Everton. Watford’s association with the brand began during the 2021/22 Premier League season and continued into the following season. Everton announced Stake as its main partner in 2022, placing the brand prominently within one of English football’s most watched commercial environments.
For an online sportsbook and casino operator, football sponsorship can deliver several benefits:
- Global reach: English football is watched by audiences far beyond the United Kingdom.
- Frequent visibility: Shirt branding, match coverage and club media create repeated exposure during a season.
- Fan relevance: Sponsorship positions a betting brand closer to the sports communities it aims to serve.
- Mainstream recognition: Association with established clubs can make a digital brand more familiar to casual sports followers.
These partnerships also show how betting operators increasingly compete through brand equity, not merely odds, game selection or payment methods. A familiar logo on a football shirt can reach viewers who may never encounter a traditional online gambling advertisement.
UFC Collaboration Extended the Brand Into Combat Sports
Stake’s sports marketing also reached mixed martial arts through its relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In 2021, Stake became an official betting partner of UFC in Latin America, excluding Brazil at the time. A subsequent 2022 announcement expanded the relationship to include Brazil.
The UFC partnership aligned Stake with a sport that has a young, international and digitally engaged fan base. Combat sports also generate year-round discussion across social media, streaming platforms and live-event coverage, making them attractive for brands seeking continuous relevance rather than exposure tied only to a single seasonal league.
Brand ambassador activity involving UFC figures, including Israel Adesanya, added another layer to the strategy. Athlete-led promotion can help a brand speak to fans through personalities they already follow, while reinforcing its connection to high-energy sports entertainment.
What Made Stake’s Growth Model Stand Out
Stake’s rise was driven by the interaction of several components rather than one isolated innovation. The platform combined product decisions and marketing choices in a way that matched the habits of crypto users, mobile gamers, sports fans and streaming audiences.
| Growth component | How it supported Stake’s market position |
|---|---|
| Crypto-first payments | Created relevance for users who already held and used digital assets. |
| Multiple supported currencies | Expanded payment flexibility across major coins, stablecoins and altcoins. |
| Casino depth | Provided slots, table games, live dealers and proprietary formats for varied user preferences. |
| Sportsbook coverage | Connected the brand to recurring sporting events and fan communities. |
| Mobile-friendly digital entertainment | Matched the always-connected habits of online audiences. |
| Influencer marketing | Built recognition within streaming and social media communities. |
| Celebrity involvement | Extended awareness into popular culture and large fan networks. |
| Sports sponsorships | Delivered high-visibility exposure through football and UFC partnerships. |
This model reflects a larger trend in iGaming: successful platforms increasingly operate as entertainment brands. They are expected to offer convenient technology, diverse content, recognizable partnerships and an experience that can compete for attention in a crowded digital marketplace.
Licensing, Market Access and Local Restrictions
Stake’s international growth has been supported by licensing arrangements and market-specific operations. Like other online gambling businesses, the company’s ability to offer services depends on the rules that apply in each jurisdiction.
Crypto gambling is not available everywhere. Certain countries and territories restrict or prohibit online gambling, cryptocurrency gambling, or both. Historical reporting on Stake has identified markets where its services were not available, including the United States, France, Australia, North Korea and the Netherlands. Availability can change as laws, licenses and operator policies evolve.
This makes jurisdictional compliance central to the platform’s operating model. A global-facing brand must balance broad digital accessibility with local requirements related to licensing, customer verification, payment rules, marketing and consumer protection.
Responsible Participation Matters
The convenience of mobile gambling and cryptocurrency payments makes informed, controlled participation especially important. Gambling is inherently risky, and no casino game, sportsbook market or promotional campaign can guarantee a financial return.
Anyone who is legally eligible to gamble should set a budget before playing, avoid chasing losses and use available account controls where appropriate. People who feel that gambling is affecting their finances, relationships, work or wellbeing should seek support from a qualified local gambling-help service.
Place in the Evolution of Digital Gambling
story is larger than the growth of a single platform. It captures a major shift in how online gambling brands can build audiences in the digital era. Cryptocurrency created a new payment and identity layer; mobile technology made participation more immediate; live casino and proprietary games broadened entertainment options; and sports partnerships brought betting brands into mainstream fan culture.
The company’s rapid visibility after its 2017 launch demonstrates the value of combining these elements into a cohesive proposition, and readers can read more about that development.
Broad crypto support gave users flexibility. Live-dealer and casino content provided depth. Sports betting connected the platform to major events. Influencers, celebrities and sponsorships made the brand widely recognizable.
For the broader iGaming sector, Stake remains a case study in convergence. The most successful digital entertainment platforms are increasingly those that understand not only transactions and product catalogues, but also community, culture, sport, streaming and mobile behavior. Stake’s rise showed how those forces can work together to create a powerful global brand presence, while still operating within the limits of applicable local laws and responsible-gambling expectations.
