How Americas Cardroom is Leading the Online Poker Crypto Movement in New York

The boom of online poker in the early 2000s has only continued to grow over the years. According to ESPN, approximately 20 million Americans played golf in 2004, while an estimated 100,000 people played poker online at peak times every day. By 2010, the US led the global list of countries with the highest number of active poker players, at 1,429,943.

Today, industry experts predict that the online poker market will continue rgrowing exponentially yearly. Most recently, Pennsylvania became the sixth US state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement for online poker. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed the development. The new agreement enables the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to work with other state gaming regulators and online operators.

The state’s addition to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement will expand the player base by more than 50%. The other five states in the market whose regulators can cooperate to provide a secure and safe playing environment are New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan.

Unfortunately, New York is yet to join this list of states. Still, sites like reputable online poker provider Americas Cardroom help provide gameplay to in-state players. One of the ways the site has done so is by spearheading the crypto adoption movement, allowing cross-border players to securely transact in crypto.

What is Americas Cardroom?

Founded in 2001, Americas Cardroom is a US-themed online poker site headquartered in San José, Costa Rica. The site is a subsidiary of the Winning Poker Network and is well-known for its tournament structure. 

Since New York is yet to introduce state-licensed online poker platforms, Americas Cardroom makes it easy for people to access online poker in New York and the rest of the US. While not licensed by New York, Americas Cardroom has become a popular and well-established choice known for its reliability, security, and smooth banking options.

More importantly, Americas Cardroom supports fast, secure, and crypto-friendly transactions. The site’s payment options range from cryptocurrency to more traditional payments like credit cards, voucher systems, and select e-Wallets.

Americas Cardroom and cryptocurrency

In 2019, Americas Cardroom was awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest crypto jackpot in an online poker tournament. The site announced it made a $1,050,560 payout in Bitcoin to the winner of its online competition. The winner, Brazilian online poker player Rafael “TheBigKid” Moraes, won in a three-day $2,500 plus $150 buy-in tournament.

The tournament was Americas Cardroom’s first multi-day event. The site had been accepting Bitcoin as early as 2015. Years later, CEO Phil Nagy reported that cryptocurrencies made up 60% of the site’s revenue. Today, the site supports over 60 different cryptocurrencies to help cater to different players.

In addition to allowing cross-border transactions, the integration of cryptocurrency allows players to easily switch payment methods depending on the different buy-in tiers they are interested in. For example, lower buy-in tournaments may be perfect for traditional payment methods or e-Wallets, while tournaments with bigger buy-ins and payouts, such as the site’s prestigious Super High Roller Series, which covered $110,000 in tournament buy-ins or entry fees, will probably be better handled with crypto.

Other crypto use in online gaming

Today, cryptocurrency payment methods in online poker sites are a popular option for enthusiasts and competitive high-rollers. However, there are other ways that crypto is being used in online gaming.

For example, some providers and operators use crypto and Blockchain technology to promote Web3 gaming, enabling play-to-earn gaming where users can make real money by playing the game. These may or may not be casino-related.

Another way crypto is popularly used in online gaming is through digital tokens and currency. For example, our previous post on the top gaming crypto coins highlighted popular titles like play-to-earn platform Axie Infinity, which enabled players to generate substantial income by simply playing and besting other players. The game peaked at 2.5 million players, generating $1.2 billion in revenue.