Stake Review

Stake launched in 2017, founded by Australian entrepreneurs Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, who had previously set up the game development company Easygo. The international site, stake.com, is operated by Medium Rare N.V., a company registered in Curaçao, and holds a licence from the Curaçao Gaming Authority (licence OGL/2024/1451/0918, issued under Curaçao's new direct-licensing regime after the older Antillephone sub-licence 8048/JAZ). In less than a decade it has grown into one of the largest online gambling brands in the world by betting volume, largely on the back of cryptocurrency players.

Stake's growth has been driven by high-profile marketing. It has been an official betting partner of the UFC, a shirt and sleeve sponsor of Everton, a Formula One title sponsor with the Sauber team, and it has worked with celebrities and streamers including the musician Drake. Its founders also launched the streaming platform Kick in 2022, where gambling streams are common. That visibility has made Stake a household name among younger bettors, but it has also drawn sustained scrutiny from regulators, journalists and campaigners about advertising and the promotion of gambling to young audiences.

The business model is different from a traditional bookmaker. Most customers deposit and bet in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT, and the platform is built around a single wallet shared between the sportsbook, a large casino (including Stake's own in-house Originals games) and poker. Instead of a sign-up bonus, Stake rewards volume through a VIP programme with rakeback, weekly and monthly bonuses, plus a steady stream of promotions such as early payouts, raffles and races. In some countries it also offers local fiat options, for example UPI and netbanking in India.

Stake operates separate locally licensed sites in several regulated markets, and it left the UK in 2025 after its British licensee closed the UK site following Gambling Commission scrutiny. The international .com site is restricted in dozens of countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, much of the EU and, notably for African readers, South Africa. For bettors in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Kenya and similar markets, it operates as an offshore, crypto-first site, with the benefits and risks that implies.

Stake's sportsbook is one of the broadest available to crypto bettors, with more than 35 sports, a large esports section and racing. Football gets the deepest coverage, from the major European leagues to smaller domestic competitions, and cricket fans get IPL, international series, the PSL, BBL and other T20 leagues. Esports is a genuine strength: Stake lists markets on titles such as Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant, often including lower-tier tournaments that many bookmakers skip. Same Game Multi lets bettors combine several markets from one match into a single bet.

Live betting covers most major events, with in-play markets, live statistics and match trackers, and live streaming is available on selected football leagues and other events subject to geographic rights. Cash out is offered on many pre-match and live singles and multis, though not on Same Game Multi or Stake Shield bets. Independent reviewers have reported competitive margins on major club football and wider margins on international and cricket markets; we have not measured Stake's prices ourselves, so bettors should compare odds before staking large amounts. Stake does not publish a policy on limiting winning bettors, and some players report reduced maximum stakes over time.

Stake is built around cryptocurrency. It supports around 20 coins, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Solana, XRP, Tron and stablecoins such as USDT and USDC, and there is no meaningful minimum deposit for crypto. Players without a crypto wallet can buy crypto with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through partners such as MoonPay and have it sent directly to their Stake wallet, although the partner charges its own fees. In India, Stake has offered rupee deposits via UPI and netbanking through local payment processors, and regional guides report a P2P naira option via MoonPay in Nigeria. Availability of fiat methods changes frequently and depends on the country.

Withdrawals in crypto are typically quick once approved, often within minutes to a few hours, with a network fee deducted that depends on the coin. Reviews describe a window of up to around two days in some cases. Stake has no maximum limit on crypto withdrawals, but its terms can require deposits to be wagered before withdrawal as an anti-fraud measure, and verification is risk-based: identity and proof-of-address checks can be requested at any time, including at the point of a large withdrawal, which can pause payouts. We recommend enabling two-factor authentication and completing verification before placing large bets.

Stake's main mobile experience is its website, which is fast, fully responsive and can be saved to the home screen of any phone so it behaves like an app. There is no official Stake app on Google Play, so Android users should use the browser version and treat third-party websites offering a "Stake APK" with caution, since these are not published by Stake and could be unsafe.

On iPhone, Medium Rare N.V. publishes official apps on the Apple App Store, including Stake Sports and a separate casino app, but they are only listed in selected regional App Stores. Where they are not available, iOS users simply use the mobile site in Safari, which offers the same markets, live betting, cash out, wallet and VIP features.