In a historic first for the Nevada, U.S. gaming industry, BurraPay has become the world’s first cryptocurrency payments processor to operate within the state’s regulated gaming market, announcing its U.S. debut with an initial deployment at The World’s Largest Sportsbook inside Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, owned by CEO Derek Stevens. The company has processed the first legal cryptocurrency-funded sports wager in Nevada history on Thursday, June 4th in downtown Las Vegas – a watershed moment for the convergence of digital assets and licensed gambling in America.
Founded in 2015 by CEO David Greenslade and CTO Luke Millanta, BurraPay has engineered its platform specifically to meet the rigorous compliance standards demanded by U.S. gaming regulators – a barrier that has until now kept cryptocurrency entirely out of Nevada’s licensed casino ecosystem. The company has created two unique solutions; the first is a fully-embedded platform that integrates directly with casino player account management systems in land-based, iGaming, and online sportsbook environments. The second is an over-the-counter solution that has been developed for rapid deployment in land-based casino environments. Both solutions combine proprietary real-time blockchain transaction monitoring, anti-money laundering (AML) controls, and responsible gaming safeguards – uniquely possible through blockchain technology.
A Multi-Billion Dollar Market Gap:
Nevada has long been the benchmark for regulated gaming in the United States, and BurraPay’s entry represents a pivotal regulatory milestone. Despite the rapid expansion of licensed iGaming across the country, American consumers have remained among the largest users of offshore crypto casinos – operating entirely outside the protections and tax revenues of regulated markets. BurraPay’s Las Vegas launch marks the first time a compliant crypto payments infrastructure has been authorised to change that.
The scale of the opportunity is significant:
- 28% of U.S. adults currently own cryptocurrency
- Nearly half (48.6%) of global crypto holders use digital assets for gambling
- 49% of U.S. online gambling users express interest in wagering with crypto
- Approximately 40 million U.S. adults show moderate to strong interest in crypto gambling
Luke Millanta, CTO, BurraPay says: “Right now, billions in crypto gambling volume is flowing offshore to unregulated operators. The U.S. market has the players, the demand, and the regulatory structure – but it hasn’t had the infrastructure to support crypto in a compliant way. That’s the gap we’re filling – and Nevada is where we’re filling it first. Our technology applies real-time blockchain analytics to ensure that every transaction meets the strict financial compliance and responsible gaming standards expected at both a state and federal level.”
Where previous cryptocurrency payment solutions have failed to gain regulatory approval, BurraPay has built its platform from the ground up to satisfy tier-one gaming regulatory standards. Central to its approach is a portfolio of patented technologies covering the secure, AML-compliant use of cryptocurrency – including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin – in casino environments, as well as blockchain monitoring tools capable of detecting problem gambling behaviours in real time.
“Circa has always been bullish on sports betting and cryptocurrency, making this collaboration with BurraPay a natural partnership for us. We’re honored to have been a part of this first-to-market sports bet, which is paving the way for more history-making collaborations between the gaming and crypto industries both in Las Vegas and beyond.”- Derek Stevens, CEO of Circa
Together, Circa and BurraPay are setting a new global benchmark for what the future of regulated gaming can look like – one where innovation and compliance operate hand in hand. As the first deployment of its kind in the world, the partnership signals the beginning of a new era for both industries, unlocking a pathway for digital assets to enter licensed casino environments at scale. With Las Vegas once again leading the way, this milestone lays the foundation for broader adoption across jurisdictions, redefining how players engage with gaming in a digital-first world.