Stake: licences, history and record

Stake is a crypto-first casino and sportsbook that Wikipedia says Medium Rare N.V. operates from Curaçao. Its British website closed in March 2025 after a Gambling Commission investigation, and its Curaçao registry entry reads Assessment in progress with a printed expiry date that has passed. We do not link to it, and the review rests on its help centre and public registers.

Pros and cons

At a glance

Founded

2017, by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani (Wikipedia, secondary)Source: Wikipedia

Operating company

Medium Rare N.V., Curaçao (Wikipedia)Source: Wikipedia

Curaçao registry entry

Medium Rare N.V., OGL/2024/1451/0918, B2C, status Assessment in progressSource: Curaçao Gaming Authority

Great Britain

Not licensed: Stake.uk.com closed by 11 March 2025Source: Gambling Commission

Money

Crypto and selected local currencies; each deposit must be wagered 100% before withdrawalSources: Stake; Stake

Not on the list

iGaming Ontario directory has no Stake entrySource: iGaming Ontario

Regulator action found

Commission: £3.3 million told to its UK licensee TGP Europe, May 2025Source: Gambling Commission

Bet types in its help centre

Singles, multis, same-game multis, Stake Shield on multis of three or more legs, and cashout where offeredSources: Stake; Stake; Stake; Stake

Last read

3 October 2026Source: Curaçao Gaming Authority

Company history

According to Wikipedia, Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani set up the game developer Easygo in 2016 and helped create Stake.com in 2017. It names Medium Rare N.V., incorporated in Curaçao, as the operator. Stake sponsored UFC as an official betting partner in 2022, Everton's shirts from 2022-23, and the Alfa Romeo and Sauber Formula 1 teams.Source: Wikipedia

Wikipedia says users typically deposit and withdraw cryptocurrency, while the UK site, launched in December 2021 with TGP Europe, used only fiat currency. It lists later expansion by purchase and licence: Betfair Colombia in 2023, Idealbet in Italy in 2024, Brazil in 2025 and Denmark's Mocinoplay. We checked none of those registers.Source: Wikipedia

The Gambling Commission says TGP Europe Limited ran Stake.uk.com under a white-label arrangement, and that the site would shut by 11 March 2025 after a Commission investigation into a widely viewed social media video showing the Stake logo. On 16 May 2025 the Commission said TGP Europe had surrendered its licence after being told to pay £3.3 million.Sources: Gambling Commission; Gambling Commission

On the sportsbook side, Stake's help centre says a voided leg in a multi-bet settles at odds of x1 and the rest of the slip stands. A same-game multi is a single bet on a custom market built from one match, and if any selection is voided the whole slip is voided.Sources: Stake; Stake

Stake Shield, also called Flexi Bet, is optional on multi bets of three or more legs. The customer chooses how many legs must win and sees adjusted odds and payout before placing the bet, and the help page says the odds are reduced because risk is lower. Cashout is not offered on same-game multis, and for player props it is available only before the match.Sources: Stake; Stake

Voids are decided by the odds provider. Stake says it may void bets placed on incorrect offers whatever the result would have been, and that a tie can void bets in markets such as Draw No Bet. Both cases come from the help page, and we did not read the sportsbook rules it refers to.Source: Stake

Outside Great Britain, the Curaçao registry carries Medium Rare N.V., and the link between that company and Stake comes only from Wikipedia. The registry does not list domains, so we cannot say which Stake sites the licence covers. The registry's heading says it covers licences granted under the online gaming policy effective 15 November 2023.Sources: Curaçao Gaming Authority; Wikipedia

1. 2017Founded

   Stake.com is founded (Wikipedia).

   Source: Wikipedia
2. December 2021UK launch

   Stake launches in the UK through TGP Europe (Wikipedia).

   Source: Wikipedia
3. 18 October 2022Twitch ban

   Twitch bans streams promoting unlicensed gambling sites; Stake had sponsored streamers (Wikipedia).

   Source: Wikipedia
4. 12 February 2025UK closure announced

   The Commission tells consumers Stake.uk.com will stop being a licensed site.

   Source: Gambling Commission
5. 11 March 2025UK site closed

   The operator is to shut the site by this date.

   Source: Gambling Commission
6. 16 May 2025TGP Europe exits

   TGP Europe surrenders its Commission licence after being told to pay £3.3 million.

   Source: Gambling Commission

Licences it holds

Where you can and cannot use it

Great Britain: no. Stake.uk.com closed by 11 March 2025, and the Commission said it would write to Everton and two other clubs with unlicensed sponsors about the risks of promoting unlawful gambling sites. We do not link to Stake because advertising unlicensed gambling to people in Great Britain is an offence under section 330 of the Gambling Act 2005.Sources: Gambling Commission; legislation.gov.uk

Ontario: the iGaming Ontario directory has no Stake entry. Stake's card pages list selected currencies and countries, including Canada, the UAE, Kenya and several euro-area states, while Wikipedia reports a separate US-facing site, Stake.us, run by Sweepsteaks Ltd. The card page also lists South Africa; we did not check whether Stake holds a South African bookmaker's licence.Sources: iGaming Ontario; Stake; Wikipedia

The help centre also publishes official mirror domains and says access to the main site can be affected by regional restrictions. It names four, on the playstake brand, and warns that scammers copy the site. We do not link to them. We could not open stake.com itself, so we cannot list the countries it refuses.Source: Stake

Payments and withdrawals

Stake says every deposit, in any currency, must be wagered 100% before funds can be withdrawn or tipped, and that sports bets count when they settle. For local-currency deposits it cites clause 8.5 of its terms. Its example is a $100 deposit, which needs $100 of bets before a withdrawal or tip.Sources: Stake; Stake

Crypto deposits under $0.01 cannot be processed automatically, and the help centre says there is no maximum deposit or withdrawal. Each coin has its own minimum withdrawal and a withdrawal fee, shown on the withdrawal screen. The page lists a minimum of 2.5 USDT and a 1 USDT fee for Tether.Sources: Stake; Stake

Visa and Mastercard deposits exist only for supported currencies and countries, with limits that vary, such as 5 to 3,000 Canadian dollars. Card withdrawals go only to the card used to deposit, can take up to three business days, and are open only to customers who have deposited by card.Sources: Stake; Stake

Bank transfer deposits take up to 24 hours, and withdrawals up to three business days, after which customers are told to contact support.Sources: Stake; Stake

Verification is document-led. Accepted proof of identity is a passport, national ID card or driving licence, photographed rather than screenshotted and valid for at least three months. The compliance team can ask for documents at any time. Accepted proof of income includes bank statements, paychecks, tax returns, property deeds and loan agreements.Sources: Stake; Stake

Limits and safer-gambling tools

Deposit limits in local currencies are daily only. For crypto, deposits above the limit go into a withholding balance that releases an amount equal to the limit each day. Lowering a limit is immediate, while raising or removing one takes 24 hours.Source: Stake

Loss limits and wager limits can be daily, weekly or monthly, and a rise waits 24 hours. Customers can take a break in play of one day, two days, one week or one month, and the account reopens automatically afterwards.Sources: Stake; Stake

Self-exclusion is indefinite, with a minimum of six months. Afterwards the account can be considered for reactivation after a return-to-play review by email. A product exclusion blocks casino or sportsbook for 24 hours to indefinitely while leaving deposits, withdrawals and bonuses working.Sources: Stake; Stake

These are Stake's own descriptions and we did not test the tools. For people who used Stake.uk.com, the Commission said customers with account questions should contact the operator through its website, as the site was closing.Source: Gambling Commission

Drawbacks

The licence position is the main drawback. A Curaçao entry marked Assessment in progress, with a printed expiry that has passed, is a weak base. We could not confirm which domains it covers.Sources: Curaçao Gaming Authority; Wikipedia

The 100% wagering rule on every deposit delays withdrawals. Stake's help says funds cannot be withdrawn or tipped until the customer has bet an amount equal to the deposit, and that a tracking bar on the withdrawal page shows what is left. For local currency it says the rule is there to prevent misuse of funds.Sources: Stake; Stake

Stake's sponsorship of livestreamers drew criticism. Wikipedia reports that the National Council on Problem Gambling called such partnerships illegal or unregulated, and that Sweepsteaks Ltd, which it says runs Stake.us, was named in a class action filed on 31 December 2025 alleging deceptive social-casino practices. A US judge sent the dispute with Stake to arbitration on 30 July 2026.Source: Wikipedia

Wikipedia also lists lawsuits filed in April 2026 in New York and Florida alleging that Stake targeted children with advertising. Stake rejected a 2026 Bloomberg Businessweek analysis of streamer results as categorically incorrect. We read no court filing or Bloomberg article, so all of this is secondhand.Source: Wikipedia

The business is opaque. Our sources give no accounts, owners or filings for Medium Rare N.V., and the Curaçao regulator's own portal went offline after unauthorised access in September 2026, which it says does not affect existing licences.Sources: Curaçao Gaming Authority; Curaçao Gaming Authority

How it compares

Both brands sell sports betting and casino worldwide, but their regulation differs. Betway Limited holds Commission licences and a Malta Gaming Authority licence, and its parent files annual reports with the US regulator. Stake holds no British licence and its Curaçao entry is marked Assessment in progress.Sources: Gambling Commission; Super Group (SGHC) Limited; Curaçao Gaming Authority

Their money differs too. Stake is built around cryptocurrency, with fiat options in selected countries and a 100% wagering rule on deposits. Betway's Commission licences bar credit-card gambling in Britain; its own site was closed to us, so we cannot compare its payment pages.Sources: Stake; Gambling Commission

The records differ in kind. Betway's 2020 Commission package was £11.6 million, and Sweden's top court upheld a SEK 4.7 million penalty in 2022. Stake's licensee in Great Britain paid a £3.3 million penalty and left, and Stake's other disputes come from Wikipedia, not regulators.Sources: Gambling Commission; iGaming Business; Gambling Commission; Wikipedia

Read the Betway review for the other side of the comparison.

If something goes wrong

Curaçao's law, in Dutch, lets a player complain free of charge to the licence holder within six months of an incident. The holder must acknowledge it within a week and answer within four weeks, extendable once by four, and must offer alternative dispute resolution at its own cost.Source: Government of Curaçao

Stake's help pages tell customers to contact its customer support team. We could not read its terms or complaints procedure, so we cannot say how it handles complaints in practice or which dispute body it names.Source: Stake

Regulatory record

1. 12 February 2025Commission notice on Stake.uk.com

   The Commission told consumers the site would stop being licensed and said it would write to football clubs sponsored by unlicensed gambling brands, including Everton.

   Source: Gambling Commission
2. 16 May 2025TGP Europe: £3.3 million

   The Commission found that TGP Europe, the licensee behind Stake.uk.com, did not carry out effective due diligence on each entity involved in the ownership of a third party and did not properly use enhanced due diligence from its own anti-money-laundering policy. It surrendered its licence after being told to pay.

   Source: Gambling Commission
3. 30 July 2026US court: arbitration ordered

   Wikipedia says a US District Judge ruled that Stake's user agreement required a dispute over Stake.us to go to a private arbitrator and paused claims against other defendants.

   Source: Wikipedia

What we could not check

• That Stake's current domains are covered by the Medium Rare N.V. licence; the link comes from Wikipedia and the registry lists no domains.
• Stake's terms, sportsbook rules and restricted countries (stake.com did not open for us).
• Whether the Curaçao licence is valid today: the registry marks it Assessment in progress and warns it is no guarantee.
• Stake's ownership and finances; we found no filing for Medium Rare N.V.
• Wikipedia's accounts of acquisitions, licences in other countries, lawsuits and sponsorships; we read no primary source for them.
• Any licence from a regulator other than Curaçao.