This is something new,
Demand for bitcoin payouts has been rising, particularly after the recent price rally. One of the largest online poker websites, Winning Poker Network (WPN), has been buying millions of dollars worth of bitcoin in recent weeks from OTC desks to meet players’ cashout demand, Bloomberg reported Thursday, citing WPN CEO Phil Nagy.
Nagy explained that bitcoin is in so much demand that brokers are charging up to a 1.5% premium. He clarified that WPN does not hold onto bitcoin, adding that the cryptocurrency is converted into fiat currency as soon as possible.
He revealed that his platform does more than 60% of its transaction volume in bitcoin, totaling about $100 million a month. Noting that about 60% of customers cashed out in bitcoin before the recent price rally, he said:
RIGHT NOW 90-95% OF OUR PAYOUTS ARE PEOPLE ASKING FOR BITCOIN BECAUSE IT’S GOING UP. WE ARE CONSTANTLY HAVING TO GO OUT AND BUY BITCOIN — LOTS. LOTS. MORE THAN WE’VE EVEN HAD TO BEFORE.
https://www.techtelegraph.co.uk/poker-site-buys-100-million-of-bitcoin-every-month-to-pay-players-in-btc/But I'm not surprised that gamblers are preferring btc as payout instead of fiat because of the rising price of bitcoin. I even watch one youtube channel about a women showing her win in a traditional base casino and she blurted out that his winnings are going into bitcoin. LMAO.