Nevada’s gaming industry has recorded a historic milestone after BurraPay became the world’s first cryptocurrency payments processor to operate within the state’s regulated casino ecosystem, marking a major breakthrough in the convergence of digital assets and licensed gambling in the United States.
The company announced its U.S. debut through an initial deployment at The World’s Largest Sportsbook inside Circa Resort & Casino in downtown Las Vegas, owned by CEO Derek Stevens. On Thursday, June 4, the platform facilitated the first legally sanctioned cryptocurrency-funded sports wager in Nevada history, setting a precedent for regulated crypto gambling in America.
Founded in 2015 by CEO David Greenslade and CTO Luke Millanta, BurraPay has built its technology specifically to meet strict U.S. gaming regulatory requirements, standards that have until now kept cryptocurrency out of Nevada’s licensed casino environment.
The company has developed two core solutions. The first is a fully embedded platform that integrates directly with casino player account management systems across land-based casinos, iGaming platforms, and online sportsbooks. The second is an over-the-counter system designed for rapid deployment in physical casino environments.
Both systems combine real-time blockchain transaction monitoring with anti-money laundering (AML) controls and responsible gaming safeguards, leveraging blockchain transparency to enhance compliance oversight.
Nevada, long regarded as the benchmark for regulated gaming in the United States, represents a critical entry point for the technology.
Despite the rapid expansion of legalized iGaming across several states, a significant portion of American crypto-based gambling activity has continued to flow through offshore platforms operating outside U.S. regulatory and tax frameworks.
BurraPay’s launch is aimed at closing that gap by providing a compliant infrastructure for digital asset wagering within licensed environments.
Industry data highlights the scale of the opportunity. An estimated 28% of U.S. adults own cryptocurrency, while nearly half of global crypto holders have used digital assets for gambling. In the U.S., 49% of online gambling users have expressed interest in wagering with crypto, and around 40 million adults show moderate to strong interest in crypto-based betting.
BurraPay CTO Luke Millanta said the U.S. market has long faced a structural gap between demand and regulated infrastructure.
“Right now, billions in crypto gambling volume is flowing offshore to unregulated operators,” Millanta said. “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.”
He added that the platform’s real-time blockchain analytics ensure each transaction meets strict financial compliance and responsible gaming standards required by state and federal regulators.
Circa CEO Derek Stevens welcomed the collaboration, describing it as a natural fit for the property’s innovation strategy.
“Circa has always been bullish on sports betting and cryptocurrency, making this collaboration with BurraPay a natural partnership for us,” Stevens said. “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.”
The partnership positions Circa and BurraPay at the forefront of a new regulated model for crypto gambling, where compliance frameworks and blockchain technology operate in tandem.
As the first deployment of its kind globally, the initiative signals a potential shift in how digital assets are integrated into licensed casino operations. With Las Vegas once again acting as a testing ground for gaming innovation, the development could pave the way for broader adoption across regulated jurisdictions worldwide.
