A New Currency Is Taking Hold in Web3 Casinos

The year 2025 marked a decisive turning point in the online gambling industry. While bitcoin and ethereum have long been the flag bearers of blockchain transactions, a major shift is now underway towards more predictable assets. Stablecoins, these digital tokens backed by fiat currencies like the dollar, are no longer just safe havens: they are becoming the standard currency in Web3 casinos for transactions. This trend, confirmed by recent transaction volumes, is reshaping the habits of bettors and the economic structure of gaming platforms.

The growing dominance of dollar-pegged stablecoins

The cryptocurrency transaction landscape has undergone a profound transformation over the past two years. Looking at the numbers, the evidence is clear: stablecoins processed an impressive transfer volume of $27.6 trillion in 2024 alone. This represents nearly one-third of all fund movements in the crypto universe.

This momentum accelerated in 2025 and established itself firmly by 2026. In the gambling world, USDT (Tether) took the lion’s share, representing about 60% of the sector’s market capitalization.

Its popularity is explained by its massive liquidity and availability across multiple blockchain networks, notably Tron, enabling fast and low-cost exchanges. USDC, meanwhile, maintains a solid position with over 24% of the market, often favored by actors concerned with strict regulatory compliance.

Analysts estimate that the global crypto gambling market reached a valuation of $81 billion in 2025. With $26 billion wagered in digital currencies in the first quarter of that year alone, the sector seems poised to maintain a compound annual growth rate between 12% and 15%.

Stability as a response to market fluctuations

The migration towards this new currency in the Web3 industry responds to a precise psychological and financial need: predictability. Bettors seek to avoid the volatility inherent in historical cryptocurrencies. A price variation of 10% during a gaming session can turn a virtual win into a real loss, or distort the perception of earnings.

Stablecoins eliminate this “distraction” by maintaining a fixed 1:1 parity with the dollar. This stability is essential, especially in prediction markets related to sports or political events, where the accuracy of the result prevails over stock market speculation. Payments thus reflect the exact outcome of the bet, without being altered by crypto market turbulences.

A technical infrastructure serving the user experience

The massive adoption of these assets also relies on a performant blockchain infrastructure. Modern casinos now integrate these tokens across multiple networks, allowing near-instantaneous transactions. Fees, often close to one dollar on optimized networks, enable fast deposits and withdrawals, reducing the usual frictions of banking systems.

For operators, this technology offers crucial advantages:

• Increased transparency of financial flows.
• Provably fair gaming mechanisms.
• Simplified management of compliance and cross-border payments.

Geographical expansion and regulatory challenges

The global online gambling industry, including the crypto segment, continues to expand. Valued at nearly $79 billion in 2024, it could surpass $153 billion by 2030. This growth is especially marked in the Asia-Pacific region, driven by strong mobile penetration and a young population comfortable with Web3 tools.

Similarly, emerging markets such as Brazil or certain parts of Southeast Asia are massively adopting stablecoins as the Web3 currency, both for gaming and as an efficient alternative for international payments.

However, this democratization is accompanied by increased oversight. Legislative frameworks are evolving rapidly. In Europe, the MiCA regulation (Markets in Crypto-Assets) imposes new standards on the issuance and use of stablecoins, which could influence gaming platform strategies.

Across the Atlantic, the United States is working on rules concerning reserve guarantees, notably through initiatives like the GENIUS act. These regulations aim to structure the market but could also alter competition among token issuers.

The future of a hybrid ecosystem

While stablecoins now dominate daily trading volumes, they do not signal the disappearance of other crypto-assets in casinos. A coexistence is emerging. Bitcoin remains favored by high-stakes bettors for its deep liquidity, while Ethereum remains indispensable for the operation of smart contracts that automate decentralized games.

Nevertheless, the underlying trend is clear. For everyday use and regular bets, stability outweighs speculation. The sector seems to be heading towards a normalization where stablecoins act as the de facto monetary standard, offering the fluidity of digital with the security of fiat.

As blockchain technology becomes further integrated into sports betting and casinos, it is expected that the new currency of Web3 casinos will continue to consolidate its position, gradually transforming the online gambling economy into a more transparent and globally accessible system.