Stake.com review
One account for casino, sport and poker, and a Curaçao licence
Stake is described as a casino, a sportsbook and a poker room, yet it is one company: the site belongs to Medium Rare N.V., whose address in the terms is Seru Loraweg 17 B, Curaçao. The brand has run since 2017 and began as a crypto platform. Payments go through two Cyprus firms, Medium Rare Limited (HE 410775) and MRS Tech Ltd (HE 477481).
The licence was issued by the Curaçao Gaming Authority, number OGL/2024/1451/0918. It appears in the terms, in the anti-money-laundering policy and on the casino pages. This is not a European regulator, and player protection works differently than under the UKGC or MGA. Part of the protection is best supplied by the player: limits, two-factor authentication and a modest balance.
The agreement follows Curaçao law and disputes go to Curaçao courts. The English version of the terms prevails, translations are for reference only. The operator may change the terms at any moment without notice, and continuing to play counts as acceptance. Player money, it says, sits apart from company funds, in customer bank accounts or crypto wallets, and is meant for betting only.
Everything else hangs on a single balance: slots, live tables, poker and the sports line all open from one account.
Slots: 260 publishers and exclusives on Stake Engine
The catalogue is stated as 1,000+ games, with slots coming from more than 260 publishers. Named studios include Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Play’n GO, Nolimit City, Push Gaming, Thunderkick, ELK Studios, AvatarUX, BGaming, Twist Gaming, Titan Gaming, Uppercut Gaming and Endorphina. Hacksaw alone has 274 games in its section.
The unusual part is Stake Engine, the operator’s own game server. Slots from younger studios Paperclip Gaming, Mirror Image Gaming, 18 Gaming and Paradice Gaming run on it and appear nowhere else; they are gathered under “Only on Stake”. Some slots come in higher-RTP versions, but the list changes, so check the percentage on the game’s own page. That matters because the terms let the operator change the house edge on any slot at its discretion, without notice, and it accepts no responsibility for bets placed on the strength of a published RTP.
Everything runs in the browser on HTML5. There is no native app: the mobile version is a progressive web app that can be added to a phone’s home screen and behaves like a program.
Thirty-one in-house games with a fairness check
Stake Originals currently holds 31 games. These are quick one-click formats: Mines, Dice, Limbo, Plinko, Crash, Keno, Hilo, Dragon Tower, Slide, Flip, Pump, Wheel, Snakes, Darts, Cases and Primedice. There are in-house takes on blackjack, baccarat, roulette and video poker, and recent additions include Packs, Chicken, Tarot, Moles and Drill. A few slots sit here too: Tome of Life, Scarab Spin, Blue Samurai.
The originals use an open fairness scheme. A round’s result is computed from a hashed operator value and a player value, so the outcome cannot be fitted afterwards, and you can check it after the round on Stake itself or with third-party tools. The site calls itself a verified operator of the Crypto Gambling Foundation network.
Other dealer-free games, Stake says, run on random number generators, and the site displays GameCheck and Tanzanite certificates. What was tested and when is not explained, so read the badges as a claim rather than an auditor’s report.
Live casino: 150 games from Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live
The live rooms are filled by Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live, more than 150 games in all. Blackjack comes as Infinite, Speed, Lightning and ONE. Roulette runs as classic, Lightning, Mega, Fortune and Immersive. Baccarat is offered as Mega, Peek and Lightning. Alongside are Dragon Tiger, Sic Bo and poker tables: Casino Hold’em, Texas Hold’em Bonus, Caribbean Stud and Triple Card Poker.
Game shows form a group of their own: Crazy Time, Monopoly Live, Funky Time, Deal or No Deal, Stock Market and Cash or Crash. Next to them are hosted lottery formats, Mega Ball, MONOPOLY Big Baller and Vegas Ball Bonanza, plus virtual Keno, electronic scratch cards and video bingo.
Poker against people: 7 percent rake and Table Stakes
The card room is built as play against other players, not against the casino. Games are Texas Hold’em, Omaha with four, five and six cards, Pineapple, All-in or Fold and the fast-fold Next!. Tournaments include sit & go, knockout, mystery bounty and satellites. Poker also offers rabbit hunting, a run-it-multiple-times mode and a bad beat jackpot.
Rake in Hold’em and Omaha is 7 percent, with a cap depending on stakes and player count. Only Table Stakes apply: you play with the chips you brought to the table before the deal. If you leave with more than you sat down with, you can return with a smaller buy-in only after 60 minutes. If the connection drops with chips already in the pot, no extra time is given after the time bank and the hand is folded. Bots and collusion are banned under a separate poker security policy.
Sport: free streams, Stake Shield and the 48-hour rule
The line covers football, American football, tennis, hockey, baseball, basketball, cricket and horse racing. Esports include CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant, and selected football, MMA, tennis and esports events carry free streams. Unusual markets such as politics and entertainment appear too.
Bets come as singles, accumulators, Same Game Multi, player props and outrights. Cash out closes a bet before settlement but does not work for Same Game Multi or bets with Stake Shield. Shield insures an accumulator: you choose a protection level, and if one leg loses you receive a fixed payout at reduced odds. Live bets, racing, props and outrights cannot go into Shield.
A suspended match completed within 48 hours of its original start is settled on the result; after that, bets are voided. Football markets default to 90 minutes plus added time, without extra time. In basketball and American football overtime is outside the market unless stated otherwise, though player props include it. Props follow a “player must play” rule, and for clearly defined roles such as starting pitchers and goalkeepers the player must be in the starting line-up. A bet is voided on a technical error, for instance if the payout deviates from the market average by more than 100 percent, or if a reserve team plays instead of the main squad.
The account: sign-up, 2FA and three sets of documents
Registration asks for an email, full name, date of birth and address. You can also sign in with an outside account: the help centre names Google, Facebook, Line, Twitch and Kick. Next, choose “Verify Account”, then “Confirm Your Email” and enter the code from the message; the address can be corrected in that window and the code resent. A skipped confirmation is found under Settings, Account, Email, Confirm Email. The minimum age is 18, or higher where local law says so. One person may hold only one account: a second leads to closure, held funds and a permanent ban. Selling or transferring accounts is forbidden, and the operator may refuse registration without giving reasons.
The operator advises turning on two-factor protection straight away. It covers login, withdrawals, tips and all transfers. Setup takes five steps: install an authenticator app, open Security, scan the QR code or type the string, enter the code (valid for 30 seconds) and confirm via the emailed link. The QR code and string are never shared. There are instructions for losing email or 2FA access, and passkeys are supported. The player is responsible for keeping login details safe, and losses from exposed credentials are not compensated.
Identity checks (KYC) can be requested at any time, and until identity is established withdrawals and payments are restricted. Third-party services run them, and also check age. The help centre describes three document sets.
| Document | What is accepted | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Passport, national ID or driving licence (both sides) | High-resolution colour image, no glare or blur, at least 3 months of validity left, Latin script |
| Address | Utility bill, bank or credit card statement, tax letter, letter from an employer or school, rental contract | No older than six months; full name, address, organisation and date visible |
| Source of funds | Statements, payslips, tax returns, documents about inheritance, sale of property or a company, lottery win, loan, mining | For a bank statement, regular income over 3-6 months, no older than six months |
Screenshots and digital copies of ID are not accepted. Mobile phone bills, receipts and medical bills do not prove an address. India has its own list. Review times are not stated anywhere.
Cash desk: crypto without limits, fiat through intermediaries and the Vault
There are more than 20 cryptocurrencies: BTC, ETH, LTC, DOGE, BCH, TRX, EOS, USDT, BNB, CRO, USDC, APE, DAI, LINK, SAND, SHIB, UNI, MATIC, SOL, XRP and TRUMP, with USDT, USDC and DAI as stablecoins. To deposit, copy the address in Wallet and send from an exchange or wallet. According to the help centre, crypto has neither a lower nor an upper limit.
For those without crypto there are Moonpay, Swapped.com, Swap Connect and Mesh. Through Moonpay you can pay by Visa, Mastercard or Maestro, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and SEPA, UK Faster Payments and PIX also work. Direct local currencies are the Argentine peso, Canadian dollar, Indian rupee, Philippine peso, Turkish lira, Vietnamese dong, Mexican and Chilean pesos and, in some regions, the euro. Choosing a currency in the wallet opens a third-party payment service, which may charge its own fee. The balance can be shown in dozens of currencies including USD, EUR, JPY, INR and CAD. The minimum for other methods can be changed by the operator at any time.
Deposits must come from your own cards and wallets. A payment from someone else’s account counts as fraud and the deposit and winnings may be confiscated.
The Vault is a separate safe for crypto and supported fiat, kept apart from the playing balance. Access is protected by two-factor checks, and transfers between the Vault and the main balance are free and need no blockchain transaction. Funds in the Vault can take part in some promotions.
Withdrawal rests on several conditions: identity confirmed, the recipient belongs to you, requested data supplied and the wagering done. The turnover requirement is 100 percent of the deposit for both fiat and crypto. You must withdraw by the method used to deposit unless the operator decides otherwise. Crypto withdrawals, according to the site, are processed immediately, there is no maximum and the whole balance can be taken. Minimums and network fees depend on the coin, and the exact figure appears at the bottom of the withdrawal screen.
| Coin | Minimum | Network fee |
|---|---|---|
| BTC | 0.00002504 | 0.00001571 |
| ETH | 0.001 | 0.00067447 |
| USDT, USDC | 2.5 | 1 |
Several pending requests can be rejected with a request to submit one combined request. The operator may charge a withdrawal fee, plus bank charges. Canadian dollars and Indian rupees have separate instructions. All transactions are screened for money laundering, crypto payments are additionally analysed by Chainalysis, and mixers and anonymisers are banned. Money credited by mistake remains Stake’s property and is deducted, and money withdrawn by mistake counts as a debt. After a card or bank chargeback the operator may bill you for the cancelled amount.
Rakeback, a 15-level VIP club and races instead of tournaments
Loyalty here rests on rakeback: a return of part of the house edge on every bet, whether you win or lose. It accrues on slots, table and live games and poker, and on sport it is calculated from a notional edge. Voided bets and those cashed out are excluded. The balance is collected in your personal VIP section, and rakeback also accrues on past bets while the account stays active. New players get a welcome offer of this type, to be activated on the offers page within 24 hours of registering. Terms depend on the region. Bonus Drops are first-come giveaways with codes posted in Stake’s Telegram channels and social media.
The general bonus rules: bets draw on the real balance first and the bonus balance second. An expired promotion no longer applies, and a cancelled bonus cannot be reactivated. The operator may refuse, withhold or revoke a bonus on suspected abuse, and opening several accounts for bonuses counts as abuse. Bonuses on inactive accounts can be removed, and unclaimed ones are cancelled within 60 days.
The VIP programme is open to everyone. Levels rise with turnover on casino and sport: Bronze, Silver, Gold, six Platinum steps, five Diamond steps and top-tier Obsidian, 15 in all. Rewards accumulate: a level-up bonus, rakeback, weekly and monthly bonuses from Bronze, daily ones from Platinum and personal terms from Diamond. Weekly boosts arrive on Saturdays in the VIP Telegram channel and monthly ones by email. Reload bonuses start at Platinum. At Platinum I the daily drops run for 14 days, at II for 28, at III for 42, and at Platinum IV the reload is permanent while the account is active. The size is based on bets over the previous 7-42 days and on play results. From Platinum IV a personal VIP host is assigned, and the reload frequency is set through them.
The daily race is open to all: every casino and sport bet lifts you in the table, and the 24-hour prizes are collected in the VIP section. In slots there are over 170 competitions from 50+ providers. Points are awarded for the biggest multiplier in a single spin, for total win adjusted for stake, or for endurance, meaning a fixed number of spins. Freerolls admit you automatically for a minimum bet. Check the minimum bet and the game list before the start.
The chat runs in several languages and opens after a certain amount of wagering. Hourly “rains” are for players at KYC level 2 who have played enough over the last seven days. The rules ban spam, insults, begging, advertising, shortened links and politics. Weekly challenges for VIPs start on Mondays at 12:00 UTC.
Stake Smart: limits, breaks and self-exclusion from 6 months
Anyone who was under 18 at registration counts as a minor and is paid no winnings. All tools live in the Stake Smart section. Loss and bet limits can be set for 24 hours, a week or a month, and there is a separate daily deposit limit. Lowering a limit applies at once, raising it after 24 hours. You can exclude yourself from casino or sport separately, from 24 hours to indefinitely. A break lasts a day, two days, a week or a month, and the account reopens on its own.
Self-exclusion is indefinite, at least 6 months, and does not lift itself: it needs a written request to [email protected] and an internal review. During it you can log in and write to support, but bonuses and reloads are unavailable, bets placed and promotions are voided without refund, and opening a new account is forbidden. Losses from breaching the exclusion are not refunded; the operator promises only “reasonable steps” to stop the player. An account can be closed instantly via Responsible Gambling, Account Closure, and reopened after 24 hours by email.
External help: Gamblers Anonymous, Gambling Therapy, the National Council on Problem Gambling (1-800-GAMBLER) and Gamtalk. For parents, BetBlocker, Net Nanny and Gamblock are recommended.
When something goes wrong: support, disputes and 45 restricted countries
The main channel is the live chat in the account, around the clock. Email goes to [email protected], and account closures to [email protected]. Support answers in English, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, while the site itself is translated into more than 18 languages. The help centre at help.stake.com is split into collections: managing the account, verification, payments, bonuses, responsible gambling, troubleshooting. If the problem is in a third-party studio’s game, you need the time of the event, the game name, the currency pair and the bet ID. It also has an article on telling a genuine Stake email from a fake.
Complaints go to the chat or by email. If the answer is unsatisfactory, what remains is a Curaçao court: no independent arbiter or ADR body is named in the terms. For errors in odds, settlement and paytables the operator limits its liability, and if a player knowingly exploits such an error there is no liability. It may close or block an account for fraud, unfair play, a police request, a failed identity check, a breach of terms or suspected addiction. Bets may then be voided and sums withheld, and the remaining balance is communicated through withdrawal methods. An account cannot be fully deleted because of legal obligations, and data (name, date of birth, address, email, phone, documents, IP, device, play activity) is kept while you use the service and as long as the law requires.
People in 45 jurisdictions cannot play: Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, DR Congo, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, North Korea, Ontario, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Syria, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe. The operator says it serves players from more than 169 other countries. VPNs, proxies and false location details break the terms, and people on US, EU and other sanctions lists are not accepted. The anti-money-laundering rules rest on Curaçao’s 2016 law and FATF recommendations, and duplicate accounts are caught by device fingerprint.
