Share this article
ConsenSys-Backed Virtue Gaming Launches ‘Play-to-Earn Poker’
The blockchain-based poker game is the first of its kind in the play-to-earn space.
By Eli Tan
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:47 p.m. Published Dec 10, 2021, 3:01 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
The bustling play-to-earn space is adding poker tables to the mix with the release of Virtue Gaming’s online poker platform.
The ConsenSys-backed betting platform, which also runs Virtue Poker, is the only blockchain-based poker game of its kind licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority. The project is looking to revive online gambling communities that have been dormant since the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act by integrating them into the same network.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The platform’s “play-to-earn” title comes from promotions that allow amateur players to play in real-money tables with house chips. If players win enough hands, they are entitled to be paid out a percentage of their winnings.
Cash prizes will be paid out in tether after the promotional period ends.
Read more: ConsenSys Project Virtue Poker Raises $5M Ahead of Mainnet Launch
The model, which incentivizes amateur players to join the platform, is designed to attract professional gamblers, who historically make the most money on platforms with large pools of non-pros.
A representative of Virtue Gaming told CoinDesk the company plans on using its marketing budget to fund the promotions, focusing more on building its community than advertising the site.
“Virtue Gaming’s innovative patent pending play-to-earn model allows us to create a global poker network for the first time in over a decade,” Virtue Poker CEO Ryan Gittleson said in a press release. “This new gaming model can now be used to disrupt the industry, allowing U.S. players to play the game they know and love against players from all over the world.”
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Stablecoins moved $35 trillion last year but only 1% of it was for 'real world' payments
While stablecoins settled around $35 trillion last year, only around 1% of that represented genuine payments like remittances and payroll, a new report found.
What to know:
- Stablecoins processed more than $35 trillion in transactions last year, but only about 1% of that reflected real-world payments, a report by McKinsey and Artemis Analytics found.
- The study estimated that roughly $390 billion in genuine stablecoin payments, such as vendor payments, payrolls, remittances and capital markets settlements.
- Despite rapid growth and increasing interest from traditional payment firms like Visa and Stripe, true stablecoin payments still account for just a tiny fraction of the more than $2 quadrillion global payments market, the report said.
Top Stories
