TLDR WSOP’s new owner, NSUS Group Inc., introduced a secret approval process for sponsor patches at the 2026 series. Crypto poker sites CoinPoker and Phenom Poker were denied patches, while offshore site Americas Cardroom was approved. Players say no reasons were given for denials, and the rules allow instant disqualification for unapproved logos. The company that owns WSOP traces back to a British Virgin Islands shell company with no public ownership records. Solana Foundation became WSOP’s presenting sponsor in June, even as competing crypto poker brands were shut out.
The World Series of Poker changed its sponsor patch rules this year, and players are asking why some brands got approved while others did not.
The 2026 rulebook requires players to submit any logo or patch for review 24 hours before appearing at a televised table. Approval is granted at the sole discretion of tournament organizers.
Players who break the rule face disqualification and loss of all prize money. That penalty applies even if the patch was worn by mistake.
Caesars Entertainment sold WSOP in October 2024 for 500 million dollars. The buyer was NSUS Group Inc., the parent company of online poker site GGPoker.
Under the old rules, patches were mostly allowed except for cannabis and cryptocurrency brands. The new rules dropped that blanket ban and replaced it with case by case review.
Who Got Approved and Who Got Denied
Crypto poker site CoinPoker was denied a patch for player Bernhard Binder in the Bahamas last year. He later won the tournament anyway.
Phenom Poker, another crypto site, said its patch requests were also rejected. Founder Matt Valeo said no explanation was given.
ClubWPT Gold, a sweepstakes poker brand tied to the World Poker Tour, was denied as well. That brand competes with GGPoker in the online