Press Releases
Paysafe Research: Stronger Online Betting Experience Starts with Payments

Company research reveals payments play essential role in global sportsbooks’ customer acquisition and retention amid diversifying transactional preferences
Global online sports bettors prioritize rapid payouts and payment choice when starting their customer experience with sportsbooks, according to the 2024 All the Ways Players Pay research from Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a leading payments platform. Released today, the report also reveals that payments are just as valuable in strengthening the customer experience for players, whose appetite for digital wallets and even crypto payments is rising.
Showcasing Paysafe’s all-new brand identity, which the company recently unveiled, the report surveyed 3,000 sports bettors in six United States states (Massachusetts Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania), the Canadian province of Ontario, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy in December of 2023. The research found that streamlined payouts was players’ top factor when choosing a sportsbook (prioritized by 37%). They consider this more important than brand trust (34%), odds (29%), promotions (26%), user experience (17%), sports markets (15%) and sponsorships (10%).
When selecting a sportsbook, players also prioritize their favorite payment methods’ availability (26%) and seamless deposits (26%) over every factor except brand trust, odds and promotions.
Payments are just as crucial for strengthening player retention with 78% of bettors considering the payment experience important in why they remain with a brand. This trends even higher in Italy (88%), New York (84%) and Germany (80%).
Bettors’ payment preferences continue to diversify. Debit cards remain the dominant choice globally (a preference of 38%) though this is being challenged by digital wallets (37%). Wallets are today the top payment preference in Italy (53%) and Germany (52%). And by facilitating wagering across multiple sportsbooks, digital wallets are a leading payment choice of VIP players with 46% of bettors wagering five to seven times weekly favoring a digital wallet versus 43% a debit card.
Credit cards’ overall popularity is limited by markets like the United Kingdom and the United States state of Massachusetts banning their use. Despite this, the preference for credit cards remains robust both globally (25%) and across the United States (also 25%) while in France they are the favorite payment method of all (47%).
Interest in eCash remains niche but significant with 13% preferring online cash. This trends higher in countries with an enduring cash culture like Germany (16%) and the United States (16%).
Local payment methods (LPMs) available only in a single country are a preference of 13%, trending higher in the United States (17%) and Canada’s Ontario (17%) with their established LPM brands.
Confidence in the transactional security at sportsbooks continues to improve with 57% of players more confident than last year. However, there is no room for complacency with 10% less confident and 33% unsure.
Player adoption of digital wallets, eCash and other alternative payment methods (APMs) will likely grow with 58% of players expecting to use APMs more through to the end of 2025. And despite cryptocurrency market volatility, crypto payments appear attractive for players with 50% interested in this when permitted by regulators. This trends higher in the United States (58%) especially in New York (72%).
“Our latest research clearly indicates the value of payments to online sportsbook operators at all stages of the player experience,” the Global Gaming President for Paysafe, Zak Cutler (pictured), said. “Operators that optimize their payment offering will gain a competitive advantage when starting their brand’s relationship with new bettors. Given the correlation between the payment experience and brand loyalty, operators can maximize player retention by getting payments right. This includes upgrading their cashiers to cover all possible payment choices to meet evolving transactional expectations.”
Paysafe is exhibiting at the ICE London 2024 conference (booth N5-220) from February 6 to 8, 2024.
Brazil
Brazilian Ministry of Sports and IBIA sign sports betting integrity agreement

The Brazilian Ministry of Sports and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have signed a sports betting integrity cooperation agreement. This partnership will enable the sharing of information concerning suspicious betting activity connected to Brazilian sports and support collaboration on integrity-related investigations.
The agreement brings together the governmental body tasked with safeguarding the integrity and development of Brazilian sport, and the largest international betting integrity monitor for private operators in the world. Leading industry data and intelligence company H2 Gambling Capital has forecast that IBIA covers more than 70% of Brazil’s licensed remote gambling market.
According to ‘The Availability of Sports Betting Products: An Economic and Integrity Analysis’ study published last year, the sports betting regulatory regime in Brazil is projected to create $34bn (R$191.7bn) in sports betting turnover by 2028. With this increased growth comes a greater responsibility to protect customers, sports and betting operators from match-fixing.
A key element of the new Brazilian regulatory framework is the requirement that operators seeking a licence must join an independent sports integrity monitoring body. This licensing requirement is helping to strengthen IBIA’s capacity to monitor, assess and protect betting transactions in Brazil’s regulated sports betting market and maintain the integrity of Brazilian sporting events.
Minister of Sport, André Fufuca, said: “Today we are signing a milestone in the fight against match-fixing in Brazilian sport. Integrity must be a constant principle when it comes to transparency, ethics and, above all, the correctness of sports results. With these agreements, we will have more than enough instruments to curb this practice and guarantee greater transparency in competitions. Thus, athletes, clubs, organizations, fans and the entire population will be able to fully trust in the fairness of the results and, with this, will have peace of mind to develop the full potential of Brazilian sport.”
Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “IBIA welcomes this important partnership with the Brazilian Ministry of Sports. As the market grows, so too does the responsibility to ensure that robust integrity safeguards are in place. This agreement will ensure that information on suspicious betting is swiftly shared with the Ministry to support effective integrity actions. This includes access to detailed, account-level data available only through IBIA’s unique network.”
IBIA is a globally recognised non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard the integrity of the sports and betting sectors by fighting betting related match-fixing and fraud. It provides a free integrity monitoring service to sports governing bodies, regulatory authorities, government ministries, and law enforcement agencies that, importantly, has no potential conflicts created by the provision of competing commercial services, enabling all parties to efficiently and effectively cooperate in investigating, prosecuting and deterring sports betting related match-fixing.
IBIA monitors over $300bn per annum in betting turnover across more than 140 sports betting brands globally, making IBIA the largest betting integrity monitor of its type for private operators in the world. The association’s unrivalled access to detailed global customer transactional data has, and will continue, to play a pivotal role in protecting the Brazilian sports betting market and sporting events from corrupt activity. IBIA recently released its global alert data for the first quarter of 2025, detailing that 63 cases of suspicious betting were reported to the relevant authorities.
The post Brazilian Ministry of Sports and IBIA sign sports betting integrity agreement appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Gaming Awards
Wazdan wins Industry Innovation of the Year at SBC Awards Americas 2025

Wazdan, the leading gain-focused developer known for its innovative approach to iGaming content, has been awarded Industry Innovation of the Year (North America) at SBC Awards Americas 2025.
The award recognises the company’s consistent efforts to develop solutions tailored to the specific demands of the North American market, combining latest technology with an understanding of local player preferences.
For years, Wazdan has delivered products that not only meet regulatory requirements but, above all, respond to user expectations in terms of gameplay, personalisation, and high-quality entertainment.
Wazdan continues to expand its presence across North America, forming strategic partnerships with leading operators and tailoring its titles to meet the regulatory requirements of individual jurisdictions. The company’s growth in the region is driven by locally focused innovation and a long-term collaborative strategy.
Attendees of SBC Summit Americas 2025 are invited to meet the Wazdan team who are situated at Stand D650, ready to showcase its latest solutions and award-winning products.
Izabela Słodkowska-Popiel, Head of Account Management for North and Latin America, said: “Innovation is not a one-off initiative, it’s a mindset that guides us at every stage of product design and delivery. Receiving the Industry Innovation of the Year award confirms that our focus on technological solutions and user-driven design is a proven formula.
“This recognition marks another important step in Wazdan’s growth and highlights the company’s strong and ever-expanding presence in one of the most dynamic iGaming markets.”
The post Wazdan wins Industry Innovation of the Year at SBC Awards Americas 2025 appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Press Releases
SolutionsHub Promotes Zita O’Kelly-Hills to Head of Operations Amid Continued Growth

SolutionsHub is pleased to announce the promotion of Zita O’Kelly-Hills to Head of Operations, a leadership role central to delivering operational efficiency and scalable business infrastructure across its expanding portfolio.
A former legal professional, Zita brings a unique combination of expertise, operational insight, and leadership maturity to the role. Since joining SolutionsHub, she has steadily expanded her remit—taking on increasingly complex responsibilities in areas such as treasury, governance, and regulatory coordination. Her promotion recognises her significant contributions and the critical role of operations in SolutionsHub’s continued growth.
As Head of Operations, Zita will oversee the day-to-day functioning of the group and lead the refinement of internal systems and processes, while ensuring alignment with the strategic objectives set by the Board.
Zita’s background in legal services informs her disciplined, process-oriented approach, while her aptitude for optimising workflows and driving cross-functional collaboration has already resulted in meaningful improvements to the company’s internal efficiency and governance capabilities. In addition to overseeing essential operational functions, she continues to play a key role in supporting clients with complex governance requirements.
“Zita’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for SolutionsHub,” said Nick Wright, Chief Operating Officer. “Her attention to detail, governance expertise, and ability to bring structure to fast-moving environments make her an invaluable part of our leadership team. This promotion not only recognises her past performance but underscores the central role operations plays in keeping SolutionsHub agile, compliant, and future-focused.
It strengthens our operational foundation and positions us to support growth across both established and emerging service areas.”
The post SolutionsHub Promotes Zita O’Kelly-Hills to Head of Operations Amid Continued Growth appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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