Stake is an online casino and sportsbook operated by Medium Rare N.V., a company registered in Curaçao and licensed by the Curaçao Gaming Authority. The brand launched in 2017 and has grown into one of the more recognised operators built around cryptocurrency, accessible to players across most countries, India included. A single account covers four product lines: the sportsbook, the casino, Stake Originals and the Stake Engine game development platform. This page reviews the company itself, its licence and its corporate background rather than any one product. The sportsbook, the casino and the mobile app each have a dedicated review elsewhere on this site.
The details below describe the operating company rather than a single product, and apply to accounts opened from India.
| Operating entity | Medium Rare N.V., registered in Curaçao |
| Founded | 2017, in Melbourne, Australia |
| Headquarters | Not publicly disclosed; the operating entity is registered in Curaçao |
| Licence | Medium Rare N.V., licensed by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (Curaçao Gaming Control Board) |
| Markets served | Most countries worldwide; restricted in the United Kingdom, the United States (aside from the separate Stake.us site), the Netherlands, France, Spain and Australia |
| Product lines under one account | Sportsbook, Casino, Live Casino, Stake Originals, Stake Engine |
| Interface languages | English plus more than ten other languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, German, French, Japanese and Chinese; Hindi is not currently offered |
| Account currencies | Over 20 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, Litecoin and Dogecoin; INR is available as a display currency for balances and bets |
Stake online operates as a single global brand rather than a network of local sites, though a separate sweepstakes format, Stake.us, serves the United States market under different terms. Founded in 2017, the operator has traded for close to nine years and holds a licence covering casino and sports betting products across most of the countries it accepts players from. Casino games, the odds engine and the account system are developed internally, while individual slot and table titles come from external studios such as Pragmatic Play and Hacksaw Gaming. For players in India, the brand positions itself as a balanced operator rather than one that leads primarily with casino or sportsbook products: cricket, football and esports carry deep markets before kickoff and while matches are live, and the account can display INR alongside cryptocurrency balances.
Stake launched in 2017 out of Melbourne, Australia, founded by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani as a cryptocurrency casino built around a small library of internally developed games. A sportsbook was added in 2020, extending the account beyond casino products into sports betting before kickoff and while matches are live. Stake Originals, the studio behind titles such as Crash, Plinko and Mines, expanded through the years that followed alongside external slot and table game studios added to the casino. The Curaçao licence was reissued under the Curaçao Gaming Authority’s new framework once the jurisdiction retired its old master licence system in 2023. Stake.us, a sweepstakes format version of the brand for the United States, launched in 2023 under separate terms. The most recent confirmed development is Stake Engine, a platform opened in 2024 that lets external game studios build titles for the casino directly.
The company a player interacts with on screen and the company named in the licence are not always the same, and this operator is no exception. Medium Rare N.V. is the entity that holds the Curaçao gaming licence and is named as the operator throughout the terms and conditions. This detail is relevant to a player in India because any dispute, refund request or account query is technically raised against Medium Rare N.V. rather than against the brand name shown on screen.
| Entity | Role in the Group | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|
| Medium Rare N.V. | Licensed operator running the casino and sportsbook | Curaçao |
Medium Rare N.V. is the name that typically appears on a bank or card statement descriptor after a deposit is processed, though exact wording can vary by payment method. The current registration and licence reference are listed in the footer of the Stake website, and checking those details there is the most reliable way to confirm the operator behind an account opened today.
Casino and sportsbook operations for players in India run under a single licence issued by the Curaçao Gaming Authority, the regulator that replaced Curaçao’s old master licence system in 2023. The group does not hold a licence issued specifically by an Indian regulator, since India has no unified central framework covering online casino or sports betting operators.
| Licence Authority | What the Licence Covers | What It Means for a Player in India |
|---|---|---|
| Curaçao Gaming Authority (Curaçao Gaming Control Board) | Online casino games, sports betting and related payment handling under the Medium Rare N.V. operating licence | Confirms the operator meets Curaçao’s identity verification and fund handling rules, though it does not equate to protection under an Indian regulator; dispute escalation runs through Curaçao channels rather than an Indian ombudsman |
A player can check the licence independently through the Curaçao Gaming Authority’s public register using the licence reference printed on the Stake official website footer. Because India regulates gambling mainly at the state level under legislation that predates online betting, an offshore licence such as this one sits outside domestic oversight, and players should check the rules of their own state, since a small number, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim, restrict online betting and gaming activity outright.
Curaçao’s licence conditions require Medium Rare N.V. to keep player balances separate from the operator’s working capital, so funds held in an account are not treated as company revenue while they sit unwithdrawn. The website connection runs on standard TLS encryption, and stored account records are encrypted at rest. An additional verification step, commonly called two factor authentication, can be switched on for login and withdrawal confirmation, adding a one time code requirement beyond the account password. Automated monitoring flags withdrawal patterns and login attempts that fall outside a player’s usual behaviour, prompting extra checks before a payout clears. Identity documents submitted during verification are retained for as long as the account stays active and for the period Curaçao’s rules require afterward. The single control a player holds directly is switching on two factor authentication, since it blocks most unauthorised access attempts even if a password is compromised.
A Stake account carries one balance across four product lines, and the sportsbook and casino between them account for most player activity on the platform. Each product line has its own dedicated review on this site covering game selection, odds and betting markets in full; the summaries below introduce what each section covers.
A bet placed on Stake’s betting site covers cricket, football, tennis and basketball most consistently for players in India, with the IPL, ICC tournaments and the Premier League among the competitions carrying the deepest markets before kickoff and while play is live. Bet types include straight singles, combo bets, same game multi bets and a cash out option on eligible markets; the dedicated sports betting review on this site covers odds formats and market depth in full.
The Stake online casino library runs to several thousand titles across slots, table games, jackpot games and Stake Originals such as Crash and Plinko, sourced from studios including Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming, Nolimit City and Relax Gaming that supply each Stake game in the catalogue. The dedicated casino review on this site breaks down the game categories, RTP ranges and provider list in full.
Live dealer tables cover roulette, blackjack, baccarat and game shows such as Crazy Time, streamed mainly in English by studios including Evolution and Pragmatic Play Live, with stakes running from modest limits up to high roller rooms. The dedicated live casino review on this site covers table limits and studio coverage in full.
Esports coverage centres on Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, League of Legends and Valorant, with the top tournament tiers such as ESL and Valve sponsored events priced most consistently and live markets available during matches. The dedicated esports review on this site covers title coverage and market types in full.
Stake has entered several sponsorship and partnership deals, and the roster differs from many operators because it spans combat sports, Formula 1 and football rather than a single sport. None of the confirmed arrangements below centre on a competition based in India, though the sportsbook still prices leagues and tournaments followed in India independently of these deals.
Stake became the UFC’s official betting partner in 2022, placing octagon side branding and odds integrations across UFC broadcasts and events. The arrangement has continued into 2026. For a player in India, the practical effect is deeper market coverage on UFC cards, including round and method of victory markets that smaller operators often leave out.
The operator held the naming rights to the Sauber Formula 1 outfit, competing as Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber from the 2023 season. That naming deal ran through the 2025 championship, ahead of the squad’s transition into Audi’s factory outfit for the 2026 season. The sponsorship gave the sportsbook enhanced Formula 1 markets and branded promotions around race weekends while it remained active.
Stake has served as Everton Football Club’s primary shirt sponsor since the 2023 to 2024 Premier League season, placing the brand name across the front of the club’s kit. The arrangement has continued in subsequent seasons. Players in India following the Premier League will notice the branding during Everton fixtures and find enhanced markets on Everton matches within the sportsbook.
The operator has maintained a public ambassador relationship with recording artist Drake since 2022, including widely publicised livestreamed betting sessions that drew broad media coverage. The arrangement has continued intermittently since. It has not translated into promotions specific to India, though it has added to the brand’s international profile among newer players discovering the sportsbook and casino.
Curaçao’s licence conditions place player protection obligations on Stake, and most of the tools below have to be switched on by the player rather than applying by default.
Daily, weekly and monthly deposit caps can be set from account settings. A lower limit applies right away; raising an existing limit takes effect only after a 24 hour cooling period, giving a player time to reconsider before spending more.
Separate loss limits and wager limits cap either the amount lost or staked over a chosen period. Either limit tightens immediately when lowered, while raising it follows the same 24 hour delay used for deposit limit increases.
Session reminders can be scheduled to prompt a break after a set number of hours of play, and a time out option locks the account for a period chosen by the player, from 24 hours up to six weeks. Both take effect immediately once confirmed and cannot be reversed early.
A temporary cooling off period pauses the account for a longer stretch than a time out without closing it permanently. Reactivation only happens once the chosen period lapses, and the setting cannot be cancelled or shortened once submitted.
Permanent self exclusion closes the account and blocks new registrations linked to the same identity documents. It cannot be reversed as a self service option; a player must contact customer support separately, and requests are reviewed rather than granted automatically.
Every account must complete identity verification confirming the holder is at least 18 years old before withdrawals are released. Verification requires a document issued by the government along with proof of address, uploaded through account settings.
Account settings include signposting toward independent problem gambling support organisations for players who want help beyond the platform’s own limit tools. These references sit within the responsible gambling section of account settings rather than appearing automatically during play.
Anyone who chooses to play Stake’s casino or sportsbook games from India uses an interface that runs in English only; Hindi and other regional languages are not part of the roughly dozen language options offered elsewhere. INR can be set as a display currency, so balances, odds and the bet slip show in rupees even though deposits and withdrawals settle through cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Tether rather than direct UPI or bank transfer rails. Cricket competitions such as the Indian Premier League and major international series carry deep market coverage, alongside football leagues followed widely in India such as the Premier League and Champions League. Customer support runs continuously rather than on a fixed regional shift, which covers Indian working hours by default. Currency display is the most developed area of localisation, while direct INR linked banking payment rails remain the thinnest.
Medium Rare N.V., a company registered in Curaçao, operates the brand and is named in the account terms and conditions. It holds the gaming licence and is the counterparty for any account or fund dispute.
The current licence reference is printed in the footer of the Stake website and can be checked against the Curaçao Gaming Authority’s public register. Reviewing that register directly is more reliable than relying on a badge or screenshot shown on any other page.
India has no central law regulating offshore online casino or sportsbook operators, and only a small number of states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Assam, Nagaland and Sikkim, explicitly restrict online betting and gaming. Outside those states, players access the platform as an offshore operator under its Curaçao licence rather than an Indian one, and any winnings remain subject to Indian income tax rules regardless of where the operator is based.
INR is available as a display currency for bets, balances and the bet slip, though deposits and withdrawals settle through cryptocurrency networks such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Tether rather than direct rupee bank transfer.
Registration details, the licence reference and contact information are listed together in the footer of the Stake website, updated whenever the operator’s registration details change.
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