Stake.com vs Cloudbet — 2026 Comparison

Stake vs Cloudbet — the short answer

Stake.com and Cloudbet sit at opposite ends of the crypto-casino age spectrum and serve different player philosophies. Stake is the modern category leader — founded 2017, 86–121 million monthly visits, 5 active licenses, 13 in-house originals at 99% RTP, $100K daily wager race. Cloudbet is the founding generation — launched 2013 under Halcyon Super Holdings B.V., one of the three or four oldest crypto sportsbooks still operating, 28+ supported cryptocurrencies, full Bitcoin Lightning Network integration (Stake has none), and a welcome bonus model that requires zero wagering. Cloudbet's headline is its $2,500 rakeback welcome with 0× WR plus 30-day daily cash drops — uniquely friction-free in a category where 40× wagering is the norm. Stake doesn't run a traditional welcome bonus at all. Cloudbet's library is smaller (3,100 vs 4,000 games) and it has no in-house originals. For sportsbook bettors who want the longest-running brand with Lightning Network and no-wager bonuses, Cloudbet. For maximum scale, original-game RTP, and license depth, Stake.

Brand history & operating company

Cloudbet predates the entire modern crypto-casino sector. Launched in 2013, it was one of the first online operators built natively for Bitcoin betting, before USDT, before Ethereum smart-contract games, before BC.Game or Stake or any of their peers existed. Operated by Halcyon Super Holdings B.V. under Curacao license OGL/2024/328/0599. The brand has a strong sportsbook DNA from day one, with depth-of-market that matches and sometimes exceeds Stake's coverage on football, tennis, and major-league sports. Stake.com launched four years later in 2017 under Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani via Medium Rare N.V., and reached global category leadership through aggressive sports sponsorship (Drake, F1 Kick Sauber, UFC, Premier League hospitality). Cloudbet's marquee partnership is Pragmatic Play's €25M Drops & Wins campaign, indicating slot-product depth alongside the historic sportsbook position.

Welcome offers compared

Cloudbet's welcome is one of the cleanest in the industry: 30-day rakeback plus daily cash drops, capped at $2,500, with 0× wagering requirement. No code needed. Funds release continuously across the 30-day window as cashable balance, no playthrough, no rollover, no withdrawal restriction. This structure is mathematically rare — most operators bury significant friction in 35–50× wagering math on a smaller headline. Stake provides no first-deposit match at all. Stake's value is in lifetime rakeback (3.5% of theoretical house edge), the $100K daily wager race, and the $75K Friday weekly raffle — also all zero-wagering, but back-loaded into volume play rather than front-loaded. For a player making a $1,000 deposit and wagering $5,000 in the first 30 days, Cloudbet's structure produces a higher immediate cash return than Stake's. For a $50K+ monthly grinder, Stake's compounding rakeback eventually overtakes.

VIP & rakeback programs

Cloudbet operates an activity-tiered loyalty program with rakeback that scales by play volume, daily cash drops, and dedicated VIP hosts at the top tiers. The tier structure is less visible than Stake's published ladder — Cloudbet emphasises continuous-rakeback economics over discrete VIP-rank gamification. Stake's 15 tiers (Bronze through Obsidian) are fully transparent. Personal hosts kick in at Platinum IV ($2.5M lifetime wagered). Real-world rewards at Stake's top tiers (F1 hospitality, UFC trips, Drake "Drizzmas" cash drops) outclass Cloudbet's gifts. For host-managed high-roller treatment, Stake is the deeper operator. For continuous rakeback without VIP-tier gating, Cloudbet pays out more evenly across the player base.

Game libraries

Cloudbet: 3,100 games — roughly 2,500 slots, 300 live tables, multiple RNG table games, zero in-house originals. Stake: 4,000 games — 3,500 slots, 300+ Evolution live, 200 table, 13 in-house originals at 99% RTP. Cloudbet's library is smaller but balanced toward sportsbook integration rather than slot exploration. Provider lineups overlap (Pragmatic Play, Evolution, Hacksaw, NetEnt, Play'n GO, BGaming, Red Tiger). Stake's originals (Crash, Plinko, Mines, Slide, Limbo, Dice, Hilo, Keno, Chicken, Wheel, Blue Samurai, Tome of Life, Diamonds) have no Cloudbet equivalent — Cloudbet uses only third-party provably-fair titles. For pure casino-game diversity, Stake wins. For sportsbook market depth and live-betting micro-markets, Cloudbet is competitive.

Cryptocurrency support

Cloudbet's coin breadth is its strongest individual advantage. 28 supported cryptocurrencies: BTC, ETH, ADA, ALGO, AVAX, BCH, BNB, DAI, DASH, DOGE, DOT, EOS, FTM, stETH, LINK, LTC, POL, PAXG, SHIB, SOL, TRX, USDC, UNI, USDP, USDT, XLM, XRP, ZEC. Critically, Cloudbet supports Bitcoin Lightning Network — Stake does not. Lightning enables sub-second BTC deposits and withdrawals at near-zero fees, materially improving the on-ramp/off-ramp experience for Bitcoin-native users. Stake supports 20 cryptocurrencies and routes BTC only through the mainnet (10–60 minute confirmation). Cloudbet also supports fiat (EUR, USD, GBP via bank transfer); Stake's fiat goes through MoonPay plus regional processors. For Bitcoin maximalists, Cloudbet's Lightning is the killer feature.

Withdrawal speed (tested)

Cloudbet median: 5 minutes for crypto withdrawals — among the fastest in the industry. The minimum withdrawal is effectively zero, with no enforced fiat-equivalent threshold. KYC is not required for crypto play. Stake median: 30 minutes for under-$500; LTC/SOL/TRX often under 15 minutes. KYC review at higher amounts. For raw speed at small amounts, Cloudbet is roughly 6× faster than Stake. For multi-thousand-dollar withdrawals, both operators converge on a 10–30 minute window once review clears.

Licensing & trust signals

Cloudbet operates under a single Curacao license (OGL/2024/328/0599). Trustpilot rating: 4.2 — among the highest in our top 15. Twelve years of continuous operation without major scandal or hot-wallet loss. Stake holds five concurrent licenses (Curacao primary, Estonia, Mexico, Colombia, Peru) and surrendered the UKGC in March 2025. Class-action suits in Missouri and Virginia (Oct/Dec 2025) target the Drake partnership. Trustpilot: 3.9. Cloudbet's track record is cleaner; Stake's license depth is deeper and provides more redundancy across jurisdictions if any single regulator changes position.

Geo restrictions

Cloudbet blocks AU, AT, BE, CN, CW, CU, FR, DE, IR, LT, MT, MM, NL, KP, SG, SY, ES, GB, and US. Stake blocks US, UK, AU, FR, DE, IT, ES, NL, Ontario, and Curacao. Cloudbet's geo footprint is slightly wider on regulated EU markets but narrower in Asia.

Verdict by use case

Best for no-wagering welcome bonus: Cloudbet — $2,500 with 0× WR is rare in crypto casinos. Best for Bitcoin Lightning Network: Cloudbet — Stake doesn't support Lightning. Best for cryptocurrency breadth: Cloudbet — 28 coins including PAXG and stETH for stablecoin-and-gold exposure. Best for in-house originals: Stake — 13 games at 99% RTP, Cloudbet has none. Best for license depth and brand scale: Stake — five licenses, 86–121M monthly visits. Best for sportsbook history and depth: Cloudbet — 13 years live, deeper football and tennis markets. Best for Trustpilot consensus: Cloudbet 4.2 vs Stake 3.9.

Updated 22 May 2026.