Online gambling is going through a real shift. Players are moving away from traditional platforms and toward a new breed of crypto-native casinos that offer more games, faster payments, and better rewards.
DraftKings has been at the top for years. But a new platform called ZunaBet is turning heads — and it is worth understanding why.
DraftKings: The Household Name
DraftKings launched in 2012 as a daily fantasy sports company and expanded into sports betting and online casino gaming over the years. Today it is one of the most recognised gambling brands in the United States and is publicly listed on NASDAQ.
It holds licences across multiple US states and offers a sportsbook, casino games in eligible states, and a loyalty program called Dynasty Rewards. For players in regulated US markets, it is a solid and familiar option.
Payment options stick to the traditional — debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, and similar methods. Crypto support is limited or unavailable depending on location.
Game availability also varies by state. Some players get access to the full casino library while others are restricted to sports betting only, which is a genuine frustration for many users.
DraftKings is well-built and well-trusted. But its foundations were laid for a different era, and the cracks are becoming harder to ignore.
ZunaBet: The Platform Built for Right Now
ZunaBet launched in 2026, operated by Strathvale Group Ltd under an Anjouan gaming licence and registered in Belize. Behind it sits a team with over 20 years of combined experience in the online gambling industry.
Crypto is not an added feature on ZunaBet — it is the entire foundation. The platform supports 20+ cryptocurrencies including BTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, ADA, XRP, and USDT across multiple chains. There are no platform processing fees, withdrawals are fast, and the whole experience is built around how crypto users actually want to move money.
The game library is one of the biggest talking points. ZunaBet offers 11,294 games from 63 providers, covering slots, RNG table games, and live dealer titles. Providers include Pragmatic Play, Evolution, Hacksaw Gaming, Yggdrasil, and BGaming — names that serious casino players will recognise immediately.
That puts ZunaBet among the largest crypto-focused game libraries on the market today. Most crypto casinos offer a fraction of that.
The sportsbook is just as impressive. Football, basketball, tennis, and NHL are all covered alongside a full esports offering including CS2, Dota 2, League of Legends, and Valorant. Virtual sports and combat sports are also included, making this a genuinely complete betting platform.
Dedicated apps are available for iOS, Android, Windows, and MacOS. Live chat support is available 24 hours a day. The interface is dark-themed, fully mobile optimised, and built on modern HTML5 technology for fast load times across all devices.
Crypto Platforms vs Traditional Operators
The conversation around crypto casinos has moved well beyond payment preferences. The differences between these two types of platforms now touch almost every part of the experience.
Crypto platforms offer faster withdrawals, lower transaction costs, and a smoother process around account verification. For anyone who has waited three to five business days for a withdrawal on a traditional platform, switching to crypto is an immediate upgrade.
Traditional platforms like DraftKings offer something different — regulatory credibility and consumer protections that come with operating inside a licensed US market. That is a real advantage for players who prioritise that kind of oversight.
The trade-off is access. State-by-state licensing means DraftKings simply cannot serve a large portion of the global player base. Players outside eligible US states, or outside the US entirely, are often left with no option at all.
ZunaBet operates under an international licence and is open to a much wider audience. That global reach is a significant advantage for anyone the US-regulated market does not serve.
There is also a generational factor. Younger players who are already comfortable holding and spending crypto are not looking for a bank transfer option. They want a platform that works the way they already manage their money, and ZunaBet was built exactly for them.
Loyalty Programs: Same Old Points vs Real Rakeback
Dynasty Rewards, the DraftKings loyalty program, follows a familiar format. Players earn crowns through wagering and redeem them for bonus credits and free bets. It functions well but brings nothing new to the table — it is the same points-based structure seen across most major platforms.
ZunaBet built something more interesting. The loyalty program uses a dragon evolution system centred around a mascot called Zuno, with six tiers to climb through: Squire, Warden, Champion, Divine, Knight, and Ultimate.
Every tier comes with direct rakeback. That starts at 1% for Squire and rises all the way to 20% at the Ultimate tier. Rakeback means a set percentage of every wager is returned to the player automatically — no points to convert, no redemption process, no confusion about what the reward is actually worth.
On top of rakeback, players unlock tier-based free spins scaling up to 1,000 spins, VIP club access, and double wheel spins as they progress. The gamified structure makes advancing through the program feel rewarding in a way that accumulating points rarely does.
For regular players, a 20% rakeback rate at the top tier is a genuinely compelling offer. It is transparent, it is valuable, and it is a clear step ahead of what most loyalty programs deliver.
What Makes ZunaBet Different
New casino platforms launch all the time. Most arrive with a limited game library, a basic bonus structure, and a promise to add more later. ZunaBet launched fully loaded.
Over 11,000 games, 63 providers, a complete sportsbook, esports betting, dedicated apps for four operating systems, 24/7 support, and a rakeback loyalty program with six tiers — all available from day one.
The welcome bonus reflects that same ambition. New players can claim up to $5,000 plus 75 free spins spread across three deposits. The first deposit gets a 100% match up to $2,000 plus 25 free spins. The second gets a 50% match up to $1,500 plus 25 spins. The third gets a 100% match up to $1,500 plus 25 spins.
That structure is designed to reward players who stick around past the first session, which is a smarter approach than front-loading everything into a single deposit bonus.
Strategically, ZunaBet is positioned in exactly the right place. It is crypto-native enough to serve the growing audience of digital asset users, while broad enough in content and sportsbook depth to compete directly with traditional operators.
Which One Is Right for You
DraftKings remains a strong choice for US players in regulated states who want a trusted, mainstream platform with conventional payment methods and the security of operating within a licensed US market. If that describes you, it does the job well.
ZunaBet is built for a different player. Someone who uses crypto, wants access to one of the largest game libraries in the market, bets on esports as naturally as traditional sports, and wants a loyalty program where the value is clear and the rakeback is real.
DraftKings built its platform for the players of yesterday. ZunaBet built its platform for the players of today — and tomorrow.
For anyone looking at where online gambling is heading in 2026, ZunaBet is the most complete, most exciting, and most forward-thinking platform to emerge this year. It has the games, the sportsbook, the crypto infrastructure, and the loyalty program to back up the hype.
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