AptPay Integrated Visa Direct for Digital Gaming
The payment firm has launched a pilot program enabling faster payouts through digital wallet aliases.
Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Gambling
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AptPay has integrated its payment orchestration platform with Visa Direct to facilitate seamless fund transfers for the U.S. iGaming industry. The company has also initiated a U.S.-only pilot for Visa Direct Alias, which allows players to receive payouts using identifiers like email addresses or phone numbers.
Why it matters
As the U.S. online betting market expands, digital gaming operators must address the consumer demand for rapid and frictionless access to winnings. By utilizing digital wallets, this infrastructure aims to streamline financial transactions for the millions of Americans participating in regulated online sports and casino gaming.
In 2025, U.S. sports betting revenue reached $16.96 billion, representing a 22.8% year-over-year growth. Current industry data indicates that 44% of U.S. online sports bettors now prefer using digital wallets for their transactions.
The players
AptPay
This payment technology firm provides a unified orchestration layer that enables businesses to connect with multiple payment networks through a single integration.
Visa
This global financial services corporation operates the Visa Direct payment network used to facilitate real-time fund transfers.
The details
AptPay provides a unified orchestration layer that connects businesses to multiple payment networks, routing payouts across various methods including cards and digital wallets. The new Visa Direct Alias feature simplifies the user experience by allowing payments to be sent to established digital identifiers rather than requiring traditional bank account details.
Timeline
2025 saw iGaming revenue of $10.74 billion and sports betting revenue of $16.96 billion.
A study on online sports bettor preferences was published in March 2026.
AptPay announced the integration at the G2E conference on September 28, 2026.
Culture Shift
The integration aligns with the broader move toward digital-first financial experiences in the gaming sector, mirroring the 2025 U.S. regulated iGaming revenue growth of 27.6%. This reflects a pivot where payment infrastructure must now evolve to keep pace with rapid digital sports betting adoption.
Users in the U.S. pilot program may soon experience faster payout times by using their phone numbers or email addresses as payment aliases. This transition reduces the need to input sensitive banking details during every transaction, potentially simplifying the withdrawal process for regular players.
The takeaway
The shift toward alias-based payments suggests that user convenience is becoming a primary competitive differentiator for iGaming platforms. Players looking to optimize their experience should verify if their preferred gaming operator has updated its payment infrastructure to support these faster transfer methods.
Further reading
For more context on the evolving online betting industry, visit the Gambling section.
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Would you choose to receive payments through digital wallets using your phone number or email?
