Image: Shuffle on X
Shuffle signs Paulo Costa
Shuffle announced a partnership with Brazilian UFC light heavyweight Paulo Costa on 27 October 2026, framing it as part of a wider push into MMA and combat sports. Covers quotes the announcement saying the deal is meant to make Shuffle the premier crypto betting platform. No fee or length was published.
Costa is a former middleweight title challenger who moved up a division. His last fight was a TKO win over Azamat Murzakanov on 11 April, and his next bout had not been confirmed when Covers reported the deal.
For players, a fighter's face on the brand changes nothing about payouts or protections. It does continue a run of high-profile spending: Shuffle took a multi-year sleeve deal with Premier League club Sunderland in September, which Next.io noted was signed by a casino holding no UK gambling licence.
The Jack Doherty contract, a week on
There was no new fact this week in the row over the contract that bars YouTuber Jack Doherty from posting for six months, which we covered last week. The full contract, fee and start date are still unpublished, and we found no report confirming how the legal dispute between Doherty's lawyers and Shuffle ended. Covers' 27 October piece repeats co-founder Noah Dummett's line that the contract was "money well spent".
The bad news
- Trustpilot still withholds Shuffle's TrustScore, saying it is unavailable due to a breach of its guidelines and that it has removed a number of fake reviews. It listed 1,097 reviews as of 29 October 2026.
- On 22 October a reviewer reported that Shuffle was holding a balance of about $42 without giving a reason.
- A one-star review posted this week, describing events from 1 September, says the account was blocked after the player submitted UK identity documents and that a balance of over £1,200 had not been returned.
- Two further one-star reviews, about play on 26 and 27 October, allege low returns and rigged dice results and complain about slow handling of an account deletion request.
- None of these four had a reply from Shuffle when we checked on 29 October. They are individual reports, not established facts.
The good news
- A five-star review on 22 October praised the game range, sports odds and support, and Shuffle replied, passing a birthday bonus suggestion to its VIP team.
- AskGamblers shows a strong resolution record, 63 resolved of 71 in its complaint stats (its comparison table says 63 of 75), with a CasinoRank of 5.2 as of 29 October.
- No regulator action, hack or outage was reported in the week.
Our rating stays Mixed: a verified Curaçao licence and a good complaint-resolution rate sit beside a withheld Trustpilot score and repeated reports of balances held in review. The full Shuffle review covers the licence and the SHFL token.
UK readers, crypto basics and what to watch
Shuffle holds a Curaçao licence, not a UK Gambling Commission one, and a casino must hold a UK licence to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. The blocked-account report above shows what can happen to a UK balance on such a site, and anyone in Great Britain would be outside GAMSTOP and UKGC protections. Crypto balances move with the market, transfers are final, and bonuses carry wagering rules. Gambling is for over-18s only; free help is at BeGambleAware.
Watch for the terms of the Costa deal, whether Trustpilot restores a score, and whether Shuffle answers this week's held-balance reports. Shuffle sits in our Solana casinos list; the rest are on the crypto casinos hub.
FAQs
Who is Shuffle's new UFC partner?
Shuffle signed Brazilian UFC light heavyweight Paulo Costa, announced on 27 October 2026. Costa is a former middleweight title challenger whose last fight was a TKO win over Azamat Murzakanov on 11 April. Shuffle called the deal part of a wider push into MMA and combat sports; the fee and length were not published.
Why does Shuffle have no Trustpilot score?
Trustpilot says Shuffle's rating is unavailable due to a breach of its guidelines and that it has removed a number of fake reviews for the company. The page still lists reviews, 1,097 as of 29 October 2026, but shows no overall TrustScore, so the usual star average cannot be used to judge the casino.
Does Shuffle hold withdrawals or balances?
Some players report it. In the week to 29 October 2026, Trustpilot reviewers reported a held balance of about $42 and an account blocked after UK identity documents, with over £1,200 not returned. Shuffle had not replied to either when we checked. AskGamblers shows most complaints resolved, so outcomes vary case by case.
Is Shuffle legal in the UK?
No. Shuffle holds a Curaçao licence, not a UK Gambling Commission licence, and a casino needs a UK licence to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. That is despite its Sunderland shirt sleeve deal. UK players on such sites have no GAMSTOP or UKGC protection, and we do not suggest any way round a block.
18+ only. Gambling can be addictive; set limits and never chase losses. Free, confidential support: BeGambleAware.
