SK Gaming have partnered up with Visa, making the venerable credit card company their official payment partner and marking the company's first major foray into esports.

In our support of next-gen athletes, we are excited to announce our sponsorship of @SKGaming, Europe’s premier eSports team. pic.twitter.com/2trGuU54Vl — Visa Europe (@VisaEurope) January 5, 2017

"Pro gaming has changed the way we see sport in recent years, opening access to people the world over and creating a surge in its popularity," Gary Twelvetree, Visa's executive director of marketing, said in a statement.

"We see huge potential for the industry and this deal sees Visa ideally placed to harness and drive that. We're looking forward to a successful season supporting the next-gen athletes at SK Gaming to do what they do best — win."

Visa's sponsorship of SK is the company's first major step into esports, not counting their work with simulated Motorsport circuit, the FIA Formula E Championship.

As part of their deal with SK, the org's CS:GO players Gabriel "FalleN" Toledo, Epitacio "TACO" de Melo and racing game pro Danny "Husky" Engels will take part in fan events at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, including a round of laser tag.

"This partnership is truly a historic step for SK Gaming," SK's managing director, Alexander Müller, said in a statement. "For us this is a great start into 2017 and proves that all the hard work our players put in is getting recognized beyond just the gaming world."

No matter how the burgeoning partnership goes, one thing's for sure: esports could use more visas.

Sasha Erfanian is a liar and coward who stole the above joke from Sean Wetsalaar. Castigate him on Twitter.