Speaking at the Betting and Gaming Council AGM in London on 26 February 2026, UK Gambling Commission (“UKGC”) Executive Director Tim Miller said the Commission has asked its Industry Forum to explore what a “sensible” pathway might look like for allowing cryptoassets to be used as a consumer payment option for licensed gambling in Great Britain, subject to the licensing objectives. He described this work as a “tentative first step” and made clear there is no timetable and no “arbitrary” deadlines.

This is not a policy change today. Rather, it is the regulator acknowledging a changing landscape and asking whether a compliant route can be designed that keeps consumers within the regulated market.

The current position

Crypto is widely used on offshore, unlicensed gambling sites, but there is no clear, established route for GB-licensed operators to offer crypto payments at scale. The UKGC has previously highlighted that cryptoasset use raises challenges around crime risk and traceability and that any operator considering crypto-related activity must ensure risks to the licensing objectives are properly identified and mitigated.

Put simply: the Commission’s starting point has been that crypto can present higher practical risks (particularly around “who paid, where did the funds come from, and can we evidence it?”), and those risks must be controlled to the same standard expected for more familiar payment methods.

Why the UKGC is looking at this now

Miller linked the new workstream to two pressures:

1. Growing consumer interest in using crypto as a payment option.
2. Illegal market evidence indicating that crypto is one of the two biggest search terms leading British gamblers to unlicensed sites; in that context, Miller stated that, if demand is going to exist, a tightly controlled option within licensed operators could help keep customers in the regulated market and away from sites with fewer protections.

Why the FCA matters

Miller’s comments sit alongside the Government’s introduction of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2025, laid before Parliament on 15 December 2025. If approved, the Regulations would bring specified cryptoasset activities within the Financial Conduct Authority’s (“FCA”) perimeter.

The UKGC expects the new regime to take effect on 25 October 2027. If it does, businesses providing key crypto services, such as holding crypto for customers or exchanging it, would need to be authorised by the FCA and have the right permissions, meaning there would be clearer regulation and oversight of the infrastructure that could underpin crypto payments. Miller said this “changes the picture” when thinking about whether a compliant pathway for gambling could be developed.

What this could mean for licensed operators and sports rights-holders

If the UKGC does ultimately support a route for crypto payments, it is likely to come with a higher bar for controls, not a lighter one. Licensed operators would need to show that crypto payments can operate within the licensing objectives of preventing crime and disorder, protecting children and vulnerable customers and ensuring gambling is conducted fairly and openly.

For betting operators, this is very much a “watch this space” development. If a compliant pathway emerges, some licensed sites may look to offer crypto as a payment option, but only with strong safeguards in place. It will also be interesting to see whether this opens the door for some ‘offshore’ crypto-first operators (who can demonstrate they have been effectively blocking UK customers) to  obtain a licence and enter the market for the first time. .

What’s next?

The UKGC has asked its Industry Forum to explore how crypto payments could be progressed sensibly and in line with the licensing objectives, while recognising there are “significant challenges and risks” to address. There is no set timetable.

The key date on the horizon is 25 October 2027, when the FCA’s expanded cryptoasset regime is expected to commence. If the FCA framework beds in as intended, it may provide the regulatory infrastructure the UKGC believes is needed before crypto payments can be considered more widely in licensed gambling in Great Britain.