Gambling Commission explores future of crypto payments as illegal gambling crackdown intensifies

The Gambling Commission has confirmed it is exploring the future role of crypto assets within the regulated gambling sector, while also stepping up efforts to combat illegal gambling activity across Great Britain.

Speaking at the Clarion Payment Providers Summit, Gambling Commission Director of Policy Ian Angus outlined a number of priorities for the regulator, including innovation, anti-money laundering, payments and enforcement. 

Perhaps the most eye-catching revelation from the speech was confirmation that the Commission has begun discussions around the potential use of crypto assets as a regulated consumer payment option within licensed gambling.

Angus said the Commission had started conversations with its Industry Forum following progress made by the Financial Conduct Authority in the crypto sector.

“We are looking at what a potential path forward would be, to create a way for crypto assets to be more easily used as a consumer payment option for licensed and regulated gambling in Great Britain,” he said, stressing that discussions remain at an early stage. 

The comments are likely to spark considerable interest across the wider gambling and payments sectors, particularly given the historic caution around cryptocurrency and gambling regulation in the UK.

Alongside this, Angus highlighted the Commission’s increasing focus on illegal gambling and confirmed that the regulator’s enforcement activity is continuing to expand following the government’s £26m funding allocation over three years. 

According to the Commission, recent activity has included:

• 741 cease-and-desist notices issued to operators and advertisers
• More than 397,000 URLs reported to search engines
• Over 1,100 illegal websites disrupted or geo-blocked. 

Angus described the Commission’s approach as “world-leading” and said additional resources would further strengthen action against both online and land-based illegal gambling operations. 

The speech also provided an updated snapshot of the UK gambling market, which the Commission continues to describe as “mature” and highly competitive.

According to Gambling Survey for Great Britain figures referenced in the address, gambling participation remains stable at 48 percent of adults, while Gross Gambling Yield reached a record £16.8bn between April 2024 and March 2025. 

Angus used the summit to reinforce the Commission’s message that compliance, innovation and better use of data must increasingly go hand in hand.

However, his comments also reflected the balancing act now facing the regulator and industry alike: encouraging innovation and new payment technologies while simultaneously tightening controls around money laundering, illegal gambling and consumer protection.

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21 May 2026

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