Q&A: A Lawyer’s View On Crypto Gambling In 2026

Crypto gambling is still one of the most debated topics in iGaming, largely because regulation and enforcement vary market by market. But one thing is changing: the regulatory conversation is moving from rejection to feasibility—if operators can show a workable, controlled solution.

In this Q&A, Spain-based lawyer Marina Villalonga explains exactly how that shift happens, what regulators worry about, and why education and traceability are changing the tone of the discussion.

Why do cryptocurrency and the gambling industry have a complicated relationship?

Yes, the relationship has been complicated, but now that cryptocurrencies are more in general use, people are more familiar with them. We are now seeing that it is no longer seen as something bad. I mean, in the past, when you mentioned using Bitcoin and crypto, people were like, ‘Wow, what are you doing?’ In our case, where we are trying to introduce crypto into the gambling sector, we have held several meetings with the DGOJ, the Spanish gambling regulator, to help them understand crypto. When we visited at first, it was like, ‘Are you talking about crypto? No, no, no, no, no. We have a lot of problems in the industry, and we have to deal with so many things that we don't want more. We don't want to worry about AML with crypto and so on.’

But once you explain to them exactly what it is all about and that you can have the same traceability and there's a lot of tools to follow the funds, then this initial panic attack softens and I would say now they understand what's going on and as long as you provide certain warranties and show them you are doing things properly, then the relationship could be healthy.

Of course, there's the devil of unregulated gambling, which regulators are always trying to fight. But you have unregulated gambling not only with crypto, but with fiat currency. This is a problem that will always exist, and you will always need to address it. But yes, education is an explanation. It's our key for the regulators to understand that you need to include these crypto opportunities in the business.

How do you see global regulators responding differently to crypto gambling now?

Gambling regulations are so specific for every country; it's not the same as in crypto, which is more global. For example, for crypto regulations, we have the MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) in Europe, and now we have the GENIUS Act in the US. They cover a wide range of territory when we talk about crypto, but this is not the same when we talk about gambling. Gambling authorities are different in each and every country, and in the US, they are different in each and every state. But from my perspective, in Spain, at first they were so reluctant they wouldn't listen to anything that had to do with crypto, but now it's like,  ‘OK, I'm not saying yes, I'm not saying no, just present me the solution, and then we can consider it.”

What role does blockchain transparency play in all this? Could it help with responsible gambling or for fraud prevention?

Of course, because we do not have to see all the crypto-related matters, just in terms of allowing players to gamble with crypto. There are other implications where the blockchain technology can be useful, and in fact, this was one of our main points when we held our conversations with the Spanish gambling regulator. You can use blockchain for your benefit to strengthen AML proceedings, anti-fraud proceedings, and responsible gambling. Because blockchain is a technology you can use to manage a huge amount of data, and there are a lot of solutions today in the market that help traceability, investigations, etcetera. The technology itself could be very good for the industry.

Should gambling operators be preparing for big changes around crypto use in the next few years?

Yes, for sure. There's a huge market there waiting for crypto players to enter. We have been talking with major gambling operators about it, and at first, when we talked about crypto to gambling operators, they said, ‘OK, no, no, no. This is too complicated.’

It was exactly the same reaction the regulators had at the same moment. They think they have a lot of problems with everything, and they are continuously under scrutiny. They need to fulfil a lot of obligations, reports, etc. So when you are talking to them about adding another layer of complication, they say, ‘Oh, step by step’. But now, little by little, they are starting to consider the possibility of doing more things with crypto. The proof of it is that there are a lot of crypto casinos online, and we have had land-based casinos showing their interest in installing crypto ATMs as well. Now they are starting to think, ‘OK, there's business here - we should explore that path,’ and it's happening.

What are your thoughts on the future of crypto and iGaming? Where do you think it will be in five years’ time?

I think in five years’ time most online and land-based casinos will let you use crypto. They will hire crypto-traceability products, and they will feel comfortable with it. I'm sure that this is going to happen soon.

As a lawyer working with gambling businesses, what do you see as the biggest pain points affecting the industry?

It is how gambling is seen by society. Depending on the government, they focus on gambling as a major social problem, as compared to other potential addictions. This demonises the industry in society. But there's a real lack of knowledge about the industry, and people don't know how many obligations and how many controls operators need to undergo, and how safe a serious gambling operator is. So it is seen that they are all criminals, but they are not. This image is not good for the industry. For that reason, the reporting obligations and the control by regulators are getting harder and harder.

At this point, compliance departments should be the main departments of a gambling company, as there are a lot of tasks to do. I'm not criticising that—I think control is good and we need to create a safer environment—but this social perspective as a ‘criminal, addictive activity’ does not help. I mean, as with the crypto space, it's all about education and understanding what is going on. Not all crypto users are criminals, so it's more or less the same issue. We need to protect consumers, we need to protect players, but the hard thing is to find this balance. This should be addressed correctly. It's not easy.