The 2026 setup: why crypto is poised to accelerate esports betting
Two tailwinds are converging. First, esports betting is still climbing: industry roundups based on Statista data estimate revenue around $2.8B in 2025 and crossing $3B by 2026 if the trend holds. Second, stablecoins just received their first U.S. federal framework (GENIUS Act), while the EU’s MiCA regime for stablecoins is…
In 2025, the classic play-to-earn promise has splintered. Traditional P2E titles face consolidation and shutdowns, while activity clusters around three adjacent rails: tokenized casino loyalty economies, prediction-market style play, and “play-to-airdrop” campaigns. Together, these mechanics blur the line between gaming and gambling and are drawing more explicit regulatory scrutiny. Industry trackers report mixed fundamentals for Web3 gaming this year, even…
Decentralized casinos and DAO-run betting protocols are maturing in 2025. On-chain sportsbooks such as SX Bet report hundreds of millions in cumulative wagers, while prediction platforms like Polymarket have posted multibillion-dollar volumes this year. Infrastructure protocols including Azuro and Thales power multiple front-ends, and purpose-built gambling chains such as WINR’s stack have crossed nine-figure handled volumes. Yet the year also…
The 2025 rally has pushed bitcoin to fresh records while ether neared its own highs and spot ETH ETFs gathered billions in net inflows. At the same time, stablecoin supply hit new all-time highs. This cocktail of price momentum, new on-ramps, and deeper dollar liquidity is spilling into online gambling in the form of higher crypto acceptance and faster cross-border…
Bitcoin hit a fresh all-time high around $123k in July 2025, then cooled in August amid choppy ETF flows and macro jitters. Options markets show elevated implied volatility into late-2025, a sign that bigger moves are priced in heading into 2026. Meanwhile, post-halving issuance is ~450 BTC/day, and research shows more coins are aging into long-term “ancient” supply than are…
August 2025 mattered for crypto casinos because regulators pushed clarity on promos and licensing, platforms tightened marketing surfaces, Telegram’s TON wallet expansion kept reducing on-ramp friction, and security headlines reminded everyone to harden custody and vendor risk. The sections below unpack each change with sources and takeaways.
Licensing and compliance: where the goalposts moved
Curacao’s transition kept rolling. Provisional “Green Seal” licenses…
How 2025 reset the crypto-gambling landscape
If 2024 was about regulatory groundwork, 2025 was the year those rules arrived—and platforms followed suit. New U.S. stablecoin legislation landed, the UK tightened promotions and validated “frictionless” risk checks, Brazil formally kicked off its national regime, Curaçao advanced its overhaul, and the two biggest video platforms that drive discovery for crypto casinos—YouTube and Kick—restricted…
Why AI matters in crypto gambling in 2025
Crypto-first casinos and sportsbooks operate across fast-moving tech stacks (wallets, tokens, oracles) and fragmented regulations. AI helps them keep pace—spotting risky behavior early, verifying identities without heavy friction, detecting bots and collusion, and monitoring on-chain funds for sanctions or scam exposure. In mature markets, regulators are increasingly measuring “frictionless” player protections, pushing the…
Regulated, mainstream casino brands are still conservative on crypto. A few Las Vegas properties accept bitcoin for non-gaming purchases, and one operator says it will relaunch bitcoin payments property-wide in 2025. But on the actual casino floor, Nevada regulators have not approved cryptocurrency for wagering. Most big operators are prioritizing cashless wallets and compliance tooling over crypto payments. In online…