Crypto casinos used to be known for letting players play with privacy and little personal information. Now, license authorities are changing the rules, and operators have good reason to follow them.
Feb 2, 2026
Crypto casinos originally built their reputations on speed, privacy, and simplicity of using blockchain. In 2026, the trajectory is changing. More crypto-friendly casinos are adding, or expanding KYC verifications in order to stay licensed, bankable, and ready for partnerships.
The shift to KYC casinos is happening because:
Major licensing authorities are raising their standards and conditions. AML/CFT compliance is now a requirement, not an option.
Global AML rules for crypto are becoming uniform, mainly through Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards that focus on identification, continuous monitoring and risk controls for virtual-asset flows.
Payment rails and crypto ramps are requiring more “travel rules” and customer information, which effectively forces casino operators to know who is behind a wallet.
Regulated growth is easier when a casino proves it screens users, flags suspicious activity, and follows responsible gambling compliance.
A KYC casino refers to any casino that requires forms or documentation to prove age and identity from a player at any stage when using the site, whether at deposit, before play, or during withdrawal.
Many platforms are moving to tiered verification like
No-KYC for browsing/demo play or limited real-money access
Light KYC for lower limits
Full KYC and enhanced checks (Enhanced Due Diligence) for higher limits, VIP programs, large withdrawals, or risk flags.
This tier approach matches how regulated gambling and regulated finance, including crypto exchanges, usually manage risk. The higher the risk, the stronger the checks.
Licensing authorities are now clearer and stricter about AML/KYC, crypto or not, than they were in previous years. They are increasingly clear through their policies that accepting crypto doesn’t exempt a casino from AML, customer due diligence (CDD), and monitoring requirements. In most reputable jurisdictions, AML expectations are written into guidance and license conditions for casino operators.
There are some examples from authorities that show the recent direction they have taken.
United Kingdom (UKGC): The Commission’s AML guidance includes clear triggers for customer due diligence (CDD) and obligates operators to use CDD when establishing relationships and in other listed cases, while also keeping information accurate and up to date. (The guidance was updated as recently as October 22, 2025.)
Malta (MGA): MGA documents push licensed operators toward a “Customer Acceptance Policy” and procedures that describe how they will meet CDD and wider AML/CFT obligations. They issue specific implementations for remote operators and crypto usage.
Isle of Man (GSC): The GSC publishes AML/CFT guidance for licensees (updated versions as recent as June 2025), framing AML compliance as essential to operating lawfully while also combating crime. Their guidance adheres clearly to the FATF’s own framework throughout their policy.
Gibraltar: Gibraltar’s AML codes for remote gambling make CDD and enhanced due diligence (EDD) standard for license conditions, being applied on a risk-triggered basis, and frame this with meeting FATF standards.
Curacao has had a history of easier market entry for iGaming operators, but gaining less trust in the process. However, the authority’s reforms in recent years show why many crypto casinos are formalizing their compliance, making operators work for their seal.
Curaçao’s National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) acted as the main reform, coming into effect on December 24, 2025. A large part of the reform focused on updating policy for remote operators and standardizing practices of risk assessment to be more in line with FATF guidance.
While The Curacao Gaming Authority still has a lot to do to legitimize itself for discerning players and operators, the new standards are certainly a step up from its previous incarnation.
If anything, the CGA shows how even jurisdictions known for being crypto-friendly are modernizing, centralizing oversight, and requiring auditable AML/KYC controls from operators.
Even when an authority doesn’t publish “crypto-specific KYC” rules, the broader crypto world itself is being pulled toward identification and traceability.
The FATF updated its standards in 2024 to include AML/CFT measures to virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs), mainly affecting crypto exchanges and casinos. In addition to guidance, the FATF monitors how jurisdictions implement and follow their standards.
This matters for the crypto casino operator because the risk profile overlaps with what FATF is concerned with:
cross-border transfers
anonymous wallets
fast movement of funds
As country’s regulators align to FATF standards, crypto acceptance is starting to also increasingly mean having knowledge of the participants.
In Europe, Regulation (EU) 2023/1113 sets rules for information that must come with transactions of crypto-assets, aligning them with FATF anti-money laundering objectives. The European Banking Authority also issued guidelines explaining how payment providers and crypto-asset service providers should detect missing or incomplete information tied to these transfers.
Even if a casino isn’t technically a crypto asset service provider, its ability to move funds as a financial institution through partners (exchanges, payment services, banking) relies on collecting enough information to keep those channels open.
KYC isn’t only about compliance to avoid penalties and punishment. It’s also about operators working towards beneficial and sustainable partnerships.
Banks and payment service providers are less willing to support gambling businesses that can’t demonstrate AML controls. Affiliate and media partners often want proof the operator is licensed and compliant (including player verification and fraud controls). Plus, KYC helps reduce bonus abuse, multi-accounting, and chargeback-style disputes (even if the deposit was crypto).
The iGaming industry is often associated with grey legality, but the implementation of KYC in their platforms helps business partners take operators seriously with the knowledge that their business relationships are working under legal frameworks.
For crypto players, KYC is now going to mean:
fewer truly anonymous options.
more friction at withdrawal, which is usually where KYC is triggered.
better consumer protections on casino sites with clearer dispute processes and more responsible gaming controls.
fewer surprise account freezes when verification is openly communicated to the players.
If a player is evaluating a crypto casino, it is no longer a question of “Do they KYC?” but “When do they KYC, and how transparently?”
Do crypto casinos have to do KYC?
If a casino wants (or needs) a credible license to offer services, it will almost always be expected to perform customer due diligence and ongoing monitoring under AML frameworks their licensing authority sets.
Is KYC mainly about money laundering?
That is a key reason. AML/CFT obligations are centered around combatting criminal activity, and global standards increasingly cover virtual assets like crypto and cryptocurrency.
Will “no-KYC” crypto casinos disappear?
Not entirely. There will always be a demand for them from players who want to remain as anonymous as possible. However, they will likely remain in legal grey zones and come with their own set of risks like payout disputes.
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