LONDON – The UK Gambling Commission plans to explore permitting gamblers to pay for their bets with cryptocurrencies as Britain moves toward adopting digital-asset regulations.  

The Financial Conduct Authority is expected to finalise rules governing crypto activities in 2026, with the regulations taking effect in late 2027. Gambling firms may be among those that apply for crypto licences under the new regime, Mr Tim Miller, the Gambling Commission’s executive director of research and policy, said in a speech on Feb 26.

“That, as well as the growing appetite we see from punters, means we do now want to start looking at what the potential path forward would be to create a way for crypto-assets to be used as a consumer payment option…