G2E panel says gaming can advance crypto despite CLARITY Act collapse
At G2E in Las Vegas, payments and systems executives argued the gaming industry can expand crypto use on its own, even after the US Senate failed to pass the CLARITY Act.
A G2E panel in Las Vegas opened this year's show with a debate on cryptocurrency's uncertain place in regulated gaming, roughly two weeks after the US Senate declined to advance the CLARITY Act, a federal bill that would have set a market structure for digital assets.
The session was moderated by industry consultant Jonathan Michaels and featured Earle Hall, chief executive of systems provider AXES, Rich Winley, chief executive of payment kiosk maker Payline, and Lindsay Slader, chief growth officer at UBank, according to iGaming Business.
Some parts of the industry welcomed the CLARITY Act's failure because of its ties to the fast-growing prediction markets sector, iGaming Business reported. A related measure, the GENIUS Act, was signed into law in July 2025 and did establish a framework for stablecoins, crypto assets pegged to another asset such as the US dollar.
Asked by iGaming Business whether federal legislation along the lines of the CLARITY Act is still necessary for crypto to reach its potential in gaming, panelists suggested the sector need not wait. Slader said operators already have the tools "where we could really spin it up quickly if we wanted to, regardless of what's happening in the federal government".
Much of the discussion turned on the industry's comfort with cash despite the compliance burden that comes with it. Casinos have faced five multimillion-dollar anti-money laundering fines since the start of 2025, including a $7.2 million penalty against Venetian, this year's G2E host venue.
Hall argued that stablecoin technology offers a faster and more secure way to move money than existing cash processes, and compared casino chips to a primitive form of stablecoin, since both are issued at a fixed value, tracked by their issuer and backed by another asset.
Winley said the industry has processed transactions at the same speed for decades, and argued that the more closely crypto interfaces resemble familiar financial products, the more readily customers will adopt them.
A study commissioned this month by the American Gaming Association found gamblers scored higher on financial literacy than non-gamblers, with 41% of gamblers rated highly financially literate against 27% of non-gamblers, a gap the panel said points to demand for crypto deposit and withdrawal options if regulation keeps pace.
A separate report published in June by payment provider Paysafe found crypto adoption among online sports bettors running at more than double the national average, with its authors forecasting that crypto would climb into the top three deposit methods and the top two payment preferences in major markets such as New York and Illinois.
Slader said gaming has long carried a reputation problem with banks, but argued that should not block closer integration with an already established crypto sector under tight regulation. She said the industry needs to help gaming regulators understand how the surrounding ecosystem works, noting that know-your-customer checks, self-exclusion and responsible gambling screening still apply throughout a player's journey.