Blockchain is back on the menu

It was 20 years ago when I attended my first ICE (International Casino Exhibition), which took place at Earl’s Court in London, a venue that no longer exists today. I can remember aimlessly walking the enormous expo floor through a sea of slot machines and land-based suppliers until I found an oasis in the desert—the Microgaming bar. This is where all the iGaming people would hang out, many of whom still attend ICE 20 years later.

ICE 2026, now taking place at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, was a rejuvenating experience. It was enormous! According to the organizers, 65,000 people walked through its doors across three days. SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND! I can’t remember how many people came to ICE 20 years ago, but it was nowhere near this number. The iGaming presence has also increased dramatically, along with hundreds of payment providers who seem to have taken over the expo floor.

I attended ICE this year to moderate a “Regulatory Pivot for Crypto Casinos” panel and check out what is happening in the iGaming space from a blockchain perspective. Looking back on what I observed, I have never been so excited for a year to kick off because the intersection of the two industries I love the most is getting really hot: blockchain is back on the iGaming menu.

Below are my top five takeaways from ICE, and if you’re as excited about them as I am, I hope to see you at iGB L!ve in London the first week of July, same organizers as ICE but with a spotlight on the iGaming side.

The power of in-person meets and trust over time

Relationships are everything in iGaming, and nothing beats proven trust over time. I now have contacts and friends in the iGaming space of over 20 years, and all of these connections come from the conference circuit. Frequenting in-person events such as ICE is essential if you want to do business in iGaming, and as a bonus, you will make friends for life.

One of my favorite memories from ICE 2026 was attending Sue Schneider’s surprise birthday party, a room full of iGaming industry vets who are still in contact in one way or another.

Sue was responsible for some of the first events in iGaming, and she remains one of the most adored people in this space, now helping start-up founders through her latest venture, Defy the Odds.

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Regulation and ‘crypto casinos’

Another favorite memory from my ICE experience was moderating the “Blockchain, Black Markets, Breakthrough? The Regulatory Pivot for Crypto Casinos” panel featuring Fábio Tibéria of VBet Brazil, Brandon Loeschner of RubinBrown, Daniel Grabher of Mediastream AG, Ron Segev of Segev LLP, and former regulator Birgitte Sand.

The panelists covered all the latest regulations surrounding crypto payments and revealed how blockchain technology can give regulators superior real-time visibility over money flows, cleaner anti-money laundering (AML) and source-of-funds controls, and verifiable responsible gambling. The panelists also debated whether the new regulations will bring crypto casinos into the white market (or not) and why the black market exists in the first place. Sadly, the panel was cut short while we were still debating, but if anyone has thoughts on this spicy subject, I’d love to hear them.

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Brazil focus

The Brazilian market has been a region of interest in the iGaming world for as long as I can remember, but this year Brazil seemed to be everywhere—sprinkled throughout the sessions, Brazil-themed stands on the expo floor, Brazil-themed networking drinks, a Brazil facing operator on my panel…I was actually coming to ICE straight from Brazil, if you can believe it.

Thanks to my São Paulo-based panelist Tibéria, I learned Brazil is one of the top five markets globally and right at the intersection of digital finance, crypto adoption, and regulated gambling growth. Digital payments are already huge in Brazil because of Pix, with hundreds of millions of transactions per day and instant settlement. Sounds like a region ripe for stablecoins, loyalty tokens, micropayments, and other blockchain-powered innovations. Could it be worth your while to attend an iGaming event in this region, such as SBC’s Summit in Rio this coming March or SiGMA’s Summit in São Paulo this coming April?

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Payment solutions and stablecoins

Something that surprised me this year was the countless number of payment solution exhibitors. Payment Solution Providers or “PSPs” are known as the “lifeblood” of iGaming—without them, our digital industry (and plenty of others) could not exist. However, this is a sector within iGaming where things are changing…and fast.

Stablecoins can facilitate the global movement of money faster and cheaper than traditional rails, and PSPs are starting to use stablecoins at the settlement layer. There is a segment of players, especially Gen Z, who are comfortable transacting in stablecoins and crypto, but the majority are not there yet. I think we’ll see stablecoins contributing to the iGaming ecosystem as payment processing plumbing before we see everyday spending, followed by greater blockchain adoption. This is just the beginning!

Blockchain beyond payments

Overall, I am so happy the iGaming industry is starting to understand how blockchain-powered tech can improve our industry far beyond just allowing players to spend (or sometimes clean) their crypto. We can harness blockchain to help with payment plumbing, Know Your Customer (KYC) and AML initiatives, digital identity, loyalty, responsible gambling, and more, reducing costs and improving player experience at the same time. I can’t wait to dive into all of these areas as the year goes on; it’s the exact moment I’ve been waiting for.

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Watch | Blockchain Futurist 2025 (Part 2): From hype to real use cases