The AGA's 2025 Update Highlights Growing Payout Risks for Gaming

30 October 2026

As gaming operators face evolving risks from digital payments, the flaws in a common marketing practice have never been more relevant. Many casinos tout fast crypto or e-wallet payouts but gloss over what happens next. Now an audit of operator-published times provides fresh data to assess the true player experience.

SLATING VIRTUAL CURRENCY TURBOCHARGED PAYOUTS

The American Gaming Association underscored the risk when it released an updated Best Practices for Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Guide in October 2025. It's the first major update since 2022 and expands to cover digital wallets, cryptocurrency and online activity. The Association added a new section on risk assessment and reinforced guidance on Know Your Customer and Suspicious Activity Reporting.

When multiple payout rails converge in an operator's digital ecosystem, bad actors can cycle bets in an elaborate sequence that flies under the radar. For instance, a player might deposit using crypto, withdraw by card, and repeat using an anonymous e-wallet. The AGA recognized the vulnerability and released stronger standards for AML programs in the current regulatory environment.

Back when digital wallets and crypto were limited to a few niche providers, the risks posed by rising payout speeds were less urgent. But in 2025, players have more options than ever to fund and withdraw from gaming accounts. Taking payout marketing at face value neglects the second stage in the process. As if to prove the point, a September 2025 audit from RankZino of 82 casinos revealed dizzying variation in both stated and actual payout speeds.

SO DAYS BECOME WEEKS

The takeaway from the report is a refrain familiar to many players: crypto and e-wallets boast publishing payouts in 24 hours or less, while cards and bank transfers lag weeks behind. But even those fast payouts involve a second, slower stage that is often oversold. The operators surveyed claim they can process a crypto or e-wallet payout within a day. Yet when it comes to the time between approval and issuance, 0% responded with 24 hours or less.

The median published pending time was 5 days, suggesting that the period between approval and payout has become a bottleneck. Among the 50 casinos that didn't respond to the report, we may assume those operators are extending the processing timeline even further. Compared to the payout times themselves, the pending periods turned out to be the fastest in crypto and e-wallets only.

Card withdrawals clocked in at 5 days, with crypto and e-wallets the same. But when it comes to bank transfers, the median jumps to 7 days, nearly three times the median for the most heralded payout rail in crypto. There, the operative phrase seems to be "from 24 hours" because the waiting period before issuing the payout is often weeks, even months.

PENDING PERIOD EMERGES AS RISK VECTOR

The final piece in any player’s payout timeline is the actual deposit sliding into his or her account. While operators distinguish between payment methods, there is now a notable gap in the business logic behind payout types. Crypto and e-wallets may be fastest, but the reporting window can run weeks. For cards and bank transfers, the median is slower but the operative word is days, not weeks. At some point, the difference is academic, and both types can run to several weeks.

The pendency problem inevitably appears in the payouts guaranteed in 24 hours for crypto or e-wallets. With crypto, the median is 24 hours. With e-wallets, it's 24 hours. Crypto trailblazers affirm their commitment with 74% claiming 24-hour payouts. But once you sign out, you shouldn't expect to see the crypto deposit at the center of your bank statement, casino fans. The limited results show no operators are reducing a pending period to 24 hours or less. Nobody.

If bad actors exploit an operator's digital infrastructure, let the regulator decide who is accountable for the chain of custody. According to the AGA, operators now have updated best practices in assessing digital risks, KYC and SAR all to thank for improved AML standards. In the final analysis, publishers of operator-published payout data should be held accountable.

Ultimately, it may require an exhaustive comparison of actual payout times before the dagger finds its mark. In January 2026, RankZino released an audit of casinos' payout speeds, and who else knows what gaming publications will produce when it comes to operator-published statistics.

Given the current regulatory momentum, one thing is certain: sooner or later, the truth will come out.