G2E: Gaming industry could do more with crypto, even after CLARITY Act death

As attendees and delegates streamed into the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas for the 2026 edition of G2E Monday morning, the festivities began with a spirited and sometimes frustrated discussion on the future of cryptocurrency in regulated gaming, which, as panelists noted, is still very much in flux.

Industry consultant Jonathan Michaels moderated the panel with three guests whose experience covered various aspects of the intersection between gaming and finance: Earle Hall, CEO of systems provider AXES, Rich Winley, CEO of payment kiosk maker Payline, and Lindsay Slader, chief growth officer of UBank.

The panel convened about two weeks after the US Senate failed to advance a significant federal crypto bill known as the CLARITY Act. This development was celebrated by some sectors of the industry mainly due to the many connections between crypto and the burgeoning prediction market industry. That said, another, similar piece of legislation known as the GENIUS Act was signed into law in July 2025.

Like many issues in gaming, stances on crypto vary by jurisdiction, but overall adoption is still very low. The CLARITY Act would have provided a market structure for digital assets like crypto, but the GENIUS Act did provide a framework for stablecoins, a type of crypto with a value that’s pegged to another asset like the US dollar.