I tested online casinos licensed by SRIJ throughout 2026 and the answer to the most frequent question is short: no legal operator in Portugal accepts cryptocurrencies. SRIJ (Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos) does not authorise Bitcoin, USDT or any other digital asset for the 17 licensed operators. Anyone who wants to play with crypto from Portugal only finds casinos that are illegal in Portuguese territory, with no legal protection for the player.
Why SRIJ bans cryptocurrencies at online casinos
Portuguese regulation of online gambling, established by Decree-Law No. 66/2015, requires each licensed operator to comply with three requirements that are incompatible with using cryptocurrencies for deposits and withdrawals.
- full player identification (KYC) with citizen card and NIF before any deposit;
- total traceability of transactions for anti-money-laundering purposes (AML);
- payment of the special online gambling tax, calculated on gross revenue in euros.
Cryptocurrencies clash with these three requirements: they are anonymous by nature, hard to trace within a Portuguese banking chain, and lack a fixed exchange rate in euros at the moment of deposit. None of the SRIJ operators (Betano, Solverde, Betclic, 888, Placard and 12 others) accepts crypto as a payment method in 2026.
What SRIJ casinos offer instead of cryptocurrencies
All operators licensed in Portugal work exclusively in euros, with payment methods regulated by the Bank of Portugal. I tested each of these throughout the year.
- MB WAY, the preferred method in Portugal: instant deposits and withdrawals, eligible for all welcome promotions;
- Multibanco, the traditional benchmark for top-ups in up to 30 minutes;
- Visa and Mastercard, with instant deposits and withdrawals in 1 to 3 business days;
- PayPal, with withdrawals in under 24 hours at most operators;
- SEPA bank transfer, ideal for amounts above 500 €.
Compared with the experience on SRIJ platforms, the supposed advantage of crypto (instant, anonymous deposit) becomes very relative. MB WAY offers the same speed without account-blocking risk, without extra KYC and without exchange-rate volatility.
Crypto casinos accepting Portuguese players: the real risk
Dozens of international casinos with Curaçao, Anjouan or Malta licences accept registrations from Portuguese players and allow deposits in Bitcoin, USDT, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. All operate illegally on Portuguese territory, even when they offer a Portuguese interface. I ran an analysis throughout 2026 and the pattern is always the same.
- no SRIJ licence: any operator not listed on srij.turismodeportugal.pt is illegal in Portugal;
- no legal protection: deposits are not covered by Portuguese law, winnings have no guarantee;
- optional KYC: many crypto casinos request verification only on large withdrawals, exposing the player to sudden account blocks;
- ISP-level blocking: SRIJ orders Portuguese internet providers to block illegal sites, access can be interrupted at any time;
- tax risk: crypto winnings may be classified as capital income, taxed at up to 28 % in Portugal, unlike winnings from SRIJ operators, which remain 100 % net for the player.
Real cost of playing in euros vs crypto: an example
I simulate a scenario of a player with 500 € to deposit. At an SRIJ operator like Betano or Solverde, the amount enters immediately via MB WAY in euros. At a crypto casino in USDT with a Curaçao licence, the same amount involves buying 500 € worth of USDT (average exchange fee 0.5 %), transferring it to the casino (network fee 1 to 3 €), and internal conversion. The maths come out uneven.
- SRIJ casino (MB WAY): 500 € deposited, 0 € in fees, winnings 100 % in euros;
- Crypto casino (USDT): 500 € converted to crypto, roughly 3 € exchange fee, 2 € network fee, winnings subject to dollar volatility and possible Portuguese capital-income taxation.
Even before playing, the crypto casino costs about 5 € more than the MB WAY equivalent. Adding the legal risk, the economic argument clearly favours SRIJ-licensed operators.
When could crypto reach SRIJ casinos in Portugal?
In 2026 there is no sign that SRIJ intends to authorise cryptocurrencies at licensed operators. The European Union approved the MiCA Regulation (Markets in Crypto-Assets) in 2023, fully applicable since 2024, but the framework is aimed at crypto-asset service providers, not online gambling operators. For crypto to enter Portuguese casinos, SRIJ would have to amend Decree-Law No. 66/2015, which would require public consultation and parliamentary approval. None of these steps is currently underway.
My estimate is that the change, if it happens, will occur only from 2028 or 2029, and always with heavy KYC requirements and a fixed euro exchange rate at the moment of deposit.
My opinion on crypto casinos in Portugal
After testing SRIJ operators and comparing them with what international crypto casinos offer, I consider the practical answer in 2026 to be a single one: if you are in Portugal, play in euros at an SRIJ operator. You lose the gift of apparent anonymity (which in practice is limited, given wallet traceability), but you gain full legal protection, tax on winnings paid by the operator, and withdrawals in minutes via MB WAY. Crypto casinos continue to exist and accept Portuguese players, but the real cost — including ISP blocks and lack of legal recourse — makes the option unattractive for anyone who wants to play seriously.
Last updated: 2026.