AGA Updates AML Best Practices Guide

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has refreshed its Best Practices for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Compliance Guide, expanding the document to reflect new technologies, changing laws, and evolving risks tied to online gaming and digital payments.

Good to know

• The guide now includes new sections on risk assessment and customer verification.
• Expanded coverage addresses cryptocurrency, digital wallets, and online activity.
• This is the first update since 2022, during which sports betting expanded into 10 more states.

What Has Changed

The latest version of the guide introduces a dedicated risk assessment framework, new direction on know your customer (KYC) procedures, and updated recommendations around digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, and online gaming activity.

These additions reflect a shift in how criminal activity interacts with modern payment channels. As more states legalize sports betting and iGaming grows, regulators and operators alike face the challenge of keeping compliance programs ahead of potential threats.

Alex Costello, AGA Vice President of Government Relations, highlighted the motivation behind the revisions:

“Maintaining up-to-date AML policies is essential to safeguarding the gaming industry’s operations, employees, and customers – and to protecting the integrity of the U.S. financial system.

“We encourage all casino operators and suppliers to use this resource to continually refine their practices as both the industry and threat environment change.”

Previous Update

The AGA last issued updates in 2022. Since then, 10 states have legalized sports betting, bringing the nationwide total to 39 states plus the District of Columbia. iGaming, however, has grown more slowly. Only seven states currently allow online casino play in some form: Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Connecticut. In some cases, the access is limited — for example, poker-only offerings.

The contrast highlights why AML programs need to be adaptive. Sports betting has scaled quickly, while iGaming is concentrated in a handful of states, yet both require effective safeguards to ensure player safety and compliance with financial law.

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