Crypto’s Turning Point
2026 is set to be another monumental year in the extraordinary career of Yolo Group founder Tim Heath.
Heath launched crypto wagering operator and supplier Coingaming Group in 2013. Its B2C brands Sportsbet.io and Bitcasino.io became big names in the sector as cryptocurrency grew in popularity.
The meteoric rise in crypto usage has enabled Yolo to make perhaps its most seismic shift in strategy. In September, the company announced it would pivot toward regulated markets.
The plan includes incorporating the Sportsbet and Bitcasino brands into the single Yolo.com brand, which would target tier 1 regulated markets.
As a pioneer in the crypto gambling sector, Yolo feels it has a responsibility to bring the crypto casino experience to regulated domestic markets. The company has already secured a pair of B2B gaming-related vendor licenses for the newly regulated UAE market, meaning its Hub88 Holdings and Live Online Gaming Services subsidiaries can supply iGaming content.
When Play 971 became the first fully licensed and regulated iGaming site in the UAE, much of the content featured on its homepage came from supplier OneTouch, which falls under the licensed entity of Live Online Gaming Services. So Yolo is taking massive strides into the UAE. But that’s not the only market on which it’s setting its sights.
In announcing the strategic shift, Yolo also pointed to Canada, Sweden and Finland as markets targeted for expansion. Additionally, Yolo is likely to be at the forefront of the new-look market in Estonia, which recently announced plans to lower its remote gambling tax rate to 4 percent by around 2029.
In October, Heath praised the new gambling bill in Estonia, where Yolo is headquartered, saying it would attract more operators into the market and raise tax revenue.
“Only a year ago, the plan was to raise taxes,” he said in a blog post. “Proposing a different course took serious courage, and it shows the Estonian government understands how our industry really works. Estonia’s embrace of crypto in this new regulation helps cement its reputation as the world’s most digital country. It encourages operator transparency and turns it into a national advantage.”
As crypto gambling continues to surge in popularity, many in the industry expect more governments and regulators to consider bringing the burgeoning market onshore.
In November, U.K. Gambling Commission CEO Andrew Rhodes stated that the government cannot ignore crypto gambling, saying that steps must be taken to regulate the activity.
That’s good news for Yolo, which could become the bridge between crypto gambling and regulated markets. In the new year, all eyes will be on Heath and his team to see how they execute this ambitious transition and if Yolo can thrive in its new regulated era.
