OKX Cracks Down on Gambling-Linked Deposits, Triggering AML Reviews

OKX is cracking down on gambling-linked crypto deposits, founder and CEO Star Xu said. Deposits from high-risk addresses can now trigger anti-money laundering (AML) reviews lasting 15 days or longer.

During that window, account functions and funds may be restricted. OKX will cut off users entirely if their activity is confirmed illicit, Xu added.

AML Review Targets Gambling-Linked Channels

Xu made the comment on X earlier Wednesday. He was responding to a user question about how OKX handles betting platforms that send funds directly into exchange wallets.

欧易遇到这种情况怎么办呢，买球平台直接提到交易所的钱包。 pic.twitter.com/npBFyTF00i

— ry (@ryqor8) September 2, 2026

Xu flagged transactions tied to “guaranteed” escrow services run through Telegram groups, along with a network he called Huiwang. Huiwang is the pinyin name for Huione Guarantee. The Telegram marketplace processed more than $27 billion in transactions before regulators moved against it in 2025.

Successor platforms, including Tudou Guarantee, have since absorbed much of that volume, according to reports on Chinese-language laundering networks.

“Funds obtained through channels including but not limited to guaranteed transactions in TG groups, Huiwang and its variants, etc., may carry higher source-of-funds risks.”

– Star Xu,

OKX flagged wallets tied to the Huione Guarantee marketplace for compliance checks last year, after US authorities moved against it.

It said at the time it could freeze funds or deactivate accounts confirmed to be linked to the network. The US Treasury’s FinCEN cut the network off from the US financial system in October 2025.

Part of a Wider Compliance Push

The crackdown follows a CertiK finding that AML enforcement now outranks securities cases as crypto’s top regulatory risk. OKX itself paid more than $500 million in AML-related penalties in the United States last year.

Xu has also acknowledged that a small share of legitimate users get flagged by the platform’s fraud checks. OKX faced public backlash in July 2025 after users reported accounts frozen over false fraud flags.

从高风险地址向 OKX 充值，可能触发更严格的反洗钱和风险审查。根据具体情况，审查可能持续 15 天甚至更久，账户部分功能以及资金也可能受到限制；对于确认涉及高风险或非法活动的账户，我们可能终止服务。包括但不限于通过TG… https://t.co/x73WJAYTj7

— Star_OKX (@star_okx) September 2, 2026

Whether the new 15-day review window curbs illicit inflows without snagging more legitimate depositors will soon become clear.