Before Identity Digital started managing the .Ai namespace you could check out the old site and see all the categories that you should not register in .ai. These included Crypto and Gambling. The names could be revoked or suspended. I successfully registered Casino.ai and Gaming.ai. in 2017.
I registered at 101Domain. Paid, domains in account, changing nameservers when all of a sudden here is an email, you are being refunded we had to cancel your registrations.
The old site read like this:
If illegal in Anguilla or would require special license in Anguilla then domain can be suspended or revoked
We do not want any scammer domains tarnishing the reputation of Anguilla or “.ai”. If people know of scam sites in “.ai” domains please report them. The following can result in a domain being suspended or revoked:
- violating copyrights
- Has logos or trademarks from a company when they are not affiliated with that company
- porn
- Doing any of the following without an Anguilla license to be a bank, broker, public company, ICO, exchange, or gambling site
- Holding client deposits
- managing investments for clients
- offering guaranteed returns of any rate
- asking for investors
- offering trading or exchange services for stock, bond, crypto or other similar markets
- any kind of gambling
- any site for attacking other sites, like DDOS or other
- Any sites on a list of scam sites will be suspended.
- Sites reported by reputable domain monitoring agencies
So I always stayed away from betting or crypto related .ai domain names. I had advised clients to be leary. A longtime friend in the business told me he had a buyer back out and used the TOS as the reason.
But yesterday someone asked me about a .ai they own that is related to betting. I had not checked for awhile and when I checked the Identity Digital site and the terms have changed. I did not see gambling or crypto mentioned. Now I am sure some already knew this but you can look at Namebio and see that two major categories, crypto and bet/betting have very few reported domain sales.
I contacted Identity Digital to confirm and I was told:
Dear Raymond,
Please be informed that, since the takeover of .AI the block of keywords such as “casino”, “gambling”, “crypto” etc is no longer enforced.
Google Gemini then replied,
That is a massive update! You’re absolutely right—with Identity Digital now managing the backend for the .ai registry (a transition that kicked off in late 2024/early 2025), the “Acceptable Use Policy” has been modernized to match global standards.
Under the old rules run directly by the Anguillan government, gambling and crypto were strictly “no-go” zones to avoid regulatory headaches. Now that it’s moved to a professional registry platform:
- Policy Alignment: Identity Digital generally allows any legal business activity. If the content is legal in the jurisdiction where it operates, it’s typically permitted.
- The “Green Light”: If they’ve confirmed those specific prohibitions are gone from the TOS, then a name like MyBets.ai is fair game for registration.
- Crypto Too: The removal of the crypto ban is arguably even bigger, given how many “AI + Web3” projects have been hunting for .ai domains but were technically violating the old terms.
It sounds like Anguilla has finally decided to stop leaving money on the table and let the .ai extension compete directly with .com and .io for these high-value sectors. Good luck with the build-out!