WASHINGTON—Could slot machines drive greater use of digital wallets?
It’s a possibility, according to a number of publications, which have been reporting on efforts by casinos to turn to methods that would reduce the use of cash and payout tickets at the one-arm bandits.
“At the end of your run, you take those final slips to a counter or a kiosk and get your money in bills and coins,” noted the Daily Independent.
To keep players safe from COVID-19, casinos are considering solutions that would allow slot players to use Apple Pay and other digital wallets to insert money in the machines and get their winnings back, the report noted. The Wall Street Journal included similar reporting.
The American Gaming Association has released its new Payments Modernization Policy Principles, an 18-month, collaborative industry effort that provides a framework for regulatory flexibility, allowing digital payments on the casino floor.
“Advancing opportunities for digital payments has been one of our top priorities since my first day at the AGA,” stated Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO. “It aligns with gaming’s role as a modern, 21st century industry and bolsters our already rigorous regulatory and responsible gaming measures. The COVID-19 pandemic made it all the more important to advance our efforts to provide customers with the payment choice they are more comfortable with and have increasingly come to expect in their daily lives.”