Land-based casinos may have been in a bit of dire straits recently, but in a bid to make things easier for customers once they re-open their doors, US establishments are looking for a cashless system to be introduced. Posing such suggestions to gambling regulators, the American casino industry is looking to get back on its feet, and if it does adopt cashless payment transactions, this could be the way forward to doing so.
The American Gaming Association (AGA), which operates as the gambling industry’s national trade group, called on regulators in states where gambling is legal in the US, to proceed with an update to their rules and/or laws. This would see them introduce the cashless option for gamblers to utilise when visiting land-based establishments.
As it happens though, this was an option that was being looked into way before the appearance of the coronavirus. An 18-month study was conducted by both commercial and tribal casinos, as well as casino equipment providers, in a bid to try and work out a way that cashless transactions could be incorporated in these establishments on a wider basis. A small number of casinos already utilise cashless payments, including debit and credit cards, as well as apps such as Apple Pay and Google Pay from mobile devices.
It has long been a goal of the gambling industry within the United States to see wider acceptance of these payment methods.
Land-Based Gambling Looking to Get Back on Form
While there has been a bit more of an uptake in online gambling throughout the US recently, this isn’t something that is considered legal within many US states at the moment. So, players have to resort to offshore platforms to get their gambling fix instead. It differs quite significantly in comparison to neighbouring country of Canada, where the government does provide legal and licensed betting options for citizens.
It’s for this reason that you can find comprehensive lists of the leading bookmakers in Canada, which allow you to locate a top-quality casino, poker room or sportsbook to join. Once you do so, you’ll be able to sign up, make a deposit and gamble on whatever takes your fancy. Yet, things are very much different where the US is concerned, with land-based gambling being much more accepted than that taking place online.
A selection of casinos based in Nevada and some of the tribal casinos across the country have introduced digital payment options for their visitors to use, but the technology still remains exceptionally new as a concept for many other locations. That being said, the Nevada Gaming Commission is scheduled to attend a hearing on June 25, which is thought to be the place that it will accept changes to state regulations regarding modern payment methods. If so, this would see new, digital payment methods introduced at all land-based facilities.
Various advantages of adopting such payment systems have already been noted by the AGA, including the fact that gamblers will be able to follow and set limits to their gambling activity and a reduction in the number of currency transaction reports that casinos have to file with the government.
