International Game Technology PLC announced that the supplier’s Resort Wallet “carded cashless” gaming module has been approved by regulators in Nevada.. The cashless play system will be available as part of the IGT Advantage casino management system.
“Our Resort Wallet solution ensures that our customers can experience the increased liquidity, player convenience and enhanced safety that only cashless gaming can deliver,” said Ryan Reddy, IGT’s vice president of VLT, systems and payments products. “This solution will heighten the player experience to new levels while positioning our customers as technology leaders. We’re grateful to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for enabling this momentous debut in the state.”
The Resort Wallet carded cashless module enables players to use a loyalty card to transfer cash into a secure digital wallet from either the casino cash desk or any Resort Wallet-enabled slot machine. Players can then insert their PIN-protected card into the slot machine, apply those funds to their game play, and cash out to their secure digital wallet at any time.
They can also choose to move a portion of their funds from the slot machine to their digital wallet while printing a ticket at the slot machine for the balance.
The carded cashless module is one of three variations available as part of IGT’s Resort Wallet solution, the industry’s only fully integrated, turnkey cashless technology:
- A variation of the Resort Wallet solution includes cardless cashless, where players tap their smartphone on a slot machine or table game to card in. They can then access their Cashless Wagering Account, load cash into the account from either the casino cashier, kiosk, or slot machine, then transfer funds between slot machines onsite, as well as between a casino’s properties.
- Cashless with external funding represents the full-service variation of the Resort Wallet solution. It combines Resort Wallet with IGTPay, IGT’s proprietary external funding gateway. Players access their Cashless Wagering Account from a mobile app, with the flexibility to load their account securely and directly with funds from external sources such as credit and debit cards, bank accounts, and e-Wallets.
In addition to slot play, patrons can seamlessly access the funds in their Resort Wallet Cashless Wagering Account for table gaming, sports betting, and at retail points-of-sale.
All Resort Wallet modules encourage social distancing on the gaming floor by reducing lines at the casino cash desk and kiosks, and generate greater operational efficiencies by reducing cash handling costs and associated safety and security risks. Cashless play lessens machine maintenance by reducing cash handling, and results in fewer cash handling errors.
In a separate development that will affect IGT’s cashless play solutions, the company has secured a U.S. patent on a system to transfer cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin from virtual wallet accounts to slot machines.
“IGT secured this patent to bolster its industry-leading patent portfolio in anticipation of any possible future direction in regulated gaming involving cryptocurrency,” said company spokesman Phil O’Shaughnessy, according to Inside Asian Gaming.
Previously, cryptocurrency fans have had to convert their holdings into cash at special crypto ATMs on casino floors before wagering. But last year, the Nevada Gaming Commission made it easier for casinos to introduce cashless systems, letting players transfer funds from smartphones to gaming machines directly.
