There was so much discussion about cashless transactions during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic that it seemed as though casinos would be falling all over themselves to make this more widespread.
That wasn’t quite the case in casinos around the country including Las Vegas last year. Cashless gaming hasn’t taken off to the level some were expecting just yet.
It seemed as though cashless gaming might be on the verge of a breakthrough in Las Vegas in 2021. Resorts World Las Vegas became the first Las Vegas casino to offer an entirely cashless experience on the casino and throughout the property in 2021.
More than a year later, Resorts World is still the only Vegas Strip casino to offer cashless gaming of any kind. Being the early adopter didn’t help the technology spread.
Large Vegas Strip operators like Caesars and MGM Resorts still haven’t joined in the cashless gaming parade. Station Casinos offers cashless gaming at slot machines with its STN Cash app. Players can also sign up for a line of credit using the Marker Trax technology in the app.
Aliante remains the only Boyd Gaming property to offer any kind of cashless gaming. Like Station Casinos, it’s only available on machine games.
Meanwhile, Resorts World remains the only casino with cashless gaming on the Vegas Strip. Unlike Station Casinos, the cashless technology at Resorts World works on both slot machines and table games like blackjack.
As 2022 was ending Resorts World upgraded its cashless gaming technology. This should extend to other casinos elsewhere in Las Vegas later this year.
Resorts World Cashless Gaming Upgrade
Resorts World recently upgraded its cashless gaming platform. The 2nd generation of cashless technology includes:
- Remote identity verification and enrollment for loyalty and payments
- Biometric authentication
- A single “digital wallet”
Rick Hutchins, SVP Casino Operators at Resorts World Las Vegas said:
“We knew when we launched the Mobile+ and Play+ technology it would be an iterative process as we would continue to make enhancements and improvements along the way for our guests. Today, we’ve dramatically lessened the time and hassle for those who want to take advantage of cashless gaming and enroll in Genting Rewards when they visit our resort. I’m thrilled we’re at the forefront of simplifying the process for our guests by giving them more time to focus on what they came here to do: enjoy themselves.”
Remote identity verification is new for Nevada casinos. This allows players to open and fund a cashless gaming account before visiting the casino.
Sports bettors have long craved being able to open a mobile betting account without driving to a casino and spending 10-30 minutes waiting for approval. Unfortunately for sports bettors, this technology only allows casino players the ability to open and fund an account for the first time from anywhere.
The Resorts World Las Vegas Mobile+ app allows players to use the biometric features on their mobile devices for enhanced security and ease of use. More importantly, this is the first to deploy a single wallet.
Previously, a player would go through a two-step process to fund and then play using the cashless technology. The new version of the app allows this process to happen behind the scenes.
All of these features save time and are more convenient than the original offering.
It wouldn’t be Las Vegas if there wasn’t a fee attached to a service. Resorts World charges a 2.95% fee on all transactions.
