Nevada slot machines will soon accept pre-paid debit cards after the Nevada Gaming Commission voted to change regulation on 20 February 2014.
The Nevada Gaming Commission voted 4-0 on 20 February to approve the amendments, which were backed by several gaming companies and recommended by Sightline Payments, a Las-Vegas payment processing business.
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Marc Falcone, chief financial officer at Station Casinos said: "We have significant costs associated with obtaining and handling cash.
"We believe that it is time Nevada gaming companies get the benefits of electronic commerce that have been available to other industries for several years".
Falcone was among the gaming industry executives who supported regulation changes to accept prepaid cards and he said that the card would benefit patrons and address concerns raised by responsible gaming proponents.
Steve Des Champs, general manager at United Coin said: "It (prepaid card use) would provide an enhanced level of safety and security.
"The prepaid cards also represent an interesting new tool for us to use in interacting with our guests".
Attorney Dennis Neilander, a former Gaming Control Board chairman and an adviser to the Problem Gambling Council, said that Sightline Payments would place a message about problem gambling visible to players when they load funds into the card.
Monetary limits on the prepaid cards, as Neilander explained, are governed by the US Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and many banks also have cash limits on the cards, and customers can place limits on what the card can hold.
The Gaming Control Board must approve the technology before customers will be allowed to use prepaid cards at Nevada’s slots.
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