Boyd Gaming Unveils Aristocrat Cashless Gaming Solution at Its Blue Chip Casino

On Monday this week, Boyd Gaming announced its partnership with Aristocrat Technologies to experiment with a project at its Blue Chip Casino, which is in Michigan City, Ind. Boyd Gaming is taking its very first step into cashless gaming.

The cashless gaming system is at the casino will be implemented by Aristocrat Technologies. This is a pilot project that will be extended to other Boy’s casinos if found to be effective.

If the initiative fares well at Boyd’s Blue Chip, the two companies, Boyd Gaming, and Aristocrat Technologies will roll out a great service, known as Resort Wallet. The service will be rolled out in phases in all the other 28 Boyd Casinos, spread across ten states in the country.

At the casino, patrons of Blue Chip can proceed to the cashier’s cage to deposit their money. The money will be placed automatically on the patron’s B Connect card. Only the cad can be used by players to play slots at the moment, but this is not the ultimate plan. The project’s ultimate plan is to enable players at the casino to purchase chips, not only for the table games but also to use it in the restaurants of the resort and other retail shops.

CEO and President Keith Smith confirmed that the program had started days before Monday and that hundreds of customers had already signed up. Given that hundreds of people had already signed up for the program, which was announced without fanfare, most customers expected the project to be embraced.

Smith is also confident that the program will reduce Boyds’ costs since casinos would be carrying less cash. The program also provides security and convenience for players.

Cashless Gaming at Casinos Has Foes and Friends

There has been a push for the US gaming industry to migrate to the cashless transaction. It started Bill Miller, who is the American Gaming Association President and CEO, suggested that there is a need for the gaming industry to modernize. This was last year during the Global Gaming Expo. The push has so far gained traction across the industry.

There are so many Casinos in Michigan and other states that are already into the fray. D Las Vegas, The Palms, and The Stratosphere are already using ACS PlayOn. Global Payments Gaming Solutions also has a project in progress at few casinos, including the Downstream Casino Resort, located in Oklahoma.

While the technology could help fight money laundering schemes at casinos, player advocates claim a loss of privacy. There is also the aspect of job loss. The United Auto Workers has raised concerns that the technology

will lead to job cuts and reduce workers’ tips.