G2E: Using a credit card to gamble on a slot machine? There may soon be an app for that

Casino equipment manufacturers spent three days at last week’s Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas touting 21st century technology to engage customer interest, such as 3D and 4D slot machine graphics and virtual reality-type displays. However, using a digital wallet application on a mobile phone to buy gaming credits for slot machine play is seemingly 22nd century technology. “Why is the casino floor one of the last cash-only businesses on Earth, right down there with garage sales and flea markets?” American Gaming Association CEO Bill Miller asked during his opening G2E address. Penn National Gaming CEO Tim Wilmott, whose company operates 41 casinos in 19 states, was also blunt; “We’re prehistoric as an industry on how customers engage with us financially.”