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Casino Operators Largely Shun New Payment Method Technologies
Although researchers have developed a series of new technologies that make financial transactions much easier, it is unlikely that casinos will be employing these innovations anytime soon.

Technologies such as contact- less credit cards, fingerprint identification systems (the “biometric method”) and check cashing machines that use facial recognition are at the vanguard of payment methods. A diversity of places, from fast food franchise stores to financial services companies, employ these methods. However, the casino industry, at least for now, is not biting.

Contact- less credit cards, of which over 3.5 million are already in circulation, requires a customer to simply wave his or her card before a machine. The signal is transmitted from the card to the credit card company via radio wave. Many of the major credit card companies offer contact- free cards. Chase's Blink and MasterCard PayPass have emerged as the category leaders.

The fingerprint identification system works by having a customer register his or her fingerprint into a database. After he or she does so, a computerized system will recognize the individual by taking a heat- generated reading of their fingerprint. The system then asks the user to enter a phone number or zip code, and then to select the account from which the payment will be extracted (provided, of course, that the customer listed a number of accounts upon registration).

Check cashing machines that work through facial recognition are also at the front line of the new payment technologies. This “cash dispensing virtual cashier” has many potential applications for casino use. For one thing, many people have a higher cash limit on their checks than on their credit cards. Also, many people simply feel more comfortable using checks. However, although a few casinos do feature this machine, the majority still do not.

Casino operators cite cost as one of the reasons for their technological reticence. In order to implement these new payment methods, casinos would have to completely re- haul systems. Joe McDonald, the chairman of the Gaming and Wagering Protection Council for the Washington, D.C.-based American Society for Industrial Security, said that "To replace player rewards cards, you are probably talking about $5 per card... And to change out the reader, you are probably talking $75 per machine." Moreover, McDonald surmised, people will probably lose cards a great deal, and the casino will have to replace them.

Another reason for casino operators’ weariness of the new technology is related to privacy concerns. Casino customers, say experts and operators, do not want to give casino employees their fingerprints. Casino- going is supposed to be an anonymous activity, and taking fingerprints may have eerie Big Brother- like associations for some customers. Taking fingerprints, saw experts, may defeat the “What goes on it Vegas stays in Vegas” spontaneous vibe.

However, the biggest reason for casino managers’ lack of interest in the new technologies may be simpler than all these reasons: maybe, they just don’t see the need.

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