Unions Claim Cashless Gaming Will Cause Job Losses at Nevada Casinos

Home » Unions Claim Cashless Gaming Will Cause Job Losses at Nevada Casinos

by Paige

4 years ago

While we’re all getting used to new public safety measures, Nevada is planning some more changes to improve health regulations at casinos. In a proposal for cashless gaming by the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), casinos will need to offer cashless payment services. But, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union for casino floor employees has voiced concerns.

According to the UAW Local 3555, casino employees could be laid off or terminated because of the bill. Moreover, the union claims that employees will lose tip revenue. In an NGC hearing on June 25, other concerns were also raised. Including the vague language of the proposal, like what “debit instruments” and what direct or indirect funds transfers are.

Other negative implications of the proposal could allegedly include security problem gambling risks.

Cashless Gaming Proposal

NGC Proposal Praised

While the concerns are warranted, there’s a lot of support for the proposal in Nevada. In fact, the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan is backing it fully. During an interview with the Review-Journal, she claims that it could attract new customers and support responsible gaming.

In a statement, the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers’ (AGEM) lawyer, Dan Reaser, complimented the initiative. So, Reaser claims that there are some “profoundly positive impacts” of cashless gaming, including:

Improved public health and safety.
Enhanced legal compliance.
Better responsible gaming alternatives.
And, “advanced operating efficiencies” for casinos.

However, there are still questions posed by interested parties like industry supplier Automated Cashless Systems. The company wants to know if its systems will need new approvals.

Other providers are similarly interested in regulations for ticket systems and how that would work.

What is Cashless Gaming?

According to current legal definitions, cashless gaming uses the legalized ticket-out-ticket-in process between slot machines that dispense ticket cards and kiosks that read them to dispense cash. Multiple providers are calling for digital wallets connected to these tickets that can be used throughout resorts.

Also, the NGC wants to ban direct transfers between a player’s bank account and the casino. So, these digital wallets could be a safe move on the legal front.

However, there’s a potential of theft if players forget their cards in the machines or lose them.

Still, discussions on cashless gaming will continue between the NGC and other parties to hammer these issues out. So, keep visiting our website for updates!