Powered by Aristocrat, links to Boyd loyalty card

Boyd Gaming Corporation has announced that its digital wallet is live at casinos in Indiana and Ohio, and undergoing field trials at Aliante Casino, Hotel, and Spa in North Las Vegas.

The new product was developed in partnership with Aristocrat Technologies, the Australia-based gambling machine manufacturer and creator of digital social casino games. The Aristocrat-powered Boyd Pay digital wallet is now available to customers with a Boyd loyalty card at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio and Blue Chip Casino Resort Spa in Michigan City, Indiana.

Blue Chip posted a tweet last week encouraging guests to use the new cashless product:

Boyd Pay, which links to a customer’s B Connected loyalty card, is downloadable on Android, iPhone, and iPad devices. A final registration step, however, requires a visit to the casino. Account holders fund their Boyd Pay wallet via a bank card, PayPal, or an online banking service, and can then directly transfer funds to slot machines. Once gameplay is over, customers can transfer the slot machine cash back into their Boyd Pay wallet, which can be used to pay for restaurants, shows, and rooms.

Summer target of 28 properties in ten states

Paradise, Nevada-based gaming and hospitality brand Boyd Gaming said it hopes to roll out the digital technology in 28 of its gambling facilities in ten states by summer, pending regulatory approvals.

wallet will enable customers to avoid “the wait times and inconveniences associated with using cash”

In a news release, senior VP and chief information officer Blake Rampmaier said the wallet will enable customers to avoid “the wait times and inconveniences associated with using cash and focus on enjoying their visit to our properties.”

In June 2020, just after the first outbreak of COVID-19, the American Gaming Association (AGA) urged regulators to adopt cashless gaming payments. AGA research had previously identified a need for cashless payment options to shield customers during and after the pandemic.

Catalyst for quick rollout of cashless gaming

The COVID-19 pandemic is driving a universal hurry to fast-track digital regulations, especially those associated with cashless payments.

AGA president and CEO Bill Miller said the pandemic underlined the need to speed up efforts “to provide customers with the payment choice they are more comfortable with and have increasingly come to expect in their daily lives.”

Besides Aristocrat, other gaming software entities such as IGT and Scientific Games are active in the field of mobile wallet development. In January, the Nevada Gaming Control Board enabled a “momentous debut” when it approved the use of cashless wallets on slot machines at IGT-powered gambling establishments. Late last year, Everi Holdings too launched its digital wallet technology at tribal casinos in Oklahoma and Florida.

Following yesterday’s announcement, Aristocrat EVP Cath Burns said her firm had the “industry’s best people making the most innovative products.”