Video lottery terminals (VLTs) will have to be modified if the West Virginia Lottery Commission approves a motion to make the Hollywood Casino in Charles Town a cashless venue, according to West Virginia MetroNews.
The local news outlet has reported that the change was tabled at last month’s state Lottery Commission meeting, leading to a lengthy discussion on the topic.
Earlier this month, the West Virginia Lottery began to accept credit card payments after it was approved by Legislative Rule 179CSR1.
Corners have been raised in some quarters over the casino’s proposal, though, with Ken Greear, the state Lottery Commission Chairman, adamant that the body wants to ensure it is the correct move for players before authorisation.
“It’s just a matter of making sure the players do not have something that interrupts and or makes their enjoyment of the game more cumbersome or something that doesn’t work well,” he told MetroNews.
The Commission has given the go-ahead on the project’s advancement but it will hold back on final approval until it sees it in action.
The proposal still has to go through the testing process of the lottery staff, which could take several months, in addition to the modification of the VLTs.
But Scott Saunders, VP and General Manager of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town, is remaining optimistic, and he believes it could be launched late this year.
“I think the digital wallet and digital platform is the way many businesses are going and we want to make sure we are a part of that moving forward,” said Saunders.
Lottery Commission member Doug Bicksler is another in favour of the cashless system. He said: “I don’t see this being any more cumbersome than cash.”
Fellow Commission member Roy Shrewsbury, however, commented: “I need a better feeling. I need to see it in action.”
