Remote Cashless Account Registration Approved by Nevada Regulators

This week the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) approved the possibility of setting up a cashless betting account remotely to play in person at Nevada casinos. The new gambling regulations does not apply to sports betting apps which still require in-person registration.

Sightline Payments proposed the rule change. The financial services company first submitted a petition for regulatory change in 2020. Another proposal was sent to Nevada gaming officials in 2021. The new version of the proposal was recommended for approval by Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) in December 2021 before receiving approval in January.

“We are grateful to the Nevada Gaming Commission for their unanimous support of this regulatory change allowing remote identity verification for Nevada gambling accounts,” said Omer Sattar, co-CEO of Sightline Payments. He continued, “Continued innovation is key to ensuring Nevada remains at the forefront of the game.”

The new regulations are a small step forward for the NGC. Unfortunately, it’s not the big step that sports bettors have been looking forward to. Nevada is one of the few states that require in-person visits mobile sports betting Account Registration.

It’s not a perfect cashless solution for everyone. He is still progressing to Nevada casinos to one day become completely cashless.

Remote Cashless Account Setup for Nevada Casinos

The new rules approved by the NGC allow casino customers to use an application to open a cashless gaming account without visiting a casino. Previously, the few cashless gambling options available in Las Vegas required a in-person setup and funding.

Creating an account at a casino is not only inconvenient, but time consuming. The process of registering for cashless accounts when Resorts World Las Vegas opened in 2021 was confusing and time consuming. Anecdotally, some visitors to the casino on opening weekend had to wait up to two hours before they could use their new cashless account at Resorts World.

The new regulations allow casino customers to submit their personal information and credit an account before visiting a casino.

“This change to enable digital identity verification for wagering accounts allows the Nevada gaming industry to leverage best practices from across the financial services industry to improve security and experience. client,” said Jennifer Carleton, Sightline’s chief legal officer.

The moment comes as Boyd Gaming plans to roll out cashless accounts for all of its Las Vegas casinos after conducting a trial at Aliante Last year.

Cashless gaming may continue to hit more casinos in Las Vegas and across Nevada. the IGT Resort Wallet Cashless Gaming Technology was approved by the NGC just prior to the modification of the Remote Account Setup Policy.

Nevada sports bettors always one step back

Nevada sports bettors must still visit a retail sports betting site inside a casino in order to finalize the creation of a mobile sports betting account. Once a user has created an account, they can fund an account remotely.

Line of sight did not include sports betting in this proposal to Nevada gaming regulators. The proposal was made this way for one major reason. Nevada casino operators still want sports bettors visit their casinos at least one time to create a mobile sports betting account. The financial services company was focusing its proposal on what it believed would receive NGC approval.

The vast majority of states where sports betting is legal allow mobile check-in. Registering a sports betting account remotely makes sense for everyone. However, this is especially important for regional casinos which might be 2-3 hours away for potential users.

According to the Nevada Gaming Abstract 2021, there are 302 casinos in the Silver State with incomes greater than $1 million. There are over a hundred small casinos spread across the state.

Leaving home to set up a mobile sports betting account is inconvenient no matter where the person is. However, driving a few miles to the nearest casinos is not as bad as having to drive 2–3 hours at a casino.

It is somewhat understandable that casino operators who primarily serve Nevada residents prefer this type of account setup.

Making life difficult for tourists in Nevada

Frankly, this old regulation is most inconvenient for tourists visit Las Vegas. Because Nevada’s regulations are different from those of other states, the sports betting mobile app software is different. This makes an account from other states unnecessary in Nevada.

For example, someone visiting Las Vegas from New Jersey with a Caesars Where BetMGM account at home must visit a bookmaker in one of these casinos to open an account just for their vacation.

Before covid–19 pandemic, the average visit to Las Vegas was 3.4 nights. Visitors are in Las Vegas for a good while, not for long. Going out of your way to create a gaming account just seems mean and short-sighted.

A visitor could spend money elsewhere for the 15-20 minutes it takes to create a sports betting app account at a casino.

Nevada gaming regulators must balance the regulations that work for local casinos against those that cater to tourists.