Penn National, the owner of Hollywood Casino, has gone cashless at its other casino locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, and wants to do the same with the Charles Town business.
Speaking to West Virginia Metro News, Lottery Commission Chairman Ken Greear said: “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 added: “We’re not looking at a situation that financially is going to impact staffing. It has to do with the handling of money, the transition.”
The Commission has permitted Penn National to move forward with the proposal but has advised that final approval will not be granted until the Commission sees the project in action. Furthermore, the proposal is still subject to testing procedures by commission staff, which are expected to take several months.
Hollywood Casino VP and General Manager Scott Saunders said to Metro News: “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.”
He went on to predict that the cashless system could be launched at the Hollywood Casino later this year.
The Commission confirmed that the plans will still need to be returned to receive the final green light.
