Point 2: Cashless casinos will give gamblers autonomy to “easily follow and set their own limits on their gambling activity”
In the USA, the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in mass layoffs and stock market declines. A proportion of individuals affected by these issues are expected to turn to casinos as these circumstances “create pressure to win back lost income and savings.” In this instance, these individuals may not follow or set realistic limits to protect themselves from the more serious consequences of gambling. Worse still, for the 10 million gambling addicts in the US, there seems to be no consideration as to how cashless transactions will affect their gambling habits.
Studies have shown those who rely on contactless or digital payment methods are less able to recall how much they’ve spent because the brain does not process the concept of losing money as it would when using cash. To ask individuals in a period of financial difficulty, or who may be addicted to gambling, to take control over their spending limits in a cashless casino could lead to worrying, long-term consequences.
What can America learn from the UK?
Online gambling has highlighted issues in the UK, where it is legal across the nation, with the intangibility of cashless gambling. Legislation already exists which has enforced a £2 spending limit, a reduction from £100, on high-speed fixed betting odds slot machine games in physical betting shops and casinos around the UK. Following the outbreak of Covid-19, where online gambling uptake is soaring, British MPs have called for this legislation to include the virtual, online versions of these machines to further protect gamblers.
Issues surrounding spending limits on cashless gaming and gambling has been an ongoing cause for concern in the UK. In 2018, The Financial Times reported on the social impact of, what they coined, the “hidden epidemic” behind online gaming. This report, amongst many others, followed MP’s then calls for gambling rules to be reviewed as they were not “fit for purpose.” In the same year, 3 online gambling outlets were fined by the UK gambling regulator for “failing to protect a problem gambler” and “failing to spot obvious signs of problem gambling.”
Whether on the physical casino floors or their virtual counterparts, cashless gambling makes it easier for gamblers to overspend or go beyond their limit. The UK has shown that the simple click of an ‘add credit’ button reduces the sense of spending. As reported by the Financial Times, rather than counting how many banknotes they have left, problem gamblers repeatedly clicked ‘add credit’ until they had nothing left. This begs the question, could we see problem gamblers in the USA tapping the card reader time and time again, only to stop when they see their payment has been declined?
The campaign from American casinos exploits coronavirus fears which are being used to create an environment that could lead to budget-breaking spending. These points, which make the backbone of their argument, put undue pressure on regulators to react in a period of uncertainty and should not form the basis of a pro-cashless casino argument which would put gamblers at risk.
