COINS VS TICKETS A SHOWDOWN FOR THE AGES

Joey Haney Examines What May Lie Ahead For The Two Formats

By Joey Haney

Natasha Crisantemi

ground, we caught up with Future Gaming, who spoke with us on the subject when we last explored it in 2021, and GeWeTe, who we discussed coins and tickets with in 2020. Regarding some of the changes that have taken place since we last spoke, GeWeTe’s Mark Edmundson said: “Things have moved on since then. We are now installing more and more debit card to ticket systems. Moves have been made to a create more standardised rules and regulations. For instance, there is now a code of conduct in place to ensure the correct merchant code is used for gaming locations, which can only be positive move for the industry.” early 2022, it emerged that the US government was considering a central bank digital currency replacement for cash in its physical form. More recently coinspaidmedia. com reported that “114 countries, accounting for about 95% of global Gdp, were [also] exploring central bank digital currencies.”

Dejan Tomic, from Future Gaming, added: “There are certainly still many players that prefer hard cash to membership cards or mobile apps for credit payments on slots, but the number is decreasing.

The article noted that there are three digital currencies around the world that are up and running already: Jamaica has the Jam-Dex digital currency, the Bahamas has the Sand Dollar, and there is DCash in the Eastern Caribbean. With developments such as these being made toward a fully cashless world, perhaps it is the obsolescence of cash that will be the ultimate decider in this battle.

To delve into the topic a bit deeper and find out how the transition from cash is affecting businesses on the

Younger players are accepting new technologies more easily, so we will eventually witness a complete cashless casino environment, although I believe notes will be around for some time yet.”

When asked about what factors might drive the popularity of either tickets or coins Tomic said that it depends on the type of player. “Walkin, or anonymous players that are not enrolled in a casino membership programme are using Tito, while registered members are using cards, as the card itself is used for both session registration and funds transfers.

“The latest options added to the system are Apis that will handle slot credit payments from external sources, such as bank debit cards or external systems such as betting or online gaming systems. These APIs make fund transfers to and from external systems seamless and very comfortable for the player.”

According to GeWeTe, the battle between tickets and coins is still in a state of flux, with Edmundson remarking that “there are always discussion around coins versus tickets.” However, Tito’s expected takeover hasn’t happened quite as fast as expected. He said that when GeWeTe introduced Tito in the UK around ten years ago, the company expected most sites to be running Tito by now.

“This has not been the case,” he said, “although there has been a major increase in Tito systems since the pandemic lockdowns.”

The increasing use of Tito over coins may well be a part of the wave of innovations, such as digital streamlining, accentuated by health and safety concerns over Covid, which incentivised many businesses to pivot towards contactless and other cashles systems. Contactless transactions were encouraged during the pandemic for health and safety reasons and for many people the habit has remained post-pandemic. Printed tickets were regarded as a safer option for players at this time, as they posed a lower risk of viral transmission.

In its Q4 2020 bulletin, the Bank of England referred to the subject of “cash in the time of Covid”, noting that “during the pandemic, the way people use cash has changed, with less being used for transactions” and that this may “reflect concerns about the risk of banknotes transmitting the virus.” While research has indicated that the risk of viral transmission via banknotes is low, the habit of cashless transactions stuck and we will all be aware of an increase in cashless transactions since the height of the pandemic.

Interestingly though, Future and GeWeTe seem to differ on what they think about the size of Tito’s prevalence. Edmundson said: “There does not seem to one outweighing the other at the moment. The trend does vary from country to country, but Tito still seems to be the most popular choice for operators.”

Tomic believes that “tickets are seriously replacing coins and notes as well for that matter. They are preferred mainly because the upgrade to Tito is far more straightforward than the introduction of carded systems where you need custom panels, readers, displays etc.

“Almost all bill validators are already supporting tickets or may do so with an easy firmware update and most of the slots today have already space reserved for Tito printers, so the work is simple and much cheaper than carded systems. However, Tito is a different cash handling function and is only replacing the cash handling part, whereas cards serve the player tracking and bonusing function as well… the integration of other gaming areas such as betting and online gaming is pushing the cashless sector seriously forward.”

With the strength of this conviction in mind, InterGame asked if Tomic foresaw the total overhaul of coinoperated machines, and whether it would be worthwhile for operators to retain older technology in their venues with newer machinery becoming ever more accessible and affordable.

“The note handling equipment is optional today and the extra cost is for the operator, or buyer, to carry if they feel it is needed. Today, all the slots are equipped with note acceptors, but coin acceptors are significantly less in use, and they will vanish for sure. But it depends mostly on the market and traditions of course. The higher the local currency unit value is the longer it will be in use on the slots.”

For the future, Tomic cites the company’s ability to deliver simple solutions as a main proponent of the uptake in cashless solutions from customers, with some operators having previously feared that the change from cash would be too complex. Meanwhile, Edmundson of GeWeTe expressed that “we are constantly evolving and expanding our product range to meet the needs of our customers,” noting that the company’s in-house development team was helping to facilitate a smooth transition through customisation and innovation.

Market research organisation

Precedence Research outlined the projected growth of contactless payment from the years 20202027, noting that, while “the global contactless payment market was valued at US$1.1tn in 2020… it is expected to reach over Usd$4.6tn by 2027.”

Of course, while Tito is a fundamentally different format to contactless payment, the continued growth of digital payment methods indicates just how much alternatives to cash, such as game payment cards, may be set to take over in the coming years.

Ultimately, only time will tell as to what place coins have in the industry’s future and to what degree tickets will replace their use. Maybe the outcome will be something totally different and we’ll be popping coins into machines in a virtual arcade from the comfort of our bedpods! I shudder to think.

The last thing a conference organizer wants is for a speaker to drop out a week before attending, when it is usually very difficult to find an appropriate replacement. This year I faced a similar situation at Ice, which I report here, because in the end, this story turned out to be an edifying example and has inspired this article, although it could have been otherwise quite problematic. Generally, when we put conference programs together, we aim for a gender balance, although a 50/50 split is still difficult. Consumer Protection Zone conference split was 24/14, with panels generally representing both genders. Except for one: all male and white only white skin speakers, as one of the speakers pointed out to me. Apologizing, in a kind and respectful manner, this expert gave up his participation, mentioning his principle of not speaking in uniform panels, such as this one.

Yes, it was not good news so close the event, not so much for forcing me find another speaker, but mainly because it indicated my personal failure to notice the problem. But the same expert, giving up, offered me a welcome solution – not only because it solved the problem of me having to look for a replacement, but above all because it was a true example of allyship that women and other under-represented groups still need.

Here is his proposal, a simple one but with so much impact: Keith Whyte, the speaker I’m talking about and the director of the US organization, National Council on Problem Gambling, suggested his female colleague replace him.

While he holds the highest office within the institution he runs, he gave his status, privilege and praise to his female colleague who had had