No cash, no coin needed with new casino ATMs

LAS VEGAS - New technology that allows gamblers to play slot machines and other casino games without actually handling coins and cash is set to make its debut in casinos.

Global Cash Access(GCA), which provides financial products to the gaming industry, said in a news release it will introduce its QuikPlay ATM at the Global Gaming Expo, Oct. 1-3, in Las Vegas. The company expects to apply for regulatory approval on the new machines this fall and install them in casinos beginning in 2002.

The machines allow gamblers to access funds in their bank accounts and have the money credited to an electronic gaming machine, such as a slot machine. The player swipes an ATM card, enters a pin and selects the amount, and the funds are credited to the machine.

The new machines are part of GCA's Self Transaction Exclusion Program, which allows players to limit themselves to a specific dollar amount before entering the casino.

Morry Goldstein, GCA's executive vice president, said in the news release that the new technology combines increased speed with a high level of security for customers.

GCA, a three-year-old Las Vegas firm formed by First Data Corp. and M&C International Inc., provides services to more than 1,000 gaming properties in the United States.