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Resorts World was the first Las Vegas casino to offer property-wide cashless payments. When it opened in 2021, guests could fund a betting account to use on slot machines and table games such as blackjack, as well as to pay for meals and drinks throughout the property.
Resorts World quietly phases out cashless gaming
The technology used to make cashless gaming seamless was groundbreaking. No fewer than five companies partnered with Resorts World Las Vegas to make it possible.
- Sightline Payments (JOINGO and Play+)
- Konami Gaming
- IGT
- NRT Technology
- Genesis Gaming
There was no major announcement about the change. Carlos Castro, president and chief financial officer of Resorts World Las Vegas, raised the topic while appearing before the Nevada Gaming Commission for a gaming license. During the hearing, he said:
“We’re phasing out of our cashless system and are going to reevaluate that going forward. It’s basically the traditional model where you insert cash into the machine and begin your gaming journey.”
Technically, cashless gaming is only being phased out. It is not being eliminated permanently, although there is no indication it will return.
There are no clear signs of whether cashless gaming was popular at Resorts World. Castro did not share details on how many players used the technology.
This is not a total return to coin-operated machines. Slot players will still use a ticket-in, ticket-out (TITO) system.
Castro was unanimously approved for the license. Commission member George Markantonis told Castro he is not a proponent of cashless gaming.
Each member thanked Castro for his work turning things around at Resorts World after it was accused of money laundering in 2025. The scandal led to the ouster of former President Scott Sibella, two years before Castro joined the property.
While cashless gaming is no longer available, some of the technology is still in use. Players can exchange TITO tickets from slots for chips at table games, and vice versa.
The new technology was one of five things we loved about Resorts World when it first opened on the Vegas Strip.
Why cashless casino payments haven’t caught on
Markantonis does not appear to be alone in his opinion about cashless gaming in Las Vegas. After the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many industry analysts expected cashless gaming to take off, as it has in businesses around the country.
Adoption has been slow nationwide and even slower in Las Vegas. Now that Resorts World has moved away from cashless gaming, it is not available at any Strip casino.
A few off-Strip casinos still offer cashless gaming options, but it is largely unavailable to most Las Vegas tourists. Station Casinos is currently testing Apple Pay at its Seventy Six gaming taverns.
CDC Gaming reported that Everi‘s senior vice president of product management for payment solutions, Victor Newsom, said cashless gaming adoption is accelerating but remains limited. He noted it currently accounts for just 7% of the market during a panel on the future of casino payments at the Indian Gaming Association trade show.
Newsom and other panelists spoke positively and expressed optimism about the future of cashless gaming.
The only fully cashless gaming is found in online casinos and sports betting apps. It is unlikely to gain traction at land-based casinos until a major nationwide operators offers, heavily promotes and incentivizes the technology.
Resorts World closes poker room amid industry decline
Shortly after Castro was approved for his gaming license, Resorts World closed its poker room. It was the second Strip poker room to close in 2025. The Planet Hollywood poker room closed in January.
Both rooms faced the challenge of being off the main casino floor. The Resorts World poker room was at the end of a hallway with limited signage. Planet Hollywood’s poker room was on the mezzanine level.
In a statement, a Resorts World spokesperson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “We look forward to introducing new offerings that reflect our continued commitment to dynamic, high‑quality experiences.”
No plans have been announced for the space.
Before the pandemic, there were 31 Las Vegas poker rooms. Today, there are 18, and fewer than half are on the Strip:
- Aria
- Bellagio
- Caesars Palace
- Horseshoe
- Mandalay Bay
- MGM Grand
- The Venetian
- Wynn
Another 10 poker rooms operate throughout the Las Vegas valley:
- Gold Coast
- Green Valley Ranch
- Jerry’s Nugget
- The Orleans
- Palace Station
- South Point
- Suncoast
- Sam’s Town
- Red Rock Resort
- Santa Fe Station
The loss of Strip poker rooms after the pandemic is not surprising, as major casino operators have focused more than ever on maximizing profits. According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, poker accounted for just 2.8% of gaming revenue at these casinos in 2024.
In more positive poker news, the Horseshoe Las Vegas poker room is expected to be busy this summer, with the World Series of Poker set to begin later this month.
