West Virginia’s Hollywood Casino submits cashless gaming proposal to Lottery Commission

Officials with Hollywood Casino in Charles Town -owned by Penn National Gaming- are seeking to make the venue cashless. After a discussion at last month’s West Virginia Lottery Commission meeting about the proposal, the commission decided to allow the project to move forward but they want to see it in action first before they give it final approval.

However, some commission members have raised concerns. Ken Greear, the state Lottery Commission Chairman told MetroNews the body wants to make sure it’s the right move for the players before approval.

"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," Greear said.

This is not the first time "going cashless" for the group, as it has embraced this technology at casinos in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan. However, the group’s proposal for West Virginia must go through the testing process of the Lottery staff, expected to take several months, before a potential launch. Video Lottery machines would have to be modified.

Scott Saunders, the VP and General Manager of Hollywood Casino at Charles Town told MetroNews that cashless could be launched late this year. He said as people get used to being cashless at the casino, they will become comfortable.

"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," Saunders commented. The plan would still have to come back to the commission for final approval.

"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," Greear also explained.