Second firm offering slot-ATM combo

David Strow

Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2001 | 10:50 a.m.

A Las Vegas company led by the former chief executive of Alliance Gaming Corp. is marketing what could be the next wave in "cashless" gaming -- a device that can transfer cash from a bank account into a waiting slot machine.

The system is called "QuikPlay," and it's being developed by Global Cash Access of Las Vegas. Company officials hope to launch their first field trial in Southern California in early 2002. If all goes well, the company hopes to follow with launches at tribal casinos in Connecticut and Michigan.

"Ten years ago, we weren't used to popping a credit card or ATM card into a service station (to get gasoline)," said Bob Connelly, vice president of operations for Global Cash Access subsidiary QuikPlay LLC. "We think it's a different mindset out there today, a convenience people expect."

The devices will mean players don't have to leave a slot to go to the ATM, Connelly said. Safety is another advantage, he added.

"A player can walk in without having to carry a wad of cash," Connelly said.

QuikPlay's president is Morry Goldstein, who led Alliance Gaming -- one of the gaming industry's largest slot makers -- from 1997 to 1999. QuikPlay's parent company, Global Cash Access, is partially owned by First Data Corp., the world's largest provider of electronic transaction processing services, with $5.7 billion in revenues in 2000. Its devices -- the "QuikCash" cash advance terminal and the "Casino Cash" ATM -- are found in more than 1,000 casinos worldwide.

The concept does need regulatory approval, both in Nevada and elsewhere, before it can be installed in casinos. The first step in getting QuikPlay into tribal casinos is to submit it to Gaming Laboratories International, an independent gaming laboratory that handles regulatory testing for Indian casinos. If GLI approves, QuikPlay must be submitted to each tribe's regulators for their final approval, Connelly said.

In Nevada, the company would need the approval of both the state Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission. Since QuikPlay uses debit cards instead of credit cards, Connelly believes it can get approval in Nevada.

"We believe we have a better shot here (in Nevada) than in New Jersey," Connelly said. "Once this is accepted and proven in other markets, then down the road, we'll have a shot at New Jersey."

Connelly said the company hopes to submit QuikPlay to Nevada regulators some time in April, assuming GLI approves the concept. The company would have to hold a field trial in Nevada sometime next year before the state would approve QuikPlay for use across the state, Connelly said.

At least initially, the device will print out a ticket that can be used in a "ticket-in, ticket-out" slot machine, a form Connelly believes will have an easier chance of getting regulatory approval.

"Accounting folks and regulators like to have that tangible audit trail (created by the ticket)," Connelly said.

QuikPlay isn't the first company to suggest such a concept. In August, Las Vegas-based Innovative Gaming Corp. of America, a small gaming equipment company, said it had acquired patents covering the use of credit and debit cards for use in slot machines. Company officials said at the time they planned to market a product at some future date, but a product has yet to be introduced.

Connelly said QuikPlay officials have met with IGCA to discuss possible conflicts, and said the system has been designed in such a way to avoid a conflict.

"We've known about their patents for quite some time," Connelly said. "We are not doing anything close to violating that patent, and the approach we took was based on our knowledge of the patent in question."

IGCA officials could not be reached for comment.