Euromat, the European gaming and amusement federation, has released a report showcasing the range of payment methods in use across the sector.
Data from the European Central Bank showed that in 2022, consumers opted to use cash in just over half of point-of-sale transactions, a decrease from the 79 per cent of people observed in 2016.
Euromat says it is concerned that regulation across the continent is not keeping pace with the reality of the market, with rules either prohibiting payment by means other than cash or making it difficult to roll out.
Payments Taskforce chairman, Greg Wood, from Bacta, said: “There is already a lot of emerging practice across Europe which are adding value for players and venues. However, we’d like more cooperation from regulators to work with us to see what more can be done to ensure that we can offer players the best experience. This means keeping pace with the rest of the leisure world and giving customers the variety of options that they would expect anywhere else.”
Jason Frost, president of Euromat, added: “We are a cash-based business and we should always be able to offer this option to players but we have to move with the times and like any other legitimate business, we should be able to offer customers the convenience of other payment methods. We are in danger of becoming the only venues on the high street that can only accept cash at a time when the public are carrying less of it.”
The full report is available on the Euromat website.
