With many people seeking to reduce the amount of physical contact they have with objects in their environment because of COVID-19 fears, the American Gaming Association has released principles to expand the use of digital payments at casinos.

AGA's payments modernization principles were 18 months in the making but are being released in the middle of the pandemic, which has hit U.S. casinos particularly hard. In a statement, the association pointed to polling finding that 57% of casino visitors said the option for digital or contactless payments on the casino floor is important to them because of COVID-19.

"Advancing opportunities for digital payments has been one of our top priorities since my first day at the AGA. It aligns with gaming's role as a modern, 21st-century industry and bolsters our already rigorous regulatory and responsible gaming measures," AGA CEO Bill Miller said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic made it all the more important to advance our efforts to provide customers with the payment choice they are more comfortable with and have increasingly come to expect in their daily lives," he added.

The principles outline strategies for equipping casino customers to wager responsibly, ensure state laws provide a "flexible regulatory approach" to digital payments, and address heightened public health concerns.

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