Cryptocurrency-funded slots play may be coming to a land-based casino near you after International Game Technology (IGT) received a patent for expanding existing machine-based payment options. 

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that IGT had received a patent for a method of transferring funds from an individual’s cryptocurrency wallet to a casino loyalty/rewards account. IGT, one of the casino sector’s primary developers/manufacturers of electronic gaming machines, has yet to comment on the report. 

IGT did announce Tuesday that it had successfully cleared the final stage of Nevada regulatory approval for its Resort Wallet carded cashless module. The system allows players to use a casino loyalty card to transfer cash between a secure digital wallet and various gaming products – slot machines, gaming tables, sportsbooks, etc. There’s also a phone-based ‘cardless cashless’ version of the Resort Wallet.  

IGT’s patent is the latest move by the US land-based gaming industry toward a cashless environment, which has the backing of the gambling sector’s primary lobby group. The shift has taken on more urgency and offered more appeal as the pandemic made the idea of handling cootie-contaminated cash seem even more ill-advised.