You Can Now Use Apple Pay to Gamble at Durango and Other Station Casinos

^{Will you use Apple Pay to play at Durango Casino’s sportsbook bar? (Photo: Clink Jenkins for Station Casinos)}

Starting today, Station Casinos is testing Apple Pay on some of its bartop machines at Durango Casino. The technology is a field trial and is pending approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The company was already using it at its Wildfire Anthem location and at four Seventy-Six gaming taverns.

If the test is successful, the cashless gaming technology could roll out to more Station Casinos properties across Las Vegas.

Anyone with an Apple Pay account linked to a bank debit card can use the service. It does not work with traditional credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard. Sorry, Android people, you're out of luck here.

Station Casinos’ rollout of cashless gaming is considered a promotional period, and there are no fees to fund a machine. That could change since fees have been part of some previous iterations of cashless gaming in Las Vegas.

New Life for Cashless Gaming in Las Vegas

This could be the start of a resurgence for cashless gaming in Las Vegas. The idea appeared to be on the rise during the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses around the world added technology that enabled customers to pay for goods and services with a mobile device.

Numerous casinos around the Las Vegas Valley have tried various financial technology (fintech) options, but gamblers have been skittish about them at best. One example is when Station Casinos, The D, and others tried PlayOn technology, which allowed players to use a debit card to buy chips at table games.

Resorts World was the first Strip casino to offer a fully cashless experience spanning table games and dining. The casino stopped cashless gaming earlier this year as the company dealt with the repercussions of money laundering issues.

Adostics, one of the technology providers for Station Casinos' Apple Pay initiative, is compliant with anti-money laundering rules and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) regulations, so the company shouldn't run into legal or financial issues. Adostics provides Station with logs and is audit-ready should the need arise.

"Innovation in gaming happens when operators are willing to rethink the guest experience," Rob Bone, CEO of Adostics, told Casinos.com. "We are proud to partner with Station Casinos to bring that vision to life. Together, we've created a faster, simpler way for guests to fund play directly at the machine using Apple Pay. That's the kind of seamless experience today's guests expect, and we're committed to help deliver it."

Cashless gaming still hasn't taken off with most Las Vegas gamblers. During the Indian Gaming Association conference, Victor Newsom, senior vice president of product management and payments solutions at Everi, said, "Cashless is definitely growing faster, but cashless as 7% of the market still has a long way to go."

Slow adoption stopped fintech companies from pursuing the holy grail that would make it easier for casino operators to extract money from guests. This is a major reason for Everi and IGT's merger in July 2025 in a $6.3 billion deal. While the technology hasn’t been particularly popular with gamblers, the industry hopes that will change.

With Station Casinos exploring one of the most ubiquitous cashless technologies, Apple Pay, this could be a step forward for the industry and for players looking for the most convenient way to access their funds at the machines.

Using Apple Pay to Gamble In Las Vegas

The bartop machines that accept Apple Pay will be easy to spot, as there’s a logo and a QR code for the service on the bill acceptor. This Apple-verified product enables guests to securely fund play using Apple Pay directly at the machine. 

The Adostics Apple Pay reader on a Station Casinos bartop machine. The technology is currently in a field trial pending approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. (Photo: Marc Meltzer / Casinos.com)

The technology on the bartop machine is from Adostics, while the mobile transaction system is Pavilion Payments' Tap2Play.

Using Apple Pay to gamble is a fairly simple four-step process:

1. Hold an iPhone near the contactless reader on the bottom right of the bartop machine. A tile will pop up at the bottom of your iPhone. Tap the open button.
2. Choose the amount of money to add to the machine to play and select Apple Pay.
3. Confirm the transaction securely with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. 
4. Follow the steps to finalize the transaction.

That’s it. The process is simple and should take less than a minute for the funds to transfer to the machine. If there’s an issue, the bartenders are well-versed in how to use Apple Pay at the machines and can walk you through the process. 

Aside from Durango Casino, the company also launched its Apple Pay initiative at some of its smaller casinos and taverns:

• Seventy-Six Tavern on Tropicana and Grand Canyon
• Seventy-Six Tavern Union Village
• Seventy-Six Tavern Aliante
• Seventy-Six Tavern Lamb 
• Wildfire Anthem 

The test could expand to more full-service casinos if the technology proves popular, but there are no plans to do so at this time.

Neighborhood Casinos and Taverns That Visitors Often Miss

Station Casinos is known for its seven full-service casino resorts, such as Durango and Red Rock. However, the company has more than 20 locations in Las Vegas.

Not all Las Vegas casinos are the same. Most visitors are familiar with casinos attached to hotels or resorts, which offer numerous amenities, from fine dining and lavish shows to large bowling alleys and movie theaters.

There's a whole other world of small casinos that range in size from 1,000 to 20,000 square feet. They don't have hotels or many amenities and look like strip-mall retail outlets or standalone buildings shaped like banks or fast-food restaurants. These casinos also don't have live-dealer games, but they do offer a mix of slots, bartop games, and electronic table games (ETGs). The larger versions of these casinos might have a small sportsbook.

Dotty's is the most well-known small casino chain, with almost as many locations in Las Vegas as Starbucks. Station Casinos' Wildfire properties fit the bill for the larger of these gambling halls with much better amenities.

Some of the larger neighborhood casinos, such as Wildfire, have a sit-down or quick-serve restaurant. The food choices can actually be delicious! Meanwhile, the staff at a smaller one might make a sandwich or chicken fingers, but nothing noteworthy.

These aren't destination casinos for visitors seeking a traditional casino experience. They're for residents who just want to get out of the house without the hassle of parking or walking around a large casino to find a game to play. They're an option for someone who just wants to bang away on their favorite machine for a while while enjoying a drink.

Las Vegas taverns are even more low-key spots to gamble around town. These bars and restaurants can have up to 15 bartop machines. They're all over town, offering affordable food and often the best happy-hour deals in the area. They serve residents looking for a quick drink or bite and maybe a little video poker, keno, or slot play. 

One of the Best Kept Secrets in Vegas Gambling

I stopped by the Seventy-Six Tavern on Tropicana when it opened and was happy to see a tavern with decent video poker pay tables, solid beer options, and a very tasty short-rib grilled cheese.

The day I tested Apple Pay, I got four of a kind, a tasty chicken sandwich, and washed it down with a nice cold beverage. Not too shabby for a working lunch.

A manager at one of the Seventy-Six Taverns told us that players who have used Apple Pay love the convenience and discretion of adding funds to the machine without going to the ATM. The $2,000 daily limit can be reduced for players who prefer to cap their own spending.

Small casino and tavern life is something unique for Las Vegas residents that I never knew about as a tourist. While I knew they existed, I didn't see the appeal. But I get it now that I live in Las Vegas. These are solid options to get a cheap meal or drinks. We're talking perfectly adequate, not fancy. 

While full-service casinos will always be my preference for gambling and finer dining, it's nice to be able to watch a game and play a little video poker down the street.

This year, I noticed a trickle of tourists looking at local taverns for Super Bowl watch parties as casino prices keep rising. While the environment isn't the same, prices can be much lower than at many mid-tier properties.

While these spots may not be destinations for all tourists, they offer a change of pace and can serve as useful testing grounds for new ideas, such as Apple Pay and technologies for different operators.