Land-Based Casinos Compete for Entertainment Dollars Beyond the Gaming Floor

Land-based casino operators must track consumer spending outside traditional venues. James Warden, chief revenue officer of epay’s real-money gaming investment segment, delivered that message in an interview. epay, a Euronet Worldwide division, invests in and supports Koin and Marker Trax digital payment tools for gaming.

Warden drew on his Microsoft tenure. He watched Amazon expand from a minor partner to the company’s second-largest in less than one year by giving consumers control over when, where and how they shop. He sees a parallel shift in gaming.

U.S. gross commercial iGaming revenue reached $6.07 billion in the first six months of 2026. That total rose 18.5 percent from the same period last year. Gross commercial sports-betting revenue climbed 4.1 percent to $8.7 billion, according to the American Gaming Association.

Payment Choice Determines Where Consumers Transact

Operators create risk when they impose friction on transactions. Customers who want cash must receive it. Those who prefer digital wallets, crypto or other methods must face no extra charges or barriers. Friction sends them to competitors that impose none.

“If a customer wants to use cash, let them. If they want to use digital currency or a wallet or crypto, let them,” Warden said. “Don’t force them or block them or charge them extra. You’ve got to allow them to transact the way they want to, how they want to, when they want to.”

Warden rejects the label “cashless.” The term implies the elimination of cash. Consumers should retain every payment option without coercion.

Operators Must Track Generational Entertainment Preferences

Consumers direct dollars toward non-casino formats that deliver uncertain outcomes. These experiences compete directly with roulette or slots by attempting to turn one dollar into two. The mechanism stays identical even if the delivery changes.

Day-to-day efforts to lure patrons away from rival casinos continue. Yet operators must also address broader threats from alternative entertainment. Comparison of on-property demographics against iGaming and sports-betting user profiles reveals gaps and opportunities.

“If you understand the consumer and you ground everything in consumer obsession, you can then tailor experiences and solutions around that,” Warden said. Operators that align current offerings with future preferences retain relevance across age groups and genders.

The combined coverage underemphasizes execution speed. Many properties already collect demographic data. The gap lies in translating those insights into payment and experience changes before younger cohorts lock in habits elsewhere.

Reporting: CDC Gaming

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