The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort casino will begin accepting Apple Inc. AAPL 1.02%‘s new mobile payment system, Apple Pay, this summer. Starting in early June, the Cosmopolitan, which is owned by Blackstone Group LP BX 0.21%, will accept Apple Pay payments at the hotel’s front desk, restaurants and bars.
First In Line
The Cosmopolitan is the first Las Vegas resort to announce a plan for Apple Pay support. “As always, we are thrilled to lead the market with a new component to a Las Vegas experience that makes everything a bit faster and a great deal easier,” Cosmopolitan chief market officer Lisa Marchese said in a statement.
In about a month, Cosmopolitan guests will be able to play for room service using Apple Pay on their iPhones, iPads or Apple Watches.
Don’t Bet On It
Conspicuous by its absence was any mention by Cosmopolitan of the use of Apple Pay to buy casino chips for gambling. Since many casinos only allow chip payments to be made in cash and slot machines are not equipped to handle contactless payments, it’s a safe bet that customers will not be able to fund their gambling exploits via Apple Pay, at least not yet.
Next In Line?
While Cosmopolitan may be the first Vegas casino operator to accept Apple Pay, it will certainly not be the last, as resort operators Las Vegas Sands Corp LVS 1.69%, MGM Resorts International MGM 2.91%, Wynn Resorts, Limited WYNN 3.19% and Caesars Entertainment Corp CZR 0.2% could soon follow Cosmopolitan’s lead.
Cosmopolitan joins the rapidly-expanding list of companies that already have Apple Pay deals in place, including Home Depot Inc HD 0.51%, Macy’s, Inc. M 0.14%, Whole Foods Market, Inc. WFM 0.33%, Starbucks Corporation SBUX 0.56%, Discover Financial Services DFS 0.69% and The Coca-Cola Co KO 0.1%. Apple Pay is now accepted at over 700,000 total locations.
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