Are Casinos Ready For The New $100 Bill?

You may have heard that the US Government is introducing a new $100 bill today. It’s not much of a big deal for most people’s day-to-day life since most retail outlets don’t accept $100 bills. Casino visitors aren’t like most people and if you frequent casinos the new $100 bill will certainly matter to you.

Casino ATM’s dispense $100 whenever they can. While most ATM’s in the real world give 5 $20 bills when you ask for $100, a casino will give you a $100 bill. This makes it easier for you to spend $100 per session as opposed to $20.

When someone says that they’re putting a bill into a slot machine it’s usually a $20 or $100 dollar bill. Slot (and video poker) machines are fickle when it comes to reading money. Wrinkled, bent or bills that are scribbled on won’t work. You need a crisp, tight bill.

So, will there be any problems playing the machines in a casino with a new $100 bill? Probably.

Las Vegas Advisor looked into the situation last week and saw that 18 different casinos weren’t prepared for the new bill. For a city known for change Las Vegas isn’t always the most prepared for change. Expect changes to bill readers to happen on the fly if they haven’t happened already.

Chances are that there will be problems if you have a new $100 bill. I recommend heading to the cashier and switching out new bills for old bills before you sit down to play. Even if the machines bill readers are switched out you won’t have to deal with getting up once you settle in.