A unique credit platform from Marker Trax offers players of all betting levels a play-now, pay-later option for gambling.
The company’s NextGen platform will allow casinos to offer digital markers, or “cashless advances,” ranging from $100 to $1 million, with players able to use the funds exclusively at that operator’s slot machines, table games, sportsbook, or igaming site. The platform is in the final stages of regulatory testing and installations are expected to begin in August, Marker Trax President Charlie Skinner said.
“It’s really a convenience and loyalty product,” he said. “(Players) don’t need to carry around cash. You can play on the house’s money and pay it back over a few weeks.” He noted that the company’s slots-only version, the Moolah Play app introduced in October 2024, has proven to increase customer traffic for operators using it. About 150 casinos have signed up for Moolah Play, and it’s active in Nevada and California tribal casinos, he added.
Instead of being a digital wallet or payment app, NextGen is a regulated digital credit platform with built-in components for Responsible Gaming. An operator issues credit without the need of traditional markers or paperwork, and the advance can be used only for gambling at that operator’s property. An operator with multiple properties could allow the credit to be used at all of them within a single state, Skinner said.
Apply Digital, a digital product studio whose clients also include Disney, NFL, and Kraft Heinz, redesigned the Marker Trax Moolah Play app to expand its use to all forms of casino gaming. Euronet Worldwide, a financial technology firm with worldwide headquarters in Leawood, Kan., helped streamline the technical development and centralize the management of player credit data.
Skinner said NextGen will provide players with the ability to offer players a no-fee cashless advance and reducing the expenses for funding churn for online operators. He explained that several online operators have encountered instances of players making multiple daily or weekly deposits between their bank and wagering accounts regardless of their betting behavior. That results in the operator paying excessive deposit fees despite the sometimes-limited betting action from the player. In contrast, players access a NextGen cashless advance at significant savings to the online operator, Skinner said.
NextGen’s automated credit scoring and underwriting will take less than five minutes for most advances, compared with hours or days with standard marker procedures, Skinner said. NextGen offers e-signature, eliminating the need for a user to visit the cage to sign for a cashless advance.
“We’ve built a very comprehensive operator dashboard and analytics engine that allows the operator to manage all this credit under one central portal,” he said. “We’re positioning the company to be the solution for all credit in the industry.
When determining the maximum amount of an advance, Marker Trax considers an applicant’s playing history in addition to factors such as annual income, net worth, credit score, and ability to repay. Skinner said a high-net-worth person with a history of betting only $100 a month would not receive a six-figure advance; neither would an applicant with a $100,000-a-year betting history but a low credit score and annual income.
When a player using Moolah Pay by Marker Trax cashes out, the amount first goes toward repaying the marker, and the player can pocket any surplus. Skinner said NextGen allows operators to set differing payback schedules based on the size of an advance or the player’s tier status. For example, a higher-tier player might have a 21-day repayment period, while a lower-tier player might have only seven days.
Operators also have options for RG protocols, including setting limits on how often players can pull funds from outside sources to repay the advance – essentially creating a pause for frequent users to encourage responsible play.
The new platform also reduces a key advantage employed by illegal sportsbooks, he added. “One of the biggest reasons the black market exists is because of the credit they offer,” Skinner said. “We’re the legal option for operators to now compete with those offshore, illegal books. It’s something we think we can improve for the industry.”
Marker Trax cashless advances can be used only for wagering, not for on-site purchases such as dining or hotel bills. A digital wallet from sister company Koin can cover those expenses.
Marker Trax was the first to focus on credit for slot players, launching its first system in 2020. “We’ve learned a lot over the last five years – how to underwrite better, how to make it work better for the operators,” Skinner said. “The NextGen platform is going to be all-encompassing, including underwriting the sizable traditional credit of $25,000 and above.”
