No, this is not an April Fools’ joke - Your favorite casino wants to move away from handling money and go instead to a cashless system.

Many insiders believe this is precisely the time to do it now that the industry is already undergoing dramatic changes as they reopen in the midst of a pandemic.

They see this as yet one more way to help customers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

All of this has the blessing of the American Gaming Association, the gambling industry’s trade organization, which is calling on regulators in states where gambling is permitted to update laws to allow cashless options for gamblers.

The technology is available, and online gamblers have already been using credit cards to fund their casino accounts, so industry representatives believe that this should not be viewed as some sort of a revolution but merely as a logical step.

The immediate concern is that gamblers, especially those who lack self-control, will be less likely to put on the brakes by pulling out plastic to try to reverse a losing streak, but gaming industry leaders are anticipating this argument and plan to blunt it by having gamblers place a limit on how much they can withdraw in one visit.

As it is now, a small number of casinos use payments such as credit and debit cards, along with PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

The gambling industry has been pushing for these cashless options for a long time, but they involve regulatory decision-making. Here in Pennsylvania, the state Gaming Commission would have to green light such a move, and, so far, there has been no movement in that direction publicly, but my sources at Mount Airy, Wind Creek and Mohegan Sun, the three local casinos in Monroe, Northampton and Luzerne counties, say that there is groundwork being laid and lobbying going on behind the scenes.

In New Jersey, however, cashless transactions are already allowable. David Rebuck, head of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, said the board is waiting for submissions by bona fide companies to move in that direction.

Selling the idea, however, as a prophylaxis during a worldwide pandemic seems to be an inspired brainstorm to make the concept more palatable to reluctant regulators.

The head of the AGA equates such a move with an acknowledgment that gaming has a significant role in 21st century society.

I wondered what health officials had to say about this, because ever since I was a child, my parents stressed how dirty money was. “You never know where this dollar bill was or who was touching it,” my mother would remind me as I handled cash from customers at our Summit Hill grocery store.

Although epidemiologists say that the coronavirus can survive on paper money, they also say the risk is low compared to person-to-person spread.

U.S. currency is a plush place for germs to congregate, according to the epidemiology team at the University of Minnesota. It’s 75% cotton and 25% linen, which provides a cozy environment into which microbes can nestle.

They say, however, that currency doesn’t have the so-called ideal temperature or conditions to allow microbes to grow. Money’s porous surface tends to trap most of the germs, so not many wipe off on your hands.

That said, if we dwelled on what might be on these bills, it could get pretty disgusting. According to a 2017 study reported in Time magazine, researchers tested $1 bills from a New York City bank to see what was living on them. They found hundreds of species of microorganisms, according to the report. Among the more unpalatable findings were vaginal bacteria, microbes from the mouth and DNA viruses.

They also found that paper currency is often streaked with drugs. In a study of dollar bills from 10 cities across the country, researchers found that nearly 80% of them had traces of cocaine.

The Nevada Gaming Commission has scheduled a hearing for this week (June 25) on a proposal to test these cashless options. Industry leaders believe if they go well, the concept will spread to other casino-leading states, including Pennsylvania.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com