Not a digital strategic transformation innovation initiative
Product Design Lead | 6 months
It’s just how I helped a casino go cashless without the players rioting
Gaming laws changed fast. Suddenly, every person stepping onto the floor needed to be registered, ID-verified, and trackable. Cash was out. Real-time monitoring was in.
This wasn’t a UX refresh. It was a full-scale redesign of how a casino operates. Who gets to play. How their behaviour is monitored. How every touchpoint aligns with financial crime prevention and responsible gaming requirements. And it all had to happen without breaking the gameplay or overwhelming the people running the floor.
My Role
designer, negotiator, regulatory contortionist
I led end-to-end product design across table gameplay and member onboarding. My job was to turn regulatory pressure and outdated infrastructure into something players, staff, and compliance could actually use.
Turning legal chaos into clean UX
Prototyping, pressure-testing, and rolling out in stages without disrupting gameplay or people’s jobs
Designing systems players wouldn’t hate
Aligning compliance, ops, tech, and loyalty around an actual product vision
Approach
Making sense of the mess
This wasn’t a design brief. It was an identity crisis with a compliance deadline.
We started by mapping the entire customer journey and overlaying the new legal requirements. That gave us clarity on where regulation hit experience. From there, we broke the work into focused streams—onboarding, gameplay, ID, responsible gaming, loyalty—each with a clear owner and outcome.
We built for what we knew and stayed flexible for what we didn’t. With legislation still shifting, modular UX was non-negotiable. Known risks were tracked. Unknowns were expected.
No unnecessary behaviour changes. Just smart defaults, fallback paths, and on-floor support to keep things intuitive—even as everything behind the scenes shifted.
And we tested it where it actually mattered. Real tables. Real dealers. Real stakes. No hypotheticals. Just pressure-tested, proof-of-concept UX.
Challenges
What nearly broke it
(and how we made it work)
The law wouldn’t sit still
We stopped pretending it would. Designed flexible flows, worked closely with legal, and didn’t overcommit until we had to.
Legacy tech everywhere
We mapped what could be replaced and what we had to design around. Then we staggered the rollout so nothing critical broke.
Every stakeholder had a different vision
We built a stakeholder board with real decision power and ran regular product syncs to keep direction aligned and grounded.
Players hate big change. Dealers hate disruption
We didn’t force it. We offered options, phased transitions, and trained on-floor support. Most players didn’t even notice the change—which is exactly what we wanted.
Solution
What we built so it didn’t fall apart at the table
Mobile Wallet
Gave players a central hub to manage balances, set play limits, and buy chips. Designed for both personal smartphones and shared devices, with fast flows that made compliance feel invisible.
NFC Table Tap
Let players join a game with a single tap using their device. It removed handover friction and synced player identity and behaviour tracking in real time.
Dealer Console
A fast, streamlined interface designed specifically for live table gameplay. No clutter, no lag, no distraction. Just tools that worked the way dealers needed them to.
Fallback Terminals and Physical Cards
Not everyone wants digital. Card-based interaction and kiosk terminals gave non-digital players a way in without needing a download or learning curve.
Onboarding Overhaul
Automated ID checks, simplified regulatory steps, and adapted flows for mobile, kiosk, or staff-assisted use, whatever suited the player best.
Support Strategy
Trained staff on the floor to guide users through the new process. No confusion. No guesswork. Just confident, smooth onboarding.
POC Testing Environment
Simulated full sessions with real dealers and players in a controlled space. Captured metrics, stress-tested every journey, and resolved issues before they ever hit the floor.
Rollout Plan
Launched in phases with live pilots and tight feedback loops. Each stage informed the next, allowing us to test, learn, and refine before wider rollout.
Results
Not just pretty screens, actual impact
Mitigated financial crime risks
2% increase in hand rate
46% reduction in onboarding time
No user revolt
Improved tracking, player behaviour insights, and data integrity
Responsible gaming uplift
Faster gameplay with less friction at the tab
From 14 minutes to 7 across channels
Players adapted. Dealers stayed efficient. No one missed the cash.