Cross River Bank and Sightline Payments are collaborating on a new gaming industry payment solution.
Sightline Debit, which the companies called a “first-of-its-kind” offering in their announcement Tuesday (Aug. 26), is designed to streamline both spending and wagering.
“This not only lowers payment costs for operators by minimizing the constant churn cycle of withdrawals and deposits, it also gives patrons access to their own funds anytime, anywhere, and in any way, in their own personal FDIC insured bank account,” the companies said in the release. “Assuming broad adoption of Sightline Debit across the industry, churn of money is anticipated to decline by 40%, saving the digital gaming industry about $700 million a year.”
The companies say Sightline’s new debit solution “redefines” where funds are stored and how transactions are authorized via a demand deposit account (DDA) at Cross River. This gives customers more control over their funds and—by having segregated funds meant for gaming activity—the ability to better stick to their gaming budget.
“The cost of payments in digital gaming is staggeringly high, on average, 4.5 times higher than that of other industries,” said Sightline Payments Co-founder and CEO Omer Sattar.
The companies said the first phase of Sightline’s ecosystem is due to launch in the coming weeks in several digital gaming markets.
Research has shown the importance of faster payments among gamers, according to “Generation Instant: Gamers and Winnings,” a report PYMNTS Intelligence created in collaboration with Ingo Payments.
When given the option, 79% chose instant disbursements, while 76% of those not offered instant options said they would take them if available.
Meanwhile, PYMNTS CEO Karen Webster wrote in July about the rise of the debit card as a new credit tool in the wake of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) boom.
“Early innovators saw an opportunity wrapped around a new business model,” she wrote. “They could create a credit‑like product for younger consumers who lacked access to traditional credit or who didn’t want it. It looked like debit because it used only funds on hand in a bank account, but it acted like credit by letting shoppers pay for a $100 or $200 purchase in three or four predictable installments. Funds on hand became a kind of short-term, small dollar credit line.”
