Simon Barff: Cashless is Driving Spend, but Performance Depends on the Solution

Simon Barff, Managing Director of CLMS, used his seminar at ARE Expo to deliver a detailed, data-led look at the real impact of cashless payments across the UK machine estate.

Drawing on data from CLMS’ large connected machine network of over 35,000 machines, Barff explored how cash, contactless and app-based payments are performing across different machine categories, regions and supplier solutions and the results showed a market that is evolving quickly, but not uniformly.

One of the clearest messages from the session was that cashless is now a significant driver of machine income. Contactless is continuing to grow across a wide range of products, with many operators seeing strong performance where card and cash are offered side by side. However, Simon was clear that the industry should avoid treating all cashless solutions as equal.

Performance varies significantly depending on the product, supplier and installation environment. In some cases, contactless units are delivering strong results; in others, practical challenges such as power supply, battery life and integration are still affecting performance, particularly on products not originally designed with cashless in mind.

Barff also highlighted important differences between cash-and-card and card-only machines. While card-only can work well in some environments, the data suggests that retaining cash alongside contactless often provides operators with greater flexibility and avoids excluding customers who still prefer or rely on cash.

Regional differences were another key point. CLMS’ data showed variation in the proportion of contactless play across different parts of the UK, with some areas adopting cashless faster than others. Interestingly, Simon noted that some Southern and South-Eastern areas did not always show the highest levels of contactless use, underlining the importance of basing decisions on real operational data rather than assumption.

The session also looked at app-based play, particularly on AWPs. While app usage is increasing, it remains a smaller but growing part of the overall picture. Barff shared figures indicating gradual movement in this area, while also noting the importance of understanding fees, retained cash and the practical mechanics of how money flows back to operators.

A recurring theme throughout the talk was that cashless can increase spend, but it must be properly understood. Simply adding a payment device does not automatically guarantee uplift. Operators need to consider pricing, product type, customer behaviour, supplier technology and how payments are reconciled.

Simon also pointed to opportunities around products such as pool, darts, jukeboxes, karaoke and other amusement equipment, where cashless and contactless payment options may help unlock additional spend or reduce friction for customers.

For operators, the takeaway was clear: cashless is no longer a future trend - it is already shaping machine performance. But the best results come when decisions are guided by data, not guesswork.

As Barff’s session demonstrated, understanding where cashless works, how it works and which solutions perform best could make a measurable difference to revenue. You can download the full slideshow with the data here.

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30 April 2026

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