Americans celebrated the return of baseball with joy this past spring. America’s national pastime brought fans back to the fields and money back into baseball team owners’ coffers. And while baseball has largely been deemed an American sport, it’s the team from Toronto, Canada that has the ATM industry buzzing.
At Rogers Centre, the home stadium for the Toronto Blue Jays, a newly introduced Reverse ATM made its debut. The Reverse ATM is a self-service kiosk that has the ability to convert customers’ cash into usable EMV cards that can be used throughout the stadium. The stadium, located in Toronto, Canada, has a seating capacity of more than 50,000 fans.
While Rogers Centre has been closed for sporting events since the beginning of COVID-19, the Blue Jays received special permission from the federal government to play at the stadium, which held its season opener on July 30, 2021.
To cooperate with the guidelines set forth by public health groups, Rogers Centre staff was mandated to enforce a set of safety measures, including eliminating cash transactions. Understanding the value of allowing customers to make purchases with cash, stadium staff sought out ways to provide digital access for all of their customers. The Reverse ATM was the solution.
Using the Reverse ATM, customers are prompted to insert the amount of cash they want to convert into the ATM. The amount of cash being converted is then displayed on the ATM’s screen for confirmation. Once confirmed, an active Visa card is dispensed that can be used immediately at any point of sale in the stadium.
Here’s to Mom, baseball, and apple pie!
