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Johannesburg - Independent ATM suppliers are banking on the anticipated influx of international visitors during the 2010 Fifa World Cup to increase demand for their product.
According to Spark ATM Systems MD Marc Sternberg, the group will supply at least 500 more ATMs to shop owners before kick-off in June.
"We're seeing demand across the country, specifically in host cities gearing themselves up for the soccer," he said.
These machines will likely deliver handsome rewards for shop owners, said CEO of ATM Solutions Wayne Abramson, as consumers tend to spend a proportion of their withdrawals in the same establishment. ATM Solutions aims for a national footprint of 4 000 machines by the time the world cup starts.
Despite growing use of credit and debit cards, Sternberg feels "you still cannot replace cash". He said: "A lot of people still prefer cash transactions, and the expected tourists are used to having readily available access to cash whenever they need it."
According to him, independent ATMs deliver over 60% of cash dispensing services in developed countries such as Australia, Canada, the USA and the UK. South Africa still lags behind, with independent ATMs representing just over 15% of the market.
- Fin24.com
