By Ed Komenda, Las Vegas Sun

There’s a new Benjamin in town, and the casino companies were ready for him.

For years, Las Vegas’ gaming companies had been preparing for the Oct. 8 debut of a new $100 bill. In advance of its arrival, resorts and equipment manufacturers spent thousands of hours making sure every slot machine and money-taking device would accept them without a hitch.

It worked. Bosses at the biggest gaming companies say the transition so far has been smooth.

David Kubajak was among the first to find out about the new $100 bill.

As senior director of operations at JCM Global, which supplies more than 75 percent of the country’s 850,000 slot machine bill validators, Kubajak got word from the U.S. Treasury Department about five years ago that Benjamin Franklin was getting a makeover.

The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing relies on industry experts such as Kubajak for feedback on bill design. The Federal Reserve wants to make sure its design is secure and difficult to counterfeit.

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