Casino Enterprise Management

Las Vegas, NV – February 23, 2010 - Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) (NYSE:GCA) today announced financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009.

Fiscal Fourth Quarter 2009 Results
For the quarter ended December 31, 2009, revenues were $148.8 million, a decrease of 15.6% over the $176.3 million in revenues recorded in the same quarter last year. Revenues during the quarter were adversely impacted by the continued weakness in the gaming sector and consumer revolving credit. As a result of the weaker than expected revenue, operating income and cash earnings per share from continuing operations (“Cash EPS”) (see Non-GAAP Financial Information below) were down 13% and 11%, respectively.

The results for the quarter and the year include the receipt of $2.75 million related to the Visa Check/MasterMoney Antitrust Litigation which has been included in our operating results as a reduction in operating expense. The recognition of these proceeds contributed approximately $0.02 per share to the quarter on a GAAP basis. The fourth quarter of 2008 results of operations included approximately $0.4 million related to the same matter.

Fiscal Year 2009 Results
For the year ended December 31, 2009, revenues were $667.7 million, a decrease of 0.6% from the $671.6 million in revenues recorded in fiscal year 2008 while GAAP EPS and Cash EPS grew on a year over year basis by 25% and 7.6%, respectively.

“Clearly, conditions in the gaming industry remain challenging. While navigating through these difficult business conditions, we are very proud of our accomplishments in 2009 and are very excited about the future. We were able to maintain revenue near 2008 levels and grow earnings per share from continuing operations 25% through cost control and capital allocation measures. We believe that the Company’s regulatory and legal issues are now behind us, including a settlement of the securities class action litigation which is pending court approval. We now can refocus our attention on our pipeline of innovation, including product and service enhancements that we believe will further strengthen our position as the leading provider of cash access solutions to the gaming industry,” said Scott Betts, President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Cash Access.

“We believe our recent client renewals and wins, including Wynn Resorts, are indicative of not only our unique
offerings, strong service and value proposition, but our thought leadership and commitment to technological
innovation. In 2009, we provided almost $22 billion in disbursements to gaming patrons and we are working diligently to transform the cash access relationship into a cashless gaming environment.” added Mr. Betts. “Given the continued cash generating capabilities of the Company, we are pleased to announce our Board of Directors recently authorized an additional $25 million share repurchase program.”

2010 Outlook
The Company continues to believe the timing and the extent of a recovery, if any, in the markets it serves remains unclear and further believes that this uncertainty will continue for the foreseeable future. The Company expects that revenue will be approximately flat to slightly down from the revenue reported in 2009. Diluted earnings per share from continuing operations are expected to be flat to slightly better than the $0.45 reported in 2009 and cash earnings per share are expected to be $0.02 to $0.04 better than the $0.71 reported in 2009.

The foregoing expectations reflect the following assumptions:
· An effective tax rate for the full year of approximately 38%;
· Cash outlays for capital expenditures of approximately $7 to $9 million;
· Fully diluted shares outstanding for the full year of approximately 69 to 71 million; and
· The acquisition of Western Money Systems will close towards the middle of the year.

About Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc.
Las Vegas-based Global Cash Access, Inc. (“GCA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Global Cash Access Holdings, Inc., is a leading provider of cash access products and related services to over 1,100 casinos and other gaming properties in the United States, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America and Asia. GCA's products and services provide gaming patrons access to cash through a variety of methods, including ATM cash withdrawals, point-of-sale debit card transactions, credit card cash advances, check verification and warranty services, and Western Union money transfers. GCA also provides products and services that improve credit decision-making, automate cashier operations and enhance patron marketing activities for gaming establishments. With its proprietary database of gaming patron credit history and transaction data on millions of gaming patrons worldwide, GCA is recognized for successfully developing and deploying technological innovations that increase client profitability, operational efficiency and customer loyalty. More information is available at GCA's Web site at www.gcainc.com.