Interactions between a player, an electronic gaming machine being played by the player, and a control system that is interfaced with both the electronic gaming machine and the player's smart device are described. The player registers with the electronic gaming machine and also registers with the control system using an application residing on the player's smart device which establishes the player's identity and physical location as being within the venue containing the electronic gaming machine and/or near the electronic gaming machine. In one embodiment, when both registrations are active, a control command can be sent from the player's smart device that controls an operation of the electronic gaming machine.