Methods of cashless gaming and player tracking

Abstract

Methods of cashless gaming and player tracking use buttonless RFID technology at both gaming machines and gaming tables to transfer a predetermined denominated amount of credit from a remote network connected gaming account server to the gaming machine or table. Gaming machines have an Idle State, an anonymous credit state, and an identified credit state, each with specific methods for changing from one to another. Gaming tables have a keypad for the dealer, RFID readers at each seating position, and a transaction display visible to the dealer, the patrons, and an overhead security camera.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention pertains to casino gaming, and in particular to methods of cashless gaming and player tracking designed to simplify and secure their operation while eliminating the supplies, maintenance, and repair costs associated with coin acceptors, bill acceptors, card readers, and ticket printers. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Casinos and gaming equipment manufactures continually strive to improve the attraction of gaming to the patron while reducing the operating costs of the equipment. Operating costs include amortized installation costs, operating supplies, maintenance costs and repair costs. [0003] On the operating cost side of the equation, one of the more significant categories is that of coins, tickets, bills, and their associated acceptors, hoppers, and printers. Each of these electromechanical devices occasionally requires attention to maintain it in proper working order. Coin acceptors and coin hoppers can become jammed with bent coin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a method for cashless gaming using an ID carrier that uniquely identifies the player's gaming account. The method includes steps for reading the ID code, verifying the gaming account may be charged the predetermined denomination amount, and providing the player with the predetermined denomination amount of credit for gaming. The invention also includes a method for automatically linking play activity to the player tracking database and providing electronic funds transfer. The invention further includes a method for creating an instant anonymous account and funding the account from a gaming machine. The invention utilizes the non-contact secure technology of RFID to remove unnecessary costs from the player's ID carrier without compromising security or simplicity in use."

Problems solved by technology

Operating costs include amortized installation costs, operating supplies, maintenance costs and repair costs.

Each of these electromechanical devices occasionally requires attention to maintain it in proper working order.

Coin acceptors and coin hoppers can become jammed with bent coins.

Bill validators can become jammed with worn or dirty bills.

Ticket printers can become jammed with paper debris.

Although the material and labor costs for any one machine may seem insignificant, when a casino has many thousands of gaming machines, the aggregate cost becomes worthy of attention.

However, with the subsequent growth in popularity of the nickel video slot machines hopper fills became a problem.

That typically results in dispensing nearly 400 nickels and as a consequence results in frequent hopper fills with heavy bags of coins, and furthermore results in frequent instances when a patron is forced to wait ten to fifteen minutes for the hopper refill in order to get fully paid when the slot machine runs out of coins during a cash-out procedure.

The disadvantage is that if the card is damaged or stolen, the value stored on it is permanently lost.

Although the method has its merits, limitless play or an open credit account has yet to be approved in any notable gaming jurisdiction, and likely will not become approved because of the inherent risks to those susceptible to gambling addiction.

Just like the Smart Card, the disadvantage is that if it is damaged or stolen, the value stored on it is permanently lost.

Its more complex construction makes it inherently more susceptible to damage and places additional manufacturing cost burden on the many electronic funds carriers rather than on the fewer transceivers in the gaming machines.

The nature of the transaction allows the amount to be unknown and unlimited until the fuelling is complete largely because it is a credit account and because the risk is inherently limited by the limited size of a vehicle fuel tank.

While the prior art already has examples of the combination, the problems that remain in the current systems include: a) magnetic strip card systems suffer from the simplicity of making copies, reader heads the get dirty and fail, and the requirement to leave the card in the reader during game play results in many cards being erroneously abandoned when the patron leaves a gaming machine; b) RF tokens or keyfob devices with buttons and LCD displays are comparatively fragile and expensive, all value stored on them is lost if they are lost or broken, and they do not provide a reasonably economical path for the complete elimination of physical monetary media in gaming machines; c) the electrical contacts of Smart Card readers are at least as susceptible to reliability problems as are magnetic strip card reader heads, and the laminated chip embedded in the card is susceptible to damage through bending which can lead to loss of all value stored thereon; and d) ticket-in-ticket-out systems are really only capable of a single use for transfer of monetary value from one machine to another, and they still use a physical media prone to paper jams and do require regular refilling of blank ticket stock.

Furthermore, because card systems have not taken the next evolutionary step in design toward simplicity a) they either make the erroneous assumption that the patron wants the full balance of the account transferred to the gaming machine or they require the patron to press buttons or navigate menu screens to select the amount to transfer, or b) they have not developed the requisite security measures to inherently identify and protect a patron's monetary value currently held by a gaming machine from the surreptitious actions of a second patron.

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