Management system

Abstract

A control device (140), with respect to winning chips remaining after a game result has been finalized in a wheel (11) and non-winning chips have been collected by a dealer: acquires a first read result by reading RFID tags (104) using a betting area antenna (131); acquires first images by imaging the winning chips using a plurality of cameras (14, 15, 16); analyzes the first images using an analyzing device (110) to determine the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color that are not occluded in at least one of the first images; subtracts the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color from the number of winning chips of each color indicated by the first read result, to determine the number of occluded winning chips of each color which are occluded in all the first images; and calculates a payout for each color on the basis of respective payout ratios, with respect to the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color and the occluded winning chips.

Description

Management System

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system for managing a roulette game played at a roulette table using roulette chips.

[0002] In recent years, casino facilities have proposed a system for games played at tables using gaming chips, which recognizes gaming chips (hereinafter also referred to as "bet chips") that have been bet on by reading RFID tags embedded in the gaming chips or by photographing the gaming chips with a camera and performing image analysis, and supports dealer operations such as collecting bet chips according to the game results and paying dividends to the bet chips (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Here, when identifying a bet chip by reading the RFID tag built into the bet chip, the bet chip can be read relatively accurately unless there is an abnormality in the RFID tag, but when using RFID, it is often relatively difficult to accurately distinguish and recognize the position where the bet chip is placed (which represents the bet target).

[0004] On the other hand, when photographing bet chips with a camera, the positions of the bet chips can be recognized relatively accurately, but bet chips that are in the blind spot of the camera due to other bet chips may not be recognized.

[0005] JP 2023-112690 A

[0006] The present invention aims to provide a system that recognizes betting chips, particularly in roulette games, and supports dealer operations. In particular, the present invention takes into consideration the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing betting chips using RFID tags and the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing betting chips using a camera as described above, and supports dealer operations by recognizing betting chips in roulette games using both RFID tags and a camera.

[0007]

[0003] One aspect of the management system is a management system for managing a roulette game played using roulette chips on a roulette table having a wheel and a betting area partitioned into multiple betting areas. In the roulette game, different players use roulette chips of different colors. The roulette chips are equipped with RFID tags storing information corresponding to at least their colors, and the colors appear on at least their sides. The management system includes at least two cameras that capture images or videos of the betting area from different diagonally upward positions, one or more betting area antennas built into the betting area for reading the RFID tags of the roulette chips bet in the betting area, an analysis device that analyzes the images or videos to determine the number of roulette chips of each color bet in the betting area, multiple boundaries between the adjacent betting areas, and the positional relationships between the roulette chips and the boundaries, a control device that controls the at least two cameras, the one or more betting area antennas, and the analysis device to perform dealer support processing for payouts, and a display that displays the results of the dealer support processing.The control device reads the RFID tags using the one or more bet area antennas to obtain a first reading result for winning chips remaining after the game result on the wheel has been determined and non-winning chips have been collected by the dealer, and also photographs the winning chips using the at least two cameras to obtain a first image or video, and analyzes the first image or video using the analysis device to determine the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color that are not occluded in any of the first images or videos, and determines the number of occlusion winning chips of each color that are occluded in any of the first images or videos by subtracting the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color from the number of winning chips of each color shown in the first reading result, and calculates a payout for each color for the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color and the occlusion winning chips based on the respective payout multipliers, and the display displays the payout for each color calculated by the control device.

[0008] With this configuration, the control device grasps the position where the winning chips are bet and the number of each color, calculates the payout for each color, and displays it on the display, so by checking the display, the dealer can easily recognize how much payout to give to each color chip betted in which position.

[0009] The above management system may further include a recovered chip antenna for reading the RFID tags of the non-winning chips recovered by the dealer, and the control device may use the one or more bet area antennas to read the RFID tags of all of the roulette chips bet in the bet area to obtain a second reading result, and use the recovered chip antenna to read the RFID tags of the non-winning chips to obtain a third reading result, and may output an alert if the result of subtracting the number of non-winning chips of each color indicated by the third reading result from the number of all of the roulette chips of each color bet indicated by the second reading result does not match the number of winning chips of each color indicated by the first reading result.

[0010] This configuration makes it possible to output an alert if there is any fraud in the collection of non-winning chips.

[0011] The above management system may further include a player identification system that identifies the relationship between the players participating in the roulette game and the colors of the roulette chips assigned to the players, and a recording device that records the history and / or accumulation of bet amounts for each player, and the control device may determine the history and / or the accumulation to be recorded in the recording device based on the number of all roulette chips of each color that have been bet, which is indicated by the second reading result.

[0012] This configuration makes it possible to realize a patron rating that records the history and / or accumulation of a player's bet amount.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a roulette table to which the management system of this embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view of a roulette table to which the management system of this embodiment is applied. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a betting area of ​​this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of chips bet on the betting area of ​​this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of gaming chips of this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of antenna arrangement on a gaming table of this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a chip stack photographed by a camera in this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management system of this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a dealer support screen display showing the results of dealer support processing of this embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of winning chips captured in an image from the first camera of this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of winning chips captured in an image from the second camera of this embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of winning chips captured in an image from the third camera of this embodiment.

[0014] However, the embodiments described below are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, elements of multiple embodiments can be combined in any manner.

[0015] (Outline of Roulette Table) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a roulette table to which the management system of this embodiment is applied, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the roulette table to which the management system of this embodiment is applied. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a wheel 11 is provided at one corner of a roulette table (hereinafter also simply referred to as "table") 10. A dealer chip area 12 for placing the dealer's gaming chips is provided next to the wheel 11. The dealer is located at the dealer position in the center on the side opposite to the side where the wheel 11 is provided, and deals the game.

[0016] A betting area 13 is laid out on the table surface from the center of the table 10 to the end opposite the wheel 11. In the example of Figures 1 and 2, the wheel 11 is provided at the back on the right hand side of the dealer, the dealer chip area 12 is provided at the front right hand side, and the betting area 13 is laid out from the front to the left side. Multiple players take positions at player positions set around the table 10 so as to surround the betting area 13, avoiding the dealer position, and place bets by placing gaming chips in the betting area 13.

[0017] Table 10 is provided with a first camera 14, a second camera 15, and a third camera 16 for photographing betting area 13. First camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16 are all attached to poles erected on table 10. First camera 14 is provided at the corner of table 10 where wheel 11 is located. Second camera 15 is provided at the corner of table 10 where dealer chip area 12 is located. Third camera 16 is provided at the corner of the table diagonally opposite first camera 14. It is desirable that first camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16 be provided in positions that do not interfere with operations such as betting by players and chip collection and payout by the dealer.

[0018] The first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 photograph the betting area 13 from diagonally above and diagonally below. The first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 photograph the betting area 13 from different directions. In the example of Fig. 1, the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 are installed at approximately the same height from the table surface, but the heights of the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 may be different from each other.

[0019] A display 17 is also provided next to the wheel 11 of the table 10 for displaying a dealer support screen, which will be described later, to the dealer. The display 17 is also attached to a pole standing on the table 10, but may alternatively be embedded in the table surface. In this embodiment, the display 17 is provided inside the table 10, but it may also be provided on the edge of the table 10 so as not to interfere with the dealer's dealing. It may also face in a direction that allows it to be observed by players as well as the dealer.

[0020] (Bet Area and Betting) Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a bet area in this embodiment. There are European-style and American-style bet areas for roulette, and the example in Figure 3 shows an American-style bet area. Note that the present invention is also applicable to a European-style bet area.

[0021] In this embodiment, each small area partitioned within the betting area 13 is called a betting area. The betting area 13 is roughly divided into an inside betting area consisting of betting area numbers assigned to 0, 00, and 1 to 36, and an outside betting area consisting of all other betting areas. The betting areas in the outside betting area include a column area for betting on 12 betting objects in a horizontal row, a dozen area for betting on the first 12, middle 12, or last 12 betting objects, a low / high area for betting on 18 betting objects numbered 1 to 18 or 18 betting objects numbered 19 to 36, an odd / even area for betting on 18 odd-numbered betting objects or 18 even-numbered betting objects, and a red / black area for betting on 18 red betting objects or 18 black betting objects.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows an example of betting chips on the betting area in this embodiment. Chips can be placed in small areas that serve as betting areas. In the inside betting area, betting on the boundary of the betting area allows simultaneous betting on betting targets on both sides of the boundary. When betting chips are placed on the boundary, straddling the betting target areas of two inside bets, as with chips C11 and C15, a bet is placed on both of the two betting targets (chip C11 on numbers 17 and 20, and chip C15 on numbers 19 and 20) (split bet). When betting chips are placed on the intersection of the boundaries, straddling the betting target areas of four inside bets, as with chips C12 and C14, a bet is placed on all four of the betting targets (chip C12 on numbers 17, 18, 20, and 21, and chip C14 on numbers 20, 21, 23, and 24) (corner bet).

[0023] When a betting chip is placed within the inside betting area without touching any of the boundaries, as with chip C13, it means that only that betting object (number 20 in Figure 4) is bet on (straight up). When a betting chip is placed on the boundary between the inside betting area and the dozen area, as with chip C18, it means that a bet is placed on the three corresponding vertical betting objects (numbers 28 to 30 in the case of chip C18 in Figure 4) (street bet). When a betting chip is placed on the boundary between the two inside betting areas and the dozen, as with chip C17, it means that a bet is placed on the six corresponding vertical betting objects in two columns (numbers 7 to 12 in the case of chip C17 in Figure 4) (double street bet). When a betting chip is placed on the intersection of the boundaries between number 1, number 0, and the dozen, as with chip C16, it means that a bet is placed on the five corresponding vertical betting objects (numbers 0, 00, and numbers 1 to 3 in the case of chip C16 in Figure 4) (five numbers). When a bet chip is placed in the column area, such as chip C19, a bet is placed on the 12 corresponding horizontal bet targets (in the case of chip C19 in Figure 4, numbers 2, 5, ..., 35) (column bet).

[0024] For each of the above bets, a house edge (deduction rate) is secured, and then house odds (payouts) are defined according to the winning probability. For example, in the case of an American style bet as shown in Figure 4, the winning probability of a straight up is 1 / 38 (approximately 2.63%), but a house edge of 5.26% is secured and the house odds are set to 36 times. Also, for example, the winning probability of a column bet is 12 / 38 (approximately 31.58%), but a house edge of 5.26% is secured and the house odds are set to 3 times.

[0025] As described above, in a roulette game, the bet content varies depending on the position where the gaming chip is placed. A plurality of bet areas are arranged in two dimensions in the bet area 13, and adjacent bet areas are adjacent to each other via a boundary.

[0026] (Gaming Chips) The following explains gaming chips (hereinafter simply referred to as "chips") used in roulette games. Casinos offer table games such as baccarat and blackjack, and common gaming chips can be used at these game tables. However, roulette games use roulette chips (hereinafter referred to as "roulette chips") that are specifically designed for roulette, which are different from the general gaming chips (hereinafter referred to as "general chips") used in these other games.

[0027] When a player starts a roulette game, he or she borrows roulette chips from the dealer. Roulette chips can be borrowed with cash or regular chips. Depending on the casino, roulette chips may only be borrowed with cash or regular chips. Roulette chips have an appearance that allows them to be distinguished by group. This makes it possible to determine which chips have been bet by which player when multiple players simultaneously place bets in the betting area 13.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a gaming chip according to this embodiment. The gaming chip C has a group-specific portion that is different for each group and a common portion that is common to multiple groups. In the example of FIG. 5, the gaming chip C is disk-shaped with two circular planes (top and bottom), and the side surfaces have an annular shape that follows the periphery of the circle. In the gaming chip C of the example of FIG. 5, the common portion is the central circular portion 101 of the plane and six insert portions 102 arranged at equal angular intervals from the outer periphery of the plane to the side surfaces, and the remaining portions 103 of the plane and side surfaces are group-specific portions. The group-specific portions have a color assigned to each group, and the common portion is white. The group-specific portions and the common portion can be observed from the top, bottom, and side surfaces.

[0029] Note that a gaming chip may be configured only with a group identification portion without a common portion. In this embodiment, the group identification portion represents the group by its color. Alternatively, the group identification portion may represent the group by its pattern or design. In this embodiment, the roulette chips have a fixed value, but gaming chips of multiple values ​​may be prepared for each group. In this case, for example, a number indicating the value may be written on the central circular portion 101, which is the common portion, and the color of the insert portion 102 may be a different color from the color of the portion 103, thereby representing the value by the color of the insert portion 102. Furthermore, the gaming chips in the same group may all have the same value, but different fixed values ​​may be set for different groups.

[0030] The dealer assigns different groups of gaming chips (thus having different specific colors) to different players. For example, if a roulette table allows six players to play at the same time, six types of gaming chips of specific colors will be prepared at the table 10. When a player has finished playing the roulette game and wants to leave the table, they settle their account by returning the gaming chips they used to the dealer. Settlement can be made in regular chips or cash.

[0031] The gaming chip has a built-in RFID tag 104. The RFID tag 104 stores at least information for identifying the group to which the gaming chip belongs. If gaming chips of multiple denominations are prepared, the RFID tag 104 also stores value information. As described above, the color of the group identification portion of the gaming chip differs for each group, so it can also be said that the RFID tag 104 stores information for identifying the color of the group identification portion.

[0032] In this embodiment, the RFID tag 104 stores a chip ID as information for identifying the group to which the gaming chip belongs. A chip database (not shown) is prepared to identify the group to which the gaming chip belongs using the chip ID. The chip database stores, for each chip ID, information on the group to which the gaming chip belongs (i.e., the color of the group identification portion of the gaming chip). Therefore, by identifying the chip ID and referring to the chip database, it is possible to identify the group of the gaming chip having the chip ID.

[0033] In addition, the gaming chip has information corresponding to the group of the gaming chip stored in the RFID tag 104, and by reading the RFID tag 104, it may be possible to identify the group to which the gaming chip belongs directly from the RFID tag 104 without preparing and referring to a database.

[0034] (RFID Reading of Chips) An antenna for reading the RFID tags 104 of gaming chips placed on the table surface is embedded under the table surface of the game table 10. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of antennas in the game table of this embodiment. Multiple dealer chip area antennas 121 are provided in the dealer chip area 12. The read ranges of adjacent dealer chip area antennas 121 overlap each other, so that the entire dealer chip area 12 is covered by the read range of any one of the dealer chip area antennas 121.

[0035] Similarly, multiple bet area antennas 131 are provided in the bet area 13. The reading ranges of adjacent bet area antennas 131 overlap each other, so that the entire bet area 13 is covered by the reading range of one of the bet area antennas 131. A shield 141 is provided between the dealer chip area 12 and the bet area 13. This prevents the dealer chip area antenna 121 of the dealer chip area 12 from reading the RFID tag of the chip in the bet chip area 13, and also prevents the bet area antenna 131 of the bet chip area 13 from reading the RFID tag of the chip in the dealer chip area 12.

[0036] (Photographing the Betting Area) As described above, the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 all photograph the betting area 13 from diagonally above. As a result, a chip stack consisting of multiple chips placed one on top of the other in the betting area 13 is photographed from diagonally above.

[0037] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a chip stack photographed by a camera in this embodiment. First camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16 photograph the chip stack from diagonally above, so that the top surface of the top chip in the chip stack and the side surfaces of all chips in the chip stack appear in the photographed image, as shown in FIG.

[0038] As described above, each chip has at least a group identification portion on its side, so when a chip stack is photographed as shown in FIG. 7, the group identification portions of all chips included in the chip stack will appear in the image.

[0039] (Procedure of Roulette Game) In a roulette game, first, the dealer allows the player to place a bet and throws a ball onto the spinning wheel 11. The player can place a bet even while the ball is spinning around the edge of the wheel 11 due to centrifugal force. When the centrifugal force of the ball weakens, the dealer holds his hand face down over the betting area 13 and calls "No more bet." This call prohibits the player from placing a new bet or changing his bet, and the bet is confirmed.

[0040] When the ball falls into the wheel 11 and lands in one of the pockets 0, 00, or 1 to 36 on the rotating wheel 11, the game result is determined. The dealer places a dolly on the bet object corresponding to the pocket where the ball fell. If chips have been bet on that bet object, the dealer places a dolly on those chips. The dealer then, according to the game result, collects the bet chips that did not win in the game (hereinafter referred to as "non-winning chips"), i.e., the chips that the dealer should collect, into the dealer chip area 12. Then, for the bet chips that won in the game (hereinafter referred to as "winning chips"), the dealer takes chips from the dealer chip area 12 and pays out a payout. At this time, the dealer pays out chips of the same type as the winning chip in a number (or amount) according to the payout multiplier for the winning chip.

[0041] When the player receives the winning chip and the paid-out chip, the procedure for that game ends and betting for the next game begins. The dealer starts the rotation of the wheel 11 for the next game and throws a ball into the wheel 11. By repeating these steps, the game is repeated.

[0042] (System Configuration) Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a management system of this embodiment. The management system 100 manages a roulette game played using roulette chips on a roulette table 10 equipped with a wheel 11 and a betting area 13 partitioned into a plurality of betting areas. The management system 100 is equipped with a first camera 14, a second camera 15, and a third camera 16 that capture images of the betting area 13 from different diagonally upward positions and generate respective images.

[0043] The analysis device 110 analyzes the images captured by the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16, respectively, to recognize the number of roulette chips of each color bet in the betting area 13 and multiple boundaries between adjacent betting areas, and further determines the positional relationship between the recognized roulette chips and the recognized boundaries. In particular, the analysis device 110 analyzes images captured of winning chips remaining in the betting area 13 after the dealer has collected the non-winning chips.

[0044] The analysis device 110 analyzes images using machine learning or deep learning. To this end, the analysis device 110 performs learning using images obtained by placing a chip stack on the betting area 13 and taking an image. To prepare learning images, chip stacks are photographed under various conditions. Learning images are also prepared for each of a plurality of groups, and learning images are also prepared for each number of chips included in the chip stack. Furthermore, images of chips in a chip stack stack that are neatly aligned and images of chips stacked with a misalignment are prepared as learning images. Furthermore, images under relatively dark lighting, relatively bright lighting, and images under lighting with a specific color tint are also prepared as learning images. The analysis device 110, which has learned from such learning images, can perform image recognition robustly under various conditions.

[0045] When adjacent bet areas are separated by a boundary line, the analysis device 110 may use the boundary line as a recognition target for learning, but when each bet area is filled with a predetermined color and adjacent bet areas are separated by using different fill colors, the analysis device 110 may recognize the boundaries between these bet areas by recognizing each bet area. Also, it may be possible to recognize that a chip is on a boundary based on the coordinates of the chip recognized by the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16. In this case, the boundary line is mapped to the coordinates.

[0046] The management system 100 also includes a plurality of betting area antennas 131 built into the betting area 13 in order to read the RFID tags of the roulette chips bet on the betting area 13, and a betting area reader 130 for controlling the plurality of betting area antennas 131. The management system 100 also includes a plurality of dealer chip area antennas 121 built into the dealer chip area 12 in order to read the RFID tags 104 of the roulette chips placed on the dealer chip area 12, and a dealer chip area reader 120 for controlling the plurality of dealer chip area antennas 121.

[0047] The bet area reader 130 and the dealer chip area reader 120 drive the corresponding antennas to read information from the RFID tags 104 of chips within the reading ranges corresponding to each antenna. As described above, in this embodiment, multiple antennas are arranged in each of the bet area 13 and the dealer chip area 12 so that their reading ranges overlap, and therefore the chip ID stored in the RFID tag 104 of one chip may be read in duplicate by two or more antennas. The bet area reader 130 and the dealer chip area reader 120 combine the chip IDs read in duplicate by the multiple antennas into one and determine that there is one chip having that chip ID.

[0048] The control device 140 controls the first camera 14, the second camera 15, the third camera 16, and the analysis device 110, and also controls the plurality of bet area antennas 131 via the bet area reader 130, thereby performing dealer support processing for payouts. In the dealer support processing, the control device 140 informs the dealer of the number (or amount) of payout chips to be paid for each winning chip.

[0049] As a result of the dealer support processing, the control device 140 generates a dealer support screen showing the details of the dealer support, and the display 17 displays this dealer support screen.

[0050] (Dealer Support Processing) The dealer support processing will be described in detail below. As described above, when the game result is determined by the ball landing in one of the pockets on the wheel 11, the dealer first collects the non-winning chips from the betting area 13 to the dealer chip area 12. At this time, the control device 140 controls the betting area reader 130 to read the RFID tags of the winning chips remaining in the betting area 13 using the multiple betting area antennas 131, and obtains a reading result (hereinafter referred to as the "first reading result") including the number of winning chips of each color.

[0051] Also, at this time, the control device 140 controls the analysis device 110 to analyze the images taken by the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 (hereinafter, these images will be referred to as "first images"), determine the number of winning chips (hereinafter, referred to as "border winning chips") placed across the boundary of the betting area by color (group), and obtain this as the first image analysis result.

[0052] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a dealer support screen display showing the results of the dealer support processing. Fig. 9 shows the dealer support screen when the bet shown in Fig. 4 is placed and the game result is "20" (the ball lands in the pocket marked with 20 on the wheel 11). As shown in Fig. 9, the dealer support screen 171 includes information about the group to which the winning chip belongs (i.e., the color of the winning chip), the number of winning chips (or the value of the winning chip), and the number of payouts (or the payout amount) for each type of bet (i.e., winning method) for the winning chip.

[0053] As shown in Figure 9, the chips bet on the straight up bet on No. 20, the split bet including No. 20, and the corner bet including No. 20 will be winning chips, in accordance with the bet contents in Figure 4. The number of payouts for these chips is calculated according to the payout multiplier based on the rules. By checking this dealer support screen 171, the dealer can see how many chips of what color should be paid out for each winning chip, enabling quick and accurate payout operations.

[0054] In order to generate such a dealer support screen 171, the control device 140 must determine the betting method for the winning chips, i.e., which betting area or the boundary between the betting areas and how many winning chips of which group are placed. However, in the example shown in Figure 4, the winning chips are placed around the betting area "No. 20" as the center. When the betting chips are close to each other like this, it is difficult to determine which chips are placed where by reading the RFID tag 104, as it is understood that they are placed in different positions for each chip stack.

[0055] 10 to 12 are diagrams showing examples of winning chips captured in the images of the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera, respectively, according to this embodiment. In each of the images from the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera, some chip stacks located at the back as viewed from the camera are partially hidden by other chip stacks located in front. In image analysis, it can be difficult to accurately identify the type and number of chips in such a chip stack located at the back. In particular, for a winning chip surrounded by other winning chips, such as the straight-up chip "20" in the example of FIG. 4, partial occlusion by the chip stack located in front occurs in each of the images from the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera.

[0056] Therefore, in this embodiment, a technique is employed for accurately identifying winning chips in a chip stack that is partially hidden by another chip stack.

[0057] The control device 140 first determines the number of winning chips of each color that are not occluded in any of the first images and that are recognized by image analysis (hereinafter referred to as "image-recognizable winning chips") based on the analysis results of the first images by the analysis device 110. In the example of Fig. 4, chips C11 and C15 are not occluded in the first image captured by the first camera 14, chips C11 and C12 are not occluded in the first image captured by the second camera 15, and chip C14 is not occluded in the first image captured by the third camera 16. Therefore, all chips except for chip C13 are image-recognizable winning chips and can be recognized by image analysis.

[0058] On the other hand, chip C13 is a winning chip (hereinafter referred to as an "occlusion winning chip") in which occlusion occurs in the first images of all of first camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16. Therefore, for such occlusion winning chips, control device 140 determines the number of occlusion winning chips of each color by subtracting the number of image-recognizable winning chips of each color recognized by image analysis from the number of winning chips of each color indicated by the first reading result of RFID tag 104.

[0059] The control device 140 further determines the position of the occlusion winning chip based on the positions of all image-recognizable winning chips. In the example of Figure 4, the split of 17-20, the corners of 17-18-20-21, the corners of 20-21-23-24, and the split of 19-20 have been image-recognized as such, so the control device 140 determines that the occlusion winning chip is the straight-up 20, which may be occluded by those chips.

[0060] In this way, the control device 140 determines the betting method (or betting object) and the number of each color for winning chips, including occlusion winning chips, using the first reading result obtained by reading the RFID tag of the winning chip and the analysis result of the first image. Then, the control device 140 calculates the payout number for each color for the determined number of winning chips for each color based on the payout multiplier corresponding to each betting method, and generates a dealer support screen 171 including the payout number for each color. Note that, as with chips bet on the boundary of the inside bet area, the control device 140 may also determine the betting method (or betting object) and the number of each color for winning chips, including occlusion winning chips, using the first reading result obtained by reading the RFID tag and the analysis result of the first image.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the chip IDs read by the multiple bet area antennas 131 in the bet area 13 are combined into one and it is determined that there is one chip having that chip ID in the bet area 13. However, instead, the chip IDs may be read separately for the inside bet area and the outside bet area, thereby obtaining the chip ID of the chip bet in the inside bet area and the chip ID of the chip bet in the outside bet area. In this case, depending on the position of the betted chip, it is possible that the chip bet in the inside bet area is read by the bet area antenna 131 in the inside bet area and also by the bet area antenna 131 in the outside bet area, or vice versa. In this case, the signal strength may be used to determine whether the chip is bet in the inside bet area or the outside bet area.

[0062] (Alert for collection / payment fraud) The management system 100 of this embodiment further has a function of outputting an alert if fraud is found in the collection of non-winning chips. For this purpose, when the player finishes placing a bet, the control device 140 controls the bet area reader 130 to read the RFID tags 104 of all bet chips bet in the bet area 13 using the bet area antenna 131 and obtains the read results (hereinafter referred to as the "second read results"). In addition, the control device 140 uses the dealer chip area antenna 121 to read the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the dealer chip area 12 before collection and obtains the read results (hereinafter referred to as the "third read results").

[0063] When the game result is determined and the dealer collects the non-winning chips from the betting area 13 to the dealer chip area 12, the control device 140 controls the dealer chip area reader 120 to read the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the dealer chip area 12, including the collected non-winning chips, using the dealer chip area antenna 121, and obtains a read result (hereinafter referred to as the "fourth read result").The control device 140 then calculates the number of chips of each color that have increased in the dealer chip area 12 due to the collection by taking the difference between the third read result and the fourth read result.On the other hand, the control device 140 calculates the number of chips of each color that have increased in the dealer chip area 12 due to the collection by taking the difference between the first read result, which read only the winning chips in the betting area 13, and the second read result, which read all the betting chips.

[0064] The control device 140 determines whether the increase in chips in the dealer chip area 12 due to the collection matches the decrease in chips in the bet area 13 due to the collection, and outputs an alert if they do not match. The alert is output as visual information via the display 17.

[0065] In this embodiment, the number of non-winning chips of each color collected in the dealer chip area 12 is obtained from the difference between the reading results of the dealer chip area 12 before and after collection. In other words, the dealer chip antenna 121 installed in the dealer chip area 12 is used as a collected chip antenna that reads the RFID tags 104 of the collected non-winning chips, but instead, a dedicated collected chip antenna that reads only the RFID tags 104 of the collected non-winning chips may be used. In this case, the collected non-winning chips are collected in an area where the dedicated collected chip antenna is installed and read. Then, the collected non-winning chips are moved to the dealer chip area 12.

[0066] Fraud detection is also performed in the same manner for payments. That is, the management system 100 of this embodiment has the function of outputting an alert if fraud is detected in the payment of winning chips. To this end, the control device 140 reads the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the dealer chip area 12 after payment is completed and obtains the read results (hereinafter referred to as the "fifth read result"). The control device 140 then calculates the difference between the fourth read result for the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the dealer chip area 12 after collection is completed and the fifth read result for the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the dealer chip area 12 after payment is completed, thereby calculating the number of chips of each color that has been reduced in the dealer chip area 12 due to payment.

[0067] The control device 140 also reads the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the betting area after payment has been made and obtains the reading result (hereinafter referred to as the "sixth reading result").The control device 140 then calculates the number of chips of each color that has increased in the betting area 13 as a result of payment by taking the difference between the sixth reading result for the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the betting area 13 after payment has been completed and the first reading result for the RFID tags 104 of all chips in the betting area 13 after collection has been completed.

[0068] The control device 140 determines whether the amount of chips in the dealer chip area 12 that is reduced by the payment matches the amount of chips in the bet area 13 that is increased by the payment, and outputs an alert if they do not match.

[0069] The detection of payment irregularities described above was performed by determining whether the amount of chips removed from dealer chip area 12 by dealer chip area 12 matches the amount of chips added to bet area 13 due to payment, thereby confirming whether the correct number of chips was moved from dealer chip area 12 to bet chip area 13 at the time of payment. However, in this embodiment, as described above, the betting method (or betting object) and the number of chips for each color are determined for winning chips, and the payout number for each color is calculated based on the payout multiplier corresponding to each betting method for the determined number of winning chips for each color. Therefore, control device 140 may determine whether the chips have actually increased in bet area 13 due to payment according to the calculated payout number for each color. The increase in chips in bet area 13 due to payment can be obtained by calculating the difference between the sixth reading result and the first reading result, as described above.

[0070] Additionally or alternatively, the control device 140 may determine whether chips have been reduced in the dealer chip area 12 according to the calculated payout number for each color. The reduction in chips due to payment in the dealer chip area 12 can be obtained by calculating the difference between the fourth reading result and the fifth reading result, as described above.

[0071] Furthermore, to detect payment fraud, a dedicated payment chip antenna may be used to read only payment chips that have been removed from the dealer chip area 12 and before being placed in the betting area 13. In this case, payment chips to be paid into the betting area 13 are collected in an area where the dedicated payment chip antenna is installed and read. The payment chips are then moved by the dealer near the corresponding winning chips in the betting area 13.

[0072] When a dedicated payment chip antenna is used, the control device 140 may determine whether the number of chips of each color that has been reduced by a payment in the dealer chip area 12 matches the number of chips of each color that has been read by the dedicated payment chip antenna, in order to detect payment fraud. Alternatively, or in addition, the control device 140 may determine whether the number of chips of each color that has been read by the dedicated payment chip antenna matches the number of chips of each color that has been increased by a payment in the bet area 13. Furthermore, when a dedicated payment chip antenna is used, the control device 140 may determine whether the calculated payout number of each color matches the number of chips of each color that has been read by the dedicated payment chip antenna.

[0073] (Patron Rating) The management system 100 of this embodiment further has a function of performing patron rating. For this function, as shown in FIG. 8 , the management system 100 is provided with a card reader 160 and a player database 170. The card reader 160 obtains information identifying the player (player ID) by scanning the membership card of a player who is attempting to purchase roulette chips. The control device 140 associates this obtained player ID with information on the group (color) of roulette chips assigned to the player. This association may be performed by a dealer on the control device 140 using an input device (not shown).

[0074] Once the chip colors are associated with the player IDs, the control device 140 records the number of bets (bet amounts) for each player in the player database 170 at the time betting ends, based on the number of chips of each color bet indicated by the second reading result. By performing this for each game, the player database 170 records the history and cumulative amount of the number of bets (bet amounts) for each player. Note that the player database 170 may record only the history or the cumulative amount.

[0075] Note that the player may be identified using a camera. In this case, the face of a player who is about to purchase roulette chips may be photographed with a camera, and the image may be used for facial authentication to identify the player. In this case, any of the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16 may be used as the camera. In this case, the association between the identified player and the color of the roulette chip may be performed by the dealer, or this association may also be performed using a camera. That is, the player may be identified and the chips may be recognized by photographing the player betting roulette chips with a camera and analyzing the image, thereby associating the player with the color of the chips.

[0076] (Variant Example) In the above embodiment, first camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16 all take pictures at predetermined times to generate images, and analysis device 110 analyzes the captured images. However, instead, first camera 14, second camera 15, and third camera 16 may take videos, and analysis device 110 may analyze the captured videos or analyze images extracted from the videos.

[0077] In the above embodiment, three cameras, including the first camera 14, the second camera 15, and the third camera 16, are installed on the table 10, but at least two cameras are sufficient. When two cameras are used, it is desirable that the two cameras be installed diagonally across the betting area 13, as in the positional relationship between the first camera 14 and the third camera 16 in the above embodiment. Furthermore, four or more cameras may be installed. Note that, when four cameras are installed, the four cameras may be installed at the four corners of the game table 10. Furthermore, the multiple cameras may differ from one another in terms of installation position and shooting direction, installation height, angle of view, resolution, etc.

[0078] In the above embodiment, for the bet area 13, multiple bet area antennas 131 are installed so as to overlap each other, and when the same chip ID is read by the bet area reader 130 by multiple bet area antennas 131, the multiple bet area antennas 131 are integrated and treated as the chip ID of a single chip. The control device 140 may specify the approximate location of each chip based on the strength of the signal received from the RFID tag by each bet area antenna 131. Similarly, for the dealer chip area 12, the location of the chip may be specified based on the strength of the signal received from the RFID tag by multiple dealer chip area antennas 121.

[0079] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a roulette chip specifically for roulette is used in a roulette game, but bets and settlements may be made using a general chip with an RFID tag under a predetermined rule (for example, when the number of players participating in the roulette game is small and the dealer gives permission). In this case, too, each antenna and each reader of the management system 100 may read the RFID tag of the general chip and perform management similar to that described above.

[0080] 10 Roulette table 11 Wheel 12 Dealer chip area 13 Betting area 14 First camera 15 Second camera 16 Third camera 17 Display 100 Management system 110 Analysis device 120 Dealer chip area reader 130 Betting area reader 140 Control device 150 Display 160 Card reader 170 Player database 121 Dealer chip area antenna 131 Betting area antenna 171 Dealer support screen 101 Group identification unit 102 Common unit C Roulette gaming chip

Claims

1. A management system for managing a roulette game played with roulette chipson a roulette table equipped with a wheel and a betting area in which a plurality of betting target areas are segmented,wherein in the roulette game, the roulette chips having different colors for different players are used,wherein the roulette chip has an RFID tag that stores information corresponding to at least its color, and the color appears at least on a side surface of the roulette chip; andthe management system comprising:at least two cameras, each configured to produce an image or video of the betting area from different oblique upward positions;one or more betting area antennas installed into the betting area and configured to read the RFID tags of the roulette chips placed in the betting area;an analyzer configured to determine, by analyzing the images or video, the number of the roulette chips for each color bet on the betting area, a plurality of boundaries of adjacent betting areas, and a positional relationship between the roulette chips and the boundaries;a controller configured to control the at least two cameras, the one or more betting area antennas, and the analyzer to perform a dealer support processing for payouts; anda display configured to display a result of the dealer support processing, whereinthe controller is configured to:read the RFID tag using the one or more betting area antennas to obtain a first reading result for winning chips remaining after a game result has been determined on the wheel and non-winning chips have been collected by a dealer, capture the winning chips using the at least two cameras to obtain first images or videos, and analyze the first images or videos using the analyzer to determine a number of image-recognizable winning chips for each color for which occlusion has not occurred in at least one of the first images or videos;subtract the number of the image-recognizable winning chips for each color from a number of winning chips for each color indicated by the first reading result to determine a number of occluded winning chips for each color having occlusion in all of the first images and videos; andcalculate a payout amount for each color based on the number of image-recognizable winning chips for each color and the number of occluded winning chips for each color, in accordance with a respective payout multiplier for each of the image-recognizable winning chips and the occluded winning chips,wherein the display is configured to display the payout amount for each color calculated by the controller.

2. The management system according to claim 1, further comprising:a collected chip antenna configured to read the RFID tags of the non-winning chips collected by the dealer, whereinthe controller is configured to:read the RFID tags of all the roulette chips that have been bet in the betting area using the one or more betting area antennas to obtain a second reading result;obtain a third reading result by reading the RFID tags of the non-winning chips using the collected chip antenna; andoutput an alert when a result of subtracting a number of non-winning chips for each color, as indicated by the third reading result, from a number of all the roulette chips of each color bet, as indicated by the second reading result, does not match the number of winning chips for each color, as indicated by the first reading result.

3. The management system according to claim 2, further comprising:a player identification system configured to identify a relationship between a player participating in the roulette game and a color of the roulette chips assigned to the player; anda recording device configured to record a history and / or accumulation of bet amounts for each of the players, whereinthe controller is configured to determine the history and / or accumulation to be recorded in the recording device based on the number of chips for each color of all the roulette chips that have been bet.

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