Prize exchange system, management device, and prize exchange method

Abstract

To prevent an internal fraud of performing a prize exchange committed by a staff member of a game hall by using the number of game media collected from game machines.SOLUTION: When a balance medal still exists in a management slot machine 20 after a player finished playing, and if a staff member inserts a staff member card into a management medal unit 10 and pushes a count button, the number of balance medals in the management slot machine 20 is linked to the staff member card. Even if a prize exchange is attempted on a prize management device 60 by using the staff member card, a prize exchange is rejected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a prize exchange system, a management device, and a prize exchange method that can prevent internal fraud such as an employee of an amusement facility exchanging game media collected from a gaming machine for a prize. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in gaming establishments such as pachinko parlors, there are cases where game media that cannot be used for playing the game machine are left behind. For example, in the case of a pachislot machine in which three medals are inserted to play a game, even if one or two medals remain in the gaming machine, they cannot be used for playing, so players often leave one or two medals in the gaming machine when they leave.

[0003] In such a case, the staff of the gaming establishment must collect the gaming media remaining in the gaming machine. For example, the staff inserts an employee card into the card insertion slot of each machine device attached to the slot machine and performs a collection operation to collect the remaining medals left in the slot machine (for example, see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-177612 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, when collecting game media using the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, there is a possibility of internal fraud occurring in which an employee exchanges the game media associated with the card ID of the employee card for a prize.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a prize exchange system, management device, and prize exchange method that can prevent internal fraud such as an employee of an amusement facility exchanging prizes using the number of gaming media collected from gaming machines. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with the identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, wherein the management device is characterized by having a storage means that stores the identification information of the storage medium in association with the number of gaming media, a determination means that, when it receives the identification information of the storage medium that is the subject of prize exchange from the prize management device, determines whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium for an employee, and a notification means that, if the determination means determines that the identification information is the identification information of a storage medium for an employee, notifies the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0008] In addition, in the above invention, the notification means is characterized in that if the determination means determines that the information is not the identification information of the storage medium for the employee, it notifies the prize management device of the number of gaming media corresponding to the identification information of the storage medium stored in the storage means.

[0009] In addition, in the above invention, the storage means stores the identification information of the storage medium in association with the number of gaming media at multiple lending rates, and the notification means notifies the prize management device of the number of gaming media at multiple lending rates associated with the identification information of the storage medium stored in the storage means if the determination means determines that the identification information is not that of a storage medium for the employee.

[0010] The present invention also provides a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with the identification information of the storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, wherein the management device is characterized by having a storage means that stores the identification information of the storage medium in association with the number of gaming media, a determination means that, upon receiving the identification information of the storage medium that is the subject of prize exchange from the prize management device, determines whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium whose number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by a specified employee terminal, and a notification means that, if the determination means determines that the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium whose number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by the employee terminal, notifies the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0011] In addition, in the above invention, the prize management device is characterized in that when it receives a notification from the management device that the prize cannot be exchanged, it controls a designated display unit to display a message indicating that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0012] The present invention also provides a management device that is capable of communicating with a prize management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with identification information of a storage medium and exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, and is characterized in that the management device is equipped with a storage means that stores the identification information of the storage medium in association with the number of gaming media, a determination means that, when it receives the identification information of the storage medium that is the subject of prize exchange from the prize management device, determines whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium for an employee, and a notification means that, when it is determined by the determination means that the identification information is the identification information of a storage medium for an employee, notifies the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0013] The present invention also provides a management device that is capable of communicating with a prize management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with identification information of a storage medium and exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, and is characterized in that the management device is equipped with a storage means that stores the identification information of the storage medium in association with the number of gaming media, a determination means that, when it receives the identification information of the storage medium that is the subject of prize exchange from the prize management device, determines whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium whose number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by a specified employee terminal, and a notification means that, when it is determined by the determination means that the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium whose number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by the employee terminal, notifies the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a prize exchange method in a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with the identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, and is characterized in that the method includes a storage step in which the management device associates the identification information of the storage medium with the number of gaming media and stores them in a memory unit, a determination step in which, if the management device receives the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize from the prize management device, the management device determines whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium for an employee, and a notification step in which, if the management device determines in the determination step that the identification information is identification information of a storage medium for an employee, the management device notifies the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged.

[0015] The present invention also provides a prize exchange method in a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of gaming media acquired through play on a gaming machine in association with identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of gaming media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for a prize, the method including a storage step in which the management device associates the identification information of the storage medium with the number of gaming media and stores them in a memory unit, a determination step, if the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize is received from the prize management device, a determination step for determining whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium from which a number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by a specified employee terminal, and a notification step, if the determination step determines that the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium from which a number of gaming media has been forcibly collected by the employee terminal, to notify the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges game media collected from a gaming machine for a prize. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the prize exchange system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the management slot machine and the management medal unit shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management medal unit shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the device status data, the card ID data, and the valuable data shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management device illustrated in FIG. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the card management data, the device management data, and the member management data shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the management medal unit in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a management device according to the first modification. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the employee card data shown in FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system according to the second modified example. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system relating to the third modified example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of the prize exchange system according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] [Embodiment 1]

[0019] The prize exchange system, management device, and prize exchange method according to the first embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0020] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to the first embodiment> Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an outline of the prize exchange system according to the embodiment 1. The managed slot machine 20 shown in Fig. 1 is an enclosed reel type gaming machine that does not pay out medals to the outside of the device.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1, in the prize exchange system of this embodiment 1, if there are remaining medals in the managed slot machine 20 after a player has finished playing, when an employee inserts an employee card into the managed medal unit 10 and presses the counting button, the number of remaining medals in the managed slot machine 20 is linked to this employee card.

[0022] Even if an employee attempts to use this employee card to exchange for a prize at the prize management device 60, the prize exchange is prohibited.

[0023] In this way, in the prize exchange system of this embodiment 1, the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, and prize exchange using this employee card is prohibited, thereby preventing internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges prizes using the number of gaming media collected from a gaming machine.

[0024] <System configuration according to the first embodiment> Next, a system configuration of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, a gaming facility is provided with a plurality of managed slot machines 20 and managed medal units 10 provided corresponding to each managed slot machine 20.

[0025] The management medal unit 10 is connected to a communication line, which is a network within the store, via the island controller 30. The island controller 30, the management device 50, the prize management device 60, and the settlement machine 70 are connected to the communication line.

[0026] The managed slot machine 20 is an enclosed type gaming machine that provides slot games based on the gaming machine managed medal number stored in the memory unit, and does not accept actual medals from outside the device, nor does it pay out actual medals to the outside of the device. This managed slot machine 20 is provided with a MAX BET button, and when this MAX BET button is pressed, three medals are subtracted from the gaming machine managed medal number, and the BET number is set. When the player operates the start lever in this state, the three drums rotate, and when the stop button is pressed, the drums stop sequentially. When a predetermined symbol combination stops on the reel, the number of prize medals corresponding to this symbol combination is added to the gaming machine managed medal number.

[0027] The management slot machine 20 notifies the management medal unit 10 of the number of medals managed by the gaming machine and the number of BETs. The management slot machine 20 also notifies the management medal unit 10 of safe data, out data, special prize data, etc. The safe data is data that is output when a predetermined number of prize medals are generated. The out data is data that is output each time the number of BETs used in a game reaches a predetermined number. The special prize data is data that is output when a jackpot occurs. The safe data, out data, special prize data, etc. are transmitted from the management medal unit 10 to the management device 50.

[0028] The management medal unit 10 accepts deposits, lends the number of medals managed by the gaming machine, and communicates with the management device 50. When the management medal unit 10 accepts a bill inserted by a player, it transmits deposit notification data including the amount of the bill to the management device 50, and adds a number corresponding to the amount to the prepaid value managed by the management device 50. Then, when a specified medal lending operation is performed, it transmits a medal lending request to the management device 50, subtracts the prepaid value managed by the management device 50, and instructs the management slot machine 20 to add a number to the number of medals managed by the gaming machine corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value.

[0029] Furthermore, when the management medal unit 10 accepts the insertion of a card, it transmits card insertion notification data to the management device 50. Furthermore, when the management medal unit 10 receives data including the prepaid value and the number of held medals from the management device 50, it stores the received prepaid value and number of held medals. Then, once the number of held medals has been stored, the management medal unit 10 transmits held medal subtraction request data to the management device 50, thereby clearing the number of held medals managed by the management device 50 to zero.

[0030] In addition, when the management medal unit 10 receives an operation to replay held medals, it subtracts a predetermined number from the number of held medals stored in the device, and instructs the management slot machine 20 to add a number of gaming machine managed medals corresponding to the subtracted number of held medals.

[0031] In addition, when the management medal unit 10 accepts a card return operation, it transmits held medal addition request data including the number of held medals managed by the unit to the management device 50, and after having the management device 50 add the number of held medals, it transmits card ejection notification data to the management device 50 and controls the ejection of the card.

[0032] In addition, when the management medal unit 10 receives employee mode transition instruction data from the management device 50, it transitions its own device to employee mode, and when it receives sales mode transition instruction data, it transitions its own device to sales mode.

[0033] Furthermore, when the management medal unit 10 is in the employee mode and the valuable data is updated, it transmits held medal addition request data, including the card ID, the management medal unit ID, and the held medal balance, to the management device 50. Then, after clearing the valuable data to zero, it ejects the card and transmits card ejection notification data to the management device 50.

[0034] The island controller 30 is a relay device that bundles a group of managed slot machines 20 and managed medal units 10 installed on the game island.

[0035] The management device 50 is a device that manages the prepaid value of the card, the number of medals held, etc. as card data, and the information of the member registered with the gaming facility as member management data. When the management device 50 receives card insertion notification data from the management medal unit 10, it manages the card ID of the inserted card in association with the device ID of the management medal unit 10, and transmits the prepaid value and the number of medals held associated with the card ID to the management medal unit 10.

[0036] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives held medal subtraction request data from the management medal unit 10, it clears the held medal number to zero. Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives held medal addition request data from the management medal unit 10, it adds the held medal number included in the held medal addition request data to the held medal number managed by its own device.

[0037] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives medal lending request data from the management medal unit 10, it subtracts a predetermined value from the prepaid value associated with the card ID and transmits medal lending permission data to the management medal unit 10. When the management device 50 receives saved medal replay request data from the management medal unit 10, it subtracts a predetermined number from the number of saved medals associated with the card ID indicated in the saved medal replay request data, and transmits saved medal replay data including the number of saved medals after the subtraction to the management medal unit 10.

[0038] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of held medals and the number of saved medals associated with this card ID. Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a card ID from the settlement machine 70, it notifies the settlement machine 70 of the prepaid value associated with this card ID.

[0039] The management device 50 also accumulates a history of operations such as deposits, card insertions, and card ejections notified from the management medal unit 10, and performs processing such as tallying up at a predetermined timing such as after closing time. The management device 50 also accumulates a history of operations related to prize exchange by the prize management device 60 and settlement by the settlement machine 70, and performs processing such as tallying up at a predetermined timing such as after closing time.

[0040] In addition, the management device 50 receives card insertion notification data from the management medal unit 10, and transmits employee mode transition instruction data to the management medal unit 10 if the card ID included in this card insertion notification data is an employee card.

[0041] In addition, the management device 50 receives held medal addition request data from the managed medal unit 10, and if the card ID included in this held medal addition request data is an employee card, sends sales mode transition instruction data to the managed medal unit 10.

[0042] In addition, when the management device 50 receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, if the card ID is an employee card, it transmits prize exchange prohibition instruction data to the prize management device 60.

[0043] The prize management device 60 is a terminal device for prize exchange that is attached to the prize exchange counter in the game parlor and performs a prize exchange process to exchange the number of medals held and the number of medals saved for prizes. A card reader that reads the card ID from the card and a prize payout device that pays out prizes are connected to this prize management device 60.

[0044] Furthermore, when the prize management device 60 reads out the card ID from the card (or when it reads out the identification data corresponding to the card ID from a mobile terminal or the like), it transmits the card ID to the management device 50 and requests the number of medals held by the card ID. Furthermore, when the number of medals saved is to be exchanged for a prize, it requests the number of medals saved from the management device 50.

[0045] Furthermore, when the prize management device 60 receives prize exchange prohibition instruction data from the management device 50, it prohibits the prize exchange process for the accepted card, displays a message indicating that prize exchange is prohibited, and returns the card.

[0046] When a card associated with a prepaid value is inserted, the settlement machine 70 transmits the card ID of the card to the management device 50, obtains the prepaid value associated with the card, and dispenses cash equivalent to the obtained prepaid value.

[0047] <External configuration of the management slot machine 20 and the management medal unit 10> Next, the external configuration of the management slot machine 20 and the management medal unit 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the management slot machine 20 and the management medal unit 10 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, unlike conventional slot machines, the management slot machine 20 does not have an upper tray and a lower tray. This is because it is an enclosed gaming machine, and medals are not paid out to the outside of the device. Also, unlike conventional slot machines, there is no concept of credits that accumulate 50 medals, and there is no credit display section. This is because instead of credits, a display section is provided that stores the gaming machine management medal number without the restriction of 50 medals and displays the gaming machine management medal number.

[0048] On the surface of the managed slot machine 20, there are provided drums 21a, 21b, and 21c (hereinafter collectively referred to as "drum 21"), a gaming machine managed medal count display unit 22, a max bet button 23, a start lever 24, stop buttons 25a, 25b, and 25c (hereinafter collectively referred to as "stop buttons 25"), a bet number display unit 26, and a count button 27. Although not shown here for convenience of explanation, a liquid crystal display unit for displaying effects and a medal count display unit may also be provided.

[0049] The drum 21 is a reel on which symbols are printed, and is controlled to rotate when a start lever 24 is operated with three coins bet on. Also, it is controlled to stop when a stop button 25 is pressed.

[0050] The gaming machine management medal number display unit 22 is a display unit that displays the gaming machine management medal number stored inside the managed slot machine 20. The MAX BET button 23 is a button for betting three gaming machine management medals. When the MAX BET button 23 is pressed, the BET number is displayed in the BET number display unit 26. When the MAX BET button 23 is pressed when the gaming machine management medal number is three or more, "3" is displayed in the BET number display unit 26. When the MAX BET button 23 is pressed when the gaming machine management medal number is two, "2" is displayed in the BET number display unit 26, and when the MAX BET button 23 is pressed when the gaming machine management medal number is two, "2" is displayed in the BET number display unit 26. Note that the BET payout button for canceling the BET is omitted from the illustration.

[0051] The start lever 24 is a lever for controlling the rotation of the drum 21 on the condition that three of the medals managed by the gaming machine are bet. Here, the managed slot machine 20 is a dedicated machine for betting three medals, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rotation of the drum 21 can also be controlled when the start lever 24 is operated in the state of betting one medal or two medals.

[0052] The stop buttons 25 are buttons for stopping the drums 21. When the stop button 25a is pressed, the drum 21a is controlled to stop, when the stop button 25b is pressed, the drum 21b is controlled to stop, and when the stop button 25c is pressed, the drum 21c is controlled to stop.

[0053] The counting button 27 is a button for transferring the gaming machine managed medal number stored in the managed slot machine 20 to the held medal number stored in the managed medal unit 10. When this counting button 27 is pressed and held, the gaming machine managed medal number to be transferred to the held medal number is incremented while the counting button 27 is pressed and held, and the gaming machine managed medal number specified at the time the counting button 27 is released is transmitted to the managed medal unit 10 as medal transfer request data and transferred to the held medal number.

[0054] Next, a description will be given of the management medal unit 10. As shown in Fig. 3, the management medal unit 10 has a bill insertion slot 12, a display operation section 13, and a card insertion slot 14 on its front surface.

[0055] The bill insertion slot 12 is an insertion slot for inserting bills. The bills inserted into the bill insertion slot 12 are transported to a bill processing device called a bill validator and stored therein.

[0056] The display operation unit 13 is an input device and display device that is composed of a liquid crystal panel or the like for displaying and inputting operations. By operating the display operation unit 13, it is possible to perform operations such as a held medal number replay operation that shifts the held medal number to the gaming machine managed medal number.

[0057] The card insertion slot 14 is an insertion slot that accepts the insertion of a general card or a membership card. When the number of medals held is acquired by inserting bills and lending game medals, the number of medals held is associated with a card stored inside the device (not shown) and returned from the card insertion slot 14.

[0058] <Configuration of Management Medal Unit 10> Next, the configuration of the management medal unit 10 will be described. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management medal unit 10 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 4, the management medal unit 10 has a display operation unit 13, a reader / writer 14a, a communication unit 15, a communication unit 16, a memory unit 17, and a control unit 18. Note that the display operation unit 13 has already been described, so its description will be omitted here.

[0059] The reader / writer 14a is a processing unit that reads the card ID stored in the card inserted through the card insertion slot 14. Note that, in preparation for offline operation, it is also possible to write the prepaid value and the number of medals held in the card, but the data stored in the management device 50 will be correct.

[0060] The communication unit 15 is a communication interface for communicating with the management device 50 etc. via a communication line. The communication unit 16 is an interface for communicating with the management slot machine 20 via a board called an SC board.

[0061] The storage unit 17 is a storage device formed of a non-volatile memory or a hard disk drive, and stores device status data 17a, card ID data 17b, and value data 17c.

[0062] The own device status data 17a is data indicating the status of the managed medal unit 10. The own device status data 17a includes a unit ID, a gaming machine ID, a game type, etc. The unit ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the managed medal unit 10 in the gaming establishment. The game type is data indicating the rate set in the managed medal unit 10. When gaming medals of multiple rates are handled in the gaming establishment, a game type name is set for each rate and managed, such as "medal 1" for a gaming medal of a 20 yen rate, "medal 2" for a gaming medal of a 10 yen rate, and "medal 3" for a gaming medal of a 5 yen rate. The managed medal unit 10 selects a rate to be used for a game from these game types and stores it as a game type. The game type may be a fixed game type for each section in which the managed medal unit 10 is installed, or may be changeable by the player's operation.

[0063] The card ID data 17b is data indicating the card ID read by the reader / writer 14a. The value data 17c is data on the value related to the read card ID, and includes the prepaid value, the number of medals held, and the number of bets.

[0064] The control unit 18 is a control unit that performs overall control of the managed medal unit 10, and has a data management unit 18a, a medal lending processing unit 18b, a held medal processing unit 18c, a mode control unit 18d, and a remaining medal collection unit 18e. In reality, by loading these programs into a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executing them, the data management unit 18a, the medal lending processing unit 18b, the held medal processing unit 18c, the mode control unit 18d, and the remaining medal collection unit 18e will each execute a process corresponding to the program.

[0065] The data management unit 18a is a processing unit that manages the prepaid value, the number of medals held, the number of BETs, etc., using the value data 17c stored in the memory unit 17. Although the explanation is omitted here for the convenience of explanation, in reality, the data management unit 18a also manages the number of medals held at other lending rates that are not handled by the management medal unit 10. The data management unit 18a can also manage data on saved balls and saved medals.

[0066] The data management unit 18a is a processing unit that manages the valuable data 17c. When a card is inserted, the data management unit 18a transmits card insertion notification data including a card ID and a managed medal unit ID to the management device 50. When the data management unit 18a receives data including a valuable (at least one of a prepaid value and a medal) from the management device 50, the data management unit 18a updates the valuable data 17c with the received valuable.

[0067] Furthermore, when a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 12, the data management unit 18a transmits to the management device 50 deposit notification data including the amount of the inserted bill, the card ID, and the managed medal unit ID.

[0068] Furthermore, when the data management unit 18a receives medal transfer request data from the managed slot machine 20, it adds the number of medals specified in the medal transfer request data to the number of held medals in the value data 17c to update it.

[0069] Furthermore, when the data management unit 18a receives a card return operation, it transmits held medal addition request data including the card ID, the managed medal unit ID, and the held medal balance to the management device 50. Then, after clearing the value data 17c to zero, it ejects the card and transmits card ejection notification data to the management device 50.

[0070] The medal lending processing unit 18b is a processing unit that performs medal lending processing when a new bill is inserted or when a medal lending operation is received from the display operation unit 13 while a prepaid value remains. The medal lending processing unit 18b does not pay out actual medals like a conventional medal lending machine, but instructs the managed slot machine 20 to add a number of medals equivalent to, for example, 1000 yen to the gaming machine managed medal number.

[0071] The held medal processing unit 18c is a processing unit that performs processing related to held medals. When the held medal processing unit 18c receives a payout operation of held medals from the display operation unit 13, it instructs the managed slot machine 20 to subtract a predetermined number (for example, 50 medals) from the number of held medals from the value data 17c, and then to add 50 medals to the number of game machine managed medals.

[0072] Furthermore, when the held medal processing unit 18c receives medal transfer request data from the managed slot machine 20, it adds the gaming machine managed medal number included in the medal transfer request data to the held medal number of the value data 17c.

[0073] The mode control unit 18d is a processing unit that controls the transition between the business mode and the employee mode in the management medal unit 10. In the business mode, only processing related to games is permitted, while in the employee mode, processing related to the management of the management medal unit 10 is also permitted.

[0074] Furthermore, when the mode control unit 18d receives employee mode transition instruction data from the management device 50, it transitions the managed medal unit 10 to the employee mode. When the mode control unit 18d receives sales mode transition instruction data from the management device 50, it transitions the managed medal unit 10 to the sales mode.

[0075] The remaining medal collecting unit 18e is a processing unit that collects the remaining medals in the managed slot machine 20. When the held medal processing unit 18c updates the value data 17c during the employee mode, the remaining medal collecting unit 18e transmits held medal addition request data including the card ID, the managed medal unit ID, and the balance of held medals to the management device 50. Then, after clearing the value data 17c to zero, the remaining medal collecting unit 18e ejects the card and transmits card ejection notification data to the management device 50.

[0076] Next, a specific example of data stored in the memory unit 17 of the management medal unit 10 shown in Fig. 4 will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the device status data 17a, the card ID data 17b, and the valuable data 17c shown in Fig. 4.

[0077] The own device status data 17a shown in FIG. 5(a) associates the unit ID "A101" of the managed medal unit 10 with a state in which the gaming machine ID of the managed slot machine 20 is "B201" and the game type is "medal 1".

[0078] The card ID data 17b shown in FIG. 5(b) indicates that the card ID of the card inserted into the management medal unit 10 is "9001."

[0079] The value data 17c shown in FIG. 5(c) indicates a state in which the prepaid value is "0" yen, the number of owned medals is "0", and the number of BET medals is "2".

[0080] <Configuration of management device 50> Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the management device 50 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 50 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 6, the management device 50 is connected to a display unit 51 and an input unit 52, and has an external network communication unit 53, a store network communication unit 54, a storage unit 55, and a control unit 56.

[0081] The display unit 51 is a liquid crystal panel, a display device, etc. The input unit 52 is a keyboard, a mouse, etc. The external network communication unit 53 is an interface unit for data communication with an authentication key management center via an external network. The store network communication unit 54 is an interface unit for data communication with the island controller 30, the prize management device 60, and the settlement machine 70 via a communication line within the gaming store.

[0082] The storage unit 55 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory, and stores card management data 55a, device management data 55b, and member management data 55c.

[0083] The card management data 55a is data that associates a card ID with the balance of prepaid value, the balance of owned balls and medals, etc. The device management data 55b is data related to the devices installed in the gaming establishment. This device management data 55b includes the unit ID, the installation location, the gaming machine ID, and the model data of the managed slot machine 20, etc. The member management data 55c is data that associates the card ID of the member card issued to the member with the member's name, information on the saved balls and medals, etc.

[0084] The control unit 56 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management device 50, and has a card management unit 56a, a device management unit 56b, a member management unit 56c, a mode control unit 56d, and a prize exchange regulation unit 56e. In practice, by loading these programs into a CPU and executing them, the processes corresponding to the card management unit 56a, the device management unit 56b, the member management unit 56c, the mode control unit 56d, and the prize exchange regulation unit 56e are executed.

[0085] The card management unit 56a is a processing unit that manages the card management data 55a. The card management unit 56a communicates with the management medal unit 10, the prize management device 60, and the settlement machine 70 to update the prepaid value and the remaining medals associated with the card ID.

[0086] Furthermore, when the card management section 56a receives card insertion notification data from the management medal unit 10, it notifies the prepaid value associated with the card and the remaining medals.

[0087] In addition, when the card management section 56a receives held medal addition request data from the management medal unit 10, it updates the card management data 55a using the card ID and held medal balance included in the held medal addition request data.

[0088] The device management unit 56b is a processing unit that manages the device management data 55b. The device management unit 56b generates and updates the device management data 55b based on the unit ID, the installation location, and the gaming machine ID acquired from the management medal unit 10.

[0089] The member management unit 56c is a processing unit that manages the member management data 55c. The member management unit 56c communicates with the management medal unit 10 and the prize management device 60 to update the balance of medals associated with the card ID. In addition, when the member management unit 56c receives a member registration request, it updates the member management data 55c to add a member.

[0090] The mode control unit 56d is a processing unit that performs mode control of the management medal unit 10. The mode control unit 56d receives card insertion notification data from the management medal unit 10, and if the card ID included in this card insertion notification data is an employee card, it transmits employee mode transition instruction data to the management medal unit 10. For example, the card ID is represented by a four-digit number, with the first digit indicating the type of card, with a card with the first digit "1" being a general card, a card with the first digit "2" being a member card, and a card with the first digit "9" being an employee card.

[0091] In addition, the mode control unit 56d receives held medal addition request data from the managed medal unit 10, and if the card ID included in this held medal addition request data is an employee card, sends sales mode transition instruction data to the managed medal unit 10.

[0092] The prize exchange regulation unit 56e is a processing unit that regulates the prize exchange process in the prize management device 60. When the prize exchange regulation unit 56e receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, if the card ID is an employee card, the prize exchange regulation unit 56e transmits prize exchange prohibition instruction data to the prize management device 60.

[0093] Next, a description will be given of a specific example of data stored in memory unit 55 of management device 50 shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of card management data 55a, device management data 55b, and member management data 55c shown in Fig. 6.

[0094] The card management data 55a shown in Fig. 7(a) associates the card ID "1001" with a prepaid value of "0" yen, the balance of held balls for each rate of "0" balls, the balance of held medals for each rate of "0", and the destination unit ID of use of "A101". In other words, the card with card ID "1001" is inserted into the management medal unit 10 with unit ID "A101", and management of the held medals has been transferred to the management medal unit 10. For this reason, the balance of held medals for each rate is zero.

[0095] Also, in the card management data 55a, for the card ID "2001", a prepaid value of "3000" yen, the remaining balls for ball 1 are "1500", the remaining balls for ball 2 are "2500", and the remaining balls for ball 3 are "0", and the remaining medals for medal 1 are "2000", "500", and "0", but there is no correspondence with the destination unit ID. In other words, the card with the card ID "2001" is not inserted into the management medal unit 10, and the management of the medals is performed by the management device 50.

[0096] In addition, card management data 55a corresponds to card ID "9001" with a prepaid value of "0" yen, the remaining balls for ball 1 being "0", the remaining balls for ball 2 being "0", and the remaining balls for ball 3 being "0", and the remaining medals for medal 1 being "350", the remaining medals for medal 2 being "200", and the remaining medals for medal 3 being "0", but there is no correspondence with the unit ID to which they are to be used.

[0097] The device management data 55b shown in Fig. 7(b) associates the location of the managed medal unit 10 with "island 1-1", the ID of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "B201", the game machine number with "11", the game type with "medal 1", the model of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "EV01", and the serial number with "a" for the unit ID "A101". It also indicates that the managed slot machine 20 is in use.

[0098] The device management data 55b also associates the location of the managed medal unit 10 with "island 2-1", the ID of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "B506", the game machine number with "21", the game type with "medal 3", the model of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "DX03", and the serial number with "g", with the unit ID "A201" and the managed medal unit 10 with "island 2-1", the ID of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "B506", the game machine number with "21", the game type with "medal 3", the model of the connected managed slot machine 20 with "DX03", and the serial number with "g". It also indicates that the managed slot machine 20 is in use.

[0099] The member management data 55c shown in Fig. 7(c) indicates the name, saved balls, saved medals, etc., associated with the card ID. Specifically, the member management data 55c associates the card ID "2005" with the name "Takken Taro", the balance of saved balls for ball 1 being "1500", the balance of saved balls for ball 2 being "200", the balance of saved balls for ball 3 being "0", the balance of saved medals for medal 1 being "1000", the balance of saved medals for medal 2 being "500", and the balance of saved medals for medal 3 being "0".

[0100] <Processing procedure of the management medal unit 10 according to the first embodiment> Next, a description will be given of the processing procedure of the management medal unit 10 according to the present embodiment 1. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the management medal unit 10 according to the present embodiment 1.

[0101] The management medal unit 10 accepts the employee card (step S101; Yes), and then, if it receives employee mode transition instruction data from the management device 50 (step S102; Yes), it transitions its own device to employee mode (step S103).

[0102] When medal transfer request data is received from the management slot machine 20 (step S104; Yes), the number of medals included in this medal transfer request data is added to the held medals of the value data 17c to update it (step S105).

[0103] Then, the held medal addition request data is transmitted to the management device 50 (step S106), and the value data 17c is cleared to zero (step S107).

[0104] If the sales mode transition instruction data is received from the management device 50 (step S108; Yes), the employee card is returned (step S109), the device transitions to the sales mode (step S110), and the process ends.

[0105] As described above, in the prize exchange system of this embodiment 1, the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are collected by linking them to an employee card, and prize exchange using this employee card is prohibited, thereby preventing internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges prizes using the number of gaming media collected from gaming machines.

[0106] [Variation 1] Incidentally, in the above embodiment 1, a configuration has been described in which employee cards and other cards (general cards and membership cards) are managed with the same card management data, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to configure the employee card and other cards to be managed with different data. In this modification 1, a prize exchange system in which the employee card and other cards can be managed with different data will be described.

[0107] <Configuration of Management Device 90 According to Modification 1> A description will be given of the configuration of a management device 90 according to Modification 1. Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a management device 90 according to Modification 1. Note that a description of functional units similar to those of the management device 50 shown in Fig. 6 will be omitted.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 9, the management device 90 is connected to the display unit 51 and the input unit 52, and has an external network communication unit 53, a store network communication unit 54, a storage unit 95, and a control unit 96.

[0109] The storage unit 95 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and stores card management data 55a, device management data 55b, member management data 55c, and employee card data 95d. The employee card data 95d is data that associates the card ID of the employee card with the balance of balls and medals held.

[0110] The control unit 96 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management device 90, and has a card management unit 56a, a device management unit 56b, a member management unit 56c, a mode control unit 56d, a prize exchange regulation unit 56e, and an employee card management unit 96f. In practice, by loading these programs into a CPU and executing them, the card management unit 56a, the device management unit 56b, the member management unit 56c, the mode control unit 56d, the prize exchange regulation unit 56e, and the employee card management unit 96f will each execute a process corresponding thereto.

[0111] The employee card management unit 96f is a processing unit that manages the employee card data 95d. When the employee card management unit 96f receives card insertion notification data related to the employee card from the management medal unit 10, it notifies the remaining amount of medals associated with the card using the employee card data 95d.

[0112] In addition, when the employee card management unit 96f receives medal addition request data related to the employee card from the management medal unit 10, it updates the employee card data 95d using the card ID and medal balance contained in the medal addition request data.

[0113] Next, a specific example of data stored in the storage unit 95 of the management device 90 shown in Fig. 9 will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the employee card data 95d shown in Fig. 9.

[0114] The employee card data 95d shown in Figure 10 corresponds to the card ID "9001" with the following states: in terms of held balls, the balance of held ball 1 is "0" balls, the balance of held ball 2 is "0" balls, and the balance of held ball 3 is "0" balls, and in terms of held medals, the balance of held medal 1 is "350" medals, the balance of held medal 2 is "200" medals, and the balance of held medal 3 is "0" medals.

[0115] As described above, in the prize exchange system of this variant example 1, the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are collected by linking them to an employee card, and the data on the employee card is managed separately from the data on other cards, thereby preventing internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges prizes using the number of gaming media collected from gaming machines.

[0116] [Variation 2] Incidentally, in the above embodiment 1, the configuration was described in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, and prize exchange is prohibited for all collected values, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, it can also be configured to set whether or not they can be exchanged for prizes and collect them. In this modified example 2, a prize exchange system is described in which when the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, it can be set whether or not they can be exchanged for prizes and collected.

[0117] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to the second modification> An outline of the prize exchange system according to Modification 2 will be described below. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the outline of the prize exchange system according to Modification 2.

[0118] As shown in Fig. 11, in the prize exchange system according to the present modified example 2, if there are remaining medals in the managed slot machine 20 while a player is playing, and an employee inserts an employee card into the managed medal unit 100, the player can specify the number of medals, and the specified number of medals will be linked to the employee card. The employee cards according to the present modified example 2 also include cards (so-called wagon cards) used to exchange remaining medals for general prizes such as coffee that can be exchanged at a wagon or a dedicated counter.

[0119] Using this employee card, the prize exchange process in the prize management device 60 is permitted. This allows an employee who is requested by a player playing to exchange a prize to perform the prize exchange on behalf of the player. If the player does not specify the number of medals when linking the remaining medal number to the employee card, prize exchange using the linked remaining medal number is prohibited. The operation of specifying the number of medals by the player is not limited to the player inputting the number of medals. For example, the number of medals may be automatically converted by selecting the prize to be exchanged, or the operation may simply be an operation that permits linking the remaining medal number to the employee card (such as pressing a permission button).

[0120] As described above, in the prize exchange system of this variant example 2, when the remaining medals remaining in a managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, the possibility of prize exchange can be set and the medals collected can be set. This has the effect of preventing internal fraud in which an amusement facility employee exchanges the number of gaming media collected from a gaming machine for prizes, while at the same time making it possible to flexibly respond to the requests of players who, for example, want to exchange the remaining medals remaining in a managed slot machine for general prizes.

[0121] [Variation 3] In the above embodiment 1, the configuration in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to the employee card and collected is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured so that the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to the general card and collected by the employee's remote control operation. In this modified example 3, a prize exchange system will be described in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine can be linked to the general card and collected by the employee's remote control operation.

[0122] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to Modification 3> An overview of the prize exchange system according to Modification 3 will be described below. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the overview of the prize exchange system according to Modification 3.

[0123] As shown in Fig. 12, in the prize exchange system according to the present modified example 3, when a player finishes playing and there are medals remaining in the managed slot machine 20, if an employee presses the forced card collection button on the remote control 240, the managed medal unit 200 will link the number of remaining medals to a general card stored in the device and discharge it. The terminal that issues the command is not limited to the remote control 240, and may be any terminal that the employee can carry with them, such as a tablet, mobile phone, or wearable device.

[0124] If an attempt is made to exchange this general card for a prize in the prize management device 260, the prize exchange is prohibited. The prize management device 260 may be configured to prohibit / permit the summing process of multiple general cards linked to the remaining medal numbers.

[0125] As described above, the prize exchange system of this variant example 3 is configured so that an employee can use a remote control to link the remaining medals in a managed slot machine to a general card and collect them, thereby preventing internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges the number of gaming media collected from a gaming machine for prizes.

[0126] In the above-mentioned modified example 3, the configuration was described in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine 20 are collected by linking them to a general card through the operation of the remote control by the employee, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the employee presses the forced card collection button on the remote control, if the remaining medals in the managed slot machine are equal to or greater than a preset number, the managed medal unit can be configured to prohibit the number of remaining medals from being linked to a general card and discharged. This makes it possible to prevent employees from mistakenly collecting the remaining medals of a player who has intentionally left medals in the managed slot machine and left the seat to go to the toilet, smoke, etc.

[0127] In the above-mentioned modified example 3, the configuration in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine 20 are linked to a general card and collected by the employee's remote control operation has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. When the employee presses the forced card collection button on the remote control, the information indicating that the collection operation has been performed can be notified (notification by app, email, phone, etc.) to the mobile terminal of the player connected to the managed medal unit so as to be able to communicate with the managed medal unit. In addition, it is also possible to prepare a collection permission button in the notified information, and when the player performs the permission operation, the managed medal unit can be configured to link the number of remaining medals to the general card stored in its own device and discharge it. This makes it possible to prevent the employee from mistakenly collecting the remaining medals of a player who intentionally left medals in the managed slot machine and left the seat to go to the toilet, smoke, etc.

[0128] In addition, in the above-mentioned modified example 3, the configuration in which the remaining medals remaining in the management slot machine 20 are collected by linking them to the general card through the remote control operation by the employee has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the employee presses the forced card collection button on the remote control, if the number of general cards stored in the management medal unit is less than a predetermined number, the management medal unit can be configured to prohibit the management medal unit from linking the number of remaining medals to the general card and discharging it, and to display a screen requesting the insertion of the employee card. This enables optimal card discharge processing according to the number of cards stored in the management medal unit, such as linking the general cards to the employee card and discharging them when the number of general cards stored in the management medal unit is small. Note that when the number of general cards stored in the management medal unit is less than a predetermined number, the screen is not limited to the screen requesting the insertion of the employee card, and may be displayed to automatically collect the remaining medals in the management device.

[0129] In addition, in the above-mentioned modified example 3, the configuration was described in which the employee operates the remote control to link the remaining medals in the managed slot machine 20 to a general card and collect them, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if the managed medal unit inserts this general card and tries to play again, it can be configured to determine that it is a forcibly collected card, prohibit acceptance, and perform card return processing.

[0130] [Embodiment 2] Incidentally, in the above embodiment 1, a configuration was described in which the remaining medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to an employee card and collected, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured to automatically identify what type of bill processing device (hereinafter referred to as "BV") is connected to an inter-machine unit such as a managed medal unit or an inter-machine card processing machine. In this embodiment 2, a prize exchange system that can automatically identify what type of BV is connected to an inter-machine unit such as a managed medal unit or an inter-machine card processing machine will be described.

[0131] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to the second embodiment> An overview of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 2 will be described below. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the overview of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 2.

[0132] As shown in Figure 13, in the prize exchange system of this embodiment 2, the inter-machine unit 300 receives a connection signal transmitted from the BV and automatically identifies what type of device the connected BV is.

[0133] For example, there are types of BVs: pachinko transport type BV310, pachinko stack type BV320, slot transport type short BV330, and slot transport type long BV340. The inter-machine unit 300 receives a connection signal from the connected BV to identify which type of BV is connected.

[0134] If the BV is not connected to the inter-machine unit 300, the connection signal cannot be received, and there is a concern that the above types of BV connection may be determined to be disconnected. However, if the BV is not connected to the inter-machine unit 300, the ticket vending machine is operated to handle banknotes, and the ticket vending machine operation is set in the prize exchange system. By detecting both this ticket vending machine operation setting and the absence of a connection signal, it is determined that the BV is not connected to the inter-machine unit 300.

[0135] As described above, the prize exchange system of this embodiment 2 is configured to automatically identify what type of BV is connected to an inter-machine unit such as a management medal unit or an inter-machine card processing machine, thereby simplifying the BV setting work by employees and preventing setting errors.

[0136] In the above embodiment 2, the configuration for automatically identifying what type of BV is connected to the inter-unit has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured to automatically identify the type of managed game machine (managed slot machine or smart pachinko) connected to the inter-unit and the Sma-Pachi operation classification of the inter-unit by this type identification. In addition, it can be configured to automatically set the type of game balls and medals by managing the type of BV, the type of managed game machine, and the Sma-Pachi operation classification of the inter-unit together in a higher-level machine. In addition, it can be configured to automatically change the aggregation method of game information at the center that manages game information by notifying the center of the setting change of the type of game balls and medals due to the type change of the managed game machine.

[0137] [Embodiment 3] In the above embodiment 1, the configuration was described in which the remaining medals in the managed slot machine are linked to the employee card and collected, but the present invention is not limited to this. If a player mistakenly deposits money into a managed medal unit that another player is playing with, the prepaid value managed by this managed medal unit can be divided and returned to two cards. In this embodiment 3, a prize exchange system is described in which, if a player mistakenly deposits money into a managed medal unit that another player is playing with, the prepaid value managed by this managed medal unit can be divided and returned to two cards.

[0138] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to the third embodiment> An outline of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 3 will be described below. Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the outline of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 3.

[0139] As shown in Fig. 14, in the prize exchange system according to the third embodiment, when player A mistakenly deposits money into the managed medal unit 400a that player B is playing with, an employee uses a remote control 440 to instruct the managed medal unit 400a to perform a division process. The terminal used to give the instruction is not limited to the remote control 440, and may be any terminal that the employee can carry, such as a tablet, mobile phone, or wearable device.

[0140] By receiving the instruction for the division process, the management medal unit 400a divides the prepaid value managed by itself into two, links them to two cards, and returns the two cards. For example, it returns a value of 1000 yen to card A and a value of 3000 yen to card B. The form of the divided return is not limited to cards, but may be coins or IC sticks, or the prepaid value may be returned to a mobile terminal held by the player, for example.

[0141] As described above, in the prize exchange system of this embodiment 3, if a player mistakenly deposits money into a managed medal unit that is being used by another player, the prepaid value managed by the managed medal unit is returned in parts across two cards, thereby shortening the time required to respond to erroneous deposits and reducing the burden on employees.

[0142] In the above embodiment 3, when a player mistakenly deposits money into a managed medal unit that another player is playing with, the prepaid value managed by the managed medal unit is divided and returned to two cards. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The prepaid value managed by the managed medal unit can be divided and returned to two cards by a player performing a predetermined operation on the managed medal unit during play. As a result, as an example of the effect, it is possible to share the prepaid value with a third party such as a family member, friend, or acquaintance, which cannot be realized by a function of dividing the balls held and returning them to two cards (so-called ball division function), which is a well-known technology.

[0143] In the above embodiment 3, when a player mistakenly deposits money into a managed medal unit used by another player, the prepaid value managed by the managed medal unit is divided and returned to two cards, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to divide the prepaid value managed by the managed medal unit into two, return one of the values ​​by linking it to a card, and keep the remaining value managed by the managed medal unit as it is.

[0144] [Embodiment 4] In the above embodiment 1, the configuration was described in which the medals remaining in the managed slot machine are linked to the employee card and collected, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured to display whether the managed medal unit is associated with the left or right managed slot machine. In this embodiment 4, a prize exchange system that can display whether the managed medal unit is associated with the left or right managed slot machine will be described.

[0145] <Outline of the prize exchange system according to the fourth embodiment> An outline of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 4 will be described below. Fig. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the outline of the prize exchange system according to the present embodiment 4.

[0146] As shown in FIG. 15(a), in the conventional prize exchange system, it is not possible to display whether the managed medal unit 10 corresponds to the left or right managed slot machine 20.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 15(b), the prize exchange system according to the fourth embodiment can display whether the managed medal unit 500 corresponds to the managed slot machine 20 on the left or right. For example, the managed medal unit 500 displays "The gaming machines corresponding to this unit are these" and also displays an arrow pointing to the right. This allows the user to know that the managed medal unit 500 corresponds to the managed slot machine 20 on the right.

[0148] As described above, the prize exchange system according to the fourth embodiment is configured to display whether the managed medal unit corresponds to the left or right managed slot machine, so that when the managed medal unit is installed in a position different from normal, it is possible to prevent players from making erroneous deposits. Note that the display device is not limited to the managed medal unit, and may be any device with a display function such as a data lamp provided near the managed slot machine.

[0149] In the above embodiment 4, a configuration was described that displays whether the managed medal unit corresponds to the left or right managed slot machine, but the present invention is not limited to this. If a managed medal unit is installed on the opposite side from normal, and a situation occurs in which outs continue to occur in the managed slot machine corresponding to this managed medal unit, it can also be configured to control the deposit into the managed medal unit installed on the opposite side of this managed slot machine.

[0150] In the above embodiment 4, an arrow is used to indicate whether the managed medal unit is associated with the left or right managed slot machine, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any display may be used as long as the player can identify the associated managed slot machine, such as the model name of the associated managed slot machine, the character used, or the machine number.

[0151] In the above embodiment 4, the configuration was described in which the display operation unit of the managed medal unit displays whether the managed medal unit is associated with the left or right managed slot machine, but the present invention is not limited to this. It can also be configured to inform the player of whether the managed medal unit is associated with the left or right managed slot machine by audio output guidance or by changes in light-emitting members such as LEDs provided on the main body of the managed medal unit.

[0152] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, a configuration in which the present invention is applied to a managed slot machine that uses medals as a gaming medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be configured to be applied to a smart pachinko machine that uses gaming balls as a gaming medium.

[0153] In addition, the configurations illustrated in the above embodiments are merely functional schematics, and are not necessarily physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of the devices can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc. [Industrial Applicability]

[0154] The prize exchange system, management device, and prize exchange method according to the present invention are suitable for preventing internal fraud in which an employee of an amusement facility exchanges prizes using the number of gaming media collected from gaming machines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0155] 10 Management Medal Unit 12 Bill insertion slot 13 Display operation section 14 Card slot 14a Reader / Writer 15,16 Communications Department 17 Memory section 17a Device status data 17b Card ID Data 17c Valuable Data 18 Control Unit 18a Data Management Department 18b Medal Lending Processing Unit 18c Medal Processing Unit 18d Mode control section 18e Remaining medal collection section 20 Managed Slot Machines 21, 21a, 21b, 21c Drums 22 Gaming machine management medal count display section 23 Max BET button 24 Start lever 25, 25a, 25b, 25c Stop button 26 BET number display 27 Count button 30 Island Controller 50 Management device 51 Display section 52 Input section 53 External network communication section 54 Store Network Communication Department 55 Storage section 55a Card Management Data 55b Equipment Management Data 55c Membership Management Data 56 Control section 56a Card Management Department 56b Equipment management department 56c Membership Management Department 56d Mode control section 56e Prize Exchange Regulation Division 60 Prize Management Device 70 Payment machine 90 Management device 95 Memory section 95d Employee card data 96 Control Unit 96f Employee Card Management Department 100 Management Medal Units 160 Prize Management Device 200 Management Medal Units 240 Remote Control 260 Prize Management Device 300 units 310 Pachinko Transport Type BV 320 Pachinko Stack Type BV 330 Slot conveyor type short BV 340 Slot conveyor type long BV 400a, 400b Management Medal Unit 440 Remote Control 500 Management Medal Units

Claims

1. A prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of game media acquired through play on a game machine by associating the number with identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, The management device includes: a storage means for storing the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination means for determining whether or not the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize is an identification information of a storage medium for an employee when the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize is received from the prize management device; a notification means for notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the determination means determines that the identification information is that of the employee's storage medium; A prize exchange system comprising:

2. The notification means includes: The prize exchange system described in claim 1, characterized in that if the determination means determines that the information is not the identification information of the storage medium for the employee, it notifies the prize management device, which notifies the number of gaming media corresponding to the identification information of the storage medium stored in the storage means.

3. The storage means includes: storing the identification information of the storage medium and the number of gaming media for a plurality of lending rates in association with each other; The notification means includes: The prize exchange system described in claim 2, characterized in that if the determination means determines that the information is not the identification information of the storage medium for the employee, the prize management device is notified of the number of gaming media for multiple rental rates corresponding to the identification information of the storage medium stored in the storage means.

4. A prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of game media acquired through play on a game machine by associating the number with identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, The management device includes: a storage means for storing the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination means for determining whether or not the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is the identification information of a storage medium that has been forcibly collected by a predetermined employee terminal when the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is received from the prize management device; a notification means for notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the determination means determines that the number of game media is identification information of a storage medium that has been forcibly collected by the employee terminal; A prize exchange system comprising:

5. The prize management device includes: A prize exchange system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that when a notification that the prize cannot be exchanged is received from the management device, a designated display unit is controlled to display a message indicating that the prize cannot be exchanged.

6. A management device that is provided to be capable of communicating with a prize management device that manages the number of game media acquired through a game on a game machine in association with identification information of a storage medium and exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, a storage means for storing the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination means for determining whether or not the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize is an identification information of a storage medium for an employee when the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize is received from the prize management device; a notification means for notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the determination means determines that the identification information is that of the employee's storage medium; A management device comprising:

7. A management device that is provided to be capable of communicating with a prize management device that manages the number of game media acquired through a game on a game machine in association with identification information of a storage medium and exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, a storage means for storing the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination means for determining whether or not the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is the identification information of a storage medium that has been forcibly collected by a predetermined employee terminal when the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is received from the prize management device; a notification means for notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the determination means determines that the number of game media is identification information of a storage medium that has been forcibly collected by the employee terminal; A management device comprising:

8. A prize exchange method in a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of game media acquired through play on a game machine by associating the number with identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, comprising: a storage step in which the management device stores in a storage unit the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination step of, when the management device receives from the prize management device the identification information of the storage medium to be exchanged for a prize, determining whether the identification information of the storage medium is identification information of a storage medium for an employee; a notification step of notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the management device determines in the determination step that the identification information is that of the employee's storage medium; A method of exchanging prizes, comprising:

9. A prize exchange method in a prize exchange system having a management device that manages the number of game media acquired through play on a game machine by associating the number with identification information of a storage medium, and a prize management device that exchanges at least the number of game media associated with the identification information of the storage medium for prizes, comprising: a storage step in which the management device stores in a storage unit the identification information of the storage medium and the number of game media in association with each other; a determination step of determining whether or not the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is the identification information of a storage medium that has been forcibly collected by a predetermined employee terminal when the identification information of the storage medium that is the object of prize exchange is received from the prize management device; a notification step of notifying the prize management device that the prize cannot be exchanged if the employee terminal determines in the determination step that the number of game media is the identification information of the storage media that has been forcibly collected; A method of exchanging prizes, comprising:

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