System for game halls

Abstract

To properly curb excessive notification processing against players to whom a game hall should pay attention.SOLUTION: In a system for game halls, when a player is identified by identification information acquired by acquisition means, whether the player is to be a target of notification processing can be set per player. The execution number of times of the notification processing can be counted per operation day and per player. Notification processing is curbed if a count value of the execution number of times reaches an upper limit value to be set beforehand. Therefore, proper curbing on excessive notification processing against players to whom a game hall should pay attention can be achieved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for a playground. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to monitor the play of suspicious people who may be committing fraud, amusement arcades associate warning information with the recording media of players who are deemed suspicious, and when a recording medium associated with that warning information is received, an alert process is performed to notify arcade employees, as shown in Patent Document 1, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2012-50792A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Now, it is very useful that the above-mentioned notification process is performed when a player visits the establishment, but for example, if a suspicious person identified by an employee through the notification process is notified every time a recording medium is received, there are problems such as the fact that the employee has already been identified, so the need for such a notification is low, the employee feels bothered, and the awareness of other suspicious people who should be noted is reduced. Such problems are not limited to suspicious people, but are also common to other notifications for players that require attention from the gaming establishment, such as calling out to regular customers or players who are at risk of becoming addicted (excessive gaming) as reported by the so-called self-reporting program.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an amusement facility system that can appropriately suppress excessive notification processing for players who require attention from the amusement facility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a gaming center management system that is installed in a gaming center where a plurality of gaming machines are installed and that manages the gaming status of each player, Acquisition means (e.g., a gaming device 2 or a POS 7) that is installed in the gaming facility and acquires identification information that can identify a player; A registration means (e.g., a management device 6) for registering attribute information on a player by player basis; a notification means (e.g., an intercom device or a POS 7) for executing a notification process to an employee of the gaming facility when the attribute information of a player identifiable by the identification information acquired by the acquisition means (e.g., the member detailed information shown in FIG. 5) satisfies a preset gaming restriction condition (e.g., when the gaming restriction condition based on the customer class classification of a customer requiring caution or the memo code of a designated customer is satisfied); A counting means (e.g., a management device 6) for counting the number of times the notification process is executed by the notification means on a business day basis and on a player basis; The device is provided with a suppression means (e.g., management device 6) that suppresses the notification process for a player whose count value by the counting means has reached a preset upper limit value (e.g., the upper limit values ​​shown in columns 54 and 55 of ``Number of times of notification of visits by customers requiring caution'' and ``Number of times of notification of visits by designated customers'' in Figure 4).

[0007] According to the present invention, whether or not a player will be subject to notification processing when identified by identification information acquired by an acquisition means can be set on a player-by-player basis, and the number of times that notification processing is executed can be counted on a business day and player-by-player basis. When the count value of the number of times that processing is executed reaches a preset upper limit value, the notification processing is suppressed, thereby enabling the amusement facility to appropriately suppress excessive notification processing against players who require attention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an amusement park system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] Front view of the gaming machine [Diagram 3] Front view of the gaming device [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of memo code settings set in a management device; [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of detailed member information set in a management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a gaming center system. A large number of gaming machines 1 are installed in the gaming center, and gaming devices 2 on the sides and information display devices 3 above the gaming machines 1 are attached in one-to-one correspondence with each of the gaming machines 1.

[0010] Each gaming machine 1 is connected to a corresponding gaming device 2, and two gaming devices 2 and two information display devices 3 are connected to a relay device 4, and the relay device 4 is connected to a management device 6 via a LAN 5. The management device 6 receives game information indicating the game status of each gaming machine 1, thereby managing the game information for each gaming machine 1. In this case, the game information of each gaming machine 1 is received by the management device 6 from the gaming machine 1 via the gaming device 2 and the relay device 4 in this order. Meanwhile, various setting information of the gaming device 2 set in the management device 6 is received by the gaming device 2 from the management device 6 via the relay device 4.

[0011] A prize exchange terminal (hereinafter referred to as POS 7) and an adjustment machine (not shown) are also installed in the game center, and the POS 7 and the adjustment machine are also connected to the management device 6 via the LAN 5. The POS 7 has a touch panel display (see FIG. 1), and also has an auxiliary device equipped with a card insertion slot, a card reader / writer (card RW), a numeric keypad for authentication processing, etc. (not shown). When an IC card 10 (see FIG. 3) such as a membership card 10a or a general card 10b is inserted into the card insertion slot, the POS 7 executes a prize exchange process for exchanging prizes within the range of game values ​​such as points held or deposited points (so-called saved balls) specified by the card 10 via the card RW.

[0012] When executing the prize exchange process, the POS 7 identifies the game value that can be exchanged for prizes by, for example, reading the points acquired by a general player from the general card 10b, or by identifying a member player from the member card 10a and acquiring the points deposited by the member player in the gaming facility online from the management device 6. The control unit (not shown) of the POS 7 functions as a second acquisition means together with the card RW, and is also capable of transmitting and receiving various information to and from the management device 6, which will be described in detail later.

[0013] Although not shown in the figure, the settlement machine has a card insertion slot into which an IC card 10 is inserted, and the deposit balance (monetary value, hereinafter sometimes referred to as the balance) recorded on the IC card 10 inserted from the card insertion slot is read by a card RW, and bills and coins corresponding to the read balance are returned from a return slot. The settlement machine also has a bill insertion slot into which bills are inserted, and is capable of adding the inserted amount to the balance recorded on the IC card 10.

[0014] The recording media used in gaming arcades include a membership card 10a and a general card 10b. Both of these IC cards 10a and 10b are IC cards 10 that have an IC chip (not shown) built in and can identify the game value and balance acquired by the player. Of these, the membership card 10a is a member recording medium for a member player who has been registered in advance, and records a member ID (identification information) that can identify the member player. The general card 10b is a general recording medium for an unspecified number of general players, and records a general ID (general identification information) that can identify each individual card 10b.

[0015] The management device 6 is installed in, for example, an office in the gaming facility. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the control unit of the management device 6 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a memory unit such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and the control unit (registration means, setting means, counting means, suppression means, update means) is connected to a keyboard 6a operated by the manager of the gaming facility, a monitor 6b, a printer (not shown), etc. The control unit (hereinafter abbreviated as "management device 6") inputs game signals output from the gaming machine side (gaming machine 1, gaming device 2, etc.) or from each device in the gaming facility including the POS 7 and the settlement machine, thereby managing the game information for each gaming machine 1, the game status of each player including member players, and the operating status of each device such as the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2. The management device 6 can communicate with each device in the gaming facility including an intercom device (not shown) described later.

[0016] We will now explain the gaming machine 1. The gaming machine 1 is a so-called smart gaming machine that stores and manages gaming points that are calculated by converting the balance, points held, and deposited points owned by the player, and it mainly manages the increase and decrease of points by supplying internal pachinko balls to a launching device and launching them onto the board on the condition that the stored gaming points remain, and when the player wins and gains gaming points, adding them to the data (corresponding to a virtual gaming value) without paying out pachinko balls.

[0017] In each gaming machine 1, the gaming points that the player has acquired through playing are mainly managed on the gaming machine 1 side and are also referred to as gaming machine value (gaming machine acquired value), and the owned points that are mainly managed on the gaming device 2 side are also referred to as device value (device acquired value). In addition, the gaming value acquired by the player, including the owned points (owned acquired value) that is the sum of the gaming machine value and the device value (the sum of the gaming points and the owned points), is also referred to as acquired value.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, the gaming machine 1 has a board 1a from which pachinko balls are shot, an operating handle 11 constituting the shooting device, a balance display section 12 that displays the balance, a counting button 13 for converting game points into points held, and a game point display section 14 that displays the game points. The board 1a has a normal map display section 15, a normal map reserved display section 16, a special map display section 17, a normal map winning port 18, general winning ports 19, 20, a first reserved number display section 21, a second reserved number display section 22, a first start port 23, a second start port 24, and a big winning port 25. In addition, a decorative panel 26 is provided below the counting button 13 and the game point display section 14.

[0019] The gaming machine 1 operates as follows. (1) The first starting hole 23 is a winning hole (a so-called center winning hole) whose winning rate does not change, and the second starting hole 24 is a winning hole (a so-called electric chute) whose winning rate changes. A lottery for a jackpot is held according to the winning (start winning) at each starting hole 23, 24, and the lottery result is notified by the pattern change (unit game) performed by the special pattern display unit 24, and the jackpot is awarded according to the result of the change.

[0020] (2) If a start win occurs during a pattern change, the pattern changes are cumulatively reserved up to a predetermined reserved upper limit (for example, 4 each), and the reserved pattern changes will start after the pattern changes have ended. Note that if a start win occurs when the number of reserved pattern changes (reserved number) is at the upper limit, the pattern changes will not be reserved. (3) The probability of winning the jackpot lottery (jackpot probability) is set separately for the normal game state (normal state, normal) and the probability variable state (probability variable state, probability variable) (for example, 1 / 320 and 1 / 32). In addition, the probability variable rate (for example, 66%), which is the percentage of jackpots that become probability variable after a jackpot (probability variable jackpot), is also determined.

[0021] (4) When a jackpot occurs, the jackpot opening 25 is opened for the corresponding round (R). By winning, game points are added (winning award processing), the upper limit of the number of winnings in 1R is 10, the upper limit opening period is 30 seconds, and 1R ends when either the upper limit of the number of winnings or the upper limit opening period is met. The corresponding round is also drawn in the same way as the jackpot drawing, and the distribution rate is 10% for 2R, 50% for 8R, and 40% for 15R when the first starting hole 23 is won, but 10% for 8R and 90% for 15R when the second starting hole 24 is won, and the priority order for the reserved consumption of the pattern change according to the winning is set higher for the second starting hole 24 than for the first starting hole 23.

[0022] (5) During the probability of a jackpot, the probability of a jackpot increases and the winning rate of the second starting hole 24 increases. In addition, if a jackpot that is not a probability of a jackpot (a normal jackpot) occurs, the time-saving state (single time-saving state) that is not a probability of a jackpot occurs after the jackpot, and the time-saving state continues until the pattern changes a predetermined number of times (for example, 100 times) or a jackpot occurs, and if the pattern changes a number of times for the time-saving state without a jackpot occurring, the state returns to the normal state.

[0023] (6) When the normal pattern (normal pattern) that changes in response to the winning of the normal pattern winning port 18 becomes a winning pattern, the second starting port 24 becomes an open state with a higher winning rate than in the normal state. In this case, the period during which the normal pattern changes once is 30 seconds in the normal state, and 3 seconds in the time-saving state. Also, the opening period is 0.3 seconds in the normal state, and 5 seconds in the time-saving state. In other words, in the time-saving state, the normal pattern changing period is shorter than in the normal state, while the opening period is longer, making it easier to enter the open state, and the winning rate of the second starting port 24 becomes higher.

[0024] (7) Since the big prize hole 25 and the second starting hole 24 are located on the right side of the board 1a, during time-saving or big wins, the pachinko balls are shot toward the right side of the board 1a, which is called right-hitting. The above explanation was given using model A as an example, but the values ​​shown as examples vary depending on the model, for example, model B has a different round allocation, and the gameplay also differs, for example, the probability of a big win can be adjusted by the game machine setting value (mode).

[0025] The gaming machine 1 outputs the following data items as the game progresses, such as the player shooting pachinko balls and starting winning into each starting hole 23, 24. "Out" = A data item that indicates the consumed (used, entered) value (out) in units of one point since the last time data was sent. "Safe" = A data item that indicates the winning award value (safe) awarded in units of 1 point according to winning since the last time data was sent. "S winning (number of times)" = A data item that indicates the number of initial winnings (S winnings) since the last time data was sent, one at a time.

[0026] "Start (number of times)" = A data item indicating the start (number of pattern changes, number of times the device is activated, number of times the unit is played) of the special device (special display unit 17) that is activated (changed) by winning the S prize since the last data transmission. It is counted when the operation is confirmed, but it may also be counted when it starts. "In operation (state)" = A data item that indicates whether the reel is on or off if the reel is not in operation, such as when the pattern is changing, at the time of data transmission. The period from when it turns on to when it turns off is specified as when the reel is in operation.

[0027] "Jackpot (number of times)" = A data item that indicates the number of jackpots that have occurred since the previous data transmission in units of one. It is counted when it occurs, but it can also be counted when it ends. "Jackpot (state)" = A data item that indicates ON if a jackpot state is occurring at the time of data transmission, and OFF if a jackpot state is not occurring. The period from when it turns ON to when it turns OFF is identified as the jackpot state.

[0028] "Sweet state (state)" = A data item that indicates that it is on if a special state (sweet state) or a jackpot state is occurring at the time of data transmission, and off otherwise. The period from when it turns on to when it turns off is identified as sweet state or jackpot state. For example, if sweet state (state) is on, if the jackpot (state) is on, it is identified as jackpot state, and if it is off, it is identified as sweet state. It does not necessarily have to be on during a jackpot. Furthermore, if both the jackpot (state) and sweet state (state) are off, it is identified as a normal state. Sweet state corresponds to the special states such as the time-saving and probability change mentioned above, and the state during sweet state or jackpot is considered to be special prize state.

[0029] The above data items are transmitted as identifiable data signals, such as telegrams, from the gaming machine 1 to the gaming device 2 at regular intervals (e.g., every 200 milliseconds) as cumulative data (update data) from the previous transmission, and other data items, such as game points and fraud information, are also output in addition to the above data items.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the gaming device 2 has a status indicator light 31 that indicates the gaming status of the gaming machine 1 and the status of the gaming device 2, a coin slot 32 into which coins (monetary value) are inserted, a camera 33 that photographs the upper body including the face of the player (only the protective cover is shown in FIG. 3), a touch panel type LCD display unit 34 that accepts operation inputs from the player and displays various game data, a payout button (payout button) 35 that accepts payout operations (payout operations), a loan button 36 that accepts loan operations, a call button 37 that accepts operations to call an employee of the gaming facility, an issue button 38 that is operated when issuing a membership card 10a or a general card 10b, a card insertion slot 39 into which the IC cards 10 are inserted, a remote control receiver 40 that receives signals from an employee remote control (not shown) carried and operated by an employee, and a contactless mobile terminal reader 41 capable of reading a mobile ID.

[0031] The mobile ID is, for example, an IDm given to an IC chip built into a FeliCa (registered trademark) mobile phone (hereinafter referred to as a "mobile terminal") (not shown), and is a unique ID for identifying the mobile terminal. Therefore, the mobile ID corresponds to identification information that can identify the mobile terminal (member recording medium) owned by the member player and, ultimately, the member player. Furthermore, since the portable terminal reader 41 is incorporated not only in the game device 2 but also in the POS 7, it is possible to read and obtain the portable ID by using the short-distance communication function with the portable terminal.

[0032] Although detailed illustration is omitted, the gaming device 2 has, as an electrical configuration, a control unit 2a mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, etc. Peripheral parts connected to the control unit 2a include the LEDs constituting the above-mentioned status indicator lamps 31, the liquid crystal display unit 34 and the touch panel 34a provided on the display unit 34, a payout button 35, a loan button 36, a call button 37, an issue button 38, and a remote control light receiving unit 40, as well as an I / F unit (not shown) that transmits and receives various signals and various data between the management device 6 and the gaming machine 1, and a bill processing unit 32a (see the dashed leader line in FIG. 3) that determines the authenticity of bills inserted into the coin insertion slot 32.

[0033] 3 includes a card RW 39a for reading and writing various information recorded on the IC cards 10a, 10b inserted into the card insertion slot 39, and a card stock section 39b capable of stocking up to 10 general cards 10b, and these card RW 39a and card stock section 39b are also connected to the control section 2a. The control section 2a of the gaming device 2 (hereinafter abbreviated as "gaming device 2"), which is the controlling entity, constitutes the first acquisition means together with the camera 33, the card RW 39a, and the portable terminal reader 41.

[0034] The gaming device 2 operates as follows. (1) When currency is accepted (currency acceptance process), the amount of the deposit is added to the balance and displayed on both the gaming machine 1 and the gaming device 2, and when the loan button 36 is operated (loan operation, grant operation) while there is a balance, one loan unit (e.g., 125 points) is converted into gaming points (value granted) as loan points, and the gaming points managed by the gaming machine 1 are increased by this converted amount to grant loan points (loan process, value grant process), and a value according to the gaming rate (hereinafter referred to as the "rate") is deducted from the balance. Note that currency can be accepted in an amount corresponding to multiple value grant processes (e.g., up to 10,000 yen).

[0035] (2) Points are managed, and although the points cannot be used directly for playing games, a conversion process (value providing process, replay process) is performed to convert the points for one unit of payout into game points (conversion value, conversion points) in response to the operation of the payout button 35 (replay operation, grant operation, payout operation). In this case, a conversion rate may be separately set, but in this embodiment, it is set to 1:1 (the same applies to the counting process below).

[0036] (3) When the gaming points of the gaming machine 1 increase in response to play, a counting process is performed in which the gaming points are converted into points as count points in response to the operation (counting operation) of the counting button 13 of the gaming machine 1. In this case, one point is converted for each operation, but if the operation is continued, the conversion can be continuous and accelerated. In this way, the gaming points and points are updated, and when a return operation (issuance operation) is performed by operating the issue button 38 while there is remaining balance or points in the gaming device 2, the balance and points are associated with the general card 10b and issued (issuance process). It is also possible to issue a partial issue process in which only a portion of the points or the balance is issued.

[0037] (4) The issuing process is set with an issuing condition according to the gaming points in the gaming machine 1, and in this embodiment, when the gaming points become a predetermined number "0" or less, the issuing condition is met and the issuing process becomes possible. Therefore, communication (including information such as out and safe) is performed with the gaming machine 1 at regular intervals (for example, every 200 ms), and when the gaming points become "0" due to use in a game or counting process, the gaming device 2 is notified of this, and when the issuing condition is met, the issuing process is permitted. It is sufficient to update the gaming points by including gaming point information that can identify the gaming points in the data item transmitted from the gaming machine 1, and to identify that the issuing condition has been met, but other identification methods such as providing a separate data item indicating that the gaming points have become "0" or outputting a separate signal may also be adopted.

[0038] (5) The points identifiable by the issued general card 10b can be exchanged for prizes at the POS 7, and the balance can be settled into currency at the settlement machine. Incidentally, while monetary value, including currency accepted by the gaming device 2, can be exemplified by cash, monetary value other than cash, such as electronic money or credit card payments, can also be accepted or settled. Also, while an example has been given of an issuance process in which the points and balance are associated with a general card, it is of course also possible to perform an issuance process in which the points and balance are associated with other recording media, such as the membership card 10a or the player's mobile terminal.

[0039] (6) Serial communication with the relay device 4 enables the management device 6 to identify various information such as currency acceptance processing, value granting processing, balance and points, loan points, conversion points, deposit amount, counting points and loan points, sales amount equivalent to loan points, and reception and issuance processing of recording media, but these may also be identified by pulse signals (for example, 1 pulse for every 1,000 yen deposited, 1 pulse for every 100 yen sold, etc.). Note that, although a configuration in which the gaming machine 1 and gaming device 2 communicate directly is illustrated, the gaming machine 1 and gaming device 2 may also communicate via the relay device 4. (7) The command from the employee remote control is received (light received) by the remote control light receiving unit 40, and various processes are executed according to the command content.

[0040] In this embodiment, as described above, the POS 7 arranged in the gaming facility or the gaming device 2 attached to each gaming machine 1 serves as an acquisition means to acquire identification information capable of identifying a player. For example, the card RW of the POS 7 and the card RW 39a of the gaming device 2 accept the member card 10a and read and acquire the member ID as identification information. The camera 33 of the gaming device 2 captures an image of a player playing on the corresponding gaming machine 1 and acquires the captured image as the identification information. This captured image includes an image of the player's face, and the relevant image signal (image data) is output to the management device 6. The management device 6 detects the player based on the image data, and when it detects the player, it performs face authentication on the player and determines whether the player has already been detected (including on other machines), and if the player has not been detected, it assigns a player ID (identification number), whereas if the player has already been detected, it assigns the previously assigned player ID (manages the player with the same identification number), thereby making it possible to identify the player.

[0041] As described in "Problems to be Solved by the Invention," it is very useful to perform a notification process when a suspicious player enters a store in order to monitor the play of the suspicious person. However, even if the notification process is performed for a player who has been confirmed by an employee through the notification process, for example, every time the card 10a is accepted (each time identification information is obtained), this will result in repeated notifications for players who have already been confirmed, which can be annoying for employees and can lead to a decrease in awareness of other suspicious people who should be noted.

[0042] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the attribute information of a player that can be identified by the identification information acquired by the POS 7 or the gaming device 2 satisfies the preset gaming restriction conditions, a notification process is executed for the employees of the gaming facility, and the management device 6 counts the number of times the notification process is executed per business day and per player, and the notification process is suppressed for a player whose count value has reached a preset upper limit value. The following describes this configuration in the order of "1. Setting of memo code and notification processing," "2. Member detail information and registration / update means," and "3. Notification processing system," with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

[0043] [1. Setting memo code and notification processing] FIG. 4 shows a memo code setting screen 50 which shows settings relating to the game restriction conditions for watchful customers and designated customers who are subject to game restriction, together with memo codes, and is displayed on the monitor 6b of the management device 6. The memo code setting screen 50 has a "Memo code" column 51 in the center, "Code category" and "POS notification" columns 52, 53 at the top, and "Number of times notification of visits of suspicious customers" and "Number of times notification of visits of designated customers" columns 54, 55 at the bottom.

[0044] The "Memo Code" column 51 indicates the game restriction conditions that the arcade wishes to associate with the player's characteristics, points to note, etc., and the content of each memo code No. "01" to "20" is set by the administrator through input operations using input means such as the keyboard 6a or mouse. Here, the memo codes are composed of five groups, with No. "01" to "20" in the column 51 as one group, for example. That is, in the "Code Classification" column 52 at the top of the figure, "Memo Code 1" is selected, but it is possible to select one of the other five groups including "Memo Code 2" to "Memo Code 5" and set each memo code in that group, so that a total of 100 memo codes can be preset with 20 items x 5 groups of No. "01" to "20".

[0045] Specifically, for the group of "Memo Code 1" selected in the "Code Classification" column 52, the following play restriction conditions are set as shown in the "Memo Code" column 51: No. "01" for "reusing membership card", No. "02" for "exceeding break time", No. "03" for "stop playing", No. "04" for "interfering with other players", No. "05" for "thrust play", and No. "06" for "multiple play". Also, if you select another memo code (for example, "Memo Code 2") in the "Code Classification" column 52, you can set another 20 memo codes. If you set the memo codes in advance in this way, they will be displayed in a pull-down list in groups of "Memo Code 1" to "Memo Code 5" shown in the right column 63 of Fig. 5, which will be described later, and any one of the groups can be associated with each player.

[0046] In addition, in the "POS Notification" field 53 in Fig. 4, "Memo Code 1" is set as a group of game restriction conditions. This is an item for setting a group that is the target of notification processing in which, when the POS 7 reads the member ID of the member card 10a to identify a player, a notification regarding the memo code associated in the field 63 in Fig. 5 is made by a pop-up display (notification screen, not shown).

[0047] For example, in the case where a group of "Memo Code 1" is set as shown in Figure 4, when a player associated with any of the memo codes of "Memo Code 1" is identified at the POS 7, a notification process regarding that memo code is performed for the employee by displaying a pop-up on the display unit of the POS 7, but even if a player associated with only other memo codes is identified at the POS 7, he or she will not be the target of the notification. In this way, the POS 7 functions as a notification means that executes notification processing for employees of the gaming facility, and the management device 6 allows settings related to game restriction conditions to be made in advance in each of the columns 51 to 53, including the "POS Notification" column 53.

[0048] On the other hand, regardless of the group setting in the "POS Notification" column 53, when a player associated with any memo code is identified by the gaming device 2, the relevant machine number and the contents of the memo code will be notified by voice, for example via an employee's intercom device (not shown), together with a message that the "designated customer" has begun playing. In other words, the intercom device is equipped with a headset that directly notifies the employee by voice, and when a designated customer who meets the playing restriction conditions set by the memo code is identified by gaming device 2, the intercom device worn by the employee serves as a notification means to execute the notification process by outputting a voice indicating the memo code corresponding to the designated customer (for example, "01" for "reuse of membership card") and the machine number.

[0049] The management device 6 counts the number of times the notification process has been executed for each player (player unit). The "Number of times that a customer requiring caution has visited the store" and "Number of times that a designated customer has visited the store" columns 54, 55 in Fig. 4 are input columns for presetting upper limits for the count values ​​that are incremented each time the notification process is executed, distinguishing between customers requiring caution and designated customers. In other words, columns 54 and 55 are items for setting the upper limit of the number of times a customer to be warned about and the number of times a designated customer is identified, and these count values ​​both correspond to the number of times a player is identified which is managed on a player-by-player basis, and are based on a business day and are initialized at the start of business hours.

[0050] For this reason, in the management device 6, the count value is counted up (counted) from the initial value (0) after the business starts, and when the game limiting conditions (including the setting contents of each of the columns 51 to 53) or the member detailed information (attribute information) of FIG. 5 described later are updated (when the update process is executed) by the above-mentioned memo code or the like during business hours, the count value is initialized according to the update for the player who is the target of the update, even during business hours. Note that in this embodiment, initialization is performed when the game limiting conditions or the attribute information is updated, but the count value may be initialized when at least one of the update processes is performed, including when both or either of the game limiting conditions and the attribute information are updated. For example, the memo code is changeable as shown in FIG. 4, but the watchful customer is not changeable as shown in FIG. 4. However, when the game limiting conditions including the memo code are all unchangeable and only the attribute information is changeable, the count value may be initialized by changing only the attribute information. In addition, the first limiting condition such as the watchful customer may also be changed like the memo code.

[0051] As described above, the "Number of times designated customer visits notification" column 55 in Fig. 4 specifies the upper limit of the count value of the notification process corresponding to the specified number of times of the player (designated customer) to which the memo code is associated. If "5" times is set as shown in the column 55, when the player is specified by the gaming device 2, the intercom device will notify the player as a designated customer up to 5 times, but will not notify any more than that. This suppresses the notification process for players who have reached the upper limit of 5 times. When a player associated with multiple memo codes is identified, a voice indicating the multiple memo codes may be announced, but even when only a single memo code is associated, an announcement regarding the memo code itself may not be made, such as "A designated customer has arrived at the store." In this way, since the memo code is set mainly for calling out to the player and has a relatively low priority of limiting play, the announcement process executed when the game limiting condition (second limiting condition) related to the memo code is satisfied corresponds to the second announcement process.

[0052] The "Number of visits of customers requiring caution" column 54 specifies the upper limit of the count value of the notification process corresponding to the number of times a customer requiring caution has been identified as a "customer requiring caution" as explained in Fig. 5. If "2" times is set as shown in column 54, the player will be notified by the intercom device as a customer requiring caution up to two times when the player is identified by the gaming device 2, but will not be notified by the intercom device any more than that. A customer to watch out for is set for a player who behaves suspiciously, such as committing fraud, and even if the player is identified by the POS 7, the player is notified that he / she is a customer to watch out for by the pop-up display, and is notified differently from designated customers. In this way, since customers to watch out for have a relatively high priority in terms of game restrictions, players who are set in overlap with a memo code are notified in priority to the memo code, and the notification process executed when the game restriction condition (first restriction condition) related to the customer classification of customers to watch out for is satisfied corresponds to the first notification process. The management device 6 counts the number of times each of the first and second notification processes is executed, distinguishing between the first and second notification processes, and controls the notification means to suppress the notification process when the count value reaches an upper limit value (for example, "2" times or "5 times").

[0053] When the "Number of times that warning customers visit the store" and "Number of times that designated customers visit the store" columns 54 and 55 are set to "0", no upper limit is set for each count value, making it unlimited. In addition, when a player is identified by the gaming device 2 or the POS 7, an example of a notification process is given in which the player's identification information is output by voice from an intercom device or displayed on the POS 7, corresponding to the acquisition means (the gaming device 2 or the POS 7) by which the player's identification information was acquired. However, the notification may be made in any output form, such as display output on the display unit 34 of the gaming device 2, voice output from a speaker associated with the POS 7, or print output on a printer.

[0054] "2. Member details and registration / update methods" FIG. 5 shows a member detailed information display screen 60 which shows information on each player (not limited to member players but may include general players), and is displayed on the monitor 6b of the management device 6. As shown in FIG. The screen 60 displays attribute information about pre-registered member players (hereinafter referred to as "members" or "players"), such as "membership number," "hall code," "gender," "date of birth," etc. in the left column 61, "membership category," "name," "postal code," "address," etc. in the middle column 62, and "occupation," "preferred machine," "hobbies," etc. in the right column 63.

[0055] In the management device 6, in addition to such player attribute information, as shown in each of the columns 61-63 on the screen, each item of detailed member information such as the last date of use of "savings balls" equivalent to the deposited points, "customer type category", "points", "last visit date", and "memo code (1-5)" are registered as attribute information in association with the membership number, and managed on a player-by-player basis. In addition, the management device 6 also allows the setting input and correction of items such as "name" and "address" that are not grayed out (not hatched) on the screen 60, as well as "customer type category" and "memo code (1-5)" by input means such as the keyboard 6a. In this way, the management device 6 makes it possible to execute the update process by, for example, modifying the items of customer classification and memo code (including game restriction conditions related to the memo code of screen 50 in Figure 4) on the screen 60 as attribute information.

[0056] Now, the "suspect customer" explained in Fig. 4 is selected in the "customer classification" in the left column 61 in Fig. 5. In other words, by selecting "suspect customer" as the attribute information, the attribute information satisfies the preset gaming restriction conditions and becomes the target of notification processing. Here, other customer classifications such as "average customer", "good customer", and "regular customer" are also displayed selectable in a pull-down list. A "customer to watch out for" is selected and set on a player-by-player basis as the first restriction condition, which has a relatively higher priority in restricting play than designated customers, as described above, without specifying specifics such as "reusing membership cards" or "playing multiple times" (see column 51 in Figure 4) like the designated customer memo code 1. "Memo Code 1" to "Memo Code 5" in the right column 63 are items to which any memo code is associated in units of groups set on the screen 50 in Fig. 4. For example, when "Memo Code 1" is selected, the memo codes No. "01" to "06" previously set on the screen 50 and "00 Unset" which is associated with the other memo codes 2 to 5 become selection candidates, so one of them is selected and associated. In other words, by selecting any memo code as the attribute information, the attribute information satisfies the previously set game restriction condition and becomes the target of notification processing.

[0057] In the same column 63, "Memo code 1" is associated with the memo code "01 Reuse of membership card", but the other memo codes are associated with "00 Not set". This shows that no memo code is associated with the other memo codes, and only "Memo code 1" is associated with a memo code. In the above-mentioned columns 61 and 63, the game limiting conditions are divided into a first limiting condition related to a "customer requiring caution" and a second limiting condition related to a "memo code", and each limiting condition can be selected. In the following, we will explain the processing on the system side when the customer classification ``Customer to watch out for'' and ``Memo code 1'' (target of ``POS notification'' (see column 53 in Figure 4)) are selected in columns 61 and 63 above, and the associated player is identified.

[0058] [3. Notification processing system] In addition to receiving the member card 10a at the card RW in the acquisition means described above, other identification methods (including the identification method using the mobile terminal reader 41, etc.) can be used to identify the player, such as registering an image captured by a gaming device 2 (or other device such as a POS 7) equipped with a camera 33 as player detailed information (not limited to members, and may include general players) as shown on screen 60 in Fig. 5. In this case, a player ID can be used instead of a member number and managed in association with other attribute information.

[0059] When a player comes to the store, he or she inserts the membership card 10a into the gaming device 2 corresponding to the gaming machine 1 to be played. In response to this, the management device 6 receives the membership ID of the membership card 10a accepted (read and acquired) by the gaming device 2, collates the attribute information of the player, and if the pre-set "customer to watch out for" and "memo code 1" are associated, determines that the game restriction conditions are met, and identifies the player as a "customer to watch out for" and a "designated customer."

[0060] In this case, the management device 6 compares the player's number of times that he / she has been identified as a customer requiring caution with the number of times that he / she has been identified as a designated customer, and judges whether each count value has reached a preset upper limit value (see columns 54 and 55 in FIG. 4). Each count value may be managed as past history information (information indicating the specified number of times) on a business day basis, or may be displayed and output as a specified number of times for each player in the member's detailed information, although this is not shown in FIG. In either case, if the count values ​​have not reached the upper limit values ​​such as "2" and "5" in columns 54 and 55 in Figure 4, a voice message stating "A customer to watch out for has started playing at machine number **" is output from the employee's intercom device to notify the player (executing the first notification process), and not only the number of times that the player has been identified as a customer to watch out for but also the number of times that the player has been identified as a designated customer are counted up.

[0061] In this way, when the attribute information of a player satisfies both the first limiting condition for a "customer to watch out for" and the second limiting condition for a "designated customer" in Fig. 5, the first notification process corresponding to the "customer to watch out for" is executed preferentially without redundant notification (the second notification process corresponding to the designated customer is suppressed), and the second notification process is also considered to have been executed, and the number of times each is executed is counted. Note that both may be notified redundantly, such as by executing the second notification process after the first notification process.

[0062] Incidentally, when a player wants to leave his / her seat to take a break or move to another machine, he / she temporarily ejects the membership card 10a from the gaming device 2, and when he / she next plays, he / she reinserts the membership card 10a. In this case, the member ID of the membership card 10a is obtained to identify the player, and the management device 6 determines whether or not both count values ​​have reached their respective upper limit values, as described above, and if not, executes the first notification process corresponding to the "customer requiring caution."

[0063] For example, when the upper limit values ​​shown in columns 54 and 55 in Figure 4 are set, if this is the second time that the player has been identified, both count values ​​will remain at 1 from the previous time, so the upper limit value has not been reached and a notification will be issued in the same manner as above. However, if this is the third time that the player has been identified, both count values ​​will become 2 due to the previous notification, and the count value corresponding to the customer to watch out for will have reached the upper limit value, so the first notification process will be suppressed, while the second notification process corresponding to the "designated customer" will be executed. After this, the second notification process corresponding to the designated customer is executed according to the identification of the player, but after the fifth notification, the count value of the designated customer reaches the upper limit, and the second notification process is suppressed thereafter.

[0064] This configuration is assumed to be operated as follows: In this gaming facility, a player who is to be the target of notification is notified as a customer requiring attention by the first notification process when he or she arrives at the facility. Here, the upper limit is set to two times instead of once because it is assumed that an employee may miss the first notification.

[0065] On the other hand, although it cannot be said with certainty that the memo code is fraudulent (it is subordinate to customers to watch out for in terms of priority for restricting play), actions that are prohibited by the gaming facility are set up, and after a warning is issued for a customer to watch out for, the second warning process will notify the customer as a designated customer corresponding to the memo code, and players suspected of such actions will be monitored. In this case, by continuing to monitor, it is possible to confirm that suspicious behavior is not being performed, and it is also possible that an employee may warn the person against such behavior and cause them to stop, so the upper limit is set at a time when this is necessary (set in advance by the management device 6).

[0066] In addition, a configuration can be adopted in which the employee indicates that the above-mentioned warning has been given by operating the employee remote control, thereby suppressing the alarm. Even if such a configuration is adopted, it is possible to suppress the alarm without performing the operation, which is expected to have the effect of reducing the operational burden on employees. As explained on screen 50 in Figure 4, memo codes can be set by the amusement facility at its discretion, and can be used not only for players who engage in behavior that the amusement facility wishes to prohibit, as described above, but also for behavior by employees other than those prohibited by the amusement facility, such as preventing addiction (excessive playing) through so-called self-reporting programs or speaking to regular players.

[0067] In particular, when identifying a player by a member card, since a fraudulent player will avoid accepting the member card 10a, the use of the above-mentioned calling operation is more effective. For this purpose, the attribute information of a regular player who is the target of the calling or a player who self-reports and satisfies the game restriction condition may be registered. In addition, the case where the game restriction condition is satisfied may be configured to include not only a case where the manager voluntarily registers the target player as a suspicious player, but also a case where, for example, when a sensor as a fraud detection means installed in the gaming machine 1 is activated, the management device 6 automatically registers the player in the player detailed information in association with the player. In any case, the management device 6 registers the attribute information of the player on a player-by-player basis.

[0068] On the other hand, notifications at the POS 7 are made to players selected as customers to watch out for in Fig. 5 and players (designated customers) with any of the memo codes selected from the group set in the "POS Notification" column 53 in Fig. 4, but when a player is identified at the POS 7, he or she will be the subject of notification regardless of the results of comparing the respective count values ​​with the upper limit. In other words, when the management device 6 receives the member ID of a player whose count value has reached the upper limit, if the device that received the member ID (acquisition means that acquired the identification information) is the gaming device 2, it suppresses the corresponding notification process (notification of a customer to watch out for or a designated customer) for that player, but if it is the POS 7, it excludes the player from the targets for suppression and executes the corresponding notification process.

[0069] In this way, even if the count value of the notification process has reached the upper limit, the POS7 will still notify the player. Although the significance of this is diminished as the notification is sent multiple times during gameplay, the POS7 performs the prize exchange process, which has a high potential for fraud. In addition, many players who exchange prizes tend to just leave the store, making this the last message to the player during their visit. For these reasons, the POS7 performs the notification process regardless of the upper limit.

[0070] In the above, a player who is both a customer requiring caution and a customer designated by a memo code was exemplified, but for a player who is only one of the two (a player whose attribute information meets one of the game restriction conditions), one of the two will be the subject of a notification and the other will not be the subject of a notification. Even in such a case, if the relevant game restriction condition is met, the corresponding notification process is executed by distinguishing between the first notification process and the second notification process as described above, and the corresponding notification process is suppressed for a player whose count value has reached the upper limit.

[0071] As described above, the amusement arcade system of this embodiment comprises, when attribute information of a player identifiable by identification information such as a member ID acquired by an acquisition means (e.g., the member details information in FIG. 5) satisfies a preset playing restriction condition based on, for example, a customer demographic category of customers requiring caution or a memo code of a designated customer, for example, an intercom device or POS 7 that executes an alarm process for employees of the amusement arcade, a management device 6 that counts the number of times the alarm process has been executed on a business day basis and on a player basis, and a suppression means that suppresses the alarm process for a player when the count value reaches a preset upper limit value.

[0072] With this, for example, the number of times that notification processing is performed for customers who require caution or designated customers can be counted per business day and per player, and the notification processing is suppressed when the count value of the number of times the processing is performed reaches the upper limit value illustrated in Figure 4, allowing the gaming facility to appropriately suppress excessive notification processing for players who require caution.

[0073] When the management device 6 acquires the identification information of a player whose count value has reached the upper limit, if the acquisition means that acquired the identification information is the gaming device 2 as the first acquisition means, it suppresses the notification processing, but if the acquisition means is the POS 7 as the second acquisition means, it excludes it from the target for suppression of the notification processing. According to this, for example, identification information can be obtained by each acquisition means, such as the gaming device 2 and the POS 7, to identify the player, and when the count value of the notification process reaches an upper limit, the notification process is suppressed in the gaming device 2, while it is excluded from the suppression in the POS 7. Therefore, while excessive notification process is appropriately suppressed for notifications in the gaming device 2, notification process can be appropriately performed in the POS 7, where the influence of fraud is high due to prize exchange or where it is an opportunity to talk to the last player when they arrive at the store.

[0074] The game restriction conditions are divided into a first restriction condition having a relatively high priority for restricting gameplay, e.g., related to a customer classification of customers requiring caution, and a second restriction condition having a relatively low priority, e.g., related to a memo code of a designated customer. For example, an intercom device or a notification means of a POS7 is capable of executing a first notification process corresponding to the first restriction condition and a second notification process corresponding to the second restriction condition, and when attribute information of a player identifiable by the identification information acquired by the acquisition means satisfies both the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, the first notification process is executed with priority. With this, for example, the notification process can be a first notification process corresponding to customers who need to be careful, and a second notification process corresponding to designated customers, and it can be set on a player-by-player basis as to whether each of them will be the target of notification.For players who meet both restriction conditions and therefore are the target of notification in duplicate, the first notification process for customers who need to be careful is given priority, and the second notification process for designated customers who have a lower priority is suppressed, thereby reducing the risk of employees feeling annoyed or the risk of high-priority customers who need to be careful being relatively unrecognized.

[0075] As shown in columns 54 and 55 in FIG. 4, upper limit values ​​are set for each count value of the first notification process and the second notification process, respectively, and the management device 6 distinguishes between the first notification process and the second notification process and suppresses the notification process whose count value has reached the upper limit value. According to this, when the count value of the notification process reaches the upper limit, the notification process that has reached the upper limit is suppressed, so that a plurality of notification processes can be appropriately used depending on the upper limit.

[0076] The management device 6 is configured as an update means capable of executing update processing to update at least one of the attribute information (e.g., the member details information in FIG. 5) and the game restriction conditions (e.g., including the setting contents of the memo codes in columns 51 to 53 in FIG. 4), and initializes the count value when the update processing is executed while the gaming facility is open. According to this, if the settings in the member details information in Figure 5, for example, are updated during business days, the count value for the notification process is initialized. Therefore, if the settings for new memo codes or suspicious customers are changed in response to the actions of players during business hours, it becomes possible to perform the notification process again if you wish to call out to the player again or if the upper limit has already been reached at the time of the change.

[0077] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified or expanded as follows. In addition, the configurations illustrated may be combined in any manner, including modified examples, or may not be adopted as appropriate.

[0078] Although the gaming device 2 and the POS 7 are exemplified as the first acquisition means and the second acquisition means, any device may be used as the acquisition means, such as a display device as the first acquisition means and a settlement machine as the second acquisition means. As exemplified, it is preferable to use a device provided on a gaming machine basis as the first acquisition means, and a device not provided on a gaming machine basis as the second acquisition means (a settlement means such as the POS 7 and settlement machine as exemplified is preferable).

[0079] Although the upper limit value for the "Number of times that a customer requiring caution is notified" in Fig. 4 is an upper limit value common to all players, the upper limit value may be set individually for each player. Similarly, the upper limit value for the "Number of times that a customer requiring caution is notified" may be set for each player. Although the above embodiment shows an example of a configuration in which the POS 7 issues a notification regardless of the upper limit value, when the upper limit value is reached, it is also possible to have no notification, as with the gaming device 2. Also, it is also possible to have a configuration in which no notification is issued by the POS 7 and only the gaming device 2 issues a notification, or a configuration in which only the POS 7 issues a notification and no notification is issued when the count value reaches the upper limit value.

[0080] Although notification processing corresponding to multiple types of game restriction conditions, such as caution-required customers and designated customers, has been exemplified, notification processing for only one of them may be performed. Although the configuration has been exemplified in which the count value is initialized when attribute information such as a suspicious customer is updated during business hours, initialization is not necessary. In the example given, the count value of the second alarm process for a designated customer is counted as if the second alarm process was also executed, even if the second alarm process is suppressed by prioritizing the execution of the first alarm process for a customer requiring caution. However, it is also possible to count the number of times the second alarm process was actually executed, rather than counting the number of times it was suppressed.

[0081] Although an example has been given of managing the number of times the notification process is executed separately for customers who need to be careful and designated customers, it is also possible to manage the number of times the notification process is executed for both, and a first notification process for customers who need to be careful is executed until the count value reaches the upper limit value for designated customers who are given priority, and then a second notification process for designated customers is executed until the count value reaches the upper limit value for designated customers who are not given priority.

[0082] Although the above example shows a method of suppressing notifications by not notifying (prohibiting) the notification, any other suppression method may be adopted, such as reducing the display space when displayed compared to the case where no notification is given, simplifying the notification content, or lowering the volume of the audio. 4 is set as the notification target at the POS 7. However, all groups may be set as notification targets without any particular designation. Also, the memo codes do not have to be divided by group.

[0083] Since the configuration for identifying the player by accepting the member card 10a has been exemplified, the notification for fraudsters has not been exemplified. However, if the configuration for identifying the player is, for example, by image recognition as described above, the present invention can be adopted as a notification for fraudsters. In addition to the exemplified configuration, each setting value, including the setting values ​​of the configurations not exemplified, such as the acquisition means or identification means other than the acceptance, may be set by the administrator by operation input, may be set in advance by the manufacturer of the management device 6, or may be set by downloading setting information from an external server (for example, the headquarters of a chain store). In this case, the setting value is input by operation input at the server. Of course, past game information may be set as a reference value. Biometric information such as fingerprints, irises, and veins may be used as the identification information of the player.

[0084] The exemplified game information may be directly determined by an input signal or indirectly determined by using an arithmetic expression. The numerical values, digits, items, etc. are merely examples, and any numerical values ​​may be used. In addition, the identification output may be in any output form, such as adding symbols other than those shown in the examples, and at least printing and display output are envisioned. Regarding "above" and "exceed," either one can be used, and expressions such as "reached" and "exceeded" correspond to either "above" or "exceeded." The same is true for "below" and "less than," and expressions such as "did not reach" correspond to both.

[0085] As the target gaming machine 1, a so-called smart gaming machine in which gaming value is managed only by data has been exemplified, but not only pachinko gaming machines but also slot machines and conventional payout type pachinko gaming machines and slot machines other than smart gaming machines can be adopted. Note that the use of "value" such as gaming value is intended to include both acquired value managed by data as in this embodiment and paid-out gaming media. A part of the processing performed by the game device 2 or the POS 7 may be performed by the relay device 4, the management device 6, or the information display device 3, etc., and any other configuration may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] In the drawing, 1 is a gaming machine, 2 and 2a are gaming devices and their control units (first acquisition means), 6 is a management device and its control unit (registration means, setting means, counting means, suppression means, update means), 7 is a POS and its control unit (alert means, second acquisition means), 39a is a card RW (first acquisition means), and 41 is a reader for mobile terminals (first acquisition means).

Claims

1. A gaming center management system is provided in a gaming center where a plurality of gaming machines are installed, and manages the gaming status of each player, An acquisition means that is installed in the gaming facility and that acquires identification information that can identify a player; A registration means for registering attribute information on a player by player basis; a notification means for executing a notification process for an employee of the gaming facility when the attribute information of a player who can be identified by the identification information acquired by the acquisition means satisfies a preset game restriction condition; a counting means for counting the number of times the notification process is executed by the notification means on a business day basis and on a player basis; A system for an amusement facility comprising: a suppression means for suppressing the notification process for a player whose count value by the counting means has reached a preset upper limit value.

2. The acquisition means includes a first acquisition means which is attached to each gaming machine and is capable of issuing a recording medium capable of identifying the gaming value acquired by the player, and a second acquisition means which is capable of executing a prize exchange process for exchanging the gaming value for prizes within the range of the gaming value identified by the recording medium, The amusement park system of claim 1, wherein when identification information of a player whose count value has reached the upper limit value is acquired, the suppression means suppresses the notification processing if the acquisition means that acquired the identification information is the first acquisition means, but excludes the identification information from being subject to suppression of the notification processing if the acquisition means is the second acquisition means.

3. The game limiting condition is divided into a first limiting condition having a relatively high priority for limiting a game and a second limiting condition having a relatively low priority, The amusement park system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification means is capable of executing a first notification process corresponding to the first restriction condition and a second notification process corresponding to the second restriction condition, and when the attribute information of a player identifiable by the identification information acquired by the acquisition means satisfies both the first restriction condition and the second restriction condition, the first notification process is executed with priority.

4. the counting means is capable of counting the number of times the first notification process and the second notification process have been executed, respectively, or counting the number of times the second notification process has been executed when the first notification process has been executed with priority, respectively, the upper limit value is set for each count value of the first notification process and the second notification process, 4. The gaming facility system according to claim 3, wherein the suppression means distinguishes between the first notification process and the second notification process and suppresses the notification process when the count value has reached the upper limit value.

5. An update means for executing an update process for updating at least one of the attribute information and the game limiting condition, 3. The gaming arcade system according to claim 1, wherein the counting means initializes the count value when the update process is executed while the gaming arcade is open.

Images