Game table reading system

Abstract

To provide a game table reading system that is advantageous when performing appropriate reading when multiple reading areas are provided adjacently mutually on a game table.SOLUTION: A game table reading system comprises: multiple reading antennas 511 for reading an RFID tag built into a game token 83 placed in a corresponding reading area; a reading limitation antenna 512 for limiting reading by the reading antennas so such that the reading antennas do not read an RFID tag for a game token in a reading area other than the reading area corresponding to the reading antennas; a reading control device for acquiring information stored in the RFID tag from the reading antennas; a reading limitation control device for controlling the reading limitation antenna; a database 57 for storing information on an RFID tag and related information in association with each other; and a management control device 56 for updating the database on the basis of the relationship between the information of the RFID tag read by the reading antennas and the reading area for reading the RFID tag.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 32

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a game table reading system for reading RFID tags on a game table used for table games. [Background technology]

[0002] In casinos, users place bets using gaming tokens (gaming chips). Because gaming tokens are a substitute for currency, it is desirable for them to be managed by the casino. Recently, technology has been developed that allows a casino to use a system to grasp which users (players) possess which gaming tokens, how much gaming tokens they possess, which gaming tokens they have bet, how much gaming tokens they have bet, which users possess gaming tokens, and where they are located.

[0003] For the purpose of managing these items, gaming tokens are equipped with an RFID tag that stores the identification information (chip ID) of the gaming token, its value (amount), etc.

[0004] Gaming tokens are bet by placing them in an area on the game table that corresponds to the bet target, and gaming tokens (hereinafter also referred to as "payout chips") paid out by the dealer in exchange for the bet gaming tokens (hereinafter also referred to as "bet chips") are placed near the bet chips.

[0005] Antennas for reading the RFID tags embedded in gaming tokens are embedded in the gaming table in correspondence with each area. A reader is connected to each antenna. The reader controls each antenna to read the information in the RFID tag. The read control device determines which gaming token is placed in which area on the gaming table based on which antenna reads which identification information. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, if multiple areas on a gaming table are close to each other, even if an antenna is installed in each of those areas, each antenna may mistakenly read the RFID tags of gaming tokens placed in other areas.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a game table reading system that is advantageous in properly distinguishing between multiple reading areas even when the reading areas are provided close to each other on the game table. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A game table reading system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a game table having a plurality of reading areas including at least a plurality of betting areas for positioning gaming tokens having built-in RFID tags; a plurality of reading antennas installed corresponding to each of the plurality of reading areas for reading RFID tags built into gaming tokens placed in the corresponding reading areas; a read restriction antenna that restricts reading by the reading antenna so that the reading antenna does not read RFID tags of gaming tokens in reading areas other than the reading area corresponding to the reading antenna; a read control device connected to the reading antenna and controlling the reading antenna to obtain information stored in the RFID tag from the reading antenna; a read restriction control device that controls the read restriction antenna; a database that stores information about the RFID tag in association with related information; and a management control device that updates the database based on the relationship between the information about the RFID tag read by the reading antenna and the reading area in which the RFID tag was read.

[0009] With this configuration, even if multiple reading areas are set up close to each other on a game table, the information on the RFID tags of the gaming tokens can be read separately for each reading area, and the gaming tokens can be managed using a database.

[0010] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, the information of the RFID tag may include chip identification information of the gaming token, and the related information may include user identification information of the user who holds the gaming token, and the management control device may update the database so that the chip identification information of the gaming token paid out to the user who won the game is associated with the user identification information of the user who won the game.

[0011] With this configuration, even if the holder of the gaming token changes depending on the game, the gaming token held by each user can be identified.

[0012] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, the plurality of reading areas may include a pay area for reading the gaming tokens to be dispensed, and the management control device may update the database so that the chip identification information of the gaming tokens read in the pay area is associated with the user identification information.

[0013] This configuration ensures that the gaming token to be dispensed can be identified reliably.

[0014] In the above game table reading system, the multiple reading areas may include multiple betting areas corresponding to multiple types of betting targets for each play position, and the game table reading system may further include a user identification means for identifying user identification information of a user located at the play position, and the management control device may update the database so that when the chip identification information of the gaming token to be dispensed is read in the betting area, the chip identification information of the gaming token to be dispensed is associated with the user identification information associated with the gaming token bet in the betting area.

[0015] With this configuration, the database can be updated so that the holder of the gaming token betted and the holder of the gaming token paid out in return for the gaming token betted are the same.

[0016] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, the multiple reading areas may include multiple pay areas provided for each play position for reading the gaming tokens to be paid out, and the management control device may update the database so as to associate chip identification information of the gaming tokens read in the pay areas with user identification information identified at the play positions corresponding to the pay areas.

[0017] This configuration ensures that the gaming token to be dispensed can be identified reliably.

[0018] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, when the user identification means identifies the user identification information of one of two users simultaneously positioned at one of the play positions but does not identify the user identification information of the other, and multiple users are betting the gaming tokens in one of the betting areas, the management control device may update the database so as to associate the chip identification information of the gaming token that is paid out first to the play position with the identified user identification information.

[0019] With this configuration, when multiple payouts are made to the same play position, the payouts are made under an operation rule that the payout is made first to the user whose user identification information has been identified, so that the database can be updated efficiently even when a user whose user identification information can be identified and a user whose user identification information cannot be identified are in the same betting area.

[0020] In the above game table reading system, the plurality of betting areas may include a player area, a banker area, and a side betting area provided adjacent to each playing position.

[0021] With this configuration, the gaming tokens bet can be recognized for each player position and each bet object, that is, for each side bet such as player, banker, tie, pair, etc.

[0022] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, the information of the RFID tag may include chip identification information of the gaming token, and the related information may include location information that can identify the location of the reading antenna, and the management control device may update the database by identifying the reading antenna that read the RFID tag, so as to associate the chip identification information of the RFID tag with the location information that can identify the location of the reading antenna.

[0023] In the above game table reading system, the location information may include information identifying a table, information identifying a chip tray, information identifying a gate, and / or information identifying a cage.

[0024] In the above game table reading system, information on the value of the gaming token may be stored in the RFID tag as the information of the RFID tag, or may be stored in the database as the related information in association with the information of the RFID tag, the related information may include user identification information of a user who possesses the gaming token, the plurality of reading areas may include a plurality of betting areas corresponding to a plurality of types of betting targets for each play position, and the management system may identify the user identification information of a user located at the play position. The database may further include a user identification means for identifying a user, and the database may store, for each user, the user identification information of the user and the value of the gaming tokens possessed by the user in association with each other, and the management control device may update the database so that the value of the gaming tokens paid out to a user who wins a game is added to the value of the gaming tokens possessed by the user who won the game, and the value of the gaming tokens collected by a user who lost a game is subtracted from the value of the gaming tokens possessed by the user who lost the game.

[0025] With this configuration, the value of the gaming tokens held by each user, i.e., the amount of money held, can be managed in a database.

[0026] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, information on the value of gaming tokens may be stored in the RFID tag as the information of the RFID tag, or may be stored in the database as the related information in association with the information of the RFID tag, the related information may include user identification information of the user who bet the gaming tokens, the multiple reading areas may include betting areas for each play position, the management system may further include a user identification means for identifying the user identification information of the user located at the play position, the database may store, for each user, the user identification information of the user and the value of the gaming tokens bet by the user in association with each other, and the management control device may update the database so as to add the value of the gaming tokens read by the reading antenna to the value of the gaming tokens bet associated with the user identification information of the user identified for the play position corresponding to the reading antenna.

[0027] With this configuration, the value of the gaming tokens bet, i.e., the bet amount, can be managed in the database for each user. Note that the bet amount may also be managed as corresponding incentive points.

[0028] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, the information on the RFID tag may include information for determining the authenticity of gaming tokens, and the game table reading system may refer to the database to verify the information for determining the authenticity read by the reading antenna, and output a warning if the verification is unsuccessful.

[0029] With this configuration, a warning can be output when an illegal gaming token is used on the gaming table.

[0030] Another aspect of the game table reading system of the present invention is configured to include a game table having a plurality of reading areas including at least a plurality of betting areas for positioning gaming tokens having built-in RFID tags; a plurality of reading antennas installed corresponding to each of the plurality of reading areas and outputting electromagnetic waves to read RFID tags built into gaming tokens placed in the corresponding reading areas; a read restriction antenna that outputs electromagnetic waves to restrict reading by the reading antenna so that the reading antenna does not read the RFID tags of gaming tokens in reading areas other than the corresponding reading area; and a shielding member for shaping the electromagnetic field generated by the reading antenna so that the electromagnetic field is weakened outside the reading area corresponding to the reading antenna.

[0031] With this configuration, even if a plurality of reading areas are closely spaced adjacent to each other, these reading areas can be read separately.

[0032] In the above game table reading system, the shielding member may be a plate, tape, film, coating film, or sheet containing at least one of aluminum, silver, copper, gold, and nickel.

[0033] In the above game table reading system, the shield member may be provided on approximately the same plane as the reading antenna.

[0034] In the above game table reading system, the shield member may be provided on approximately the same plane as the read-limiting antenna.

[0035] In the above game table reading system, the shielding member may be shaped so that the electromagnetic field generated by the reading antenna is flattened outside the reading area corresponding to the reading antenna.

[0036] In the above-mentioned game table reading system, there may be a plurality of read-restricted antennas corresponding to one of the reading areas in order to shape the electromagnetic fields generated by the plurality of read antennas corresponding to the other reading areas adjacent to the one of the reading areas. [Effects of the Invention]

[0037] According to the present invention, even when multiple reading areas are provided close to each other on a game table, the information on the RFID tags of gaming tokens can be read separately for each reading area, and the gaming tokens can be managed using a database. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire table game management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of a database according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an RFID tag included in a gaming token according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a method for recording data on gaming tokens according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire gaming token management system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a game token reading device and a writing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of gaming tokens according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram showing the data structure of a gaming token according to another second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a database according to another second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9]FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire management system for table games in a gaming facility having a plurality of gaming tables according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the results of reading the chip by the camera and RFID according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a gaming table according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the state of gaming tokens bet on a gaming table according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the state of gaming tokens bet on a gaming table according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14A] FIG. 14A is a diagram showing details of a chip tray according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14B] FIG. 14B is a diagram showing another example of the chip tray according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram of a gaming table according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the results of reading the chip by the camera and RFID according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram of a gaming table according to another third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram of a gaming table according to another third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram of a gaming table according to another third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a game token according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of a game token according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional view of a game token according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23]FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a second example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a third example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a third example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 30] FIG. 30 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a third example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a third example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a fourth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 33] FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a fifth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 34] FIG. 34 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a sixth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 35] FIG. 35 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a sixth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 36] FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a sixth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a sixth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 38] FIG. 38 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a sixth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 39] FIG. 39 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 40] FIG. 40 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 41] FIG. 41 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 42] FIG. 42 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 43] FIG. 43 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 44] FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating a database in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 45] FIG. 45 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an eighth example of a management system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 46] FIG. 46 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a management system according to a ninth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 47] FIG. 47 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a ninth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 48] FIG. 48 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a ninth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 49] FIG. 49 is a diagram illustrating an example of updating variation information in a ninth example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 50] FIG. 50 is a diagram showing an example of a bet area in an eleventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51A] FIG. 51A is a diagram showing another example of the betting area in the eleventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 51B]FIG. 51B is a diagram showing another example of the bet area in the eleventh example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 52] FIG. 52 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 53] FIG. 53 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire game table reading system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 54] FIG. 54 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game table reading system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 55] FIG. 55 is a cross section of the bet area which is the reading area in the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 56] FIG. 56 is a diagram showing the data structure of gaming tokens and a database according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 57] FIG. 57 is a diagram showing another example of the read antenna and the read restriction antenna according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 58] FIG. 58 is a diagram showing another example of the limited read antenna according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] (First embodiment) An overview of the entire table game management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire system. A gaming table 1004 for a baccarat game has betting areas for player 1441, banker 1442, tie 1443, player pair 1444, and banker pair 1445, for each of player positions 1131 to 1135. A chip placement area 1025 is also provided for each player position, and a chip reader 1002 is provided for reading the RFID of gaming token 1001 placed in the chip placement area.

[0040] Furthermore, each chip placement area 1025 is provided with a pay area 1026 for placing the gaming tokens 1001 taken out from the chip tray 1009 of the gaming table 1004 when the dealer pays out the gaming tokens 1001 to the winning player from the chip tray 1009.

[0041] Furthermore, the device further includes a control device 1003 that grasps the results of reading the RFID of the gaming token 1001 read by the chip reader 1002.

[0042] First, a player participating in a game bets gaming tokens 1001 in a betting area within the chip placement area. The chip reader 1002 reads the RFID of the bet gaming token 1001, and the control device 1003 obtains information about the holder of the gaming token 1001, which is associated in the database with the ID information of the RFID.

[0043] If the casino wins based on the result of the game, the dealer collects the gaming tokens 1001 bet by the losing player and places them in the chip tray 1009. The RFID of the gaming tokens 1001 in the chip tray 1009 is detected by the chip reader 1002, and the control device 1003 records in the database that the owner of the gaming tokens 1001 collected by the casino is the casino.

[0044] Based on the result of the game, the dealer pays out to the winning player gaming tokens 1001 from the chip tray in an amount corresponding to the amount of the bet chips, in accordance with the rules of the game.

[0045] When making a payout, the pay chips may be placed in the pay area 1026 described above, or in a chip placement area other than the pay area.

[0046] Here, a method for recording information about the holder of a payment chip will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows a method for recording information about the holder of gaming token 1001 when paying a chip to a winning player.

[0047] When multiple players place betting chips at the same player position, resulting in two or more stacks, the chip reader 1002 reads all of the gaming tokens 1001 placed in the chip placement area 1025 at once, and therefore, during the game, acquires the ID 1010 of the gaming tokens bet without knowing which gaming token 1001 belongs to which player. After the outcome of the game is determined, when making payments to winning players, the dealer pays out chips from the chip tray 1009 for each player (each stack). The gaming tokens 1001 removed from the chip tray 1009 are placed in the chip placement area 1025. The chip reader 1002 reads the ID 1011 of the payment chips placed in the chip placement area 1025.

[0048] The paid-out gaming token 1001 is received by the winning player together with the gaming token 1001 that was initially bet. At this time, the betting chip and payment chip are moved outside the chip placement area 1025, so the IDs of the betting chip and payment chip disappear from the reading results by the chip reader 1002. As a result, the control device 1003 knows to which player the paid-out payment chip has been paid out by associating it with information about the holder of the betting chip.

[0049] The control device 1003 stores information about the holder of the payment chip in association with the ID of the gaming token in a database.

[0050] As a result of the above, it becomes possible to trace the holder of the gaming token 1001, and if there is any fraudulent transfer of the gaming token 1001, it becomes possible to discover that the holder information stored in the database differs from the actual holder.

[0051] The actual owner can be identified by using facial recognition technology or ID such as a membership card.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above explanation, the ID of each gaming token is managed on a database, but the gaming token 1001 itself may have a configuration in which holder information is stored.

[0053] In addition, the above-mentioned pay area 1026 may be provided for each player position, or may be configured as an area independent of each player position, and reading by the chip reader 1002 may be performed independently.

[0054] Furthermore, the configuration may be such that it is possible to select whether or not to use the pay area 1026 depending on the reading performance of the chip reader 1002.

[0055] Furthermore, this table game management system may be linked to an RFID reader that reads chips in the chip tray 1009 using RFID, a camera that reads bet chips, a shoe that determines the outcome of the game, and other outcome determination devices, and may be configured to allow information to be used mutually.

[0056] (Second embodiment) First, a gaming token used in a gaming token management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 3 shows a gaming token 1 used in the system. In the figure, an RFID tag 2 capable of storing various information is embedded in the gaming token 1. The RFID tag 2 has an area 21 where data cannot be rewritten and an area 22 where data can be rewritten.

[0057] The area 21 where data cannot be rewritten stores information that does not change, or that will not change, or that must not be changed while the gaming token 1 is in use, as fixed information 3. Specifically, production information, product information, casino information, amount information, serial number, etc. of the gaming token 1 are stored as the fixed information 3. The production information includes the date and time the gaming token was manufactured, the manufacturing machine, etc., and the product information includes, for example, information indicating that the gaming token is a chip for the VIP area of ​​a casino and information indicating the type of chip (for example, information indicating that it is a rolling chip or a cash chip), etc.

[0058] The area 21 where data cannot be rewritten may be an area where writing is not possible functionally due to the specifications of the RFID tag, or may be an area that is locked so that data cannot be written after the necessary information has been written in an area where data can be written.

[0059] The rewritable data area 22 stores variable information 4, which changes while the gaming token 1 is being used. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, the variable information 4 stores location-related information 220, which includes information 221 about the date and time, information 222 about the place and event, and information 223 about the holder.

[0060] The fixed information 3 and variable information 4 may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized reading or writing of the information by others, and may also be stored as metadata.

[0061] Fig. 4 shows an example of a method for recording data of the variable information 4 of the gaming token 1. As shown in Fig. 4, location-related information 220, which is made up of date and time information 221, location and event information 222, and holder information 223, is treated as a single block, and the information of the block is linked in a chain so that the history of the information 220 about the location of the gaming token 1 can be grasped.

[0062] Figure 4 shows an example of variable information 4 stored in gaming token 1, and the following movement of gaming token 1 can be understood. At 16:02 on January 28, 2019, Mr. A exchanges cash for gaming token 1 in cage 5. At 16:15 on the same day, Mr. A places a bet using gaming token 1 at table No. 325. At 16:43 on the same day, Mr. B receives gaming token 1 as redemption money for a winning bet at table No. 325. At 17:01 on the same day, Mr. B leaves the casino with gaming token 1.

[0063] The variable information 4 may be configured to store only the most recent information, or may store all of the information about locations that has been written. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, some of the information about multiple locations may be selected and stored. When some of the information about multiple locations is selected and stored, information about multiple locations may be stored, including at least the information 220 about the most recent location of all of the information 220 about locations. With the above configuration, the variable information 4 of a certain gaming token 1 can reveal the history of use or movement of the gaming token 1. In other words, the traceability information of the gaming token 1 is written in the gaming token 1 itself, making it possible to understand it.

[0064] Next, a description will be given of the management system for the gaming token 1 of this embodiment. Figure 5 shows an overview of the entire system.

[0065] First, at the factory 6, the writing device 14 writes variable information 4 including information on completion of production or shipment from the factory as location information 220 into the data rewritable area 22 of the RFID tag 2.

[0066] The gaming token 1 shipped from the factory 6 undergoes an acceptance process in the casino's backyard 7. In the backyard 7, the reading device 13 reads the variable information 4 stored in the rewritable data area 22 of the gaming token 1. Based on the reading result, the management control device 15 determines whether location information 220 indicating that the information was written at the factory 6, which should have been written, has been written as the latest variable information 4. If there is no record of the information written at the factory 6, an error signal is generated indicating that the gaming token is suspected of being fraudulent. This allows the casino to refuse to accept the gaming token or to request an investigation from the factory. If there is no problem with the writing record, the writing device 14 writes the location information 220 indicating the backyard into the rewritable data area 22 of the RFID tag 2. When writing, location information indicating the backyard may be added to the location information indicating the factory, or the location information indicating the factory may be deleted and the location information indicating the backyard may be written instead. Furthermore, the reading and writing of gaming tokens in the backyard 7 can be performed in conjunction with the normal validation and activation work of gaming tokens.

[0067] After the acceptance inspection in the back yard 7 is completed, the gaming token 1 is transported to the casino's warehouse 8 or cage 9. In the warehouse 8 or cage 9, the reading device 13 reads the variable information 4 stored in the rewritable data area 22 of the gaming token 1, and based on the reading result, the management control device 15 determines whether location information 220 indicating that the information was written in the back yard 7, which should have been written, has been written as the latest variable information 4. It may also be possible to check whether information indicating the factory 6 has been written in the history of the variable information 4. As with the inspection in the back yard 7 described above, the management control device 15 determines whether there are any abnormalities in the location information history. If there are no problems with the reading result, the writing device 14 writes location information 22 indicating the warehouse 8 or cage 9 into the rewritable data area 22.

[0068] A player purchases gaming token 1 in a cage 9. When a player purchases gaming token 1, a writing device 14 in the cage 9 writes the time when the gaming token was purchased and information indicating that the holder of the gaming token has changed from the casino to a customer as variable information 4. A configuration may be adopted in which players are identified and recorded using facial recognition technology or an ID card such as a casino membership card or a My Number card.

[0069] A player uses the gaming token 1 that has been exchanged for cash to place a bet in a betting area 11 at a gaming table. The reader 13 reads location-related information 220, which includes date and time information 221, location and event information 222, and holder information 223, from the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 1 that has been bet, and the management control device 15 determines whether there is an abnormality. For example, if a certain period of time has passed since the last written date and time of use information at a gaming table or exchange information for cash at a cage, or if the holder information 223 stored in the gaming token 1 differs from the holder information 223 identified by face authentication or an ID card, it can be determined that there is an abnormality.

[0070] If there is no problem with the reading result, the writing device 14 writes location-related information 220 to the data-rewritable area 22 of the betted gaming token 1. The location-related information 220 includes date and time information 221, location and event information 222, and holder information 223. At the table, for example, the writing device 14 writes variable information 4 including the player position number where the gaming token 1 is placed and player information. Player information may be identified by an ID card or facial recognition. Typically, multiple gaming tokens 1 are placed in a stack in the betting area 11, so writing is performed collectively while they are stacked.

[0071] When a player takes gaming token 1 out of the casino floor, the player performs an exit process at gate 10. At the time of exit, location information 220 is read by reader 13, and management control device 15 determines whether there is any abnormality in variable information 4. Also, at gate 10, writing device 14 writes variable information 4 including location and event information 222 and holder information 223 indicating the exit.

[0072] When a player brings in a gaming token 1 that he or she has previously taken out when entering the casino floor, the reader 13 reads information about its location, and the management control device 15 determines whether there is any abnormality in the variable information 4. For example, if the person holding the gaming token 1 that was once taken out of the casino when the player left the casino is different from the person holding it when the player entered, it can be determined that the gaming token has been handed over outside the casino.

[0073] The above-mentioned management control device 15 may output an alarm to the cage 9 or gate 10 if the determination based on the reading result of the reader 13 is abnormal. When the holder of the gaming token 1 exchanges it for cash in the cage 9 or when exiting through the gate 10, the management control device 15 may refuse to exchange it for cash based on the alarm outputted, or may perform an individual check at the time of exit. Furthermore, if the determination result is abnormal, the management control device 15 may issue a warning to the dealer at each gaming table to suspend the game, or may issue a warning to the pit, so that the pit manager can decide whether to suspend or continue the game, or decide how to handle the situation, such as exchanging the gaming token 1. Alternatively, the management control device 15 may be connected to the casino's overall management control device 18 and issue a warning to the overall management control device 18.

[0074] Similarly, the management control device 15 may read the variable information 4 using the reader 13 when the gaming token 1 is exchanged for cash at the cage, and determine whether there is an abnormality. Specifically, an abnormality may be determined when a certain period of time has passed since the date and time of the last written information on use at the gaming table or exchange for cash at the cage, or when a person other than the holder information 223 stored in the gaming token 1 is attempting to exchange the token for cash. If an abnormality is determined, the management control device 15 may output a warning and refuse to exchange the gaming token 1 for cash for which an abnormality has been determined.

[0075] In the above description, the reading device 13 reads data, and the management control device makes a decision, and then the writing device 14 writes data. However, the reading and writing may be performed simultaneously.

[0076] In the following, details of an embodiment of the application of the present invention are given.

[0077] At the factory 6, when production is completed or when the product is shipped, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written. A writing device 14 writes production information and product information as fixed information 3, locks the information so that it cannot be rewritten as necessary, and writes variable information 4.

[0078] In the backyard 6, when the gaming token 1 shipped from the factory is received and activated as a usable gaming token 1, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written.

[0079] In the warehouse 8, when the gaming token 1 is moved from the warehouse 8 to the cage 9 or when the gaming token 1 is moved from the cage 9 to the warehouse 8, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written. Alternatively, the RFID tag 2 may be read and / or written for the gaming token 1 stored in the warehouse 8 at regular intervals or at a predetermined timing.

[0080] The cage 9 reads and / or writes the RFID tag 2 when the tokens are moved to or from the warehouse 8, and when the gaming tokens 1 are exchanged for customer cash. When the exchange is performed in the cage 9, the variable information 4 is written as holder information 223, including the location of the exchange, event information 222, and information about the player who exchanged the tokens. The holder information 223 can be obtained from the player's casino ID card, a face authentication system, a credit card, etc.

[0081] At the gate 10, when a player enters or leaves, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written. When a player leaves, the location and event information 222 indicating the removal, and the holder information 223 indicating the player removing the token are written as variable information 4 for all gaming tokens 1 that the player takes out, and registration is performed, and similarly when a player enters, the location and event information 222 indicating the bring-in, and the holder information 223 indicating the player bringing the token are written as variable information 4 for registration of the gaming tokens 1 that the player takes out.

[0082] In the betting area 11, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written to the gaming token 1 placed in the betting area 11 by the player to participate in a bet. Also, the RFID tag 2 is read and / or written to the gaming token 1 placed in the betting area 11 by the dealer as redemption money for the player.

[0083] In the chip tray 12, the RFID tags 2 are read and / or written to the gaming tokens 1 collected in the chip tray and the gaming tokens 1 stored therein.

[0084] The gaming table may further include a payment area, which may read and / or write RFID tags 2 on gaming tokens 1 placed in the betting area 11 by the dealer as redemptions to players.

[0085] The management control device 15 has a function to determine whether there is an abnormality in the location information 220 obtained from the reading results of the reading device 13 at each location. To determine whether there is an abnormality, it can determine whether there is either an event that the information has not been used for a predetermined period of time since the last time it was written, or the information about the location that should have been written has not been written.

[0086] Events that have not been used for a specified period of time since the last write are 1) The latest location information is information indicating the cage 9, and the next information has been written for more than a predetermined time. 2) The latest location information indicates entry at gate 10, and the next information has been written for more than a predetermined time. 3) The latest location information indicates exit at Gate 10, and the next information has been written more than a predetermined time ago. This is one of the following situations.

[0087] The event where the information about the location that should have been written is not written is as follows: 4) When entering the gaming facility, information indicating exit at the gate 10 is not written as information regarding the latest location of the gaming token 1 in the data rewritable area 22. 5) When used in the cage 9, information indicating the backyard 7 is not written. 6) When leaving the amusement facility, there is no information written indicating the cage 9 or the backyard 7. This is one of the following situations.

[0088] The management control device 15 determines whether or not an abnormality occurs based on the information 223 about the holder obtained from the reading device 13, as follows: 1) A person other than the last owner stored in the data rewritable area 22 exchanges the gaming token 1 for cash or money within the gaming facility, or leaves the gaming facility. 2) A person other than the person who possessed the gaming token at the time of exiting the gaming facility and whose data is stored in the rewritable data area 22 brings the gaming token into the gaming facility. It is possible to determine either of the following situations.

[0089] The management control device 15 determines whether an abnormality exists based on the information indicating the location of the betting area 11, the location of the chip tray 12, or the information indicating the payment area obtained from the reading device 13, as follows: 1) A person other than the last owner of the gaming token 1 stored in the data rewritable area 22 uses the gaming token 1 at a gaming table. 2) A person other than the person who purchased the gaming token 1 at the cage 9 exchanges the gaming token 1, which has no record of use at the gaming table, for cash at the cage 9. 3) A gaming token 1 without information indicating a cage 9 or a backyard 7 is used in the gaming facility. 4) The latest location information is information indicating the betting area 11 or the payment area, and after a predetermined period of time, the information is exchanged for cash in the cage 9 or used at the gaming table. Determine whether the situation is one of 1) to 4) above.

[0090] 8 shows a database according to another embodiment of the present invention. The management system further includes a database 17 that records the gaming token 1 as well as the fixed information 3 and variable information 4. The management control device 15 records information in the database 17 based on the results of reading by the reading device 13, and can also compare the fixed information 3 and variable information 4 stored in the gaming token 1 with the information in the database to determine whether there is an abnormality.

[0091] In the RFID tag 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the functionally unwritable area of ​​the unrewritable area 21 may be a TID. The area of ​​the unrewritable area 21 that is locked to prevent data writing after necessary information has been written therein may be an EPC or user area. The rewritable area 22 may be an EPC or user area.

[0092] The reader 13 and the writer 14 may take different forms depending on the location. For example, in the factory 6 they are on a table as shown in FIG. 6, in the gate 10 they are box-shaped, and in the betting area 11 and the chip tray 12, the betting area 11 and the chip tray 12 themselves may have the functions of the reader 13 and the writer 14. Also, the gaming tokens 1 may be stacked as they are, or may be stored in a chip case or the like and read and written thereto. Also, the reader 13 and the writer 14 may be integrated.

[0093] In the above embodiment, the gaming token has one RFID tag, and the single RFID tag has an area where data cannot be written and an area where data can be rewritten. Alternatively, a gaming token may have two RFID tags, one of which stores fixed information and is locked to prevent data from being written, and the other RFID tag stores variable information and allows data to be rewritten.

[0094] However, in this case, when multiple gaming tokens are read at once, the information group of fixed information 3 and the information group of variable information 4 are read separately, as shown in Figure 7A, so it is not possible to determine the combination of fixed information and variable information for a specific gaming token, and it is not possible to identify gaming tokens with abnormal variable information.

[0095] In contrast, when there is only one RFID tag, as shown in Figure 7B, even when multiple gaming tokens are read at once, the mutual correspondence between the fixed information and variable information read by the reading device can be understood, so it is considered better to implement this using a single RFID tag.

[0096] Furthermore, since the reading accuracy of an RFID tag generally increases the larger the diameter, when an RFID tag is placed in a gaming token, it is desirable that the RFID tag have a diameter at least equal to or greater than the radius of the gaming token, but it is not desirable to place two RFID tags in a gaming token, which would result in the diameter of each RFID tag becoming smaller.Furthermore, placing two RFID tags increases the number of RFID tags to be read, which also leads to a decrease in reading speed when reading multiple gaming tokens.

[0097] For these reasons, it is believed that using a single RFID tag would be more effective.

[0098] (Third embodiment) An overview of the entire table game management system in an amusement facility having a plurality of gaming tables according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an overview of the entire system, and the table game management system in an amusement facility having a plurality of gaming tables 2004 includes a game recording device 2011 that records images of games played at the gaming tables 2004, including gaming tokens 1, via a plurality of cameras 2002, an image analyzing device 2012 that analyzes the recorded images, a chip reading device 25 that reads the RFID tags attached to the gaming tokens 1, and a game result determining device 18 that determines and displays the game results of each game at the gaming table 2004.

[0099] The game result determination device 18 is, for example, a card dealing device 2003, which is a so-called electronic shoe already used by those skilled in the art. The rules of the game are pre-programmed, and the device is structured to be able to read the information on the cards C dealt and determine the outcome of the game. For example, in a baccarat game, whether the banker wins, the player wins, or there is a tie (draw) is basically determined by the ranks of two or three cards, and the determination result (win or loss result) is displayed on the result display lamp 2013.

[0100] In the same figure, the gaming table 2004 is a table for Baccarat, and is provided with five sitting numbers 13 ("sitting number 1" 131, "sitting number 2" 132, "sitting number 3" 133, "sitting number 5" 134, and "sitting number 6" 135), allowing five game participants to participate in the game. A betting area 44 is provided for each sitting number 13. The betting area 44 for the sitting number 13 includes areas for a player (PLAYER) 441, a banker (BANKER) 442, a tie (TIE) 443, a player pair (P) 444, and a banker pair (B) 445. Each game participant places a bet by placing gaming tokens 1 in the amount they wish to bet on the position corresponding to the bet. 9, for example, two gaming tokens 1 are placed and bet on a tie 443 with the gaming token sitting number 5, and two gaming tokens 1 are placed and bet on a player 441. The gaming table 2004 is further provided with a player card area 45 where drawn player cards are placed, and a banker card area 46 where drawn banker cards are placed.

[0101] The control device 2014 can grasp, via the camera 2002 and the image analysis device 2012, on which position (player, banker, tie, or pair) each player 2006 has bet their gaming tokens 1 in the betting area 2008, as well as the type and number of gaming tokens 1 bet (different values ​​are assigned to each color of gaming tokens 1). That is, the control device 2014 can grasp, for example, that two gaming tokens 1 have been bet on the sitting number 5 tie 443 and two gaming tokens 1 have been bet on the player 441.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 9, the chip reader 25 is arranged so that it can read all of the RFID tags of the gaming tokens 1 within the reading area, treating the entire betting area for each sitting number as a single reading area. Unique ID information, the amount, type, manufacturing information, and holder information of the gaming token 1 are written to the RFID tag attached to the gaming token 1. Alternatively, the ID information and the amount, type, manufacturing information, and holder information of the gaming token 1 may be stored in association with each other in a database. By reading the RFID tag attached to the gaming token 1, the chip reader 25 can identify the gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number and the total amount or number of gaming tokens. For example, if four gaming tokens are bet on sitting number 5, the type, amount, and ID of each gaming token can be identified.

[0103] 10, the control device 2014 ascertains the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number from the type and number of gaming tokens 1 bet in each bet area for each sitting number based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device 2012, and compares this with the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number based on the RFID information of the gaming tokens 1 read by the chip reader 25, and determines whether they match. Furthermore, it can output sitting numbers for which the above determination does not match, and can identify problematic sitting numbers.

[0104] If the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reader 25 is less than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number based on the image analysis results of the image analyzer 2012, it is possible that the RFID tags attached to the gaming tokens 1 are broken, unreadable, or that no RFID tags are attached to the gaming tokens 1. In FIG. 10, the total number of reads based on the image analysis results of the image analyzer 2012 for the gaming tokens 1 bet on sitting number 1 is 4, while the total number of reads based on the RFID readings of the chip reader 25 is 3. Therefore, it is possible that the RFID of one of the four gaming tokens 1 bet on sitting number 1 was unreadable.

[0105] If the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reader 25 is greater than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number based on the image analysis results of the image analyzer 2012, it is possible that the image analyzer 2012 was unable to read the gaming tokens 1 due to factors such as the gaming tokens 1 being in the camera's blind spot. In Figure 10, the total number read for the gaming token 1 bet on sitting number 3 based on the image analysis results by the image analyzer 2012 is 1, while the total number read based on the RFID reading by the chip reader 25 is 2. Therefore, it is possible that although two gaming tokens 1 were bet on sitting number 3, the image analyzer 2012 was only able to recognize one.

[0106] The RFID ID information attached to the gaming token 1 is registered in the casino's database, which records information on production and shipping at the factory, as well as information on receipt, validation, and activation at the casino. The control device 2014 can compare the RFID information read by the chip reader 25 with the information in the database and determine whether it is authentic or not, and whether it is registered as something that should be used in the casino.

[0107] With this configuration, the camera can grasp the type and number of gaming tokens 1 bet in each betting area, and based on the RFID information of the gaming tokens 1 read by the chip reading device 25, it is possible to determine the authenticity of the gaming tokens 1 and whether the gaming tokens 1 are defective for each sitting number.

[0108] The system further includes a player identification means using a face recognition system or a player ID card, and the control device 2014 can link the player information identified by the player identification means with the sitting number. The control device 2014 can store the bet amount, redemption or recovery amount, and win / loss information stored for each sitting number for each player. Furthermore, the control device 2014 can collectively store information on multiple games played by a player at multiple tables.

[0109] The control device 2014 can determine the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 of the dealer 2005 of the gaming table 2004 using the chip tray determination device 12, and after the game is over and settlement is made, can compare and calculate whether the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 has increased or decreased according to the outcome of the game, depending on the recovery of the losing gaming tokens 1 bet by each player 2006 and the amount of winning chips 9W paid to the winning player 2006W. The chip tray determination device may determine the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 by photographing the gaming tokens 1 stored in the chip tray 17 using the camera 2002 and analyzing the image by the image analyzer 2012, or an RFID reader may be provided in the chip tray 17 to detect the total amount of gaming tokens 1 stored in the chip tray 17.

[0110] In this example, fraud and mistakes are detected based on the outcome of the game, information on how many of what type of gaming tokens 1 were bet and at what position in the betting area 2008 (player, banker, tie, pair), and the increase or decrease in the amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 after the collection of losing chips and the redemption of winning gaming tokens 1 are complete, so fraud and mistakes can be detected without knowing the movement of the gaming tokens 1 after the game ends, i.e., whether the bet gaming tokens 1 moved to the player's side or the dealer's side.

[0111] Here, in the case of baccarat, for example, the outcome of the game can be determined in accordance with the rules of baccarat by reading the rank of card C dealt in the game with the card dealing device 2003. The outcome of the game can also be determined by taking a picture of the gaming table 2004 with the camera 2002, analyzing the image with the image analyzer 2012, and comparing the analysis result with the rules of the game with the control device 2014. In this case, the camera 2002, the image analyzer 2012, and the control device 2014 constitute a game result determination device. Information on the player of each sitting number 7, what type of gaming token 1, and how many coins have been bet on which position (player, banker, tie, player pair, banker pair) in the betting area 2008 can be obtained by taking a picture of the gaming token 1 placed in the betting area 2008 with the camera 2002 and analyzing the image for each playing position 7 with the image analyzer 2012.

[0112] In addition, the increase or decrease in the amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 before and after the collection of losing gaming tokens 1 and the redemption of winning gaming tokens 1 can be calculated by comparing the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 before the collection of losing gaming tokens 1 and the redemption of winning gaming tokens 1 with the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 after the collection of losing gaming tokens 1 and the redemption of winning gaming tokens 1.

[0113] For example, let us assume that the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 before the start of a game is Bb, and that the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 after the game is over and the collection of losing chips and the redemption of winning chips is Ba. Also, let us assume that the total amount of gaming tokens 1 betted in the player area at all play positions 7 in this game is bp, the total amount of gaming tokens 1 betted in the banker area at all play positions 7 is bb, and the total amount of gaming tokens 1 betted in the tie area at all play positions 7 is bt. For example, if the outcome of this game is a banker win, then Ba - Bb = bp - bb + bt should be true. Alternatively, the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 after the game is over should be (Bb + bp - bb + bt). If this is not the case, it can be determined that fraud or an error occurred in the collection or redemption of the chips.

[0114] FIG. 14A is a diagram showing details of the chip tray of this embodiment, and FIG. 14B is a diagram showing another example of the chip tray. The chip tray 17 is provided with a collection chip tray 171 that collects and temporarily stores the gaming tokens 1L bet by the losing player 2006L, and a redemption chip tray 172 that stores the gaming tokens 1W to be redeemed. The image analysis device 2012 and the control device 2014 grasp the position, type, and number of the gaming tokens 1L bet by the losing player 2006L, and calculate the increase in the gaming tokens 1L for the game (the amount of gaming tokens 1 that should be in the collection chip tray 171). Furthermore, the image analysis device 2012 and the control device 2014 grasp the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 171 after collection, and compare the actual total amount with the expected total amount to determine whether there is a difference.

[0115] The control device 2014 further redeems the gaming tokens 1 to be redeemed, and when the redemption is complete, it compares the total amount that should be in the chip tray, which is based on the amount of chips to be redeemed for the game, calculated from the position, type, and number of chips bet by each game participant at the gaming table and the game result, with the actual total amount in the chip tray, and determines whether there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount.

[0116] In addition, by using the gaming tokens 1 in the redemption chip tray 172 to redeem the gaming tokens 1W to the winning player 2006W, it is possible to ensure sufficient time for the image analysis device 2012 and the control device 2014 to grasp the actual total amount of the gaming tokens 1 in the collection chip tray 171 after they have been collected.

[0117] As described above, in this embodiment, the control device 2014 calculates the chip balance for each game from the amount of chips bet on the gaming table 2004 and the results of the game, and verifies the increase in the chip balance in the chip tray 17 after the game. If the control device 2014 detects a discrepancy in this verification, it issues an alarm or adds a note to the video recording taken by the camera 2002. The casino operator can investigate the cause of the discrepancy by reviewing the video.

[0118] The table game management system of this embodiment adds or subtracts the increase or decrease in chips in a game, which is calculated from the positions, types, and numbers of gaming tokens 1 bet by all players 2006 in that game and the win / loss result of that game obtained by the win / loss result determination device, from the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 before the settlement of each game, and compares the total amount that should be of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 after settlement at the end of that game with the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 at the end of that game, obtained via the image analysis device 2012, and determines whether there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount.

[0119] The control device 2014 grasps the position, type and number of chips bet by each player via the image analysis device 2012, and when all of the losing chips bet by each player have been collected, grasps the actual total amount of chips in the chip tray, and compares the total amount that should be of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17, which is calculated by adding the increase in the chip tray 17 for that game based on the position, type and number of chips bet by the losing player from the total amount of chips in the chip tray before the settlement of each game, with the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17, and determines whether there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount.

[0120] The control device 2014 compares the total amount of gaming tokens 1 that should be in the chip tray 17, which is the total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 before the settlement of each game, plus the increase in the amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 for that game based on the position, type, and number of gaming tokens 1 bet by the losing player, with the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17, and determines that there is no difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount.The control device 2014 also compares the total amount that should be in the chip tray 17 after the settlement at the end of that game with the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 17 at the end of that game, obtained via the image analysis device 2012, and if it determines that there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount, it determines that there is a payment error and generates a payment error signal to notify of the payment error.

[0121] The chip tray 17 is provided with a collection chip tray 171 for collecting and temporarily storing gaming tokens 1 bet by losing players, and the image analysis device 2012 compares the total amount that should be of the gaming tokens 1 in the collection chip tray 171, which is calculated from the position, type and number of gaming tokens 1L bet by the losing player and adds an increase in the amount of gaming tokens 1 for the game in question, with the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 in the collection chip tray 171, and determines whether there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount.

[0122] When the control device 2014 determines that the actual total amount of gaming tokens 1 held in the chip tray 17 of the dealer 2005 at the gaming table 2004 does not correspond to the increase or decrease in the amount of chips calculated from the amount of chips bet by all players and the outcome of the game, the game recording device 2011 can assign an index or time to the captured video, or identify and play back the scene of collection or payment of the gaming tokens 1, so that the game recording device 2011 can analyze the record of the game in which the above-mentioned difference occurred.

[0123] In this way, the control device 2014 obtains the total amount of chips in the chip tray 17 after settlement at the end of the game via the image analysis device 2012. In this case, the determination after settlement is made when any of the following 1) to 4) occurs. 1) When redemption of winning gaming token 1 is completed, 2) When the card C used in the game is collected and discarded in the discard area 41 or discard slot 42 of the table, 3) When a predetermined button attached to the winning / losing result determination device is pressed, 4) When marker 43, which indicates victory or defeat, is returned to its original position.

[0124] The control device 2014 has an artificial intelligence or deep learning structure that can grasp the position (position bet on player, banker, or pair) and amount (type and number) of chips bet at each playing position 7 of the gaming table 2004, and can extract a unique situation (set by the casino) by comparing the win / loss history of each player 2006 and the amount of chips (winning amount) obtained from the win / loss results of each game with statistical data of many past games (big data). Typically, the control device 2014 has an artificial intelligence or deep learning structure that can extract a unique situation by comparing the occurrence of a winning amount of more than a certain amount (1 million dollars) or a situation in which the amount of chips bet when losing is small and the amount of chips bet when winning is large for several games at a playing position 7 of a certain gaming table 2004 with statistical data (big data, etc.) of past games.

[0125] Furthermore, the control device 2014 of this table game management system (integrated with the image analysis device 2012) is configured to be able to identify an individual player 2006 at a playing position 7 who has been extracted as having an unusual situation or who has won a predetermined amount or more. The image analysis device 2012 obtains an image of the player's face by extracting feature points or the like, and assigns an identity number (ID, etc.) to identify the player 2006. When the identified player 2006 leaves his / her seat and takes a seat at another gaming table, the control device 2014 has a warning function that notifies the other gaming table of the presence of the specific player. Specifically, the control device 2014 notifies a pit manager or a person in charge of each table (which may be a dealer) who manages each gaming table 2004, thereby preventing further unusual phenomena.

[0126] The control device 2014 can identify the collected gaming token 1 for each sitting number based on the RFID ID information of the collected gaming token 1 determined by the chip tray determination device and the RFID ID information of the gaming token 1 read by the chip reading device 25.

[0127] In FIG. 11, gaming tokens 1 are bet as shown in the detailed tables of FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. Analysis by the image analyzer 2012 makes it possible to determine the location (player, banker, etc.) where the gaming tokens 1 are bet, as well as the number (and amount) of gaming tokens 1. Meanwhile, reading by the chip reader 25 makes it possible to determine the RFID IDs attached to the gaming tokens 1 for each sitting number. Furthermore, the chip tray determination device can determine the IDs of the gaming tokens 1 in the chip tray 9, so by determining the IDs that have increased before and after collection, it is possible to determine the collected gaming tokens 1. In FIGS. 11 to 13, when the game result is a banker win, it is apparent from the analysis results of the image analyzer 2012 that the two chips bet on the banker pair should be collected, and it is apparent that of the IDs of the collected chips determined by the chip tray determination device, the two chips with IDs 6 and 18 that the chip reader 25 read as being bet on sitting number 5 have been collected.

[0128] The control device 2014 further grasps the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 to be collected for each sitting number, determined using the game results obtained from the game result determination device and the measurement results of the positions, amounts, and numbers of gaming tokens 1 based on the image analysis results by the image analyzer. Therefore, the control device 2014 can compare the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 collected for each sitting number, determined based on RFID, with the total amount or total number of gaming tokens 1 to be collected based on the image analysis results, and determine whether they match.

[0129] For example, if the reading result by the chip reading device 25 for sitting number 1 is "A, B, C, D, E," the analysis result by the image analysis device 2012 is "2 chips for tie, 2 chips for banker," the game result is "Banker wins," and the reading result by the chip tray determination device 18 is "A, B," it can be determined that the chips A and B bet on tie have been correctly collected.

[0130] The control device 2014 can further determine whether or not the RFID ID information of the collected gaming token 1 determined by the chip tray determination device matches the RFID ID information of the betted gaming token 1 read by the chip reading device 25. This determination makes it possible to determine whether or not the gaming token 1 collected in the chip tray is the gaming token 1 that was bet on the gaming table, or whether or not it is gaming token 1 that was fraudulently collected from another location.

[0131] The control device 2014 can further determine the type of chip, such as a cash chip, rolling chip, or promotional chip, based on the RFID information read by the chip reading device 25, and can store the amount bet and the amount recovered or redeemed for each determined type of chip.

[0132] Rolling chips are special chips that cannot be exchanged for cash and can be purchased by specific members, and the amount purchased by each member is managed. They must be used for betting and consumed, and bets made using rolling chips are redeemed in cash chips. By storing the amount of rolling chips bet or collected based on the RFID information read by the chip reader 25, it is possible to determine the amount of rolling chips that a specific member should have.

[0133] The chip reader 25 also has a function of a confirmation area and is capable of reading gaming tokens 1 placed for redemption. As shown in FIG. 15, when redeeming a game token 1 for the banker with sitting number 2, the gaming token 1 for redemption is placed in the chip reader 25 and read. In FIG. 15, the gaming token 1 is placed next to the winning gaming token 1 bet on the banker with sitting number 2. The control device 2014 compares the redemption amount determined using the measurement results of the position, amount, and number of gaming tokens 1 based on the game result obtained from the game result determination device and the image analysis results from the image analyzer with the amount of gaming tokens 1 placed for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reader 25, and determines whether the redemption amounts match and outputs the result. In FIG. 16, the total number of gaming tokens 1 to be paid for sitting number 1 is 4, but the reading result of the chip reader 25 is 3, which indicates a mismatch. If the redemption amounts do not match, a signal indicating this is output, and the dealer can replace the gaming token 1 for redemption based on the output signal. When the gaming token 1 is replaced, a determination is made again and the determination result can be output. The area where the gaming token 1 for redemption is placed may be anywhere within the chip reader 25. Also, as shown in FIG. 15, a payment confirmation area 26 may be provided on the dealer's side of the betting area, separate from the betting area. In FIG. 7, the gaming token 1 for redemption is placed in the payment confirmation area 26 for sitting number 6, the chip reader 25 reads it, the control device 2014 makes a determination, and the redemption chip is placed next to the winning gaming token 1 placed in the banker.

[0134] Also, the image analysis device 2012 may perform image analysis on the confirmation area, and the control device 2014 may compare this with the reading result of the chip reading device 25 to determine whether the total number matches.

[0135] The control device 2014 can output a signal based on the determination it has made. The signal may be output to display on the display unit of the chip tray 9 or the display unit of the card dealing device 2003, or the signal may be output to a pit manager or the casino backyard.

[0136] The chip reader 25 may treat the entire betting area for each sitting number as one reading area as shown in Fig. 17, or may treat the player betting area and banker betting area as one reading area for each sitting number, and may treat the tie betting area, player pair betting area, and banker pair betting area as one reading area as shown in Fig. 18. Also, as shown in Figs. 19 and 22, the tie betting area, player pair betting area, and side betting area of ​​the banker pair betting area may each be treated as one reading area.

[0137] The gaming token 1 used in the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 20 is an external view of the gaming token 1 used in this system, and FIG. 21 is a front cross-sectional view. A multilayer structure is formed by laminating multiple plastic layers of different colors, with at least a colored layer 101 in the middle, and a white layer 102 or a light-colored layer (not shown, but it is sufficient that the layer is lighter in color than the colored layer 101) on both sides of this intermediate colored layer 101. By providing the colored layer 101 and laminating the white layer 102 or a light-colored layer (not shown, but it is sufficient that the layer is lighter in color than the colored layer 101) on both sides of this intermediate colored layer 101 in this way, a striped pattern is formed on the side in the stacking direction as shown in FIG. 20, and by changing the color of the colored layer 101 (red, green, yellow, blue, etc.), the type of gaming token 1 (10 points, 20 points, 100 points, 1000 points, etc.) can be identified.

[0138] The colored layer 101 may be formed of a plurality of colored layers (three layers in Fig. 21) as shown in Fig. 21. The plurality of colored layers (three layers in Fig. 21) are thermocompression bonded together, so the three-layer structure is not visible as in Fig. 21, and Fig. 21 shows three layers for the sake of explanation. Furthermore, a cutout B is provided in the middle layer of the three layers of the colored layer 101, and an RFID is embedded within it.

[0139] Furthermore, the gaming token 1 is not limited to a structure in which plastic is laminated, and may have an appearance similar to that of the colored layer 101.

[0140] The method by which the image analyzing device 2012 analyzes the gaming token 1 will be described in detail below. The image analyzing device 2012 analyzes the image recorded in the recording device 11 to recognize at least two colors: a specific color 121 that is at least partially imparted to the gaming token 1, and a reference color R that is different from the specific color 121 and that is present in the image. The specific color 121 is imparted at least partially to the gaming token 1 at a predetermined position or in a predetermined shape. For example, the specific color 121 may be imparted as a colored layer 101, may be imparted circumferentially to the side surface of the gaming token 1, or may be imparted as a predetermined mark on the surface of the gaming token 1. The reference color R may be, for example, the color of a specific area of ​​the gaming table 2004, or may be a color imparted to a location on the gaming token 1 that is different from the specific color 121.

[0141] The image analysis device 2012 includes an artificial intelligence device 12a that identifies a specific color using, for example, deep learning technology, and determines the number and type of gaming tokens 1 placed on the gaming table 2004. The recognition device 12 may further determine the position of the gaming tokens 1 on the gaming table 2004.

[0142] The image analysis device 2012 acquires multiple images of the gaming token 1 and the reference color R illuminated at different illuminances, and learns by manual instruction of the acquired images and the correct colors of the specific color 121 and reference color R of the gaming token 1 in each image as training data, thereby creating a learning model 13a (recognition program). Note that, for images of the gaming token 1 and the reference color R illuminated at the same illuminance conditions, the relative relationship between the specific color 121 and the reference color R can be acquired because the specific color 121 and the reference color R are illuminated at the same illuminance. For example, this relative relationship may be used to recognize the specific color 121.

[0143] Furthermore, the chip recognition device 12 may extract the center line C of the gaming token 1 without using artificial intelligence by using the results of photographing and recording an image by the camera 2002, and then analyzing the image to measure image features such as shape, brightness, saturation, and color.

[0144] The artificial intelligence device 12a is further configured to recognize at least two colors, a specific color 121 in the peripheral image and a reference color R different from the specific color 121, by performing image analysis on the peripheral image of a predetermined range around the extracted center line C (for example, a range of 8 pixels centered on the center line and perpendicular to the center line). When analyzing the peripheral image of the predetermined range around the extracted center line C, the image may be analyzed as is, or may be subjected to image processing such as color enhancement and noise removal to make it easier to recognize the specific color 121.

[0145] In summary, the artificial intelligence device 12a of the recognition device 12 is configured to extract a center line C from an image of the gaming token 1, and perform image analysis of the surrounding image of a predetermined range centered on the center line C, thereby recognizing at least two colors, a specific color 121 in the surrounding image and a reference color R different from the specific color 121, and is an artificial intelligence device that has been taught multiple peripheral images of the gaming token 1 and the reference color R illuminated at different illuminances as training data.

[0146] In another embodiment of the present invention, the control device 2014 further comprises: 1) In each game, whether there is any movement of chips between the start of card withdrawal or the start of the game by the dealer and the display of the game result by the card distribution device. 2) After the end of each game, while the dealer is collecting the chips bet by the losing players, whether or not anyone other than the dealer has made any chip movements. 3) After the end of each game, whether chips were added while the dealer was collecting the chips bet by the losing players, 4) After the end of each game, whether the dealer has paid out the winning chips of the players; 5) After the end of each game, the device has a function of determining whether or not a winner among the game participants has taken the chips that they had bet and the chips that they had been paid.

[0147] Furthermore, the control device 2014 may be configured to determine at least one of 1) to 5) above by detecting the hand movements, chip movements, or the hand movements and chip movements of the dealer and game participants using the analysis results of the image analysis device 2012.

[0148] The control device 2014 has the following functions 1) to 5) as a characteristic function of the present invention, and determines whether or not any cheating that violates the rules is being performed in accordance with the rules of the baccarat game. 1) In each game, from the time when a signal to start drawing out cards is received from the card dealing device 2003, or from the time when the dealer 2005 starts the game by pressing the start button 4s, until the result of the game is displayed by the card dealing device 2003, the image analyzing device 2012 monitors for any movement of the gaming token 1 using information obtained by the camera 2002. 2) After each game ends, while the dealer 2005 is collecting the gaming tokens 1 bet by the losers among the game participants 2006, the image analyzer 2012 monitors whether or not the losers 6 have fraudulently taken the gaming tokens 1, based on information obtained by the camera 2002. 3) After each game ends, while the dealer 2005 is collecting the gaming tokens 1 bet by the losers among the game participants, the image analyzer 2012 monitors, using information obtained by the camera 2002, whether or not a person other than the dealer 2005 (winner or loser) adds a winning gaming token 1W or places a new gaming token 1 on the winning side where no bet has been made. 4) After each game is over, the dealer 2005 monitors whether or not the payment token 1W has been placed correctly at the position of the token 1 on which the winner among the game participants 2006 had bet, based on information obtained by the image analyzer 2012 using the camera 2002. 5) After each game is over (the dealer 2005 operates the card distribution device 2003 to display the winning or losing result on the display lamp 13), it is monitored by the information obtained by the image analysis device 2012 using the camera 2002 to see whether the winner 6W among the game participants 2006 has taken the gaming token 1 that he or she had bet and the gaming token 1W that he or she had paid.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the image analysis device 2012 and the control device 2014 are devices utilizing artificial intelligence or having a deep learning structure. However, the image analysis device 2012 and the control device 2014 may perform image analysis and the above-mentioned various controls using, for example, a Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) algorithm, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), deep learning, machine learning, or the like. These technologies perform image recognition on captured images to recognize objects contained in the images. In particular, in recent years, deep learning technology, which uses multi-layered neural networks, has been used to recognize objects with high accuracy. This deep learning technology generally recognizes objects with high accuracy by stacking multiple layers in an intermediate layer between the input layer and output layer of a neural network. In this deep learning technology, convolutional neural networks in particular have attracted attention for their superior performance in object recognition compared to conventional methods based on image features.

[0150] A convolutional neural network learns labeled target images and recognizes the main object contained in the target image. If there are multiple main objects in the training image, they are designated by a rectangular area, and the image corresponding to the designated area is labeled for training. Furthermore, the convolutional neural network can determine the main object and its location in the image.

[0151] To further explain convolutional neural networks, the target recognition process involves extracting candidate regions based on local features by performing edge extraction or other processing on the image to be recognized, inputting the candidate regions into the convolutional neural network to extract feature vectors and then classifying them, and obtaining the classified candidate region with the highest confidence as the recognition result. Confidence is a quantity that indicates how high the similarity of the subject of an image learned together with a certain image region and label is relative to the similarity of other classes.

[0152] Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but it goes without saying that the above-mentioned embodiments can be modified by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention, and the device of this embodiment may be appropriately modified according to the needs of the game to which it is applied.

[0153] (Addendum) In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the gaming token management system of the present invention comprises: A single RFID tag having an area where data cannot be rewritten and an area where data can be rewritten is attached to the gaming token; The area of ​​the RFID tag where the data cannot be rewritten stores at least one of production information, product information, casino information, amount information, and serial number of the gaming token as fixed information, The rewritable data area stores variable information relating to the location of the gaming token, The variable information stored in the rewritable area of ​​the same RFID tag can be extracted from the fixed information stored in the non-rewritable area, The system comprises: a writing device that writes information regarding the location of the gaming token in the data rewritable area; a reading device that can collectively read the fixed information stored in the data non-rewritable areas of the plurality of gaming tokens, and based on the read fixed information, can read the location information stored in the data rewritable areas paired with each of the fixed information; a management control device that examines the location information obtained from the reading device; the rewritable data area stores information about a plurality of locations, including information about at least the latest location of all the information about locations written by the writing device; The management control device has a function to determine whether there are any abnormalities in the history of information regarding the location obtained from the reading device, and if there is an abnormality, it generates an error signal and is configured to be able to identify the fixed information of gaming tokens that are determined to be abnormal.

[0154] Furthermore, the rewritable data area is configured to store information about the location as well as information about the time when the writing device wrote data into the gaming token, The management control device is configured to determine whether or not there is an abnormality based on the location information obtained from the reading device, by determining whether or not either of the following events has occurred: the device has not been used for a predetermined period of time since the last time it was written, or the location information that should have been written has not been written.

[0155] Furthermore, the management control device is configured such that the information regarding the location includes at least one of information indicating a cage, information indicating entry or exit, or information indicating a backyard, The above-mentioned event of not being used for a specified period of time since the last write is 1) The latest location information indicates a cage, and the next information has been written more than a predetermined time ago. 2) The latest location information indicates entry, and the next information has been written more than a predetermined time ago. 3) The latest information on the location indicates an exit, and the next information has been posted more than a predetermined time ago. In either of the following situations, The event in which the information about the location that should have been written is not written is as follows: 4) When entering an amusement facility, information indicating exit is not written as information regarding the latest location of the area of ​​the gaming token where the data can be rewritten. 5) When using the cage, there is no information indicating the backyard. 6) When leaving the amusement facility, there is no information written indicating the cage or back yard. It may be either of the following situations.

[0156] Furthermore, the information regarding the location may include information regarding the holder of the gaming token.

[0157] Furthermore, the management control device determines whether or not the abnormality is present based on the information about the holder obtained from the reading device, as follows: 1) A person other than the last owner of the gaming token stored in the rewritable data area exchanges or converts the gaming token into cash within the gaming facility, or leaves the gaming facility. 2) A person other than the person who possessed the token at the time of exiting the arcade and whose data is stored in the rewritable data area brings the token into the arcade. The device may have a function for determining either the above-mentioned situation 1) or 2).

[0158] Furthermore, information regarding the holder of the gaming token may be identified by facial recognition or reading an ID card.

[0159] The location information may further comprise information indicating the location of the chip tray of the particular gaming table, or information indicating the location of the betting area, or information indicating the payout area.

[0160] Furthermore, the management control device determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred based on the information indicating the location of the chip tray of the gaming table, the location of the betting area, or the information indicating the payment area obtained from the reading device, as an event: 1) A person other than the last owner of the gaming token stored in the rewritable data area uses the gaming token at a gaming table. 2) A person other than the person who purchased the gaming token at the cage exchanges it for cash if the gaming token has no record of use at the gaming table. 3) Gaming tokens that do not have information indicating a cage or backyard are used within the amusement facility. 4) The latest location information is information indicating a betting area or a payment area, and after a predetermined period of time, it is exchanged for cash in the cage or used at the gaming table. It may be a device that has the function of determining any of the above situations 1) to 4).

[0161] Furthermore, the information contained in the RFID tag may be encrypted.

[0162] Furthermore, the area where data cannot be rewritten may be configured so that data cannot be written functionally, or may be configured so that data cannot be written.

[0163] Furthermore, the reading device is configured to simultaneously read the fixed information stored in the area where the data cannot be rewritten and the location information stored in the area where the data can be rewritten, The management control device may be configured to extract and grasp the location information stored in an area of ​​the same RFID tag where the data can be rewritten from the multiple fixed information of the multiple gaming tokens read by the reading device.

[0164] In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the gaming token of the present invention is provided with a single RFID tag having an area where data cannot be rewritten and an area where data can be rewritten, The area where the data cannot be rewritten stores at least one of production information, product information, casino information, amount information, and serial number of the gaming token as fixed information, The rewritable data area is configured to store, as variable information, information regarding the location of the gaming token written by a writing device, The configuration is such that the variable information stored in the area where the data cannot be rewritten in the same RFID tag can be extracted from the fixed information stored in the area where the data cannot be rewritten.

[0165] Furthermore, the gaming tokens may be configured so that a reading device can read the fixed information stored in an area where the data of multiple gaming tokens cannot be rewritten all at once, and based on the read fixed information, read the information regarding the location stored in an area where the data can be rewritten.

[0166] In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the management system for table games of the present invention comprises gaming tokens with individually identifiable RFID tags attached thereto, a gaming table for playing games using the gaming tokens; a game recording device that records, as an image via a camera, gaming tokens bet by each game participant in a game played at the gaming table; an image analyzer that analyzes the image of the recorded gaming token; a chip reader that reads the RFID tag attached to the gaming token bet by each game player; a control device that grasps the image analysis results of the image analysis device and the reading results of the chip reading device, the gaming table has a plurality of betting areas including at least a player betting area and a banker betting area for each sitting number; the chip reader reads the gaming tokens by treating the entire betting area as one reading area for each sitting number, or by dividing the entire betting area into a plurality of reading areas that are fewer in number than the betting areas, and reading the gaming tokens for each reading area; The control device is configured to grasp the type and number of gaming tokens bet independently for each betting area including at least the player betting area and the banker betting area based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device, determine whether the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number or each reading area based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device matches the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number or each reading area based on the reading results of the chip reading device, and output the determination result.

[0167] The control device may be configured to be capable of outputting a sitting number for which the determination result is inconsistent.

[0168] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to generate a signal indicating that the RFID attached to the gaming token may be broken or that the gaming token may not have an RFID attached when the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reading device is less than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number based on the image analysis results of the image analysis device.

[0169] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to generate a signal indicating a possible misreading of the gaming tokens by the image analysis device when the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reading device is greater than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each sitting number based on the image analysis results of the image analysis device.

[0170] The game machine further includes a database that stores the RFID IDs attached to the gaming tokens, The control device may be configured to compare the RFID ID based on the reading result of the chip reading device with the ID stored in the database, determine the authenticity of the gaming token, and output the determination result.

[0171] Furthermore, a chip tray for holding gaming tokens used by a dealer at the gaming table; a chip tray determination device capable of determining the type and number of the gaming tokens stored in the chip tray; a game result determination device that determines the game result of each game at the gaming table; the control device has a calculation function for calculating the casino's income and expenditure at the gaming table for each collection and redemption of each game, using the game results obtained from the game result determination device and the measurement results of the positions, amounts, and numbers of gaming tokens based on the image analysis results of the image analysis device; a collection determination function for determining whether or not there has been any fraud or mistake in the collection of gaming tokens by comparing the amount of chips to be collected in the game, calculated from the position, type and number of chips bet by each game player at the gaming table and the game result, with the actual collected amount in the chip tray, and determining whether or not there is a difference between the amount to be collected and the actual collected amount, when the collection of the losing chips bet by each game player has been completed; The device may be provided with a redemption determination function that performs redemption for chips to be redeemed, and when redemption is complete, compares the total amount that should be in the chip tray based on the amount of chips to be redeemed for the game, which is calculated from the position, type and number of chips bet by each game participant at the gaming table and the game result, with the actual total amount in the chip tray, and if it is determined that there is a difference between the total amount that should be and the actual total amount, determines that there has been fraud or an error in the redemption.

[0172] Furthermore, the control device identifies the collected gaming tokens for each sitting number based on the RFID ID information of the collected gaming tokens determined by the chip tray determination device and the RFID ID information of the gaming tokens read by the chip reading device, The configuration may be such that the ID, amount or number of the identified gaming tokens is compared with the ID, amount or number of the gaming tokens to be collected for each sitting number, determined using the game results obtained from the game result determination device and the measurement results of the position, amount and number of gaming tokens based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device, and whether or not there is a match can be determined for each sitting number.

[0173] In addition, the control device may be configured to determine the type of the gaming token, categorized by use or purpose of use, based on the RFID ID information of the gaming token read by the chip reading device, in each game, and to store the amount bet or the amount recovered or redeemed for each type of gaming token for each sitting number.

[0174] The control device may also be configured to be able to store the cumulative amount bet or the cumulative amount recovered or redeemed for each type of gaming token for each sitting number in multiple games.

[0175] The type of the gaming token may be at least a cash chip, a rolling chip, or a promotional chip.

[0176] The control device may also be configured to identify the holder based on the ID information of the rolling chip, and to store the cumulative amount bet with the rolling chip or the cumulative amount recovered or redeemed for each holder.

[0177] Furthermore, the chip reader reads the gaming tokens for redemption placed on the chip reader for each sitting number, The control device may be configured to compare the redemption amount determined using the game result obtained from the game result determination device and the measurement results of the position, amount and number of gaming tokens based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device with the amount of gaming tokens placed for each sitting number based on the reading results of the chip reading device, determine whether the redemption amounts match or do not match, and output the result.

[0178] In addition, the control device may be configured to display a discrepancy if the judgment result of the redemption amount is a discrepancy, and further to make a judgment again if there is a change in the amount of the gaming token placed in the chip reading device for each sitting number read by the chip reading device, and to re-output whether it is a match or a discrepancy.

[0179] In addition, the control device may be configured to compare the amount of gaming tokens placed for redemption for each sitting number with the increase or decrease in the amount of the chip tray before and after redemption, and determine whether there is a difference.

[0180] The chip reader may also include a payment confirmation area located on the dealer's side of the betting area where the gaming tokens are placed for redemption.

[0181] The system further includes a face authentication system or a means for identifying game participants using a player ID card, The control device may be configured to be able to link the sitting number with information about the game player identified by the game player identification means.

[0182] The device may further include a display device that displays information based on the output of the control device.

[0183] The gaming table further includes a betting area for side bets, The betting area for side bets is provided adjacent to each other for each sitting number, The chip reader can read at least one of the side bet areas at once, The control device may be configured to grasp the type and number of gaming tokens bet in the at least one side bet betting area based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device, determine whether the total amount or total number of gaming tokens in the at least one side bet betting area based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device matches the total amount or total number of gaming tokens in the side bet betting area based on the reading results of the chip reading device, and output a signal of the determination result.

[0184] Another embodiment of the present invention is a table game management system, comprising: a gaming token with an individually identifiable RFID tag attached thereto; a gaming table for playing games using the gaming tokens; a game recording device that records, as an image via a camera, gaming tokens bet by each game participant in a game played at the gaming table; an image analyzer that analyzes the image of the recorded gaming token; a chip reader that reads the RFID tag attached to the gaming token bet by each game player; a control device that grasps the image analysis results of the image analysis device and the reading results of the chip reading device, the gaming table has a betting area consisting of a player betting area, a banker betting area, and a side bet betting area; The betting area for side bets is provided adjacent to each other for each sitting number, The chip reader can read at least one of the side bet areas at once, The control device is configured to grasp the type and number of gaming tokens bet independently for at least one of the side bet betting areas based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device, determine whether the total amount or total number of gaming tokens in the at least one side bet betting area based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device matches the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for the side bet based on the reading results of the chip reading device, and output a signal of the determination result.

[0185] The control device may be configured to output the side bet when the determination result is a mismatch.

[0186] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to generate a signal indicating that the RFID attached to the gaming token may be broken or that the gaming token may not have an RFID attached when the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each side bet based on the reading results of the chip reading device is less than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each side bet based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device.

[0187] Furthermore, the control device may be configured to generate a signal indicating a possible misreading of the gaming tokens by the image analysis device when the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each side bet based on the reading results of the chip reading device is greater than the total amount or total number of gaming tokens for each side bet based on the image analysis results of the image analysis device.

[0188] The game machine further includes a database that stores the RFID IDs attached to the gaming tokens, The control device may be configured to compare the RFID ID based on the reading result of the chip reading device with the ID stored in the database, and determine the authenticity of the gaming token.

[0189] In addition, the control device may be configured to identify the collected gaming tokens for each side bet based on the RFID ID information of the collected gaming tokens determined by the chip tray determination device and the RFID ID information of the gaming tokens read by the chip reading device, compare the ID, amount, or number to be collected for each side bet determined using the game results obtained from the game result determination device and the measurement results of the position, amount, and number of gaming tokens based on the image analysis results by the image analysis device with the ID, amount, or number of the gaming tokens collected for each side bet, and determine whether the collected amounts match or do not match for each side bet.

[0190] (Fourth embodiment) A fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

[0191] (First example) FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system according to a first example of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The management system 110 traces the holder of a gaming token without using a database. For this purpose, information about the holder is stored in the gaming token. The management system 110 includes a gaming table 4004 having a roughly oval shape. A player 82 is positioned on one side (the lower side of FIG. 23) of the gaming table 4004, and a dealer (not shown) is positioned on the opposite side. On the top surface of the gaming table 4004, betting areas 41a to 41e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "betting areas 41") are defined for each of a plurality of play positions. The betting area 41 is an area where a player 82 places a bet by placing their gaming token 83. A chip tray 12 for placing the dealer's gaming token 82 is provided on the dealer position side of the gaming table 4004.

[0192] The gaming token 83 has the same configuration as the gaming token of the above embodiment. That is, the gaming token 83 has embedded therein an RFID tag 2 having a non-rewritable area 21 for storing fixed information 3 and a rewritable area 22 for storing variable information 4. The RFID tag 2 stores, as unique information 3, a chip ID (identification information) that uniquely identifies the gaming token 83. The RFID tag 2 also stores, as variable information 4, a user ID that uniquely identifies the holder of the gaming token 83.

[0193] In addition, a common user ID is assigned to the casino or dealer, and when the gaming token 83 is in the casino's possession (including when it is stored in the chip tray 12), the variable information 4 stores the user ID indicating the casino or dealer.

[0194] RFID antennas 511a to 511e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "RFID antennas 511") are provided in the betting areas 41a to 41e of the gaming table 4004. Specifically, the RFID antennas 511 are embedded under the cover of the gaming table 4004 at positions where the corresponding betting areas 41 are defined. An RFID antenna 513 is also provided in the chip tray 12.

[0195] The RFID antenna 511 reads and writes data from the RFID tag 2 embedded in the gaming token 83 placed in the corresponding betting area 41. The RFID antenna 513 reads and writes data from the RFID tag 2 embedded in the gaming token 83 placed in the chip tray 12.

[0196] The RFID antennas 511a to 511e and the RFID antenna 513 are connected to the RF control device 54. Note that in FIG. 23, only the line connecting the antenna 511e to the RF control device 54 is shown, and the lines connecting the antennas 511a to 511d to the RF control device 54 are omitted for clarity of the drawing, but the antennas 511a to 511d are also connected to the RF control device 54 in the same way as the antenna 511e. This is also true for the following drawings. The RF control device 54 controls reading and writing for each antenna. The RF control device 54 controls reading and writing by distinguishing each antenna from the others. For this reason, each antenna is assigned an area ID that uniquely identifies the area where reading and writing are performed by that antenna. Furthermore, when reading, the RF control device 54 performs reading periodically.

[0197] By referring to this area ID, it is possible to determine whether the read gaming token 83 is in the chip tray 12 or the betting area 41, and for the betting area 41, it is also possible to determine which of the betting areas 41a to 41e of the play position it is.

[0198] When reading, the RF control device 54 receives data read by each antenna and identifies the area in which the data was read, i.e., the area ID. When writing, the RF control device 54 identifies the antenna to write to, i.e., the area ID, and transmits the data to be written. This allows the RF control device 54 to individually control reading and writing for each antenna.

[0199] The RF control device 54 outputs the user ID of the gaming token 83 ("User ID" in FIG. 23) and the area ID of the area from which the user ID was read ("Area ID" in FIG. 23) based on the data read by each antenna. The management system 110 further includes a management control device 56 connected to the RF control device 54. The management control device 56 receives the user ID and the area ID from the RF control device 54, and specifies to the RF control device 54 the user ID to be written to the RFID tag 2.

[0200] As will be explained below, the user ID stored in the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83 changes when the gaming token 83 is moved, but the RFID tag 2 stores past user IDs as well as the latest user ID as variable information 4. Therefore, by referring to this variable information 4, it is possible to check the history of holders of each gaming token 83. Furthermore, in the following explanation, expressions such as "rewrite user ID" mean at least changing the latest user ID, and do not necessarily mean simultaneously erasing information about past user IDs.

[0201] The management control device 56 updates the variable information 4 of the gaming token 83 based on the data (user ID and area ID) of the gaming token 83 received from the RF control device 54. A method for updating the variable information 4 will be described below.

[0202] 24 to 26 are diagrams illustrating an example of updating variable information. As shown in Fig. 24, a player bets a gaming token 831 in the betting area 41b. The management control device 56 receives the user ID of the betting chip 831 and the area ID of the betting area 41b, which are obtained by reading the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token (hereinafter also referred to as "betting chip 831") bet by the player in the betting area.

[0203] At the stage of placing a bet, as shown in Fig. 24, the same user ID ("P1" in the example of Fig. 24) is read from the betting area 41b, and the same ID ("D" in the example of Fig. 24, indicating that the holder is the casino or dealer) is also read from the chip tray 12. If this player wins the game, as shown in Fig. 25, gaming tokens (hereinafter also referred to as "payout chips 832") are paid out (redeemable) from the chip tray 12 by the dealer and placed next to the betting chips 831 in the betting area 41b.

[0204] As a result, "D" is read from the betting area 41b as the user ID in addition to "P1". If there are two types of user IDs for the gaming tokens 83 read from the same betting area 41, and one of the user IDs is "D" and the other is a user ID assigned to a player, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user IDs of all the gaming tokens 83 in the betting area 41 to the user ID assigned to the player ("P1" in the case of FIG. 25). In this case, the same "P1" is further written as the latest user ID on the betting chip 831 in which "P1" was stored as the user ID.

[0205] On the other hand, if the player loses the game, the dealer collects the bet chips 831 into the chip tray 12, as shown in Fig. 26. Then, in addition to "D", "P1" is read as the user ID from the chip tray 12. If the user ID of the gaming token 83 read from the chip tray 12 includes a user ID assigned to the player other than "D" ("P1" in the example of Fig. 26), the management control device 56 rewrites the user ID of all gaming tokens 83 in the chip tray 12 to "D".

[0206] In addition, a collection float may be provided to temporarily store the gaming tokens 83 collected in the chip tray 12, and the antenna may be separated between the collection float and other parts, so that the above processing is performed only on the gaming tokens 83 collected in the collection float.

[0207] The user ID stored in the gaming token 83 is updated in accordance with a change in the actual holder through the above-described processing of the management control device 56. That is, in this embodiment, the user ID is stored in the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83, and the user ID of the payout chip 832 is updated so that the holder is the same as the holder of the bet chip 831. Therefore, without using a database or player identification system described later, and without the management control device 56 knowing the progress of the game (betting stage, game stage, settlement stage), it is possible to trace the change in holder due to the game being played at the gaming table 4004.

[0208] When a player purchases a new gaming token 83, the player is identified using a player identification system described later, and the user ID of the casino or dealer is rewritten to the user ID of the identified player before the gaming token 83 is handed over to the player. Also, when the player redeems the gaming token 83 for cash, the user ID of the gaming token 83 handed over by the player is rewritten to the user ID of the casino or dealer.

[0209] (Second example) 27 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system of a second example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 120 includes a player identification system in addition to the configuration of the management system 110 of the first example. The player identification system includes an image recognition system consisting of a camera 52 and an image recognition device 55, and a card authentication system consisting of a card 81 and a card reader 53, but may include only one of them.

[0210] The camera 52 captures an image of the face of a player 82 positioned at a play position, and outputs the captured image to the image recognition device 55. The image recognition device 55 is equipped with a face recognition engine using a neural network that has learned the facial images of a plurality of pre-registered players 82 (hereinafter, the registered players are also referred to as "members"). The image recognition device 55 inputs the image from the camera 52 into the neural network, thereby identifying which registered member the input facial image belongs to. If the image recognition device 55 determines that the image from the camera 52 does not belong to any of the registered members, it outputs a result indicating that the facial image belongs to a non-member.

[0211] Furthermore, the image recognition device 55 identifies the play position of the member based on the position in the image where the face is authenticated. The image recognition device 55 outputs the area ID of the identified play position ("Area ID" in FIG. 27) along with the user ID of the member corresponding to the image from the camera 52 ("User ID" in FIG. 27). If the image recognition device 55 cannot identify which member the member is, it outputs "Unknown" as the user ID.

[0212] The card reader 53 scans the member's card 81 handed to the dealer by the player 82 and reads the information stored on the member's card 81. The member's card 81 is a magnetic card with a magnetic stripe formed thereon, and at least the user ID of the player 82 (member) is stored on the magnetic stripe. When the dealer receives the member's card 81 from the player 82, the dealer scans the member's card 81 using the card reader 53 and inputs the playing position of the player 82 into the card reader 53. The card reader 53 outputs the user ID read from the member's card 81 ("User ID" in FIG. 27) and the area ID of the playing position input by the dealer ("Area ID" in FIG. 27).

[0213] The management control device 56 receives the user ID and area ID stored in the gaming token 83 and read using the antenna 511 from the RF control device 54, receives the user ID and area ID identified based on the player's facial image from the image recognition device 55, and receives the user ID obtained by reading the membership card 81 from the card reader 53 and the area ID specified by the dealer.

[0214] If, for the same area ID, the user ID read from the antenna 511, i.e., the user ID stored in the gaming token 83 bet in the betting area 41 as the holder of the gaming token 83, does not match the user ID read from the membership card 81 or the user ID identified by the image recognition device 55, i.e., the player identified by the player identification system, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user ID stored in the variable area 4 of the gaming token 83 bet in the betting area 41 as the holder to the user ID of the player identified by the player identification system.

[0215] The RF control device 54 uses the antenna 511 to write the user ID of the player identified by the player identification system into the rewritable area 22 of the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83 placed in the betting area 41. At this time, the RF control device 54 also records in the writable area 22 that the user ID as holder information has been rewritten due to a user ID mismatch. As a result, when a casino or dealer acquires this gaming token 83, they can learn that there has been a holder mismatch by referring to the history of holder changes, and it is also possible to identify the player involved in such a mismatch.

[0216] In addition, the player identification system may perform only one of player identification by the face authentication system and player identification by reading the member's card 81. In other words, a registered member does not necessarily have to be identified by the member's card 81 when he or she arrives at a playing position, in which case the player is identified only by the face authentication system. Also, even if the player's face cannot be photographed properly and face authentication is not possible, the player may be identified by the member's card 81.

[0217] Furthermore, a player may be identified by both facial authentication and the member's card 81. In this case, the user ID of the player identified by facial authentication may differ from the user ID of the player identified by the member's card 81. If either of these user IDs matches the user ID read from the gaming token 83, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to record, in the writable area 22 of the gaming token 83, the user ID that does not match the user ID read from the gaming token 83, as well as a record that there was a mismatch in the identification of the player by the player identification system.

[0218] In this example, as in the first example, the user ID stored in the gaming token 83 is updated according to the actual holder. Furthermore, in this example, if the user ID of the player identified by the player identification system does not match the user ID stored in the gaming token 83, the mismatch is corrected and the fact that such a mismatch occurred is recorded in the gaming token 83. Therefore, by referring to this record in the gaming token 83, it is possible to know that the gaming token 83 has been exchanged between players and to identify the players involved.

[0219] When exchanging the gaming token 83 for cash, a player identification system similar to that described above may be used, and if the user ID of the player (user attempting to exchange) identified by facial recognition or the membership card 81 differs from the user ID stored in the gaming token 83 to be exchanged for cash, an alarm to that effect may be output and the operator may not approve the exchange.

[0220] (Third example) FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system in a third example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 130 includes a database 57 in addition to the configuration of the management system 110 in the first example. The database 57 stores a chip ID ("Chip ID" in FIG. 28) that uniquely identifies the gaming token 83 and the user ID of the player who owns the gaming token 83, in association with each other. As described above, the owner of the gaming token 83 changes when the gaming token 83 is purchased, used in a game, and exchanged for cash, and the database 57 records the history of past owners. Therefore, by referring to the database 57, it is possible to know the history of owners of each gaming token 83.

[0221] In this example, the gaming token 83 only needs to have the non-writable area 21, and does not need to have the writable area 22. In other words, it is sufficient that at least a chip ID is stored in the gaming token 83. Furthermore, the RF control device 54 does not need to have a writing function, and may be an RF reader that only has a reading function.

[0222] The management control device 56 updates the database 57 based on the data (chip ID and area ID) of the gaming token 83 received from the RF control device 54. A method for updating the database 57 will be described below.

[0223] 29 to 31 are diagrams illustrating an example of updating the database 57. As shown in Fig. 29, a player bets gaming tokens 831 in the betting area 41b. The chip ID of the betting chip 831 and the area ID of the betting area 41b, which are obtained by reading the RFID tag 2 of the betting chip 831 bet by the player in the betting area 41b, are input to the management control device 56.

[0224] At the stage of placing a bet, as shown in FIG. 29, chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" are read from the betting area 41b, and chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" are read from the chip tray 12. Then, the RF control device 54 outputs pairs of the chip IDs read by the antennas 511 and 513 and the area IDs corresponding to the antennas 511 and 513 to the management control device 56. In the example of FIG. 29, the RF control device 54 obtains combinations of chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" and the area ID "Area 2", and combinations of chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" and the area ID "Area T" (area ID representing the chip tray 12), and outputs these to the management control device 56.

[0225] 30, the dealer pays out (redeems) payout chips 832 from the chip tray 12 and places them next to the bet chips 831 in the bet area 41b. Then, the RF control device 54 obtains combinations of chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" and "C20001" to "C20005" with the area ID "Area 2", and combinations of chip IDs "C20006" to "C20100" with the area ID "Area T", and outputs these combinations to the management control device 56.

[0226] The management control device 56 refers to the database 57 for all the read chip IDs and obtains the user ID associated with the chip ID. Then, the management control device 56 refers to the combination of the chip ID and the area ID obtained from the RF control device 54, and if the user IDs for multiple chip IDs associated with the same area ID are different, updates the database 57 so that those user IDs become the same user ID.

[0227] Specifically, when the user IDs of multiple gaming tokens 83 read with the area ID of the same betting area 41 include a player's user ID and a casino or dealer's user ID, the management control device 56 unifies the user IDs of chip IDs paired with the same area ID by rewriting the casino or dealer's user ID with the player's user ID.

[0228] On the other hand, if the player loses the game, the dealer collects the bet chips 831 into the chip tray 12, as shown in Figure 31. Then, in addition to "C20001" to "C20100", "C00001" to "C00005" are read as chip IDs from the chip tray 12. The RF control device 54 obtains pairs of these chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" and "C00001" to "C00005" and the area ID "Area T" of the chip tray 12, and outputs them to the management control device 56.

[0229] The management control device 56 refers to the database 57 for all the read chip IDs and obtains the user ID associated with the chip ID. Then, the management control device 56 refers to the combination of chip ID and area ID obtained from the RF control device 54, and if the user IDs for multiple chip IDs paired with the same area ID are different, updates the database 57 so that those user IDs become the same user ID.

[0230] Specifically, when the user IDs of multiple gaming tokens 83 read by the area ID of the chip tray 12 include a player's user ID and a casino or dealer's user ID, the management control device 56 rewrites the player's user ID to the casino or dealer's user ID, thereby changing the user IDs of all chip IDs associated with the area ID of the chip tray 12 to the casino or dealer's user ID.

[0231] By the above-described processing of the management control device 56, the user ID stored in the database 57 is updated according to the actual holder. That is, in this embodiment, the database 57 is rewritten so that gaming tokens 83 associated with different user IDs in the same area are unified into one of the user IDs according to the area. Therefore, without using the above-described player identification system, and without the management control device 56 grasping the progress status of the game (betting stage, game stage, settlement stage), it is possible to trace the change in holder according to the game played at the gaming table 4004.

[0232] Furthermore, in the above example, the management control device 56 determines that the payout chip 831 is a payout chip 831 based on the fact that it is read in the bet area 41 and that the user ID in the database 57 is "D," and rewrites the user ID to the player's user ID, but instead, the chip ID of the payout chip 832 may be identified based on the difference between the chip IDs read from the chip tray 12 before and after payout.

[0233] For example, in the examples of Figures 29 and 30, before dispensing, as shown in Figure 29, chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" are read from the chip tray 12, whereas after dispensing, as shown in Figure 30, chip IDs "C20006" to "C20100" are read from the chip tray 12. Therefore, from this difference, the management control device 56 can determine that chip IDs "C20001" to "C20005" have been dispensed.

[0234] (Example 4) 32 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system in a fourth example of the fourth embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the management system 110 in the first example, the management system 140 includes a player identification system, a database 57, and a card dealing device (electronic shoe) 4003. The gaming table 4004 is provided with pay areas 42a to 42e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "pay areas 42") on the dealer side of the betting area 41 of each play position. The pay areas 42a to 42e are provided with antennas 512a to 512e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "antennas 512") corresponding to the respective areas.

[0235] When paying out (redeeming) gaming tokens 83 to a player 82 who has won a game, the dealer positions the gaming tokens 83 taken out from the chip tray 12 in the pay area 42 of the winning player 82 and then places them in the betting area 41 of that player 82.

[0236] In this example, the camera 52 photographs not only the player 82 but also the bet chips 831 bet on the bet area 41. The image recognition device 55 performs image recognition processing not only on the player's face but also on the bet chips 831 in the bet area 41, recognizes which bet object (player, banker, tie, player pair, banker pair, etc.) the bet chips 831 in each bet area 41 are betting on, and outputs the recognition result as the bet content ("Betting" in FIG. 32).

[0237] The camera that photographs the face of the player 82 and the camera that photographs the bet chip 831 may be separate cameras. Also, the image recognition device that identifies the player based on the image of the player's face and the image recognition device that recognizes the bet content based on the image of the bet chip 831 may be separate devices.

[0238] In this example, the card dealing device 4003 determines the progress of the game (i.e., whether betting is in progress, the game is in progress, or settlement is in progress) and outputs this to the RF control device 54. The card dealing device 4003 determines that the game has started when the first card is drawn, and determines that the game has ended based on the reading of the drawn card in accordance with the game rules of baccarat. In addition, the card dealing device 4003 determines that settlement has ended and betting has started when the game start button is pressed.

[0239] Furthermore, the card dealing device 4003 reads at least the rank of the drawn cards and determines the game result, such as a player win, a banker win, a tie, a player pair, or a banker pair, in accordance with the rules of the baccarat game.

[0240] The management control device 56 determines which play position will receive a payout based on the bet details obtained from the image recognition device 55 and the game result obtained from the card dealing device 4003. The management control device 56 further obtains the user ID of the player for each play position from the image recognition device 55 or the card reader 53, and determines which player will receive a payout based on this information as well.

[0241] The RF control device 54 activates the antenna 512 in the pay area 42 to read and write data from and to the RFID tag of the gaming token 83 when the game progress status received from the card distribution device 4003 is being settled.

[0242] The management control device 56 refers to the database 57, and if the user ID associated with the chip ID of the payout chip 832 read in the pay area 42 is the user ID of the casino or dealer, it rewrites that user ID with the user ID associated with the chip ID of the bet chip 831 placed in the corresponding bet area 41 at that time.

[0243] When the dealer collects the bet chip 831 of the losing player, the antenna 512 of the pay area 42 may read the chip ID of the bet chip 831. In this case, the chip ID read in the pay area 42 will match the chip ID read in the bet area 41 immediately before it. This will enable the dealer to determine that the chip ID was read in the pay area 42 at the time of collection, and in this case, the user ID of the gaming token 83 read in the pay area 42 will not be rewritten.

[0244] In this example, the management system 140 has been described as including a player identification system, a database 57, and a card distribution device (electronic shoe) 4003. However, as in the first example, in a management system that does not include a player identification system, a database 57, and a card distribution device (electronic shoe) 4003, a pay area 42 and a corresponding antenna 512 may be provided as in this example, and user IDs may be updated.

[0245] In the management system 140 of this example, a pay area 42 is provided, which is distinguished from the betting area 41, and reading and writing of the RFID tags of the gaming tokens 83 is performed in the pay area 42, thereby enabling high-speed reading and writing of the payout chips 832 dispensed from the chip tray 12. That is, as in the first to third examples above, if reading and writing of the payout chips 832 is performed using the same antenna 512 as that of the betting chips 831, it is necessary to read and write the betting chips 831 in order to read and write the payout chips 832, which takes time, whereas in the layout area 42, reading and writing only needs to be performed on the payout chips 832, so reading and writing can be performed in a relatively short time and does not significantly impede game operations.

[0246] (Fifth Example) Fig. 33 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system of a fifth example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 150 has the same configuration as the management system 140 of the fourth example shown in Fig. 32. That is, the management system 150 includes a player identification system, a database 57, and a card distribution device (electronic shoe) 4003 in addition to the configuration of the management system 110 of the first example.

[0247] In this example, the camera 52 photographs not only the player 82 but also the bet chips 831 bet on the bet area 41. The image recognition device 55 performs image recognition processing not only on the player's face but also on the bet chips 831 on the bet area 41, recognizes which bet object (player, banker, tie, player pair, banker pair, etc.) the bet chips 831 on each bet area 41 are on, and outputs the recognition result as the bet content ("Betting" in FIG. 32).

[0248] The camera that photographs the face of the player 82 and the camera that photographs the bet chip 831 may be separate cameras. Also, the image recognition device that identifies the player based on the image of the player's face and the image recognition device that recognizes the bet content based on the image of the bet chip 831 may be separate devices.

[0249] The card dealing device 4003 determines the game results, including a player win, a banker win, a tie, a player pair, and a banker pair, according to the rules of the baccarat game by reading at least the ranks of the cards drawn in turn.

[0250] The management control device 56 determines which playing position will receive a payout (redeemable) based on the bet details obtained from the image recognition device 55 and the game result obtained from the card distribution device 4003. The management control device 56 further obtains the user ID of the player for each playing position from the image recognition device 55 or the card reader 53, and therefore determines which player will receive a payout (redeemable) based on this information as well.

[0251] The management control device 56 receives, for each bet area 41, a pair of the area ID of the bet area 41 and the chip ID of the bet chip 831 read in the bet area 41 from the RF control device 54. As described above, the management control device 56 determines which play position will receive a payout, and therefore refers to the database 57 to obtain the user ID associated with the chip ID read in the play position that will receive a payout, and updates the user ID associated with the chip ID of the payout chip 832 that will be paid out with the obtained user ID.

[0252] The management control device 56 recognizes a chip ID that is no longer read from the chip tray 12 before and after payout as the chip ID of the payout chip 832. When there are multiple players receiving payouts, the dealer pays out in order from the edge in a predetermined direction (for example, payouts are made in order from the edge on the right hand side of the dealer to the edge on the left hand side). This makes it possible to determine to which playing position or player the payout chip 832 removed from the chip tray 12 is to be paid out, even when there are multiple players receiving payouts.

[0253] In addition, the management control device 56 can determine the playing position of the losing player, and updates the database 57 so that the user ID associated with the chip ID read from the betting area 41 of that playing position is set to "D", which represents the casino or dealer.

[0254] As described above, in this example, by grasping the bet contents and the game result, the management control device 56 can determine to which player or play position the bet chips 831 will be paid out and to which player or play position the bet chips 831 will be collected, and can also identify the chip IDs of those bet chips 831 and payout chips 832, so can determine which user ID should be changed in association with which chip ID in the database 57, and to which user ID it should be changed. This makes it possible to trace the holder of the gaming token 83.

[0255] (Example 6) 34 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system according to a sixth example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 160 has a configuration similar to that of the second example. In baccarat, as described above, a plurality of play positions are provided on the gaming table 4004, and a betting area 41 is provided for each play position at a position corresponding to each play position on the gaming table 4004. In principle, one player plays at one play position.

[0256] However, when all play positions are filled, a player (back bet player) may appear behind a player (sitting player) playing at a play position and place a bet in the betting area 41 assigned to that sitting player, and such a bet may be permitted depending on the casino or gaming table 4004. A back bet results in multiple gaming tokens 83 with different user IDs being bet in the same betting area. The management system 160 of this example makes it possible to trace the holder of the gaming token 83 even in such a case.

[0257] In the management system 160 of this example, as in the second example, the user ID of the gaming token 83 is stored in the rewritable area 22 of the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83, and no database is used. However, the management system 160 has a player identification system for identifying the player.

[0258] 35, a bet chip 831a of a user ID "P1" and a bet chip 831b of a user ID "P2" are bet in the same bet area 41b. At this time, "P1" and "P2" are read from the bet area 41b as the user IDs of the gaming token 83.

[0259] 36 to 38 are diagrams illustrating examples of payouts when both players win the game. First, as shown in FIG. 35, a payout is made to the player 82a with the user ID "P1." At this time, the management system 160 cannot distinguish whether a payout has been made to the player 82a with the user ID "P1" or to the player 82b with the user ID "P2," and since it is not possible to make the written information different for multiple gaming tokens 83 in one betting area 41, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user IDs of all gaming tokens 83 in the betting area 41b to selective information of "P1 or P2."

[0260] When the player 82a who has received the payout takes his / her bet chips 831a and payout chips 832a from the bet area 41b, bet chips 831b with a user ID of "P1 or P2" remain in the bet area 41b, as shown in Fig. 37. The dealer confirms that the player 82a has taken the gaming tokens 83, and pays out payout chips 832b with a user ID of "D" to the bet chips 831b, as shown in Fig. 38. At this time, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user IDs of all the gaming tokens 83 in the bet area 41 to "P1 or P2".

[0261] As a result, both the players 82a and 82b who have placed bets in the same betting area 41 will own the gaming token 83 in which "P1 or P2" is recorded as the user ID.

[0262] If these players 82a and 82b were to again use their gaming tokens 83 to place a bet in the same betting area 41, then both of the betting chips 831a and 831b would have "P1 or P2" recorded as the user ID. Alternatively, some of the betting chips may contain gaming tokens 83 with user IDs "P1" or "P2." In these cases, when making a payout in accordance with the game result, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to selectively write "P1 or P2" as the user ID of all gaming tokens 83 placed in the betting area 41 at the time of payout.

[0263] When the bet chip 831 with the user ID "P1 or P2" is collected in the chip tray 12, "D" representing the casino or dealer is written as the user ID.

[0264] Thereafter, when the players 82a and 82b individually bet gaming tokens 83 on which the user IDs of multiple users are selectively recorded in the betting area 41, and the user ID of the player identified by the player identification system matches one of the selected user IDs, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the selective user ID of the gaming token 83 to the matching user ID.

[0265] For example, when the player 82a bets a gaming token 83 having "P1 or P2" recorded as the user ID alone in the betting area 41, the RF control device 54 reads the user ID "P1 or P2" from the betting chip 831 in the betting area 41, and the player identification system recognizes that the user ID of the player who bet in the betting area 41 is "P1." In this case, since the user ID "P1" matches, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user ID of the betting chip 831 in the betting area 41 to "P1."

[0266] On the other hand, when a player who owns a gaming token 83 on which a user ID is selectively recorded places a bet, and a player who has a user ID that is not included in the options bets in the same betting area 41 and receives a payout according to the game result, the user ID of the gaming token 83 is selectively written so that the user ID of the player is also included in the options.

[0267] For example, if a player 82a bets gaming tokens 83 with "P1 or P2" recorded as the user ID in the betting area 41, and another player bets gaming tokens 83 with "P3" recorded as the user ID in the same betting area 41, when making a payout according to the game result, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user IDs of all gaming tokens 83, including payout chips, in the betting area 41 to "P1 or P2 or P3."

[0268] As described above, in this example, by allowing selective recording as a user ID, it is possible to trace the holder even when multiple players bet in the same betting area. Furthermore, by using a player identification system, it is also possible to definitively rewrite a selectively recorded user ID.

[0269] In addition, if multiple players bet on the same betting area 41 and some players win and some players lose, the bet chips of the losing players are collected first, so for the collected bet chips, when they are read by the chip tray 12, "D" is recorded as the user ID, and the above processing is performed on the bet chips that receive the payout chips 832 and the payout chips that are paid out in response to them.

[0270] (Example 7) 39 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system in a seventh example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 170 has a configuration similar to that of the management system 130 in the third example. The management system 170 also makes it possible to trace the holder of the gaming token 83 even when multiple players have bet on the same betting area 41.

[0271] 40 to 44 are diagrams illustrating an example of updating the database 57. When a player 82a bets bet chips 831a in the bet area 41b and a player 82b bets bet chips 831b in the same bet area 41b, as shown in FIG. 40, the RF control device 54 reads out the chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" of the bet chips 831a and the chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005" of the bet chips 831b from the bet area 41b as user IDs, and outputs them to the management control device 56 as a combination with the area ID "Area 2" of the bet area 41. Furthermore, chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" are read out from the chip tray 12, and the management control device 56 obtains a combination with the area ID "Area T" of the chip tray 12.

[0272] As shown in Figure 40, at this point in time, in database 57, chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" are associated with user ID "P1", chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005" are associated with user ID "P2", and chip IDs "C20001" to "C20100" are associated with user ID "D".

[0273] As a result of the game, if both the players 82a and 82b win, the dealer will first make a payout to either the bet chip 831a or the bet chip 831b, as shown in Fig. 41. At this time, the chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" of the bet chips 831a and the chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005" of the bet chips 831b, as well as the chip IDs "C20001" to "C20005" of the payout chip 832a, are read from the bet area 41b, and are output to the management control device 56 as a combination with the area ID "Area 2" of the bet area 41.

[0274] At this stage, the management control device 56 cannot yet determine whether the payout chip 832a has been paid out to the bet chip 831a with chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005" or to the bet chip 831b with chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005", and therefore does not update the database 57.

[0275] Next, when the player 82a takes the bet chips 831a and the corresponding payout chips 832a from the bet area 41b, only the chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005" of the remaining bet chips 831b are read from the bet area 41b, as shown in FIG. 41. Based on this change, the management control device 56 determines that the payout chips 832a with chip IDs "C20001" to "C20005" read in the bet area 41b have been paid out for the bet chips 831a with chip IDs "C00001" to "C00005", and rewrites the user IDs associated with the chip IDs "C20001" to "C20005" in the database 57 from "D" to "P1", i.e., to the user IDs associated with the bet chips 831a removed from the bet area 41b together with the payout chips 832a with chip IDs "C20001" to "C20005".

[0276] The dealer confirms that the bet chip 831a and the corresponding payout chip 832a are removed from the bet area 41b, and then pays out the payout chip 832b for the bet chip 831b to the same bet area 41b, as shown in Figure 43. Then, the chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005" of the bet chip 831b and the chip IDs "C20006" to "C20010" of the payout chip 832b are read from the bet area 41b, and are recorded in the management control device 56 in combination with the area ID "Area 2" of the bet area 41.

[0277] Thereafter, when the player 82b takes the bet chips 831b and the payout chips 832b, as shown in Fig. 44, no chip IDs are read from the bet area 41b, and only the chip IDs read from the chip tray 12 are input to the management control device 56. Based on this change, the management control device 56 determines that the payout chips 832b with chip IDs "C20006" to "C20010" have been passed to the same players as the players with chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005", and updates the database 57 so that the user IDs associated with the chip IDs "C20006" to "C20010" in the database 57 are the same as the user IDs associated with the chip IDs "C10001" to "C10005".

[0278] As described above, the management system 170 of this example detects that the bet chip 831 and the payout chip 832 have been removed from the betting area together, and updates the database 57 so that the user ID of the payout chip 832 becomes the same as the user ID of the bet chip 831. Therefore, even when gaming tokens 83 of multiple players have been bet on the same betting area 41, by paying out the tokens to those players in order, it is possible to determine to which player the payout chip 832 has been paid out, update the database 57, and trace the owner of the gaming token.

[0279] (Example 8) 45 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system according to an eighth example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 180 has a configuration similar to that of the management system 140 according to the fourth example. However, in the management system 180, a gaming table 4004 is provided with a player pair area 44, a tie area 45, and a banker pair area 46 as betting areas. In addition, the gaming table 4004 is provided with antennas 514, 515, and 516 corresponding to the player pair area 44, the tie area 45, and the banker pair area 46.

[0280] Each of these areas 44 to 46 is divided into sections for each play position within the area, and when a player bets on these areas 44 to 46, he places his bet chips in the position (section) within these areas that corresponds to his own play position.

[0281] That is, the player pair area 44, the tie area 45, and the banker pair area 46 are shared betting areas shared by multiple players. In the example of Figure 45, players 82a to 82c are participating in the game, and among them, players 82b and 82c bet bet chips 831b and 831c on the tie area 45, respectively.

[0282] In this example, for the common betting areas 44 to 46, the holder of the gaming token 83 can be traced in the same manner as in the sixth or seventh example. Even if the management system 180 does not have the database 57, the holder of the gaming token 83 can be traced in the same manner as in the sixth example, and even if the management system 180 does not have a player identification system, the holder of the gaming token 83 can be traced in the common betting area in the same manner as in the seventh example.

[0283] (Example 9) 46 is a diagram showing the configuration of a management system in a ninth example of the fourth embodiment. The management system 190 is equipped with a player identification system. In this example, the gaming token 83 is traced without using the database 57. The gaming table 4004 is provided with pay areas 42a-42e and corresponding antennas 512a-512e. The fixed information 3 of the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83 stores information indicating the amount (value) of the gaming token 83, and the variable information 4 stores the user ID of the holder.

[0284] In this example, database 57 may also be used, in which case a chip ID is stored in the gaming token 83, and the amount (value) of the gaming token 83 and the user ID of the holder are stored in database 57 in association with the chip ID.

[0285] As shown in FIG. 47, when player 82a's bet chips 831a (five chips with the value "100") and player 82b's bet chips 831b (two chips with the value "1000") are placed in the bet area 41b, five gaming tokens 83 with the value "100" and the user ID "P1" are read from this bet area 41b, and two gaming tokens 83 with the value "1000" and the user ID "P2" are read, and these are output to the management control device 56 together with the area ID of the bet area 41, "Area 2."

[0286] The management control device 56 detects the bet amount for each player by calculating the total value of the bet chips for each player in each bet area 41. In the case of Fig. 47, the management control device 56 detects that the bet amount for user ID "P1" is "500" and the bet amount for user ID "P2" is "2000".

[0287] As a result of the game, if both players 82a and 82b win, the dealer will pay out (redeem) the bet chips 831a and 831b in turn. As shown in Figure 48, when paying out the payout chip 832a for the bet chip 831a, the dealer first places the payout chip 832a in the pay area 42b.

[0288] At this time, the RF control device 54 reads the gaming tokens 83 in the pay area 42b, reads that there are five gaming tokens 83 of the amount "100", and outputs this to the management control device 56. The management control device 56 detects the payout amount by calculating the total amount of the payout chips 832a read in the pay area 42b.

[0289] The management control device 56 compares the payout amount of the payout chip 832a with the bet amount for each player in the bet area 41b, and identifies the player whose bet amount matches the payout amount. In the case of FIG. 48, five payout chips 832a with a value of "100" are read from the pay area 42b, and the payout amount is detected to be "500". The management control device 56 determines that this payout amount "500" matches the bet amount "500" of the bet chip 831a of user ID "P1", and rewrites the user ID of the payout chip 832a to "P1".

[0290] Thereafter, when the player 82a takes the payout chips 832a and the bet chips 831a, the bet chips 831b of the player 82b remain in the bet area 41b, as shown in Figure 49. When the dealer places the payout chips 832b to be paid out in relation to the bet chips 831b in the pay area 42b, the management control device 56 detects the payout amount of the payout chips 832b by calculating the total value of the payout chips 832b.

[0291] The management control device 56 compares the payout amount of the payout chip 832b with the bet amount for each player in the bet area 41b, and identifies the player whose bet amount matches the payout amount. In the case of FIG. 49, two payout chips 832b with an amount of "1000" are read from the pay area 42b, and the payout amount is detected to be "2000". The management control device 56 determines that this payout amount of "2000" matches the bet amount of "2000" on the bet chip 831b of user ID "P2", and rewrites the user ID of the payout chip 832b to "P2".

[0292] As described above, in the management control system 190 of this example, even if multiple players bet on the same betting area 41, if their bet amounts are different, it is determined to which player the payout chips are paid out based on the bet amount and the payout amount of the payout chips.

[0293] (Example 10) In the above first to ninth examples, if the player 82 is a non-member who is not registered as a member, such a non-member is not assigned a user ID, and therefore the player 82 cannot be identified by the player identification system. Also, as described above, for the gaming token 83 owned by a non-member, a valid user ID cannot be stored in the RFID tag 2 or the database 57, and therefore "Unknown" is recorded as the user ID.

[0294] When the management system pays out payout chips 832 to a non-member player, it sets the user ID of the payout chips 832 to "Unknown," and when it collects bet chips 831 from a non-member player, it sets the user ID of the bet chips 831 to "D."

[0295] When a member player and a non-member player bet on the same betting area 41, if both players win the game, the dealer may make a payout under the rule that the payout is always made to the non-member player or always made to the member player.

[0296] For example, if a rule is in place that non-members are always paid out first, the management system will rewrite the user ID of the first paid out payout chip 832 to "Unknown" and, using the above example, rewrite the user ID of the player who is a member to that of the payout chip 832 that is paid out later.

[0297] Also, for example, if a rule is in place that the member is always paid out first, the management system rewrites the user ID of the first paid out payout chip 832 to the user ID identified from the bet chip 831, and rewrites the user ID of the later paid out payout chip 832 to "Unknown."

[0298] When identifying a player using a card authentication system, the dealer scans the member's card 81 himself, so he can know which player is a member, but when identifying a player using a face recognition system, he cannot know which player is a member. Therefore, visual information indicating the playing position or betting area where the user ID was recognized may be shown to the dealer on a monitor or the like as the recognition result by the face recognition system.

[0299] (Example 11) 50 is a diagram showing an example of a betting area in the 11th example of the fourth embodiment. In this example, the betting area 41 of each play position is divided into a betting area 411 for members and a betting area 412 for non-members, and the antennas are also divided into an antenna 5111 for members and an antenna 5112 for non-members.

[0300] By controlling the RF control device 54, the management control device 56 rewrites the user ID of the gaming token 83 for betting chips 831 bet in the betting area 411 for members, as in the first to ninth examples above, and rewrites all user IDs of the payout chips 832 paid out in response to betting chips 831 bet in the betting area 412 for non-members to "Unknown".

[0301] According to this example, gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is stored in themselves or in the database 57 and gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is not stored in themselves or in the database 57 (user ID is "Unknown") are not read together, and it is possible to effectively trace gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is stored in themselves or in the database 57.

[0302] In this example, instead of the antennas 5111 and 5112, one antenna may be provided across the betting area 411 for members and the betting area 412 for non-members. In this case, when gaming tokens 83 are bet in the betting area 411 for members and the betting area 412 for non-members, respectively, the dealer can recognize which betting chips 831 belong to members and which betting chips 831 belong to non-members.

[0303] When making a payout to any of the bet chips 831, the dealer may make the payout under the operation rule that the payout chips 832 to the member's bet chips 831 are made first. By doing so, the management system can determine that the payout chips 832 that are made first are those that have been paid out to the member. Note that the dealer may make a payout under the operation rule that the payout chips 832 to the non-member's bet chips 831 are made first. In this case, the management system can determine that the payout chips 832 that are made first are those that have been paid out to the non-member.

[0304] 51A and 51B are diagrams showing another example of the betting area in the eleventh example of the fourth embodiment. In this example, the betting area 41 of each play position is selectively set to the betting area 41 for members as shown in FIG. 51A or the betting area 41 for non-members as shown in FIG. 51B.

[0305] A display unit 413 is provided near each betting area 41, which variably displays whether the betting area 41 is set for a member or a non-member. This display unit 413 is installed under the casing of the gaming table 4004, and the displayed information is visible to the player through the casing.

[0306] The means for visually indicating whether each betting area 41 is set for a member or a non-member is not limited to the display unit 413 embedded under the lashing of the gaming table 4004. For example, whether each betting area 41 is set for a member or a non-member may be displayed on a monitor installed on the gaming table 4004 so as to be visible to the player.

[0307] By controlling the RF control device 54, if the betting area 41 is set for members, the management control device 56 rewrites the user ID of the gaming token 83 for the betting chips 831 bet there, as in the first to ninth examples above, and if the betting area 41 is set for non-members, the management control device 56 rewrites the user ID of all of the payout chips 832 paid out in response to the betting chips 831 bet there to "Unknown".

[0308] In this example, gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is stored in themselves or in the database 57 and gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is not stored in themselves or in the database 57 (user ID is "Unknown") are not read together, and gaming tokens 83 in which the user ID assigned to the player is stored in themselves or in the database 57 can be effectively traced.

[0309] (Example 12) In the above first to ninth examples, even when the gaming tokens 83 are exchanged between the dealer and the player at the gaming table 4003, it is possible to trace the holder of the gaming token 83. In this case, the management system includes a progress status determination means for determining the progress status of the game (i.e., whether a bet is being made, a game is being played, or settlement is being made). As such progress status determination means, the card distribution device 4003 can be used, but any other means may also be used.

[0310] In the management system of this example, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 during betting to cause each antenna to perform reading periodically at predetermined time intervals. When a gaming token 83 with a user ID of "D" is read in any of the betting areas 41 or any of the pay areas 42 (hereinafter referred to as "reading areas of the gaming table 4004") during betting, and when a gaming token 83 with a user ID that is the user ID assigned to a member is read in the chip tray 12, the management control device 56 determines that the gaming token 83 is being exchanged.

[0311] This is because, in terms of the operation of baccarat, during betting, the gaming tokens 83 cannot be moved from the chip tray 12 onto the gaming table 4003 except for exchange, and the gaming tokens 83 of a player on the gaming table 4003 cannot be moved to the chip tray 12. Note that when the game progress status is "in game", such movement of the gaming tokens 83 constitutes fraudulent behavior, and therefore the management control device 56 may output an alarm when it detects such movement of the gaming tokens 83 during the game.

[0312] If a gaming token 83 whose user ID is the user ID assigned to a member or "Unknown" is read by the chip tray 12 during betting, the management control device 56 determines that the gaming token 83 is a gaming token 83 (pre-exchange chip) that has been placed by a player at the gaming table 4004 for exchange between chips.

[0313] Specifically, if a user ID is stored in the gaming token 83 itself, the management control device 56 determines that an exchange has occurred when the user ID given to the member or "Unknown" is read from the chip tray 12 during a bet, and if a user ID is stored in the database 57, the management control device 56 determines that an exchange has occurred when the number of gaming tokens 83 read from the chip tray 12 during a bet decreases. Alternatively, if a user ID is stored in the database 57, the management control device 56 may determine that an exchange has occurred when the number of gaming tokens 83 read from the chip tray during a bet increases.

[0314] In addition, if a gaming token 83 with a user ID of "D", which indicates that the token is held by a casino or a dealer, is read in the reading area of ​​the gaming table 4004 during betting, the management control device 56 determines that the gaming token 83 is a gaming token 83 (exchanged chip) to be given to the player in correspondence with the pre-exchange chip.

[0315] Specifically, if a user ID is stored in the gaming token 83 itself, the management control device 56 determines that an exchange has occurred when the user ID "D" is read from the reading area of ​​the gaming table 4004 during betting, and if the user ID is stored in the database 57, the management control device 56 periodically reads the reading area of ​​the gaming table 4004 during betting and determines that the gaming token 83 with the user ID "D" has been read from the reading area of ​​the gaming table 4004 by referring to the database 57 each time it is read.

[0316] The management control device 56 rewrites the user ID of the pre-exchange chip to "D", which represents the casino or dealer, and rewrites the user ID of the exchanged chip to the user ID of the pre-exchange chip. Specifically, if the user ID is stored in the RFID tag 2 of the gaming token 83, the management control device 56 controls the RF control device 54 to rewrite the user ID stored in the corresponding pre-exchange chip and exchanged chip, and if the user ID is stored in the database 57 in association with the chip ID, the management control device 56 rewrites the user ID associated with the corresponding chip ID in the database 57.

[0317] In addition, after identifying the pre-exchange chips and the post-exchange chips, the management control device 56 may control the RF control device 54 to exchange their user IDs (if the user ID is stored in the gaming token 83) or update the database 57 (if the user ID is stored in the database 57).

[0318] In the above embodiment, the member's card 81 is a magnetic card, and the card reader 53 is a magnetic card reader that reads information from the magnetic stripe of the member's card 81. However, instead, an RFID tag may be embedded in the member's card 81, and the user ID may be recorded on the RFID tag. In this case, an RFID reader including an antenna and an RF control device 54 is used as the card reader 53. Such an antenna may be provided at each play position. In this case, a player has his / her member's card 81 read at each play position without handing it over to the dealer. Each antenna transmits the user ID read from the member's card 81 along with information identifying the play position to the RF control device 54. Furthermore, the antenna 511 and the RF control device 54 provided in the betting area 41 may be used as an RFID reader for reading the member's card 81. In this case, a player can have the antenna 511 read the user ID by placing the member's card 81 on the betting area 41 at his / her play position.

[0319] The first to eleventh examples of the fourth embodiment described above disclose the following techniques: (A1) A management system for managing gaming tokens, holder identification means for identifying the holder of the gaming token by referring to storage means that stores the holder of the gaming token when the gaming token is used; a player identification means for identifying a player who has used the gaming token when the gaming token is used; The control means stores the player identified by the player identification means as the owner of the gaming token used in the storage means when the owner identified by the owner identification means does not match the player identified by the player identification means.

[0320] (A2) A management system of (A1), in which the control means stores in the storage means a mismatch between the owner identified by the owner identification means and the player identified by the player identification means for the gaming token used.

[0321] (A3) The management system of (A1), wherein the player identification means identifies the player who used the gaming token by facial recognition or reading an ID card.

[0322] (A4) The management system of (A1), wherein the storage means is a database or an RFID tag embedded in the gaming token.

[0323] (A5) A management system for managing gaming tokens, a storage means for storing the holders of the gaming tokens; a player identification means for identifying a player who will receive redemption of the gaming token; a control means for causing the storage means to store the player as the holder of the gaming token to be redeemed; A management system equipped with

[0324] (A6) The specifying means further specifies a betting area assigned to the player, The control device determines to which player the gaming token to be redeemed by identifying to which bet area the gaming token to be redeemed is to be redeemed. (A5) A management system.

[0325] (A7) When the gaming tokens for which the player identified by the identification means is stored as the owner and the gaming tokens for which the player identified by the identification means is not stored as the owner are bet in the betting area, the control device A management system (A5) that stores the player identified by the identification means as the holder of the gaming token for the gaming token to be redeemed for which the player identified by the identification means is stored as the holder.

[0326] (A8) Further comprising a detection device for detecting the amount of the gaming token to be redeemed; When the gaming tokens stored as the holders of the player specified by the specifying means and the gaming tokens not stored as the holders of the player specified by the specifying means are bet in the betting area, the control device A management system (A5) that stores the player identified by the identification means as the owner of the gaming token for which the player identified by the identification means is not stored as the owner, for the gaming token to be redeemed into the bet area after the detection device detects an amount equivalent to the redemption for the gaming token.

[0327] (A9) Further comprising a detection device for detecting the amount of the gaming token to be redeemed, When the gaming tokens stored as the holders of the player specified by the specifying means and the gaming tokens not stored as the holders of the player specified by the specifying means are bet in the betting area, the control device A management system (A5) that stores the player identified by the identification means as the holder of the gaming token that is first detected by the detection device in the betting area.

[0328] (A10) A management system according to any one of (A6) to (A9), wherein the betting area includes an area for betting the gaming tokens for which the player identified by the identification means is stored as the holder, and an area for betting the gaming tokens for which the player identified by the identification means is not stored as the holder.

[0329] (A11) A management system according to any one of (A6) to (A10), further comprising an output means for outputting visual information for distinguishing between the betting area on which the gaming token, whose owner is the player identified by the identification means, has been bet and the betting area on which the gaming token, whose owner is not the player identified by the identification means, has been bet.

[0330] (A12) A management system for managing gaming tokens, a storage means for storing the holders of the gaming tokens; a player identification means for identifying a plurality of candidate players who may receive the stack of gaming tokens that have been paid out; a control means for causing the storage means to store the plurality of candidate players as holders of each of the gaming tokens constituting the stack to be paid out; A management system equipped with

[0331] (A13) The management system of (A12), wherein the player specification means specifies, as the plurality of candidate players, a plurality of players who will receive the payout as a result of betting on the same betting area.

[0332] (A14) The player identification means identifies a betting player who bets the gaming token, the management system further comprises a holder identification means for identifying the plurality of candidate players stored in the storage means as holders of the gaming tokens that have been bet; The management system of (A12), wherein, when the betting player identified by the player identification means matches any one of the plurality of candidate players identified by the owner identification means, the control means determines the matching candidate player as the owner and stores the determined candidate player in the storage means.

[0333] (B1) A management system for managing chips that store identification information and are used in games at a gaming table, a first identification device that reads the identification information stored on a betting chip placed in a betting area on the gaming table; a second identification device that acquires the identification information stored in a payout chip that is paid out in response to the betting chip; a storage device that stores the identification information in association with the owner of the chip that stores the identification information; A management system comprising: a control device that stores in the memory device the owner associated with the identification information read from the betting chip by the first identification device as the owner associated with the identification information of the payout chip obtained by the second identification device.

[0334] (B2) The second identification device is the first identification device, and obtains the identification information stored in the payout chip by reading the identification information stored in the payout chip placed in the betting area.

[0335] (B3) The second identification device is a device that reads the identification information stored in the multiple chips in the dealer's chip tray, and obtains the identification information stored in the dispensing chip from the difference between the multiple identification information read before the dispensing chip and the multiple identification information read after the dispensing chip, in the management system of (B1).

[0336] (B4) The second identification device acquires the identification information stored in the payout chip by reading the identification information stored in the payout chip placed in a payout area different from the betting area on the gaming table.

[0337] (B5) the first identification device periodically reads the identification information; The control device stores in the storage device, when the first identification device is no longer able to read the identification information that it read from the betting chip, the owner associated with the identification information that is no longer able to be read, as the owner associated with the identification information of the payout chip acquired by the second identification device, in the management system of (B1).

[0338] (B6) The second identification device periodically reads the identification information stored in the dispensing chip to obtain the identification information, The control device stores in the storage device, when the second identification device stops reading the identification information read from the payout chip by the second identification device, the owner associated with the identification information read from the betting chip by the first identification device as the owner associated with the identification information that is no longer read. (B1) Management system.

[0339] (B7) A management system for managing chips that store identification information and are used in games at a gaming table, a first identification device that acquires the identification information stored in the unexchanged chips that are placed on the gaming table by the player for exchange between the chips; a second identification device that acquires the identification information stored in the exchanged chip that is given to the player in correspondence with the unexchanged chip; a storage device that stores the identification information in association with the owner of the chip that stores the identification information; a control device that stores in the storage device the holder associated with the identification information of the pre-exchange chip acquired by the first identification device as the holder associated with the identification information of the post-exchange chip acquired by the second identification device; A management system equipped with

[0340] (B8) The control device further stores in the storage device the holder associated with the identification information of the pre-exchange chip acquired by the second identification device as the holder associated with the identification information of the post-exchange chip acquired by the first identification device, in the management system of (B7).

[0341] (B9) The management system of (B7), wherein the first identification device is a reading device that reads the identification information of multiple chips in the dealer's chip tray, and acquires the increased identification information as the identification information stored in the pre-exchange chip.

[0342] (B10) The second identification device is a reading device that reads the identification information of multiple chips in the dealer's chip tray, and obtains the reduced identification information as the identification information stored in the exchanged chip, in the management system of (B7).

[0343] (B11) A management system for managing the exchange of chips having identification information stored therein used in games at a gaming table, a reader for reading the identification information stored in the chip placed in a reading area on the gaming table for exchange; a storage device that stores the identification information in association with the owner of the chip that stores the identification information; a control device that, when an owner associated with the identification information stored in a first chip read by the reading device is different from an owner associated with the identification information stored in a second chip different from the first chip read by the reading device, stores in the storage device the owner associated with the identification information stored in the first chip as the owner associated with the identification information stored in the second chip; A management system equipped with

[0344] (Sixth embodiment) The following describes a game table reading system that reads an RIFD tag at a game table. In the following embodiment, the game table is a baccarat table for playing a baccarat game, but the present invention is not limited to a baccarat table and can be applied to any game table.

[0345] FIG. 53 is a diagram showing a game table according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The game table (hereinafter simply referred to as "table") 6004 has a roughly elliptical or semicircular shape. One side of the table 6004 is a dealer position (a position facing a chip tray 51, described later) where the dealer is located, and the other side is provided with a plurality of play positions where players can be positioned when playing a game. In the example of FIG. 53, five play positions are provided on the lower side of the table 6004.

[0346] At the dealer position, a chip tray 51 for storing gaming tokens 83 held by the dealer is provided, and is embedded in the table 6004. The chip tray 51 is of a two-tiered type, and the upper tier can be removed to replenish or remove gaming tokens 83 from the lower tier.

[0347] An RFID tag 831 is embedded in the gaming token 83 (see FIG. 56). The RFID tag 831 stores at least chip identification information (hereinafter also referred to as "chip ID") for uniquely identifying the gaming token. The RFID tag 831 may further store information indicating the value of the gaming token.

[0348] Each play position is provided with betting areas 41a to 41e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "betting areas 41") where a player playing at that play position can place a bet by placing a gaming token 83 as a bet target. The betting areas 41 are drawn on the top surface of the table 6004. Adjacent betting areas 41 are separated by one or two lines. The distance between adjacent betting areas 41 is relatively short, and the shortest distance is 0 to 15 cm, which is, for example, smaller than the diameter of the gaming token 83.

[0349] Although not shown in the figure, the betting areas 41a-41e for each play position include a player pair area for betting on the player's hand forming a pair, a banker pair area for betting on the banker's hand forming a pair, a tie area for betting on the player's hand and the banker's hand tying, a player area for betting on the player's hand winning, and a banker area for betting on the banker's hand winning. These areas are located close to each other but do not overlap. Hereinafter, these player pair area, banker pair area, tie area, player area, and banker area will be referred to as "betting areas." Adjacent betting areas are separated by one or two lines. Alternatively, adjacent betting areas may be separated by no lines, but by painting the adjacent betting areas in different colors or a different color from the background. The distance between adjacent betting areas is relatively short, and the shortest distance is 0 to 10 cm, which is smaller than the diameter of the gaming token 83, for example.

[0350] Each play position is provided with pay areas 42a to 42e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "pay areas 42") for reading payout chips when the dealer pays out gaming tokens 83 to the player. The pay areas 42 are drawn on the top surface of the table 6004. Adjacent pay areas 42 are separated by one or two lines. Alternatively, adjacent pay areas 42 may be separated by not providing a line between them, but by painting the adjacent pay areas 42 in different colors, or by painting the pay areas 42 in a color different from the background. Also, adjacent pay areas 42 and betting areas 41 are separated by one or two lines. Alternatively, adjacent pay areas 42 and betting areas 41 may be separated by not providing a line between them, but by painting the adjacent pay areas 42 and betting areas 41 in different colors, or by painting the pay areas 42 and betting areas 41 in a color different from the background between them. The distance between adjacent pay areas 42 is relatively short, and the shortest distance is 0 to 10 cm, which is smaller than the diameter of the gaming token 83. The distance between the pay area 42 and the betting area 41 at each play position is also relatively short, and the shortest distance is 0 to 15 cm, which is smaller than the diameter of the gaming token 83.

[0351] The betting areas 41a to 41e are provided with reading antennas 511a to 511e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "reading antennas 511") for reading RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 placed in the betting areas 41a to 41e, respectively, the pay areas 42a to 42e are provided with reading antennas 521a to 521e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "reading antennas 521") for reading RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 placed in the pay areas 42a to 42e, respectively, and the chip tray 51 is provided with a reading antenna 531 for reading RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 stored in the chip tray 51. As described above, the chip tray 51 is of a two-tiered type, but the reading antenna 531 may be provided, for example, on the back side of the upper tray.

[0352] In addition, the betting areas 41a to 41e are provided with read-restricted antennas 512a to 512e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "read-restricted antennas 512") to restrict or prevent the RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 placed in the betting areas 41a to 41e from being read by the reading antennas in other areas, the pay areas 42a to 42e are provided with read-restricted antennas 522a to 522e (hereinafter collectively referred to as "read-restricted antennas 522") to restrict or prevent the RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 placed in the pay areas 42a to 42e from being read by the reading antennas in other areas, and the chip tray 51 is provided with a read-restricted antenna 532 to restrict or prevent the RFID tags 831 embedded in the gaming tokens 83 stored in the chip tray 51 from being read by the reading antennas in other areas.

[0353] In this embodiment, the read antenna 511 and the read limit antenna 512 of the betting area 41 are shaped to follow the outer edge of the betting area 41, the read antenna 521 and the read limit antenna 522 of the pay area 42 are shaped to follow the outer edge of the pay area 42, and the read antenna 531 and the read limit antenna 532 of the chip tray 51 are shaped to follow the outer edge of the chip tray 51, but the antenna shapes are not limited to these. Also, in the example of FIG. 53, the read limit antenna is provided inside the read antenna, but the positional relationship between the read antenna and the read limit antenna is not limited to this, and the read limit antenna may be provided outside the read antenna, or the read limit antenna and the read antenna may intersect in a plan view. Also, multiple read limit antennas may be provided for one read antenna, or conversely, one read limit antenna may be provided for multiple read antennas.

[0354] A card dealing device 58 is placed on the table 6004. The card dealing device 58 stores multiple decks of cards. The dealer 91 can draw cards one by one from the card dealing device 58. The card dealing device 58 has a function of reading the suit and rank of the drawn cards. The card dealing device 58 determines the game result in accordance with the rules of the baccarat game based on at least the rank of the drawn cards. The card dealing device 58 displays the determined game result with a lamp or the like, and outputs data indicating the game result to the outside. In this way, the card dealing device 58 also functions as a game result determination device.

[0355] The table 6004 is further provided with a camera 52 and a card reader 53. The camera 52 photographs the face of a player 82 playing at a play position and the gaming tokens 83 on the table 6004. Note that a camera for photographing the face of a player and a camera for photographing the gaming tokens 83 on the table 6004 may be provided separately.

[0356] The card reader 53 reads information stored in the member's card 81 by scanning the member's card 81 held by a registered player (member). The member's card 81 has a built-in RFID tag, and the RFID tag stores at least the user ID assigned to the corresponding player. The card reader 53 has an operation unit (not shown) that allows the dealer 91 to specify a play position. The dealer 91 specifies a play position when scanning the member's card 81 with the card reader 53. As a result, a combination of the play position and the user ID is output from the card reader 53. The card reader 53 also has a cancel operation unit (not shown). When the player 82 leaves the table, the dealer 91 specifies a play position and operates the cancel operation unit. As a result, the card reader 53 outputs the play position and a cancel instruction.

[0357] When a player 81 plays baccarat at the table 6004 described above, the player 82 first sits at one of the play positions at the table 6004 and hands his / her member's card 81 to the dealer 91. The dealer 91 scans the member's card 81 using the card reader 53. The player 81 bets by placing gaming tokens 83 in any of the betting areas, namely, the player area, the banker area, the tie area, the player pair area, and the banker pair area, of the betting area 41 provided at the player's play position.

[0358] When all players 82 have placed their bets, the dealer 91 closes the bets and draws cards one by one from the card dealing device 58. In baccarat, four cards are first drawn in the following order: player's hand, banker's hand, player's hand, and banker's hand. If no player pairs are formed at this point, the dealer 91 collects the bet chips bet on the player pairs into the chip tray 51. If no banker pair is formed at this point, the dealer 91 collects the bet chips bet on the banker pair into the chip tray 51.

[0359] The dealer 91 draws the fifth and subsequent cards as necessary in accordance with the rules of baccarat. When the game result is finally determined, the dealer 91 collects the bet chips 83 of the losing player into the chip tray 51 according to the game result, and then pays out gaming tokens 83 from the chip tray 51 to the bet chips 83 of the winning player. When making this payout, the dealer 91 first temporarily places the gaming tokens 83 in the pay area 42 of the play position where the bet chips 83 to be paid out were bet, and then places the gaming tokens 83 to be paid out next to the bet chips 83. The winning player receives the gaming tokens (payout chips) placed next to the bet chips 83 in this way, along with the bet chips. When starting the next game (i.e., when starting betting on the next game), the dealer 91 presses a game start button provided on the card distribution device 58.

[0360] 54 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a game table reading system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The game table reading system 100 includes a card dealing device 58, a player identification system 55, a reading control device 561, a reading restriction control device 562, a management control device 56, a database 57, reading antennas 511, 521, 531, and reading restriction antennas 512, 522, 532.

[0361] The player identification system 55 includes a camera 52, a card reader 53, and a face recognition device 502. The face recognition device 502 authenticates a player based on an image of the player's face captured by the camera 52. The face recognition device 502 may perform face recognition using machine learning technology. The face recognition device 502 also identifies the position of the authenticated player, i.e., the playing position of the authenticated player, based on the position of the player's face. In this embodiment, a player is identified by a face recognition system including the camera 52 and the face recognition device 502, and can also be identified by reading the member's card 81 using the card reader 53. However, a player may be identified by any of these means.

[0362] The card distribution device 58 outputs the progress of the game (i.e., during dealing, the period from the end of one game to the next, betting, etc.) to the management control device 56 based on button operations and the rank of the drawn card that has been read, and also outputs the game result (player's hand wins, banker's hand wins, tie, player's hand is paired, banker's hand is paired, etc.) to the management control device 56.

[0363] The read control device 561 reads the RFID tag 831 in the read area corresponding to the read antenna by controlling the read antennas 511, 521, and 531. The read restriction control device 562 controls the read restriction antennas 521, 522, and 523 to prevent the RFID tag in the read area corresponding to the read restriction antenna from being read by the read antennas corresponding to other read areas.

[0364] The management control device 56 refers to information stored in the database 57 as necessary in accordance with the progress of the game from the card distribution device 58, and controls the reading control device 561 and the reading restriction control device 562 to read RFID tags in multiple reading areas in order. The management control device 56 updates the database 57 by storing information read from the RFID tags by the reading antennas in association with the players identified by the player identification system 555. Each of the reading antennas 511, 521, 531 is assigned antenna identification information (antenna ID) for uniquely identifying the reading antenna.

[0365] The reading control device 561 transmits a set of information read by the reading antennas 511, 521, and 531 and the antenna ID of the reading antenna to the management control device 56. Note that a reading control device 561 may be provided for each reading antenna, and in that case, reader identification information (reader ID) for uniquely identifying each reading control device 561 may be transmitted to the management control device 56 instead of the antenna ID.

[0366] 54, the read antennas 511, 521, and 531 are loop-shaped with a portion open in the corresponding read area, and one end and the other end of the open end are both connected to a read control device 561. The read control device 561 generates an electromagnetic field in the read area by passing a current through the read antenna, and reads the RFID tag.

[0367] One end and the other end of the read antennas 511, 521, 531 are connected via a switch (not shown) in the read control device 561. The read control device 561 controls the opening and closing of this switch. Specifically, the read control device 561 opens the switch for the read antennas 511, 521, 531 in a read area where reading is not performed, thereby opening the loop of the read antennas 511, 521, 531 and preventing an induced current from flowing in the read antennas 511, 521, 531 that are not performing reading due to an electromagnetic field generated by the read antennas 511, 521, 531 in other adjacent read areas.

[0368] The read restriction antennas 512, 522, 532 have a loop shape surrounding the corresponding read area and have switches 521s, 522s, 532s that close or open the loop. A read restriction control device 562 opens and closes the switches 521s, 522s, 532s. The read restriction antennas 512, 522, 532 perform the function of restricting reading when the switches 521s, 522s, 532s are closed to form a closed loop (short circuit), and do not restrict reading when the switches 521s, 522s, 532s are opened to open the loop.

[0369] FIG. 55 shows cross sections of the betting areas 41b and 41c, which are the reading areas. A board 401 for mounting the read antennas 511 and 521 and a board 402 for mounting the read restriction antennas 512 and 522 are provided one on top of the other under the surface 6004a of the table 6004. In this embodiment, the board 401 is provided under the board 402, but the order of installation can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the vertical distance between the read antennas 511 and 521 and the read restriction antennas 521 and 522 is appropriately set based on the strength of the electromagnetic waves, the shapes of the read antennas 511 and 521 and the read restriction antennas 521 and 522, and the like. Furthermore, the read antennas 511 and 521 and the read restriction antennas 512 and 522 may be provided on the same board.

[0370] When reading is being performed on the read area 41b, in the read area 41c adjacent to the read area 41b, the switch 512s of the read restriction antenna 512c is closed to form a closed loop. In the read restriction antenna 512c, a limiting (interfering) electromagnetic field is formed by an induced electromotive force caused by the electromagnetic field formed by the read antenna 511b of the adjacent read area 41b, and this limiting electromagnetic field shapes the electromagnetic field of the read antenna 511b, thereby limiting (interfering with) the reading of the gaming token 83c placed in the adjacent read area 41c by the read antenna 511b. The gaming token 83b placed in the read area 41b corresponding to the energized read antenna 41b is read by the read antenna 41b.

[0371] 55 shows an intensity distribution 5111b of the electromagnetic field for reading the bet area 41b generated by the read antenna 511b and an intensity distribution 5111c of the electromagnetic field generated by the read restriction antenna 511c when reading the bet area 41b. Also shown in Fig. 55 is an intensity distribution 5112b when the electromagnetic field generated by the read antenna 511b is weakened by the electromagnetic field generated by the read restriction antenna 512c of the adjacent bet area 41c, and an intensity distribution 5112c when the electromagnetic field generated by the read antenna 511c is weakened by the electromagnetic field generated by the read restriction antenna 512b of the adjacent bet area 41c.

[0372] 55, even when the reading antenna 511b generates an electromagnetic field having an intensity distribution 5111b for reading the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83b in the betting area 41b, closing the switch of the read-restricted antenna 512c in the adjacent betting area 41c causes an induced current to flow in the read-restricted antenna 512, thereby generating an electromagnetic field for reading interference, and as a result, the electromagnetic field of the intensity distribution 5111b generated by the reading antenna 511b is shaped so as to be sufficiently small and flattened within the adjacent betting area 41c, like the electromagnetic field of the intensity distribution 5112b. This prevents the reading antenna 511b from reading the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83c in the betting area 41c.

[0373] Furthermore, aluminum tapes 513b and 513c are attached to the substrate 402 as shielding members or blocking means for blocking electromagnetic waves from adjacent reading areas. The shielding members may be in a form other than tape, such as a plate, film, sheet, coating film, or foil. The material of the shielding members may be other than aluminum, such as silver, gold, copper, or nickel, or may contain aluminum, silver, gold, copper, or nickel. Furthermore, the shielding members may be mesh-shaped. In addition to the read restriction antennas 512b and 512c, these shielding members can also restrict reading by the reading antennas of adjacent reading areas.

[0374] 55, the shielding member is provided on the substrate 402 on which the read limiting antennas 513 and 512c are to be disposed, but the shielding member may be provided on 401 on which the read antennas 511 and 521 are to be disposed. Alternatively, the shielding member may be provided on the surface of the substrate 402 opposite to the surface on which the read limiting antennas 512b and 512c are disposed, or on the surface of the substrate 401 opposite to the surface on which the read antennas 511b and 511c are disposed. Alternatively, the shielding member may be provided on a plane different from the substrates 401 and 402.

[0375] The game table reading system 100 of this embodiment manages the gaming tokens 83 using a database 57. The database 57 stores information on the RFID tags embedded in the gaming tokens 83 in association with predetermined related information. The management control device 56 updates the database 57 based on the relationship between the information on the RFID tags read by the reading antennas 511, 521, and 531 and the reading areas from which the RFID tags were read, that is, the betting area 41, the betting area 42, and the chip tray 51. In this way, the management control device 56 updates the database 57 for managing the gaming tokens 83 using the information on the RFID tags of the gaming tokens 83 read in each reading area of ​​the game table 6004.

[0376] Management of the gaming token 83 by the database 57 will be described below. Figure 56 is a diagram showing the data structure of the gaming token 83 and the database 57. As described above, the gaming token 83 has a built-in RFID tag 831. A chip ID 573 is stored in the RFID tag 831. The database 57 has two types of tables including a chip management table 571 for managing the gaming token 83 and a user management table 572 for managing users.

[0377] In the chip management table 571, for each gaming token 83, the following related information is associated with the chip ID 573 of the gaming token 83: price information 574 of the gaming token 83, user identification information (user ID) 575 for uniquely identifying the user who owns the gaming token, and location information 576 indicating the location of the gaming token 83. Note that while the price information 574 for the chip ID 573 does not change, the user ID 575 and location information 576 associated with the chip ID 573 change when the gaming token 83 is used in a casino. Therefore, in the database 57, for the chip ID 573, certain past user IDs and location information may be stored in addition to the latest user ID and location information, or only the latest user ID and location information may be stored.

[0378] In the user management table 572, for each user, the following related information is associated with the user ID 575 of that user: value information 574 of gaming tokens owned by that user, bet information 577 indicating the user's bet history on games, and location information 576 indicating the user's location. The value information 574, bet information 577, and location information 576 associated with the user ID 575 change when the gaming token 83 is used in a casino. Therefore, the database 57 may store, for the user ID 575, certain past value information, bet information, and location information in addition to the latest value information, bet information, and location information, or may store only the latest value information, bet information, and location information.

[0379] The game table reading system 100 manages the gaming tokens 83 by updating the chip management table 571 and the user management table 572 in the database 57 based on the information of the RFID tag 831 read by the reading antenna. Any of the methods described in the above embodiments can be adopted as a specific method for managing the gaming tokens 83 using the database 57. The following describes the management of the gaming tokens 83 in this embodiment, including explanations that overlap with the above explanations.

[0380] In the following description, the management control device 56 updates the database 57, and the management control device 56 updates the database according to the information of the RFID tag 831 read by each reading antenna and the status of the game at the time the information was read. In this embodiment, the management control device 56 grasps the status of the game by obtaining information on the status of the game (in game, betting, settlement, pause, etc.) from the card distribution device 58.

[0381] First, the management control device 56 updates the chip management table 571 of the database 57 so that the chip ID of the gaming token 83 paid out to a user who has won a game is associated with the user ID of the user who won the game. The management control device 56 also updates the chip management table 571 of the database 57 so that the user ID assigned to the dealer is associated with the chip ID of the gaming token 83 bet by a user who has lost the game. As a result, even if the holder of the gaming token 83 changes as a result of the gaming token 83 being used in a game, the gaming token held by each user can be identified by referring to the database 57.

[0382] Furthermore, the management control device 56 updates the database 57 so as to associate the chip ID of the gaming token 83 read in the pay area 42 with the user ID of the user playing at the play position corresponding to the pay area 42. The user ID of the user playing at each play position can be identified by the player identification system 55 according to the above embodiment.

[0383] Specifically, the management control device 56 records the user ID of the user who is at the play position in the pay area 42 in the chip management table 571 of the database 57 for the record of the chip ID of the gaming token 83 read in the pay area 42. By updating the database 57 in this way, it is possible to reflect in the database 57 the change in the holder from the dealer to the user due to payout.

[0384] Furthermore, the management control device 56 updates the user management table 572 of the database 57 so that the value of the gaming token 83 paid out to a user who has won a game is added to the value information 574 associated with the user ID 575 of the user who has won the game, and the value of the gaming token 83 collected by a user who has lost the game is subtracted from the value information 574 associated with the user ID 575 of the user who has lost the game. By updating the database 57 in this way, the value of the gaming token 83 possessed by each user, i.e., the amount of money possessed, can be managed in the database 57.

[0385] In addition, when the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be dispensed is read in the pay area 42, the management control device 56 updates the database 57 so that the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be dispensed is associated with the user ID associated with the gaming token 83 bet in the bet area 41 corresponding to the pay area 42.

[0386] Alternatively, when the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be dispensed is read in the betting area 41, the management control device 56 updates the database 57 so that the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be dispensed is associated with the user ID associated with the gaming token 83 bet in the betting area 41. This allows the database 57 to be updated so that the holder of the betted gaming token 83 and the holder of the gaming token 83 to be dispensed for the betted gaming token 83 are the same.

[0387] Furthermore, when all play positions are in use and there is a player placing a back bet, i.e., when multiple players are betting on one play position, the management control device 56 manages the gaming tokens 83 as follows. That is, when the player identification system 55 can identify the user IDs of both of two users simultaneously positioned at the same play position, the management control device 56 manages the gaming tokens 83 for each user in the same manner as described above. However, when the player identification system 55 identifies the user ID of one of the two users simultaneously playing at the same play position but cannot identify the user identification information of the other, the dealer makes a payout according to an operation rule that payout is made first to the player whose user ID is identified. The management control device 56 updates the database 57 so as to associate the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be paid out first to that play position with the user ID identified by the player identification system 55. The management control device 56 associates "unknown" as the user ID with the chip ID of the gaming token 83 to be paid out later.

[0388] The reading antenna and the reading control device 561 for reading the RFID tag 831 embedded in the gaming token 83 may be provided at various locations within the casino facility. In this case, the reading control device 561 may be provided at various locations within the casino facility, and the management control device 56 may be able to communicate with the multiple reading control devices 561. As described above, the reading control device 561 transmits to the management control device 56 the antenna ID of the reading antenna or the reader ID of the reading control device 561 along with information on the RFID tag 831 read by the reading antenna. The management control device 56 has a table in which each antenna ID or each reader ID is associated with information on the location of the corresponding reading antenna (location information, for example, a cage number, table number, chip tray number, gate number, etc. for identifying a cage, table, chip tray, gate, etc.).

[0389] When the management control device 56 receives the antenna ID (or reader ID) together with the read chip ID from the reading control device 561, the management control device 56 accordingly updates the location information 474 associated with the chip ID in the chip management table 571 of the database 57. The management control device 56 also similarly updates the location information 576 associated with the chip ID in the user management table 572.

[0390] This makes it possible to know where each gaming token 83 is located and where each user is located by referring to the database 57. Furthermore, by storing past information as location information in the chip management table 571 and the user management table 572, it is possible to know the movement history of the gaming token 83 and the user.

[0391] Furthermore, the management control device 56 acquires, for each play position, information on the user ID of the user playing there from the player identification system 55, and when a gaming token 83 is placed in the betting area 41 and bet is made during betting, acquires a chip ID, which is information on the RIFD tag, from the reading antenna 511 of each play position. The management control device 56 uses this user ID and chip ID to update the user management table 572 of the database 57. Specifically, the management control device 56 refers to the chip management table 571 to acquire value information 574 of the acquired chip ID 573, and adds the value of the value information 574 to the betting information of the acquired user ID in the user management table 572.

[0392] In this way, the management control device 56 updates the database 57 so as to add the value of the gaming token 83 read by the reading antenna 511 of the betting area 41 to the betting information 577 associated with the user ID 575 of the user identified for the play position corresponding to the reading antenna 511. By updating the database 57 in this way, the value of the gaming token 83 bet, i.e., the bet amount, can be managed for each user in the database 57. Note that the bet amount may also be managed as corresponding incentive points.

[0393] The information stored in the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83, i.e., the chip ID 573, is also used to determine the authenticity of the gaming token 83. When the reading antenna reads information from the RFID tag 831, the management control device 56 verifies the information with the database 57. If the information is not found in the database 57, i.e., if the verification is unsuccessful, the management control device 56 determines that the gaming token 83 is defective or fraudulent. If the management control device 56 determines that the gaming token 83 is defective or fraudulent, it outputs a warning. This makes it possible to output a warning when a fraudulent gaming token 83 is used at the game table 6004. The output warning may be output in real time (i.e., at the time when the defect or fraud is determined) in a visually or audibly perceptible format, or may be recorded in a recording device together with information about the situation when the fraud or fraud occurred (e.g., table number, date and time).

[0394] 57 is a diagram showing another example of a reading antenna and a read restriction antenna. In this example, a reading antenna is provided for each player position and each bet object, i.e., for each player, banker, and side bet such as tie or pair. As shown in FIG. 57, each betting area 41 has a plurality of betting object areas including a player area 411, a banker area 412, a tie area 413 as a side bet area, a player pair area 414, and a banker pair area 415, which are provided adjacent to each playing position.

[0395] A read antenna and a read restriction antenna are provided in each betting area, which serves as a reading area, so that each betting area can be read. That is, a read antenna 5111 and a read restriction antenna 5112 are provided in the player area 411, a read antenna 5121 and a read restriction antenna 5122 are provided in the banker area 412, a read antenna 5131 and a read restriction antenna 5132 are provided in the tie area 413, a read antenna 5141 and a read restriction antenna 5142 are provided in the player pair area 414, and a read antenna 5151 and a read restriction antenna 5152 are provided in the banker pair area 415.

[0396] In this way, by treating each betting object area at each play position as a separate reading area and providing a reading antenna for each, it is possible to determine which betting object the player has bet the gaming token 83 on at each play position. In this way, in this example, even if multiple reading areas are closely spaced as shown in FIG. 57, the game table reading system 100 can read the RFDI tag 831 for each reading area. The management control device 56 can determine which player at which play position has won the game, i.e., which play position a payout should be made to, based on the game result information from the card dealing device 58 and the betting object information obtained from each play position. If this determination result does not match the actual payout, the management control device 56 can detect this and output a warning.

[0397] Figure 58 is a diagram showing another example of a read restriction antenna. Figure 58 shows only bet areas 41b, 41c, and 41d and their corresponding pay areas 42b, 42c, and 42d. In this example, multiple read restriction antennas are provided in one read area, that is, the bet area. These multiple read restriction antennas each shape the electromagnetic fields generated by the read antennas of multiple other adjacent read areas.

[0398] Specifically, for example, the betting area 41c, which is a reading area, is provided with three read-limited antennas 512c1, 512c2, and 512c3 in addition to a read antenna 511c that reads the entire betting area 41c. The read-limited antenna 512c1 prevents the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83 placed in the betting area 41c from being read by the read antenna 511d of the adjacent betting area 41d on the right. The read-limited antenna 512c2 prevents the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83 placed in the betting area 41c from being read by the read antenna 511b of the adjacent betting area 41b on the left. The read-limited antenna 512c3 prevents the RFID tag 831 of the gaming token 83 placed in the betting area 41c from being read by the read antenna 521c of the adjacent pay area 42c on the upper side.

[0399] When the read control device 561 controls the read antenna 511d to read the betting area 41d, the read limit control device 562 closes the switch of the read limit antenna 512c1 of the betting area 41c to cause the read limit antenna 512c1 to generate electromagnetic waves to prevent the read antenna 511d from reading the RFID tag 831 of the betting area 41c. When the read control device 561 controls the read antenna 511b to read the betting area 41b, the read limit control device 562 closes the switch of the read limit antenna 512c2 of the betting area 41c to cause the read limit antenna 512c2 to generate electromagnetic waves to prevent the read antenna 511b from reading the RFID tag 831 of the betting area 41c. In addition, when the reading control device 561 controls the reading antenna 521c to read the pay area 42c, the reading restriction control device 562 closes the switch of the reading restriction antenna 512c3 of the betting area 41c, causing the reading restriction antenna 512c3 to generate electromagnetic waves that prevent the reading antenna 521c from reading the RFID tag 831 in the betting area 41c.

[0400] In this way, the read limit control device 562 closes the switch of the corresponding read limit antenna in synchronization with the read control device 561 sequentially driving the read antennas to perform reading, thereby generating an interfering electromagnetic wave.

[0401] As described above, according to the game table reading system 100 of this embodiment, when a plurality of reading areas are set on the game table 6004 at relatively close intervals, it is possible to read in which reading area the RFID tags 831 are located. Specifically, even when a plurality of betting areas are set close to each other, by providing a reading antenna in each betting area 41, it is possible to prevent the reading antenna from reading the RFID tag 831 of an adjacent betting area 41 or pay area 42. Furthermore, even when a pay area 42 is provided corresponding to each of a plurality of betting areas 41 and a reading antenna is provided therein, it is possible to prevent the RFID tag 831 of the adjacent pay area 42 or betting area 41 from being read.

[0402] In the sixth embodiment, the read restriction antennas 512, 522, and 532 generate an electromagnetic field for interfering with reading in the corresponding read area by an induced current due to an electromagnetic field generated by the read antennas 511, 521, and 531 in the adjacent read area, but instead, the interfering electromagnetic field may be generated by flowing a current from the read restriction control device 562. Also in this case, the read restriction antennas 512, 522, and 532 may be provided with a switch for interrupting the loop, and when the read antennas 511, 521, and 531 installed in the same read area perform reading, the switch may be opened to open the loop. [Explanation of symbols]

[0403] 41 Betting Area 42 Pay Area 51 Chip Tray 52 Camera 53 Card Reader 56 Management control device 57 Databases 58 Card distribution device 81 Member's Card 82 Player 83 Substitute coins for games 91 Dealer 100 Game Table Reading System 511, 521, 531 reading antenna 512, 522, 532 read-only antenna 561 Reading control device 562 Reading restriction control device 831 RFID tags 6004 Game Table

Claims

1. a gaming table on which one or more betting areas are laid out; a plurality of reading antennas that are installed corresponding to each of a plurality of small areas that constitute the pay area and the betting area, and that read RFID tags embedded in gaming tokens placed in each of the pay area and the plurality of small areas; a read limiting antenna that is installed corresponding to at least one of the plurality of small areas and limits reading by the read antenna so that the read antennas installed corresponding to small areas other than the small area do not read the RFID tags of the gaming tokens in the small area; a management control device that, when the RFID tag is read by the reading antenna, identifies the location where the gaming token whose RFID tag has been read is placed, according to the small area that the reading antenna corresponds to; a chip tray provided on the gaming table; a chip tray reading antenna for reading an RFID tag embedded in the gaming token stored in the chip tray; a read restriction member for restricting the RFID tag embedded in the gaming token stored in the chip tray from being read by the reading antenna of the pay area; The reading restriction member restricts the chip tray reading antenna from reading the RFID tags of the gaming tokens in the small area.

2. 2. The game table reading system according to claim 1, wherein the pay area is located between the betting area and the chip tray.

3. 2. The game table reading system according to claim 1, wherein the read restricting member is a shielding member for shaping an electromagnetic field generated by the reading antenna corresponding to the pay area so that the electromagnetic field is weakened outside the pay area.

4. 4. The game table reading system according to claim 3, wherein the shielding member is a plate, tape, film, coating, or sheet containing at least one of aluminum, silver, copper, gold, and nickel.

5. 5. The game table reading system according to claim 3, wherein the shielding member is provided on the same plane as the reading antenna.

6. 5. The game table reading system according to claim 3, wherein the shielding member is provided on the same plane as the read-limiting antenna.

7. 4. The game table reading system of claim 3, wherein the shielding member shapes the electromagnetic field generated by the reading antenna corresponding to the pay area so that it is flattened outside the pay area.

8. 2. The game table reading system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of said read-limited antennas installed corresponding to each of said plurality of small areas.

9. The game table reading system of claim 8, wherein the management control device sequentially reads the RFID tags of the gaming tokens in each of the plurality of small areas by sequentially using each group of antennas consisting of each of the reading antennas and each of the read-restricted antennas installed corresponding to at least one of the small areas other than the small area to which each of the reading antennas is installed.

10. 2. The game table reading system of claim 1, wherein the betting area has a plurality of the small areas of substantially the same shape.

11. 2. The game table reading system according to claim 1, wherein the betting area is a betting area provided for each sitting position, and the plurality of small areas are betting target areas.

12. a database storing the RFID tag information and related information in association with each other; 2. The game table reading system of claim 1, further comprising: a management control device that updates the database based on the relationship between the information of the RFID tag read by the reading antenna and the small area in which the RFID tag was read.

13. The information of the RFID tag includes chip identification information of the gaming token, The related information includes user identification information of a user who possesses the gaming token, The game table reading system according to claim 12, wherein the management control device updates the database so that chip identification information of the gaming token paid out to a user who has won a game is associated with user identification information of the user who has won the game.

14. The game table reading system of claim 13, wherein the management control device updates the database so that when the chip identification information of the gaming token to be dispensed is read in the small area, the chip identification information of the gaming token to be dispensed is associated with the user identification information associated with the gaming token bet in the small area.

15. the information of the RFID tag includes information for determining the authenticity of the gaming token; The game table reading system according to claim 12, wherein the game table reading system refers to the database to verify the information for authenticity determination read by the reading antenna, and outputs a warning if the verification is unsuccessful.

16. 4. The game table reading system of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of read-restricted antennas corresponding to one of the small areas in order to shape the electromagnetic fields generated by the plurality of read antennas corresponding to the other small areas adjacent to the one of the small areas.

17. A game table with multiple small areas laid out, a plurality of reading antennas that are installed corresponding to each of the plurality of small areas and that read RFID tags embedded in gaming tokens placed in each of the plurality of small areas; a read limiting antenna that is installed corresponding to at least one of the plurality of small areas and limits reading by the read antenna so that the read antennas installed corresponding to small areas other than the small area do not read the RFID tags of the gaming tokens in the small area; a management control device that, when the RFID tag is read by the reading antenna, identifies the location where the gaming token whose RFID tag has been read is placed in accordance with the small area to which the reading antenna corresponds; a chip tray provided on the gaming table; a chip tray reading antenna for reading an RFID tag embedded in the gaming token stored in the chip tray; a read limiting member for limiting the RFID tag embedded in the gaming token stored in the chip tray from being read by the reading antenna of the small area, The reading restriction member restricts the chip tray reading antenna from reading the RFID tags of the gaming tokens in the small area.

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