Prize Exchange System for Amusement Arcades and Prize Exchange Device for Amusement Arcades

Abstract

To suppress wrong operation in a prize exchange device for allowing an employee to perform exercise operation.SOLUTION: Since a prize exchange process is restricted when a card as a normal recording medium or a receipt is read during an exercise mode in POS, wrong operation in which business is run in an exercise mode for example because one forgets to switch from the exercise mode to a normal mode can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a prize exchange system for a gaming hall and a prize exchange device for a gaming hall.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a so-called POS (prize exchange device) has been installed at a prize exchange counter in a gaming hall, and a prize exchange process using the POS has been performed by an employee. In this type of POS, it has been considered to mount a practice mode for an employee to get used to the prize exchange process (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, with the POS having the above configuration, while practical practice can be carried out on the POS, there is a risk that the actual prize exchange process may be performed in the practice mode during business hours. That is, what is to be accounted for in the POS is a recording medium such as an IC card brought by a player during business hours, and information including the counted values of actually acquired balls and medals is recorded on the recording medium. Therefore, if an employee inadvertently reads the player's recording medium by mistake in the practice mode, the prize exchange history will not be accumulated (the history will not remain), and it will be difficult to verify the incorrect operation and identify the counted values and the like.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a prize exchange system for a gaming hall and a prize exchange device for a gaming hall capable of suppressing incorrect operations in a prize exchange device that enables an employee's practice operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In a prize exchange system for a gaming house that can be switched between a normal mode enabling normal operations for performing prize exchange processing during business hours and a practice mode enabling practice operations of prize exchange processing by employees, counting means (for example, a counting lending unit 2 having a counting section or an island end counting device 8) capable of counting the number of gaming media (for example, the number of counting balls) acquired by a player as a result of a game; normal issuing means (for example, the counting lending unit 2 having a card RW or the island end counting device 8 having an issuing section 8c) for issuing a normal recording medium (for example, cards 10A, 10B or a receipt 11) associated with the number of gaming media counted by the counting means; practice issuing means (for example, a POS 6 having a card RW35 and a printer 36) for issuing a practice recording medium (for example, cards 10A', 10B' or a receipt 11') associated with a virtual number of gaming media in the practice mode; recording medium reading means (for example, the POS 6 having a card RW35 and a scanner 34) for reading the normal recording medium and the practice recording medium; prize exchange processing execution means (for example, a control section 37 of the POS 6) capable of executing the prize exchange processing by reading the normal recording medium and the practice recording medium by the recording medium reading means; storage means (for example, storage sections 37m, 5c) for storing information regarding the prize exchange processing executed by the prize exchange processing execution means; mode determination means (for example, the control section 37) for determining whether it is in the normal mode or the practice mode; and recording medium determination means (for example, the control section 37) for determining whether the recording medium read by the recording medium reading means is either the normal recording medium or the practice recording medium, When the prize exchange processing execution means is determined to be in the practice mode by the mode determination means (for example, S10 in FIG. 15) and is determined to be the practice recording medium by the recording medium determination means, the prize exchange processing by the practice operation is executed (for example, S15, S16). On the other hand, when it is determined to be the normal recording medium, the prize exchange processing is restricted (for example, S12, S13).

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, in order to limit the prize exchange process when a normal recording medium is read during the practice mode, it is possible to prevent incorrect operations such as forgetting to switch from the practice mode to the normal mode and performing the normal prize exchange process in the practice mode during business operations.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 11

Figure 12

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Figure 14

Figure 15

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the prize exchange system for a game arcade shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of gaming machines 1 are installed in the game arcade, and a counting lending unit 2 and an information display device 3 are attached in a one-to-one correspondence with each of these gaming machines 1. The gaming machine 1, the counting lending unit 2, and the information display device 3 are each connected to a relay device 4 in pairs of two, and the relay device 4 is connected to a management device 5 via a LAN. The relay device 4 collects the operating status of the gaming machine 1 and the information of the counting lending unit 2 and the information display device 3. The management device 5 manages game information for each gaming machine 1, personal data for each member gamer registered as a member, etc. by receiving information (signals) transmitted from devices on the gaming machine side such as the gaming machine 1, the counting lending unit 2, etc.

[0010] Note that the information display device 3 in FIG. 1 includes a data display unit 3a that displays game information, announcements from the game arcade, etc. according to the operation of the gaming machine 1, and a well-known call button (not shown). Also, "Pachinko Island" in FIG. 1 indicates a gaming machine island where the devices on the gaming machine side are installed. In the game arcade, for example, a plurality of gaming machine islands including a gaming machine island with a lending unit price of 4 yen (lending unit price of balls) and a gaming machine island with a lending unit price of 1 yen are formed.

[0011] In the game arcade, a POS 6, a settlement device 7, and an island end counting device 8 are also installed, and these devices 6 to 8 are also connected to the management device 5 via a LAN. A plurality of POS 6 are installed at a prize exchange corner (prize exchange counter) where a gamer exchanges game value for prizes. The POS 6 is provided with an attached device 9 for processing an IC card 10 such as a general card 10A or a member card 10B shown in FIG. 4 or a receipt 11 (see FIG. 12).

[0012] As will be described in detail later, the POS6 reads the information recorded on the IC card 10 and the receipt 11 with the attached device 9, and executes a prize exchange process based on the identified game value (the number of counting balls and the number of stored balls (in the case of a member)). That is, in the prize exchange process, the POS6 reads the game value (the number of game media) from the IC card 10 or the receipt 11, or identifies the player as a member who wishes to exchange prizes, and obtains the savings value (stored balls, etc.) deposited by the player as a member at the gaming hall from the management device 5 online to identify the game value that can be exchanged for prizes. When the POS6 outputs to the management device 5, it adds a POSNo. (device ID) that can identify from which device among the multiple POS6s in the prize exchange counter the signal is output.

[0013] The settlement device 7 is provided with a card insertion slot 7a into which the IC card 10 is inserted, and a card RW (card reader / writer, not shown in the figure) that reads the remaining deposit amount recorded on the inserted card 10, and executes a return process of returning the read remaining deposit amount (monetary value, hereinafter abbreviated as "balance") in cash such as banknotes and coins from the return port 7b.

[0014] The end-of-island counting device 8 is a counting means capable of counting the pachinko balls (acquired balls) obtained by the player as a result of the game in the gaming machine 1, and is installed at multiple locations in the gaming hall (for example, the ends of the gaming machine islands). The acquired balls of the player need to be stored in a ball box and then transported from the gaming machine 1 to the end of the gaming machine island and counted using the end-of-island counting device 8, and the work related to the counting is performed by an employee. As shown in FIG. 1, the end-of-island counting device 8 includes an input section 8a for acquired balls, a touch panel type liquid crystal display section 8b having a display function for displaying various information such as counting information and a reception function for operation inputs, a receipt issuing section 8c for issuing a receipt 11, a card RW (only the insertion slot 8d is shown in the figure), and the like.

[0015] When the acquired balls are inserted into the input unit 8a of the island end counting device 8, the counting unit (not shown) of the device 8 itself performs the counting process of the acquired balls. Further, when the counting process is completed, if, for example, the membership card 10B is inserted into the card RW insertion slot 8d, the island end counting device 8 transmits information including the stored ball number associated with the membership ID as the stored ball deposit number (the number of balls stored on the day) to the management device 5, and ejects and issues the membership card 10B outside the insertion slot 8d (issuing process). On the other hand, when the counting process is completed, if the membership card 10B is not inserted into the card RW insertion slot 8d, the island end counting device 8 performs an issuing process of issuing a receipt 11 on which a two-dimensional code for specifying the number of counted balls is recorded (associated).

[0016] Further, when the counting process is completed, if, for example, the general card 10A is inserted into the card RW insertion slot 8d, or by ejecting the card 10A in the card stock unit (not shown) mounted on the device 8 itself to the card RW side, it is possible to eject and issue the general card 10A on which the number of counted balls is recorded outside the insertion slot 8d. In this way, the island end counting device 8 (normal issuing means) issues the IC card 10 and the receipt 11 associated with the number of counted balls (the number of game media) counted by the counting unit from the receipt issuing unit 8c.

[0017] Here, the IC card 10 and the receipt 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the IC card 10 has an IC chip built in both the general card 10A and the membership card 10B, and is a normal recording medium (hereinafter also referred to as "cards 10A, 10B") that is associated with at least the number of game media so as to be identifiable. The general card 10A is issued to an unspecified number of players as a card valid only on the day. A general ID (Identification) is recorded on the IC chip 10a of the card 10A, and information capable of specifying the balance and the number of counted balls (the counted value of the acquired balls of the player acquired during the day) is recorded for each loan unit price.

[0018] On the one hand, the membership card 10B is a card that is valid until a preset expiration date (e.g., three years) and is issued to a player who has registered as a member in advance. The number of stored balls (the number of stored balls on the current day and the number of stored balls on the previous day) associated with the membership card 10B is stored in the membership account of the management device 5 for each lending unit price. On the other hand, in the IC chip 10b of the card 10B, the remaining balance is recorded, and the membership ID of the member, which can identify the gaming value of the membership account, is recorded.

[0019] The receipt 11 is formed of a piece of paper shown on the upper side in FIG. 12, and is a normal recording medium on which a two-dimensional code 11d or the like for imparting (associating) information regarding the counted number of balls is printed on the piece of paper. As shown in the figure, on the receipt 11, there are printed a pachinko hall name 11a, a counting time (issuing time) 11b, a counted number of balls 11c, a two-dimensional code 11d (a barcode may also be used) for allowing the POS 6 to read information including those counted number of balls, and a message 11e prompting an attention that the prize exchange of the receipt 11 is valid only on the current day. Note that the "information regarding the counted number of balls" associated with the cards 10A and 10B and the receipt 11 includes the number of gaming media and the type of the gaming media (the difference between pachinko balls and medals and the lending unit price), such as the "total number of balls" and "4P" in FIG. 14 described later.

[0020] The management device 5 shown in FIG. 1 is installed, for example, in an office or the like inside the game hall, and includes a control unit including a CPU and a storage unit (not shown), a transmission / reception unit, an input unit such as a keyboard 5a and a mouse, and an output unit such as a monitor 5b and a printer. The management device 5 is configured to manage the operating status of devices on the gaming machine side and various devices 6 to 8 and the like. For example, information regarding the prize exchange process executed by the POS 6 is stored and accumulated in the storage unit 5c (only shown in FIG. 4) of the device 5 itself.

[0021] Next, the gaming machine 1 and the counting lending unit 2 as devices on the gaming machine side will be described. In the gaming machine island (pachinko corner), there are a corner with a counting lending unit 2 having a so-called per-unit counting function corresponding to the presence or absence of the island-end counting device 8, and a corner with a counting lending unit 2 without a per-unit counting function. Here, the description will be centered on the counting lending unit 2 having a per-unit counting function.

[0022] The gaming machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a CR pachinko machine and has an operation handle 12, an upper saucer 13, and a lower saucer 14 that constitute a launching device for launching balls onto the game board 1a. The game board 1a also has a liquid crystal display unit 15, a start port 16, and a big winning port 17. When the player operates the operation handle 12, a ball is launched onto the game board 1a. When the pachinko ball wins at the start port 16, a corresponding number of pachinko balls are paid out or a big win lottery is conducted. In the big win lottery, a so-called special symbol-based symbol variation is executed on the liquid crystal display unit 15, and a big win occurs when the stopped-displayed symbol is a big win symbol. When a big win occurs, for example, the big winning port 17 is opened for 15 rounds.

[0023] From the devices on the gaming machine side, various game signals such as an out signal that can specify the number of out balls indicating the number of game media input into the gaming machine 1 according to the progress of the game, such as the player's ball input and the start win at the start port 16, a safe signal that can specify the number of safe balls indicating the number of game media paid out due to winning from the gaming machine 1, and a state signal that can specify the big win state and other states generated in the gaming machine 1 are transmitted.

[0024] Also, the counting lending unit 2 shown in FIG. 1 has a state display unit 22 indicating the current operation state, a bill insertion slot 23 into which bills are inserted, a touch panel type liquid crystal display unit 24 that accepts operation inputs from the player and displays various data such as the remaining balance, the number of counted balls, and the number of stored balls, a payout button 25 for paying out one unit (equivalent to 500 yen) of balls, a payout nozzle 26 through which the paid-out balls pass, a card insertion slot 27 into which a general card 10A or a membership card 10B is inserted, a counting saucer 28 detachably connected to the lower saucer 14 of the gaming machine 1, and so on.

[0025] Note that the counting lending unit 2 can detect operations of the lending button 1b and the return button 1c provided on the gaming machine 1. Although not shown in the drawings, inside the counting lending unit 2, there are provided, for example, a card stock section capable of stocking up to 10 general cards 10A, a card RW for reading and writing various information recorded on each card 10A, 10B, a counting section for counting balls flowing in from the counting tray 28, and the like.

[0026] The counting lending unit 2 has the following functions. (1) When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 23, the amount of the inserted bill (in units of 1000 yen) is memorized, and the inserted amount (balance) is displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24. (2) When the lending button 1b of the gaming machine 1 is operated, a lending process is performed to lend out balls corresponding to the number of balls equivalent to one credit (500 yen) within the range of the balance according to the operation of the lending button 1b from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine 1. If it is the counting lending unit 2 installed on a 4 yen pachinko island, 125 balls are paid out, and if it is the counting lending unit 2 installed on a 1 yen pachinko island, 500 balls are paid out. At this time, since a signal indicating that one credit's worth of balls has been paid out from the gaming machine 1 to the counting lending unit 2 is transmitted, 1 credit (500 yen) is deducted from the balance displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24, and a sales signal capable of specifying the number of lent balls indicating the number of lent balls is transmitted. Since 1 pulse is transmitted every time one credit's worth of balls is paid out for this sales signal, 1 pulse is specified as the sales amount for 500 yen.

[0027] (3) When the balls dropped from the lower tray 14 of the gaming machine 1 are received by the counting tray 28, a counting process is performed to count the balls, which are the gaming medium, as the balls received by the counting tray 28 flow into the counting section, and the counted number of balls is displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24. (4) When the payout button 25 is operated, balls corresponding to the number of balls equivalent to one credit (500 yen) within the range of the counted number of balls or the stored number of balls are paid out from the payout mechanism inside the gaming machine 1 according to the operation of the payout button 25.

[0028] (5) When the return button 1c of the gaming machine 1 is operated, information regarding the remaining balance and the number of counting balls is recorded on the general card 10A according to the operation of the return button 1c, or the remaining balance is recorded on the membership card 10B and issued. When neither of these cards 10A, 10B is inserted into the insertion slot 27, the information regarding the remaining balance and the number of counting balls is recorded on the general card 10A stocked in the card stock section by the card RW and issued. When the membership card 10B is inserted into the insertion slot 27, the remaining balance is recorded on the membership card 10B, and information regarding the number of counting balls is transmitted to the management device 5 on condition that the PIN is input, and the membership card 10B is issued. Then, when issuing the general card 10A or the membership card 10B, a general ID or a membership ID, together with an issuance signal capable of specifying the information (information regarding the remaining balance and the number of counting balls) recorded on the cards 10A, 10B, is transmitted to the management device 5, so that the management device 5 also stores the information recorded on the cards 10A, 10B.

[0029] (6) When the general card 10A is inserted into the insertion slot 27, the remaining balance and the number of counting balls recorded on the general card 10A are read by the card RW and displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24. When the general card 10A is received, lending / returning (issuing) processing is performed within the range of the remaining balance and the number of counting balls recorded on the general card 10A. (7) When the membership card 10B is inserted into the insertion slot 27, the remaining balance recorded on the membership card 10B is read by the card RW and displayed on the liquid crystal display section 24, and the number of stored balls (the number of counting balls) stored in the membership account of the management device 5 is also displayed on condition that the PIN is input. When the membership card 10B is received, lending / returning (issuing) processing is performed within the range of the remaining balance recorded on the membership card 10B, as well as the number of counting balls and the number of stored balls in the membership account.

[0030] Although not shown in the figure, the counting lending unit 2 is provided with a well-known camera that photographs the upper body including the face of the player, and lending of the game medium is enabled according to the authentication result of the face image of the player. As described above, the counting lending unit 2 functions as a counting means capable of counting the number of game media acquired by the player according to the result of the game by the counting process, and also functions as a normal issuing means for issuing a general card 10A or a membership card 10B associated with the counted number of game media as a normal recording medium.

[0031] Next, the configuration of the POS 6 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings from FIG. 2 onwards. Here, FIGS. 2 and 3 show external perspective views of the POS 6 as seen from the employee side and the player side. As shown in the figure, the POS 6 includes a main body 30 having monitors 31 and 32, and an accessory device 9 and a player operation unit 39 that are separate from the main body 30. The POS 6 is integrally configured with a pair of monitors 31 and 32 facing away from each other with the main body 30. One of the monitors 31 and 32 is an employee-side monitor 31 arranged so as to face the direction D1 where the employee is located at the prize exchange counter.

[0032] The employee-side monitor 31 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays the display content for the employee. The employee-side monitor 31 has a touch panel 33 on its front surface, and the employee can perform an operation on the touch panel 33 (hereinafter abbreviated as a touch operation) with a finger while looking at the monitor 31.

[0033] The accessory device 9 is installed facing the employee at a position on the left side of the POS 6 as seen from the employee side (see FIG. 2) and is capable of communicating with the main body 30. The accessory device 9 is configured as a single device having the functions of a scanner 34, a card RW 35, and a printer 36 shown in FIG. 4. The accessory device 9 has a rectangular block shape as shown in FIG. 2, and on its upper surface side, a reading surface 34a of the scanner 34, a card insertion slot 35a, and an issuing port 36a of the printer 36 are arranged in this order from the front side of the employee. The card insertion slot 35a of the accessory device 9 allows insertion of cards 10A, 10B, etc. to be read by the card RW35, and the reading surface 34a is for holding receipts 11, etc. to be read by the scanner 34 for reading. The printer 36 is configured to issue receipts 11', etc. from its issuing port 36a as described later.

[0034] Also, the player operation unit 39 is installed facing the player at a position on the right side of the POS6 (see FIG. 3) as viewed from the player side and can communicate with the main body unit 30. The player operation unit 39 includes an enclosure 39a erected along the left, right, and rear edges thereof, and a numeric keypad 39b surrounded by the enclosure 39a. The player can input a password number on the POS6 by operating the numeric keypad 39b. The other monitor 32 of the POS6 is arranged, for example, at a prize exchange counter, back to back with the employee-side monitor 31, facing the direction D2 where the player is located, and displays the display content for the player. The player-side monitor 32 is also configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a functional block diagram of the POS6. The control unit 37 of the POS6 is mainly composed of a microcomputer having a CPU 37a, a storage unit 37m such as a ROM 37b and a RAM 37c, and an I / O 37d. As peripheral parts connected to the control unit 37, in addition to the above-described employee-side monitor 31, touch panel 33, and player-side monitor 32, it includes an I / F unit 38 for transmitting and receiving various signals and various information to and from the management device 5, etc. Also, as peripheral parts, it includes the scanner 34, card RW35, and printer 36 of the accessory device 9, and the numeric keypad 39b of the player operation unit 39.

[0036] The control unit 37 of POS6 executes the prize exchange process in the following procedure by reading the cards 10A and 10B received by the card RW35 and the receipt 11 received by the scanner 34. Note that when executing the prize exchange process, the authentication of the responsible employee shall be performed in advance. This is done by reading the operator information of the employee card (not shown) inserted into the card insertion slot 35a with the card RW35 and comparing the operator information (such as the ID and name of the responsible employee) with the entire employee ID table stored in advance in the storage unit 37m.

[0037] (a) When a general card 10A or a membership card 10B is inserted into the card insertion slot 35a instead of the employee card, the card RW35 reads the information of the cards 10A and 10B including ID information such as the general ID or membership ID (hereinafter referred to as "card information"), and transmits the card information to the management device 5 to request (ask) the verification of the counted ball number (the current day's stored ball number) corresponding to the ID information. Note that when the general card 10A is inserted into the card insertion slot 35a, the card information read by the card RW35 also includes information regarding the counted ball number. Also, when the receipt 11 is placed on the reading surface 34a of the scanner 34, the scanner 34 reads the information of the two-dimensional code 11d of the receipt 11 (hereinafter referred to as "receipt information"), and transmits the receipt information to the management device 5 to request the verification of the corresponding counted ball number.

[0038] (b) Based on the verification result transmitted from the management device 5, when the handling of the information regarding the counted ball number is made valid, the number of special prizes that can be exchanged with the counted ball number is calculated for each loan unit price, and the counted ball number and the number of special prizes are respectively displayed on each monitor 31 and 32. On the other hand, when the information regarding the counted ball number is made invalid based on the verification result, this is displayed as "error" on at least the employee-side monitor 31 to prompt the responsible employee to confirm the authenticity of the cards 10A and 10B or the receipt 11.

[0039] (c) When redeeming prizes with the stored points using the member card 10B, if a password is entered by operating the numeric keypad 39b on the player operation unit 39, the management device 5 is requested to provide the number of stored points of the corresponding member, and the number of stored points transmitted from the management device 5 is displayed. This display of the number of stored points is performed by causing the total number of points obtained by adding the current day's stored points and the previous day's stored points to be displayed on each monitor 31, 32. (d) Regarding the selection of prizes, the type of the prize is specified based on an operation input by a touch operation on the employee-side monitor 31 (touch panel 33), or the type of the prize that the player wishes to exchange is specified based on an operation input by reading the identification code (e.g., barcode) of the prize using the scanner 34. Also, an arithmetic process is performed to specify the number of points (prize value) corresponding to the specified prize.

[0040] (e) The prize to be exchanged is determined, and the result of subtracting the number of points corresponding to the prize from the counted points (or total points) is calculated as the remaining counted points. After the prize is determined by the POS 6, the prize is handed over to the player by the responsible employee. Also, if there are remaining counted points or balance on the cards 10A, 10B, the remaining counted points or balance are recorded on the cards 10A, 10B by the card RW 35 (in the case of a member card, only the balance is recorded). Thereafter, the cards 10A, 10B are returned to the player by the responsible employee.

[0041] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned special prizes and general prizes are set as the prizes. For the special prizes, three types are prepared: large special prize (hereinafter also referred to as "large"), medium special prize (hereinafter also referred to as "medium"), and small special prize (hereinafter also referred to as "small") (see FIG. 14 described later). The corresponding amount (the amount that can be bought at a substitute place outside the game arcade) of each special prize is set, for example, 5000 yen for the large special prize, 1000 yen for the medium special prize, and 200 yen for the small special prize. The general prizes are general prizes such as confectionery (hereinafter simply referred to as prizes), and various prizes are prepared at the prize exchange counter.

[0042] When exchanging such special prizes for general prizes or the like, the operations performed by employees during business hours using the touch panel 33, scanner 34, card RW 35, etc. to perform prize exchange processing at the POS 6 are referred to as normal operations. Normal operations include, in addition to the operations of the employees in the above (a) to (e), operations that are performed in connection with the prize exchange processing. A series of such operation histories are transmitted to and stored in the management device 5 as information related to the prize exchange processing. For example, when a member card 10B is inserted into the insertion slot 35a at the POS 6, if a coin storage deposit operation is performed without exchanging for a special prize based on the read receipt information (number of counted balls), the number of coin storage deposits associated with the member ID of the card 10B is transmitted to the management device 5. In this case, in the storage unit 5c of the management device 5, information regarding the coin storage is stored with the number of exchanged special prizes being zero "0" (see the "Coin storage: 〇", "Large" to "Small" "0" columns in FIG. 14 described later).

[0043] Now, the POS 6 (prize exchange device for a game arcade) of the present embodiment is configured to be switchable between a normal mode that enables normal operations for performing prize exchange processing during business hours and a practice mode that enables practice operations of prize exchange processing by employees. In the practice mode, it is possible to issue a practice recording medium associated with the number of virtual game media.

[0044] Also, in the POS 6, in order to suppress incorrect operations and the like caused by the setting between the normal mode and the practice mode, in the practice mode, when it is determined that the recording medium read by the card RW 35 or the scanner 34 is a practice recording medium, the prize exchange processing by practice operations is executed, while when it is determined that it is a normal recording medium, control is performed to limit the prize exchange processing. Hereinafter, the control unit 37, which is the control subject (prize exchange processing execution means), will be simply referred to as "POS 6", and "1. Normal mode and practice mode", "2. Issuance and history management of practice mode recording media", and "3. Flow of prize exchange processing" will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 15 as well. Note that FIGS. 5 to 11 represent the screens of the employee-side monitor 31 at the POS 6.

[0045] <1. Normal Mode and Practice Mode> FIG. 5 shows a standby screen 50 in the normal mode of the POS6. The employee in charge of prize exchange makes the employee card be read by the card RW35 of the POS6 in advance. As a result, in the uppermost column 51 of the standby screen 50, along with the display of "Year, Month, Day (Time)", the ID etc. of the "in-charge" employee (in the figure, "In-charge Person 4") is automatically displayed on the employee display section 51a. Also, in the uppermost column 51, a display section 51b for specifying that it is a standby screen in the normal mode as "Standby" is provided.

[0046] On the standby screen 50, there is provided a column 52 for displaying "Total Number" representing the total value of the counted ball number and the total combined ball number read from the cards 10A, 10B or the receipt 11 as a normal recording medium, "Exchangeable Number" representing the magnitude of the gaming value that can be exchanged for special prizes, and "Remainder (Total Number - Exchangeable Number)" obtained by subtracting the exchangeable number from the total number. Also, columns 53 for representing the number of each of the special prizes of "Large", "Medium", and "Small", and columns 54 for representing one by one the "Prize Name", "Unit Price", and "Number" related to the above prizes are provided.

[0047] On the right column 55 of the standby screen 50, various button groups including a "Menu" button 55a for displaying a menu screen, a numeric keypad 55b, and buttons related to "Stored Balls" are displayed. When the "Menu" button 55a of the POS6 is touch-operated, the POS6 transitions from the standby screen 50 to the menu screen 60 in FIG. 6, and when the "Store Opening / Closing" button 61a of the screen 60 is touch-operated, a store opening / closing menu list 62 is displayed.

[0048] That is, in the right column 61 of the menu screen 60 in FIG. 6, buttons 61a to 61h for "Store Opening / Closing", "Inventory", "IC Card", "Settings", "Data", "Membership", "Special Operations", and "Maintenance Information" are provided, and by touch-operating any of the buttons 61a to 61h, the corresponding content can be displayed in the left menu list 62. In the list 62 of opening / closing store menus, buttons 62a to 62f for performing each process of "opening the store", "closing and memorizing", "clearing on the same day", "starting practice", "re-memorizing data", and "shift change" are provided when opening or closing the store, etc. By touching any of the buttons 62a to 62f, the corresponding process can be performed.

[0049] For example, "starting practice" is the button 62d that is operated when an employee is not used to operating the POS6 and performs a practice operation to get used to the prize exchange process. That is, if the employee is not used to the prize exchange process on the POS6, it will take time for the prize exchange process and keep the customers waiting. Therefore, the employee needs to get used to operating the POS6. When performing this "starting practice", as illustrated in the employee display section 51a of FIG. 6, it may be performed together with a "person in charge" manager or the like.

[0050] When the "starting practice" button 62d is touched on the POS6, it transitions from the menu screen 60 to the confirmation screen 70 of FIG. 7. Then, on the confirmation screen 70, a confirmation bar 71 showing an "Execute" button 71a and a "Cancel" button 71b is displayed together with a message "Start the practice process. Is that okay?" When the "Execute" button 71a is touched, it transitions to the practice mode screen 80 of FIG. 8 and switches from the normal mode to the practice mode. On the practice mode screen 80, a display section 81b that specifies that it is in the practice mode as "Practicing" is provided in the uppermost column 81, and an "end practice" button 81c that is operated when returning from the practice mode to the normal mode is provided. Note that when the "end practice" button 81c is touched on the POS6, it transitions to the menu screen 60 or the standby screen 50 and switches from the practice mode to the normal mode.

[0051] On the practice mode screen 80, similar to the standby screen 50, a column 52 for displaying "total number", "exchangable number", and "remainder", a column 53 representing the number of each special prize of "large", "medium", and "small", and a column 54 representing "prize name", "unit price", and "quantity" are provided. In the practice mode, it is possible to practice the prize exchange process using a dedicated receipt and card. Note that the practice mode screen 80 in FIG. 8 can have its menu bar closed by touching the "Menu (Close)" button 55a, and various button groups including the numeric keypad 55b similar to the standby screen 50 in FIG. 5 and buttons related to "Stored Balls" are then displayed.

[0052] In the practice mode screen 80, when transitioning from the confirmation screen 70, that is, when shifting from the normal mode to the practice mode, a receipt dedicated to the practice mode is automatically issued from the issuing port 36a of the printer 36. The recording medium for practice issued at this time is referred to as "Receipt 11'", and is distinguished from the receipt 11 as the normal recording medium. Also, a "Practice Card Creation" button 61i is provided in the column 61 on the right side of the practice mode screen 80. When the POS 6 detects a touch operation on the "Practice Card Creation" button 61i, it transitions from the practice mode screen 80 to the practice card creation screen 90 in FIG. 9, and it becomes possible to issue a general card or a membership card dedicated to the practice mode. The recording medium for practice issued thereby is referred to as "General Card 10A'" or "Membership Card 10B'" (both not shown), and is distinguished from the general card 10A or the membership card 10B as the normal recording medium.

[0053] <2. Issuance of Recording Medium for Practice Mode and Management of History> Receipt 11' is formed by a piece of paper shown at the lower side in FIG. 12. On this piece of paper, the same information 11a, 11b, 11c, 11e as on the receipt 11 such as the pachinko parlor name 11a is printed, and the notation α of "Practice Receipt" and a two-dimensional code 11d' are printed. From the comparison between the receipt 11' and the receipt 11 in FIG. 12, the two 11', 11 are substantially identical in appearance except for the notation α of "Practice Receipt", but the information provided by their respective two-dimensional codes 11d', 11d is different.

[0054] That is, the receipt 11 is issued from the receipt issuing unit 8c of the island end counting device 8 during business hours, and the two-dimensional code 11d is printed so that information regarding the number of counted balls acquired by the player and the issuing time of the receipt 11 can be read. On the other hand, since the receipt 11´ is automatically issued from the printer 36 of the POS6 when switching to the practice mode (i.e., regardless of whether it is during business hours), the two-dimensional code 11d´ is printed so that information for identifying this can be read as a virtual number of counting balls (the number of virtual game media). Therefore, the two-dimensional code 11d´ can be distinguished from information regarding the virtual number of counting balls, the issuance time of the receipt 11´, and identification information indicating that it was issued in the practice mode (see "Practice" in FIG. 14). In this way, the POS6 and the printer 36 function as practice issuing means for issuing the receipt 11´ in the practice mode.

[0055] The general card 10A´ and the membership card 10B´ are issued as follows. That is, first, on the practice card creation screen 90 in FIG. 9, a message "Please insert an IC card" is displayed in the column 91 of "Practice Card Creation" on the left side thereof. In this case, a general card 10A or a membership card 10B in which data (number of counting balls) is not recorded is inserted into the card insertion slot 35a of the POS6. Thereby, when the POS6 accepts the general card 10A or the membership card 10B with the card RW35, it transitions from the practice card creation screen 90 to the type selection screen 100 in FIG. 10.

[0056] On the type selection screen 100, a message "Please select the type to execute" is displayed in the column 101 of "Practice Card Creation", together with "4 Pachi" button 102 and "20 Sero" button 103 indicating the type. Although not shown in the figure, for example, other types (1 Pachi or 5 Sero) can be displayed corresponding to a pachinko machine with a rental unit price of 1 yen or a slot machine with a rental unit price of 5 yen set in the game arcade. Also, on the type selection screen 100, a "Return to Menu" button 55d is displayed in the column of the "Menu (Close)" button 55a on the right side. When the "Return to Menu" button 55d is touch-operated, the POS6 returns from the type selection screen 100 to the original practice mode screen 80. On the other hand, when the type is selected by, for example, a touch operation on the "4 Pachi" button 102, it transitions from the type selection screen 100 to the game media number input screen 110 in FIG. 11.

[0057] On the game medium number input screen 110, in the column 111 of "Practice Card Creation", a message "Please enter the number of balls", the selected type of "4 Pachi", the "number" and "date and time" of the general ID or member ID of the received card, and the "status" of the "Practice Mode" are displayed. At the same time, the "current number of balls" currently associated with the general card 10A or member card 10B, and the "rewritten number of balls" associated as the number of virtual game media are displayed.

[0058] Also, on the game medium number input screen 110, the "Return to Menu" button 55d, the numeric keypad 55b, the "Return to Menu" button 55d, the "Cancel" button 55e, and the "Rewrite" button 55f are displayed by positioning them in the column of the "Menu (Close)" button 55a on the right side. Then, when the "rewritten number of balls" on the input screen 110 is input by a touch operation on the numeric keypad 55b and the "Rewrite" button 55f is touched, the selected type "4 Pachi", the virtual counted number of balls as the "rewritten number of balls", and the identification information indicating that it was issued in the practice mode are associated with (recorded on) the general card 10A or member card 10B by the card RW35, and the card 10A or 10B is issued as the general card 10A' or member card 10B'. In this way, the POS6 and the card RW35 function as practice issuing means for issuing the cards 10A', 10B' in the practice mode.

[0059] Note that when the "Cancel" button 55e is touched, the POS6 cancels (zero resets) the rewriting of the information including the "rewritten number of balls". When the "Return to Menu" button 55d is touched, since it returns from the type selection screen 100 to the practice mode screen 80, while displaying the same screen 80, the practice operation of the prize exchange process in the practice mode can be performed. This practice operation is an operation for executing a prize exchange process by reading a general card 10A´, a membership card 10B´, or a receipt 11´ (by reading), and a practical practice using operation means (such as a touch panel 33) or a recording medium reading means (a scanner 34, a card RW 35) similar to the normal operation can be performed.

[0060] Further, in the present embodiment, information regarding the prize exchange process executed by the POS 6 is stored in the storage unit 37m (storage means) of the own device 6, and the information is transmitted to the management device 5 and stored in the storage unit 5c (storage means) thereof. Here, FIG. 14 shows an example of information regarding the prize exchange process stored and managed by the management device 5, and the information includes the following.

[0061] · Business day: The date for referring to the history of the prize exchange process, which can be arbitrarily selected for each business day · Time: The time when the prize exchange process was executed · Machine number: The machine number of the POS 6 specified by the device ID · Person in charge: The employee ID of the employee who executed the prize exchange process · Type: The type of the gaming medium stored in the recording media 10A, 10B, 10A´, 10B´, 11, 11´ read during the prize exchange process · Number of tickets: The total number of receipts 11, 11´ read during the prize exchange process · Card ID / Member ID: The general ID or member ID of the cards 10A, 10B, 10A´, 10B´ read during the prize exchange process · Number of special prize exchanges: The number of "large", "medium", and "small" special prizes paid out as a result of the prize exchange process · Practice: The mode during the prize exchange process, and the practice mode identified based on the identification information is specified by "○" · Stored balls: When the transfer to the stored balls is performed during the prize exchange process, the deposit of the stored balls is specified by "○"

[0062] POS6 causes the information related to the above-mentioned prize exchange process to be displayed as a history on the employee-side monitor 31. As a result, it can be understood that although all the prize exchange processes in FIG. 14 were carried out by a single responsible employee "1", the prize exchange processes at times "9:59" and "10:01" were carried out during the practice mode, and the remaining prize exchange processes were carried out during the normal mode. Among these, for the special prizes exchanged during the practice mode at POS6, none of "large", "medium", and "small" are subtracted from the inventory (not counted). This is because for the receipt 11' read at time "9:59" and the card 10A' (or 10B') read at time "10:01", only virtual game media handling practice operations were carried out. Based on the identification information of the practice mode, they are excluded from the items to be counted.

[0063] By means of normal operations in the normal mode, it can be seen that at time "10:03", the receipt 11 was read and 1 "large", 1 "medium", and 4 "small" special prizes were handed to the player, and at time "10:05", the card 10A or 10B was read and 3 "large" and 3 "medium" special prizes were handed to the player. Also, at time "10:07", it can be seen that the receipt 11 was read and a storage ball deposit operation was carried out without exchanging for special prizes. In addition, the number of exchanged prizes such as confectionery may be displayed on the employee-side monitor 31 of POS6 together with the "number of special prize exchanges" in FIG. 14, and the same display as that on the employee-side monitor 31 can also be carried out on the monitor 5b of the management device 5.

[0064] <3. Flow of Prize Exchange Process> The flowchart in FIG. 15 shows the flow of the process executed when the cards 10A, 10B, 10A', 10B' are read by the card RW35 or the receipts 11, 11' are read by the scanner 34 at POS6, and S1, S2,... in the figure indicate each step.

[0065] In this embodiment, in order to suppress an incorrect operation caused by switching of the mode in the POS6, a pop-up is displayed on the screen of the employee side monitor 31. For example, when the card 10A is read in a state where the mode of the POS6 is switched to the practice mode (S10 and S12), as exemplified in FIG. 13, as such a pop-up display 103, a message "Attention!! This is a normal IC card. A normal IC card cannot be used during the practice mode." and an "OK" button 131 are displayed, and it is assumed that the employee is notified that a recording medium corresponding to the mode is not being handled.

[0066] That is, first, as a mode determination means, the POS6 determines whether the current mode is the normal mode or the practice mode (S1). When the POS6 determines that the current mode has been switched to the normal mode in response to a touch operation on the "Practice Start" button 62d (S1: YES, S2), it determines whether the recording medium read by the card RW35 or the scanner 34 is either a normal recording medium or a practice recording medium (S3).

[0067] Here, when the POS6 (recording medium determination means) determines, based on the reading result by the card RW35 or the scanner 34, that it is a normal recording medium (card 10A, 10B or receipt 11) in which the identification information of the practice mode is not recorded (S3: YES, S4), it executes a prize exchange process (S5). In this case, for example, on the screen 50 of FIG. 5, the "Total number", which is the counted number of balls read, etc. is displayed, and the number of special prizes that can be exchanged is calculated and the number of each special prize from "Large" to "Small" is displayed. Alternatively, based on an operation input by a touch operation, the player specifies the type of prize for which the player wishes to exchange, and the result (remaining counted number of balls) obtained by subtracting the number of balls corresponding to the prize from the counted number of balls is displayed. Also, when there is a remaining counted number of balls or a remaining balance on the cards 10A, 10B, the remaining counted number of balls or the remaining balance is recorded in association with the cards 10A, 10B by the card RW35 (updated as the remaining counted number of balls), and this prize exchange process is terminated (returned).

[0068] On the other hand, when POS6 determines that the recording medium for practice (card 10A´, 10B´ or receipt 11´) on which the identification information of the practice mode is recorded in S3 (S3: NO, S6), it restricts the prize exchange process in the normal mode (S7). In this case, not only the exchange of special prizes and other prizes (actual payout of prizes) at POS6 but also the subtraction of the number of counting balls associated with the exchange is not performed.

[0069] Then, when the card 10A´ is the object to be read, for example, POS6 executes a notification process to notify the employee by a pop-up display (not shown in the figure, refer to FIG. 13) including a message "Attention!! This is a practice IC card. The practice IC card cannot be used during the normal mode." and an "OK" button on the screen 50 of FIG. 5 (S8). In this case, when the "OK" button is touched, POS6 deletes the number of counting balls recorded on the card 10A´ (reset the number of virtual game media to zero) and ends (returns from) this process.

[0070] On the other hand, when POS6 determines that the current mode has been switched to the practice mode in S1 (S1: NO, S10), it determines whether the recording medium read by the card RW35 or the scanner 34 is either a normal recording medium or a recording medium for practice (S11). At this time, when POS6 determines based on the reading result by the card RW35 or the scanner 34 that it is a normal recording medium on which the identification information of the practice mode is not recorded (S11: YES, S12), it restricts the prize exchange process (S13) and executes a notification process (S14).

[0071] That is, for example, when the card 10A is read in the practice mode (S12), POS6 does not accept the practice operation so that the prize exchange process is not performed as a practice operation on the screen 80 of FIG. 8, and without subtracting the number of counting balls recorded on the card 10A (S13), it notifies the employee by performing the pop-up display 103 of FIG. 13 on the same screen 80 (S14). Accordingly, the employee is alerted to confirm whether the card 10A is of the type of the normal recording medium or the practice recording medium, and this process is terminated (returned). In response, the employee can touch the "Confirm" button 131 of the pop-up display 103 or switch from the practice mode to the normal mode by touching the "End of Practice" button 81c on the upper side of the same screen 80 to handle the situation.

[0072] On the other hand, when the POS6 determines that the current mode is the practice mode and the read recording medium is the practice recording medium (S10 and S11: NO, S15), it executes the prize exchange process by the practice operation (S16). In this case, for example, the POS6 displays the number of special prizes that can be exchanged according to the number of game media recorded on the card 10A´, or displays the number of other prizes according to the practice operation. However, no special prizes are actually paid out (no actual exchange of special prizes is made), and the inventory of other prizes is not decreased. Also, even if a practice operation is performed on the POS6, the number of game media recorded on the card 10A´ is not decreased, and the prize exchange process can be executed any number of times. The information on the exchange history regarding the prize exchange process executed in the practice mode is stored so that the identification of the practice mode is possible (see "Practice: 〇" in FIG. 14).

[0073] As described above, according to this embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. When the POS6 is determined to be in the practice mode by the mode determination means (S10), when the read target determined by the recording medium determination means is a practice recording medium such as, for example, the cards 10A´, 10B´ or the receipt 11´ (S15), it executes the prize exchange process by the practice operation, while when it is a normal recording medium such as, for example, the cards 10A, 10B or the receipt 11 (S12), it restricts the prize exchange process. According to this, during the practice mode in the POS6, for example, when the cards 10A, 10B or the receipt 11 are read, in order to restrict the prize exchange process, it is possible to suppress incorrect operations such as forgetting to switch from the practice mode to the normal mode and performing the normal prize exchange process while still in the practice mode during business operations.

[0074] When the POS6 is determined to be in the normal mode by the mode determination means (S2), when the reading target determined by the recording medium determination means is a normal recording medium (S4), the POS6 executes the prize exchange process, while when it is a practice recording medium (S6), the POS6 restricts the prize exchange process. According to this, during the normal mode in the POS6, for example, when the cards 10A´, 10B´ or the receipt 11´ issued in the practice mode are read, in order to restrict the prize exchange process, it is possible to suppress incorrect operations such as processing those practice recording media in the normal mode, and it is possible to solve the problem of an error occurring due to performing the prize exchange process for gaming media that have not actually been counted.

[0075] When the POS6 is determined to be in the normal mode by the mode determination means (S2) and when the reading target determined by the recording medium determination means is a practice recording medium (S6), the POS6 is configured as a recording medium number deletion means that deletes the number of virtual gaming media associated with the practice recording medium (S9). According to this, for example, when the cards 10A´, 10B´ or the receipt 11´ are read in the normal mode, since the number of gaming media recorded on the practice recording medium is deleted, it is possible to prevent the prize exchange process from being performed with virtual gaming media despite being in the normal mode.

[0076] When POS6 is determined to be in the practice mode by the mode determination means (S10), the information regarding the prize exchange process is stored in the storage means (e.g., storage unit 37m or storage unit 5c) so as to be distinguishable that it is in the practice mode. According to this, it becomes possible to identify whether the information regarding the prize exchange process has been executed in the practice mode. Even if, due to a malfunction or the like, a normal card is read and the prize exchange process is executed despite being in the practice mode, it is possible to take measures such as recovering the data later.

[0077] When POS6 is determined to be in the practice mode by the mode determination means (S10) and the recording medium determined by the recording medium determination means is a normal recording medium (S12), it is configured as a notification means for notifying an employee (S14). According to this, for example, regarding cards 10A, 10B or receipt 11, it is possible to suppress a situation where the prize exchange process is inadvertently performed in the practice mode, and such an incorrect operation can be surely eliminated. Note that the notification means is not limited to including a display means such as the pop-up display 103 in FIG. 13, and may be configured to include an audio means for raising an alert by voice or the like.

[0078] The present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments, and may be modified or extended as follows, or each modification example may be combined with the above-described embodiments, or each modification example may be combined. Although the switching to the practice mode can be performed by an arbitrary employee, for example, authentication by the employee card may be required, or the authority required for switching to the practice mode may be set in a predetermined IC card. Also, when switching from the practice mode to the normal mode, the number of game media recorded on the practice recording medium (cards 10A´, 10B´, etc.) may be deleted.

[0079] When a recording medium is read in the practice mode, if this is a normal recording medium, the prize exchange process is restricted. Instead of or in addition to restricting it, the employee may be notified that the normal recording medium has been read in a different mode. The number and type of the practice recording media to be issued may be set in any manner. For example, they may be the top two types with a high replacement frequency, or receipts 11 for all types may be issued.

[0080] Also, the number of gaming media recorded on the practice recording media may be set in any manner. For example, it may be a preset number of gaming media, or it may be appropriately changed such as using a number obtained by multiplying the number of seconds of time by a constant based on the time when the practice mode is switched as the number of gaming media. When cards 10A´ and 10B´ are issued as practice recording media, the employee selects the type and the number of gaming media. However, it may be set in advance which type records how many gaming media, and it may be automatically recorded by inserting the card. Regarding "memory" in the above description, for example, "memory means" may be regarded as having the same meaning as "recording means", such as referring to "recording means".

[0081] Although a pachinko machine is exemplified as the target gaming machine 1, a slot machine or the like may be adopted, and it can also be applied to a so-called enclosed slot machine or pachinko machine that manages gaming media only with data. The transition to the practice mode is based on the switching operation in the POS6 (self-device), but a signal instructing the transition to the practice mode may be transmitted from the management device 5. Further, when there are a plurality of POS6s as in this embodiment, they may be configured to be collectively shifted to the practice mode.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0082] In the drawings, 2 is a counting lending unit (counting means, normal issuing means), 5c is a storage unit (storage means), 6 is a POS (a prize exchange device for a game parlor, practice issuing means, recording medium reading means, prize exchange process execution means, mode determination means, recording medium determination means, recording medium count deletion means, notification means), 8 is an island end counting device (counting means, normal issuing means), 10A is a general card (normal recording medium), 10A' is a general card (practice recording medium), 10B is a membership card (normal recording medium), 10B' is a membership card (practice recording medium), 31 is a monitor (notification means), 34 is a scanner (recording medium reading means), 35 is a card RW (practice issuing means, recording medium reading means, recording medium count deletion means), 36 is a printer (practice issuing means), 37 is a control unit (practice issuing means, recording medium reading means, prize exchange process execution means, mode determination means, recording medium determination means, recording medium count deletion means, notification means), and 37m is a storage unit (storage means).

Claims

1. In a prize exchange system for a gaming hall that can be switched between a normal mode enabling normal operations for performing prize exchange processing during business hours and a practice mode enabling practice operations of prize exchange processing by employees, authentication means for authenticating an employee who performs the prize exchange processing; authority setting means for setting an authority to enable switching to the practice mode for an employee authenticated by the authentication means; counting means capable of counting the number of gaming media acquired by a player as a result of a game; normal issuing means for issuing a normal recording medium associated with the number of gaming media counted by the counting means; practice issuing means for issuing a practice recording medium associated with the number of virtual gaming media in the practice mode; recording medium reading means for reading the normal recording medium and the practice recording medium; prize exchange processing execution means capable of executing the prize exchange processing by reading the normal recording medium and the practice recording medium by the recording medium reading means; storage means for storing information regarding the prize exchange processing executed by the prize exchange processing execution means; mode determination means for determining whether it is in the normal mode or the practice mode; recording medium determination means for determining whether the recording medium read by the recording medium reading means is the normal recording medium or the practice recording medium; comprising The prize exchange processing execution means executes the prize exchange processing by the practice operation when determined to be in the practice mode by the mode determination means and determined to be the practice recording medium by the recording medium determination means, while restricting the prize exchange processing when determined to be the normal recording medium. A prize exchange system for a gaming hall.

2. The prize exchange processing execution means executes the prize exchange processing when determined to be in the normal mode by the mode determination means and determined to be the normal recording medium by the recording medium determination means, while restricting the prize exchange processing when determined to be the practice recording medium. The gaming hall system according to Claim 1.

3. The gaming hall system according to Claim 1 or 2, further comprising recording medium number deletion means for deleting the number of virtual gaming media associated with the practice recording medium when determined to be in the normal mode by the mode determination means and determined to be the practice recording medium by the recording medium determination means.

4. The gaming parlor system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the mode determination means determines that it is the practice mode, the storage means stores information regarding the prize exchange process so as to be able to identify that it is the practice mode.

5. The gaming parlor system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising notification means for notifying an employee when the mode determination means determines that it is the practice mode and the recording medium determination means determines that it is the normal recording medium.

6. In a prize exchange device for a gaming parlor that can be switched between a normal mode that enables normal operations for performing a prize exchange process during business hours and a practice mode that enables an employee to practice the prize exchange process, authentication means for authenticating an employee who performs the prize exchange process; authority setting means for setting an authority for enabling an employee authenticated by the authentication means to switch to the practice mode; practice issuance means for issuing a practice recording medium associated with the number of virtual gaming media in the practice mode; recording medium reading means for reading a normal recording medium associated with the number of gaming media obtained as a result of a player's game and the practice recording medium; prize exchange process execution means capable of executing the prize exchange process by reading the normal recording medium and the practice recording medium by the recording medium reading means; storage means for storing information regarding the prize exchange process executed by the prize exchange process execution means; mode determination means for determining whether it is the normal mode or the practice mode; recording medium determination means for determining whether the recording medium read by the recording medium reading means is the normal recording medium or the practice recording medium; comprising The prize exchange device for a gaming parlor, wherein when the prize exchange process execution means is determined to be the practice mode by the mode determination means and is determined to be the practice recording medium by the recording medium determination means, the prize exchange process by the practice operation is executed, while when it is determined to be the normal recording medium, the prize exchange process is restricted.

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