Gaming system, gaming device, and fraud detection method

Abstract

To highly efficiently detect a fraud relating to the number of game media of a management game machine.SOLUTION: An interspace card processing machine 10 executes counting processing using notified data. When the counted number of balls is 0, the interspace card processing machine executes no processing, but when the counted number of balls is not 0, executes the following processing based on the value of the counted cumulative number of balls. When the counted cumulative number of balls is same as the previously-counted cumulative number of balls, or when the counted cumulative number of balls is not same as the previously-counted cumulative number of balls and the number of game balls is less than the counted number of balls, the interspace card processing machine determines the counted number of balls as a fraud, discards the counted number of balls and does not add the counted number of balls to the number of held balls. When the counted cumulative number of balls is not same as the previously-counted cumulative number of balls and the number of game balls is equal to or more than the counted number of balls, the interspace card processing machine adds the counted number of balls to the number of held balls.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming system, a gaming device, and a fraud detection method that can efficiently detect fraud relating to the number of gaming media in a managed gaming machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, gaming establishments such as pachinko parlors have been equipped with gaming machines that dispense gaming media consisting of balls or medals outside the machine, but recently, enclosed managed gaming machines that do not dispense such gaming media outside the machine have been developed.

[0003] In such a managed gaming machine, data called "number of gaming balls" is stored, and in the inter-machine card processing machine attached to the managed gaming machine, data called "number of balls in hand" is stored (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Then, when a predetermined counting operation is performed, the counted number of balls is subtracted from the number of gaming balls and the counted number of balls is added to the number of balls in hand.

[0004] At this time, the managed gaming machine notifies the inter-machine card processing machine of the number of counted balls and the cumulative counted number of balls, and the inter-machine card processing machine detects cheating using counting information including the number of counted balls and the cumulative counted number of balls. Specifically, if there is a counted number of balls that is not 0 and the cumulative counted number of balls has changed from the previous value, this counted number of balls is added to the number of balls held, but if there is a counted number of balls that is not 0 and the cumulative counted number of balls has not changed from the previous value, it is determined to be cheating. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-040875 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology assumes that the number of counted balls and the cumulative number of counted balls are correct, and even if the number of counted balls is not 0 and the cumulative number of counted balls changes from the previous value, there is a possibility that the number of counted balls may be overwritten with an incorrect number.

[0007] For this reason, it is an important issue to efficiently detect fraud when the number of game balls in a managed gaming machine is counted as the number of balls held by a predetermined counting operation. This issue arises not only when the number of game balls is counted as the number of balls held, but also when the number of game medals is counted as the number of medals held.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the problems (issues) of the above-mentioned conventional technology, and aims to provide a gaming system, a gaming device, and a fraud detection method that can efficiently detect fraud related to the number of gaming media in a managed gaming machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention provides a gaming system having an enclosed managed gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides games using the first number of gaming media, and a gaming device that is attached to the managed gaming machine and manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred to or from the first number of gaming media, wherein the gaming device is characterized by having an acquisition means that acquires from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media from the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transferred gaming media over a predetermined period, a determination means that determines whether or not there is fraud related to the number of transferred gaming media based on the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media acquired by the acquisition means, and a transfer means that transfers the number of transferred gaming media to the second number of gaming media if the determination means determines that no fraud exists.

[0010] Further, in the present invention, the determination means The number of game media to be transferredis not 0, the cumulative number of transferred game media is not the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred game media, and the first number of game media is less than the number of transferred game media, the method determines that there is fraud relating to the number of transferred game media.

[0011] Further, in the present invention, the determination means The number of game media to be transferred is not 0, the cumulative number of transferred game media is not the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred game media, and the first number of game media is equal to or greater than the number of transferred game media, the method determines that there is no fraud related to the number of transferred game media.

[0012] In addition, in the above invention, the present invention is characterized in that the determination means determines that there is fraud related to the number of transferred game media when the number of transferred game media is not 0 and the cumulative number of transferred game media is the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred game media.

[0013] Further, in the present invention, the determination means The number of game media to be transferred is 0, the presence or absence of fraud relating to the number of transferred game media is not determined.

[0014] In addition, in the above invention, the present invention is characterized in that the transfer means does not add the number of transferred gaming media to the second number of gaming media when the determination means determines that there is fraud related to the number of transferred gaming media.

[0015] The present invention also provides a gaming device that is attached to an enclosed managed gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides games using the first number of gaming media, and that manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred to or from the first number of gaming media, and is characterized by comprising: an acquisition means that acquires from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media from the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transferred gaming media over a predetermined period; a determination means that determines whether or not there is fraud related to the number of transferred gaming media based on the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media acquired by the acquisition means; and a transfer means that transfers the number of transferred gaming media to the second number of gaming media when the determination means determines that no fraud exists.

[0016] The present invention also provides a fraud detection method for a gaming system having an enclosed managed gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides games using the first number of gaming media, and a gaming device that is attached to the managed gaming machine and manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred to or from the first number of gaming media, the method comprising: an acquisition step in which the gaming device acquires from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, a number of transfer gaming media from the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and a cumulative number of transfer gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transfer gaming media over a predetermined period; a determination step in which the gaming device determines whether or not fraud has occurred related to the number of transfer gaming media based on the first number of gaming media, the number of transfer gaming media, and the cumulative number of transfer gaming media acquired by the acquisition step; and a transfer step in which the gaming device transfers the number of transfer gaming media to the second number of gaming media if it is determined by the determination step that no fraud has occurred. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently detect fraudulent activity relating to the number of gaming media in a managed gaming machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an overview of a gaming system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the gaming system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine and the gaming machine shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the own device status data, card data, game ball number data, and count data shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the gaming machine shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the management device illustrated in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the card management data, the device management data, and the member management data shown in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a sequence relating to the SC board of the inter-machine card processing machine. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing pattern relating to the counting process in the inter-machine card processing machine. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the counting process of the inter-machine card processing machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The gaming system, gaming device, and fraud detection method according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the gaming system according to this embodiment.

[0020] In this specification, "reserved balls" refers to data indicating gaming media acquired by a player through gaming, which can only be used again for gaming on the same day (before the gaming establishment's closing time). "Number of retained balls" refers to the number of gaming media acquired by a player through gaming. "Saved balls" refers to data indicating gaming media deposited by a player at a gaming establishment, which can be used again for gaming on the following day (after the gaming establishment's closing time). "Saved balls" refers to the number of gaming media deposited by a player at a gaming establishment. Reserved balls are available to both regular and member players, and are used when a gaming machine is moved, for example. In principle, only member players can use saved balls, and are used when acquired gaming media are used to play a gaming machine on the following day or later. "Number of gaming balls" refers to the number of gaming balls available for a player to use for gaming. In addition, the "counted number of balls" is the number of balls added to the number of balls held among the number of game balls, and the "cumulative counted number of balls" is the number of balls counted over a specified period of time.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 1, in the gaming system according to this embodiment, data indicating the status of an enclosed controlled gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "gaming machine") 20 is notified from the SC board of the gaming machine 20 to the SC board of the inter-machine card processing device 10. As shown in Fig. 1(a), there are two types of notified data: one is gaming machine information (gaming machine data) including the number of gaming balls, and the other is count information (count data) including the number of counted balls and the cumulative number of counted balls. Each type of data is notified continuously at a predetermined short interval (for example, every 300 ms).

[0022] As shown in Figure 1(b), the inter-machine card processing machine 10 uses the notified number of game balls, the counted number of balls, and the cumulative counted number of balls to determine whether there is any fraud and to add to the number of balls held. Specifically, if the counted number of balls is "0", the process of determining whether there is any fraud and the process of adding to the number of balls held are not performed. This is because no counting operation has been performed in the first place. On the other hand, if the counted number of balls is not "0", the following process is performed based on the value of the cumulative counted number of balls.

[0023] If the cumulative counted number of balls is the same as the cumulative counted number of balls notified last time, the counted number is determined to be illegal and the counted number is discarded.As a result, the counted number of balls is not added to the number of balls held.Also, if the cumulative counted number of balls is not the same as the cumulative counted number of balls notified last time and the number of game balls is less than the counted number of balls, the counted number of balls is determined to be illegal and the counted number is discarded.As a result, the counted number of balls is not added to the number of balls held.

[0024] On the other hand, if the cumulative counted number of balls is not the same as the cumulative counted number of balls notified last time, and the number of game balls is equal to or greater than the counted number of balls, it is determined that the counted number of balls is not fraudulent. Therefore, the counted number of balls is added to the number of balls held.

[0025] In this way, the gaming system of this embodiment is configured to determine whether or not there is any fraudulent activity related to the counted number of balls based on the number of game balls, the number of counted balls, and the cumulative number of counted balls notified from the gaming machine, and if it is determined that there is any fraudulent activity related to the counted number of balls, it discards the counted number of balls, and if it is determined that there is no fraudulent activity related to the counted number of balls, it adds the counted number of balls to the number of balls held.

[0026] <System configuration> Next, the system configuration of the gaming system according to this embodiment will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the gaming system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, a gaming facility is equipped with a plurality of gaming machines 20 and an inter-machine card processing machine 10 provided corresponding to each gaming machine 20.

[0027] The inter-machine card processing machine 10 is connected to a communication line, which is an in-store network, via an island controller 30. The island controller 30, a management device 50, a prize management device 60, and a settlement machine 70 are connected to the communication line.

[0028] The gaming machine 20 is a device in which game balls enclosed within the device are shot onto a game board. These game balls are physical "balls" used in the game, and are different from the "game balls" that the gaming machine 20 treats as data. The game board of the gaming machine 20 is provided with multiple prize areas (prize openings), and a predetermined number of game balls are awarded as prize balls when a game ball passes through a prize area. The game board is also provided with a predetermined number of start areas (start openings), and a predetermined lottery is held when a game ball passes through a start area. If the lottery results in a jackpot, a predetermined movable member or the like is activated, thereby increasing the probability of the game ball passing through the aforementioned prize area or another start area, thereby providing an advantage in the game. An area may also serve as both a start area and a prize area.

[0029] Each of the winning areas is provided with a winning sensor for detecting the passage of a gaming ball into the winning area, and the winning sensor detects the passage (winning) of a gaming ball shot into the winning area. The control unit of the gaming machine 20 also has a prize ball memory for storing the number of gaming balls to be awarded as prize balls for each winning area, and a gaming ball number memory for indicating the number of gaming balls. The control unit of the gaming machine 20 also periodically transmits the number of gaming balls to the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10.

[0030] When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a deposit from a player, it associates prepaid value corresponding to the amount of the deposit with the identification information (card ID) of the card stored inside the machine. This prepaid value can be used to lend game balls. The inter-machine card processing machine 10 can also accept the insertion of a card associated with prepaid value, owned balls, saved balls, etc. Then, at the end of a game, it ejects the card associated with prepaid value, owned balls, saved balls, etc. and returns it to the player. The inter-machine card processing machine 10 also transmits a history of operations such as deposits, card insertions, and card ejections to the management device 50.

[0031] When a predetermined number of game balls are shot onto the game board, the gaming machine 20 transmits out data to the inter-machine card processor 10. Furthermore, when a game ball passes through a winning area (so-called winning) and a predetermined number of prize balls are added to the game balls, the gaming machine 20 transmits safe data to the inter-machine card processor 10. Furthermore, when a special state such as a jackpot occurs during play, the gaming machine 20 transmits special prize data indicating the occurrence of such state to the inter-machine card processor 10.

[0032] The out data corresponds to the number of balls inserted, which is the number of balls inserted by the player onto the gaming board. The safe data corresponds to the number of balls won as a result of winning. The special prize data indicates the status of the gaming machine 20, such as a jackpot. Each piece of data is transmitted to the management device 50 via the inter-machine card processing device 10, and the management device 50 can obtain the operation history of the gaming machine 20 by accumulating the out data, safe data, and special prize data.

[0033] The gaming machine 20 notifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 of gaming machine data including the number of gaming balls and count data including the counted number of balls and the cumulative counted number of balls at predetermined short intervals (for example, every 300 ms). The processing unit that notifies this gaming machine information and count information is formed on a board (hereinafter referred to as the "SC board") inside the gaming machine 20 that is separate from the processing unit that performs other processing. In the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the processing unit that receives this gaming machine information and count information is also similarly formed on the SC board inside the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

[0034] The inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts deposits, lends gaming balls, and communicates with the management device 50 and the gaming machines 20. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts bills inserted by a player, it sends a deposit notification including the deposit amount to the management device 50, thereby adding the prepaid value equivalent to the deposit amount to the prepaid value managed by the management device 50. Then, when a predetermined ball lending operation is performed, it sends a ball lending request to the management device 50, subtracts the prepaid value managed by the management device 50, and notifies the gaming machine 20 of the number corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value, which is added to the number of gaming balls.

[0035] Furthermore, when the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the insertion of a card, it sends a card insertion notification to the management device 50. Furthermore, when the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives the balance of prepaid value, held balls, and saved balls from the management device 50, it stores the balance. Then, when it receives and stores the balance of held balls, it sends a held ball subtraction request to the management device 50, thereby clearing the balance of held balls (number of held balls) managed by the management device 50 to zero.

[0036] When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a held ball replay operation, it subtracts a predetermined number from the number of held balls it manages, notifies the gaming machine 20 of the number corresponding to the subtracted held balls, and adds it to the number of game balls. Also, when the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a saved ball replay operation, it sends a saved ball replay request to the management device 50, thereby subtracting a predetermined number from the number of saved balls managed by the management device 50, notifies the gaming machine 20 of the number corresponding to the subtracted saved balls, and adds it to the number of game balls.

[0037] The inter-machine card processing machine 10 determines whether or not there is any tampering with the counted balls using the number of game balls, the number of counted balls, and the cumulative number of counted balls received from the gaming machine 20. If the inter-machine card processing machine 10 determines that there is any tampering with the counted balls received from the gaming machine 20, it discards the counted balls and does not add them to the number of held balls. If the inter-machine card processing machine 10 determines that there is no tampering with the counted balls received from the gaming machine 20, it adds the counted balls to the number of held balls.

[0038] When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the card return operation, it transmits a ball addition request including the number of balls held to the management device 50, makes the management device 50 add the number of balls held, and then transmits a card ejection notification to the management device 50 and controls the ejection of the card.

[0039] The inter-machine card processing device 10 also has a function of acquiring a gaming machine ID from the gaming machine 20 and authenticating the gaming machine 20 using the acquired gaming machine ID and an authentication key received from the management device 50. This authentication is performed during opening processing, etc., and the gaming machine 20 becomes available for play on the condition that the authentication is successful.

[0040] The island controller 30 is a device that bundles together a group of gaming machines 20 and inter-machine card processors 10 installed on the gaming island, and relays various information to the management device 50.

[0041] When the management device 50 receives a card insertion notification from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it manages the identification information of the inserted card (hereinafter referred to as "card ID") in association with the inter-machine card processing device 10, and transmits the prepaid value and the balance of held balls associated with the card ID to the inter-machine card processing device 10. In addition, if the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification is the card ID of a membership card, it transmits stored ball replay data to the inter-machine card processing device 10.

[0042] In addition, when the management device 50 receives a request to subtract balls held from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it clears the balance of balls held to zero, and when it receives a request to add balls held from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it adds the number of balls held indicated in the request to add balls held to the balance of balls held.

[0043] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a ball lending request from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it subtracts a predetermined value from the prepaid value associated with the card ID and transmits ball lending permission to the inter-machine card processing device 10. When the management device 50 receives a saved ball replay request, it transmits saved ball replay data to the inter-machine card processing device 10.

[0044] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of balls held that are associated with this card ID. Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a card ID from the settlement machine 70, it notifies the settlement machine 70 of the prepaid value that is associated with this card ID.

[0045] The management device 50 also acquires gaming machine IDs from the inter-machine card processing device 10 and manages the gaming machines 20 installed in its own parlor. It also acquires authentication keys for authenticating the gaming machines 20 set in its own parlor from an authentication key management center (not shown) outside the parlor, and distributes the authentication keys to the inter-machine card processing device 10.

[0046] The management device 50 also manages the member management data of members who have registered with the gaming establishment. Specifically, the management device 50 manages the number of balls stored, the PIN number, the name, etc. in association with the member card ID issued to the member.

[0047] When the management device 50 receives a card insertion notification from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it transmits stored ball replay data including the balance of stored balls and the PIN number corresponding to the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification to the inter-machine card processing device 10. Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives a stored ball replay request from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it subtracts a predetermined number from the balance of stored balls associated with the card ID indicated in the stored ball replay request, and transmits stored ball replay data including the balance of stored balls after the subtraction to the inter-machine card processing device 10.

[0048] Furthermore, when the management device 50 receives an inquiry about the number of stored balls from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the balance of stored balls corresponding to the specified card ID.

[0049] The prize management device 60 is a terminal device for prize exchange installed next to the prize exchange counter in the gaming facility, and performs the prize exchange process for won balls, saved balls, and held balls. This prize management device 60 is connected to a card reader that reads the card ID of the card and a prize payout device that pays out prizes. When the prize management device 60 reads the card ID from a general card or a membership card, it transmits the card ID to the management device 50 and requests the remaining balance of held balls for that card ID. Furthermore, when saved balls are to be exchanged for prizes, it requests the remaining balance of saved balls from the management device 50.

[0050] When a card associated with a prepaid value is inserted, the settlement machine 70 transmits the card ID of the card to the management device 50, acquires the prepaid value associated with the card, and dispenses cash equivalent to the acquired prepaid value.

[0051] <External Configuration of the Inter-machine Card Processing Machine 10 and the Gaming Machine 20> Next, we will explain the external configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and gaming machine 20 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and gaming machine 20 shown in Fig. 2. In this figure, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that accepts only paper money is shown, but it is also possible to provide a unit that can accept electronic money.

[0052] 3, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is provided with a status display unit 11 that displays the status of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 by lighting or flashing a lamp of a predetermined color, a bill insertion slot 12a that accepts various types of bills, a display operation unit 13 such as a touch panel display, a card insertion slot 14a that accepts cards associated with a card ID, and a holding unit 14b that accepts a mobile terminal held by a player to associate the unique ID. In addition, the holding unit 14b accepts the mobile terminal associated with the unique ID and reads the unique ID.

[0053] The gaming machine 20 is provided with a gaming board, a handle 21 used to release enclosed gaming balls onto the gaming board, and a counting button 22.

[0054] The counting button 22 is an operation button for transferring the management of the number of balls that can be dispensed from the gaming machine 20 to the inter-machine card processing machine 10 by subtracting the number of game balls in the gaming machine 20 and adding the corresponding number to the balls held by the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

[0055] <Configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10> Next, we will explain the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 4, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 has a banknote transport unit 12, a display operation unit 13, a reader / writer 14, a communication unit 15, a memory unit 16, a control unit 17, and a game management unit 18.

[0056] The banknote transport unit 12 is a transport unit that transports banknotes inserted through the banknote insertion slot 12a to a banknote storage unit (not shown) while determining the denomination and authenticity of the banknotes. The display operation unit 13 is an input / output device such as a touch panel display that displays various information such as value and accepts various operations such as ball lending operations.

[0057] The reader / writer 14 is a reading unit that reads a card ID from a card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a and a unique ID from a mobile terminal held over the holding unit 14b. The card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a is stored in a card storage unit (not shown) via the reader / writer 14. The communication unit 15 is an interface unit for performing data communication with the management device 50 via the island controller 30.

[0058] The storage unit 16 is a storage device including a hard disk drive, a nonvolatile memory, etc. The storage unit 16 stores the machine status data 16a, card data 16b, game ball count data 16c, and count data 16d.

[0059] The machine status data 16a indicates the status of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. The machine status data 16a includes the machine ID, the gaming machine ID, the game type, etc. The machine ID is identification information for uniquely identifying the machine ID within the gaming parlor. The game type is data indicating the rate set in the machine ID. When gaming balls of multiple rates are handled within the gaming parlor, a game type name is assigned to each rate and managed, such as "Ball 1" for a 4-yen rate ball, "Ball 2" for a 2-yen rate ball, and "Ball 3" for a 1-yen rate ball. The machine ID is stored as the game type. The machine ID is a fixed game type for each section in which the machine ID is installed, or the game type may be changeable by the player.

[0060] The card data 16b is data relating to the card being used by the player. The card data 16b includes the card ID, PIN number, prepaid value, held balls, saved balls, etc. The card ID is the card ID read by the reader / writer 14. When a card is transported from a card storage section (not shown) to the card insertion slot 14a and then ejected, the card data 16b is updated with the card ID read by the reader / writer 14 during this transport. Also, when a card is transported from the card insertion slot 14a to a card storage section (not shown), the card data 16b is updated with the card ID read by the reader / writer 14 during this transport. The prepaid value indicates the balance of the prepaid value that can be used for ball lending, and the held balls and saved balls indicate the respective balances.

[0061] The gaming ball count data 16c is data indicating the number of gaming balls notified from the gaming machine 20. The gaming ball count data 16c stores the number of gaming balls received from the gaming machine 20. The counting data 16d is data indicating information related to counting. The counting data 16d includes the number of counted balls and the cumulative counted number of balls. Note that once a new cumulative counted number of balls is received and the counted balls have been checked for fraud, the previous cumulative counted number is updated with this cumulative counted number. Therefore, the previous cumulative counted number stores the cumulative counted number of balls included in the previously received counting data.

[0062] The gaming management unit 18 is a processing unit that performs processing related to authentication and communication with the gaming machine 20. It is desirable that the gaming management unit 18 is formed on a different board from the control unit 17. For example, it is formed on an SC board independent from the control unit 17.

[0063] The gaming management unit 18 has an authentication processing unit 18a, an authentication key management unit 18b, and a gaming machine status management unit 18c. In practice, these programs are loaded into a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executed, causing the authentication processing unit 18a, the authentication key management unit 18b, and the gaming machine status management unit 18c to execute processes corresponding to each of them.

[0064] The authentication processing unit 18a authenticates the gaming machine 20 using the authentication key received from the management device 50. If the authentication is successful, the authentication processing unit 18a transmits an operation permission to the gaming machine 20. If the authentication is unsuccessful, the authentication processing unit 18a prohibits the use of the gaming machine 20. Note that even if the authentication is unsuccessful, the authentication processing unit 18a may be configured to transmit an operation permission to the gaming machine 20 if it is within a predetermined period since the last successful authentication, and not transmit an operation permission to the gaming machine 20 after the predetermined period has elapsed since the last successful authentication, and to prohibit the use of the gaming machine 20.

[0065] The authentication key management unit 18b is a processing unit that manages authentication keys. A usage time is set for each authentication key, and when the cumulative operating time of the gaming machine 20 reaches the usage time of the authentication key, the authentication key becomes unusable. Specifically, the authentication key management unit 18b uses the power-on time of the board on which the gaming management unit 18 is formed as the operating time of the gaming machine 20 to manage the usage time of the authentication key. When the authentication key becomes unusable, the authentication key management unit 18b obtains a new authentication key from an authentication key management center outside the parlor via the management device 50 and updates the authentication key.

[0066] The gaming machine status management unit 18c is a management unit that communicates with the gaming machine 20 and manages the status of the gaming machine 20. Specifically, the gaming machine status management unit 18c acquires the gaming machine ID from the gaming machine 20 and receives game results such as the number of balls inserted and the number of balls won by the gaming machine 20. The gaming machine status management unit 18c also transmits requests for adding to the number of gaming balls by ball lending, counting notifications for changing the number of held balls to the number of gaming balls by replaying held balls, and requests for adding to the number of gaming balls by replaying saved balls (hereinafter referred to as "lending notifications"). It also receives counting notifications for changing the number of held balls by the gaming machine 20. These counting notifications include the serial number, the number of counted balls, and the cumulative number of counted balls. When SC board authentication is performed to confirm the connection between the inter-machine card processing device 10 and the gaming machine 20, encrypted communication using a predetermined encryption method may be used. It should be noted that, among communications between the gaming machine 20 and the card processing machine 10, information on the gaming machine 20 is not encrypted when being exchanged. Furthermore, when the gaming machine status management unit 18c receives a counting notification from the gaming machine 20, it passes this counting notification to the control unit 17.

[0067] The gaming machine status management unit 18c also acquires the status set for the game, such as the current number of gaming balls, start, jackpot, jackpot type, and number of lotteries of the gaming machine 20. The time interval at which the gaming machine status management unit 18c acquires the status of the gaming machine 20 is preferably set shorter than the interval at which gaming balls are shot (used) in the gaming machine 20. Furthermore, when the gaming machine status management unit 18c acquires the number of gaming balls from the gaming machine 20, it passes this number of gaming balls to the control unit 17.

[0068] Furthermore, when the gaming machine state management unit 18c receives a gaming machine information receipt response or a counting information receipt response from the control unit 17, it notifies the gaming machine 20 of the gaming machine information receipt response or the counting information receipt response.

[0069] The timing at which the gaming machine status management unit 18c acquires a new gaming machine ID from the gaming machine 20 is not limited to before opening. The gaming machine status management unit 18c can acquire a gaming machine ID or determine whether to replace the gaming machine 20 when the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is powered on or off, during periodic communication, when processing related to the number of gaming balls (ball lending, replay, counting, etc.) is performed, when returning from an offline state, etc. Furthermore, these timings may be used in combination.

[0070] The control unit 17 is a control unit that controls the entire inter-machine card processing machine 10, and has a machine-specific management unit 17a, a card data management unit 17b, a gaming machine data management unit 17c, and a judgment unit 17d. In practice, by loading these programs into the CPU and executing them, the machine-specific management unit 17a, the card data management unit 17b, the gaming machine data management unit 17c, and the judgment unit 17d will execute the processes corresponding to them, respectively.

[0071] The own device management unit 17a is a processing unit that manages the own device status data 16a. The own device management unit 17a stores the device ID and game type set in the own device in the own device status data 16a. The own device management unit 17a stores the gaming machine ID received from the gaming machine 20 in the own device status data 16a.

[0072] When a card is inserted, the card data management unit 17b transmits a card insertion notification including the card ID and the inter-machine card processor ID to the management device 50. Furthermore, when the card data management unit 17b receives data including a value (at least one of prepaid value, held balls, and saved balls) from the management device 50, it updates the card data 16b with the received value.

[0073] Furthermore, when a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 12a, the card data management unit 17b transmits a deposit notification to the management device 50, which includes the amount of the inserted bill, the card ID, and the inter-machine card processor ID.

[0074] Furthermore, when a ball lending operation is performed by a player, the card data management unit 17b transmits a ball lending request including the card ID and the machine-to-machine card processor ID to the management device 50. If permission to lend balls is received in response to this ball lending request, the card data management unit 17b instructs the gaming management unit 18 to subtract the prepaid value of the card data 16b and add a predetermined number of balls to the number of game balls in the gaming machine 20.

[0075] Furthermore, if the balance of saved balls indicated in the card data 16b is equal to or greater than the number of saved ball replay units, the card data management unit 17b displays a saved ball replay button on the display operation unit 13, making it possible to accept a saved ball replay operation. When a saved ball replay operation is performed by a player, the card data management unit 17b transmits a saved ball replay request including the card ID and the machine-to-machine card processor ID to the management device 50. If saved ball replay data is received in response to this saved ball replay request, the card data management unit 17b updates the saved ball balance in the card data 16b and instructs the gaming management unit 18 to add the number of balls corresponding to the number of saved ball replay units to the number of game balls in the gaming machine 20. Note that when a saved ball replay operation is performed for the first time, the input of a PIN is required, and a match with the PIN indicated in the card data 16b is a condition for transmitting a saved ball replay request.

[0076] In addition, when the card data management unit 17b receives an operation to replay the held balls, it instructs the game management unit 18 to subtract and update the held balls in the card data 16b and add the corresponding number of balls to the number of game balls in the gaming machine 20.

[0077] Furthermore, when the card data management unit 17b receives a request to add the balls held from the judgment unit 17d, it adds the number of balls counted in the counting data 16d to the balls held in the card data 16b to update it, and passes a counting information receipt response to the game management unit 18. This counting information receipt response includes the number of balls counted in the counting data 16d.

[0078] The gaming machine data management unit 17c is a processing unit that manages the gaming ball count data 16c and the count data 16d. When the gaming management unit 18 receives the number of gaming balls from the gaming machine 20, the gaming machine data management unit 17c stores the number of gaming balls in the gaming ball count data 16c.

[0079] Furthermore, when the gaming management unit 18 receives a counting notification from the gaming machine 20, the gaming machine data management unit 17c stores the cumulative counted number of balls in the counting data 16d as the previous cumulative counted number of balls before receiving new counting data 16d, and when new counting data 16d is received, updates the counted number of balls and the cumulative counted number of balls in the counting data 16d stored in the memory unit 16. Then, the gaming machine data management unit 17c passes a judgment request to the judgment unit 17d.

[0080] The determination unit 17d is a processing unit that determines whether the counted number of balls received from the gaming machine 20 is invalid. When the determination unit 17d receives a determination request from the gaming machine data management unit 17c, if the counted number of balls in the counting data 16d is not 0 and the cumulative counted number of balls is the same as the previous cumulative counted number of balls, the determination unit 17d determines that the counted number of balls is invalid and clears the counted number of balls in the counting data 16d.

[0081] Furthermore, if the number of counted balls in the counting data 16d is not 0, the cumulative counted number of balls is not the same as the cumulative counted number of balls previously counted, and the game ball count data 16c is less than the number of counted balls in the counting data 16d, the judgment unit 17d judges that the number of counted balls is invalid and clears the number of counted balls in the counting data 16d.

[0082] Furthermore, if the number of counted balls in the counting data 16d is not 0, the cumulative counted number of balls is not the same as the cumulative counted number of balls previously counted, and the game ball count data 16c is equal to or greater than the number of counted balls in the counting data 16d, the judgment unit 17d judges that the number of counted balls is not fraudulent, and passes a request to add the number of held balls to the card data management unit 17b.

[0083] Next, an example of data stored in the memory unit 16 of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Fig. 4 will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the machine status data 16a, card data 16b, number of game balls data 16c, and count data 16d shown in Fig. 4.

[0084] The own device status data 16a shown in Figure 5(a) indicates a state in which the ID of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is "A101", the gaming machine ID of the connected gaming machine 20 is "B201", and "Ball 1" is set as the game type of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

[0085] The card data 16b shown in Figure 5(b) indicates that the ID of the card inserted into the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10 is "2001." Note that here, the first digit of the card ID indicates the type of card, with cards with the first digit "1" being a general card and cards with the first digit "2" being a membership card. The card data 16b also indicates that the PIN number for replaying saved balls is "1234" and the prepaid value is "3000" points. Note that here, 1 point of the prepaid value is equivalent to 1 yen.

[0086] Furthermore, card data 16b indicates that, in terms of held balls, the balance of held balls for ball 1 is 1500 balls, the balance of held balls for ball 2 is 2500 balls, and the balance of held balls for ball 3 is 0 balls, and, in terms of saved balls, the balance of saved balls for ball 1 is 500 balls, the balance of saved balls for ball 2 is 0 balls, and the balance of saved balls for ball 3 is 0 balls.

[0087] The game ball count data 16c shown in Fig. 5(c) indicates a state in which the game ball count is 300. The count data 16d shown in Fig. 5(d) indicates a state in which the counted ball count is 30, the cumulative counted ball count is 530, and the cumulative counted ball count from the previous time is 500.

[0088] <Configuration of gaming machine 20> Next, the configuration of the gaming machine 20 shown in Fig. 2 will be described. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the gaming machine 20 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 6, the gaming machine 20 has a communication control unit 23, a performance control unit 24, a game control unit 25, a game ball control unit 26, and a game management unit 27. The communication control unit 23 is a control unit for controlling data communication with the inter-machine card processing machine 10. When SC board authentication is performed to confirm connection among communications with the inter-machine card processing machine 10, encrypted communication using a predetermined encryption method may be used. Note that among communications with the card processing machine 10, no encryption is used when exchanging information about the gaming machine 20.

[0089] When the gaming machine 20 is started up, the communication control unit 23 reads the identification information from the control CPU provided in the game control unit 25 and / or game ball control unit 26, checks whether the identification information is appropriate, and if it is appropriate, establishes communication with the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and goes into standby mode. In the standby mode, if an operation permission is received from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the performance control unit 24, game control unit 25, and game ball control unit 26 are started up and the gaming machine is ready to play.

[0090] The game control unit 25 is a control unit that controls games played by the gaming machine 20. In practice, a program corresponding to the game control unit 25 is loaded into the CPU and executed to execute a process.

[0091] Specifically, the game control unit 25 controls the launch of game balls onto the game board by detecting handle operation, detects game balls that have entered the winning hole on the game board, obtains random numbers (random numbers from 0 to 65535, with numbers assigned to indicate a big win, small win, or loss within a predetermined range) using game balls that have entered the starting hole and draws lots (special and normal patterns), controls movable parts (tulips, etc.) installed on the game board, controls the display of special pattern display devices installed on the game board, detects abnormalities that may indicate fraud (the front frame is open, vibrations are detected, etc.) and notifies the higher-level device, etc.

[0092] A large number of obstacle pins are set on the game board, and game balls launched onto the game board by operating the handle fall between the obstacle pins and either enter a prize hole or a starting hole, or are ejected from the game board through an outlet hole without entering a prize. When a game ball enters a starting hole, a lottery is held, and if a jackpot is awarded, a jackpot game is played in which a predetermined prize hole on the game board is controlled to be open multiple times, and by making it easier for game balls to enter these prize holes, prize balls are awarded to the player.

[0093] Furthermore, jackpot games include bonus jackpot games that grant players a specified bonus game after the jackpot game ends. Bonus jackpot games include probability-changing jackpots and time-saving jackpots. Probability-changing jackpots and time-saving jackpots grant probability-changing and time-saving games as bonus games, respectively, after a jackpot. Time-saving games are bonus games that increase the number of draws per unit time by shortening the fluctuation time (the time from the start of the lottery process to the display of the results) of the normal pattern lottery (the lottery for opening and closing the movable member described above) and / or the special pattern lottery (the jackpot lottery resulting from the winning of a game ball described above), thereby increasing the number of draws per unit time and increasing the probability of winning a jackpot per unit time. This bonus game may also include normal pattern probability fluctuation, which increases the probability of winning a normal pattern. Time-saving games resulting from a time-saving jackpot end when the special pattern lottery has been drawn a specified number of times after the jackpot. Probability-changing games will be described later.

[0094] The game control unit 25 has a probability variation function. This function controls the random number range for the next jackpot lottery (typically by approximately 10 times) when the lottery result falls within a specific random number range for the jackpot. The probability variation game involves drawing a special symbol using this changed probability. The probability variation game continues until the next jackpot is won. The probability variation game and time-saving game may be simultaneously offered. However, to prevent unexpected losses to the gaming parlor, if a player acquires a certain number of game media after the probability variation game or time-saving game has started, the game may be stopped (the player's card may be temporarily ejected and the player may be requested to exchange for a prize or move to another machine). In this case, the gaming machine 20 counts the number of game media after the probability variation game state has begun, and when this count reaches a predetermined value, game stop control is performed, such as stopping the release of game balls.

[0095] The effect control unit 24 is a control unit that controls the effects during play, and has an effect symbol lottery unit 24a and an effect lottery unit 24b. In practice, by loading these programs into the CPU and executing them, the effect symbol lottery unit 24a and the effect lottery unit 24b will execute processes corresponding to them, respectively.

[0096] The effect pattern lottery unit 24a performs lottery (specifically, whether to stop the display at 7, 7, 7) for effect patterns (patterns to be displayed on effect pattern display devices such as display devices on the game board) based on the special pattern lottery in the game control unit 25.

[0097] The effect selection unit 24b selects the type of effect to be performed before the result of the selection based on the effect symbols is displayed (such as a character appearing to perform a reach effect). The effect is set so that the effect selected differs depending on the main selection result.

[0098] The effect control unit 24 stores effect data for each effect. Furthermore, the effect control unit 24 controls the display of the effect pattern display device, and when an effect is executed, the effect data is superimposed on the background pattern data to display the effect. Furthermore, when the probability fluctuates, background color data different from that in the normal state is set.

[0099] The game ball control unit 26 is a control unit that controls the game balls and the number of counted balls, and has a game ball number management unit 26a and a counting management unit 26b. In practice, by loading and executing these programs into the CPU, the game ball number management unit 26a and the counting management unit 26b will execute the processes corresponding to them.

[0100] The game ball count management unit 26a is a processing unit that manages the number of game balls. The game ball count management unit 26a stores the number of game balls in a game ball count memory, subtracts "1" from the number of game balls each time a game ball is released, and adds the number of prize balls won by winning to the number of game balls. When the game ball count management unit 26a receives a loan notification from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it adds the notified number of balls to the number of game balls and transmits a loan receipt result response to the inter-machine card processing machine 10 indicating that the number of game balls has been added to the number of game balls.

[0101] Furthermore, the game ball count management unit 26a periodically transmits the number of game balls stored in the game ball count memory to the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10. In this case, the game ball count management unit 26a continues to update the number of game balls depending on the game status without clearing the contents of the game ball count memory to zero, and transmits the number of game balls at the time of data acquisition to the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10.

[0102] The counting management unit 26b is a processing unit that manages the counting process. The gaming machine 20 is provided with a counting button 22, and a signal indicating that this counting button 22 has been pressed is input to the counting management unit 26b. The counting management unit 26b detects the pressing of the counting button 22, and if the time from the rise to the fall of the detection signal is less than a certain time, it notifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 of the count by a certain number (for example, 100 balls per operation). This counting notification includes the serial number, the number of counted balls, and the cumulative counted number of balls. This cumulative counted number is the cumulative value of the number of counted balls since the gaming machine 20 was started.

[0103] In addition, the counting management unit 26b detects the pressing of the counting button 22, and if the detection signal does not fall for a predetermined period of time after it rises, it notifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 of the count by a certain number (for example, 200 balls per 5 seconds) each time the detection signal remains in a rising state for a certain period of time.

[0104] Furthermore, when the counting management unit 26b receives a counting information receipt response from the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10, it subtracts (invalidates) the number of counted balls included in this counting information receipt response from the number of game balls. When subtracting from the number of game balls, possible methods include decrementing the value to be subtracted from the value of 1 stored in memory, or updating the value stored in memory with the value after the subtraction and deleting or logically deleting the value before the subtraction to invalidate it, but there are no particular limitations as long as the value after the subtraction can be identified.

[0105] The game management unit 27 is a processing unit that controls the transmission and reception of data related to games, and includes a notification unit 27a and a receiving unit 27b. In practice, these programs are loaded into the CPU and executed, causing the notification unit 27a and the receiving unit 27b to execute the processes corresponding to them, respectively.

[0106] The notification unit 27a is a processing unit that transmits data related to games to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. The notification unit 27a transmits the number of game balls, counting notification, loan receipt result response, etc. received from the game ball control unit 26 to the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

[0107] The receiving unit 27b is a processing unit that receives data related to games from the inter-machine card processing machine 10. When the receiving unit 27b receives a gaming machine information receipt response, a counting information receipt response, a lending notification, etc. transmitted from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it passes them to the gaming ball control unit 26.

[0108] The game control unit 25, the game ball control unit 26, and the game management unit 27 are each configured on a separate board. The game control board on which the game control unit 25 is configured and the game ball control board on which the game ball control unit 26 is configured each have their own unique ID. The gaming machine 20 combines the ID of the game control board and the ID of the game ball control board and uses this as the gaming machine ID.

[0109] <Configuration of management device 50> Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the management device 50 shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the management device 50 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 7, the management device 50 is connected to a display unit 51 and an input unit 52, and has an external network communication unit 53, a store network communication unit 54, a storage unit 55, and a control unit 56.

[0110] The display unit 51 is a display device such as an LCD panel or display device. The input unit 52 is an input device such as a keyboard or mouse. The external network communication unit 53 is an interface unit for data communication with an authentication key management center (not shown) via an external network. The store network communication unit 54 is an interface unit for data communication with the island controller 30, prize management device 60, and settlement machine 70 via communication lines within the gaming store.

[0111] The storage unit 55 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile memory, and stores card management data 55a, device management data 55b, and member management data 55c.

[0112] The card management data 55a is data that associates the card ID with the balance of prepaid value, the balance of owned balls, etc. The device management data 55b is data related to the devices installed in the gaming parlor. This device management data 55b includes the machine-to-machine card processing machine ID, the installation location, the gaming machine number, the gaming machine ID, the model data of the gaming machine 20, etc. The member management data 55c is data that associates the card ID of the membership card issued to the member with the balance of saved balls, etc.

[0113] The control unit 56 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management device 50, and includes a card management unit 56a, a device management unit 56b, and a member management unit 56c. In practice, by loading these programs into a CPU and executing them, the card management unit 56a, the device management unit 56b, and the member management unit 56c will execute the processes corresponding to them, respectively.

[0114] The card management unit 56a is a processing unit that manages the card management data 55a. The card management unit 56a communicates with the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the prize management device 60, and the settlement machine 70, and updates the prepaid value and the balance of held balls associated with the card ID. In addition, when the card management unit 56a receives a card insertion notification from the inter-machine card processing machine 10 or a held value inquiry from the prize management device 60, it notifies the card ID of the valuable value and the balance of held balls.

[0115] The device management unit 56b is a processing unit that manages the device management data 55b. The device management unit 56b generates and updates the device management data 55b based on the inter-machine card processor ID, the installation location, and the gaming machine ID acquired from the inter-machine card processor 10.

[0116] The member management unit 56c is a processing unit that manages the member management data 55c. The member management unit 56c communicates with the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and the prize management device 60 to update the balance of the saved balls associated with the card ID.

[0117] Here, the stored ball replay processing by the member management unit 56c will be explained. When the member management unit 56c receives stored ball replay request data from the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10, it deducts the balance of stored balls at the payout rate from the stored balls associated with the card ID in the stored ball replay request data by the payout unit number, and recalculates the number of stored balls that can be replayed. Then, it sends stored ball replay data including the balance after subtraction and the number of stored balls that can be replayed to the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10.

[0118] Next, a description will be given of a specific example of data stored in storage unit 55 of management device 50 shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of card management data 55a, device management data 55b, and member management data 55c shown in Fig. 7.

[0119] In the card management data 55a shown in Figure 8 (a), the card ID "1001" is associated with a prepaid value of "0" points, a balance of "0" balls for each rate, and a destination ID of "A101". In other words, the card with the card ID "1001" is inserted into the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10 with the device ID "A101", and the management of the balls has been transferred to the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10. Therefore, the balance of the balls for each rate is zero.

[0120] In addition, in the card management data 55a, the card ID "2001" is associated with a prepaid value of "3000" and the remaining balls are "1500" for ball 1, "2500" for ball 2, and "0" for ball 3, but is not associated with a destination ID. In other words, the card with the card ID "2001" is not inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10, and the management of the remaining balls is performed by the management device 50.

[0121] 8(b) shows that for the inter-machine card processing machine 10 with ID "A101", its installation location is "Island 1-1", the gaming machine number is "11", the ID of the connected gaming machine 20 is "B201", the game type is "Ball 1", the model of the gaming machine 20 is "EV01", and the serial number is "a". It also shows that this gaming machine 20 is in use.

[0122] The device management data 55b indicates that the installation location of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 with ID "A201" is "Island 2-1," the gaming machine number is "21," the connected gaming machine 20 has ID "B506," the game type is "Ball 3," the gaming machine 20 model is "DX03," and the serial number is "g." It also indicates that this gaming machine 20 is in use.

[0123] Member management data 55c shown in Fig. 8(c) indicates the name, saved balls, etc. associated with the card ID. Specifically, member management data 55c indicates that for card ID "2005," the name is "Tenkoku Taro," the saved ball balance for "Ball 1" is "1500," the saved ball balance for "Ball 2" is "200," and the saved ball balance for "Ball 3" is "0."

[0124] <Sequence related to the SC board of the inter-machine card processing machine 10> Next, we will explain the sequence related to the SC board of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the sequence related to the SC board of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. The game management unit 18 of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is configured on the SC board, and exchanges data related to the gaming machine 20 with the control unit 17.

[0125] As shown in Figure 9, when the gaming management unit 18 notifies the control unit 17 of gaming machine information (including the number of gaming balls), the control unit 17 notifies the gaming management unit 18 of a gaming machine information receipt response indicating that the gaming machine information notification has been received.

[0126] In addition, when the game management unit 18 notifies the control unit 17 of the counting, the control unit 17 performs a predetermined counting process and then notifies the game management unit 18 of a counting information receipt response including the number of counted balls transferred to the held balls.

[0127] Furthermore, when the control unit 17 sends a loan notification to the gaming management unit 18, the gaming management unit 18 transmits this loan notification to the gaming machine 20. After that, when the gaming management unit 18 receives a loan receipt result response from the gaming machine 20 indicating that the number of balls included in the loan notification has been added to the number of game balls, the gaming management unit 18 returns this loan receipt result response to the control unit 17.

[0128] The gaming machine information notification, counting notification, and lending notification are sent consecutively at predetermined short intervals (for example, every 300 ms). In addition, a serial number is assigned to each gaming machine information notification and counting notification, and if there is a loss of notification due to a communication failure or the like, the control unit 17 can detect this loss.

[0129] <Processing pattern related to counting process in the inter-machine card processing machine 10> Next, a description will be given of a processing pattern relating to the counting process in the inter-machine card processor 10. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing pattern relating to the counting process in the inter-machine card processor 10.

[0130] As shown in Figure 10, there are four processing patterns for the counting process. Pattern 1 is a case where no processing is performed even when a notification is received. Specifically, since the number of counted balls in the latest notification (serial number 2) is 0, no processing is performed.

[0131] Pattern 2 shows the case where the received notification is judged to be fraudulent (Part 1). Specifically, the number of counted balls for serial number 2 is 100 (not 0), and the cumulative number of counted balls (100) is the same as the previous value (100) for serial number 1. Therefore, the number of counted balls is judged to be fraudulent, the number of counted balls is discarded, and the number of counted balls is not added to the number of balls held.

[0132] Pattern 3 shows the case where the received notification is judged to be fraudulent (part 2). Specifically, the number of counted balls for serial number 2 is 200 (not 0), the cumulative counted number of balls (200) is not the same as the previous value (serial number 1) (100), and the number of game balls (100) is less than the counted number of balls (200). Therefore, the counted number of balls is judged to be fraudulent, the counted number of balls is discarded, and the counted number of balls is not added to the number of balls held.

[0133] Pattern 4 shows the case where the number of counted balls is added to the number of balls held based on the received notification. Specifically, the number of counted balls for serial number 2 is 100 (not 0), the cumulative number of counted balls (200) is not the same as the previous value (100) for serial number 1, and the number of game balls (110) is greater than or equal to the number of counted balls (100), so the counted number of balls is added to the number of balls held.

[0134] <Processing procedure for counting process of inter-machine card processing machine 10> Next, we will explain the processing procedure for the counting process of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. Figure 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure for the counting process of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. Note that the same processing is also performed in a test mode at closing time, in which operation is checked while the gaming facility is closed.

[0135] When the inter-machine card processor 10 receives the number of gaming balls from the gaming machine 20 (step S101; Yes), it stores the received number of gaming balls in the number-of-game balls data 16c (step S102).

[0136] Next, if a notification including the counted number of balls and the cumulative counted number of balls is not received from the gaming machine 20 (step S103; No), the process proceeds to step S110. On the other hand, if a notification including the counted number of balls and the cumulative counted number of balls is received from the gaming machine 20 (step S103; Yes), the received counted number of balls and the cumulative counted number of balls are stored in the count data 16d (step S104).

[0137] If the number of counted balls is 0 (Step S105; Yes), proceed to Step S110. If the number of counted balls is not 0 (Step S105; No) and the cumulative counted number of balls is the same as the previous cumulative counted number of balls (Step S106; Yes), it is determined that there is fraud in the counted number of balls, and the counted number of balls is cleared (Step S109), and proceed to Step S110.

[0138] If the number of counted balls is not 0 (step S105; No) and the cumulative counted number of balls is not the same as the cumulative counted number of balls previously (step S106; No), the number of game balls is compared with the counted number of balls (step S107).

[0139] If the number of game balls is less than the counted number of balls (step S107; No), it is determined that there is fraud in the counted number of balls, and the number of game balls is cleared (step S109), and the process proceeds to step S110. If the number of game balls is equal to or greater than the counted number of balls (step S107; Yes), the counted number of balls is added to the number of balls held (step S108).

[0140] If the store closing process has not started (step S110; No), the process proceeds to step S101. If the store closing process has started (step S110; Yes), the process ends.

[0141] As described above, in this embodiment, the number of game balls, the number of counted balls, and the cumulative number of counted balls notified from the gaming machine to the machine-to-machine card processing machine are used to determine whether there is any fraud in the counted number of balls, and the counted number of balls is added to the number of balls held only if there is no fraud, so that fraud regarding the number of gaming media on the gaming machine can be efficiently detected.

[0142] In the above embodiment, we have described a case where the number of counted balls notified by the machine-to-machine card processing machine is discarded if there is any fraud in the data notified from the gaming machine, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to notify a designated management device of the number of counted balls to be discarded, and to manage data related to fraud in the designated management device.

[0143] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration was described in which the presence or absence of tampering in the counted number of balls notified from the gaming machine was determined by comparing the number of game balls with the number of counted balls, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the determination can also be made by comparing the number of balls obtained by adding the number of game balls to a predetermined reference value X (including negative values) with the number of counted balls. In this case, if the difference between the number of game balls and the counted number of balls is less than the predetermined reference value X (number of game balls - number of counted balls < reference value X), the counted number of balls will be determined to be tampering.

[0144] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a configuration was described that targets an enclosed gaming machine that uses gaming balls, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be configured to target an enclosed slot machine gaming machine.

[0145] Furthermore, the components illustrated in the above embodiments are merely functional schematics and are not necessarily physically configured as shown. In other words, the distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of the devices can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc. [Industrial Applicability]

[0146] The gaming system, gaming device, and fraud detection method according to the present invention are suitable for efficiently detecting fraud relating to the number of gaming media in a managed gaming machine. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 10 Inter-machine card processing machines 11 Status display section 12 Banknote transport section 12a Bill insertion slot 13 Display operation section 14 Reader / Writer 14a Card slot 14b Holding section 15 Communications Department 16 Memory section 16a Device status data 16b Card Data 16c Game ball count data 16d Counting Data 17 Control Unit 17a Own device management section 17b Card Data Management Section 17c Gaming Machine Data Management Department 17d Judgment section 18 Gaming Management Department 18a Authentication processing section 18b Authentication key management unit 18c Gaming Machine Status Management Department 20 Gaming machines 21 Handle 22 Count button 23 Communication control section 24 Production Control Unit 24a Design lottery section 24b Production Lottery Section 25 Game control unit 26 Game ball control unit 26a Game Ball Management Department 26b Accounting Management Department 27 Gaming Management Department 27a Notification section 27b Receiving unit 30 Island Controller 50 Management device 51 Display section 52 Input section 53 External Network Communication Unit 54 Store Network Communications Department 55 Storage section 55a Card Management Data 55b Equipment Management Data 55c Membership Management Data 56 Control Unit 56a Card Management Department 56b Equipment management department 56c Membership Management Department 60 Prize Management Device 70 Payment machine

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising: an enclosed management gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides a game using the first number of gaming media; and a gaming device that is attached to the management gaming machine and manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred between the first number of gaming media and the second number of gaming media, The gaming device comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media among the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transferred gaming media for a predetermined period; a determination means for determining whether or not there is fraud relating to the number of transferred game media based on the first number of game media, the number of transferred game media, and the cumulative number of transferred game media acquired by the acquisition means; a transfer means for transferring the number of transferred game media to the second number of game media when the determination means determines that no fraud has occurred; A gaming system comprising:

2. The determination means The gaming system described in claim 1, characterized in that if the number of transferred gaming media is not 0, the cumulative number of transferred gaming media is not the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred gaming media, and the first number of gaming media is less than the number of transferred gaming media, it is determined that there is fraud regarding the number of transferred gaming media.

3. The determination means A gaming system as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that if the number of transferred gaming media is not 0, the cumulative number of transferred gaming media is not the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred gaming media, and the first number of gaming media is equal to or greater than the number of transferred gaming media, it is determined that there is no fraud related to the number of transferred gaming media.

4. The determination means A gaming system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that if the number of transferred gaming media is not 0 and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media is the same as the most recent cumulative number of transferred gaming media, it is determined that there is fraud related to the number of transferred gaming media.

5. The determination means 3. The gaming system according to claim 2, wherein if the number of transferred gaming media is 0, the presence or absence of fraud relating to the number of transferred gaming media is not determined.

6. The transition means is A gaming system as described in claim 2 or 4, characterized in that if the determination means determines that there is fraud regarding the number of transferred gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media is not added to the second number of gaming media.

7. A gaming device that is attached to an enclosed management gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides a game using the first number of gaming media, and that manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred to and from the first number of gaming media, an acquisition means for acquiring from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, the number of transferred gaming media among the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and the cumulative number of transferred gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transferred gaming media for a predetermined period; a determination means for determining whether or not there is fraud relating to the number of transferred game media based on the first number of game media, the number of transferred game media, and the cumulative number of transferred game media acquired by the acquisition means; a transfer means for transferring the number of transferred game media to the second number of game media when the determination means determines that no fraud has occurred; A gaming device comprising:

8. A fraud detection method for a gaming system having an enclosed managed gaming machine that stores a first number of gaming media used in a game and provides a game using the first number of gaming media, and a gaming device that is attached to the managed gaming machine and manages a second number of gaming media that can be transferred between the first number of gaming media and the second number of gaming media, comprising: an acquisition step in which the gaming device acquires from the managed gaming machine the first number of gaming media, the number of transfer gaming media among the first number of gaming media that will be transferred to the second number of gaming media, and the cumulative number of transfer gaming media obtained by accumulating the number of transfer gaming media for a predetermined period; a determination step in which the gaming device determines whether or not there is any fraud relating to the number of transferred game media based on the first number of game media, the number of transferred game media, and the cumulative number of transferred game media acquired in the acquisition step; a transfer step of the gaming device transferring the number of transferred gaming media to the second number of gaming media when it is determined by the determination step that no fraud has occurred; A fraud detection method comprising:

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