Centralized Player Tracking System for Cross-Enterprise Bonus Programs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gaming bonus programs require substantial infrastructure investment, limit participation to single enterprises, are not easily customizable, and often incentivize players based on game outcomes rather than time, which can alter gameplay behavior and payback margins.
Innovation Solution
A multi-property inter-enterprise player tracking system that allows smaller enterprises to offer customizable bonus programs across different gaming establishments by using a centralized database to track and reward player activity, enabling participation across multiple locations and defining bonuses based on predetermined time periods, with hardware and software modules for enrollment, tracking, and redemption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secure dedicated network infrastructure is implemented to track customer activity, then customer activity tracking capability is improved, but infrastructure investment cost increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized bonus management system that acts as an intermediary between gaming devices and the enterprise network. This system receives game outcome data from gaming devices through existing communication channels (without requiring dedicated secure networks), processes bonus qualifications centrally, and manages bonus awards. This intermediary approach enables reliable tracking of customer activity across multiple enterprises while avoiding the need for each enterprise to invest in substantial dedicated network infrastructure.
2Device complexity
If bonus programs are limited to single enterprise participation, then infrastructure investment is reduced, but bonus program versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal bonus management system that can serve multiple independent enterprises simultaneously. The centralized system maintains player accounts and bonus qualifications across enterprise boundaries, allowing players to earn and redeem bonuses at any participating enterprise. The system universally applies bonus rules and tracks player activity across the entire network of participating enterprises, enabling small enterprises to offer multi-enterprise bonus programs without bearing the full infrastructure cost individually.
3Manufacturing precision
If bonuses are qualified based on game outcomes within a specified number of hands, then payback margins can be precisely defined, but player play rate increases are not encouraged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic bonus qualification criteria that can adapt between different time-based and outcome-based models. The system allows operators to configure bonuses that qualify based on game outcomes within specified time periods (e.g., hourly, daily rates), rather than fixed hand counts. This dynamic approach enables precise control over payback margins through configurable time windows and outcome requirements, while simultaneously encouraging higher play rates by allowing bonuses to accumulate over time regardless of immediate outcome variations.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for tracking play of a game is disclosed. A first set of game outcomes from play of a game associated with a first enterprise is received and stored in a database. A second set of game outcomes from play of a second game associated with a second enterprise independent from the first enterprise is received and stored in the database.