Slot Machine Promotional System for Non-Carded Player Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Casinos face challenges in tracking and rewarding non-carded players' gaming activities, as their play history is not recorded, leading to missed opportunities for personalized messages and bonus offers, and these players are not incentivized to join loyalty programs.
Innovation Solution
A system that issues tickets to players, tracks their play history across multiple gaming machines, and awards comp points based on their wagering activity, even if they don't use a comp card, allowing redemption of these points when the ticket is cashed in at a ticket redemption machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If casinos use comp cards to track player activities, then player loyalty programs can be effectively managed, but non-carded players' gaming activities cannot be tracked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces tickets as an intermediary object between the player and the tracking system. Instead of requiring direct interaction with comp cards, the system uses tickets that players receive after gaming sessions. These tickets contain encoded play history information that can be scanned and processed, thereby tracking non-carded players' activities without requiring them to carry or use loyalty cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical comp card system with an electronic ticket-based system. The ticket redemption machine uses optical scanning or barcode reading technology to automatically capture and process play history information, eliminating the need for manual card insertion and processing. This substitution enables automated tracking of non-carded players through electronic means.
2Quantity of substance
If casinos require comp card usage for tracking, then loyalty program data is collected, but non-carded players are not incentivized to join
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking and data collection during the gaming session itself, before the player needs to join any loyalty program. The ticket is generated and contains play history information automatically, so when the player later redeems the ticket, the casino already has their play data and can offer targeted incentives to join the loyalty program based on this pre-collected information.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback to players by showing them their play history and potential comp points earned when they redeem tickets. This feedback mechanism demonstrates the value of participation and incentivizes non-carded players to join the loyalty program to continue receiving such benefits and personalized offers.
3Loss of information
If a ticket chain is used to track play history, then comprehensive player data is obtained, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the ticket redemption machine: it scans tickets, retrieves play history from the database, calculates comp points, displays targeted messages, and processes redemptions all in one device. This consolidation simplifies the overall system architecture compared to having separate systems for each function, while still maintaining comprehensive tracking capabilities through the ticket chain mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to tracking a playing history chain of a cashless ticket. When an uncarded player first plays a slot machine and proceeds to cash out, inserts the latest ticket into another machine, plays, cashes out, inserts the latest ticket into yet another machine, plays, cashes out, etc., the entire chain of play can be automatically tracked. When the player redeems the ticket at a ticket redemption machine, the player can be presented with a message as to how many comp points the player would have earned had the player had and used a comp card. The player can also be presented with a voucher to be awarded the comp points if the player signs up for the casino's players (or slot) club.