Gaming system and method for providing incentives for transferring funds to and from a mobile device

• US 10,217,317 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dwayne R., Higgins, Kevin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pierce, Damon
• Application Number:
  US15/232,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20180047249A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to gaming systems and methods for providing one or more incentives to a player in association with a mobile device facilitated transfer of funds to an electronic gaming machine and/or from the electronic gaming machine.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

responsive to data associated with a mobile device application of a mobile device being wirelessly received from the mobile device and an incentive triggering event separately occurring in association with accessing a cashless wagering account via the mobile device application of the mobile device;

determine an incentive, and

cause the at least one display device to display the determined incentive, and

responsive to a wager being placed in association with a play of a game;

deduct the placed wager from a credit balance,

determine a game outcome,

cause the at least one display device to display the determined game outcome,

determine any award associated with the determined game outcome,

cause the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, and

modify the credit balance based on any determined award associated with the determined game outcome.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the incentive is selected from the group consisting of:

a modification of the determined game outcome for the play of the game, a modification of the determined award for the play of the game, a modification of a paytable employed in association with the play of the game, an award independent of the play of the game, access to at least one secondary game, and access to a service independent of the play of the game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the incentive includes utilizing the mobile device as at least one of:

an input device, an additional display device, and an output device.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the incentive triggering event occurs responsive to a player satisfying at least one criteria in addition to accessing the cashless wagering account via the mobile device application of the mobile device.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor responsive to data associated with the mobile device application of the mobile device being wirelessly received from the mobile device and no incentive triggering event occurring in association with the mobile device application, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to not determine any incentive associated with the received data.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

wirelessly receive, from the mobile device, data associated with the cashless wagering account accessed via the mobile device application of the mobile device,

request, from a cashless wagering server, an amount of funds from the cashless wagering account, said amount of funds being determined in association with the mobile device application of the mobile device, and

responsive to the requested amount of funds being approved from the cashless wagering server;

modify the credit balance based on the requested amount of funds, and

cause a wireless transmission of data to the mobile device, said data associated with a fund transfer confirmation to be displayed by the mobile device.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a balance of the cashless wagering account is viewable via the mobile device application.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the data is wirelessly received from and wirelessly transmitted to the mobile device via a wireless protocol selected from the group consisting of:

a near field communication protocol, a WiFi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a mobile device network protocol.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, modify the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance to the cashless wagering account accessible via the mobile device application of the mobile device.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:

responsive to a first physical item being received via the acceptor, modify the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received first physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout of a second physical device having a monetary value associated with the credit balance.

11. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

responsive to data associated a mobile device application of a mobile device being wirelessly received from the mobile device and an incentive triggering event separately occurring in association with accessing a cashless wagering account via the mobile device application of the mobile device;

determining an incentive, and

displaying, by at least one display device, the determined incentive, and

responsive to a wager being placed in association with a play of a game;

deducting the placed wager from a credit balance,

determining, by at least one processor, a game outcome,

displaying, by the at least one display device, the determined game outcome,

determining, by the at least one processor, any award associated with the determined game outcome,

displaying, by the at least one display device, any determined award associated with the determined game outcome, and

modifying, by the at least one processor, the credit balance based on any determined award associated with the determined game outcome.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the incentive is selected from the group consisting of:

a modification of the determined game outcome for the play of the game, a modification of the determined award for the play of the game, a modification of a paytable employed in association with the play of the game, an award independent of the play of the game, access to at least one secondary game, and access to a service independent of the play of the game.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the incentive includes utilizing the mobile device as at least one of:

an input device, an additional display device, and an output device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the incentive triggering event occurs responsive to a player satisfying at least one criteria in addition to accessing the cashless wagering account via the mobile device application of the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising not determining any incentive associated with the received data responsive to data associated with the mobile device application of the mobile device being wirelessly received from the mobile device and no incentive triggering event occurring in association with the mobile device application.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

wirelessly receiving, from the mobile device, data associated with the cashless wagering account accessed via the mobile device application of the mobile device,

requesting, by the at least one processor and from a cashless wagering server, an amount of funds from the cashless wagering account, said amount of funds being determined in association with the mobile device application of the mobile device, and

responsive to the requested amount of funds being approved from the cashless wagering server;

modifying the credit balance based on the requested amount of funds, and

causing a wireless transmission of data to the mobile device, said data associated with a fund transfer confirmation to be displayed by the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a balance of the cashless wagering account is viewable via the mobile device application.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the data is wirelessly received from and wirelessly transmitted to the mobile device via a wireless protocol selected from the group consisting of:

a near field communication protocol, a WiFi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, and a mobile device network protocol.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor, modifying, by the at least one processor, the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and

responsive to a cashout input being received, causing, by the at least one processor, an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance to the cashless wagering account accessible via the mobile device application of the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

responsive to a first physical item being received via an acceptor, modifying, by the at least one processor, the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received first physical item, and

responsive to a cashout input being received, causing, by the at least one processor, an initiation of any payout of a second physical device having a monetary value associated with the credit balance.