System and method for providing a gaming establishment account pre-approved access to funds

• US 10,360,761 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Higgins, Kevin, Shepherd, Jeffery
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US15/668,317
• Publication Number:
  US 20190043307A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/28 Pre-payment schemes, e.g. "pay before"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to a system that enables funds attempted to be transferred into the system from one or more funding sources to be used in association with various system components prior to the fund transfers being completed by such funding sources.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a gaming establishment component processor; and

a gaming establishment component memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the gaming establishment component processor, cause the gaming establishment component processor to;

receive data associated with a requested amount of funds to be electronically transferred from an external account to a gaming establishment account,

responsive to a determination that the external account is associated with a designated period of time to complete an electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds and following a credit approval event, prior to an occurrence of an external account transaction completion event associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds;

establish a line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds, and

modify a balance of the gaming establishment account based on the established line of credit, wherein said modification occurs independent of the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, and

responsive to the determination that the external account is associated with the designated period of time to complete the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds and following a credit disapproval event, not establish a line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to modify the balance of the gaming establishment account by enabling a player to draw from the established line of credit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to close the established line of credit.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to modify the balance of the gaming establishment account with any amounts remaining in the established line of credit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to designate the established line of credit as being in default.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to modify the balance of the gaming establishment account with any amounts remaining in the gaming establishment account transferred from the established line of credit.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming establishment component processor is selected from the group consisting of:

part of a controller of a cashless wagering system, part of a controller of a gaming establishment retail system, part of a controller of a gaming establishment credit system, and part of a controller of a gaming establishment fund management system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming establishment account is selected from the group consisting of:

a cashless wagering account, a gaming establishment retail account, and a gaming establishment fund management account.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the requested amount of funds electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account is received in association with a mobile device application of a mobile device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the requested amount of funds transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account is wirelessly communicated via a wireless protocol selected from the group consisting of:

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

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

receiving data associated with a requested amount of funds to be electronically transferred from an external account to a gaming establishment account,

responsive to a determination that the external account is associated with a designated period of time to complete an electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds and following a credit approval event, prior to an occurrence of an external account transaction completion event associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds;

establishing, by a processor, a line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds, and

modifying, by the processor, a balance of the gaming establishment account based on the established line of credit, wherein said modification occurs independent of the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, and

responsive to the determination that the external account is associated with the designated period of time to complete the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds and following a credit disapproval event, not establishing, by the processor, a line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying, by the processor, the balance of the gaming establishment account by enabling a player to draw from the established line of credit.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, closing, by the processor, the established line of credit.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account, modifying, by the processor, the balance of the gaming establishment account with any amounts remaining in the established line of credit.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account, designating, by the processor, the established line of credit as being in default.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and responsive to the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account, modifying, by the processor, the balance of the gaming establishment account with any amounts remaining in the gaming establishment account transferred from the established line of credit.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the processor is selected from the group consisting of:

part of a controller of a cashless wagering method, part of a controller of a gaming establishment retail method, part of a controller of a gaming establishment credit method, and part of a controller of a gaming establishment fund management method.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the gaming establishment account is selected from the group consisting of:

a cashless wagering account, a gaming establishment retail account, and a gaming establishment fund management account.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the data associated with the requested amount of funds electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account is received in association with a mobile device application of a mobile device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the data associated with the requested amount of funds transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account is wirelessly communicated via a wireless protocol selected from the group consisting of:

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