System and method for tracking fund transfers between an electronic gaming machine and a plurality of funding sources

• US 10,373,430 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Higgins, Kevin, Petersen, Erik, Shepherd, Jeffery
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US15/668,336
• Publication Number:
  US 20190043308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 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 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• 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 17/3244 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 utilizes a mobile device to facilitate the transfer of funds from a cashless wagering account to an EGM while tracking the source of such funds in association with the transfer and in association with one or more events occurring on the EGM.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor; and

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

wirelessly receive, from a mobile device;

data associated with a cashless wagering account accessed via a mobile device application of the mobile device, and

data associated with an amount of credits determined in association with the mobile device application of the mobile device, wherein the amount of credits is associated with a plurality of different funding sources,

request, from a cashless wagering server, the amount of credits from the cashless wagering account, and

responsive to an approval of the requested amount of credits from the cashless wagering server;

modify a credit balance based on the requested amount of credits,

enable a player to place a wager on a play of a game using at least one of the credits,

modify a first funding source meter associated with a first one of the plurality of different funding sources based on the placed wager, and

determine any award for the play of the game.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor responsive to an award being determined for the play of the game, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to modify a second funding source meter associated with a second funding source based on the determined award.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the second funding source is one of the plurality of different funding sources.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to modify a second funding source meter associated with a second, different one of the plurality of different funding sources based on the placed wager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to select the first funding source meter to modify based on a predefined priority of the plurality of different funding sources to deplete.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined priority of the plurality of different funding sources to deplete prioritizes depleting gaming establishment external funding sources over depleting gaming establishment internal funding sources.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor responsive to a cashout event, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to track any credits of the credit balance in association with any of the plurality of different funding sources.

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

9. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor responsive to a request to cashout the credit balance to the cashless wagering account being received, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to cause a wireless transmission to the cashless wagering server of an amount of the credit balance.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the request to cashout the credit balance to the cashless wagering account is associated with data wirelessly received from the mobile device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the data 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.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to:

responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor, modify the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item.

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

wirelessly receiving, from a mobile device;

data associated with a cashless wagering account accessed via a mobile device application of the mobile device, and

data associated with an amount of credits determined in association with the mobile device application of the mobile device, wherein the amount of credits is associated with a plurality of different funding sources,

requesting, from a cashless wagering server, the amount of credits from the cashless wagering account, and

responsive to an approval of the requested amount of credits from the cashless wagering server;

modifying, by a processor, a credit balance based on the requested amount of credits,

enabling a player to place a wager on a play of a game using at least one of the credits,

modifying, by the processor, a first funding source meter associated with a first one of the plurality of different funding sources based on the placed wager, and

determining, by the processor, any award for the play of the game.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to an award being determined for the play of the game, modifying, by the processor, a second funding source meter associated with a second funding source based on the determined award.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second funding source is one of the plurality of different funding sources.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising modifying, by the processor, a second funding source meter associated with a second, different one of the plurality of different funding sources based on the placed wager.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising selecting, by the processor, the first funding source meter to modify based on a predefined priority of the plurality of different funding sources to deplete.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined priority of the plurality of different funding sources to deplete prioritizes depleting gaming establishment external funding sources over depleting gaming establishment internal funding sources.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to a cashout event, tracking, by the processor, any credits of the credit balance in association with any of the plurality of different funding sources.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein a balance of the cashless wagering account is viewable via the mobile device application.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to a request to cashout the credit balance to the cashless wagering account being received, causing a wireless transmission to the cashless wagering server of an amount of the credit balance.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the request to cashout the credit balance to the cashless wagering account is associated with data wirelessly received from the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the data 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.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising, responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor, modifying the credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item.