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

• US 10,546,463 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2019
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• 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:
  US16/512,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20190340875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 196 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 that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the gaming establishment component processor after an establishment of a line of credit associated with an electronic transfer of a requested amount of funds to a gaming establishment account from an external account associated with a designated period of time to complete the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds, cause the gaming establishment component processor to;

responsive to an external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, close the established line of credit, and

responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, designate the established line of credit as being in default.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the establishment of the line of credit occurs following a credit approval event and prior to the occurrence of the external account transaction completion event associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds.

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

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the gaming establishment component processor responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to recover any amounts remaining in the gaming establishment account that were transferred from 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 the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, the plurality of instructions cause the gaming establishment component processor to communicate data associated with the default line of credit to a credit reporting system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a balance of the gaming establishment account is modified 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.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming establishment component processor is at least one 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 at least one of:

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

9. The system of claim 1, wherein data associated with the requested amount of funds is received in association with a mobile device application of a mobile device.

10. A system comprising:

a gaming establishment component processor; and

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

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

establish a line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested first amount of funds to the first gaming establishment account, wherein a balance of the first gaming establishment account is modifiable based on the established line of credit, and any modification of the first gaming establishment account based on the established line of credit occurs independent of the requested first amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account to the first gaming establishment account, and

responsive to the determination that the external account is associated with the designated period of time to complete the electronic transfer of a requested second amount of funds to a second, different gaming establishment account and prior to an occurrence of a second external account transaction completion event associated with the electronic transfer of the requested second amount of funds to the second, different gaming establishment account, not establish any line of credit associated with the electronic transfer of the requested second amount of funds to the second, different gaming establishment account.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the requested first amount of funds equals the requested second amount of funds.

12. A method of operating a system after an establishment of a line of credit associated with an electronic transfer of a requested amount of funds to a gaming establishment account from an external account associated with a designated period of time to complete the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds, the method comprising:

responsive to an external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, closing, by a gaming establishment component processor, the established line of credit, and

responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, designating, by the gaming establishment component processor, the established line of credit as being in default.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the establishment of the line of credit occurs following a credit approval event and prior to the occurrence of the external account transaction completion event associated with the electronic transfer of the requested amount of funds.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, modifying, by the gaming establishment component processor, a balance of the gaming establishment account with any amounts remaining in the established line of credit.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, recovering, by the gaming establishment component processor, any amounts remaining in the gaming establishment account that were transferred from the established line of credit.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to the external account transaction completion event and the requested amount of funds not being electronically transferred from the external account to the gaming establishment account, communicating data associated with the default line of credit to a credit reporting system.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a balance of the gaming establishment account is modified 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.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the gaming establishment component processor is at least one 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.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the gaming establishment account is at least one of:

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

20. The method of claim 12, wherein data associated with the requested amount of funds is received in association with a mobile device application of a mobile device.