System and method for measuring gaming player behavior

• US 10,553,072 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2017
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henry, Thomas H
• Application Number:
  US15/496,687
• Publication Number:
  US 20170228977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to analyzing recorded game information to determine information about a player'"'"'s behavior. This is accomplished by analyzing the player'"'"'s actions following a positive increase in credits within credit meter data. This analysis can be utilized in automatically altering a game parameter of the gaming device being played by the player or in providing operators trend information that can be used in modifying the game device or designing future gaming devices. An analysis station may be included in a gaming system using this analysis process to allow an operator to view and manipulate a graphical representation of the credit meter data.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a paytable of a game played on an electronic gaming device based on play of repeated instances of the game, the electronic gaming device being of the type having a credit meter that records positive increases of credits applied by a player and as a result of awards and a negative decrease of credits as a result of a wager made by the player, the electronic gaming device including:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, the plurality of input devices including a physical item acceptor and at least one of;

a touch screen or at least one button; and

an electronic processing device supported by the housing, the electronic processing device configured to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices to receive currency via the physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value, and to receive, via at least one of the plurality of input devices, a wager based at least in part on the monetary value, the method comprising;

retrieving, via a processor in communication with the electronic gaming device, a session report including credit meter data associated with repeated instances of the game played during a gaming session by the player, the credit meter data including each change in value on the credit meter;

receiving wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

initiating an instance of the game on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

generating a random outcome for each instance of the game comprising a plurality of symbols based on the paytable in the electronic gaming device for at least some of each instance of the game played;

displaying the outcome for each instance of the game comprising the plurality of symbols on the display device each time an instance of the game is played;

associating each wager that results in a winning outcome for each instance of the game with the amount of an award resulting from the instance of the game on which the winning wager was made;

associating each wager that results in a losing outcome for each instance of the game with an indication of a loss for the instance of the game on which the losing wager was made;

including the associated wagers and the amounts awarded for winning outcomes in the session report;

including the associated wagers and loss indications for losing outcomes in the session report;

identifying repeated positive increases of credits within the credit meter data;

associating each identified increase with a corresponding instance of the game in which the credits increased;

determining that the repeated positive increases of credits resulted from repeated increases in the amount wagered by comparing the credit meter with the game outcome for each positive increase;

determining at least one player action on the electronic gaming device, namely at least one of an average length of play session of the player or an average spend per play session of the player;

drawing at least one inference regarding player preference based on the determined at least one player action, namely that the player has not yet but is likely to discontinue play of the game on the electronic gaming device;

automatically raising the payback percentage by modifying the paytable for at least one instance of the game played on an electronic gaming device in response to the inference; and

permitting the player to cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter after each instance of the game played via at least one of a ticket printed by a ticket printer associated with the electronic gaming device or a coin hopper associated with the electronic gaming device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the amplitude of the positive increases of credits.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising measuring the range between sequential positive increases of credits.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein drawing at least one inference includes drawing the at least one inference based on the determined player actions and at least one of associated amplitude measurement or associated range measurement.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising graphing the credit meter data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the credit meter data is graphed versus played instances of the game.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the credit meter data is graphed versus time.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the session report is retrieved for an identified player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying positive increases of credits within the credit meter data includes identifying positive increase of credits above a predefined threshold within the credit meter data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predefined threshold is a positive increase of credits greater than a wager amount associated with an instance of the game corresponding to the positive increase of credits.

11. A method of modifying a paytable of a game played on an electronic gaming device in response to actions of a player playing repeated instances of the game on the electronic gaming device, the electronic gaming device including:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, the plurality of input devices including a physical item acceptor and at least one of;

a touch screen or at least one button; and

an electronic processing device supported by the housing, the electronic processing device configured to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices to receive currency via the physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value, and to receive, via at least one of the plurality of input devices, a wager based at least in part on the monetary value, the method comprising;

recording changes in magnitude of a credit meter responsive to credits applied to the credit meter by the player, credits deducted from the credit meter as a result of wagers on each instance of the game, and awards applied to the credit meter;

retrieving, via a processor in communication with the electronic gaming device, a session report including each change in value on the credit meter associated with a gaming session;

receiving wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

initiating an instance of the game on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

generating a random game outcome comprising a plurality of symbols based on a paytable in the electronic gaming device for at least some of each instance of the game played;

displaying a game outcome comprising the plurality of symbols on the display device each time an instance of the game is played;

generating associated wager data comprising;

each wager that results in a winning outcome associated with the amount of an award resulting from an instance of the game on which the winning wager was made; and

each wager that results in a losing outcome associated with an indication of a loss for an instance of the game on which the losing wager was made;

including the associated wagers and award amounts resulting in a winning outcome in the session report;

including the associated wagers and loss indications for losing outcome in the session report;

identifying at least one action taken by a player immediately following repeated positive increases of credits resulting from increases in the amount wagered within the credit meter magnitude changes and the associated wager data, namely a reduced wager amount;

drawing at least one inference regarding player preference based on the identified at least one action, namely that the player has not yet but is likely to discontinue play of the game on the electronic gaming device;

automatically raising the payback percentage by modifying the paytable for at least one instance of a game played on an electronic gaming device in response to the inference; and

permitting the player to cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter after each game played via at least one of a ticket printed by a ticket printer associated with the electronic gaming device or a coin hopper associated with the electronic gaming device.