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

• US 10,699,527 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2019
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Higgins, Kevin, Petersen, Erik, Shepherd, Jeffery
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US16/529,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20190355211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 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 that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor responsive to receipt of an input to cashout a credit balance, cause the processor to;

determine a first amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a first funding source,

transmit data associated with the first amount of credits to the first funding source,

determine a second amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a second, different funding source, and

transmit data associated with the second amount of credits to the second, different funding source.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first funding source is associated with a first funding source meter and the second funding source is associated with a second, different funding source meter.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the transmission of data associated with the first amount of credits to the first funding source results in a modification of the first funding source meter and the transmission of data associated with the second amount of credits to the second, different funding source results in a modification of the second funding source meter.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first funding source comprises one of:

a cashless wagering account, a credit card account, a debit card account, an amount of cash, an amount previously associated with a ticket voucher, and an amount won in association with a play of a game.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second funding source comprises another one of:

the cashless wagering account, the credit card account, the debit card account, the amount of cash, the amount previously associated with the ticket voucher, and the amount won in association with the play of the game.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor responsive to a game triggering event which occurs prior to the cashout event, the instructions cause the processor to modify the credit balance based on a wager amount placed on a play of a game and determine an award associated with the play of the game.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the determined first amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with the first funding source and the determined second amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with the second, different funding source are determined based on a predefined funding source depletion priority.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the predefined funding source depletion priority prioritizes depleting gaming establishment external funding sources over depleting gaming establishment internal funding sources.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the processor responsive to receipt of the input to cashout the credit balance, the instructions cause the processor to determine a third amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a third funding source and transmit data associated with the third amount of credits to the third funding source.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a payment acceptor, wherein when executed by the processor, the plurality of instructions cause the processor to:

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

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

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

maintain a balance of funds associated with a plurality of different funding sources, each funding source associated with an individual funding source meter,

responsive to a modification in the balance of funds, modify at least one of the individual funding source meters associated with at least one of the plurality of different funding sources, and

responsive to an occurrence of a cashout event, for each of the plurality of different funding sources;

determine an amount of the individual funding source meter associated with that funding source, and

transmit data associated with the determined amount to that funding source.

12. A method of operating a system, the method comprising:

responsive to receipt of an input to cashout a credit balance;

determining, by a processor, a first amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a first funding source,

transmitting data associated with the first amount of credits to the first funding source,

determining, by the processor, a second amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a second, different funding source, and

transmitting data associated with the second amount of credits to the second, different funding source.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first funding source is associated with a first funding source meter and the second funding source is associated with a second, different funding source meter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmission of data associated with the first amount of credits to the first funding source results in a modification of the first funding source meter and the transmission of data associated with the second amount of credits to the second, different funding source results in a modification of the second funding source meter.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first funding source comprises one of:

a cashless wagering account, a credit card account, a debit card account, an amount of cash, an amount previously associated with a ticket voucher, and an amount won in association with a play of a game.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second funding source comprises another one of:

the cashless wagering account, the credit card account, the debit card account, the amount of cash, the amount previously associated with the ticket voucher, and the amount won in association with the play of the game.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to a game triggering event which occurs prior to the cashout event, modifying, by the processor, the credit balance based on a wager amount placed on a play of a game and determining an award associated with the play of the game.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the determined first amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with the first funding source and the determined second amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with the second, different funding source are determined based on a predefined funding source depletion priority.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the predefined funding source depletion priority prioritizes depleting gaming establishment external funding sources over depleting gaming establishment internal funding sources.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising, responsive to receipt of the input to cashout the credit balance, determining, by the processor, a third amount of credits of the credit balance that are associated with a third funding source and transmitting data associated with the third amount of credits to the third funding source.