Responsible gaming system

• US 20040121841A1
• Filed: 12/20/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited
• Original Assignee: Tech Link International Entertainment Limited
• Inventors: Mackenzie, Robert, Xidos, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,470,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/40
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

The invention relates generally to a gaming system distributed across both local (LAN) and wide (WAN) area networks that enables responsible gaming for its users. More specifically, the invention provides a system and method that requires users to register with the system and which thereafter enables the users to set time-based or money-based gaming limitations that will exclude them from the system if these limitations are realized. The system may be deployed across one or more jurisdictions, such as states, provinces, regions or countries.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a central administrative system (CAS) for receiving and verifying the uniqueness of biometric information received from a user with respect to a central database storing coded biometric data from multiple users;

at least one biometric enrolment system operatively connected to the CAS for receiving and coding biometric information from a user at a remote location for submission to the CAS, the biometric enrolment system also for receiving verification from the CAS of the uniqueness of a user and for providing the user with a registration ID; and

,

at least one gaming device operatively connected to the CAS for providing gaming to a user, the gaming device operative to a user only upon user entry of the registration ID.

2. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the CAS includes a self-exclusion system enabling a user to selectively set a time-based limit or a money-based gaming limit for use of the system.

3. A gaming system as in claim 2 wherein the self-exclusion system allows a user to selectively set a time-based limit for the amount of time spent using the gaming system and the time-based limit can be selected from any one of or a combination of discrete time values including a day, week, month, year or scheduled time.

4. A gaming system as in claim 2 wherein the self-exclusion system allows a user to selectively set a money-based limit for any one of or a combination of discrete time values including a day, week, month or year.

5. A gaming system as in claim 2 wherein the self-exclusion system includes an immediate self-exclusion function accessible to a user from a gaming device.

6. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the at least gaming device is selected from any one of or a combination of a video lottery terminal, live casino games or home or hotel computer systems supporting gaming.

7. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the CAS maintains financial account information for each user of the system.

8. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the CAS maintains a system account having financial account information for each user of the system and wherein a user'"'"'s financial account information is accessible to a user in real-time from a gaming device.

9. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the CAS includes a biometric information database including the coded biometric information from users.

10. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the biometric enrolment system includes at least one enrolment unit having a biometric scanning device for receiving biometric data from a user.

11. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the gaming system includes a plurality of remote locations each having individual biometric enrolment systems.

12. A gaming system as in claim 8 wherein a remote location further includes at least one funds kiosk enabling a user to credit money to their system account or debit money from their system account.

13. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the gaming system is deployed across both a wide area network (WAN) and at least one local area network (LAN).

14. A gaming system as in claim 13 wherein the gaming system is deployed across multiple jurisdictions with separate LANs in each jurisdiction.

15. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the CAS is operatively connected to the at least one gaming device over the internet.

16. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein at least one gaming device is in a non-secure location.

17. A gaming system as in claim 1 wherein the registration ID includes a personal identification number (PIN).

18. A gaming system as in claim 8 wherein the CAS monitors credits and debits to the user'"'"'s system account during gaming and wherein each gaming device supports any one of or a combination of cash-based or electronic-based transactions.

19. A gaming system as in claim 18 wherein each gaming device supports any one of or a combination of phone cards, debit cards, credit cards, smart cards or bar-coded, numbered or magnetic stripe vouchers for providing money credits to a user'"'"'s system account.

20. A method of enrolling users with a gaming system comprising the steps of:

obtaining biometric information from a user;

submitting the biometric information to a database storing biometric information data from multiple users;

verifying the uniqueness of the biometric information;

issuing the user with a gaming system registration ID if the biometric information is verified as unique.

21. A method as in claim 20 wherein the biometric information obtained from a user is coded prior to submission to the database and the verifying and issuing steps relate to coded biometric information.

22. A method as in claim 20 further comprising the step of destroying the biometric information from a user before, during or after issuing the user with a gaming system registration ID.

23. A method as in claim 20 further comprising the step of verifying photo identification of the user by gaming system personnel prior to obtaining biometric information from the user.

24. A method as in claim 20 wherein the gaming system registration system does not record any personal information about a user.

25. A method of verifying a user as a registered user of a gaming system comprising the steps of:

requesting a user enter a gaming system registration ID into a gaming device;

submitting the gaming system registration ID to a database storing registration information from previously registered users; and

, granting access to gaming devices if the database confirms that the gaming system registered ID entered by a user represents a previously registered user.

26. A method as in claim 25 wherein the gaming system further comprises a self-exclusion system and the method further comprises monitoring a self-imposed limit set by a registered user.

27. A method of restricting access to a registered user of a gaming system having a self-exclusion system comprising the steps of:

monitoring self-imposed limits set by the registered user with respect to the amount of money won or lost by the registered user during gaming to determine a real-time position of the user with respect to money won or lost or total time spent gaming over a specified time period;

comparing the real-time position against the self-imposed limits;

determining if a self-imposed limit has been exceeded and;

preventing further gaming by the user in the event that a self-imposed has been exceeded.