SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION

• US 20090176564A1
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Holdings Ltd (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Acres, John F., Lichtenberger, Francis Josef, Herrmann, Mark E., Taylor, John E. JR., Weller, Scott N., Hardy, Dow K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,360,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A distributed computer system is provided for collecting player information. Further, a scoring system is provided that rates a player based on one or more elements of the collected information. Players may be rated with respect to a number of characteristics. Responsive to a determined rating or score, action may be taken by the distributed system with regard to the player. For instance, the player may be provided a complimentary offer, provided an award, and invitation to come to a gambling location, presented an advertisement, or other action may be performed involving the player. Further, the distributed computer system may permit a player to manage their frequent player accounts and receive complimentary offers based on a set of criteria specified by the player.

Claims

1. In a distributed computer system, a method for processing player information, the method comprising acts of:

collecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relating to a player;

processing the plurality of data elements relating to the player;

determining at least one score responsive to the act of processing; and

responsive to determining the at least one score, performing an action with respect to the player.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of maintaining a predictive model of the player, and determining the at least one score based on the predictive model.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one score is a measure of a player'"'"'s capacity to spend money.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one score measures at least one of a group comprising:

a capacity of the player to gamble;

a lifetime value of the player;

a propensity of the player to gamble;

a volatility tolerance of the player;

a pace of play by the player;

an affinity of the player;

a predisposition of the player; and

a preference of the player.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of collecting comprises collecting at least one of a group of information comprising:

online behavior of the player;

offline behavior of the player;

demographic data;

psychographic data;

social graph data;

self-reported data;

advertising response data;

requests for action by the player; and

response data relating to an action performed with respect to the player.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of selectively providing access to the score to one or more third parties.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing a scoring service to interested third party information consumers.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of accepting, from at least one third party, a third party score of the player and selectively providing the third party score to another third party.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of collecting information relating to a frequent player account of the player.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of creating a model of the player in a memory of a distributed computer system.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising an act of maintaining the model of the player over time.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising an act of improving the model based on additional information collected regarding the player.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the player is previously unknown to the distributed computing system.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of collecting is performed in real-time.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of performing an action with respect to the player comprises providing a complimentary offer to the player.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising an act of maintaining a record of complimentary offers made to the player.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of monitoring the player over time by tracking the player score.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising providing, for an organization that provides the complimentary offers, an interface that permits the organization to manage administration of the complimentary offers.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the interface permits the organization to track complimentary offers made to the player.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the interface provides at least one of a group of functions comprising:

determining overlap in time for incentives offered to the player;

tracking redemption of incentives offered to the player;

calculating an amount of layering in an incentive campaign; and

determining a value in an amount of layering.

21. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of determining at least one of a group comprising a score, an affinity, a predisposition, and a preference of the player responsive to the act of processing;

and

responsive to determining the at least one of the group comprising the score, the affinity, the predisposition, and the preference, performing an action with respect to the player.

22. A computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that when executed on a processor performs a method for processing player information in a distributed computer system, the method comprising acts of:

collecting, by a plurality of computer systems in the distributed computer system, a plurality of data elements relating to a player;

processing the plurality of data elements relating to the player;

determining at least one score responsive to the act of processing; and

responsive to determining the at least one score, performing an action with respect to the player.

23. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of maintaining a predictive model of the player, and determining the at least one score based on the predictive model.

24. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the at least one score is a measure of a player'"'"'s capacity to spend money.

25. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the at least one score measures at least one of a group comprising:

a capacity of the player to gamble;

a lifetime value of the player;

a propensity of the player to gamble;

a volatility tolerance of the player;

a pace of play by the player;

an affinity of the player;

a predisposition of the player; and

a preference of the player.

26. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the act of collecting comprises collecting at least one of a group of information comprising:

online behavior of the player;

offline behavior of the player;

demographic data;

psychographic data;

social graph data;

self-reported data;

advertising response data;

requests for action by the player; and

response data relating to an action performed with respect to the player.

27. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of selectively providing access to the score to one or more third parties.

28. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of providing a scoring service to interested third party information consumers.

29. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of accepting, from at least one third party, a third party score of the player and selectively providing the third party score to another third party.

30. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of collecting information relating to a frequent player account of the player.

31. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of creating a model of the player in a memory of a distributed computer system.

32. The computer readable medium according to claim 31, further comprising an act of maintaining the model of the player over time.

33. The computer readable medium according to claim 32, further comprising an act of improving the model based on additional information collected regarding the player.

34. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the player is previously unknown to the distributed computing system.

35. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the act of collecting is performed in real-time.

36. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, wherein the act of performing an action with respect to the player comprises providing a complimentary offer to the player.

37. The computer readable medium according to claim 36, further comprising an act of maintaining a record of complimentary offers made to the player.

38. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising an act of monitoring the player over time by tracking the player score.

39. The computer readable medium according to claim 37, further comprising providing, for an organization that provides the complimentary offers, an interface that permits the organization to manage administration of the complimentary offers.

40. The computer readable medium according to claim 39, wherein the interface permits the organization to track complimentary offers made to the player.

41. The computer readable medium according to claim 40, wherein the interface provides at least one of a group of functions comprising:

determining overlap in time for incentives offered to the player;

tracking redemption of incentives offered to the player;

calculating an amount of layering in an incentive campaign; and

determining a value in an amount of layering.

42. The computer readable medium according to claim 22, further comprising acts of determining at least one of a group comprising a score, an affinity, a predisposition, and a preference of the player responsive to the act of processing;

and

responsive to determining the at least one of the group comprising the score, the affinity, the predisposition, and the preference, performing an action with respect to the player.