SYSTEMS AND GAMING DEVICES FOR INDICATING COMP ELIGIBILITY

• US 20150031442A1
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Published: 01/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gaming Arts LLC
• Original Assignee: Gaming Arts LLC
• Inventors: Colvin, David, Colvin, Eric D.
• Granted Patent: US 10,629,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

Systems and methods provide a comp policy associated with a game of chance. A gaming device is programmed to provide the game of chance to a player. A computing device includes a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp. The computing device also includes a processor programmed to identify an attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to the player, receive data indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met, receive data indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player, and automatically calculate a compliance metric for the attendant, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a gaming device comprising;

a processor programmed to provide a game of chance to a player;

an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance;

a payment input device configured to enable the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance;

a payment output device configured to enable the player to withdraw money or credits from said gaming device;

a card reader device configured to receive data from a player reward card; and

a randomization device configured to randomly determine a game outcome for the game of chance;

a comp indicator attached to or integrated within said gaming device, said comp indicator configured to be activated upon a determination that the player is eligible for a comp; and

a computing device comprising;

a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp; and

a processor programmed to;

identify an attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to the player;

receive a criterion detection signal indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met;

receive a comp detection signal indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player; and

automatically calculate a compliance metric for the attendant based on the criterion detection signal and the comp detection signal, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for free.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for a reduced price with respect to a market price of the good or service.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is related to the play of the game of chance on said gaming device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is based on at least one of an amount of coin-in by the player at said gaming device, a number of wins or losses of the player at said gaming device, an amount of wagering activity by the player, an amount of money won or lost by the player, the player'"'"'s loyalty points that have accrued over time, the player'"'"'s loyalty points in total, the player'"'"'s loyalty tier level, the player'"'"'s minimum bet, the player'"'"'s maximum bet, the player'"'"'s average bet, the player'"'"'s time on said gaming device without playing the game of chance, a statistical hold percentage of said gaming device, and a theoretical win of the player during a period of gameplay on said gaming device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said computing device is programmed to generate a compliance report and to include the compliance metric within the compliance report.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times the attendant gave the at least one comp to the player when the player was not eligible for the at least one comp.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times the attendant did not give the at least one comp to the player when the player was eligible for the at least one comp.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein said computing device is a first computing device, said system comprising a second computing device coupled to said first computing device, and wherein said first computing device is programmed to automatically generate the compliance report after receiving data from said second computing device.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game, and wherein the compliance report displays the compliance metric for each of the plurality of players.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the compliance metric includes an error rate of the attendant with respect to the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said computing device is programmed to automatically transmit a notification to a device operated by a manager of the attendant if the compliance metric exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said computing device is programmed to automatically transmit a notification to a device operated by a manager of the attendant if the compliance metric is less than a predetermined threshold.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said gaming device comprises a comp indicator that indicates when the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said computing device is programmed to transmit a signal to said gaming device to activate said comp indicator when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said computing device is programmed to increment a first data value stored within said memory device when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp, wherein the first data value is indicative of the number of eligible comps for the player.

17. A system, comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices programmed to provide a game of chance to a plurality of players, wherein each said gaming device comprises;

a processor programmed to provide the game of chance to a player of the plurality of players;

an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance;

a payment input device configured to enable the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance;

a payment output device configured to enable the player to withdraw money or credits from said gaming device;

a card reader device configured to receive data from a player reward card; and

a randomization device configured to randomly determine a game outcome for the game of chance;

a comp indicator attached to or integrated within at least one of said plurality of gaming devices, said comp indicator configured to be activated upon a determination that the player is eligible for a comp; and

a computing device comprising;

a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes at least one comp and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp; and

a processor programmed to;

identify at least one attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to each player of the plurality of players;

receive data indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met for each player of the plurality of players;

receive data indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to each player of the plurality of players; and

automatically calculate a compliance metric for the at least one attendant, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the at least one attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein each said gaming device is programmed to track gameplay data for each player playing on said gaming device and to transmit the gameplay data for each player to said computing device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one player of the plurality of players is identified if the player is using a player reward card and wherein at least one other player of the plurality of players is unidentified if not using a player reward card.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said computing device is programmed to include data representative of the comps given to any identified players of the plurality of players and the comps given to any unidentified players of the plurality of players within the compliance report.

21. A system, comprising:

a gaming device comprising;

a processor programmed to provide a game of chance to a player;

an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance;

a payment input device configured to enable the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance;

a payment output device configured to enable the player to withdraw money or credits from said gaming device;

a card reader device configured to receive data from a player reward card; and

a randomization device configured to randomly determine a game outcome for the game of chance;

a comp indicator attached to or integrated within said gaming device, said comp indicator configured to be activated upon a determination that the player is eligible for a comp; and

a computing device comprising;

a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes the at least one comp and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp; and

a processor programmed to;

identify an attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to the player;

receive data indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met;

receive data indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player; and

automatically calculate a compliance metric for the attendant, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said computing device is programmed to transmit a signal to said gaming device to activate said comp indicator when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said computing device is programmed to generate a compliance report for the attendant and to include a number of comps that the player is eligible for in the compliance report.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein said computing device is programmed to generate a compliance report for the attendant and to include the number of comps given to the player within the compliance report.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein said computing device is programmed to determine the compliance metric for the attendant assigned to the player by subtracting a number of comps given to the player from a number of eligible comps for the player.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the player is a first player of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device is programmed to determine the number of comps given to each of the plurality of players and to determine the number of eligible comps for each of the plurality of players.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said computing device is programmed to determine the compliance metric for the attendant by subtracting the number of comps given to each of the plurality of players from the number of eligible comps for each of the plurality of players.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of players is enabled to achieve the comp of a free beverage, said computing device is programmed to:

receive data indicative of the eligibility of free beverages prepared for the plurality of players; and

generate an alert if free beverages prepared does not correspond to the eligibility of free beverages provided.

29. A method of implementing a comp policy, said method comprising:

providing a game of chance to a player on a gaming device;

enabling the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance using a payment input device of the gaming device;

enabling the player to withdraw money or credits from the gaming device using a payment output device of the gaming device;

randomly determining a game outcome for the game of chance using a randomization device;

storing data representative of a comp policy on a memory device of a computing device, wherein the comp policy includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp;

identifying, by the computing device, an attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to the player;

receiving a criterion detection signal indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met;

receiving a comp detection signal indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player; and

automatically calculating a compliance metric for the attendant based on the criterion detection signal and the comp detection signal, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for free.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for a reduced price with respect to a market price of the good or service.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one criterion is related to the play of the game of chance on the gaming device.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one criterion is based on at least one of an amount of coin-in by the player at the gaming device, a number of wins or losses of the player at the gaming device, an amount of wagering activity by the player, an amount of money won or lost by the player, the player'"'"'s loyalty points that have accrued over time, the player'"'"'s loyalty points in total, the player'"'"'s loyalty tier level, the player'"'"'s minimum bet, the player'"'"'s maximum bet, the player'"'"'s average bet, the player'"'"'s time on the gaming device without playing the game of chance, a statistical hold percentage of the gaming device, and a theoretical win of the player during a period of gameplay on the gaming device;

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times the attendant gave the at least one comp to the player when the player was not eligible for the at least one comp.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times the attendant did not give the at least one comp to the player when the player was eligible for the at least one comp.

36. The method of claim 29, further comprising generating a compliance report using the computing device and including the compliance metric within the compliance report.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the computing device is a first computing device and wherein a second computing device is coupled to the first computing device, said method comprising:

receiving data from the second computing device by the first computing device; and

automatically generating a compliance report by the first computing device.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game, and wherein the compliance report displays the compliance metric for each of the plurality of players.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming device is one of a plurality of gaming devices that enable respective players of a plurality of players to play the game of chance, said method further comprising:

tracking gameplay data for each player of the plurality of players; and

transmitting the gameplay data for each player to the computing device using a respective gaming device of the plurality of gaming devices.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising identifying at least one player of the plurality of players if the player is using a player reward card, wherein at least one other player of the plurality of players is unidentified if not using a player reward card.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising including data representative of the comps given to any identified players of the plurality of players and the comps given to any unidentified players of the plurality of players within the compliance report.

42. The method of claim 29, further comprising including, within the compliance metric, an error rate of the attendant with respect to the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

43. The method of claim 29, further comprising automatically transmitting a notification from the computing device to a device operated by a manager of the attendant if the compliance metric exceeds a predetermined threshold.

44. The method of claim 29, further comprising automatically transmitting a notification from the computing device to a device operated by a manager of the attendant if the compliance metric is less than a predetermined threshold.

45. The method of claim 29, wherein the gaming device includes a comp indicator, said method further comprising activating the comp indicator to indicate that the player is eligible for the comp.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising transmitting a signal from the computing device to the gaming device to activate the comp indicator when the computing device determines that the player is eligible for the comp.

47. A method of implementing a comp policy, said method comprising:

providing a game of chance to a player on a gaming device;

enabling the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance using a payment input device of the gaming device;

enabling the player to withdraw money or credits from the gaming device using a payment output device of the gaming device;

randomly determining a game outcome for the game of chance using a randomization device;

storing data representative of a comp policy on a memory device of a computing device, wherein the comp policy includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp;

identifying, by the computing device, an attendant who is responsible for implementing the comp policy with regard to the player;

receiving data indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met;

receiving data indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player; and

automatically calculating a compliance metric for the attendant, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of the attendant'"'"'s compliance with the comp policy.

48. The method of claim 48, further comprising generating a compliance report and including a number of comps that the player is eligible for in the compliance report.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising generating a compliance report and including a number of comps given to the player within the compliance report.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising determining the compliance metric for the attendant assigned to the player by subtracting a number of comps given to the player from a number of comps that the player is eligible for.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein the player is a first player of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said method further comprising determining a number of comps given to each of the plurality of players and determining a number of eligible comps for each of the plurality of players.

52. The method of claim 52, further comprising determining the compliance metric for the attendant by subtracting the number of comps given to each of the plurality of players from the number of eligible comps for each of the plurality of players.

53. A system comprising:

a gaming device comprising;

a processor programmed to provide a game of chance to a player;

an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance;

a payment input device configured to enable the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance;

a payment output device configured to enable the player to withdraw money or credits from said gaming device;

a card reader device configured to receive data from a player reward card; and

a randomization device configured to randomly determine a game outcome for the game of chance;

a computing device comprising;

a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the at least one comp based on at least one of an amount of coin-in by the player at said gaming device, a number of wins or losses of the player at said gaming device, an amount of wagering activity by the player, an amount of money won or lost by the player, the player'"'"'s loyalty points that have accrued over time, the player'"'"'s loyalty points in total, the player'"'"'s loyalty tier level, the player'"'"'s minimum bet, the player'"'"'s maximum bet, the player'"'"'s average bet, the player'"'"'s time on said gaming device without playing the game of chance, a statistical hold percentage of said gaming device, and a theoretical win of the player during a period of gameplay on said gaming device; and

a processor programmed to receive data indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met; and

a comp indicator that is attached to or integrated within said gaming device, said comp indicator configured to indicate whether the player is eligible to receive the at least one comp based on the gameplay of the player.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one criterion includes a plurality of criteria, wherein a value for each criterion of the plurality of criterion is calculated to determine the eligibility of the player for the at least one comp.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein values for the plurality of criteria are calculated in a linear manner.

56. The system of claim 54, wherein values for the plurality of criteria are calculated in a nonlinear manner.

57. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for free.

58. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one comp includes at least one of a good and a service provided to the player for a reduced price with respect to a market price of the good or service.

59. The system of claim 53, wherein the at least one criterion is related to the play of the game of chance on said gaming device.

60. The system of claim 53, wherein said computing device is further programmed to calculate a compliance metric based on an administration of the at least one comp.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times an attendant gave the at least one comp to the player when the player was not eligible for the at least one comp.

62. The system of claim 60, wherein the compliance metric is indicative of a number of times an attendant did not give the at least one comp to the player when the player was eligible for the at least one comp.

63. The system of claim 60, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report and include the compliance metric within the compliance report.

64. The system of claim 63, wherein said computing device is a first computing device and wherein a second computing device is coupled to said first computing device, said first computing device further programmed to:

receive data from the second computing device; and

automatically generate the compliance report using the received data.

65. The system of claim 60, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device further programmed to generate a compliance report that displays the compliance metric for each of the plurality of players.

66. The system of claim 53, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device further programmed to attempt to identify at least one player of the plurality of players if the player is using a player reward card, wherein at least one other player of the plurality of players remains unidentified if not using a player reward card.

67. The system of claim 66, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report including data representative of any comps of the at least one comp given to any identified players of the plurality of players and the comps given to any unidentified players of the plurality of players.

68. The system of claim 60, wherein said computing device is further programmed to include, within the compliance metric, an error rate of the attendant with respect to the attendant'"'"'s administration of the at least one comp.

69. The system of claim 60, wherein said computing device is further programmed to automatically transmit an alert if the compliance metric exceeds a predetermined threshold.

70. The system of claim 60, wherein said computing device is further programmed to automatically transmit an alert if the compliance metric is less than a predetermined threshold.

71. The system of claim 53, wherein said computing device is further programmed to transmit a signal to said comp indicator to activate said comp indicator when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

72. The system of claim 53, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report and include a number of comps the player is eligible for in the compliance report.

73. The system of claim 53, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report and include a number of comps given to the player within the compliance report.

74. The system of claim 53, wherein said computing device is further programmed to calculate a compliance metric by subtracting a number of comps given to the player from a number of comps the player is eligible for.

75. The system of claim 53, wherein the player is a first player of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device further programmed to determine a number of comps given to each of the plurality of players and determine a number of comps each player of the plurality of players is eligible for.

76. A system comprising:

a gaming device comprising;

a processor programmed to provide a game of chance to a player;

an electronic storage device configured to store gameplay data for the game of chance;

a payment input device configured to enable the player to input money or credits for use in the game of chance;

a payment output device configured to enable the player to withdraw money or credits from said gaming device;

a card reader device configured to receive data from a player reward card; and

a randomization device configured to randomly determine a game outcome for the game of chance;

a comp indicator attached to or integrated within said gaming device, said comp indicator configured to be activated upon a determination that the player is eligible for a comp;

a computing device comprising;

a memory device that stores data representative of a comp policy that includes at least one comp available to the player and at least one criterion for achieving the comp; and

a processor programmed to;

receive a criterion detection signal indicative of whether the at least one criterion was met;

receive a comp detection signal indicative of whether the at least one comp was given to the player; and

automatically report one or more compliance metrics associated with the at least one comp including at least one of a time the at least one comp was given to the player, an identification of the player, a name of the player, a date for the compliance metric, a name of an attendant assigned to the player, a department the attendant is assigned to, a comp status indicating the player'"'"'s eligibility to receive the at least one comp, a type of the at least one comp, an amount of the at least one comp, a determination whether the attendant is in compliance with a comp policy, a determination whether the attendant is not in compliance with a comp policy, a number of total errors in administering the comp policy, and an error rate associated with the administration of the comp policy.

77. The system of claim 76, wherein the at least one criterion includes a plurality of criteria, wherein a value for each criterion of the plurality of criterion is calculated to determine the eligibility of the player for the at least one comp.

78. The system of claim 76, wherein values for the plurality of criteria are calculated in a linear manner.

79. The system of claim 76, wherein values for the plurality of criteria are calculated in a nonlinear manner.

80. The system of claim 76, wherein the at least one criterion is related to the play of the game of chance on said gaming device.

81. The system of claim 76, wherein the at least one criterion is based on at least one of an amount of coin-in by the player at said gaming device, a number of wins or losses of the player at said gaming device, an amount of wagering activity by the player, an amount of money won or lost by the player, the player'"'"'s loyalty points that have accrued over time, the player'"'"'s loyalty points in total, the player'"'"'s loyalty tier level, the player'"'"'s minimum bet, the player'"'"'s maximum bet, the player'"'"'s average bet, the player'"'"'s time on said gaming device without playing, a statistical hold percentage of said gaming device, and a theoretical win of the player during a period of gameplay on said gaming device;

82. The system of claim 76, wherein the one or more compliance metrics are indicative of a number of times an attendant gave the at least one comp to the player when the player was not eligible for the at least one comp.

83. The system of claim 76, wherein the one or more compliance metrics are indicative of a number of times an attendant did not give the at least one comp to the player when the player was eligible for the at least one comp.

84. The system of claim 76, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report for an attendant and include the one or more compliance metrics within the compliance report.

85. The system of claim 84, wherein said computing device is a first computing device and wherein a second computing device is coupled to said first computing device, said first computing device further programmed to:

receive data from the second computing device; and

automatically generate the compliance report using the received data.

86. The system of claim 76, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game, and wherein said computing device is further programmed to display the one or more compliance metrics for each of the plurality of players within the compliance report.

87. The system of claim 76, wherein the player is one of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device further programmed to attempt to identify at least one player of the plurality of players if the player is using a player reward card, wherein at least one other player of the plurality of players remains unidentified if not using a player reward card.

88. The system of claim 87, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report including data representative of the comps given to any identified players of the plurality of players and the comps given to any unidentified players of the plurality of players.

89. The system of claim 76, wherein said computing device is further programmed to automatically transmit a notification if the one or more compliance metrics exceed a predetermined threshold.

90. The system of claim 76, wherein said computing device is further programmed to automatically transmit a notification if the one or more compliance metrics are less than a predetermined threshold.

91. The system of claim 76, wherein said gaming device comprises a comp indicator that is activated to indicate that the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

92. The system of claim 91, wherein said computing device is further programmed to transmit a signal to said gaming device to activate said comp indicator when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp.

93. The system of claim 76, wherein said computing device is further programmed to increment a first data value stored within said memory device when said computing device determines that the player is eligible for the at least one comp, wherein the first data value is indicative of the number of eligible comps for the player.

94. The system of claim 93, wherein said computing device is further programmed to generate a compliance report including a number of comps given to the player.

95. The system of claim 76, wherein the player is a first player of a plurality of players playing the game of chance, said computing device further programmed to determine a number of comps given to each of the plurality of players and determining a number of eligible comps for each of the plurality of players.