SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MEASURING GAMING PLAYER BEHAVIOR

• US 20200134972A1
• Filed: 12/31/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: ACRES, JOHN F.
• Granted Patent: US 11,847,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: 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. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a plurality of instructions for use with an electronic gaming device, 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 value via the physical item acceptor, the value 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 at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

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

detect wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

determine when a game is initiated on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

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

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

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

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

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

associate each identified increase with a corresponding game in which the credits increased;

determine that the repeated positive increases of credits resulted from repeated increases in the amount wagered;

determine at least one player action on the electronic gaming device;

draw at least one inference regarding player preference based on the determined at least one player action; and

automatically raising the payback percentage for at least one game played on an electronic gaming device in response to the inference.

2. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to measure the amplitude of the positive increases of credits.

3. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to measure the range between sequential positive increases of credits.

4. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to draw 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 at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to graph the credit meter data.

6. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to graph the credit meter data versus played games.

7. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to graph the credit meter data versus time.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to retrieve the session report for an identified player.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to identify positive increase of credits above a predefined threshold within the credit meter data.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 wherein the predefined threshold is a positive increase of credits greater than a wager amount associated with a game corresponding to the positive increase of credits.

17. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the predefined threshold is a positive increase of credits greater than a wager amount associated with a game corresponding to the positive increase of credits.

11. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a plurality of instructions for use with an electronic gaming device in response to actions of a player playing a 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 at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

record 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 the game, and awards applied to the credit meter;

retrieve, 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;

receive wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

initiate a game on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

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

generate associated wager data comprising;

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

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

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

identify at least one action taken by a player immediately following repeated positive increases of credits resulting from increases in the amount wagered;

draw at least one inference regarding player preference based on the identified at least one action, namely that the player is likely to discontinue play on the electronic gaming device;

automatically raise the payback percentage for at least one game played on an electronic gaming device in response to the inference; and

permit 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.

12. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a plurality of instructions for use with an electronic gaming device based on play of a game on the electronic gaming device, the electronic gaming device being of the type having a credit meter that records positive increases of credits applied by the 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 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 and 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 at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to;

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

detect wagers made by the player of the electronic gaming device;

detect a game outcome comprising a plurality of symbols based on a paytable in the electronic gaming device for each game played;

associate each wager that results in a winning outcome with the plurality of symbols resulting from the game on which the winning wager was made;

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

include the associated wagers and symbols resulting in a winning outcome in the session report;

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

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

associate each identified increase with a corresponding game in which the credits increased and with the time of the game at which the credits increased;

determine that the repeated positive increases of credits resulted from repeated increases in the amount wagered;

draw at least one inference regarding player game preference based on the determined player actions, namely that the player would prefer one of a higher volatility game or a lower volatility game; and

automatically change the paytable in the electronic gaming device to a different paytable having the volatility preferred by the player in response to the inference.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to measure the amplitude of the positive increases of credits.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to measure the range between sequential positive increases of credits.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to graph the credit meter data.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the plurality of instructions further causes the processor to identify positive increase of credits above a predefined threshold within the credit meter data.