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Multi-property player tracking system

  • US 6,302,793 B1
  • Filed: 07/02/1998
  • Issued: 10/16/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/02/1998
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A system for tracking the play of players playing a casino game at any one of a plurality of remote locations comprising:

  • (i) a card issued to each player at one of said locations defining a player home location, each card including a machine readable element including card data corresponding to an account number assigned to the player;

    (ii) a local data structure including a local database for each location, the local database including a home location data structure including a player account including home location data including (a) a player account number, (b) player identification data, (c) player account data relating to the player'"'"'s wagering activity, and (d) player personal and credit data, the local data structure for non-home locations including network data including, for each player, network account network data, said network data including player account number and wagering activity data;

    (iii) means associated with each game for reading the machine readable element of a card and creating card data signals corresponding to said card data when said card is present;

    (iv) a network data link to transmit said card data signals to the local database corresponding to the player'"'"'s gaming location to, from said card data, locate the player'"'"'s local database network account and place it in an open condition when the card is presented at the reading means and to close the account when the card is no longer presented;

    (v) means for allocating data corresponding to wagering activity of the player to said player'"'"'s local network account during the period the player'"'"'s account is in the open condition;

    (vi) a central database, said central database including a player data structure including, for each player issued a card at any location, said player account network data;

    (vii) a network data link between said local databases and the central database;

    (viii) means responsive to closure of the player'"'"'s account at the gaming location local database for sending data signals to the central database over the network data link to (a) open the player'"'"'s network account at the central database, (b) allocate the player'"'"'s wagering activity data to the player'"'"'s network account at the central database and at the local databases at the non-home locations to reflect new wagering activity data, whereby the home, local and central databases contain updated wagering data, and (c) close the central and non-home location player accounts;

    (ix) wherein said local and central data structures for each player account contain personal, progressive, bonus data representing an amount of a personal bonus to be awarded to the player in the event that he obtains a designated bonus outcome at the game; and

    (x) means for allocating at least a portion of wagers made by each player as personal bonus data to said player'"'"'s account to progressively increase the amount reflected as said personal bonus.

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