Patron and croupier assessment in roulette

• US 6,733,388 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2002
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gtech Austria GmbH (GTECH German Holdings Corp. GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Grips Electronics GmbH
• Inventors: Mothwurf, Ewald
• Primary Examiner(s): LAYNO, BENJAMIN
• Application Number:
  US10/202,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42, 273/274, 273/309, 273/138.2
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• 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

Abstract

A method for determining the total amount bet by individual players participating in multiple spins of a roulette game at a gaming table that has a chipper machine and an intelligent table terminal. The method involves interfacing the chipper sorting machine with the table terminal, allocating a chip to a patron at the terminal, counting the number of color chips sorted by the chipper machine per color, and associating the number of color chips sorted by the machine per color with the patron. The total amount bet by that patron is then determined by mathematically linking the chip value of the color chip of the patron with the number of chips of the individual color sorted by the chipper machine in the time period in which the color chip is associated with that patron.

Claims

1. Roulette gaming system for use at a roulette table having a roulette wheel, a chipper machine for sorting color chips and a chip tray for storing value chips, the gaming system comprising a computer, means interfacing the chipper machine to the computer for the counting of the number of color chips of each color sorted by the chipper machine, detection means associated with the chip tray for detecting the change in value of the chip tray, means interfacing the chip tray to the computer and a table terminal interfaced to the computer for inputting information concerning the identity of individual patrons, and information associating a color chip to any patron playing at the table.

2. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said table terminal is also adapted to enable a croupier to associate different values with each color chip.

3. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said table terminal includes a card reader for reading a player identification card and/or a croupier identification card.

4. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a chip value display is provided and means interfacing said chip value display to said computer, enabling the value associated with each chip to be displayed on said chip value display.

5. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a win calculation display is provided and is interfaced to the computer to permit the calculation of the win by a player, in particular for a complex bet.

6. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said table terminal has means permitting the croupier to input details concerning a winning bet for display on said payout display.

7. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said table terminal includes a touch screen terminal.

8. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said table terminal is a touch screen terminal having a plurality of different graphic displays, by which the croupier can input information selected from the group comprising at least one of an association of a color chip to a patron, an amount of a drop effected by a patron, information for the calculation of a win and an information relating to color chips handed in by a patron leaving said table.

9. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a number display for displaying a winning number on the roulette wheel for each spin of the roulette wheel.

10. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1 and further including a detector for detecting at least one of the following parameters:

the initial speed of the ball in the rim of the roulette wheel,

the speed of rotation of the moving roulette wheel when the ball is initially launched into it,

the relative position of the roulette wheel to the ball and to the segment of the casing in which the ball falls.

11. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a card reader is provided for each patron position around the table and means interfacing each said card reader to said computer.

12. Roulette gaming system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computer is programmed to calculate at least one of the following parameters:

the total bet of a patron at the gaming table,

the net win or loss of a patron at the gaming table,

the total turnover of a croupier during a working period at the gaming table,

the number of spins per hour achieved by the croupier,

the average duration of a spin of the roulette wheel achieved by a croupier,

the net win or loss of the croupier,

a determination of whether the croupier is practicing section spinning comprising a preferential placement by the croupier of a roulette ball in a certain segment of numbers and pockets of the roulette wheel to the benefit of a patron made aware of said segment.