Escrow accounts for use in distributing payouts with minimal interruption to game play

• US 8,753,194 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Schneider, Richard Jay, Mikulich, Thomas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US12/944,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20120122555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users

Abstract

A gaming machine includes configured to communicate with a remote server, and further configured to detect a reportable event during play of a game by a player, wherein the reportable event is associated with a winning outcome having an associated award amount. The processor also receives an acknowledgement of the reportable event from the player, and transmits the acknowledgement of the reportable event and the award amount to the remote server for use in generating a taxable accrual log.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising a processor configured to communicate with a remote server, said processor further configured to:

identify a registered player, said registered player being associated with taxable accrual log data;

detect a reportable event during play of a game by the player, wherein the reportable event is associated with a winning outcome having an associated award amount;

receive an acknowledgement of the reportable event from the player in response to detecting the reportable event;

in response to detecting the reportable event, elicit a selection by the player of one of;

(i) an electronic payout of the winning outcome which occurs independent of any gaming establishment personnel, and (ii) a manual payout of the winning outcome which occurs in association with gaming establishment personnel; and

transmit the acknowledgement of the reportable event and the award amount to the remote server for use in generating, at least in part based on the taxable accrual log data associated with the player, a taxable accrual log.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to prompt the player to enable electronic generation of the taxable accrual log or to request manual generation of the taxable accrual log.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, wherein said processor is further configured to:

receive an input from the player that enables electronic generation of the taxable accrual log; and

prompt the player to acknowledge the reportable event.

4. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to prompt the player to enter a personal identification number for use as an electronic signature that certifies the reportable event within the taxable accrual log.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1, further including a display device coupled to said processor, said processor further configured to cause said display device to display a first portion of the award amount via a first credit meter of the gaming machine as cashable credits, wherein the first portion of the award amount is less than a threshold amount defined by the reportable event.

6. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein said processor is further configured to display a second portion of the award amount via the credit meter as non-cashable credits.

7. The gaming machine of claim 5, wherein said processor is further configured to reconfigure a paytable of the gaming machine to redefine the threshold amount.

21. The gaming machine of claim 1, wherein transmitting the acknowledgement of the reportable event and the award amount to the remote server for use in generating a taxable accrual log includes storing the award amount in a jackpot record database.

8. A computerized method comprising:

identifying a registered player, said registered player being associated with taxable accrual log data;

detecting a winning outcome during play of a game by the player at a gaming machine;

determining whether the winning outcome is a reportable event based on an award amount associated with the winning outcome;

receiving an acknowledgement from the player of the reportable event in response to determining that the winning outcome is a reportable event; and

enabling the player to select one of;

(i) an electronic generation of a taxable accrual log which occurs independent of any gaming establishment personnel, and (ii) a manual generation of the taxable accrual log which occurs in association with gaming establishment personnel; and

if the player selects the electronic generation of the taxable accrual log, transmitting the amount won to a remote server for use in electronically generating, at least in part based on the taxable accrual log data associated with the player, the taxable accrual log.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, further including receiving consent from the player to electronically generate the taxable accrual log.

10. The computerized method of claim 8, further including:

receiving an input from the player that enables electronic generation of the taxable accrual log; and

prompting the player to acknowledge the reportable event.

11. The computerized method of claim 8, further including prompting the player to enter a personal identification number for use as an electronic signature that certifies the reportable event within the taxable accrual log.

12. The computerized method of claim 8, further including transferring a first portion of the award amount to a credit meter of the gaming machine as cashable credits, wherein the first portion of the award amount is less than a threshold amount defined by the reportable event.

13. The computerized method of claim 12, further including transferring a second portion of the award amount to the credit meter as non-cashable credits.

14. The computerized method of claim 12, further including reconfiguring a paytable of the gaming machine to redefine the threshold amount.

15. A gaming system comprising:

a gaming machine; and

a server coupled to said gaming machine via a network, said server configured to;

identify a registered player, said registered player being associated with taxable accrual log data;

detect a winning outcome during a play of a game by the player;

determine whether the winning outcome is a reportable event;

receive a payment method selection by the player from said gaming machine in response to determining that the winning outcome is a reportable event, wherein the payment method selection is one of;

(i) an electronic payment option which occurs independent of any gaming establishment personnel, and (ii) a manual payment option which occurs in association with gaming establishment personnel; and

when the payment method selection is the electronic payment option;

(i) record a first portion of an award amount of the winning outcome in a player account associated with the player, and

(ii) record a second portion of the award amount in the player account, wherein the first portion includes cashable credits that are worth less than a threshold amount that defines the reportable event and the second portion includes non-cashable credits.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein server is further configured to cause said gaming machine to display a prompt to the player to enable electronic generation of a taxable accrual log or to request manual generation of the taxable accrual log.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein said server is further configured to:

receive an input from the player that enables electronic generation of a taxable accrual log that includes data relating to the reportable event; and

cause said gaming machine to display a prompt to the player to acknowledge the reportable event.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein said server is further configured to cause said gaming machine to display a prompt to the player to enter a personal identification number for use as an electronic signature that certifies the reportable event within the taxable accrual log.

19. The gaming system of claim 17, further including a memory area coupled to said server, wherein said server is further configured to record an acknowledgement of the reportable event by the player and the award amount in said memory area.

20. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the threshold amount is defined by a paytable, said server is further configured to reconfigure the paytable to determine a number of cashable credits in the first portion of the award amount and a number of non-cashable credits in the second portion of the award amount.