Cashless gaming system and method with monitoring

• US 9,076,281 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Oneida Indian Nation
• Inventors: Martin, Richard L., Hole, Edward J. Jr., Angell, Robert C., Santini, John A. Jr., Mitchell, Ian, Costantino, Dave William
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US11/849,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20080026829A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,867 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463/29, 463 39- 43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A wagering game system is described herein. In embodiments the wagering game system comprises a plurality of player terminals configured to present wagering games and to collect player activity information associated with the wagering games, the player activity information indicating player inputs and financial transactions. In embodiments, the wagering game system further comprises one or more account servers configured to receive the player activity information and to perform the financial transactions on player accounts and a monitoring system configured to receive the player activity information and to remotely disable ones of the plurality of player terminals.

Claims

1. A wagering game system comprising:

a plurality of player terminals configured to present wagering games and to collect player activity information associated with the wagering games, the player activity information indicating player inputs and financial transactions, wherein the plurality of player terminals includes a first plurality of player terminals at a first location and a second plurality of player terminals at a second location;

a plurality of account servers configured to receive the player activity information and to perform the financial transactions on player accounts, wherein the plurality of account servers includes a first account server at the first location and a second account server at the second location; and

a monitoring system configured to receive the player activity information, to detect fraud at the plurality of player terminals, and to remotely disable ones of the plurality of player terminals, and wherein the monitoring system is further configured to receive copies of the player activity information received at the first and second account servers.

2. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system is configured to remotely disable ones of the plurality of player terminals based on the player activity information.

3. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system is configured to disable ones of the player terminals based on input from an operator.

4. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system is further configured to receive the player activity information in near real-time to enable remote monitoring of player activities at the player terminals.

5. The wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring system is further configured to store game software and pay tables and send the game software and pay tables to the plurality of player terminals.

6. A machine-readable medium including instructions executable by a machine, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive player activity information, wherein the player activity information includes player inputs made at remote player terminals and results of electronic wagering games presented at the player terminals;

instructions to detect, based on the player activity information, fraud at the player terminals; and

instructions to disable one or more of the player terminals.

7. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to detect that maintenance is needed on one or more of the player terminals.

8. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the player activity information is received from the player terminals in near real-time.

9. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein receipt of the player activity information from the player terminals to occur in near real-time via a control network co-located with the player terminals.

10. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to send software and pay tables to the player terminals, the software and pay tables for use in presenting the wagering games.

11. The machine-readable medium of claim 6 further comprising:

instructions to generate, based on the player activity information, reports indicating player preferences associated with the electronic wagering games.

12. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the player activity information further indicates one or more selected from the set consisting of player account numbers, information about the electronic wagering games, and amounts wagered on the electronic wagering games.

13. The machine-readable medium of claim 6, wherein receipt of the player activity information occurs in real-time over a network.

14. A method comprising:

receiving, over a network, player activity information including financial transactions and player selections made at player terminals, wherein the player terminals reside at a plurality of gaming locations;

determining, based on the player activity information, that fraud has occurred at one or more of the player terminals; and

disabling at least one of the player terminals based on the fraud.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

determining, based on the player activity information, that events have occurred at one or more of the player terminals;

modifying pay tables at one or more of the player terminals based on the events at the one or more of the player terminals.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the player activity information is received from the player terminals in near real-time to facilitate remote supervision of the player terminals.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the player activity information is received from a player account server residing remotely from gaming locations.