Method and apparatus for providing player incentives

• US 9,129,476 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Inventors: Hardy, Dow K., Herrmann, Mark E., Taylor, John E., Acres, John F., Kane, Steven N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US12/238,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20090191962A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A system and method is provided for incentivizing players to visit a gambling location. In one aspect, a qualified person is invited to play an electronic game which has a plurality of outcomes, at least one of which is a winning outcome. In one embodiment, the qualified person may be required to redeem the outcome at the gambling location. In another embodiment, the person may be required to redeem the outcome at a redemption location. In another aspect, a method is provided for permitting a person to take one or more actions within a gambling location and in response inviting the person to play an electronic game separate from the games offered in a gambling environment at the gambling location, where the game has a plurality of outcomes, at least one of which is a winning outcome, and if the person obtains a winning outcome, requiring the person to redeem the at least one outcome at the gambling location. In one embodiment, the method includes the acts of qualifying a person. Qualification may require specific acts, for example, referring another person, and/or providing an invitation to play an electronic game to another person. Various systems and method assist in tracking and maintaining such referrals. Additionally group gaming in and amongst referrals and/or designated groups may be performed, and in some embodiment required for qualification and/or redemption. Further, another aspect relates to providing special incentives, for example for referral of a new player, for providing casino affiliation or membership information, among others.

Claims

1. A method for targeting player incentives to potential player populations, the method comprising the acts of:

identifying at least one qualified player, wherein qualification of the player is based on a predetermined set of criteria, the predetermined set of criteria comprising at least one of;

one or more personal attributes of the player and historical conduct of the player;

permitting the qualified player to refer at least one other person to receive an invitation to an electronic game;

tracking referral information associated with the at least one other person, wherein the referral information comprises at least one of;

one or more personal attributes of the person and historical conduct of the person;

determining a worth associated with the at least one other person by comparing the referral information with the predetermined set of criteria of the qualified player, wherein the comparison is indicative of the person'"'"'s propensity towards gambling;

delivering an invitation to the at least one other person if the comparison yields matching characteristics; and

determining a value associated with the qualified player based, at least in part, on the worth associated with the at least one other person, wherein the value of the qualified player increases or decreases based, in part, on the worth associated with the at least one other person.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of inviting the at least one qualified player to play an electronic game not located at a gambling location.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of permitting the qualified player to refer at least one other person, includes permitting the qualified player to refer an invitation to the at least one other person.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of inviting is responsive to an act of performing an action by the qualified player in a gambling location.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the act of inviting is responsive to an act of performing an action by the qualified player outside a gambling location.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising an of wherein the act of inviting is responsive to an act of performing an action by the qualified player in at least one of a gambling location and a location outside a gambling location, and wherein the act of performing an action includes an act of referring an invitation to the at least one other person.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of inviting the at least one other person to play an electronic game not located at a gambling location.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of valuing the at least one other person.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the value of the at least one other player is based, at least in part, on the value of the qualified player.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising an act of adjusting the value of the qualified player in response to determining a value for the at least one other person.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the qualified player to access the tracked referrals through a computer-based user interface.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising an act of permitting the qualified player to maintain a network of the referred at least one other person.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the act of permitting the qualified player to maintain a network of referred players includes an act of allowing a qualified player to delete a referral.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

permitting the qualified player and the at least one other person to redeem an outcome of the electronic game; and

requiring that an action be taken in at least one of a redemption location and a gambling location in order to redeem the outcome.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the act of requiring includes requiring that the redemption take place in a specified time period.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of qualifying the person to play an electronic game.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the act of qualifying the person includes acts of obtaining demographical information related to the person, and determining a status of the person based on the demographical information.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the act of qualifying the person includes an act of obtaining a referral of at least one other player wherein the referral of at least one other player comprises demographical information related to the at least one other player.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of enhancing an outcome of the electronic game based on a valuation of the qualified player.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

permitting the at least one qualified player to access at least one incentive offer;

accepting an indication of participation from the at least one player, wherein an act of inviting the at least one player is responsive to the act of accepting an indication;

qualifying the at least one player to play an the electronic game not located at the gambling location;

providing an outcome for the electronic game; and

requiring the at least one player redeem the outcome at one of a gambling location and a redemption location.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the at least one incentive offer requires at least two players, and the act of qualifying and requiring redemption are performed by the at least two players.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of defining a group of players comprising the at least one qualified player and the at least one other person.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising an act of permitting the group of players to qualify and redeem multiparty invitations.

24. A method for identifying receptive player populations for targeting incentive offers, the method comprising the acts of:

accepting at least one referral of another person by an existing player;

providing incentives to the existing player for generation of the at least one referral;

defining a relationship between the existing player and the at least one referral;

generating a player model from demographic information on the existing player and the relationship;

targeting invitations to play an electronic game not located at a gambling location to a player population meeting the player model;

tracking referral information associated with the at least one referral, wherein the referral information comprises at least one of;

one or more personal attributes of the person and historical conduct of the person; and

determining a worth associated with the at least one referral by comparing the referral information with information associated with the existing player, wherein the comparison is indicative of the referral'"'"'s propensity towards gambling;

determining a value associated with the existing player based, at least in part, on the worth associated with the at least one referral, wherein the value of the qualified player increases or decreases based, in part, on the worth associated with the at least one referral.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising an act of refining the player model, wherein the act of refining the player model further comprises:

targeting an invitation to play an electronic game not located at a gambling location to the at least one referral based on at least one characteristic defined by the player model;

comparing redemption rate for the invitation against a threshold;

storing the at least one characteristic as part of the player model where the threshold is met.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the act of refining the player model further comprising an act of deleting the at least one characteristic from the player model where the threshold is not met.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the incentive for generation of the at least on referral includes an invitation to play an electronic game not located at a gambling location.

28. The method according to claim 24, further comprising an act of qualifying at least one person from the player population to play the electronic game.