Managing cashless wagering game systems

• US 9,142,098 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark B., Rathsack, Erhard W., Shimabukuro, Jorge L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US13/526,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 463/21, 463 25- 27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3281 wherein game attributes are transferred between players, e.g. points, weapons, avatars
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for managing of cashless wagering game systems. An apparatus comprises a control module to debit, via a first system access technique, a debit amount from a first cashless wagering system in a financial transaction and credit, via a second system access technique different from the first system access technique, a credit amount to a second cashless wagering system in the same financial transaction, the first and second cashless wagering game systems being different from one another coupled over a network.

Claims

1. A gaming system configured to transfer wagering credits, that are usable for wagering, from a first cashless wagering system to a second, different cashless wagering system, each of the cashless wagering systems being configured to directly fund wagering games, the gaming system comprising:

a first gaming machine associated with the first cashless wagering system, the first gaming machine including;

a gaming housing for housing components of the first gaming machine;

an electronic display device coupled to the gaming housing; and

an electronic input device, the electronic input device configured to receive a physical input from a player and transform the input into an electronic data signal;

a random element generator configured to generate one or more random elements; and

one or more controllers configured to;

initiate a casino wagering game on the first gaming machine in response to the electronic data signal from at least one of the one or more electronic input devices;

determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

direct the electronic display device to display the outcome;

deposit the wagering credits from play of the casino wagering game at the first gaming machine into the first cashless wagering system;

access, via a first system access technique, the first cashless wagering system;

debit, in a financial transaction, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system;

credit, in the same financial transaction, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system to a second, different cashless wagering system, the second cashless wagering system being accessed via a second, different system access technique, wherein the first and second cashless wagering systems are communicably coupled over a network; and

disburse the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system for game play on a second gaming machine associated with the second cashless wagering system.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to:

receive, from a player via a first cashless wagering game media input device, the wagering credits associated with a first cashless wagering game medium that is associated with the first cashless wagering system; and

disburse, to the player, the wagering credits associated with a second cashless wagering game medium that is associated with the second cashless wagering system.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first cashless wagering system includes a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system, and the second cashless wagering system includes at least one of an account-based system and a prepaid card system.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the second cashless wagering system includes a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system, and the first cashless wagering system includes at least one of an account-based system and a prepaid card system.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the first cashless wagering system is associated with a first set of casino wagering games, and wherein the second cashless wagering system is associated with a second set of casino wagering games, the first and second set of casino wagering games being different from one another.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein the first set of casino wagering games is from a first wagering game manufacturer and the second set of casino wagering games is from a second, different wagering game manufacturer.

7. The gaming system claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to:

debit a debit amount of the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system in a second financial transaction; and

credit a credit amount of the wagering credits to the first cashless wagering system in the same second financial transaction.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a first cashless wagering game media input device configured to receive the wagering credits associated with a first cashless wagering game medium, and a second cashless wagering game media input device configured to receive the wagering credits associated with a second cashless wagering game medium, the wagering credits associated with the first and second cashless wagering game media being applied to an available balance in the first and second cashless wagering systems, respectively.

8. A method for use with first and second cashless wagering systems that are configured to directly fund wagering games and are communicably connected over a communications network, the first cashless wagering system being accessed via a first account access technique that requires player identification and authorization information, the second cashless wagering system being accessed via an anonymous second account access technique, the method comprising:

generating, by a random element generator, one or more random elements;

receiving, responsive to a physical input to an electronic input device of a first gaming machine, an electronic data signal from an electronic input device to initiate a casino wagering game on the first gaming machine;

determining, by one or more controllers, an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

directing, by at least one of the one or more controllers, an electronic display device of the first gaming machine to display the outcome of the casino wagering game;

depositing, by at least one of the one or more controllers, wagering credits, that are usable for wagering, from play of the casino wagering game at the first gaming machine into the first cashless wagering system;

receiving, responsive to one or more physical inputs to an electronic input device associated with the first cashless wagering system, one or more electronic data signals indicative of a request to execute a financial transaction between the first cashless wagering system and the second cashless wagering system;

debiting, via one or more controllers, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system in a financial transaction;

crediting, via one or more controllers, the wagering credits to the second cashless wagering system in the same financial transaction

disbursing, by one or more controllers, the wagering credits in the second cashless wagering system for game play at a second gaming machine associated with the second cashless wagering system.

9. The method of claim 8, further including:

debiting a debit amount of the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system in a second financial transaction; and

crediting a credit amount of the wagering credits to the first cashless wagering system in the same second financial transaction.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second cashless wagering systems are maintained on one or more remote servers connected to the communications network.

12. A method of transferring wagering credits, that are usable for wagering, from a first gaming machine associated with a first cashless wagering system to a second gaming machine associated with a second cashless wagering system, the first and second cashless wagering systems being different systems and being configured to directly fund wagering games, the method comprising:

generating, by a random element generator, one or more random elements;

receiving, responsive to a physical input from a player to an electronic input device of the first gaming machine, an electronic data signal to initiate a casino wagering game at the first gaming machine;

determining, by one or more controllers, an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

displaying the outcome on an electronic display device of the first gaming machine;

depositing, by at least one of the one or more controllers, the wagering credits from play of the casino wagering game at the first gaming machine into the first cashless wagering system;

accessing, in response to a request by the player and via at least one of the one or more controllers, the first cashless wagering system using a first system access technique;

receiving, from the player via an electronic input device, an electronic data signal indicating that the wagering credits are to be transferred from the first cashless wagering system;

accessing, via at least one of the one or more controllers, the second cashless wagering system via a second, different system access technique;

executing, via at least one of the one or more controllers, a financial transaction between the first and second cashless wagering systems by;

debiting the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system, and

crediting the wagering credits to the second cashless wagering system; and

disbursing, via at least one of the one or more controllers, the wagering credits in the second cashless wagering system to be wagered on a casino wagering game at the second gaming machine.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first cashless wagering system is a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system and the first system access technique includes reading authentication information from a TITO ticket.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second cashless wagering system is an account-based system and the second system access technique is an account log-in screen.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second cashless wagering systems are operated by different gaming establishments.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the wagering credits from game play on the first gaming machine are included on a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) ticket issued by the first gaming machine, and wherein the second gaming machine is not TITO-compatible.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the wagering credits from game play on the first gaming machine are available in a user-account, and wherein the second gaming machine is not compatible with the user account.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second system access techniques requires player identification and wherein the other of the first and second system access techniques is anonymous.

19. A gaming system configured to transfer wagering credits, that are usable for wagering, from a first cashless wagering system to a second cashless wagering system, each of the cashless wagering systems being configured to directly fund wagering games, the gaming system comprising:

a first gaming machine associated with the first cashless wagering system, the first gaming machine including;

a gaming housing for housing components of the first gaming machine; and

an electronic display device coupled to the gaming housing;

a second gaming machine associated with the second cashless wagering system;

an electronic input device configured to receive a physical input from a player and transform the input to an electronic data signal;

a random element generator configured to generate one or more random elements; and

one or more controllers configured to;

initiate a casino wagering game on the first gaming machine in response to an electronic data signal from the electronic input device;

determine an outcome of the casino wagering game based, at least in part, on the one or more random elements;

direct the electronic display device to display the outcome;

deposit the wagering credits from play of the casino wagering game at the first gaming machine into the first cashless wagering system;

access, via a first system access technique, the first cashless wagering system;

debit, in a financial transaction, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system;

credit, in the same financial transaction, the wagering credits from the first cashless wagering system to a second, different cashless wagering system, the second cashless wagering system being accessed via a second, different system access technique, wherein the first and second cashless wagering systems are communicably coupled over a network; and

disburse the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system for game play on the second gaming machine associated with the second cashless wagering system.

20. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to:

receive, from a player, the wagering credits from play of the casino wagering game via a first cashless wagering game media input device, the wagering credits being associated with a first cashless wagering game medium associated with the first cashless wagering system; and

disburse, to the player, the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system via a second cashless wagering game medium associated with the second cashless wagering system.

21. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the first cashless wagering system is a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system, and the second cashless wagering system includes at least one of an account-based system and a pre-paid card system.

22. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the second cashless wagering system is a ticket-in/ticket-out (TITO) system, and the first cashless wagering system includes at least one of an account-based system and a pre-paid card system.

23. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the one or more controllers are further configured to:

debit a debit amount of the wagering credits from the second cashless wagering system in a second financial transaction; and

credit a credit amount of the wagering credits to the first cashless wagering system in the same second financial transaction.