Anonymous player tracking with mobile devices

• US 9,483,906 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: LeMay, Steven G., Nelson, Dwayne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre Eddy
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL VICTOR
• Application Number:
  US14/095,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20140087853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• 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 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A monitoring system for monitoring customer activities within a casino enterprise is described. The monitoring system can be used to determine a current utilization of casino activities so that an optimal mixture of activities can be offered by the casino. Further, the system can be used to identify customers, based on their utilization of the activities, whose loyalty that a casino enterprise may wish to cultivate. In particular embodiments, the monitoring system can be configured to passively track portable wireless devices and associate the portable wireless devices with activities within the casino enterprise that are not attributable to customers registered in a loyalty program. The identity of the person controlling a particular portable device can be unknown. A virtual customer account can be created where the first portable device is used to identify a virtual customer associated with the account. Based upon identification of the first portable device, activities can be associated with the virtual customer and store to the virtual customer account.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving, at a network interface of a server and from a gaming machine, transaction information regarding participation by a player in a gaming activity at the gaming machine within a casino, said gaming activity including;

(i) receipt, by an acceptor of the gaming machine, of a physical item associated with a monetary value;

(ii) establishment of a credit balance on the gaming machine;

(iii) for each of one or more plays of a wagering game on the gaming machine, placement of a wager following receipt of an actuation of a wager button, the credit balance decreasable by said wager;

(iv) display of the one or more plays of the wagering game on the gaming machine;

(v) modification of the credit balance based on any awards for the one or more plays of the wagering game; and

(vi) initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance following receipt of an actuation of a cashout button;

(b) determining, by the server and based upon the transaction information, that the player has not been identified via a casino-provided player tracking device;

(c) determining, by the server, a location of the gaming machine;

(d) receiving, at the network interface of the server and from one or more receiver devices within the casino, wireless signal data from a plurality of portable wireless devices located within the casino, wherein the portable wireless devices are not casino-provided player tracking devices;

(e) determining, by the server and based upon the wireless signal data, a location for each of the plurality of portable wireless devices within the casino;

(f) determining, by the server, whether one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within a threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine; and

(g) if one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within the threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine;

(i) determining, by the server, unique identifying information of the portable wireless device; and

(ii) if one of a plurality of different loyalty program accounts is associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, assigning, by the server, at least a portion of the gaming activity to a registered customer associated with the loyalty program account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating, by the server, the loyalty program account based on the transaction information and the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the loyalty program account is updated by determining a value of the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer and determining a number of loyalty points to add to the loyalty program account based on the determined value.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the number of loyalty points is less than the number of loyalty points attributable to the registered customer had the registered customer been identified via the casino-provided player tracking device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the server, the portion of the gaming activity to be assigned to the registered customer prior to assigning the portion of the gaming activity to the registered customer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server, the transaction information to the loyalty program account.

7. The method of claim 1, which includes, if none of the plurality of different loyalty program accounts are associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, creating, by the server, a virtual customer account associated with the unique identifying information and assigning, by the server, at least a portion of the gaming activity to the virtual customer account.

8. The method of claim 7, which includes transmitting, by the network interface of the server, an instruction to the gaming machine to display an offer to register for a player loyalty account.

9. The method of claim 7, which includes deleting, by the server, the virtual customer account if no activity associated with the virtual customer account occurs within a designated period.

10. A server, comprising:

a memory;

a network interface configured to receive transaction information regarding participation by a player in a gaming activity within a casino and wireless signal data from one or more receiver devices within the casino, the wireless signal data collected by the one or more receiver devices from a plurality of portable wireless devices located within the casino, wherein the plurality of portable wireless devices are not casino-provided player tracking devices, the gaming activity including;

(i) receipt, by an acceptor of the gaming machine, of a physical item associated with a monetary value;

(ii) establishment of a credit balance on the gaming machine;

(iii) for each of one or more plays of a wagering game on the gaming machine, placement of a wager following receipt of an actuation of a wager button, the credit balance decreasable by said wager;

(iv) display of the one or more plays of the wagering game on the gaming machine;

(v) modification of the credit balance based on any awards for the one or more plays of the wagering game; and

(vi) initiation of a payout associated with the credit balance following receipt of an actuation of a cashout button; and

a processor configured to;

receive the transaction information and the wireless signal data via the network interface;

determine, based upon the transaction information, that the player has not been identified via a casino-provided player tracking device;

determine a location of the gaming machine;

determine, based upon the wireless signal data, a location for each of the plurality of portable wireless devices within the casino;

determine whether one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within a threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine; and

if one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within the threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine;

(i) determine unique identifying information of the portable wireless device; and

(ii) if one of a plurality of different loyalty program accounts is associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, assign at least a portion of the gaming activity to a registered customer associated with the loyalty program account.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

update the loyalty program account based on the transaction information and the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer.

12. The server of claim 11, wherein the loyalty program account is updated by determining a value of the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer and determining a number of loyalty points to add to the loyalty program account based on the determined value.

13. The server of claim 12, wherein the number of loyalty points is less than the number of loyalty points attributable to the registered customer had the registered customer been identified via the casino-provided player tracking device.

14. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the portion of the gaming activity to be assigned to the registered customer prior to assigning the portion of the gaming activity to the registered customer.

15. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

store the transaction information to the loyalty program account.

16. The server of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to, if none of the plurality of different loyalty program accounts are associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, create a virtual customer account associated with the unique identifying information and assign at least a portion of the gaming activity to the virtual customer account.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to transmit an instruction to the gaming machine to display an offer to register for a player loyalty account.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to delete the virtual customer account if no activity associated with the virtual customer account occurs within a designated period.

19. A gaming system comprising:

a server;

a plurality of receiver devices in communication with the server; and

a gaming machine including;

a housing;

an acceptor supported by the housing and configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value to facilitate establishment of a credit balance

a wager button actuatable to place a wager on a play of a wagering game;

a cashout button actuatable to initiate a payout associated with the credit balance;

a display device configured to display the play of the wagering game;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the acceptor, the wager button, the cashout button, and the display device to provide the play of the wager-based game,

wherein the server, the plurality of receiver devices, and the gaming machine are operable with one another to;

transmit, by the gaming machine, transaction information regarding participation by a player in a gaming activity at the gaming machine;

receive, by the server, the transaction information;

determine, by the server and based upon the transaction information, that the player has not been identified via a casino-provided player tracking device;

determine by the server, a location of the gaming machine;

receive, by the plurality of receiver devices, wireless signal data from a plurality of portable wireless devices located within the casino, wherein the portable wireless devices are not casino-provided player tracking devices;

determine, by the server and based upon the wireless signal data, a location for each of the plurality of portable wireless devices;

determine, by the server, whether one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within a threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine; and

if one of the plurality of portable wireless devices is within the threshold distance from the location of the gaming machine;

(i) determine, by the server, unique identifying information of the portable wireless device; and

(ii) if one of a plurality of different loyalty program accounts is associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, assign, by the server, at least a portion of the gaming activity to the registered customer having the loyalty program account.

20. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the server is further configured to:

update the loyalty program account based on the transaction information and the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the loyalty program account is updated by determining a value of the portion of the gaming activity assigned to the registered customer and determining a number of loyalty points to add to the loyalty program account based on the determined value.

22. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the number of loyalty points is less than the number of loyalty points attributable to the registered customer had the registered customer been identified via the casino-provided player tracking device.

23. The gaming system machine of claim 19, wherein the server is further configured to:

determine the portion of the gaming activity to be assigned to the registered customer prior to assigning the portion of the gaming activity to the registered customer.

24. The gaming system machine of claim 19, wherein the server is further configured to:

store the transaction information to the loyalty program account.

25. The gaming system of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to, if none of the plurality of different loyalty program accounts are associated with the unique identifying information of the portable wireless device, create a virtual customer account associated with the unique identifying information and assign at least a portion of the gaming activity to the virtual customer account.

26. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the server is configured to transmit an instruction to the gaming machine to display an offer to register for a player loyalty account.

27. The gaming system of claim 25, wherein the server is configured to delete the virtual customer account if no activity associated with the virtual customer account occurs within a designated period.