System and method for integrated multiple source player cash access

• US 9,524,532 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2014
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Everi Payments, Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Everi Payments, Inc. (Everi Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: LeStrange, Mike, Beer, Richard, Potts, Craig, Richards, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/498,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20150141125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00157 Casino or betting games horse races A63F3/00082
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/042 characterized in that the payment protocol involves at least one cheque
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/045 using payment protocols involving tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/085 involving remote charge determination or related payment systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/24 Credit schemes, i.e. "pay after"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• 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 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00
• 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 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 : Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 : for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/00 : Complete banking systems; Coded card-freed arrangements adapted for dispensing or receiving monies or the like and posting such transactions to existing accounts, e.g. automatic teller machines data processing equipment for bank accounting G06Q40/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/20 : Automatic teller machines [ATMs]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 : by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating player tracking and cash access in a casino or other gaming environment. One aspect of the invention allows for fund access and management wherein gaming machines, such as slot machines or on-line virtual gaming machines, receive playable credits directly from a patron'"'"'s banking or credit card account. Another aspect of the present invention relates to integrating player tracking and cash access transactions by allowing the players to provide a player tracking card for each financial transaction conducted in a gaming environment. In return, the casino issues gaming or bonus points to the players for allowing their transactions to be tracked. Yet another aspect of the present invention consolidates the players'"'"' financial account information into a single casino database. Players can subsequently credit or debit cash from the players'"'"' financial accounts using any associated customer identification cards or otherwise receive such credits in other forms that permit negotiations, including quasi-cash documents.

Claims

1. A multi-function player tracking system comprising:

an authorization server configured to (i) receive a request from a player at a gaming machine or a cash access kiosk to authorize a financial transaction with an independent financial account, the request including player independent financial account information, (ii) in response to the request to authorize the financial transaction, prompt the player via the gaming machine or the cash access kiosk to enroll in a player tracking system, (iii) when the player enrolls, receive personal identification information for the player, and (iv) when the player enrolls, generate a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the player and issue the unique identifier to the player;

a transaction database communicatively coupled to the authorization server configured to store player transactions and associate the player transactions with the unique identifier;

a cashless gaming database communicatively coupled to the authorization server configured to store the independent financial account information provided by the player and to associate the independent financial account information with the unique identifier; and

a player'"'"'s club database communicatively coupled to the authorization server configured to store the personal identification information received for the player, the personal identification information received at least in part from the independent financial account information, to associate the personal identification information with the unique identifier, to store gaming points awarded to the player, to associate the gaming points with the unique identifier, and to increment and decrement the gaming points according to the player'"'"'s accumulation and usage of the gaming points.

2. The multi-function player tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the independent financial account information includes information required to conduct electronic financial transactions with the independent financial account, and the authorization server is configured to authorize additional transactions upon receipt of the unique identifier from the player using the independent financial account information stored in the cashless gaming database.

3. The multi-function player tracking system according to claim 2, wherein the player'"'"'s club database increments the gaming points when the player completes the financial transaction after enrolling in the player tracking system.

4. The multi-function player tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the cashless gaming database is configured to store information regarding at least two different independent financial accounts associated with the player which are maintained by at least one financial institution and associate the stored information with the unique identifier.

5. The multi-function player tracking system according to claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is issued to the player in association with an access card.

6. A method for enrolling a player in a multi-function player tracking system that includes an authorization server, a transaction database, a cashless gaming database, a player'"'"'s club database, at least one cash access kiosk, and a plurality of gaming machines, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at the authorization server from the player at one of the plurality of gaming machines or the at least one cash access kiosk to authorize a financial transaction with an independent financial account, the request including player independent financial account information;

in response to the request to authorize the financial transaction, prompting the player via the one gaming machine or the at least one cash access kiosk to enroll in the multi-function player tracking system;

when the player enrolls, receiving at the authorization server personal identification information for the player;

generating at the authorization server a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the player;

issuing the unique identifier to the player;

storing in the transaction database communicatively coupled to the authorization server a player transaction and associating the player transaction with the unique identifier;

storing the independent financial account information provided by the player in the cashless gaming database communicatively coupled to the authorization server and associating the independent financial account information with the unique identifier;

storing the personal identification information received for the player, the personal identification information received at least in part from the independent financial account information and associate the personal identification information with the unique identifier in the player'"'"'s club database;

storing gaming points awarded to the player in the player'"'"'s club database communicatively coupled to the authorization server and associating the gaming points with the unique identifier; and

incrementing and decrementing the gaming points according to the player'"'"'s accumulation and usage of the gaming points.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the independent financial account information includes information required to conduct electronic financial transactions with the independent financial account, and the authorization server is configured to authorize additional transactions upon receipt of the unique identifier from the player using the independent financial account information stored in the cashless gaming database.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the player'"'"'s club database increments the gaming points when the player completes the financial transaction after enrolling in the multi-function player tracking system.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the cashless gaming database is configured to store information regarding at least two different independent financial accounts associated with the player which are maintained by at least one financial institution and associate the stored information with the unique identifier.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the unique identifier is issued to the player in association with an access card.

11. A method for enrolling a player in a multi-function player tracking system that includes an authorization server, a transaction database, a cashless gaming database, a player'"'"'s club database, at least one Automated Teller Machine (ATM), and a plurality of gaming machines, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, at the authorization server, a request from a player to access funds from a player'"'"'s external bank account via a bank card provided to the ATM;

in response to receiving said request, sending the request to a banking system for approval and if approved, dispensing the funds via the ATM;

in response to receiving said request, prompting said player to enroll in a casino player tracking system via said ATM;

when the player enrolls, receiving at the authorization server personal identification information for the player, the personal identification information being provided at least in part by information in the request, and storing the personal identification information in the player'"'"'s club database;

generating at the authorization server a unique identifier that uniquely identifies the player and storing the unique identifier in association with the personal identification information in the player'"'"'s club database;

issuing the unique identifier to the player;

storing in the transaction database communicatively coupled to the authorization server a player transaction and associating the player transaction with the unique identifier;

storing the independent financial account information provided by the player in the cashless gaming database communicatively coupled to the authorization server and associating the independent financial account information with the unique identifier.