System and method for measuring gaming player behavior

• US 9,659,442 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Kang
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, THOMAS HAYNES
• Application Number:
  US12/634,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,722 Days
• Field of Search: 463 25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• 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 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to analyzing recorded game information to determine information about a player'"'"'s behavior. This is accomplished by analyzing the player'"'"'s actions following a positive increase in credits within credit meter data. This analysis can be utilized in automatically altering a game parameter of the gaming device being played by the player or in providing operators trend information that can be used in modifying the game device or designing future gaming devices. An analysis station may be included in a gaming system using this analysis process to allow an operator to view and manipulate a graphical representation of the credit meter data.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a pay table of an electronic gaming device based on play of a game on the electronic gaming device, the electronic gaming device being of the type having a credit meter that records positive increases of credits applied by the player and as a result of awards and a negative decrease of credits as a result of a wager made by the player, the electronic including:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, the plurality of input devices including a physical item acceptor and at least one of;

a touch screen and at least one button; and

an electronic processing device supported by the housing, the electronic processing device configured to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices to receive currency via the physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value, and to receive, via at least one of the plurality of input devices, a wager based at least in part on the monetary value, the method comprising;

retrieving, via a processor in communication with the electronic gaming device, a session report including credit meter data associated with a gaming session by the player, the credit meter data including each change in value on the credit meter;

receiving wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

initiating a game on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

generating a game outcome comprising a plurality of symbols based on a paytable in the electronic gaming device for each game played;

displaying a game outcome comprising the plurality of symbols on the display device each time a game is played;

associating each wager that results in a winning outcome with the plurality of symbols resulting from the game on which the winning wager was made;

associating each wager that results in a losing outcome with an indication of a loss for the game on which the losing wager was made;

including the associated wagers and symbols resulting in a winning outcome in the session report;

including the associated wagers and loss indications for losing outcome in the session report;

identifying repeated positive increases of credits within the credit meter data;

associating each identified increase with a corresponding game in which the credits increased and with the time of the game at which the credits increased;

determining that the repeated positive increases of credits resulted from repeated increases in the amount wagered;

drawing at least one inference regarding player game preference based on the determined player actions, namely that the player would prefer a higher volatility game;

automatically changing the paytable in the electronic gaming device to a different paytable having higher volatility in response to the inference; and

permitting the player to cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter after each game played.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the amplitude of the positive increases of credits.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising measuring the range between sequential positive increases of credits.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising graphing the credit meter data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying positive increases of credits within the credit meter data includes identifying positive increase of credits above a predefined threshold within the credit meter data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined threshold is a positive increase of credits greater than a wager amount associated with a game corresponding to the positive increase of credits.

7. A method of modifying a paytable of an electronic gaming device in response to actions of a player playing a game on the electronic gaming device, the electronic gaming device including:

a housing;

a display device supported by the housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, the plurality of input devices including a physical item acceptor and at least one of;

a touch screen and at least one button; and

an electronic processing device supported by the housing, the electronic processing device configured to operate with the display device and the plurality of input devices to receive currency via the physical item acceptor, the currency having a monetary value, and to receive, via at least one of the plurality of input devices, a wager based at least in part on the monetary value, the method comprising;

recording changes in magnitude of a credit meter responsive to credits applied to the credit meter by the player, credits deducted from the credit meter as a result of wagers on the game, and awards applied to the credit meter;

retrieving, via a processor in communication with the electronic gaming device, a session report including each change in value on the credit meter associated with a gaming session;

receiving wagers from the player of the electronic gaming device;

initiating a game on the electronic gaming device for each wager made in response to actuation of one of the input devices;

generating a game outcome comprising a plurality of symbols based on a paytable in the electronic gaming device for each game played;

displaying a game outcome comprising the plurality of symbols on the display device each time a game is played;

generating associated wager data comprising;

associating each wager that results in a winning outcome with the plurality of symbols resulting from the game on which the winning wager was made; and

associating each wager that results in a losing outcome with an indication of a loss for the game on which the losing wager was made;

including the associated wagers and symbols resulting in a winning outcome in the session report;

including the associated wagers and loss indications for losing outcome in the session report;

generating a graphical representation of the credit meter magnitude changes in which the vertical axis represents each change in value on the credit meter and the horizontal axis represents each game in which the value on the credit meter changed and the time of the game at which the value on the credit meter changed;

identifying at least one action taken by a player immediately following repeated positive increases of credits resulting from increases in the amount wagered within the credit meter magnitude changes and the associated wager data, namely a reduced wager amount;

automatically changing the paytable in the electronic gaming device to a different paytable having a higher volatility in response to the increases in the amount wagered until the wager amount is reduced; and

permitting the player to cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter after each game played.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising curve fitting the graphical representation of the credit meter magnitude changes.