Cashless bonusing for gaming machines

• US 20030186739A1
• Filed: 03/29/2002
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: International Game Technology
• Inventors: Nguyen, Binh T., Paulsen, Craig A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,785,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value

Abstract

A cashless technology involves issuance of bonus awards to players. The bonus awards themselves are cash, service, merchandise, etc. But the game issues these awards in the form of a cashless instrument representing the award. The cashless instrument may be issued under various circumstances and in various forms such as pre-printed tickets, peelable tickets, updated information on a player card, updated information in a database, etc.

Claims

1. A method of providing a primary game and a bonus game on a gaming machine, the method comprising:

executing at least part of a play of the primary game on the gaming machine;

determining that a bonus award should be issued in response to an event of the primary game; and

issuing a cashless indicator of the bonus award from the gaming machine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator is a ticket.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator comprises at least 2 portions, which are separable from one another, and wherein at least 1 of the 2 portions is redeemable for the bonus award.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the two portions are adhesively affixed to one another and can be separated by peeling one portion off of the other portion.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a winning event has occurred in the primary game; and

issuing from the gaming machine a cashless indicator of a primary award.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein issuing the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises issuing an instrument having a representation of the bonus award and the representation of the primary award.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instrument is a ticket having the representation of the bonus award on one side and the representation of the primary award on the other side.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises indicia for playing a secondary bonus game.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the secondary bonus game comprises collecting multiple different cashless indicators of the bonus award.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the secondary bonus game comprises a scratch-off game printed on the cashless indicator of the bonus award.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises information written to a portable instrument identifying a particular player.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the portable instrument is a player tracking card, a smart card, or a cellular device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises information written to a data repository and specifying the bonus award for a particular player.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises a transponder that responds with unique identifiers when probed with an interrogation signal.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the cashless indicator comprises a lottery ticket portion.

16. A method of providing a bonus game and a primary game on a gaming machine, the method comprising:

executing a play of the primary game on the gaming machine;

issuing a primary award for a winning outcome of the play of the primary game; and

issuing a cashless indicator of a bonus award with the primary award.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless indicator is a ticket.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises at least two portions, which are separable from one another, and wherein at least one of the two portions is redeemable for the bonus award.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the two portions are adhesively affixed to one another and can be separated by peeling one portion off of the other portion.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the primary award is issued from the gaming machine as a cashless indicator of said primary award.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein issuing the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises issuing some fraction of the cashless indicators of the primary award together with the cashless indicator of the bonus award.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein issuing the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises issuing an instrument having a representation of the bonus award and representation of the primary award.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the instrument is a ticket having the representation of the bonus award on one side and the representation of the primary award on the other side.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises indicia for playing a secondary bonus game.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the secondary bonus game comprises collecting multiple different cashless indicators of the bonus awards.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the secondary bonus game comprises a scratch off game printed on the cashless indicator of the bonus award.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises information written to a portable instrument identifying a particular player.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the portable instrument is a player tracking card of a smart card.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises information written to a data repository and specifying the bonus award for a particular player.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein the cashless instrument comprises a transponder that responds with unique identifiers when probed with an interrogation signal.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the cashless indicator comprises a lottery ticket portion.

32. A gaming machine for playing a primary game and a bonus game, the gaming machine comprising:

a dispenser for issuing cashless indicia of game awards;

primary game logic for determining an outcome of the primary game and for presenting a presentation of the primary game; and

bonus game logic for instructing the dispenser to issue cashless indicia of bonus awards in response to a determination that a bonus event has occurred in response to an event in the primary game.

33. The gaming machine of claim 32, further comprising an interface for communicating with a server that provides information about the bonus game.

34. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein the dispenser is a thermal printer.

35. The gaming machine of claim 34, wherein the printer is designed or configured to print indicia of the bonus award on a first side of a ticket opposite a second side that contains non-bonus information.

36. The gaming machine of claim 35, wherein the second side displays at least one of a primary game award and promotional information.

37. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein the primary game logic comprises logic for playing one or more of a slot game, a video card game, a keno game, a pachinko game, and a checkers game.

38. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein the bonus game logic is coupled to the primary game logic in a manner allowing the bonus game logic to detect events in the primary game that trigger issuance of the cashless indicia of bonus awards.

39. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein the bonus game logic randomly issues the cashless indicia of bonus awards.

40. The gaming machine of claim 32, wherein the dispenser can issue tickets comprising transponders that respond with unique identifiers when probed with an interrogation signal.

41. The gaming machine of claim 32, further comprising a wireless transceiver for transferring data regarding the bonus awards.

42. A system allowing the play of a primary game and a bonus game, the system comprising:

a gaming machine comprising;

(i) a dispenser for issuing cashless indicia of game awards;

(ii) primary game logic for determining an outcome of the primary game and for presenting a presentation of the primary game; and

(iii) bonus game logic for instructing the dispenser to issue cashless indicia of bonus awards in response to a determination that a bonus event has occurred; and

a server for communicating over a network with the gaming machine and serving data pertaining to the bonus game.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the gaming machine further comprising an interface for communicating with the server that provides information about the bonus game.

44. The system of claim 42, further comprising a validation terminal.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the primary game logic comprises logic for playing one or more of a slot game, a video card game, a keno game, a pachinko game, and a checkers game.

46. The system of claim 42, wherein the bonus game logic is coupled to the primary game logic in a manner allowing the bonus game logic to detect events in the primary game that trigger issuance of the cashless indicia of bonus awards.

47. The system of claim 42, wherein the bonus game logic randomly issues the cashless indicia of bonus awards.

48. A method of providing a primary game and a bonus game on a client computer communicating with a gaming server over the Internet, the method comprising:

executing at least part of a play of the primary game on the gaming server;

determining that a bonus award should be issued; and

instructing the client computer to issue a cashless indicator of the bonus award from the client computer.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the cashless indicator is a receipt printed from the client computer.

50. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

determining that a winning event has occurred in the primary game; and

instructing the client computer to issue a cashless indicator of a primary award.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein issuing the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises issuing an instrument having a representation of the bonus award and the representation of the primary award.

52. The method of claim 48, wherein the cashless indicator of the bonus award comprises verification information identifying an Internet gaming player who played the primary game.