Method and system for gaming machine accounting

• US 9,582,963 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Gaming LLC
• Original Assignee: Tipping Point Group, LLC
• Inventors: Johnson, Sam
• Primary Examiner(s): Hylinski, Steven J
• Application Number:
  US14/148,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20140121006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 17/3223 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 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards

Abstract

A gaming machine has a main or master gaming controller. Primary gaming machine accounting is performed by the master gaming controller in communication with a casino accounting system. A secondary controller is associated with the gaming machine. The secondary controller facilitates paragame activity. Secondary gaming machine accounting, such as associated with activities implemented by the secondary controller, is performed by the secondary controller in communication with a secondary accounting system. The secondary controller and secondary accounting system can also mirror or monitor primary gaming machine accounting.

Claims

1. A gaming machine comprising:

a housing;

a master gaming controller;

a plurality of gaming machine peripherals communicating with said master gaming controller via one or more communication links, said plurality of gaming machine peripherals comprising an electronic video display, a credit accepting device configured to receive a physical item representing monetary value for at least partially funding at least one of a primary credit balance of primary credits and a secondary credit balance of secondary credits from which wagers may be placed and at least one input device via which a player may place a wager from at least one of said primary and secondary credit balances and initiate a cash-out of at least one of said primary and secondary credit balances;

said master gaming controller configured to track a number of primary game credits associated with said primary credit balance and to report primary accounting information to a casino accounting system; and

a secondary controller, said secondary controller in communication with one or more of said communication links and configured to implement secondary game functionality at said gaming machine, including presenting secondary game information at said electronic video display, said secondary controller configured to track a number of secondary game credits associated with said secondary credit balance and to report secondary accounting information to a secondary accounting system separate from said casino accounting system.

2. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said gaming machine includes a first slot accounting system communication port and said master gaming controller reports accounting information to said casino accounting system via said first slot accounting system communication port.

3. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said secondary controller is in communication with a communication link between said master gaming controller and said first slot accounting system communication port.

4. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 2 wherein said gaming machine further includes a second slot accounting system communication port and said secondary controller is in direct communication with said second slot accounting system communication port to receive primary accounting information from said master gaming controller.

5. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said master gaming controller communicates with said casino accounting system via at first slot machine interface device and said secondary controller communicates with said secondary accounting system via a second slot machine interface device.

6. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said master gaming controller causes said electronic video display to display information to a player regarding said primary credit balance and said second controller causes said electronic video display to display information to a player regarding said secondary credit balance.

7. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of gaming machine peripherals comprises a ticket printer and said master gaming controller is configured to cause said ticket printer to print primary tickets having a value of primary credits of said primary credit balance and said secondary controller is configured to cause said ticket printer to print secondary tickets having a value of primary credits of said primary credit balance and/or secondary credits of said secondary credit balance.

8. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said credit accepting device comprises a reader configured to read currency input by a player and wherein said secondary controller is configured to permit said player to credit a value of said currency as either primary game credits to said primary credit balance or secondary game credits to said secondary credit balance.

9. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of gaming machine peripherals further comprise a least one printer and at least one media reader.

10. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said secondary controller further comprises at least one secondary meter configured to log information regarding said secondary credits.

11. A method of accounting at a gaming machine having a master gaming controller configured to present primary gaming functionality, a secondary gaming controller configured to present secondary gaming functionality, at least one electronic display device configured to display game information related to said primary and secondary gaming functionality, a credit accepting device configured to receive a physical item representing monetary value for at least partially funding at least one of a primary credit balance of primary game credits and a secondary credit balance of secondary game credits from which wagers may be placed, at least one input device via which a player may place a wager from at least one of said primary and secondary credit balances and initiate a cash-out of at least one of said primary and secondary credit balances, comprising:

transmitting information regarding said primary credit balance from said master gaming controller to a casino accounting system over a first communication link between said master gaming controller and said casino accounting system; and

transmitting information regarding said secondary credit balance from said secondary gaming controller to a secondary accounting system but not said casino accounting system, over a second communication link between said secondary gaming controller and said secondary accounting system.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said first communication link comprises a first gaming machine interface and said second communication link comprises a second gaming machine interface.

13. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising the step of monitoring information regarding said primary credit balance using said secondary controller and additionally transmitting said monitored information to said secondary accounting system.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13 wherein said step of monitoring comprises intercepting information transmitted by said master gaming controller to one or more primary gaming machine meters.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said information regarding said primary credit balance comprises information regarding a number of primary game credits credited to said gaming machine as a result of a player providing funds to said gaming machine via said credit accepting device.

16. The method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said information regarding said primary credit balance comprises information regarding a player cashing out one or more of said primary game credits comprising said primary credit balance.

17. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising the step of reconciling accounting at said gaming machine utilizing both said information regarding a number of primary game credits and said information regarding a number of secondary game credits.