Location Detection for Portable Wagering Game Machines

A method of determining a physical location of a handheld wagering game machine via a system including a location server and a plurality of wireless signal sources arranged in predetermined physical locations in a gaming establishment, the method comprising:

• providing, via each of the plurality of wireless signal sources, a signal that includes at least one of location information or identity information of the respective wireless signal source;
• receiving, by the handheld wagering game machine while at a particular location, signals from two or more wireless signal sources of the plurality;
• transmitting, from the handheld wagering game machine to the location server, the location information or identity information contained in the received signals;
• and
• determining, by one or more processors of the location server, the particular location of the handheld wagering game machine based, at least in part, on the location information or identity information.

A passive location detection system comprising:

• a plurality of wireless signal sources arranged in predetermined physical locations in a gaming establishment, each of the plurality being configured to provide a signal encoded via a coding format, each encoded signal including at least one of location information or identity information of the respective wireless signal source of the plurality;
• a location server including one or more processors configured, individually or in combination, to determine a location of a handheld wagering game machine in the gaming establishment, the handheld wagering game machine including a location detection component;
• and
• wherein the handheld wagering game machine at a particular location is configured to establish communication with two or more wireless signal sources of the plurality and to receive the encoded signals, via the location detection component, from the two or more wireless signal sources and to transmit, via the location detection component, the received encoded signals to the location server, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to decode the signals and to determine the particular location of the handheld wagering game machine based, at least in part, on the location information or the identity information.