System and method for utilizing prepaid cards to facilitate purchases in association with a gaming establishment retail account

A fund management system controller comprising:

• a processor distinct from and operable with each of a point-of-sale terminal of a retail system and a component of a player tracking system associated with an electronic gaming machine;
• and
• a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
• responsive to a receipt of data associated an attempted purchase at the point-of-sale terminal of the retail system and following a determination to complete the attempted purchase:
• determine, based on a first amount of funds associated with the purchase and a predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit associated with each pre-paid retail card, a first quantity of pre-paid retail cards needed in association with the purchase, the first quantity of pre-paid retail cards being at least two pre-paid retail cards,
• determine a second quantity of pre-paid retail cards associated with a gaming establishment retail account,
• responsive to the second quantity of pre-paid retail cards associated with the gaming establishment retail account being greater than the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards and independent of any determination by the retail system:
• select the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards from the second quantity of pre-paid retail cards associated with the gaming establishment retail account, and
• cause a transfer, from a funding account, of the first amount of funds associated with the purchase to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, wherein no more than the predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit is transferred to any one of the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, and the amount of funds transferred to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards are non-convertible to any amount of cash and not transferrable back to the funding account,
• responsive to the second quantity of pre-paid retail cards associated with the gaming establishment retail account being equal to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards and independent of any determination by the retail system, cause a transfer, from the funding account, of the first amount of funds associated with the purchase to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, wherein no more than the predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit is transferred to any one of the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, and the amount of funds transferred to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards are non-convertible to any amount of cash and not transferrable back to the funding account, and
• responsive to the second quantity of pre-paid retail cards associated with the gaming establishment retail account being less than the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards and independent of any other determination to issue any additional pre-paid retail cards:
• automatically issue a third quantity of pre-paid retail cards and associate the third quantity of pre-paid retail cards with the gaming establishment retail account such that, following the automatic association, the gaming establishment retail account is associated with the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, and
• cause a transfer, from the funding account, of the first amount of funds associated with the purchase to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, wherein no more than the predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit is transferred to any one of the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards and the amount of funds transferred to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards are non-convertible to any amount of cash and not transferrable back to the funding account, and
• responsive to a receipt, from the component of the player tracking system associated with the electronic gaming machine, of data associated with a requested transfer of a second amount of funds to the electronic gaming machine and following a determination that a cashless wagering account maintained by a gaming establishment cashless wagering server includes at least the second amount of funds, serially communicate data to the component of the player tracking system which enables an increase of a credit balance of the electronic gaming machine by the second amount of funds.

A method of operating a fund management system controller, the method comprising:

• responsive to a receipt of data associated with an attempted purchase at a point-of-sale terminal of a retail system that is distinct from the fund management system controller and following a determination to complete the attempted purchase, determining, by a processor operable with each of the point-of-sale terminal of the retail system and a component of a player tracking system associated with an electronic gaming machine and based on a first amount of funds associated with the purchase and a predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit associated with each pre-paid retail card, a first quantity of pre-paid retail cards needed in association with the purchase, the first quantity of pre-paid retail cards being at least two pre-paid retail cards, and
• responsive to a gaming establishment retail account not being associated with at least the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards and independent of any other determination to issue any additional pre-paid retail cards:
• automatically issuing, by the processor, a second quantity of pre-paid retail cards and associating, by the processor, the second quantity of pre-paid retail cards with the gaming establishment retail account such that, following the automatic association, the gaming establishment account is associated with at least the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, and
• causing by the processor and from a funding account, a transfer of the first amount of funds associated with the purchase to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards, wherein no more than the predetermined pre-paid retail card spending amount limit is transferred to any one of the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards in association with the purchase and the amount of funds transferred to the determined first quantity of pre-paid retail cards are non-convertible to any amount of cash and not transferrable back to the funding account, and
• responsive to serially receiving, from the component of the player tracking system associated with the electronic gaming machine, data associated with a requested transfer of a second amount of funds to the electronic gaming machine and following a determination that a cashless wagering account maintained by a gaming establishment cashless wagering server includes at least the second amount of funds, serially communicating data to the component of the player tracking system which enables an increase of a credit balance of the electronic gaming machine by the second amount of funds.