US 5,470,079 A · Game machine accounting and monitoring system

Abstract

A gaming machine accounting and monitoring system includes a plurality of accumulative, non-resettable accounting meters and an event processor for sensing game activity at the gaming machine and updating the accounting meters in response thereto. The system also includes separate game credit meters for storing the total amount of game credit available and the amount of game credit purchased but not yet risked by the player. The accounting meters include meters for tracking wagering activity and machine payouts, and a plurality of drop meters for tracing monetary value accepted by the gaming machine in all of its different forms. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the accounting meters also include a set of meters for tracing data card transactions for cashless game play. These data card meters include separate meters for tracking game credit purchased with a data card and gaming machine payouts deposited to a data card account. The accounting system can be used on a variety of gaming machines including video lottery systems which contain multiple games that can be independently selected by the player. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the system includes a game identifier that uniquely identifies the current game in play, and a mechanism for sensing a change of game at the gaming machine. In response to this change of game event, the system updates the game identifier and saves the accumulations of meter data representing game play for the previous game.

Claims46

Dependent claims

An accounting and data collection system for a gaming machine adapted to accept game credit purchases and wagers from a player using one or more forms of monetary value, to generate game winnings or losses in response thereto and to dispense available game credit collected by the player in one or more forms of monetary value, comprising:

means for storing the amount of residual game credit purchased corresponding to credit purchased which has not yet been risked by the player;
means for tracing game activity within said gaming machine including the total wagers accepted and the total winnings paid to the players of said gaming machine;
and
event processing means for sensing gaming machine events including the amount and form of game credit purchase and the amount of a wager by the player and having means for updating said residual credit storing means when game credit is purchased, when a wager is placed and when credit is collected by the player and incrementing Said game activity tracing means by the amount of credit collected in excess of the amount of residual credit available to the player.

1 more element

An accounting and data collection system for a gaming machine having means for accepting a data card for engaging in game credit transactions with a player comprising:

means for storing the amount of residual game credit purchased corresponding to credit purchased which has not yet been risked by the player;
means for tracing the total amount of game credit purchased by all data cards accepted by said gaming machine;
means for tracing the total amount deposited to all data cards accepted by said gaming machine;
and
event processing means for sensing the amount of game credit purchased from said data card by a player and incrementing said residual credit storing means and said data card purchase tracing means by the amount of the purchase and sensing the amount deposited by said gaming machine onto said data card and updating said data card deposit tracing means.

2 more elements

An accounting and data collection system for a gaming machine adapted to accept game credit purchases and wagers from a player using one or more forms of monetary value generating game winnings or losses in response thereto, and to dispense available game credit in one or more forms of monetary value when collected by the player, comprising:

a plurality of accumulative, non-resetable drop meters for tracing all forms of monetary value accepted by said gaming machine;
a plurality of accumulative, non-resetable game activity meters for tracing the total value of wagers accepted and total value of currency dispensed by said gaming machine;
a residual credit meter for storing the current value of credit available to the player that has not yet been risked;
communication means for transmitting event data associated with gaming machine events including the amount of game credit purchased, the form of monetary value used to purchase the game credit, the amount of a wager placed at the gaming machine and the amount dispensed by the gaming machine;
and
a processor for receiving said event data from said communication means and changing the state of said drop meters, said game activity meters and said residual credit meter in response thereto, wherein said processor includes means for increasing said residual credit meter by the amount of the game credit purchased by the player.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Game machine accounting and monitoring system

Life of this patent

Game machine accounting and monitoring system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims46