AU2011250682A1

AU2011250682A1 - Credit Transfer Card

Info

Publication number: AU2011250682A1
Application number: AU2011250682A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Alex Parle
Original assignee: Ebet Ltd
Current assignee: Ebet Ltd
Priority date: 2011-11-10
Filing date: 2011-11-10
Publication date: 2012-05-31
Also published as: AU2013100428B4; AU2012100469A4; AU2015227528A1; AU2017245337A1; AU2019264530B2; AU2013100428A4; AU2019264530A1; AU2012100469B4

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed to facilitate transfer of credit between gaming machines. When requested, an attendant enables a temporary transfer card at the respective gaming machine. Once activated, this allows the credit on the machine to be used at other machines, without requiring the player to be a registered player. Once the player completes play, the card is paid out, cancelled, and returned to the stock for possible re-use.

Description

1 CREDIT TRANSFER CARD TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to credit processes and systems for use in 5 gaming machine environments, for example licensed clubs and casinos. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION It is common for gaming machines, for example those commonly referred to as slot machines or poker machines, to be set up in a designated area at a suitably 0 licensed venue. Patrons may play only a single machine, or may prefer to move from machine to machine. In conventional machines, this is done by the player cashing out, to produce a potentially large number of notes and/or coins, which are then required to be inserted into the next machine. The cash creates practical issues of handling, as well as security issues. 5 One approach to avoiding the use of cash for transfers is 'ticket in ticket out', or TITO. In a TITO system, when the player has ceased play on a machine, a bar-coded receipt is printed by the gaming machine or an associated hardware device. The ticket can be either redeemed for cash at a cashier, or inserted/scanned for play into another machine. This requires a barcode scanner to be fitted to each 0 gaming machine. As a consequence, the cost of installation or retrofitting an existing venue is relatively large. Further, the operating costs of such systems are also significant. Another option is a card based cashless system. Such systems require far less specialised equipment, and do not produce tickets which need to be audited and ?5 managed. Such systems are only conventionally available to registered players, who go through an advance process to have a magnetic strip based card issued to them. Whilst such systems cater well for regular registered players, a significant number of players are transient visitors, only play occasionally, or are regular players but do not wish to be registered. 30 U.S. patent application No 20060183541 by Okada discloses a gaming machine system in which individual gaming machines store provisional membership cards in an initialised state. When a player indicates on the gaming machine that the player has ceased play, the machine automatically loads the remaining credit to the provisional membership card, and issues it to the player.

2 It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved card based system suitable for non registered players. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 5 In a broad form, the present invention provides an optional transfer card arrangement, in which the player has the option of receiving a transfer card, initiated at the gaming machine by an attendant, instead of receiving cash. According to one aspect, the present invention provides gaming management system, including: 0 a gaming management server; a plurality of gaming machines; a card reader unit associated with each gaming machine; a plurality of cards, including player cards and temporary cards; wherein the gaming management server maintains a credit balance 5 associated with each card, and when a card is inserted into one of said card reader units, credit may be transferred to the associated gaming machine from the credit balance, and when the card is removed, credit is transferred to the credit balance and removed from that associated gaming machine; and wherein the temporary cards are only activated at a gaming machine by an 0 attendant, at the request of the player, and thereafter remain active to enable the transfer of credit to other gaming machines. According to another aspect, the present invention provides method for enabling card based credit transfer between gaming machines, in a system including: a gaming management server; 25 a plurality of gaming machines; and a card reader unit associated with each gaming machine; the method including at least the steps of: providing a plurality of cards, including player cards and temporary cards; maintaining a credit balance associated with each card, 30 transferring credit to the associated gaming machine from said credit balance when a card is inserted into one of said card reader units; transferring credit from the associated gaming machine to said credit balance when said card is removed from the gaming machine; and 3 activating said temporary cards at a gaming machine only by an attendant and at the request of the player, said temporary cards thereafter remaining active to enable the transfer of credit to other gaming machines. 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Illustrative embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a typical card based payment system for members; and 0 Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating the operating process according to one implementation of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention will be described with reference to a particular 5 illustrative example, using conventional magnetic stripe cards. It will be understood that the principles of the present invention may be implemented using a variety of systems, for example chip cards (smartcards), contactless cards, cards with barcodes, and any other suitable token or indicia. When the term card is used, it is intended to encompass other indicia, tokens and devices as described above. O It will also be appreciated that the present invention may be implemented using an underlying system with varying levels of complexity. The system may use cards as simple identifiers, with all processing, balances, personal identification information (if any), and so forth stored in the system, for example in a server. However, it would be possible to also store a balance, and certain personal ?5 information, on the card if desired, or store a complete player record on the card. The present invention is applicable to any kind of electronic gaming machine (EGM), and is not limited in application to any particular brand, style or type of machine. Of course, the necessary software and hardware interfaces will vary with machines, as it is necessary to interact with the gaming machine to add and remove 30 credits. However, as long as the machine is capable of such interaction, the present invention could be deployed, in a suitably modified implementation. Example of systems in which the present invention could be implemented include the eMember system, commercially available from the present applicant and IGT Advantage / EZ Pay, available from IGT.

4 Figure 1 illustrates a typical gaming venue card system, suitable for use with the present invention. It will be appreciated that this is provided by way of general background, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the commercially available systems provide a full set of functions, security and management tools. 5 The present invention is intended to provide additional functionality within such a system, and any practical implementation would preferably be implemented in the context of such an existing system. Figure 1 shows a system including EGMs 20, 30; server 25; cashier terminal 26; kiosk 27; and network 28. Network 28 may be a LAN or optical network, or series 0 of networks, allowing communication between the components of the system. Each EGM has an associated player interface module (PIM) 21, 31. It will be appreciated that in a practical system, there would typically be many EGMs. The PIM 21, 31 communicates directly with the associated EGM 20, 30 as well as via the network 28 with the server. The PIM provides (relevantly) a cashless 5 gaming facility for the EGMs. A player who has a membership card inserts the card into an EGM when he is playing. This allows for credit to be transferred to the EGM, as well as for player tracking, membership rewards, and other system aspects to be provided. In a preferred system, no data is stored on the card, which acts only as a secure token for an account, the details of which are stored in the server. The card 0 may be of any conventional type, for example a mag stripe card with encrypted data. Additional security measures, for example a player identification number, may be required to permit use of the system. In such a conventional system, when a player wishes to cash out part of all of his card credit, he approaches the cashier who via the cashier terminal 26 provides ?5 cash to the player. Similarly, the player may add credit via the cashier, or using the kiosk 27. The server maintains overall system control, using special purposes databases which are securely stored, either locally or remotely. These may include a member database, and electronic payment database, and a reporting database. According to this implementation of the present invention, in addition to player 30 cards, used by registered players in a conventional way, there are also provided temporary transfer cards. It is preferred that these cards be different in appearance to player cards, and carry a visual or other unique identifier, such as a bar code or RFID tag.

5 In overview, the operation of the temporary cards according to this implementation will be described with reference to figure 2. A player commences using a EGM at a venue. They are not using a player card, and have initiated play 10 using coins or notes inserted into the EGM. The player determines that they wish 5 to move to another EGM. They press the conventional collect button on the machine, indicating that they wish to cash out 11. Alternatively, this may be a service button of some form, for example on a separate loyalty panel. This prompts the gaming system to automatically request an attendant 12 to come to that machine. This may be, for example, using a paging system, a radio or phone system, or using 0 any conventional mechanism. The request may go to a central operator or supervisor, who directs a staff member to the relevant machine. The attendant will explain the benefits of the temporary transfer card, and offer to issue one to the player. Depending upon the venue, the attendant could also discuss the benefits of becoming a registered player. The player, according to this 5 implementation, may opt to simply accept a cash payout, and so no further action is required. According to other possible implementations, this could become a mandatory system rather than an option. Similarly, the system could be set to trigger a request a request for an attendant only if the balance to be cashed out exceeds a certain limit. 0 If the player requests a temporary transfer card, then this will preferably require an attendant activation process to be carried out by the attendant. With the credit still on the machine, the attendant will insert the (at this stage inactive) transfer card and complete the activation process. According to this implementation, the attendant is required to enter a code via the pinpad. However, it will be appreciated 25 that a variety of alternative activation processes could be used, for example using a special attendant card. After the activation procedure is completed, the player can remove 13 the temporary transfer card and the credit will be removed from the machine and loaded onto the transfer card account. At the next machine the player inserts 14 the temporary transfer card and the 30 full credit balance will be deposited onto the machine credit meter, and play can then begin. The maximum amount transferrable onto a gaming machine will be dependent upon the applicable rules in the jurisdiction. In the event that the full amount is not permitted to be transferred, some part of the credit may be retained on the temporary transfer card.

6 At the conclusion of play 15 the player removes the temporary transfer card from the machine, at which time the credit balance is transferred to the card. The player can move to another machine or cash out any outstanding balance, for example at a cashier 16 or at a kiosk adapted for that purpose. 5 A successful refund of the full balance will cause the temporary transfer card to be deactivated. If requested by the player, it can be activated and reissued on the spot to the same player. However, in the normal course the card will go back into the stock of deactivated cards, ready to be re-used. All transfer card transactions are captured in the audit trail and fully 0 identifiable. A detailed transaction report would generally be available in the reporting module of the gaming management system. We will now describe in more detail the process by which temporary transfer cards are issued according to the present implementation. It will be appreciated that there are many alternative implementations and corresponding operational steps by 5 which the present invention could be implemented. For security reasons it is preferred that the stock of transfer cards are not enabled by default. The process of enabling a temporary transfer card is called activation and is carried out by the floor attendant when a card is issued to a player. The activation process is performed at the machine once the card is inserted by the attendant 0 keying in a code on the player tracking keypad, which is located on the gaming machine as part of the existing player card infrastructure. Once the card is activated, the player removes the card which transfers the credit off the machine, and into the account in the gaming management system associated with activated temporary transfer card. The player is now able to use that card to transfer credit on to and off 25 any gaming machine on the floor. Unlike player card based cashless systems, which are account based, the temporary transfer card is transaction based. This requires that functionality is restricted to an "all on / all off" process when inserting or removing the card and similarly at the cashier desk as opposed to the expanded functionality available with 30 Card Based Cashless system play. The "all off' credit removal process is initiated by the removal of the temporary transfer card from the card reader at the machine. When removing credit from a machine the system will create a transaction record in the gaming management 7 system that records the machine, date & time, amount, unique temporary transfer card identifier and a unique transaction number. The credit transfer process is initiated by the player inserting the temporary transfer card into the card reader at the machine. The system receives the unique 5 temporary transfer card identifier from the card reader and retrieves each unique transaction number and balance associated with the card, and transfers the full value on to the machine. If the full value on the "Temporary Transfer Card" is greater than $2,000.00, no credits will transfer onto a machine, (the same as current TITO Ticket In Limits), instead, the player will be prompted to see the cashier via a message on 0 the PIM. To cash out any residual balance the player must present the temporary transfer card to the cashier. The cashier will swipe or scan the temporary transfer card and the cashier system will retrieve the current balance. The cashier will pay out the recorded balance. In the preferred implementation, any balance greater than 5 $2,000 will automatically activate the cheque payment process as per requirements of the NSW Gaming Machine Regulation 2010. It will be appreciated that the details of this aspect will vary with the regulations operative in each jurisdiction. A venue will be able to set a lower limit for activating the cheque payment process or in the event a player requests a cheque for a lower value. 0 Once the balance is paid out in full the card is disabled and put aside ready to be re-issued. According to this implementation, if the player leaves the venue with the card it will remain activated and able to be used in machines at the for two business days. This period of time is known as the transfer card activity time limit and is preferably ?5 configurable within the system. After the activity time limit has expired the card will need to be presented at the cashier to refund the balance. Temporary transfer cards that have not been redeemed within 13 months following the date of the last transaction, for example, will be deemed to have expired. Expired temporary transfer cards will be treated in a manner that is consistent 30 with regulations applying in the case of expired gaming machine tickets. Following the expiry and display of information regarding expired temporary transfer cards, the unclaimed monies will be removed from the system and dealt with in a manner that is consistent with that applying in the case of expired tickets.

8 The temporary transfer card is not a membership loyalty card as it does not provide the player the benefits associated with venue membership. Specifically, it is preferred that the temporary transfer card will not be included in any venue promotions, whether loyalty point based or other forms of card based promotion. 5 The temporary transfer card facility involves the concept of a temporary transfer card session which is transaction based. This provides the ability for the system to track how long an individual session is active and offers the opportunity to prompt the player with harm minimisation messages. These may be, for example, pop up messages that provide the player with information, e.g.: 0 - Take a break message after an hour of continuous play Alternatively, it may provide pop up messages referring to assistance for problem gamblers based on venue affiliations, for example: - G-Line - BetSafe 5 - ClubSAFE The introduction of a temporary transfer card according to this implementation should result in a larger section of the non-member or non-carded playing community being exposed to and using cards to play gaming machines. This is an important first step in facilitating further ham minimisation measures that may be proposed in the 0 future. A particular advantage of implementations of the present invention is that they may use the existing hardware and software infrastructure which already exists for player cards in a venue, with appropriate software modifications, as has been explained above. It is readily implemented as addition to, rather than a substitute for, ?5 traditional cash based play. A key advantage of preferred implementations of the present invention is that they do not force non-members to a card based system. The player can opt to continue collecting in cash. No advance decision needs to be made to use card or cash based credit.

Claims

1. A gaming management system, including: a gaming management server; a plurality of gaming machines; a card reader unit associated with each gaming machine; a plurality of cards, including player cards and temporary cards; wherein the gaming management server maintains a credit balance associated with each card, and when a card is inserted into one of said card reader units, credit may be transferred to the associated gaming machine from the credit balance, and when the card is removed, credit is transferred to the credit balance and removed from that associated gaming machine; and wherein the temporary cards are only activated at a gaming machine by an attendant, at the request of the player, and thereafter remain active to enable the transfer of credit to other gaming machines.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the player cards and temporary cards use the same card reading unit.

3. A system according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the temporary card activation process requires the attendant to enter a code at the gaming machine.

4. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at the conclusion of use, the player returns the temporary card to a cashier, the corresponding credit amount is paid out, the card is cancelled, and is available for re activation for another player. 10

5. A method for enabling card based credit transfer between gaming machines, in a system including: a gaming management server; a plurality of gaming machines; and a card reader unit associated with each gaming machine; the method including at least the steps of: providing a plurality of cards, including player cards and temporary cards; maintaining a credit balance associated with each card, transferring credit to the associated gaming machine from said credit balance when a card is inserted into one of said card reader units; transferring credit from the associated gaming machine to said credit balance when said card is removed from the gaming machine; and activating said temporary cards at a gaming machine only by an attendant and at the request of the player, said temporary cards thereafter remaining active to enable the transfer of credit to other gaming machines.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the temporary card activation process requires the attendant to enter a code at the gaming machine.

7. A method according to claim 5 or claim 6, wherein at the conclusion of use, the player returns the temporary card to a cashier, the corresponding credit amount is paid out, the card is cancelled, and the card is available for re activation for another player.