BE1021660B1 - GAME OF CHANCE ANTI-FRAUD. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for preventing fraud in games of chance in which at least one ball moves almost randomly on an inclined plane, said device comprising a window forming a barrier between the user and said plane. inclined preventing the user from intervening on the movement of the ball, comprising one or more coded marking means (s) fixed to said pane in a tamper-proof manner and simultaneous reading means of the marking (s) ( s) attached to said window and the marking (s) attached to said inclined plane.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a gambling device comprising fraud prevention means.

STATE OF THE ART [0002] The present invention relates to games of chance of the "bingo" or "one-lease" type in which one or more balls move in a quasi-random manner on a slightly inclined plane comprising target zones. These target areas will be for example in the form of cavities formed in the slightly inclined plane. In these games, a protective glass prevents the user from directly intervening on the movement of the balls.

The objective of this type of games for the user is to place his balls at a position or in a combination of predetermined positions, the success of the user being rewarded with financial winnings or free spins.

Since the origin of this type of games, users have sought to change the trajectory of the balls so as to increase their gains compared to the purely random factor. In response, increasingly efficient devices in machines have made it possible to limit these forms of fraud. Examples include accelerometers, stopping the game in case of detection of significant shock on the game (tilt), magnetic field detectors, to detect attempts to influence the movement of the balls by means of powerful magnets, ...

These systems are unfortunately ineffective when the person authorized to intervene on the device (technician, owner, cashier, ...) and who has the keys and codes is itself complicit.

Indeed, when the device is opened and the protective glass is removed, nothing prevents the user to place the balls at will, ensuring substantial gains. When it comes to the owner of the game, his goal will for example be to reduce his official winnings, in order to evade taxes.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention aims to prevent fraud in games of chance where a ball moves under a protective glass by preventing playing remuneratively when the glass is not in place. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention relates to a device for preventing fraud in games of chance in which at least one ball moves almost randomly on a slightly inclined plane, said device comprising: a window preventing the user to intervene on the movement of the ball; means for detecting the presence of the window at a predetermined position, the window preventing access by the user to the ball when it is at said predetermined position; control means prohibiting the validation of gains when the presence of the window at said predetermined position is not detected.

According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the device of the invention further comprises one or a suitable combination of at least two of the following characteristics: the means for detecting the window include: at least one means of coded marking fixed to the window immovably without visible degradation or integrated into said window; coded marking reading means fixed immovably without visible degradation to the frame of the device and connected to said control means, • the means for detecting the glass include: one or more coded marking means (s) attached to the glass irremovably without visible degradation or integrated into said window; one or more coded marking means (s) fixed (s) to the irremovably slightly inclined plane without visible degradation, said marking means fixed .audit slightly inclined plane 'being placed, in normal use, close (neighborhood ) marking means attached to the pane; means for simultaneously reading the marking means attached to the window and the inclined plane, the marking means being connected to said control means, the gains can be validated only in case of simultaneous detection of these two marking means, The device further comprises a closed frame supporting in use the slightly inclined plane, said frame comprising additional coded marking means, the simultaneous reading means allowing the validation of the gains only in the event of simultaneous detection of these three marking means; The encoded marking means and the reading means are arranged in such a way that the coded marking can be read by the reading means only when the window is at said predetermined position, said control means for prohibiting the LO validation gains when the coded marking means is not read or does not correspond to the device considered; The marking means is coded in an electronic memory, which can only be read when said marking means is placed at the position corresponding to the predetermined position of the window, said electronic memory preferably comprising communication reading means; electromagnetic non-contact, such as advantageously an RF-ID device; At least two coded marking means are arranged at distinct positions of the pane so as to prevent rotation of the pane without displacement of at least one of the two marking means; The coded marking means is a unique coded marking means, each pair of unique coded marking means / reading means corresponding to a unique identifier.

[0010] Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for preventing fraud in games of chance in which at least one ball moves almost randomly on a slightly inclined plane, said ball moving under a window preventing user to intervene on the movement of the ball, said method comprising the following steps: - checking the presence of the glass at a predetermined position on said game of chance; - prevent further play if the window is not in the predetermined position.

Advantageously, the verification of the presence of the window is made by reading a coded mark permanently affixed to the window, the reading being made by reading means fixed irremovably to said game of chance, the reading can only be made if the window is placed at the predetermined position.

Alternatively, the reading means can be easily dismounted, but additional marking means are integrated in the slightly inclined plane, the game can be continued only if the reading means detect that the window is placed in view. on the slightly inclined plane.

Preferably, complementary marking means will be immovably fixed to the frame, the game can be continued only in case of simultaneous detection of the marking means of the window, marking means slightly inclined plane and marking means of the frame.

Of course, the three embodiments of the method of the invention may advantageously be combined to improve the reliability of the system.

Brief Description of the Figures [0015] Figure 1 shows an example of a device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0016] The present invention relates to a system tending to prevent fraud by preventing normal use of the game in the absence of the window in its normal position. In particular, the present invention aims to prevent the validation of gains when the game is operated without the protective glazing.

For this purpose, one or more coded marking couples in or on the glass / immovable reader on the game are placed so that the reading of the marking by the irremovable reader can be performed only if the glass is in place. square. The player being connected to the central logical unit of the game, it prevents saving gains when the marking coded on the glass can not be read.

In order to prevent the user from distorting the system despite everything, the marking must be fixed inviolably to the glass. By 'inviolable, we mean that the marking must be irremovable from the glass, or at least its movement must leave indelible traces. For example, if the mark is in the form of a glued pastille, it should not be possible to remove it without apparent tearing. Preferably, the marking means will for example be housed in a cavity and sealed by means of a thermoset plastic resin, such as an epoxy or polyester resin.

In the same way, the coded marking reading system can also be immovably fixed without visible degradation of the game device.

Alternatively, the frame may also include additional irremovable marking means, the reading means to ensure that the reading means themselves are placed in their normal place before making sure of the position of the window, these two readings being made almost simultaneously and / or recurrently during the game. This alternative allows easier maintenance of the "module" of reading, while ensuring an adequate relative position between the glass and built during the game.

Finally, in order not to allow the continuation of the game in the presence of the protective glass when the slightly inclined plane is moved out of the frame (which allows again a manual handling of the balls, and therefore a fraud), the An inclined plane itself also comprises coded marking means, the game being able to be continued only after checking by the reading means of the relative position of the window and the inclined plane. The game can then be continued if the window is vis-à-vis the slightly inclined plane.

Among the coded marking systems, it will be advantageous to use optical systems such as bar codes or two-dimensional codes (QR-codes) etched directly in or on the surface of the glazing, on the frame and / or on the plane slightly. inclined. In this case, the reading means will be optical reading means.

In order to make the copy of the coded marking more complex and to make the system more dissuasive, the etching will be an internal etching of the glass, such as that carried out by means of power lasers focused under the surface of the glass, inducing the appearance of microcracks producing a visible optical effect comparable to surface etching processes, but located in the volume of the glass.

Alternatively, the coded marking means each comprise an electronic chip comprising a permanent memory (and possibly encryption means) in which the code is stored. The reading means will then comprise, for example, electrical contacts connected by pressure when the glazing, the frame and the inclined plane are in place.

Even more advantageously, the reading of the code stored on the chips will be done without contact, preferably by means of radio frequencies, for example, according to RF-ID technology.

Preferably, each coded marking pair / reader will present a unique code, the marking of a machine can not replace the marking of another machine.

FIG. 1 represents a particular preferred form of the invention comprising: a protective window 1 in which an RF-ID 2 tag is sealed; a frame 3 comprising a second RF-ID tag 4; a slightly inclined plane in the form of a plate 6 comprising a third RF-ID tag 5; reading means of the RF-ID tags 8, 9 and 10 integrated in a reading module 11 in which the relative position of the reading means 8, 9 and 10 can not be modified, so as to verify the relative position of the window 1, frame 3 and inclined plane 6.

Preferably, the reading module 11 is connected to a control module verifying the correspondence of the different identifiers read on the RF-IDs. This control module can preferably be reprogrammed, for example during the change of a window following a degradation thereof. The RF-ID code of the broken glass will then be permanently removed from a database of valid codes, so as to prevent the use of a piece of glass instead of a complete glass. In general, only the RF-ID code of a single pane can be used at a given moment, any replacement of pane must obligatorily give rise to a reprogramming of the control module, which implies the definitive withdrawal of the RF-ID code. of the replaced glass.

Claims (6)

1. Device for preventing fraud in games of chance in which at least one ball moves almost randomly on an inclined plane, said device comprising a window forming a barrier between the user and said inclined plane preventing the user from acting on the movement of the ball, said device comprising: one or more coded marking means (s) fixed (s) to said window inviolably; one or more coded marking means (s) secured to the inviolably inclined plane, said one or more means (s) for marking said pane and said inclined plane being, in use, in the vicinity; one of the other; simultaneous reading means of the marking means (s) fixed (s) to said window and marking means (s) attached (s) to said inclined plane; control means connected to said reading means for preventing the validation of the gains in the absence of at least one of the one or more means (s) of marking. 2. Device according to claim 1 further comprising a closed frame supporting in use the slightly inclined plane, said frame comprising one or more coding means (s) additional coded (s), the control means for preventing the validation of the winnings in case of absence of at least one of the one or more means of additional marking (s). 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the marking means are encoded in electronic memories, which can be read only when said marking means are placed close to said reading means. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said electronic memories comprise reading means by electromagnetic communication without contact. 5. Device according to claim 4 wherein the unique coded marking means are RF-ID devices. 6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the coded marking means are unique coded marking means.