JP7475102B1 - Gaming System - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a gaming system that can more effectively prevent a player from becoming addicted to a game by determining whether the player is addicted to a game from the player's behavior during the game and notifying the player based on the determination result. [Solution] In a gaming system (1), a valuable value storage unit (40b) stores a pre-game corresponding value associated with a portable terminal (40) before the game start time and a game corresponding value associated with a portable terminal (40) after the game start time, and a condition determination unit (40f) determines whether or not a game corresponding value cumulative amount, which is the cumulative amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the game corresponding value, out of the cumulative amount of the portable corresponding value deposited into a gaming device (12) by a deposit execution unit (40d), reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game. Then, based on the determination result, a notification unit (40g) notifies the player that the game corresponding value cumulative amount has reached a predetermined amount on the day of the game. [Selected Figure] Fig. 2

Description

The present invention relates to a gaming system that includes a gaming device that is installed in association with a gaming machine that allows play using gaming value, a mobile terminal owned by a player, and a management function unit that is capable of communicating with the gaming device and the mobile terminal.

Conventionally, in "pachinko machines" (hereinafter, "pachinko machines" will be referred to as "pachinko machines") that use game balls as the game medium, and "reel-type machines" (hereinafter, "reel-type machines" will be referred to as "pachislot machines") that use game medals as the game medium, a game device is installed corresponding to each game machine. The game device converts the value of cash inserted into an insertion slot into prepaid value, and manages this value by linking it to or recording it on a recording medium such as an IC (Integrated Circuit) card issued by the game parlor. For example, a player can enjoy playing using game media loaned from the game parlor in exchange for withdrawing the value linked to the recording medium, or, in the case of a so-called "smart game machine," game points, which are intangible electronic data granted by the game parlor.

On the other hand, when it comes to gaming with gaming machines, there is growing social interest in the problem of so-called gambling addiction, where players become excessively addicted to gaming, which can interfere with their daily and social lives. For this reason, in Japan, the Basic Act on Measures against Gambling Addictions was enacted as a measure against gambling addiction, and related businesses such as gaming establishments that provide games are taking various measures to prevent the onset and recurrence of addiction, such as providing support to counseling organizations that deal with gambling addiction issues and raising awareness by posting posters, stickers, and other notices.

Incidentally, in recent years, in Japan, in addition to payments by credit card or debit card, the use of so-called cashless payments, which make payments without using cash, has been promoted, such as payments by prepaid electronic money recorded on IC cards such as Suica (registered trademark), and payments by two-dimensional codes such as barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) using mobile terminals such as smartphones. It is expected that such policies will spread throughout the industry in the future, and it is not unlikely that cashless payments will be introduced even in gaming machines and gaming devices that currently only require prepaid cash to be charged in advance.

However, for example, if payment using two-dimensional codes on mobile terminals were introduced to gaming devices and it became possible to make deposits through cashless payment, players would be able to make excessive deposits and continue playing without leaving their seats, which could lead to players becoming even more absorbed in the game.
Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a gaming medium lending device (game device) that allows payment by a wireless communication device such as a mobile phone having an electronic money function, and makes payment based on the result of comparing usage amount information, which is information on the amount of gaming medium usage, with usage limit information, which is information on the usage limit of electronic money and is related to the usage limit of gaming medium. This gaming medium lending device obtains usage amount information and usage limit information from the wireless communication device or the store server, so it is said that it can appropriately restrict the lending of gaming media by the wireless communication device even if the player changes the gaming machine used to play in the same store or plays at a different store.

Patent No. 5091510

However, as in the gaming medium lending device (gaming device) described in Patent Document 1, it is common to set an upper limit on the amount of deposit as a usage limit, for example, an upper limit of 30,000 yen that can be deposited in one day, but this is not a sufficient measure in terms of preventing addiction to gaming. In particular, since players may be calm before starting to play but become excited while playing, it is thought that once they start playing, it is difficult for them to make appropriate decisions. Therefore, if there was a gaming system that could focus on the player's behavior during play in which they lack composure and more appropriately determine when a player is in a state where they can be considered to be addicted to gaming, addiction to gaming could be more effectively suppressed.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a gaming system that can more effectively prevent a player from becoming addicted to gaming by determining whether the player is addicted to gaming from the player's behavior while playing the game and issuing a notification based on the result of the determination.

In order to solve the above problem, the gaming system of the present invention is a gaming system including a gaming device that is installed in association with a gaming machine that allows games to be played using gaming value, a mobile terminal owned by a player, and a management function unit capable of communicating with the gaming device and the mobile terminal, the management function unit having information management means for generating a specified amount of valuable based on a charge request by a player and managing mobile compatible information that is information that associates the valuable value with the mobile terminal, the management function unit or the mobile terminal having a valuable value storage means for acquiring from the information management means and storing the mobile compatible value, which is the valuable associated with the mobile terminal by the information management means, among the mobile compatible information, the management function unit or the mobile terminal having a deposit execution means for withdrawing the specified amount of the mobile compatible value from the valuable value storage means and depositing it into the gaming device based on a use request by the player, the gaming device directly or indirectly stores the deposited mobile compatible value, and based on a conversion request by the player, receives the specified amount of the mobile compatible value. a gaming value providing means for converting a value into the gaming value and providing the gaming machine with the gaming value, the management function unit, the portable terminal or the gaming device is provided with a condition determining means for determining whether or not a cumulative total amount of the portable compatible value deposited in the gaming device by the deposit execution means satisfies a predetermined condition, the management function unit, the portable terminal or the gaming device is provided with a notification means for notifying that the predetermined condition has been satisfied based on a result of the determination by the condition determining means, and the valuable value storage means is provided with a first deposit of the portable compatible value on the day of playing by the deposit execution means. The device has a value identification and storage function that distinguishes and stores a pre-game corresponding value, which is the mobile compatible value associated with the mobile terminal before the game start time, and a game-play corresponding value, which is the mobile compatible value associated with the mobile terminal after the game start time, by regarding the time of depositing the mobile compatible value based on the use request as the game start time, and the predetermined condition is that the game-play corresponding value cumulative amount, which is the cumulative amount of the mobile compatible value deposited from the game-play corresponding value, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play.

In the above invention, the gaming device is equipped with a recording medium processing means capable of accepting a recording medium owned by a player and identifying whether or not the recording medium is a member's recording medium issued to a player who has registered as a member at a gaming establishment, the notification means has a notification enabling function that enables a notification that the predetermined condition has been met when the recording medium is the member's recording medium and when the player so desires, and the condition determination means may have an upper limit setting function that, when the recording medium is the member's recording medium, sets the upper limit of the amount that can be used for gaming in one day to the predetermined amount, which is determined based on a setting request by the player as an index that can determine the player's tendency to become addicted to gaming.

In the above invention, the mobile terminal includes the valuable storage means, the deposit execution means, and a state transition means for transitioning from a pre-game state to a game state at the game start time, and the valuable storage means may distinguish between the pre-game corresponding value and the game corresponding value by recognizing the mobile-compatible value associated with the mobile terminal in the pre-game state as the pre-game corresponding value and recognizing the mobile-compatible value associated with the mobile terminal in the game state as the game corresponding value based on the state transition of the mobile terminal.

In the above invention, the state transition means may store the date of the day of play, and transition from the playing state to the pre-play state when it detects that the date is the next day or later.

In the above invention, when the pre-play corresponding value and the in-play corresponding value are stored in the valuable storage means when the deposit execution means receives the usage request, the deposit execution means may withdraw the pre-play corresponding value in priority to the in-play corresponding value.

In the above invention, when the deposit execution means receives the usage request, if the remaining amount of the pre-play corresponding value is smaller than the unit amount that can be converted into the game value by the game value granting means, the deposit execution means may withdraw the in-play corresponding value in preference to the pre-play corresponding value.

In the above invention, when the deposit execution means accepts the first use request on the day of play, if there is a remaining amount in the in-play corresponding value, the valuable storage means may transfer this remaining amount from the in-play corresponding value to the pre-play corresponding value.

In the above invention, the specified condition may be that the total accumulated in-game value, which is the sum of the accumulated in-game value within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, reaches a specified amount corresponding to the specified period that is different from the specified amount, within the specified period.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, a valuable value storage means having a value identification storage function stores a pre-game corresponding value associated with the mobile terminal before the game start time and a game corresponding value associated with the mobile terminal after the game start time separately, and a condition determination means determines whether or not a game corresponding value cumulative amount, which is an accumulation of the game corresponding value deposited from the game corresponding value among the cumulative amount of the game corresponding value deposited in the gaming device by the deposit execution means, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game. Then, based on the determination result, a notification means notifies that the game corresponding value cumulative amount has reached the predetermined amount on the day of the game.
Therefore, in the valuable value storage means, the pre-game corresponding value charged by a player who is considered to be in a calm state before the start of the game and the in-game corresponding value charged by a player who is considered to be in an excited state after the start of the game (during the game) can be managed separately, and when the cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game, the fact can be notified by the notification means. Therefore, compared with conventional addiction prevention measures, it is possible to more effectively prevent overuse of the portable corresponding value charged when the player is in an excited state. In particular, the pre-game corresponding value charged before the start of the game on the day of the game (including the day before the day of the game) is excluded from the judgment of addiction as the portable corresponding value that can be used in a planned manner, and addiction can be judged only for the in-game corresponding value, so that the state in which the player is assumed to be addicted to the game after the start of the game can be properly grasped. And, by notifying the state in which the player is assumed to be addicted to the game by the notification means, the player himself can be given an opportunity to notice his addiction to the game.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, when the recording medium accepted by the gaming device is a member's recording medium, the notification by the notification means can be enabled only when the player wishes, and the predetermined amount for the predetermined condition in the condition determination means can be set as the upper limit amount that can be used for playing in one day, which is set as an index for determining the player's tendency to become addicted to playing. Therefore, players who have registered as members of a gaming establishment can set the upper limit amount that can be used for playing in one day, and can enjoy playing moderately within the set upper limit amount. Furthermore, by introducing the gaming system of the present invention to a gaming establishment, excessive addiction of the members of the gaming establishment can be suppressed.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, the mobile terminal is provided with a valuable storage means, a deposit execution means, and a state transition means for transitioning from a pre-game state to a game state at the game start time, and based on the state transition by this state transition means, the valuable storage means recognizes the mobile-compatible value associated with the mobile terminal in the pre-game state as a pre-game compatible value, and recognizes the mobile-compatible value associated with the mobile terminal in the game state as a game-play compatible value, and distinguishes between them. In this way, since the mobile terminal in the gaming system of the present invention is provided with a valuable storage means, a deposit execution means, and a state transition means, for example, it is possible to distinguish between the pre-game compatible value and the game-play compatible value using the state transition means by the valuable storage means, and to process the time of depositing the mobile-compatible value as the game start time, all within the mobile terminal. Therefore, many components of the gaming system of the present invention can be configured, for example, as a software application that can be installed in the mobile terminal. Therefore, since there is no need to significantly modify conventional gaming devices or management function units, it is a gaming system that is easy to introduce.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, the state transition means stores the date of the day of play, and when it detects that this date has become the following day or later, it transitions from the in-play state to the pre-play state. Then, after the state transition means has once transitioned to the in-play state, it can automatically transition from the in-play state to the pre-play state and return the state to the original state by detecting an update of the date. Therefore, at the start time of play on the following day or later (when the portable-compatible value is deposited based on the first use request by the deposit execution means), the state automatically transitions to the pre-play state and returns to the original state, so that it becomes possible to transition from the pre-play state to the in-play state again at the start time of play. Therefore, since there is no need to manually switch the state transition in the state transition means, it is a gaming system that is easy to operate.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, if a pre-game corresponding value and a during-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage means when the deposit execution means accepts a usage request, the pre-game corresponding value can be withdrawn in priority to the during-game corresponding value. Therefore, since the during-game corresponding value charged by the player while playing a game is not withdrawn first, the player can safely charge new portable corresponding value while playing a game, even if there is a balance in the pre-game corresponding value.
In addition, since the pre-game corresponding value is deducted with priority over the in-game corresponding value, it is possible to prevent the cumulative in-game corresponding value from reaching a predetermined amount while the pre-game corresponding value charged by a calm player remains. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately operate the judgment based on the cumulative amount of the mobile corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value (the cumulative in-game corresponding value).

According to the gaming system of the present invention, when the deposit execution means receives a usage request, if the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is smaller than the unit amount that can be converted into gaming value by the gaming value granting means, the in-game corresponding value can be withdrawn in preference to the pre-game corresponding value. Therefore, if the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is too small to be used for gaming, the in-game corresponding value can be converted into gaming value and deposited into the gaming device while leaving the pre-game corresponding value, and a game can be played.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, if there is a remaining amount in the in-game corresponding value when the deposit execution means accepts the first use request on the day of play, the valuable value storage means transfers this remaining amount from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value. Therefore, for example, even if a player finishes playing on the day of play with a remaining amount in the in-game corresponding value, when the deposit execution means accepts the first use request when the player visits the store at a later date, the remaining amount is automatically transferred from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value, so that the player can use the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value left at the end of play on the previous day or earlier as the pre-game corresponding value.

According to the gaming system of the present invention, the predetermined condition is that the total accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value, which is the sum of the accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, among the accumulated amount of portable corresponding value deposited in the gaming device by the deposit execution means, reaches a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period within the predetermined period. Therefore, even if the accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value does not reach the predetermined amount on the day of play, if the total accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period within the predetermined period spanning multiple days, the notification means notifies that the predetermined condition has been met based on the judgment result by the condition judgment means. Therefore, by setting an upper limit not only on the accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value, which is the accumulated amount of deposits on the day of play, but also on the accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value, which is the sum of the accumulated amount of in-game corresponding value within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, it is possible to suppress addiction to gaming based on the amount of deposit from the in-game corresponding value during the predetermined period.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a gaming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a functional block diagram showing schematic functions of a gaming device, a mobile terminal, and a management function unit in a gaming system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. (A) is an image diagram showing an example of a management table managed by the cashless center of the gaming system related to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an image diagram showing another example of a management table managed by the cashless center of the gaming system related to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A) is an image diagram showing an example of a management table managed by a relay device of the gaming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an image diagram showing another example of a management table managed by a relay device of the gaming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a cumulative amount of in-play corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount and a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied in the gaming system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. A functional block diagram showing schematic functions of a gaming device, a mobile terminal, and a management function unit in a gaming system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until the total accumulated in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount and a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied in the gaming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a deposit process into a gaming device by a deposit execution unit in the gaming system according to the first embodiment and the gaming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a deposit execution unit in the gaming system according to the first embodiment and the gaming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a valuable storage unit in the gaming system according to the first embodiment and the gaming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a state transition unit in a gaming system according to a first embodiment and a gaming system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a condition determination unit in a gaming system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by an accumulated amount notification unit and an accumulated amount detection unit in the gaming system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. A functional block diagram showing schematic functions of a gaming device, a mobile terminal, and a management function unit in a gaming system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing by a valuable storage unit, a deposit execution unit, and a state transition unit in a gaming system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. A functional block diagram showing the schematic functions of a gaming device, a mobile terminal, and a management function unit in a gaming system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. 13A and 13B are image diagrams showing a state in which various information is displayed on a display device of a gaming device by a display unit in a gaming system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in which (A) is an image diagram showing a state in which only the amount used from the in-game corresponding value is displayed, and (B) is an image diagram showing a state in which the amount used from the pre-game corresponding value and the amount used from the in-game corresponding value are displayed together. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied when the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value reaches a predetermined amount in the gaming system according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied when the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value reaches a predetermined amount in a gaming system according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that a game duration has reached a predetermined time in a game system according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that a game duration has reached a predetermined time in a game system according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that the number of visits has reached a predetermined number within a preset period in the gaming system according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing until notification that a predetermined condition has been satisfied in a gaming system according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. A functional block diagram showing the general functions of a gaming device, a mobile terminal, and a management function unit in a gaming system according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. A sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the prize gaming medium conversion unit and the condition determination unit in the gaming system according to the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing until a notification is given that the cumulative amount of in-play corresponding value charge has reached the in-play corresponding value charge upper limit in the gaming system according to the first modified example of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing another example of processing by the deposit execution unit in the gaming system according to the first embodiment and the gaming system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
The gaming system 1 includes a gaming device 12 attached to a gaming machine 11, a mobile terminal 40 which is a device equipped with an electronic transaction (cashless payment) function using electronic money such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by a player, and a management function unit 100 capable of communicating with the gaming device 12 and the mobile terminal 40.
Each of the gaming establishments 10, 10' is equipped with a plurality of gaming machines 11 and a plurality of gaming devices 12 corresponding to each gaming machine 11, and further equipped with a management device 14 for managing the gaming machines 11 and the gaming devices 12 in an integrated manner via a HUB 13, and a relay device 15 capable of communicating with each gaming device 12 via the HUB 13. Also installed within each of the gaming establishments 10, 10' are a registration machine 16, a settlement machine 17, etc.
Outside the gaming establishments 10, 10', there are provided a cashless center 20 which is capable of communicating with the mobile terminal 40 and each relay device 15 in each gaming establishment 10, 10' and which generally manages processing related to cashless payments by the mobile terminal 40, and a prepaid settlement center 30 which is capable of communicating with each management device 14 in each gaming establishment 10, 10' and which generally manages prepaid value associated with the recording medium 50 by the gaming device 12 (hereinafter, "prepaid value" will be referred to as "prepaid value"). The prepaid value recorded on the recording medium 50 can be settled in cash by a settlement machine 17.

The management function unit 100 of the gaming system 1 functions by the cooperation of the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20. The management function unit 100 manages information related to the linking registration between the mobile terminal 40 and the recording medium 50 issued by the gaming establishment 10, and also manages information related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40. Specifically, the relay device 15 relays communication between the gaming device 12 and the cashless center 20, and mainly uses the registration machine 16 installed in the gaming establishment 10 to manage information related to the linking registration between the mobile terminal 40 and the recording medium 50, and performs processing in the gaming establishment 10 related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40. On the other hand, the cashless center 20 communicates with the mobile terminal 40, and mainly manages information related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40. The management function unit 100 functions by the cooperation of the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20.

In the gaming system 1 of this embodiment, the management function unit 100 is composed of a relay device 15 that manages information related to the linking registration between the mobile terminal 40 and the recording medium 50 and processes within the gaming establishment 10 related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40, and a cashless center 20 that manages information related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40 outside the gaming establishment 10. However, the management function unit may be consolidated into one device or one configuration, such as a relay device 15 equipped with various functions in the cashless center 20, or a cashless center 20 equipped with various functions in the relay device 15. However, from the viewpoint of the efficiency of each process, it is desirable to configure the information managed within the gaming establishment 10 and information related to cashless payment to be processed and managed separately.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing the general functions of the gaming machine 11, gaming device 12, management device 14, management function unit 100 (relay device 15, cashless center 20), and mobile terminal 40. Each of these components will be described in detail below.

The gaming machines 11 are classified into pachinko machines that use gaming balls as gaming media and pachislot machines that use gaming medals as gaming media, depending on the gaming media used for the game. In pachinko machines, the game progresses as gaming balls are shot into the gaming board. The gaming board has multiple winning areas (winning holes), and when a gaming ball passes through a winning area, a predetermined number of gaming balls are awarded to the player as prize gaming media. On the other hand, in pachislot machines, the game progresses as gaming medals are inserted and the reels are rotated. The reels are stopped by operating the stop button or by the passage of time. At this time, if the pattern on the stopped spinning reels corresponds to a prize, a predetermined number of gaming medals are awarded to the player as prize gaming media. The gaming balls and gaming medals awarded to the player as prize gaming media are counted as the number of acquired gaming media.

In addition, among the gaming machines 11 such as pachinko machines and pachislot machines, there are so-called "smart gaming machines" that can play using predetermined gaming points that are in the form of electronic data, in addition to gaming machines that use physical gaming media such as gaming balls and gaming medals. For example, in the case of a pachinko machine, the smart gaming machine can proceed with the game using gaming points, which are electronic data, instead of gaming balls, by sealing and circulating gaming balls inside the pachinko machine, without the player touching the gaming balls at all, while in the case of a pachislot machine, the gaming points, which are electronic data, are used as credits instead of gaming medals, so that the game can proceed without using any gaming medals. Therefore, in the smart gaming machine, the number of gaming media consumed in the game and the number of gaming media acquired as a result of the game are managed by counting the gaming points, which are electronic data, through calculation, rather than the physical gaming balls and gaming medals lent by the gaming establishment 10.
In addition, in the gaming system 1 of this embodiment, a case will be described in which the gaming machine 11 is a pachinko machine, which is a smart gaming machine.

The gaming machine 11 is equipped with a control unit 11a that controls the progress of the game, and a gaming device communication unit 11b that communicates with the gaming device 12. A gaming device 12 corresponding to each gaming machine 11 is connected to each gaming machine 11, and various game information that occurs or changes as the game progresses is output from the gaming machine 11 to the gaming device 12, and award information for awarding game points, which are game value that can be used for playing with the gaming machine 11, is output from the gaming device 12 to the gaming machine 11. The control unit 11a is composed of a microcomputer that includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs various processes according to a program, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that is a recording device that records electronic data such as programs for operating the CPU and can read the recorded electronic data, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a recording device that can both read and write electronic data.

The gaming device 12 includes a control unit 12a which controls the main functions of the gaming device 12, such as the allocation of gaming points to the gaming machine 11 and the recording of various information on the recording medium 50, a gaming machine communication unit 12b which communicates with the gaming machine 11, a relay device communication unit 12c which communicates with the relay device 15, a management device communication unit 12d which communicates with the management device 14, a recording medium processing unit 12e which processes the recording medium 50 issued by the gaming facility 10, a gaming value allocation unit 12f which converts valuable value (prepaid value and valuable value associated with the mobile terminal 40 described later) into gaming points (gaming value) and allocates it to the gaming machine 11, and an alarm unit 12g which alarms that a predetermined condition has been met based on a notification from an alarm unit 40g of the mobile terminal 40 described later. In addition, the gaming device 12 generally includes a bill insertion slot (not shown) for inserting bills, and a currency identification device (not shown) for identifying the authenticity and type of bills inserted through the bill insertion slot. When a bill is inserted through the bill insertion slot, the value of the bill is converted into a prepaid value, and the converted prepaid value is associated with the recording medium 50 and managed. The prepaid value associated with the recording medium 50 is notified to the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 via the management device 14 as sales, and is managed by the management device 14 and is managed centrally by the prepaid settlement center 30. The control unit 12a is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., like the control unit 11a. In addition, between the gaming device 12 and the relay device 15, for example, settlement information related to the value associated with the mobile terminal 40 described later is output to each other.

The recording medium processing unit 12e corresponds to a "recording medium processing means" and performs processing such as reading information recorded in the recording medium 50 and writing updated information. There are two types of recording medium 50: a member-only recording medium issued to a player who has registered as a member at the gaming establishment 10 and whose personal information has been specified, and a general-use recording medium issued to a player who has not registered as a member at the gaming establishment 10 and whose personal information has not been specified. The member-only recording medium is a recording medium that can be used at a specific gaming establishment 10 as well as at a gaming establishment 10' that is an affiliated establishment of the gaming establishment 10, and the general-use recording medium is a recording medium that can only be used for play at a specific gaming establishment 10 on the same day. The recording medium 50 may be, for example, an IC card 51 (FIG. 1) inserted into a gaming device 12 connected to a pachinko machine and used, or an IC coin 52 (FIG. 1) inserted into a gaming device 12 connected to a pachislot machine and used, and the recording medium processing unit 12e reads out recording medium identification information (e.g., a card ID) which is unique identification information of these recording media 50, and uses this recording medium identification information to associate the prepaid value managed by the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 with the recording medium 50. Then, in the gaming device 12, for example, when a player wishes to use the prepaid value associated with the recording medium 50, the gaming device 12 can manage the charging and use of the prepaid value by inquiring about the remaining amount of the prepaid value to the management device 14 or the prepaid settlement center 30 each time using the recording medium identification information read by the recording medium processing unit 12e.
In the above example, the prepaid value is indirectly managed by being associated with the recording medium 50, but the prepaid value may be electronically recorded directly on the recording medium 50 and managed.

The gaming value imparting unit 12f directly or indirectly stores a valuable value, and converts the valuable value into a gaming value (gaming points) based on a conversion request from a player, and imparts the gaming value to the gaming machine 11. Directly storing a valuable value means storing the valuable value directly in the gaming device 12 using a recording device such as a RAM provided in the control unit 12a, while indirectly storing a valuable value means converting the valuable value into a prepaid value associated with the recording medium 50, and notifying the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 of this prepaid value as sales, thereby causing the management device 14 or the prepaid settlement center 30 to store (manage) the prepaid value. The prepaid value stored in the management device 14 or the prepaid settlement center 30 can be read out by an inquiry to the management device 14 or the prepaid settlement center 30, and such a recording method is referred to as indirect storage.
In addition to the above-mentioned prepaid value, the valuable handled in the gaming system 1 includes a valuable associated with the portable terminal 40 managed by the management function unit 100 (hereinafter, the "valuable value associated with the portable terminal 40" is referred to as the "portable compatible value"). This portable compatible value is generated by the management function unit 100 based on a charge request by a player, and as shown in FIG. 3(A), is managed in association with the portable terminal identification information that is unique identification information of the portable terminal 40 of each player, for example, a portable terminal ID such as an International Mobile Equipment Identifier. In the gaming system 1, the portable compatible value linked to the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) of the portable terminal 40 is managed as a "cashless balance", and this cashless balance (portable compatible value) is a valuable that can be deposited into the gaming device 12 by a deposit execution unit 40d of the portable terminal 40 described later. The "game value imparting unit 12f" corresponds to the "game value imparting means."

In the gaming system 1, the portable value (cashless balance) deposited in the gaming device 12 is indirectly stored by the gaming value granting unit 12f. As described above, indirect storage means that, for example, the gaming value granting unit 12f converts the portable value deposited in the gaming device 12 into prepaid value via the recording medium processing unit 12e and associates it with the recording medium 50, thereby storing it as prepaid value in the management device 14 or the prepaid settlement center 30. As a result, the portable value (cashless balance) deposited in the gaming device 12 is converted into prepaid value, but is indirectly stored by the gaming value granting unit 12f. Then, based on a conversion request by the player, for example, a conversion request by operating a game point awarding button (not shown) provided on the housing of the gaming device 12, the gaming value awarding unit 12f converts a designated amount of the mobile-compatible prepaid value into gaming value (gaming points) and awards it to the gaming machine 11 in exchange for withdrawing the prepaid value converted from the mobile-compatible value and associated with the recording medium 50 (hereinafter, for convenience, "the prepaid value converted from the mobile-compatible value and associated with the recording medium 50" will be referred to as "mobile-compatible prepaid value"). Note that, in the conversion of the mobile-compatible prepaid value into gaming value, the mobile-compatible prepaid value is consumed within the range of the mobile-compatible prepaid value held by the player when the conversion request is accepted, and gaming value equivalent to the consumed amount of the mobile-compatible prepaid value is awarded to the gaming machine 11.
In addition, when the game value granting unit 12f indirectly stores the mobile compatible value via the recording medium processing unit 12e, the mobile compatible prepaid value is treated the same as prepaid value and transmitted to the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 as sales of the prepaid company.

In the gaming system 1, the gaming value providing unit 12f is configured to indirectly store the mobile compatible value as a mobile compatible prepaid value by converting the mobile compatible value deposited in the gaming device 12 into a prepaid value and associating it with the recording medium 50. However, for example, the gaming value providing unit 12f may be configured to directly store the mobile compatible value (directly store the mobile compatible value without converting it into a prepaid value or associating it with the recording medium 50) using a recording device such as a RAM provided in the control unit 12a. In this case, for example, the mobile compatible value deposited in the gaming device 12 is managed in each gaming device 12 by linking it to gaming device identification information (for example, the serial number or machine number of the gaming device 12), which is unique identification information for each gaming device 12. Also, in this case, the mobile compatible value deposited in the gaming device 12 is directly stored by the gaming value providing unit 12f and is not converted into a prepaid value, so at this point in time, it is not notified to the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 as sales. Therefore, if the portable value is stored directly in the gaming value granting unit 12f in the gaming device 12, a notification of sales to the management device 14 and the prepaid settlement center 30 is sent each time the gaming value granting unit 12f converts the portable value into gaming value (gaming points) and grants it to the gaming machine 11.

The notification unit 12g receives a notification from the notification unit 40g of the mobile terminal 40 (described later), and based on this notification, notifies the player and the staff of the gaming establishment 10 that the judgment result in the condition judgment unit 40f of the mobile terminal 40 is that a predetermined condition has been satisfied. The notification to the player and the staff of the gaming establishment 10 is performed using various notification functions of the gaming device 12, such as notification by a notification sound or automatic voice, notification by lighting a lamp provided on the housing of the gaming device 12, and notification on a display screen provided on the housing of the gaming device 12. Note that the "notification unit 12g" corresponds to "notification means".

The management device 14 includes a control unit 14a that manages the gaming machines 11 and gaming devices 12 in an integrated manner, an information management unit 14b that manages the setting information of the gaming machines 11 and gaming devices 12, and a gaming device communication unit 14c that communicates with the gaming devices 12. Setting information for controlling the gaming machines 11 and gaming devices 12 is output from the management device 14 to the gaming devices 12, and notification information for notifying staff at the gaming facility 10 of errors in the gaming machines 11 and gaming devices 12 is output from the gaming devices 12 to the management device 14. The control unit 14a also has a prepaid value management function that manages the prepaid value together with the prepaid settlement center 30, but the description of this function is omitted. The control unit 14a is also composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc.

As described above, the management function unit 100 is composed of the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20, and functions through cooperation between them.
The relay device 15 mainly includes a control unit 15a that manages information related to the linking registration between the portable terminal 40 and the recording medium 50 and processes in the gaming establishment 10 related to cashless payment by the portable terminal 40, an information management unit 15b that stores or updates and manages various information necessary for the control processing in the control unit 15a, a center communication unit 15c that communicates with the cashless center 20, and a gaming device communication unit 15d that communicates with the gaming device 12. The relay device 15 manages the linking registration information between the recording medium 50 and the portable terminal 40 that are linked and registered in the registration machine 16 installed in the gaming establishment 10, for example. In this linking registration information, a portable terminal ID that is the portable terminal identification information of the portable terminal 40 is linked to a recording medium identification information (e.g., a card ID) that is unique identification information of the recording medium 50 issued to the player who owns the portable terminal 40. By linking and registering the portable terminal 40 and the recording medium 50 in this manner, it becomes possible to connect the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 via the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20. In this way, a player who does not understand the processing performed by the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20 feels as if the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 are directly connected. The method in which the management function unit 100 (the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20) mediates the processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 in this manner will be described later.

The cashless center 20 can communicate with each relay device 15 installed in multiple gaming establishments 10 and with mobile terminals 40 owned by players, and can also communicate with each gaming device 12 via each relay device 15. The cashless center 20 mainly includes a control unit 20a that collectively manages information related to cashless payments made by the mobile terminals 40, an information management unit 20b that stores or updates and manages the value generated using the cashless payments made by the mobile terminals 40, information related to this value, and various other information necessary for control processing in the control unit 20a, a relay device communication unit 20c that communicates with each relay device 15 in each gaming establishment 10, and a mobile terminal communication unit 20d that communicates with the mobile terminals 40. The cashless center 20 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., as well as a server equipped with a recording device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) capable of storing electronic data.

In the cashless center 20, for example, the control unit 20a generates a value in an amount specified by the player using the cashless payment by the portable terminal 40 based on receiving a charge request transmitted from the portable terminal 40 by the player's operation. The generated value is associated with the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) of each portable terminal 40 by the information management unit 20b and managed as portable compatible information together with other information related to the cashless payment. FIG. 3(A) is an example of a cashless center management table 60 showing the portable compatible information aggregated in the information management unit 20b. In this cashless center management table 60, the portable compatible value is managed as a cashless balance associated with the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) of the portable terminal 40. In addition to the mobile terminal ID and mobile compatible value (cashless balance), the mobile compatible information managed in the cashless center management table 60 also includes a store ID, which is unique store identification information for each store in the gaming establishment 10, a machine number, which is unique gaming device identification information for each gaming device 12, and a transaction date and time, which is the date and time when the remaining balance of the mobile compatible value changed due to a new charge or withdrawal.
In the above example, the cashless center 20 and the mobile terminal 40 directly communicate with each other, and a specified amount of value is generated in the cashless center 20 using a cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40. In addition to this method of generating value, for example, the settlement machine 17 installed in the gaming facility 10 and the mobile terminal 40 may communicate with each other by wireless communication, for example, wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (near field communication), and a specified amount of value may be generated in the cashless center 20 using cash settlement in the settlement machine 17. In this case, a charge request is transmitted to the cashless center 20 via the settlement machine 17 and the relay device 15, and based on the reception of this charge request, a value of the amount settled in cash by the settlement machine 17 is generated in the cashless center 20.
In addition, the "control unit 20a and information management unit 20b" in the cashless center 20 corresponds to the "information management means", and the "control unit 20a and information management unit 20b" function as the "information management means" by working together.

FIG. 4(A) is an example of a relay device management table 70 in the information management unit 15b of the relay device 15. In the relay device management table 70, the relay device 15 holds the same information as part of the mobile compatible information aggregated in the cashless center management table 60, and together with the cashless center 20, performs in-store processing of the gaming establishment 10 among the processes related to cashless payment by the mobile terminal 40. Therefore, in addition to the mobile terminal ID and mobile compatible value (cashless balance), the relay device management table 70 aggregates gaming device identification information (machine number) for each gaming device 12, and transaction dates and times when the remaining balance of the mobile compatible value changed due to new charging or withdrawal.

Of the mobile-compatible information managed by the information management unit 20b, when the mobile-compatible value (cashless balance) is associated with the mobile terminal 40 in the information management unit 20b, it is acquired by a valuable storage unit 40b of the mobile terminal 40, which will be described later, and stored in the valuable storage unit 40b. When the mobile-compatible value is stored in the valuable storage unit 40b of the mobile terminal 40 in this manner, a player can make a cashless deposit by depositing the mobile-compatible value from the mobile terminal 40 to the gaming device 12. When the mobile-compatible value is deposited in the gaming device 12 by a cashless deposit, the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value) can be converted into gaming value (gaming points) that can be used in games on the gaming machine 11, based on a conversion request by the player, such as the operation of a gaming point awarding button.
The cashless deposit method may be wireless communication between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12, for example, wireless communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or NFC (near field communication), or may be performed by, for example, having a reading device (not shown) of the gaming device 12 read a two-dimensional code displayed on a display screen (not shown) of the portable terminal 40, or by having a reading device (not shown) of the portable terminal 40 read a two-dimensional code displayed on a display device 121 of the gaming device 12, or may be performed by, for example, having the cashless center 20 and the relay device 15 mediate processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12. Note that, between the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20, for example, settlement information regarding the portable compatible value to be deposited in the gaming device 12 is output to each other.

The mobile terminal 40 is, for example, a device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by a player, and has an electronic transaction (cashless payment) function using electronic money. The mobile terminal 40 has a control unit 40a that controls various functions such as the electronic transaction (cashless payment) function of the mobile terminal 40 and communication with other devices, a valuable value storage unit 40b that acquires and stores the portable value generated by the cashless center 20, a communication unit 40c that communicates with other devices such as a server that constitutes the cashless center 20, a deposit execution unit 40d that deposits the portable value into the gaming device 12, a state transition unit 40e that allows the valuable value storage unit 40b to distinguish and recognize the portable value based on the game start time, a condition determination unit 40f that determines whether the accumulated amount of the portable value satisfies a predetermined condition, and a notification unit 40g that notifies that the predetermined condition has been met.

The mobile terminal 40 communicates with the cashless center 20, and can generate a designated amount of value in the cashless center 20 (management function unit 100) by electronic transactions using electronic money (cashless payment) or by debiting from a registered bank account. Specifically, for example, a charge request is transmitted from the mobile terminal 40 to the cashless center 20 based on the operation of the mobile terminal 40 by the player. This charge request includes, for example, a designated amount (designated charge amount) for charging as a mobile-compatible value designated by the player. The cashless center 20 that receives the charge request transmits confirmation information to the mobile terminal 40 for confirmation of the designated charge amount. After that, the mobile terminal 40 that receives the confirmation information displays the confirmation information on a display screen (not shown) provided on the mobile terminal 40, and the payment procedure by cashless payment of the mobile terminal 40 is performed by the operation of the player who has confirmed the designated charge amount. Then, when the payment procedure by cashless payment is completed, a notice of payment completion is sent to the cashless center 20, and a value of the amount designated as the designated charge amount is generated by the control unit 20a of the cashless center 20. The generated value is associated with the mobile terminal ID of the mobile terminal 40 by the information management unit 20b, and managed as a mobile-compatible value (cashless balance) in the mobile-compatible information.
The electronic transaction (cashless payment) function of the mobile terminal 40 includes various types of payment, such as so-called carrier payment, in which payment is made together with mobile phone usage fees, IC payment, in which payment is made using a contactless IC linked to a credit card, and so-called QR code (registered trademark) payment using a two-dimensional code.

The valuable storage unit 40b acquires and stores the mobile-compatible value from the information management unit 20b of the cashless center 20. In the information management unit 20b, the mobile-compatible value generated by the control unit 20a is managed as mobile-compatible information (FIG. 3(A)). The valuable storage unit 40b acquires the mobile-compatible value from the mobile-compatible information managed by the information management unit 20b, and stores the acquired mobile-compatible value in a recording device such as an IC chip provided in the mobile terminal 40. By storing the mobile-compatible value in this manner in the mobile terminal 40, a cashless deposit from the mobile terminal 40 to the gaming device 12 becomes possible by the deposit execution unit 40d, which will be described later.

In addition, the valuable storage unit 40b has a value identification storage function that distinguishes and stores the portable value before the game start time and after the game start time (during the game) based on the time when the player starts playing on the gaming machine 11. Specifically, when the valuable value generated in the control unit 20a of the cashless center 20 is associated with the mobile terminal ID of the mobile terminal 40 by the information management unit 20b, the valuable storage unit 40b immediately acquires the valuable value (portable value) associated with the mobile terminal 40. At this time, the valuable storage unit 40b distinguishes and stores whether the acquired portable value is the portable value associated with the mobile terminal 40 before the game start time or the portable value associated with the mobile terminal 40 after the game start time, that is, the time considered to be during the game. The method by which the valuable storage unit 40b distinguishes between before the game start time and after the game start time uses state transition by the state transition unit 40e of the mobile terminal 40, which will be described later. The "value storage unit 40b" corresponds to the "value storage means."

The deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount of portable value from the valuable value storage unit 40b based on a usage request from a player, for example, based on a usage request made by a user operating the portable terminal 40, and deposits the portable value into the gaming device 12. At this time, the deposit execution unit 40d deposits the portable value withdrawn from the valuable value storage unit 40b into the gaming device 12 by wireless communication or reading a two-dimensional code between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12, or by having the cashless center 20 and the relay device 15 mediate processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12. The intermediation method when the cashless center 20 and the relay device 15 mediately deposit the portable value into the gaming device 12 will be described later.
Furthermore, when depositing money into the gaming device 12, the deposit execution unit 40d acquires the store ID of the gaming facility 10 and the machine number of the gaming device 12, and when the deposit into the gaming device 12 is completed, it notifies the state transition unit 40e of the completion of the deposit (deposit completion notification) including information such as the store ID of the gaming facility 10 and the machine number of the gaming device 12. This deposit completion notification includes the store ID of the gaming facility 10, the machine number of the gaming device 12 into which the portable compatible value was deposited, and the deposit completion date and time which is the date and time when the deposit was completed, which is timed using the timing function of the portable terminal 40. Note that the "deposit execution unit 40d" corresponds to the "deposit execution means".

The state transition unit 40e is mainly used to recognize when the portable-compatible value acquired by the valuable storage unit 40b from the information management unit 20b of the cashless center 20 was associated with the portable terminal 40. The state transition unit 40e transitions the state depending on the presence or absence of an identification flag (in-play flag), for example. Before the game start time, the state transition unit 40e sets the in-play flag to a no state, and when it determines that the player has started playing and that it is after the game start time (in play), it sets the in-play flag to a yes state and transitions the state. In other words, before the game start time, the state transition unit 40e is in a pre-play state with no in-play flag, and after the game start time, it is in a in-play state with the in-play flag. In this way, the state transition unit 40e transitions from the pre-play state to the in-play state at the game start time.

Here, when the state transition unit 40e judges whether or not the player has started playing, the deposit completion notification from the deposit execution unit 40d described above is used. If the deposit completion notification is the first notification on the day of play, the state transition unit 40e considers that the player has started playing at the time of deposit by the deposit execution unit 40d, and judges the time of deposit as the game start time. In other words, the state transition unit 40e considers the time of deposit of portable compatible value based on the first use request on the day of play by the deposit execution unit 40d as the game start time. Whether or not the deposit completion notification is the first notification on the day of play is judged based on the deposit completion date and time included in the deposit completion notification. For example, if the deposit completion date and time is updated to a new date in the deposit completion notification and this deposit completion notification is the first notification on the new date, the deposit completion notification is judged to be the first deposit completion notification on the day of play. Note that the "state transition unit 40e" corresponds to the "state transition means".

Based on the state transition in the state transition unit 40e described above, the valuable value storage unit 40b distinguishes and recognizes whether the portable compatible value is associated with the portable terminal 40 in the pre-game state or the portable terminal in the in-game state. Specifically, when acquiring the portable compatible value from the information management unit 20b of the cashless center 20, the valuable value storage unit 40b refers to the presence or absence of the in-game flag in the state transition unit 40e, and if the in-game flag is absent, it recognizes that the portable compatible value acquired at that time is the portable compatible value associated with the portable terminal 40 in the pre-game state (pre-game compatible value). On the other hand, when acquiring the portable compatible value from the information management unit 20b, if the in-game flag is present, it recognizes that the portable compatible value acquired at that time is the portable compatible value associated with the portable terminal 40 in the in-game state (in-game compatible value).

As described above, the valuable value storage unit 40b distinguishes between pre-game corresponding value and in-game corresponding value based on the state of the state transition unit 40e when acquiring the portable corresponding value from the information management unit 20b, and stores the portable corresponding value together with the distinction. Note that when a use request from a player is received, if both the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the deposit execution unit 40d has a pre-game corresponding value priority withdrawal function that withdraws the pre-game corresponding value in priority to the in-game corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12.

The condition determination unit 40f determines whether or not the cumulative amount of portable compatible value deposited into the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d satisfies a predetermined condition. Specifically, the condition determination unit 40f adds up the deposited amount each time portable compatible value is deposited into the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d to calculate the cumulative amount of portable compatible value deposited into the gaming device 12. Then, it determines whether or not this cumulative amount satisfies a predetermined condition.
The predetermined condition determined by the condition determination unit 40f is that the cumulative amount of portable compatible value deposited from the in-play compatible value (cumulative in-play compatible value amount), among the cumulative amount of portable compatible value deposited into the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play. For example, an arbitrary amount preset in the cashless center 20 by an operation by a staff member of the gaming facility 10 is used as the predetermined amount, and this amount is notified by the cashless center 20 and stored as the predetermined amount by the condition determination unit 40f. The predetermined amount is also stored, for example, in a recording device such as an IC chip of the portable terminal 40.

As described above, the valuable storage unit 40b stores the portable value acquired from the information management unit 20b of the cashless center 20, distinguishing between pre-game value and in-game value. Therefore, the condition determination unit 40f can distinguish and grasp whether the portable value withdrawn from the valuable storage unit 40b by the deposit execution unit 40d is pre-game value or in-game value by referring to the valuable storage unit 40b each time the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12. Therefore, by adding up the withdrawn pre-game value and in-game value, respectively, each time the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12, the cumulative amounts of each can be calculated. As described above, when the deposit execution unit 40d receives a use request from a player, if both the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the pre-game corresponding value is withdrawn first, and then the in-game corresponding value is withdrawn. Therefore, in the condition determination unit 40f, after all the pre-game corresponding values are withdrawn and deposited in the gaming device 12 and the accumulated amount of the pre-game corresponding values is calculated, the accumulated in-game corresponding value amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value, is calculated. Then, the condition determination unit 40f determines whether the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play and satisfies a predetermined condition, and when the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches the predetermined amount, it determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. Note that the "condition determination unit 40f" corresponds to the "condition determination means".

When the result of the judgment by the condition judgment unit 40f satisfies a predetermined condition, the notification unit 40g notifies the player that the cumulative total amount of the in-play corresponding value has reached a predetermined amount based on the notification from the condition judgment unit 40f. The notification to the player is performed using various notification functions of the mobile terminal 40, such as a notification by a ringtone or automatic voice, a notification by vibration, or a notification by displaying a pop-up notification on the screen of the mobile terminal 40 that the predetermined amount has been reached. In addition, when the notification unit 40g receives a judgment result from the condition judgment unit 40f that satisfies a predetermined condition, it notifies the notification unit 12g of the gaming device 12 of that fact as in-play corresponding value upper limit reaching information. The notification from the notification unit 40g to the notification unit 12g may be performed by wireless communication between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12, or may be performed by having the cashless center 20 and the relay device 15 mediate the processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12. The "notification unit 40g" corresponds to the "notification means."

Here, a method for mediating processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 by the above-mentioned management function unit 100 (the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20) will be described in detail.
In the management function unit 100, the relay device 15 connected to the registration machine 16 installed in the gaming establishment 10 and the cashless center 20 capable of communicating with the portable terminal 40 cooperate to mediate the processing between the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12. This allows the player to feel as if the portable terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 are directly connected. To achieve this, the registration machine 16 first links and registers the portable terminal 40 owned by the player who visited the gaming establishment 10 and the recording medium 50 issued by the gaming establishment 10 to the player. The linking registration information, which is information linking the portable terminal 40 and the recording medium 50, is managed by the relay device 15. After that, when the gaming device 12 accepts the recording medium 50 that has been linked and registered with the portable terminal 40, the recording medium identification information (card ID) of the recording medium 50 is read by the recording medium processing unit 12e, and then the recording medium identification information (card ID) is transmitted from the gaming device 12 to the relay device 15. The relay device 15 refers to the linking registration information between the recording medium identification information (card ID) of the recording medium 50 and the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) of the portable terminal 40, and identifies the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) linked to the recording medium identification information (card ID) based on the recording medium identification information (card ID) received from the gaming device 12. In this way, if the portable terminal identification information (portable terminal ID) linked to the recording medium 50 is identified by communication from the gaming device 12 that has accepted the recording medium 50 that has been linked and registered to the portable terminal 40, it becomes possible to identify the gaming device 12 that has accepted the recording medium 50 by the player, even when the cashless center 20 and the relay device 15 mediate the communication from the portable terminal 40.

In this way, even if the gaming device 12 and the mobile terminal 40 cannot directly exchange information by wireless communication, it becomes possible to deposit a mobile compatible value (cashless balance) from the mobile terminal 40 to the gaming device 12 in a cashless manner via the management function unit 100 (the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20). In this way, by the cooperation of the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20, even if the mobile terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 are not directly connected, the management function unit 100 (the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20) mediates the process, making it possible to make the mobile terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 appear to be directly connected. By using such an intermediation method, for example, even if either or both of the mobile terminal 40 and the gaming device 12 are not compatible with wireless communication, the deposit execution unit 40d can deposit a mobile compatible value from the value storage unit 40b of the mobile terminal 40 to the gaming device 12 via the mediation of the management function unit 100.
In the above example, the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20 are configured to perform processing in a distributed manner, but for example, the relay device 15 may be configured to store mobile correspondence information managed by the cashless center 20, and the relay device 15 may communicate with the mobile terminal 40 to enable intermediation, or the cashless center 20 may be configured to store linking registration information managed by the relay device 15, and the cashless center 20 may be configured to communicate with the mobile terminal 40 to enable intermediation.

The gaming system 1 is configured as described above. Next, we will explain the processing flow in the gaming system 1.

Figure 5 is a sequence diagram showing the process in the gaming system 1 until the cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play and a notification is issued that a predetermined condition has been met. Note that the following explanation will be given using an example in which the predetermined amount is preset to 20,000 yen in the cashless center 20.

The cashless center 20 notifies the mobile terminal 40 that the upper limit of the corresponding value that can be used during play, which is a preset amount, is 20,000 yen, and upon receiving this notification, the mobile terminal 40 stores that the predetermined amount for the specified condition in the condition determination unit 40f is 20,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the corresponding value that can be used during play.
Next, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b of the portable terminal 40. At this time, since the first usage request of the day of play has not yet been received, the state transition unit 40e of the portable terminal 40 is in the pre-game state. Therefore, the portable value of 10,000 yen acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b at this time is stored as pre-game value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 0 yen. The deposit execution unit 40d also notifies the state transition unit 40e of a deposit completion notification.
The state transition unit 40e, which has received the deposit completion notification, regards the time of depositing the portable value based on this first usage request as the game start time since the usage request notified at this time from the deposit execution unit 40d is the first usage request on the day of play, and transitions from the pre-game state to the game in progress state at this game start time.
Meanwhile, in the gaming device 12, the deposited mobile-compatible value is indirectly stored by the gaming value granting unit 12f, and then, based on the player's conversion request, the gaming value granting unit 12f grants to the gaming machine 11 gaming value (gaming points) converted from the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value) in exchange for debiting the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value).

Next, when 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on another charge request by the player, this portable value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b. At this time, since the first usage request of the day of play has already been received, the state transition unit 40e has transitioned to the in-game state. Therefore, the 20,000 yen worth of portable value acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b is stored as in-game value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable corresponding value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable corresponding value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-play corresponding value is withdrawn from the in-play corresponding value of 20,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the in-play corresponding value is updated to 10,000 yen. Also, since the portable corresponding value deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d at this time is the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-play corresponding value, the condition determination unit 40f calculates the accumulated in-play corresponding value amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-play corresponding value, to be 10,000 yen.
On the other hand, in the gaming device 12, as described above, based on the player's conversion request, the gaming value granting unit 12f grants gaming value (gaming points) converted from the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value) to the gaming machine 11.

After that, when a second use request to use the portable value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this use request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-play corresponding value is withdrawn from the in-play corresponding value of 10,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the in-play corresponding value is updated to 0 yen. Also, since the portable corresponding value deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d at this time is the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-play corresponding value, the condition determination unit 40f adds 10,000 yen to the accumulated in-play corresponding value amount, and the accumulated in-play corresponding value amount is calculated to be 20,000 yen.

Here, the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value becomes 20,000 yen, and reaches the upper limit of the in-game corresponding value usage of 20,000 yen set as a predetermined amount under the predetermined condition on the day of the game, so the condition determination unit 40f determines that the predetermined condition is met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. The notification unit 40g, which receives this notification, notifies that the predetermined condition is met, in other words, that the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value has reached the predetermined amount on the day of the game. This allows the player to know that the usage amount of the portable corresponding value charged during the game (the accumulated amount deposited into the gaming device 12 from the in-game corresponding value) has reached the predetermined upper limit.
Furthermore, since the notification unit 40g receives a determination result from the condition determination unit 40f that a predetermined condition has been satisfied, it notifies the notification unit 12g of in-play corresponding value upper limit reaching information. Then, the notification unit 12g, which has received the in-play corresponding value upper limit reaching information, also notifies that the in-play corresponding value cumulative amount on the day of play has reached a predetermined amount. This allows staff of the gaming establishment 10, other than the player, to know that the amount of portable corresponding value used during play (the cumulative amount deposited into the gaming device 12 from the in-play corresponding value) has reached a predetermined upper limit.

In the gaming system 1 described above, the case where the player continues playing at the same gaming establishment 10 and the specified conditions are satisfied has been described as an example. However, for example, the state transition unit 40e and the condition determination unit 40f may have a function of setting another establishment that allows the state transition unit 40e and the condition determination unit 40f to distinguish between the gaming establishment 10 and another gaming establishment 10' that is an affiliated establishment of the gaming establishment 10, and when the player starts playing at the gaming establishment 10 (deposits the portable compatible value into the gaming device 12) and the specified conditions are satisfied, and then moves to another gaming establishment 10' to play on the same day, to set either "maintenance setting that maintains the in-play state in the state transition unit 40e and the accumulated in-play compatible value amount in the condition determination unit 40f" or "reset setting that returns the state in the state transition unit 40e from the in-play state to the pre-play state and performs processing to reset the accumulated in-play compatible value amount in the condition determination unit 40f."

For example, by selecting the above-mentioned "maintenance setting" in the state transition unit 40e and the condition determination unit 40f, once play has been started (the portable compatible value has been deposited into the gaming device 12) and the specified conditions have been satisfied, even if the player moves to another gaming establishment 10' during the day of play, the state transition unit 40e will maintain the playing state and the condition determination unit 40f will maintain the accumulated amount of the playing compatible value. Therefore, since the player will continue to be notified that the specified conditions have been satisfied every time money is deposited into the gaming device 12 at the other gaming establishment 10', it is possible to prevent a situation in which the player can play at the other gaming establishment 10' without worrying about the notification that the specified conditions have been satisfied.
On the other hand, for example, by selecting the above-mentioned "reset setting" in the state transition section 40e and the condition determination section 40f, even after starting a game once and satisfying a predetermined condition, when moving to another gaming establishment 10', it is possible that the player will return to a calm state during the move to the other gaming establishment 10', so the state in the state transition section 40e is returned to the pre-game state, and the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value in the condition determination section 40f is reset. In this case, the player will be in a state where he has not yet started playing at the other gaming establishment 10' (has not even once deposited the portable corresponding value into the gaming device 12 on the day of playing), and therefore can start playing as usual at the other gaming establishment 10'.
The method for distinguishing and recognizing the gaming facility 10 from other gaming facilities 10' in the state transition unit 40e and the condition determination unit 40f is, for example, to identify the gaming facility 10 using the store ID of the gaming facility 10 that the deposit execution unit 40d acquires when depositing money into the gaming device 12.
It should be noted that the other store setting function in the state transition unit 40e and the condition determination unit 40f described above is for when a player moves from one gaming facility 10 to another gaming facility 10'. Therefore, for example, if the player moves to another gaming machine (not shown) or gaming device (not shown) within the same gaming facility 10, the in-play state is maintained in the state transition unit 40e, and the accumulated in-play corresponding value is not reset in the condition determination unit 40f.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system 2 (FIG. 1) according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
The gaming system 2 has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 are described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 is omitted.

In the gaming system 2, instead of the condition determination unit 40f, a cumulative amount notification unit 40h is provided in the mobile terminal 40, and a cumulative amount detection unit 12h is provided in the gaming device 12. Also, instead of the notification unit 12g, a notification unit 12i is provided that notifies the user that the cumulative amount of the in-play corresponding value on the day of play has reached a predetermined amount based on a notification from the cumulative amount detection unit 12h.

When the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12, the accumulated amount notification unit 40h can distinguish whether the portable corresponding value withdrawn by the deposit execution unit 40d is a pre-game corresponding value or a playing corresponding value, and calculate the accumulated amount of each, in the same manner as the condition determination unit 40f. Then, the accumulated amount of playing corresponding value, which is the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the playing corresponding value, is calculated each time the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12h of the calculated playing corresponding value accumulated amount.

The accumulated amount detection unit 12h judges whether the accumulated amount of the game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount and satisfies a predetermined condition on the day of the game based on the accumulated amount of the game corresponding value notified by the accumulated amount notification unit 40h, and judges that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the accumulated amount of the game corresponding value reaches the predetermined amount, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the judgment result. In the gaming system 2, for example, an arbitrary amount preset in the management device 14 or the relay device 15 by the operation of a staff member of the gaming facility 10 is used as the predetermined amount, and the accumulated amount detection unit 12h stores the amount notified by the management device 14 or the relay device 15 as the predetermined amount. In addition, the predetermined amount is stored by using a recording device such as a RAM of the control unit 12a of the gaming device 12.
In this way, in the gaming system 2, the cumulative amount notification unit 40h and the cumulative amount detection unit 12h cooperate with each other to perform the function of the condition determination unit 40f, instead of the condition determination unit 40f. Therefore, in the gaming system 2, the "cumulative amount notification unit 40h and the cumulative amount detection unit 12h" correspond to the "condition determination means."

The notification unit 12i notifies the player and the staff of the gaming facility 10 that the judgment result by the cumulative amount detection unit 12h meets a predetermined condition based on a notification from the cumulative amount detection unit 12h. The notification method is the same as that of the notification unit 12g, and in the gaming system 2, the "notification unit 12i" corresponds to the "notification means."

Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing the process in the gaming system 2 until the cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play and a notification is issued that a predetermined condition has been met. Note that the following explanation will be given using an example in which the predetermined amount is set in advance to 20,000 yen in the management device 14 or relay device 15, which is a higher-level device of the gaming device 12.

The management device 14 or relay device 15 notifies the gaming device 12 that the upper limit of the corresponding value that can be used during play, which is a preset predetermined amount, is 20,000 yen, and in the gaming device 12 that receives this notification, the predetermined amount for the specified condition in the cumulative amount detection unit 12h is stored as being the upper limit of the corresponding value that can be used during play, which is 20,000 yen.
Next, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b, and the pre-game value of 10,000 yen is stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 0 yen. The deposit execution unit 40d also notifies the state transition unit 40e of a deposit completion notification.
At this time, since the deposit execution unit 40d has deposited money into the gaming device 12, the accumulated amount notification unit 40h calculates the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value and notifies the calculated accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value to the accumulated amount detection unit 12h. At this time, since the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value is 0 yen, the accumulated amount detection unit 12h is notified of this fact.

On the other hand, the state transition unit 40e that has received the deposit completion notification regards the time of depositing the portable value based on the first usage request as the game start time, since the usage request notified at this time from the deposit execution unit 40d is the first usage request on the day of play, and transitions from the pre-game state to the game in progress state at this game start time.
On the other hand, in the gaming device 12, the deposited mobile-compatible value is indirectly stored by the gaming value granting unit 12f, and then, based on the player's conversion request, the gaming value granting unit 12f grants to the gaming machine 11 the gaming value (gaming points) converted from the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value) in exchange for debiting the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value).

Next, when 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on another charge request by the player, this portable value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b. At this time, since the first usage request of the day of play has already been received, the state transition unit 40e has transitioned to the in-game state. Therefore, the 20,000 yen worth of portable value acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b is stored as in-game value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable corresponding value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable corresponding value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the playing corresponding value is withdrawn from the playing corresponding value of 20,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the playing corresponding value is updated to 10,000 yen. Also, since the portable corresponding value deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d at this time is the portable corresponding value deposited from the playing corresponding value, the accumulated amount notification unit 40h updates the playing corresponding value accumulated amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the playing corresponding value, to 10,000 yen, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12h to that effect.
On the other hand, in the gaming device 12, as described above, based on the player's conversion request, the gaming value granting unit 12f grants gaming value (gaming points) converted from the mobile-compatible value (mobile-compatible prepaid value) to the gaming machine 11.

After that, when a second use request to use the portable value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this use request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-play value is withdrawn from the in-play value of 10,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the in-play value is updated to 0 yen. At this time, the portable value deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d is the portable value deposited from the in-play value, so the accumulated amount notification unit 40h adds 10,000 yen to the in-play value accumulated amount, updating the in-play value accumulated amount to 20,000 yen, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12h of this fact.

Here, the accumulated amount detection unit 12h, which has received the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value from the accumulated amount notification unit 40h, determines that the predetermined condition has been met because the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value has reached 20,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the in-play corresponding value usage of 20,000 yen set as the predetermined amount for the predetermined condition on the day of play, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. The notification unit 12i, which has received the notification, notifies that the predetermined condition has been met, in other words, that the accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value has reached the predetermined amount on the day of play. This allows the player, staff of the gaming facility 10, and others to know that the amount of use of the portable corresponding value charged during play (the accumulated amount deposited into the gaming device 12 from the in-play corresponding value) has reached the predetermined upper limit.

Next, we will provide a more detailed explanation of the configuration common to the first embodiment of the gaming system 1 and the second embodiment of the gaming system 2.

Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a deposit process to the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d. As described above, when the deposit execution unit 40d receives a use request from a player, if both the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the deposit execution unit 40d has a pre-game corresponding value priority withdrawal function that withdraws the pre-game corresponding value in preference to the in-game corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. For example, as shown in Figure 8, when a portable corresponding value of 10,000 yen is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by a player, the portable corresponding value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b of the portable terminal 40. At this time, since the first use request of the day of play has not yet been received, the pre-game corresponding value of 10,000 yen is stored.

After that, when a usage request to use the portable corresponding value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the specified amount (e.g., 5,000 yen) of portable corresponding value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Here, since the portable corresponding value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is only the pre-game corresponding value, 5,000 yen of pre-game corresponding value is withdrawn from the pre-game corresponding value of 10,000 yen and deposited into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 5,000 yen. In addition, the deposit execution unit 40d notifies the state transition unit 40e of the completion of deposit, and the state transition unit 40e, which receives this notification, transitions from the pre-game state to the playing state.

If, for example, the player subsequently charges the cashless center 20 with an additional 20,000 yen worth of portable value by making another charge request before depositing the remaining pre-play value (5,000 yen) into the gaming device 12, this portable value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 40b. At this time, since the state transition unit 40e has transitioned to the in-play state, the 20,000 yen worth of portable value acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b is stored as in-play value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable corresponding value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount (e.g., 5,000 yen) of the portable corresponding value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, since a pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen and an in-game corresponding value of 20,000 yen are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen in preference to the in-game corresponding value of 20,000 yen and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, the pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen is withdrawn from the valuable value storage unit 40b, and the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 0 yen. In this way, when the deposit execution unit 40d receives a usage request from a player, if both the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the pre-game corresponding value in preference to the in-game corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12.
In this way, if the deposit execution unit 40d has a pre-game corresponding value priority withdrawal function, the in-game corresponding value charged by the player while playing will not be withdrawn first, so even if there is a balance in the pre-game corresponding value, the player can safely charge a new portable corresponding value while playing. Also, since the pre-game corresponding value is withdrawn preferentially over the in-game corresponding value, it is possible to prevent the cumulative in-game corresponding value from reaching a predetermined amount while the pre-game corresponding value charged by a calm player remains. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately operate the judgment based on the cumulative amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value (the cumulative in-game corresponding value).

FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performed by the deposit execution unit 40d having a unit amount determination function.
For example, when the deposit execution unit 40d receives a usage request from a player, if both the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value memory unit 40b and the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is smaller than the unit amount that can be converted into game value by the game value granting unit 12f, the deposit execution unit 40d can withdraw the in-game corresponding value in preference to the pre-game corresponding value.
The deposit execution unit 40d having the unit amount determination function uses a recording device such as an IC chip provided in the mobile terminal 40 to store the minimum exchange unit amount, which is the minimum unit amount that can be converted into a gaming value (gaming points) for the mobile compatible value that can be converted into a gaming value (gaming points) by the gaming value providing unit 12f. The minimum exchange unit amount may be set in advance in the deposit execution unit 40d of the mobile terminal 40, or may be set in advance in any of the gaming devices 12, the management device 14, the relay device 15, or the cashless center 20 by an attendant of the gaming establishment 10, and may be acquired and stored by the deposit execution unit 40d when any of these devices communicates with the mobile terminal 40. The amount of the minimum exchange unit amount is arbitrary, and for example, a typical amount is 500 yen for a pachinko machine and 1,000 yen for a pachislot machine. In the gaming system 1 and the gaming system 2, the minimum exchange unit amount is set to 500 yen.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, suppose that a player starts playing at another gaming facility 10', transitions the state transition unit 40e to a playing state, uses the pre-play corresponding value at the other gaming facility 10', and then moves from the other gaming facility 10' to visit the gaming facility 10.
At this time, when a pre-game corresponding value of 50 yen is recorded in the value memory unit 40b of the portable terminal 40 and a portable corresponding value of 20,000 yen is charged at the cashless center 20 in response to a charge request, a during-game corresponding value of 20,000 yen is stored in the value memory unit 40b in addition to the pre-game corresponding value of 50 yen.
Thereafter, when a use request from a player is received, the deposit execution unit 40d compares the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value with the minimum exchange unit amount, and if the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is less than the minimum exchange unit amount, it deducts the amount specified by the use request from the in-game corresponding value, not from the pre-game corresponding value. For example, since the minimum exchange unit amount is set to 500 yen in the gaming systems 1 and 2, if a use request (specified amount is 5,000 yen) is received as shown in Figure 9, the deposit execution unit 40d compares the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value (50 yen) with the minimum exchange unit amount of 500 yen. In this case, since the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value (50 yen) is less than the minimum exchange unit amount of 500 yen, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the portable corresponding value of 5,000 yen, the amount specified by the usage request, from the in-game corresponding value rather than from the pre-game corresponding value, and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value is updated to 15,000 yen, and the pre-game corresponding value remains at 50 yen. In this manner, the unit amount determination function of the deposit execution unit 40d functions.
In this way, if the deposit execution unit 40d has a unit amount determination function, when the remaining pre-game corresponding value is a small amount that cannot be used for playing, the pre-game corresponding value can be left as is, and the in-game corresponding value can be converted into playing value, which can then be deposited into the gaming device 12 for playing.

FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the valuable storage unit 40b having a portable value transfer function.
When the deposit execution section 40d accepts the first use request on the day of the game, if there is a remaining amount in the in-game corresponding value, the valuable storage section 40b transfers this remaining amount from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value.
In the gaming system 1 and the gaming system 2, when the deposit execution unit 40d accepts a use request from a player, it notifies the valuable storage unit 40b in advance that the use request has been accepted (a use request acceptance notice). When the use request acceptance notice received from the deposit execution unit 40d is the first use request acceptance notice on the day of the game, if there is a remaining amount in the in-game corresponding value that has not been used by the player and has been carried over from the previous day or earlier, the valuable storage unit 40b transfers this remaining amount from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value. The use request acceptance notice notified from the deposit execution unit 40d includes the use request acceptance date and time, which is the date and time when the use request was received, which is timed using the clocking function of the mobile terminal 40, as with the deposit completion notice to the state transition unit 40e. The valuable storage unit 40b judges whether the notified use request acceptance notice is the first notice on the day of the game based on the use request acceptance date and time. When the usage request acceptance notice received from the deposit execution section 40d is the first usage request acceptance notice on the day of the game, the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value is transferred from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value.
The valuable value storage unit 40b notifies the deposit execution unit 40d that the transfer process from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value has been completed. Meanwhile, the deposit execution unit 40d waits for a notification of the completion of the transfer process from the valuable value storage unit 40b, and upon receiving this notification, executes the deposit process into the gaming device 12 as usual. This makes it possible to prevent the deposit execution unit 40d from performing the deposit process before the transfer of the portable corresponding value has been completed by the valuable value storage unit 40b.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the state transition unit 40e is in the in-game state, if 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged in the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is stored as 20,000 yen worth of in-game value by the valuable value storage unit 40b. After that, when the deposit execution unit 40d receives a usage request from the player, the deposit execution unit 40d notifies the valuable value storage unit 40b of a usage request acceptance notice (not shown). Since the usage request acceptance notice notified at this time is not based on the first usage request on the day of play, since play has already started, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the in-game value of 10,000 yen deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d into the gaming device 12 is deducted as usual, and the remaining amount of the in-game value is updated to 10,000 yen. In this state, let's say that the player ends play on this day with the remaining in-play value remaining.

Then, when the date is updated and the player returns to the gaming establishment 10 the next day, the valuable storage unit 40b has a remaining in-game corresponding value of 10,000 yen. When the player's use request is received by the deposit execution unit 40d, the deposit execution unit 40d notifies the valuable storage unit 40b of a use request acceptance notice (not shown). The use request acceptance notice notified at this time is based on the first use request of that day. Then, since there is a remaining in-game corresponding value (10,000 yen) carried over from the previous day or earlier, the valuable storage unit 40b transfers this remaining amount from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value, and updates the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value to 10,000 yen. Thereafter, the valuable value storage unit 40b notifies the deposit execution unit 40d of the completion of the transfer process of the portable corresponding value from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value, and the deposit execution unit 40d, having received this notification, executes the deposit process to the gaming device 12. At this time, for example, if the amount specified in the use request received by the deposit execution unit 40d is 5,000 yen, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen from the pre-game corresponding value of 10,000 yen and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Thereafter, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 5,000 yen.
In this way, if the valuable value storage unit 40b has a portable corresponding value transfer function, for example, even if a game ends on the day of play with a remaining amount in the in-game corresponding value, when the player visits the store at a later date and the deposit execution unit 40d accepts the first usage request, the remaining amount will be automatically transferred from the in-game corresponding value to the pre-game corresponding value, so that the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value left at the end of play on the previous day or earlier can be used as the pre-game corresponding value.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the state transition unit 40e having a pre-game state return function.
The state transition unit 40e stores the date of the day of game play, and when it detects that the date is the next day or later, it transitions from the in-game state to the pre-game state and automatically returns to the pre-game state. In the gaming system 1 and the gaming system 2, each component of the mobile terminal 40 including the state transition unit 40e (e.g., components such as the valuable storage unit 40b, the deposit execution unit 40d, and the condition determination unit 40f) is configured as one software application installed in the mobile terminal 40. Therefore, when the software application is started, various information is updated by the mobile terminal 40 communicating with other devices such as the cashless center 20 and by the components in the mobile terminal 40 communicating with each other.
The state transition unit 40e obtains the date of transition to the in-play state using a clock function of the mobile terminal 40, and stores this date as the date of the day of play using a recording device such as an IC chip of the mobile terminal 40. Thereafter, the state transition unit 40e obtains the date of start-up of the software application using the clock function of the mobile terminal 40, for example, every time a software application including the state transition unit 40e is started. Then, the state transition unit 40e compares the date of start-up of the software application with the date of the day of play, and if the date of start-up of the software application is the day after the day of play or later, it detects that the date has been updated (becomes the day after) and transitions the state from the in-play state to the pre-play state.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 11, if the date on which the state transition unit 40e transitioned to the playing state is October 10, 2023, the state transition unit 40e acquires and stores the date as the date of the day of the game. After that, when the player finishes playing and leaves the store, and starts the software application including the state transition unit 40e installed in the mobile terminal 40 on or after the next day (October 11, 2023), the state transition unit 40e acquires the date of the start of the software application. Then, the date of the start of the software application (date after October 11, 2023) is compared with the date of the day of the game (October 10, 2023), and since the date of the start of the software application (date after October 11, 2023) is the day after the date of the day of the game (October 10, 2023), it is detected that the date has been updated. Based on the detection of the update of the date, the state transition unit 40e transitions the state from the in-game state to the pre-game state. The flow of the process thereafter is the same as that described for the gaming system 1.
In this way, if the state transition unit 40e has a pre-game state return function, after the state transition to the in-game state once, by detecting an update of the date, it is possible to automatically transition from the in-game state to the pre-game state and return the state to the original state. Therefore, at the game start time on the following day or later (when the portable-compatible value is deposited based on the first use request by the deposit execution means), the state automatically transitions to the pre-game state and returns to the original state, so that it is possible to transition from the pre-game state to the in-game state again at the game start time. Therefore, since there is no need to manually switch the state transition in the state transition unit 40e, the gaming system 1 or gaming system 2 is easy to operate.

In the gaming system 1 and the gaming system 2, the system is configured so that additional portable compatible value can be charged (generated) when there is a balance in the pre-game compatible value, but for example, the control unit 20a may be configured to have an additional charge control function that does not allow new portable compatible value to be charged (generated) until all of the remaining balance of the pre-game compatible value has been deposited in the gaming device 12, and the control unit 20a thus configured may be configured to have a variable setting so that the additional charge control function can be enabled or disabled.
Furthermore, in the gaming system 2, an example has been shown in which a gaming device 12 equipped with an accumulated amount detection unit 12h and an alarm unit 12i judges whether a predetermined condition exists and issues an alarm based on the judgment result, but the alarm in the gaming device 12 equipped with an accumulated amount detection unit 12h and an alarm unit 12i is not limited to the alarm unit 12i, and may be configured, for example, to notify the judgment result to a mobile terminal 40, a management device 14 and/or a relay device 15, etc., so that an alarm is issued from these devices (devices such as the mobile terminal 40, the management device 14 and/or the relay device 15, etc.).

Also, for example, in the gaming system 1 and the gaming system 2, the recording medium processing unit 12e in the gaming device 12 may be configured to have a recording medium identification function capable of accepting the recording medium 50 possessed by the player and identifying whether or not the recording medium 50 is a member's recording medium issued to a player who has registered as a member at the gaming establishment 10, and further, the notification unit 12g and the notification unit 40g in the gaming system 1 and the notification unit 12i in the gaming system 2 may be configured to have a notification enabling function for enabling a notification that a predetermined condition has been satisfied when the recording medium 50 is a member's recording medium and when the player so desires. Also, for example, the condition determination unit 40f in the gaming system 1 and the accumulated amount detection unit 12h in the gaming system 2 may be configured to have an upper limit amount setting function for enabling a player to set a predetermined upper limit amount that the player can use for playing in one day based on a setting request by the player when the recording medium 50 is a member's recording medium.
In the above-mentioned configuration, for example, when the recording medium processing unit 12e receives the recording medium 50 owned by the player, it inquires of the member management server (not shown) based on the recording medium identification information (e.g., card ID) which is the unique identification information of the recording medium 50, and obtains type identification information which is information for identifying whether the received recording medium 50 is a member recording medium or a general recording medium. If the result of the judgment based on this type identification information is that the recording medium 50 is a member recording medium, in the gaming system 1, the recording medium processing unit 12e notifies the condition determination unit 40f, the notification unit 12g, and the notification unit 40g of that fact, and in the gaming system 2, the recording medium processing unit 12e notifies the cumulative amount detection unit 12h and the notification unit 12i of that fact. Then, in the notification unit 12g, the notification unit 12i, and the notification unit 40g which receive the notification that the recording medium is a member recording medium, it becomes possible to enable the notification that a predetermined condition has been met if the player wishes. Note that the player's request may be accepted, for example, by the notification unit 40g in the portable terminal 40, by operating the portable terminal 40, or by the notification unit 12g or 12i in the gaming device 12, by operating an input device such as a touch panel provided on the gaming device 12. When a request to enable the notification is received from the player, the notification that a predetermined condition has been satisfied is enabled.
In addition, the recording medium processing unit 12e may identify whether a recording medium is a member's recording medium by identifying the recording medium based on recording medium identification information (e.g., a card ID), or may identify the recording medium 50, which is a member's recording medium, based on the presence or absence of an identifier indicating that the recording medium is a member's recording medium.

Furthermore, when configured as described above, the condition determination unit 40f and the accumulated amount detection unit 12h, which have received a notification that the recording medium 50 is a member's recording medium, can set a predetermined amount based on a setting request from the player. The predetermined amount set at this time is preferably an upper limit amount that can be used for playing in one day, which is set as an index for determining the player's tendency to become addicted to playing. This allows the player to know that the accumulated amount of the corresponding value during playing has reached the upper limit amount set by the player through a notification based on the determination result that the predetermined condition has been met. Therefore, the player can enjoy playing appropriately within the upper limit amount set by the player.
Note that the setting request by the player may be accepted, for example, by the condition determination unit 40f in the portable terminal 40 through operation of the portable terminal 40, or by the accumulated amount detection unit 12h in the gaming device 12 through operation of an input device such as a touch panel provided on the gaming device 12. Also, the player may declare the upper limit amount to a staff member of the gaming facility 10, and the declared upper limit amount may be set as a predetermined amount in the cashless center 20, the management device 14, or the relay device 15, after which the condition determination unit 40f and the accumulated amount detection unit 12h may be notified.

In addition, in gaming system 1 and gaming system 2, an example has been shown in which the valuable storage unit 40b and the deposit execution unit 40d are provided in the mobile terminal 40, but the valuable storage means and the deposit execution means may be provided in, for example, the management function unit 100 of the cashless center 20. Furthermore, in gaming system 1, an example has been shown in which the condition determination unit 40f and the deposit execution unit 40d are provided in the mobile terminal 40, but the condition determination means may be provided in the management function unit 100 (relay device 15 and/or cashless center 20) or the gaming device 12, or the management function unit 100 (relay device 15 and/or cashless center 20) may be provided with a notification means, and this notification means may be configured to notify that a specified condition has been met. In this case, the notification may be, for example, a ringtone or an automated voice notification in the relay device 15 and/or cashless center 20 constituting the management function unit 100, or a notification that a predetermined amount has been reached may be displayed on a screen provided in the relay device 15 and/or cashless center 20.

Third Embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 1a (FIG. 1) according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gaming system 1a has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 1a, the condition determination unit 40i in the portable terminal 40 has a period-based determination function. In addition to the determination based on the above-mentioned predetermined condition, the condition determination unit 40i performs a determination based on a predetermined condition other than the predetermined condition (hereinafter, the "other predetermined condition" is referred to as the "other condition"). The other condition is that, among the accumulated amounts of portable corresponding values deposited in the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d, the total accumulated amount of the playing corresponding value, which is the sum of the accumulated amount of the playing corresponding value within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, reaches a predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period (hereinafter, the "predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period" is referred to as the "other predetermined amount") within the predetermined period. For the predetermined period and the other predetermined amount, for example, an arbitrary period spanning multiple days and an arbitrary amount are used that are preset in the cashless center 20 by the operation of a staff member of the gaming facility 10, and the period and amount are notified to the condition determination unit 40i from the cashless center 20, and are stored in the condition determination unit 40i as the predetermined period and the other predetermined amount, respectively. In addition, these items are stored using a recording device such as an IC chip of the mobile terminal 40.
For example, in the condition determination unit 40i, the predetermined amount of a predetermined condition is set to 30,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the amount of the in-game corresponding value that can be used on the day of play, while one month is set as the predetermined period of another condition, and another predetermined amount (a predetermined amount corresponding to one month, which is the predetermined period) is set to 100,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the amount of the in-game corresponding value that can be used for one month. In this case, even if the total accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value on the day of play continues to be less than 30,0000 yen, if the total accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value that is the sum of the accumulated amounts of the in-game corresponding value within the predetermined period of one month reaches the other predetermined amount of 100,000 yen, the condition determination unit 40i determines that a different condition from the predetermined condition has been satisfied.

FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performed by the condition determination unit 40i.
In addition, in FIG. 12, a case will be described as an example in which the above-mentioned predetermined amount, predetermined period, and another predetermined amount are preset in the cashless center 20.
First, in the condition determination unit 40i of the mobile terminal 40 which has received notification from the cashless center 20 regarding the specified amount, the specified period, and another specified amount, 30,000 yen, which is the maximum amount of corresponding value that can be used during play (one day), is stored as the specified amount for the specified condition, one month is stored as the specified period for the other condition, and further, 100,000 yen, which is the maximum amount of corresponding value that can be used during play (one month), is stored as the other specified amount.
Thereafter, for example, during a predetermined period of one month, the player deposits 20,000 yen of the in-play value that he/she charged after starting play into the gaming device 12 every day from the first day of play to the fifth day of play, and uses it. At this time, the cumulative amount of the in-play value each day is 20,000 yen every day from the first day of play to the fifth day of play, and since there is no day on which the predetermined amount is reached on the day of play, the predetermined condition is not met.

On the other hand, the total accumulated in-game corresponding value, which is the sum of the accumulated in-game corresponding value amounts (20,000 yen) from the first day to the fifth day of play, is 100,000 yen on the fifth day, and another predetermined amount (100,000 yen) is reached within a predetermined period (one month), so another condition is met. In this case, the condition determination unit 40i determines that the other condition is met because another condition is met even if the predetermined condition is not met, and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. The notification unit 40g, which receives this notification, issues a notification and notifies the notification unit 12g of the receipt of the notification from the condition determination unit 40i as in-game corresponding value upper limit reaching information. Then, the notification unit 12g, which receives the in-game corresponding value upper limit reaching information, also issues a notification.

Fourth Embodiment
The outline of the configuration of the gaming system 2a (FIG. 1) according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The gaming system 2a has the same configuration as the gaming system 2 according to the second embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 2 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 2 will be described, and the description of the components the same as those in the gaming system 2 will be omitted. The gaming system 2a also has the same functions as the gaming system 1a described above. Therefore, terms having the same meaning as those used in the description of the gaming system 1a (for example, terms such as "total accumulated amount of corresponding value during play", "other conditions" and "other predetermined amount") will be described using the same terms.

In the gaming system 2a, an accumulated amount notification unit 40j provided in the portable terminal 40 has a total accumulated amount calculation function for calculating the total accumulated amount of the corresponding value during play, and an accumulated amount detection unit 12j provided in the gaming device 12 has a total accumulated amount determination function.
The accumulated amount notification unit 40j calculates a total accumulated amount of in-game corresponding values by adding up the accumulated amounts of in-game corresponding values within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, and notifies the calculated total accumulated amount of in-game corresponding values to the accumulated amount detection unit 12h. Meanwhile, the accumulated amount detection unit 12j makes a judgment based on another condition in addition to the judgment based on the predetermined condition. The other condition is the same as in the case of the gaming system 1a, and is that the total accumulated amount of in-game corresponding values, which is the sum of the accumulated amounts of in-game corresponding values within a predetermined period spanning multiple days, among the accumulated amounts of portable corresponding values deposited in the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d, reaches another predetermined amount within the predetermined period. For the predetermined period and the different predetermined amount, for example, an arbitrary period spanning multiple days and an arbitrary amount are preset in the management device 14 or the relay device 15 by an operation of a staff member of the gaming facility 10, and the period and amount are notified from the management device 14 or the relay device 15 to the cumulative amount detection unit 12j, and are stored in the cumulative amount detection unit 12j as the predetermined period and the different predetermined amount, respectively. In addition, these are stored by utilizing a recording device such as a RAM of the control unit 12a of the gaming device 12.

The accumulated amount detection unit 12j determines whether the total accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value during a predetermined period spanning multiple days reaches another predetermined amount during the predetermined period and another condition is satisfied based on the total accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value notified by the accumulated amount notification unit 40j, and if the total accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches another predetermined amount, it determines that the other condition is satisfied and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. For example, in the accumulated amount detection unit 12j, the predetermined amount of the predetermined condition is set to 30,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the in-game corresponding value used on the day of play, while one month is set as the predetermined period of the other condition, and 100,000 yen, which is the upper limit of the in-game corresponding value used for one month, is set as the other predetermined amount (the predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period of one month). In this way, even if the cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value on the day of play continues to be less than 300,000 yen, if the total cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value, calculated by adding up the cumulative amount of the in-game corresponding value within a specified period of one month, reaches another specified amount of 100,000 yen, the cumulative amount detection unit 12j will determine that a condition different from the specified condition has been met.

FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the accumulated amount notifying unit 40j and the accumulated amount detecting unit 12j.
In addition, in Figure 13, an example is explained in which the above-mentioned specified amount, specified period, and another specified amount are pre-set in the management device 14 or relay device 15, which is a higher-level device of the gaming device 12.
First, in the cumulative amount detection unit 12j of the gaming device 12 which has received notification from the management device 14 or relay device 15 regarding a specified amount, a specified period, and another specified amount, 30,000 yen, which is the maximum amount of corresponding value that can be used during play (one day), is stored as the specified amount for the specified condition, one month is stored as the specified period for the other condition, and further, 100,000 yen, which is the maximum amount of corresponding value that can be used during play (one month), is stored as another specified amount.

After that, for example, during a predetermined period of one month, the player deposits 20,000 yen into the gaming device 12 every day from the first day of play to the fifth day of play, and uses the in-game corresponding value that the player has charged since the start of play. At this time, the cumulative amount notification unit 40j notifies the cumulative amount detection unit 12j of the daily in-game corresponding value cumulative amount, and also notifies the total in-game corresponding value cumulative amount for each day. Specifically, for example, on the first day of play, it is notified that the cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 20,000 yen and that the total cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 20,000 yen, on the second day of play, it is notified that the cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 20,000 yen and that the total cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 40,000 yen, and on the third day of play, it is notified that the cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 20,000 yen and that the total cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value is 60,000 yen.

Then, up until the fourth day of play, the cumulative amount of the corresponding value during play is 20,000 yen every day, and there is no day on which the specified amount is reached during play, so the specified condition is not met, and since the total cumulative amount of the corresponding value during play is also 80,000 yen, other conditions are not met either.
On the other hand, on the fifth day of play, the total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value, which is the sum of the accumulated amounts of the in-play corresponding values (20,000 yen) from the first day of play to the fifth day of play, becomes 100,000 yen, and another predetermined amount (100,000 yen) is reached within a predetermined period (one month), so another condition is met. In this case, even if the predetermined condition is not met, the accumulated amount detection unit 12j determines that the other condition is met because another condition is met, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. Then, the notification unit 12i that receives this notification issues a notification.
The total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value is not limited to that deposited in the same gaming device 12, and may be configured to include that deposited in different gaming devices 12. In this case, for example, if a player deposits 20,000 yen each into different gaming devices 12 on the first and second days of play, the total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value on the second day of play will be 40,000 yen. Also, if a player plays at the gaming establishment 10 and a gaming establishment 10' that is an affiliated establishment of the gaming establishment 10, the total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value may be configured to be included in the total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value. In this case, for example, if 20,000 yen is deposited into the gaming device 12 of the gaming facility 10 on the first day of play, and 20,000 yen is deposited into the gaming device 12 of the gaming facility 10' on the second day of play, the total accumulated amount of the corresponding value during play on the second day of play will be 40,000 yen.

Fifth Embodiment
14 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system 1b (FIG. 1) according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The gaming system 1b has a similar configuration to the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 are described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 is omitted.

In the gaming system 1b, a valuable memory unit 20e is provided in the cashless center 20 instead of the valuable memory unit 40b in the portable terminal 40, and the portable terminal 40 is also provided with a deposit execution unit 40k that withdraws portable-compatible value from the valuable memory unit 20e and deposits it into the gaming device 12, and a state transition unit 40l that can notify the valuable memory unit 20e of information regarding state transitions.
The valuable value storage unit 20e stores the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value in a distinguished manner, similar to the valuable value storage unit 40b in the portable terminal 40. At this time, in order to distinguish between the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value, the valuable value storage unit 20e receives information on state transition from the state transition unit 40l together with the charge request by the player, and stores the portable corresponding value in a distinguished manner as the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value based on the information on the state transition. The information on state transition transmitted from the state transition unit 40l is specifically the state of the state transition unit 40l at the time when the charge request is transmitted, in other words, information that can be used to determine whether the state transition unit 40l is in a pre-game state or a in-game state is transmitted. Based on the information that can be used to determine whether the state is in a pre-game state or a in-game state, the valuable value storage unit 20e stores the portable corresponding value in a distinguished manner as the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value. Moreover, the valuable value storage unit 20e notifies the mobile terminal 40 of information relating to the stored pre-game corresponding value and in-game corresponding value.

The mobile terminal 40, which has received information regarding the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value, allows the player to check the remaining amounts of the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value. Then, the player who has checked the remaining amounts can transmit a request to use the portable corresponding value to the deposit execution unit 40k by operating the mobile terminal 40. The deposit execution unit 40k which has received this use request transmits a request to that effect to the valuable value storage unit 20e, and withdraws the portable corresponding value in the amount specified in the use request from the valuable value storage unit 20e and deposits it into the gaming device 12.
In other words, in the gaming system 1b, the portable value is stored in the cashless center 20, and the deposit execution unit 40k in the portable terminal 40 acquires the portable value stored in the cashless center 20 and deposits it into the gaming device 12.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the valuable storage unit 20e, the deposit execution unit 40k, and the state transition unit 40l.
First, a charge request is transmitted to the cashless center 20 based on the operation of the mobile terminal 40 by the player. At this time, since the player has not started playing the game, the state transition unit 40l transmits information on state transition together with the charge request, indicating that the state transition unit 40l is in a pre-game state. If the amount specified in the charge request is 10,000 yen, the cashless center 20 performs a charge process to charge the mobile corresponding value of 10,000 yen, and then the mobile corresponding value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 20e. At this time, since the information on state transition transmitted from the state transition unit 40l is the pre-game state, the mobile corresponding value of 10,000 yen acquired by the valuable value storage unit 20e is stored as a pre-game corresponding value. Then, information on the pre-game corresponding value of 10,000 yen and the in-game corresponding value of 0 yen recorded in the valuable value storage unit 20e is notified to the mobile terminal 40.

Next, when a usage request is transmitted by the player who has confirmed the remaining amounts of the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value by operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40k notifies the valuable value storage unit 20e of the usage request based on the usage request, and withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of the portable corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is updated to 0 yen in the valuable value storage unit 20e. The deposit execution unit 40k also notifies the state transition unit 40l of a deposit completion notification.
The state transition unit 40l which has received the deposit completion notification regards the time of depositing the portable value based on this first usage request as the game start time since the usage request notified from the deposit execution unit 40k is the first usage request on the day of play, and transitions from the pre-game state to the game in progress state at this game start time.

Next, based on the player's operation of the mobile terminal 40, another charge request is sent to the information management unit 20b of the cashless center 20. At this time, since the player has started playing, the state transition unit 40l sends information on state transition, along with the charge request, indicating that the state transition unit 40l is in a game-playing state. If the amount specified in the charge request is 20,000 yen, the cashless center 20 performs a charge process to charge 20,000 yen worth of portable value, and then this portable value is acquired and stored by the valuable value storage unit 20e. At this time, since the information on state transition sent from the state transition unit 40l indicates a game-playing state, the portable value of 20,000 yen acquired by the valuable value storage unit 20e is stored as a game-playing value. Then, information regarding the pre-game value of 0 yen and the in-game value of 20,000 yen stored in the valuable value storage unit 20e is notified to the mobile terminal 40.

Next, when the player, having checked the remaining amounts of the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value, operates the portable terminal 40 again to transmit a usage request, the deposit execution unit 40k notifies the valuable value storage unit 20e of this request based on the usage request, and withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of the portable corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value in the valuable value storage unit 20e is updated to 10,000 yen.
In the gaming system 1b, an example has been shown in which information relating to the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value recorded in the valuable value memory unit 20e is automatically notified to the mobile terminal 40, but the information relating to the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value recorded in the valuable value memory unit 20e may be configured to be notified from the valuable value memory unit 20e in response to an inquiry request received from the mobile terminal 40 based on the receipt of the inquiry request.

In addition, in the gaming system 1b, an example was shown in which only the portable value is recorded in the valuable value storage unit 20e, but for example, the valuable value storage unit 20e may be incorporated into the information management unit 20b, and the portable information may be aggregated and the portable value (cashless balance) may be stored and managed separately as pre-game value and in-game value, as in the cashless center management table 61 shown in FIG. 3(B). Note that when information similar to the cashless center management table 61 is held in the relay device 15, for example, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the portable value (cashless balance) may be stored and managed separately as pre-game value and in-game value in the relay device management table 71.

Sixth Embodiment
16 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system 1c (FIG. 1) according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The gaming system 1c has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 are described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 is omitted.

In the gaming system 1c, a display unit 12k is provided in the gaming device 12. The display unit 12k outputs various information to a display device 12l (FIGS. 17(A) and 17(B)) such as a 7-segment display, a liquid crystal display device, or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device provided in the gaming device 12 so that the information can be displayed. In the gaming system 1c, the display unit 12k acquires and outputs information about a portable-compatible value (portable-compatible prepaid value) that is deposited in the gaming device 12 and associated with the recording medium 50 by the gaming value imparting unit 12f via the recording medium processing unit 12e from the gaming value imparting unit 12f. For example, as shown in FIG. 17(A) and FIG. 17(B), the information output from the display unit 12k is displayed on the display device 12l of the gaming device 12. In FIG. 17(A), the remaining amount of the portable value (portable prepaid value) associated with the IC card 51 is displayed as the "card balance", and the amount of the portable value deposited into the gaming device 12 from the in-game value is displayed as the "in-game charge usage". On the other hand, in FIG. 17(B), the remaining amount of the portable value (portable prepaid value) associated with the IC card 51 is displayed as the "card balance", and the amount of the portable value deposited into the gaming device 12 from the pre-game value is displayed as the "pre-game charge usage", and the amount of the portable value deposited into the gaming device from the in-game value is displayed as the "in-game charge usage".

Seventh Embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 1d (FIG. 1) according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gaming system 1d has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 1d, the condition determination unit 40m has a function of determining the total accumulated portable value. In addition to the same functions as the condition determination unit 40f in the gaming system 1, the condition determination unit 40m calculates a total accumulated portable value by adding up the pre-game accumulated value amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable value deposited in the gaming device 12 from the pre-game corresponding value, and the in-game accumulated value amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable value deposited from the in-game corresponding value, and determines whether or not this total accumulated portable value meets a predetermined condition. When the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12, the condition determination unit 40m calculates the pre-game accumulated value amount and the in-game accumulated value amount for the portable value withdrawn by the deposit execution unit 40d, and further adds up the calculated pre-game accumulated value amount and in-game accumulated value amount to calculate the total accumulated portable value. Then, it is determined whether or not this total accumulated portable value satisfies a predetermined condition. At this time, the predetermined condition determined by the condition determination unit 40m is that the total accumulated portable value, which is the accumulated amount of portable value deposited into the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game.

18 is a sequence diagram showing the process in the gaming system 1d until the total accumulated portable value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game and a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied. In the following explanation, an example will be given in which the predetermined amount is set to 30,000 yen in the cashless center 20.
First, the cashless center 20 notifies the portable terminal 40 that the upper limit of the use of the portable value, which is a preset predetermined amount, is 30,000 yen, and the portable terminal 40, which receives this notification, stores that the predetermined amount for the predetermined condition in the condition determination unit 40m is 30,000 yen. After that, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b of the portable terminal 40 as pre-game value.

Next, when a usage request for using the portable compatible value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is received by the player's operation of the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable compatible value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the remaining amount of the pre-game compatible value is updated to 0 yen in the valuable value storage unit 40b, and the deposit execution unit 40d notifies the state transition unit 40e of a deposit completion notice. In addition, the condition determination unit 40m calculates the total portable compatible value accumulated amount. In FIG. 18, the total portable compatible value accumulated amount is shown to be 10,000 yen as the "usage amount". In addition, the state transition unit 40e, which has received the deposit completion notice, transitions from the pre-game state to the game state.
Next, when 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b as in-play value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable compatible value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable compatible value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, since 10,000 yen of the in-game compatible value has been withdrawn from the in-game compatible value of 20,000 yen, the remaining in-game compatible value is updated to 10,000 yen. At this time, the condition determination unit 40m recalculates the total accumulated portable compatible value and updates the "amount used." FIG. 18 shows that 10,000 yen has been added to the "amount used" (total accumulated portable compatible value), and the "amount used" (total accumulated portable compatible value) has been updated to 20,000 yen.

After that, when a second usage request to use the portable compatible value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable compatible value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, since 10,000 yen of the in-game compatible value has been withdrawn from the in-game compatible value of 10,000 yen, the remaining amount of the in-game compatible value is updated to 0 yen. At this time, the condition determination unit 40m calculates the total accumulated portable compatible value again and updates the "amount used". FIG. 18 shows that an additional 10,000 yen has been added to the "amount used" (total accumulated portable compatible value), and the "amount used" (total accumulated portable compatible value) has been updated to 30,000 yen.

Here, the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value (amount used) is 30,000 yen, which has reached the upper limit of 30,000 yen of the portable compatible value usage amount set as the predetermined amount of the predetermined condition in the condition determination unit 40m. Therefore, the condition determination unit 40m determines that the predetermined condition is met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. The notification unit 40g, which has received this notification, notifies the player that the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value has reached the predetermined amount on the day of the game. This allows the player to know that the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value used in the game has reached the predetermined upper limit. In addition, the notification unit 40g notifies the notification unit 12g of the receipt of the notification from the condition determination unit 40m as upper limit reaching information, and the notification unit 12g, which has received this upper limit reaching information, also notifies the player that the total accumulated amount of portable compatible value has reached the predetermined amount on the day of the game. This allows not only the player but also staff at the gaming establishment 10 to know that the total accumulated amount of portable value used in the game has reached a predetermined upper limit.

Eighth Embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 2b (FIG. 1) according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The gaming system 2b has the same configuration as the gaming system 2 according to the second embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 2 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 2 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 2 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 2b, the accumulated amount notifying section 40n of the portable terminal 40 has a total accumulated portable value calculation function, and the accumulated amount detecting section 12m of the gaming device 12 has a total accumulated portable value detection function.
The accumulated amount notifying unit 40n, in addition to having the same function as the accumulated amount notifying unit 40h in the gaming system 2, can calculate a total accumulated portable corresponding value amount obtained by adding together a pre-game corresponding value accumulated amount, which is the accumulated amount of portable corresponding value deposited into the gaming device 12 from the pre-game corresponding value, and a during-game corresponding value accumulated amount, which is the accumulated amount of portable corresponding value deposited from the during-game corresponding value. On the other hand, the accumulated amount detecting unit 12m having a total accumulated portable corresponding value detection function can, in addition to having the same function as the accumulated amount detecting unit 12h, determine whether or not the total accumulated portable corresponding value amount calculated by the accumulated amount notifying unit 40n satisfies a predetermined condition.

When the deposit execution unit 40d deposits money into the gaming device 12, the accumulated amount notification unit 40n calculates the pre-game accumulated value amount and the in-game accumulated value amount for the portable compatible value withdrawn by the deposit execution unit 40d, and further adds up the calculated pre-game accumulated value amount and the in-game accumulated value amount to calculate the total portable compatible value accumulated amount. Then, it notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of the calculated total portable compatible value accumulated amount. The accumulated amount detection unit 12m, which has received the notification of the total portable compatible value accumulated amount, determines whether the total portable compatible value accumulated amount satisfies a predetermined condition. At this time, the predetermined condition determined by the accumulated amount detection unit 12m is that the total portable compatible value accumulated amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable compatible value deposited into the gaming device 12 by the deposit execution unit 40d, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of play.

19 is a sequence diagram showing the process in the gaming system 2b until the total accumulated portable value reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game and a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been met. In the following explanation, the predetermined amount is set to 30,000 yen in the management device 14 or relay device 15, which is a higher-level device of the gaming device 12, as an example.
First, the management device 14 or relay device 15 notifies the gaming device 12 that the upper limit of the usage of the portable value, which is a preset predetermined amount, is 30,000 yen, and upon receiving this notification, the gaming device 12 stores in the cumulative amount detection unit 12m that the predetermined amount for the specified conditions is 30,000 yen.
Thereafter, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request from the player, this portable value is stored in the valuable memory unit 40b of the portable terminal 40 as pre-game value.

Next, when a usage request for using the portable compatible value stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b is received by the player's operation of the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable compatible value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the remaining amount of the pre-game compatible value is updated to 0 yen in the valuable value storage unit 40b, and the deposit execution unit 40d notifies the state transition unit 40e of the completion of deposit. In addition, the accumulated amount notification unit 40n calculates the total accumulated portable compatible value, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of this total accumulated portable compatible value. FIG. 19 shows that the "usage amount" (total accumulated portable compatible value) at this time point is 10,000 yen, and the accumulated amount notification unit 40n notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of this "accumulated usage amount". Furthermore, the state transition unit 40e, which has received the deposit completion notification, transitions from the pre-game state to the game state.
Next, when 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b as in-play value.

Next, when a usage request to use the portable value is received by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-game value is withdrawn from the in-game value of 20,000 yen, and the remaining in-game value is updated to 10,000 yen. At this time, the accumulated amount notification unit 40n calculates the total accumulated portable value again, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of this total accumulated portable value. FIG. 19 shows that the "usage amount" (total accumulated portable value) at this time is 20,000 yen, and the accumulated amount notification unit 40n notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of this "accumulated usage amount".

After that, when a use request to use the portable value is received again by the player operating the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value based on this use request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-play value is withdrawn from the in-play value of 10,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the in-play value is updated to 0 yen. At this time, the accumulated amount notification unit 40n calculates the total accumulated portable value again, and notifies the accumulated amount detection unit 12m of this total accumulated portable value. FIG. 19 shows that the "usage amount" (total accumulated portable value) at this time is 30,000 yen, and is notified to the accumulated amount detection unit 12m by the accumulated amount notification unit 40n as the "accumulated amount of use".

Here, the total accumulated portable value (amount used) is 30,000 yen, reaching the upper limit of 30,000 yen for the use of portable value set as a predetermined amount under the predetermined conditions of the accumulated value detection unit 12m. Therefore, the accumulated value detection unit 12m determines that the predetermined conditions have been met, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. The notification unit 12i, which receives this notification, notifies the player and staff of the gaming facility 10 that the determination result by the accumulated value detection unit 12m satisfies the predetermined conditions. The notification method is the same as that of the notification unit 12g.

Ninth embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 1e (FIG. 1) according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gaming system 1e has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 1e, the condition determination unit 40o has a game time determination function. The condition determination unit 40o measures the game duration, which is the time the player continues playing on the day of the game, and when this game duration reaches a predetermined time set in advance, determines that a predetermined condition has been met. Specifically, for example, the condition determination unit 40o refers to a deposit completion notification from the deposit execution unit 40d received by the state transition unit 40e, and considers the time when the portable compatible value is deposited based on the first use request by the deposit execution unit 40d on the day of the game as the game start time, and starts timing the game duration from this game start time. At this time, whether the deposit completion notification is from the time when the portable compatible value is deposited based on the first use request on the day of the game is determined by referring to the deposit completion date and time included in the deposit completion notification. Specifically, when the date in the deposit completion date and time has been updated, the deposit completion notification first received on that date is determined to be from the time when the portable compatible value was deposited based on the first use request. In addition, the condition determination unit 40o measures the time elapsed from the start of play each time the state transition unit 40e receives a deposit completion notification from the deposit execution unit 40d, in other words, each time the deposit execution unit 40d deposits portable-compatible value into the gaming device 12, and when the duration of play reaches a preset predetermined time, it determines that a predetermined condition has been met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. The duration of play is measured using a timing function provided in the portable terminal 40.

20 is a sequence diagram showing the process until the game system 1e notifies the user that the game duration has reached a predetermined time. In the following explanation, the cashless center 20 will be described using an example in which the predetermined time is set to 5 hours.
First, the cashless center 20 notifies the mobile terminal 40 that the upper limit of play time, which is a preset predetermined time, is five hours, and upon receiving this notification, the mobile terminal 40 stores the upper limit of play time of five hours as the predetermined time for the predetermined condition in the condition determination unit 40o. Also, although not shown, it is assumed that a portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, and this portable value is stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b of the mobile terminal 40.

After that, based on the player's use request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the condition determination unit 40o regards the time of deposit as the start time of the game, because the deposit completion notification notified from the deposit execution unit 40d to the state transition unit 40e is for the time of depositing the portable value based on the first use request on the day of the game, and starts timing the game duration from this game start time. Then, based on the player's second use request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12, and the condition determination unit 40o clocks the elapsed time from the game start time in accordance with this deposit. At this point, the game duration (time elapsed from the game start time) is 1 hour and 30 minutes, which has not yet reached the predetermined time.

Thereafter, when the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12 based on a second use request from the player, the condition determination unit 40o again measures the elapsed time from the game start time in accordance with this deposit. At this point, the game duration (elapsed time from the game start time) is 5 hours, which is the predetermined time. Therefore, since the game duration has reached the preset predetermined time (upper game time limit) of 5 hours, the condition determination unit 40o determines that the predetermined condition has been met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. Subsequent notifications by the notification unit 40g and the notification unit 12g are the same as those in the gaming system 1.
When the condition determination unit 40o refers to the deposit completion notice, it stores the deposit completion date and time contained in the deposit completion notice, and when it detects that this deposit completion date and time has been updated to a new date, it resets the game duration and returns to the state before the timing started.

The condition determination unit 40o described above is configured to determine that the predetermined condition is met when the game duration on the day of the game reaches a predetermined time. However, for example, the condition determination unit 40o may be configured to calculate a cumulative game duration, which is a cumulative time obtained by accumulating game durations within a predetermined period (e.g., one month) spanning multiple days, and determine that the predetermined condition is met when the cumulative game duration reaches a predetermined time within the predetermined period. In this case, the cumulative game duration is calculated by accumulating the game duration from the game start time to the game end time. The game end time may be determined, for example, by the time when the recording medium 50 is returned from the gaming device 12, or by a game end operation by the player on the gaming device 12, such as an operation to disconnect the gaming device 12 or the portable terminal 40 in order to disconnect the gaming device 12 from the portable terminal 40. The predetermined time may be set to any time.

Tenth Embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 2c (FIG. 1) according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The gaming system 2c has the same configuration as the gaming system 2 according to the second embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 2 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 2 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 2c, the accumulated amount notifying unit 40p of the mobile terminal 40 has a playing time notifying function, and the accumulated amount detecting unit 12n of the gaming device 12 has a playing time detecting function.
In the gaming system 2c, the cumulative amount notifying section 40p measures the game duration, which is the time during which the player continues playing on the day of the game, and notifies the cumulative amount detecting section 12n of the measured result. Then, the cumulative amount detecting section 12n, which has received the measured result, judges that the predetermined condition has been satisfied when the game duration reaches a preset predetermined time. Specifically, for example, the cumulative amount notifying section 40p refers to a deposit completion notice from the deposit executing section 40d received by the state transition section 40e, and regards the time when the portable compatible value is deposited based on the first use request by the deposit executing section 40d on the day of the game as the game start time, and starts measuring the game duration from this game start time. At this time, whether or not the deposit completion notice is from the time when the portable compatible value is deposited based on the first use request on the day of the game is judged by referring to the deposit completion date and time included in the deposit completion notice. Specifically, when the date in the deposit completion date and time has been updated, the deposit completion notice first received on that date is judged to be from the time when the portable compatible value was deposited based on the first use request. Furthermore, the cumulative amount notifying unit 40p times the elapsed time from the start of the game each time the state transition unit 40e receives a deposit completion notice from the deposit executing unit 40d, in other words, each time the deposit executing unit 40d deposits portable-compatible value into the gaming device 12, and notifies the cumulative amount detecting unit 12n of the time-keeping result. On the other hand, when the cumulative amount detecting unit 12n receives the time-keeping result, it determines that a predetermined condition has been satisfied if the game duration reaches a preset predetermined time, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. The game duration is measured using a timing function provided in the portable terminal 40.

21 is a sequence diagram showing the process until the game system 2c notifies the user that the game duration has reached a predetermined time. In the following explanation, the predetermined time is set to 5 hours in the management device 14 or the relay device 15, which is a higher-level device of the game device 12, as an example.
First, the management device 14 or relay device 15 notifies the gaming device 12 that the upper limit of playing time, which is a preset predetermined time, is 5 hours, and the gaming device 12 which receives this notification stores the upper limit of playing time of 5 hours as the predetermined time for the predetermined condition in the accumulated amount detection unit 12n. Also, although not shown, it is assumed that a portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by a player, and this portable value is stored in the valuable value memory unit 40b of the portable terminal 40.

After that, based on the player's use request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the cumulative amount notification unit 40p regards the time of deposit as the game start time and starts timing the game duration from the game start time, since the deposit completion notification notified from the deposit execution unit 40d to the state transition unit 40e is the time of depositing the portable value based on the first use request on the day of play. Then, the cumulative amount detection unit 12n is notified of the timing result (the game duration is 0 minutes at this point). After that, based on the player's second use request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. The cumulative amount notification unit 40p measures the elapsed time from the game start time in accordance with this deposit and notifies the cumulative amount detection unit 12n of the timing result. At this point, the duration of play (time elapsed since the start of play) is 1 hour and 30 minutes, which is not yet the specified time.

Thereafter, when the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12 based on the player's request for use again, the cumulative amount notification unit 40p again measures the elapsed time from the game start time in accordance with this deposit and notifies the cumulative amount detection unit 12n of the measurement result. At this point, the game duration (elapsed time from the game start time) is 5 hours, which is the predetermined time. Therefore, the cumulative amount detection unit 12n, which has received the measurement result, determines that the predetermined condition has been met because the game duration has reached the preset predetermined time (upper limit of game time), which is 5 hours, and notifies the notification unit 12i of the determination result. The notification by the notification unit 12i thereafter is the same as that in the gaming system 2.
When the cumulative amount notifying section 40p refers to the deposit completion notification, it stores the deposit completion date and time included in the deposit completion notification, and when it detects that the deposit completion date and time has been updated to a new date, it resets the game duration and returns to the state before the timing started.

In addition, the above-mentioned cumulative amount notification unit 40p and cumulative amount detection unit 12n are configured so that the cumulative amount detection unit 12n determines that the predetermined condition is met when the play duration on the day of play reaches a predetermined time. However, for example, the cumulative amount notification unit 40p may be configured to calculate a cumulative play duration, which is a cumulative time obtained by accumulating play durations within a predetermined period spanning multiple days (e.g., one month), notify the cumulative amount detection unit 12n of this cumulative play duration, and determine that the predetermined condition is met when the cumulative play duration reaches a predetermined time within the predetermined period upon receiving the cumulative amount detection unit 12n. In this case, the cumulative play duration is calculated by accumulating the play duration from the start time of play to the end time of play. The end time of the game may be determined, for example, by the time when the recording medium 50 is returned from the gaming device 12, or by the player's operation to end the game on the gaming device 12, such as an operation to disconnect the gaming device 12 or the portable terminal 40 in order to disconnect the gaming device 12 from the portable terminal 40. The predetermined time may be set to any time.

Eleventh Embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 1f (FIG. 1) according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gaming system 1f has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 1f, the condition determination unit 40q has a function of determining the number of visits. The condition determination unit 40q counts the number of visits, which is the cumulative number of times the player has visited the gaming facility 10, and determines that a predetermined condition has been met when the number of visits reaches a predetermined number within a predetermined period set in advance. Specifically, for example, the condition determination unit 40q refers to a deposit completion notification from the deposit execution unit 40d received by the state transition unit 40e, and counts the number of visits if this deposit completion notification is from the time of depositing portable compatible value based on the first use request on the day of play. Note that whether or not the deposit completion notification is from the time of depositing portable compatible value based on the first use request on the day of play is determined by referring to the deposit completion date and time included in the deposit completion notification. Specifically, if the date in the deposit completion date and time has been updated, the deposit completion notification first received on that date is determined to be from the time of depositing portable compatible value based on the first use request. The condition determination unit 40q counts the number of visits each time a deposit completion notification is received when depositing portable value based on the first usage request on the day of play, and when the number of visits reaches a predetermined number within a preset period, it determines that a predetermined condition has been met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result.

22 is a sequence diagram showing the process until a notification is given that the number of visits reaches a predetermined number within a predetermined period in the gaming system 1f. In the following explanation, an example will be explained in which the predetermined period is set to one month in the cashless center 20, and the predetermined number is set to 10 times, which is the upper limit of the number of visits in one month.
First, the cashless center 20 notifies the mobile terminal 40 that the upper limit of the number of visits within a preset period (one month) is 10 times, and upon receiving this notification, the mobile terminal 40 stores the upper limit of the number of visits within one month as a predetermined condition in the condition determination unit 40q. Also, although not shown, it is assumed that a portable value is charged at the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, and this portable value is stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b of the mobile terminal 40.

After that, based on the player's usage request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the specified amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. At this time, the condition determination unit 40q counts the number of visits because the deposit completion notification sent from the deposit execution unit 40d to the state transition unit 40e is for the time when the portable value was deposited based on the first usage request on the day of play. On the other hand, even if the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the specified amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable value and deposits it into the gaming device 12 based on a second usage request by the player on the same day, the deposit completion notification at this time is not for the time when the portable value was deposited based on the first usage request on the day of play, so the number of visits is not counted.

After that, when the date is updated on the following day or later, and the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (for example, 10,000 yen) of portable value based on the player's usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12, the condition determination unit 40q counts the number of visits because the deposit completion notification notified to the state transition unit 40e by the deposit execution unit 40d at this time is for the deposit of portable value based on the first usage request on the day of play. In this way, the condition determination unit 40q counts the number of visits every time the state transition unit 40e receives a deposit completion notification for the deposit of portable value based on the first usage request on the day of play after the date is updated. Then, when the number of visits reaches the predetermined number of 10 times, the condition determination unit 40q determines that the predetermined condition has been met and notifies the notification unit 40g of the determination result. The subsequent notifications by the notification unit 40g and the notification unit 12g are the same as those in the gaming system 1.

In addition, the above-mentioned condition determination unit 40q is configured to determine that the specified condition is satisfied when the number of visits reaches a specified number (10 times) within a pre-set specified period (one month), but the specified period and the specified number of times are arbitrary.
In addition, the above-mentioned condition determination unit 40q is configured to count the number of visits to the same gaming establishment 10, but for example, when a player visits a gaming establishment 10' that is an affiliated establishment of the gaming establishment 10, the number of visits to the gaming establishment 10 and the number of visits to the gaming establishment 10' may be counted, and when the total number of visits obtained by adding up the number of visits to both gaming establishments 10 and 10' reaches a predetermined number within a predetermined period set in advance, it may be configured to determine that a predetermined condition is satisfied. In addition, when configured as described above, when a visit to the gaming establishment 10 and a visit to the gaming establishment 10' are on the same day, the number of visits to both gaming establishments 10 and 10' may be counted and added up, or the number of visits to only one of the gaming establishments 10 and 10' may be counted and added up. Furthermore, the configuration may be such that it is possible to arbitrarily change between counting the number of visits to both gaming facilities 10, 10' and adding them up, and counting only the number of visits to one of the gaming facilities 10, 10' and adding them up.

<Twelfth embodiment>
23 is a sequence diagram showing the process until a notification is given that a predetermined condition has been satisfied in the gaming system 1g (FIG. 1) which is the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. The gaming system 1g has a different notification timing compared to the gaming system 1. The gaming system 1 is provided with a notification unit 40g which immediately notifies when a predetermined condition is satisfied, whereas the gaming system 1g is provided with a notification unit 40r (FIG. 2) which notifies when a charge request is received by a player's operation (charge operation) after the predetermined condition is satisfied, that the predetermined condition has been satisfied.
23, in the gaming system 1g, for example, as in the gaming system 1, the upper limit of the in-game corresponding value usage (predetermined amount) is set in advance to 20,000 yen, the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches the predetermined amount, and the condition determination unit 40f determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. At this time, when the condition determination unit 40f notifies the notification unit 40r of the determination result, the notification unit 40r that receives this notification does not immediately notify that the predetermined condition is satisfied (that the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value reaches the predetermined amount on the day of play), but notifies that the predetermined condition is satisfied when another charge request is received by the player's operation.

In addition, in the gaming system 1g, in order to enable notification at the above-mentioned timing, when the cashless center 20 receives a charge request from the mobile terminal 40 operated by the player in communication between the cashless center 20 and the mobile terminal 40, the mobile terminal 40 is notified of this. When this notification is received by the mobile terminal 40, the notification unit 40r is notified of this, and based on this notification, the notification unit 40r notifies that a predetermined condition has been met. This allows the player to know that the accumulated amount of the in-game corresponding value has reached a preset upper limit amount just before the payment procedure using cashless payment on the mobile terminal 40, thereby preventing excessive charging at a more appropriate time.

Thirteenth embodiment
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 1h (FIG. 1) according to a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 24. The gaming system 1h has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 1h, the gaming device 12 includes a prize gaming medium conversion unit 12o, and the condition determination unit 40s included in the mobile terminal 40 has an acquired gaming value corresponding function.
When a prize game medium (game balls or game points) is acquired as a result of playing the game machine 11, the prize game medium conversion unit 12o converts the acquired prize game medium into an amount based on the conversion rate at the game establishment 10. The converted amount is then notified to the condition determination unit 40s as the acquired value. On the other hand, when the acquired value is received from the prize game medium conversion unit 12o after calculating the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited in the gaming device 12 from the playing corresponding value (accumulated amount of playing corresponding value), the condition determination unit 40s subtracts the amount equivalent to the received acquired value from the accumulated amount of playing corresponding value. This allows a determination based on a predetermined condition to prevent an addiction to playing only when the game points (consumed game value) consumed in playing the game machine 11 are accumulated, i.e., when the amount of loss is large. In other words, the gaming system 1h considers a state in which a player is absorbed in a game to be a state in which the player continues playing even if the amount of loss becomes large.

Therefore, for example, in the gaming system 1h, if the condition determination unit 40s calculates the accumulated value during play to be 20,000 yen, and then gaming balls (prize gaming media) are acquired as a result of playing on the gaming machine 11, the prize gaming media conversion unit 12o converts the acquired gaming balls into an amount based on the conversion rate at the gaming facility 10. If the amount calculated based on the conversion rate is equivalent to 30,000 yen, the prize gaming media conversion unit 12o notifies the condition determination unit 40s that this 30,000 yen is the amount of the acquired value. The condition determination unit 40s, which has received the acquired value, subtracts the amount of the acquired value (30,000 yen) from the accumulated value during play (20,000 yen). In this case, the amount of the acquired value (30,000 yen) is greater than the accumulated in-game value (20,000 yen), so the accumulated in-game value after deduction is reset to 0 yen.

The game balls and game points acquired as prize game media are converted into monetary amounts in the prize game media conversion unit 12o of the game device 12, and then notified to the condition determination unit 40s as the acquired value. The acquired value may be notified directly from the game device 12 to the mobile terminal 40 by wireless communication, or may be notified from the game device 12 to the mobile terminal 40 by having the relay device 15 and the cashless center 20 mediate the processing between the game device 12 and the mobile terminal 40. In addition, the conversion rate in the game store 10 is a conversion rate preset in the management device 14 or the relay device 15, and the conversion rate notified from the management device 14 or the relay device 15 is stored in the prize game media conversion unit 12o. In addition, the conversion rate is stored using a recording device such as a RAM in the control unit 12a of the game device 12.

FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing of the prize gaming medium conversion unit 12o and the condition determination unit 40s.
First, the management device 14 or relay device 15 notifies the gaming device 12 of the conversion rate, which assumes a lending unit price of 4 yen, and the conversion rate is stored in the prize gaming medium conversion unit 12o of the gaming device 12 that receives this notification.
On the other hand, when the player starts playing (depositing portable value into the gaming device 12), the state transition unit 40e transitions to the in-game state, and based on a subsequent charge request by the player, 20,000 yen worth of portable value is charged at the cashless center 20, and this portable value is stored in the valuable value memory unit 40b as in-game value.
Then, when a usage request to use the portable corresponding value is received by the player's operation of the portable terminal 40, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws a designated amount (e.g., 10,000 yen) of portable corresponding value based on this usage request and deposits it into the gaming device 12. Then, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, 10,000 yen of the in-game corresponding value is withdrawn from the in-game corresponding value of 20,000 yen, and the remaining amount of the in-game corresponding value is updated to 10,000 yen. Also, since the portable corresponding value deposited by the deposit execution unit 40d at this time is the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value, the condition determination unit 40s calculates the accumulated in-game corresponding value amount, which is the accumulated amount of the portable corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value, to be 10,000 yen.

For example, suppose that a game ends with 2,500 game balls, which are prize game media, acquired as a result of playing the game machine 11. The prize game media conversion unit 12o then converts the acquired game balls into an amount based on the conversion rate at the game store 10. At this time, since the conversion rate (rental unit price) at the game store 10 is 4 yen per game ball, the acquired game balls (2,500 balls) are multiplied by 4 yen to calculate that the amount of the acquired value is equivalent to 10,000 yen. The prize game media conversion unit 12o then notifies the condition determination unit 40s that the acquired value is equivalent to 10,000 yen. The condition determination unit 40s, which has received the acquired value, subtracts the amount of the acquired value, 10,000 yen, from the accumulated amount of the game-playing corresponding value of 10,000 yen, and updates and resets the accumulated amount of the game-playing corresponding value to 0 yen.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail.
Next, a modified example of the present invention will be described.

<First Modification>
The schematic configuration of a gaming system 3 (FIG. 1) according to a first modified example of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gaming system 3 has the same configuration as the gaming system 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same components as those in the gaming system 1 are given the same reference numerals, and mainly the components different from those in the gaming system 1 will be described, and the description of the components that are the same as those in the gaming system 1 will be omitted.

In the gaming system 3, the valuable value storage unit 40b' accumulates the acquired in-game corresponding value, and has an in-game corresponding value charge upper limit judgment function that can judge whether the in-game corresponding value charge cumulative amount, which is the accumulated in-game corresponding value, on the day of play has reached the in-game corresponding value charge upper limit, which is a preset upper limit. When acquiring a portable corresponding value, if the portable corresponding value is a playing corresponding value, the valuable value storage unit 40b' accumulates the in-game corresponding value to calculate the in-game corresponding value charge cumulative amount, which is the accumulated amount of the playing corresponding value. Then, when this in-game corresponding value charge cumulative amount reaches the in-game corresponding value charge upper limit set in advance, it judges that a predetermined condition has been met. Then, it notifies the notification unit 40g' of the judgment result, and the notification unit 40g' that the fact is reported upon receiving this notification.

Figure 26 is a sequence diagram showing the processing in the gaming system 3 until it is notified that the cumulative amount of in-game corresponding value charge has reached the in-game corresponding value charge upper limit on the day of play. Note that the following explanation will be given using an example in which the in-game corresponding value charge upper limit has been set in advance to 20,000 yen in the cashless center 20.

In the gaming system 3, the cashless center 20 notifies the mobile terminal 40 that the preset upper limit for charging the corresponding value during play is 20,000 yen, and upon receiving this notification, the mobile terminal 40 stores in the valuable value memory unit 40b' that the upper limit for charging the corresponding value during play is 20,000 yen.
Thereafter, after the state transition unit 40e transitions to the in-game state, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged in the cashless center 20 based on a charge request by the player, this portable value is stored as in-game value by the valuable value storage unit 40b'. At this time, although not shown, the cumulative in-game value charge amount is calculated as 10,000 yen based on the in-game value of 10,000 yen acquired by the valuable value storage unit 40b'. Subsequently, when 10,000 yen worth of portable value is charged again in the cashless center 20 based on another charge request by the player, this portable value is stored as in-game value by the valuable value storage unit 40b', and 10,000 yen is added to the cumulative in-game value charge amount by the valuable value storage unit 40b', and the cumulative in-game value charge amount is calculated as 20,000 yen. Then, the valuable value storage unit 40b' determines that the cumulative amount of in-play corresponding value charge has reached the in-play corresponding value charge upper limit of 20,000 yen on the day of the game, and notifies the notification unit 40g' of the determination result. The notification method by the notification unit 40g' thereafter is the same as that of the gaming system 1.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, various design modifications of the present invention are possible without departing from the scope of the claims.

For example, in the gaming system 1 of the first embodiment and the gaming system 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention, an example is shown in which a deposit execution unit 40d having a pre-game corresponding value priority withdrawal function that withdraws the pre-game corresponding value in preference to the in-game corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12 is provided, but for example, as shown in FIG. 27, the deposit execution unit 40d may be configured to be able to switch settings so that it withdraws the in-game corresponding value in preference and deposits it into the gaming device 12. In this case, when the setting is set to withdraw the in-game corresponding value in preference, for example, as shown in FIG. 27, when a pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen and an in-game corresponding value of 20,000 yen are stored in the valuable value storage unit 40b, when a use request is received by the deposit execution unit 40d, based on this use request, the deposit execution unit 40d withdraws the designated amount (for example, 5,000 yen) of portable corresponding value from the in-game corresponding value instead of the pre-game corresponding value and deposits it into the gaming device 12. In this case, in the valuable value storage unit 40b, the pre-game corresponding value of 5,000 yen remains unchanged, and the in-game corresponding value is updated to 15,000 yen. By configuring as described above, it is possible to meet the wishes of a player who wishes to play while keeping the portable corresponding value that was charged before the start of the game.

In addition, for example, in the gaming system 1 and gaming system 2, an example was shown in which the state transition unit 40e has a pre-game state return function that automatically returns from the in-game state to the pre-game state when it detects that the next day has arrived, but for example, the timing of the automatic return from the in-game state to the pre-game state in the state transition unit 40e may be configured to be set arbitrarily. In that case, for example, the opening time or closing time of the gaming facility 10 may be obtained from another device provided in the gaming facility 10, such as the management device 14 or the relay device 15, and the gaming facility 10 may be configured to return from the in-game state to the pre-game state in accordance with the opening time or closing time, or, for example, an arbitrary time previously set on the gaming facility 10 side may be obtained from the cashless center 20 and stored, and the gaming facility 10 may be configured to return from the in-game state to the pre-game state in accordance with the stored time. Also, for example, the gaming facility 10 may notify the state transition unit 40e of a return request to return the state transition unit 40e to the pre-game state via the cashless center 20, and the state transition unit 40e may be configured to return from the in-game state to the pre-game state based on receipt of this notification.

In addition, for example, gaming system 1 (including 1a to 1h) and gaming system 2 (including 2a to 2c) have been shown to have an alarm unit (alarm means) provided in the mobile terminal 40 and/or gaming device 12, but the alarm unit may also be configured to include various devices carried or worn by staff at the gaming establishment 10, such as a headset using a wireless communication system (intercommunication system) within a specific area, or a remote controller or mobile terminal for controlling various devices within the gaming establishment 10, such as the gaming device 12, management device 14, and relay device 15. In this case, the condition determination unit 40f and the cumulative amount detection unit 12h are configured to notify the various devices mentioned above that a predetermined condition has been met.

Furthermore, for example, in gaming system 1 (including 1a to 1h) and gaming system 2 (including 2a to 2c), an example has been shown in which the valuable value storage unit 40b (40b') or the valuable value storage unit 20e distinguishes between the pre-game corresponding value and the during-game corresponding value based on the state transition by the state transition unit 40e or the state transition unit 40l, but the valuable value storage unit 40b (40b') or the valuable value storage unit 20e may obtain information that enables recognition that a game has started, such as information regarding game points (consumed game value) consumed in a game on the gaming machine 11, from the gaming machine 11 or the gaming device 12, and based on this information, distinguish between the pre-game corresponding value and the during-game corresponding value based on the time when the game started.
Furthermore, the specified amount, the specified period, and the other specified amount can be set arbitrarily.

1 Gaming system 1a to 1h Gaming system 2 Gaming system 2a to 2c Gaming system 3 Gaming system 10 Gaming store 10' Gaming store 11 Gaming machine 11a Control unit 11b Gaming device communication unit 12 Gaming device 12a Control unit 12b Gaming machine communication unit 12c Relay device communication unit 12d Management device communication unit 12e Recording medium processing unit 12f Gaming value imparting unit 12g Notification unit 12h Accumulated amount detection unit 12i Notification unit 12j Accumulated amount detection unit 12k Display unit 12l Display device 12m Accumulated amount detection unit 12n Accumulated amount detection unit 12o Prize gaming medium conversion unit 13 HUB
14 Management device 14a Control unit 14b Information management unit 14c Gaming device communication unit 15 Relay device 15a Control unit 15b Information management unit 15c Center communication unit 15d Gaming device communication unit 16 Registration device 17 Settlement machine 20 Cashless center 20a Control unit 20b Information management unit 20c Relay device communication unit 20d Portable terminal communication unit 20e Value storage unit 30 Prepaid settlement center 40 Portable terminal 40a Control unit 40b Value storage unit 40b' Value storage unit 40c Communication unit 40d Deposit execution unit 40e State transition unit 40f Condition determination unit 40g Notification unit 40g' Notification unit 40h Accumulated amount notification unit 40i Condition determination unit 40j Accumulated amount notification unit 40k Deposit execution unit 40l State transition unit 40m Condition determination unit 40n Accumulated amount notification unit 40o Condition determination unit 40p Accumulated amount notification unit 40q Condition determination unit 40r Notification unit 40s Condition determination unit 50 Recording medium 51 IC card 52 IC coin 60 Cashless center management table 61 Cashless center management table 70 Relay device management table 71 Relay device management table 100 Management function unit (relay device and cashless center)

Claims (8)

A gaming system including a gaming device installed in association with a gaming machine capable of playing a game using a gaming value, a mobile terminal owned by a player, and a management function unit capable of communicating with the gaming device and the mobile terminal,
the management function unit includes information management means for generating a designated amount of value based on a charge request from a player, and managing mobile device correspondence information which is information that associates the value with the mobile device;
the management function unit or the mobile terminal includes a valuable storage means for acquiring from the information management means a mobile-compatible value, which is the valuable associated with the mobile terminal by the information management means, among the mobile-compatible information, and storing the acquired valuable,
said management function unit or said portable terminal comprises a deposit execution means for withdrawing a designated amount of said portable-compatible value from said valuable value storage means and depositing said portable-compatible value into said gaming device based on a usage request by a player;
the gaming device includes a gaming value providing means for directly or indirectly storing the deposited portable value, and converting a designated amount of the portable value into the gaming value based on a conversion request from a player, and providing the gaming value to the gaming machine;
The management function unit, the portable terminal, or the gaming device includes a condition determination means for determining whether or not the accumulated amount of the portable compatible value deposited in the gaming device by the deposit execution means satisfies a predetermined condition,
The management function unit, the portable terminal, or the gaming device includes a notification means for notifying that the predetermined condition is satisfied based on a result of the determination by the condition determination means,
said valuable value storage means has a value identification storage function for distinguishing and storing a pre-game corresponding value, which is the portable compatible value associated with said portable terminal before said game start time, from a during-game corresponding value, which is the portable compatible value associated with said portable terminal after said game start time, by regarding a time when said portable compatible value is deposited by said deposit execution means based on said first use request on a day of a game as a game start time;
The predetermined condition is that a total amount of the in-game corresponding value, which is the sum of the in-game corresponding value and the mobile corresponding value deposited from the in-game corresponding value, reaches a predetermined amount on the day of the game.
A gaming system comprising: the gaming device includes a recording medium processing means for receiving a recording medium possessed by a player and identifying whether the recording medium is a member-only recording medium issued to a player who has registered as a member at a gaming establishment;
said notification means has a notification enabling function for enabling a notification that said predetermined condition has been satisfied when said recording medium is a member-only recording medium and when a player so desires,
said condition determination means has an upper limit setting function for setting an upper limit amount that can be used for playing in one day as said predetermined amount, said upper limit amount being determined as an index for determining a tendency of a player to become addicted to playing games, based on a setting request by the player, when said recording medium is said member-only recording medium;
2. The gaming system according to claim 1 . the mobile terminal comprises the value storage means, the deposit execution means, and a state transition means for transitioning from a pre-game state to a game state at the game start time;
the valuable value storage means, based on state transitions of the portable terminal, recognizes the portable corresponding value associated with the portable terminal in the pre-game state as the pre-game corresponding value, and recognizes the portable corresponding value associated with the portable terminal in the in-game state as the in-game corresponding value, thereby distinguishing between the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value;
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 or 2. The state transition means stores the date of the day of the game, and when it detects that the date is the next day or later, transitions the state from the playing state to the pre-game state.
4. The gaming system according to claim 3. when the pre-game corresponding value and the in-game corresponding value are stored in the valuable value storage means when the deposit execution means accepts the use request, the deposit execution means withdraws the pre-game corresponding value in preference to the in-game corresponding value;
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 or 2. when the deposit execution means receives the usage request, if the remaining amount of the pre-game corresponding value is smaller than the unit amount that can be converted into the game value by the game value providing means, the deposit execution means withdraws the in-game corresponding value in preference to the pre-game corresponding value.
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 or 2. said valuable value storage means, when the deposit execution means accepts the first use request on the day of the game, if there is a remaining amount of said in-game corresponding value, transfers said remaining amount from said in-game corresponding value to said pre-game corresponding value;
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 or 2. The predetermined condition is that a total accumulated amount of the in-play corresponding value, which is the sum of the in-play corresponding value accumulated amounts within a predetermined period spanning a plurality of days, reaches another predetermined amount corresponding to the predetermined period within the predetermined period.
3. The gaming system according to claim 1 or 2.

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