US20090239660A1 - Method for providing incentives for a player to play a gaming device - Google Patents

Abstract

An incentive offering system can be used to enhance player enjoyment by making targeted suggestions to the player. Specifically, this system can evaluate player preferences, as evidenced by prior playing styles or by other methods, and suggest other games that have similar qualities that the player seems to prefer. Non-game offers may be made as well. Player histories may be evaluated in real-time to help the offering system determine the best offer to make to the player. Player values and casino resources may also be considered. Some offers may be complementary, while others may require some amount of cost or effort by the player.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application claims priority toprovisional application 61/038,548 filed Mar. 21, 2008, entitled Gaming Systems and Methods, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• This disclosure relates generally to personalized gaming, and more particularly to helping the player discover different opportunities that the player may enjoy.
BACKGROUND
• Players play at gaming machines for a variety of reasons. At two ends of the enjoyment spectrum, one player may be seriously engaged with a particular game or style of game and gain tremendous enjoyment from playing it. At the other end, a player may simply be playing a game to pass time while waiting for something more enjoyable to do. In some cases, these behaviors can be found in the same player at different times. Embodiments of the invention can be used to potentially enhance the enjoyment of both of these types of players, and for other players along the spectrum as well.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated inFIG. 1A.
• FIGS. 2A,2B, and2C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example communication system between a gaming network and a player separate from the standard gaming network, according to embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example method of making an incentive offer to a player at a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating components in an example system for deciding what offers to make a player, according to embodiments of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.
• Referring toFIGS. 1A and 1B, agaming device10 is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to theelectronic gaming machine10 shown inFIGS. 1A and 1B.
• Thegaming device10 includes acabinet15 housing components to operate thegaming device10. Thecabinet15 may include agaming display20, abase portion13, atop box18, and aplayer interface panel30. Thegaming display20 may include mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A), a video display (FIGS. 2B and 2C), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). Thegaming cabinet15 may also include acredit meter27 and a coin-in orbet meter28. Thecredit meter27 may indicate the total number of credits remaining on thegaming device10 that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, thecredit meter27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have thecredit meter27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. Thebet meter28 may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from thecredit meter27 to thebet meter28. In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where thegaming display20 is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself20 (FIG. 2B).
• Thebase portion13 may include alighted panel14, a coin return (not shown), and agaming handle12 operable on a partially rotatingpivot joint11. Thegame handle12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning ofreels22 after placement of a wager. Thetop box18 may include alighted panel17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and acandle light indicator19. Theplayer interface panel30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with thegaming device10.
• Theplayer interface panel30 may include one ormore game buttons32 that can be actuated by the player to cause thegaming device10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of thegame buttons32 may cause thegaming device10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting thecandle19. In addition, theplayer interface panel30 may include one or more game actuatingbuttons33. The game actuatingbuttons33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices10 a “Max Bet” game actuatingbutton33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. Theplayer interface panel30 may further include abill acceptor37 and aticket printer38. Thebill acceptor37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. Theticket printer38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on thegaming device10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of thegame buttons32 programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.
• Thegaming device10 may also include one ormore speakers26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on thegaming device10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. Thespeakers26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.
• Thegaming device10 may further include asecondary display25. Thissecondary display25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. Thesecondary display25 may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, thesecondary display25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.
• Thegaming device10 may include a separate information window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related to primary game play, secondary bonus information, player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example of such a resizable window is International Game Technology's “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated's retrofit technology which allows information to be placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various times and in various situations.
• Thegaming device10 includes amicroprocessor40 that controls operation of thegaming device10. If thegaming device10 is a standalone gaming device, themicroprocessor40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling thedisplay20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from thegaming device10. In other embodiments where thegaming device10 is coupled to anetwork50, as described below, themicroprocessor40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, themicroprocessor40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over thenetwork50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, themicroprocessor40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.
• Themicroprocessor40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI)42 that connects thegaming device10 to agaming network50. TheMCI42 may be coupled to themicroprocessor40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. Thegaming device10 may include memory41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to themicroprocessor40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through theMCI42. TheMCI42 may also facilitate communication between thenetwork50 and thesecondary display25 or aplayer tracking unit45 housed in thegaming cabinet15.
• Theplayer tracking unit45 may include anidentification device46 and one ormore buttons47 associated with theplayer tracking unit45. Theidentification device46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. Theidentification device46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards andcard readers46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference toFIG. 3. The player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into theidentification device46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play.
• To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on thesecondary display25 or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use thesecondary display25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to thegaming device10. In other embodiments, theidentification device46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. AlthoughFIG. 1A shows theplayer tracking unit45 with a card reader as theidentification device46, other embodiments may include aplayer tracking unit45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account.
• During typical play on agaming device10, a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into thebill acceptor37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). One of skill in the art will readily see that this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished.
• Thecredit meter27 displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of thegaming device10. That is, if thegaming device10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into thebill acceptor37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. Forgaming devices10 that support multiple denominations, thecredit meter27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.
• A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of thegame buttons32, which may be reflected on thebet meter28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on theplayer interface panel30, such as32), which transfers one credit from thecredit meter27 to thebet meter28. Each time thebutton32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to thebet meter28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of theelectronic gaming device10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle12 or depressing thespin button33. On somegaming devices10, a “max bet” button (another one of thebuttons32 on the player interface panel30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by thegaming device10 and initiate a gaming session.
• If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on thecredit meter27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (anotherbutton32 on the player interface panel30), which causes the credits on thecredit meter27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through theticket printer38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.
• If instead a winning combination (win) appears on thedisplay20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to thecredit meter27. For example, if thegaming device10 is a slot machine, a winning combination ofsymbols23 may land on a played payline onreels22. If any bonus games are initiated, thegaming device10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to thecredit meter27.
• FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.FIG. 2A illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine10A,FIG. 2B illustrates an examplevideo slot machine10B, andFIG. 2C illustrates an examplevideo poker machine10C.
• Referring toFIG. 2A, a spinning-reel gaming machine10A includes agaming display20A having a plurality ofmechanical spinning reels22A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines10A have three to fivespinning reels22A. Each of the spinningreels22A hasmultiple symbols23A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinningreels22A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number ofreels22A present in thegaming device10A and the number ofdifferent symbols23A that may appear on the spinningreels22A. Each of thesymbols22A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on thespinning reel22A where thereel22A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinningreels22A ofvarious games10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices10A havereels22A with twenty two stops.
• During game play, the spinningreels22A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor40 (FIG. 1A). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device10A has mechanical based spinningreels22A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in thememory41 of thegaming device10A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on thephysical reel22A. This mapping allows thegaming device10A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.
• A gaming session on a spinningreel slot machine10A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of thegame buttons32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle12 (FIGS. 1A,1B) or pressing thespin button33A to spin thereels22A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of thegame buttons32A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of thereels22A. The spinningreels22A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because thedisplay20A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinningreel slot machines10A include an electronic display screen in the top box18 (FIG. 1B), a mechanical bonus mechanism in thetop box18, or a secondary display25 (FIG. 1A) to execute a bonus.
• Referring toFIG. 2B, avideo gaming machine10B may include avideo display20B to displayvirtual spinning reels22B and variousother gaming information21B. Thevideo display20B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that thevideo display20B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number ofsymbols23A appear on each of thevirtual spinning reels22B. AlthoughFIG. 2B shows fivevirtual spinning reels22B, the flexibility of thevideo display20B allows forvarious reel22B and game configurations. For example, somevideo slot games10B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on thevideo display20B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on thevideo display20B. On the other hand, othervideo slot games10B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuousvirtual spinning reel22B.
• Because thevirtual spinning reels22B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines10A (FIG. 2A) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinningreel22A.
• With the possible increases inreel22B numbers and configurations over themechanical gaming device10A,video gaming devices10B often havemultiple paylines24 that may be played. By havingmore paylines24 available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when thereels22B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable eachpayline24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit perpayline24 and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five playedpaylines24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winningpaylines24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on onepayline24, but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winningpaylines24.
• Because thevideo display20B can easily modify the image output by thevideo display20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on thevideo slot game10B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, thevideo display20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on thevideo display20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, thevideo display20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image.
• Also, as mentioned above, thevideo display20B may allow variousother game information21B to be displayed. For example, as shown inFIG. 2B, banner information may be displayed above the spinningreels22B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter27 (FIG. 1A) andbet meter28, the same information can instead be displayed on thevideo display20B. In addition, “soft buttons”29B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touchscreen video display20B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on thedisplay20B adds to the flexibility of thegame10B.
• Even with the improved flexibility afforded by thevideo display20B, severalphysical buttons32B and33B are usually provided onvideo slot machines10B. These buttons may includegame buttons32B that allow a player to choose the number ofpaylines24 he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on eachpayline24. In addition, a max bet button (one of thegame buttons32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number ofavailable paylines24 and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet orspin button33B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used.
• Referring toFIG. 2C, a videopoker gaming device10C may include avideo display20C that is physically similar to thevideo display20B shown inFIG. 2B. Thevideo display20C may show a poker hand of fivecards23C and variousother player information21C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectablesoft buttons29C. Thevideo display20C may present a poker hand of fivecards23C and variousother player information21C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen)buttons29C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3C shows only one hand of poker on thevideo display20C, various othervideo poker machines10C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically,video poker machines10C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although somevideo poker games10C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown inFIG. 2C a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. Thevideo poker game10C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, thevideo poker game10C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter.
• The player selectablesoft buttons29C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on thevideo display20C. Thesesoft buttons29C allow players to select specific cards on thevideo display20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically,video poker machines10C also includephysical game buttons32C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with abet button32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.
• Although examples of a spinningreel slot machine10A, avideo slot machine10B, and avideo poker machine10C have been illustrated inFIGS. 2A-2C, gaming machines and various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention.
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring toFIG. 3, multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs)70,71,72,73,74, and75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to aremote server80 through anetwork50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices orEGMs70,71,72,73,74, and75 are generically referred to as EGMs70-75. The term EGMs70-75, however, may refer to any combination of one or more ofEGMs70,71,72,73,74, and75. Additionally, thegaming server80 may be coupled to one ormore gaming databases90. Thesegaming network50 connections may allow multiple gaming devices70-75 to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices70-75 coupled on thegaming network50 may resemble thegaming devices10,10A,10B, and10C shown inFIGS. 1A-1B and2A-2C, other coupled gaming devices70-75 may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices70-75 may includetraditional slot machines75 directly coupled to thenetwork50, banks ofgaming devices70 coupled to thenetwork50, banks ofgaming devices70 coupled to the network through abank controller60, wirelesshandheld gaming machines72 andcell phones73 coupled to thegaming network50 through one or more wireless routers orantennas61,personal computers74 coupled to thenetwork50 through theinternet62, and banks ofgaming devices71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines64. Additionally, some of thetraditional gaming devices70,71, and75 may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example.
• Gaming devices71 coupled over anoptical line64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. Theoptical line64 may be coupled to thegaming network50 through an electronic tooptical signal converter63 and may be coupled to thegaming devices71 through an optical toelectronic signal converter65. The banks ofgaming devices70 coupled to thenetwork50 may be coupled through abank controller60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. Thenetwork50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown inFIG. 3, substantially theentire network50 may be made of fiber optic lines or may be a wireless network utilizing a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, or n, Zigbee, RF protocols, optical transmission, near-field transmission, or the like.
• As mentioned above, each gaming device70-75 may have an individual processor40 (FIG. 1A) andmemory41 to run and control game play on the gaming device70-75, or some of the gaming devices70-75 may be terminals that are run by aremote server80 in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least someserver80 based control.
• Thus, in some embodiments, thenetwork50,server80, anddatabase90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, thenetwork50,server80, anddatabase90 may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader46 (FIG. 1A), theplayer tracking unit45 sends player identification information obtained on thecard reader46 through theMCI42 over thenetwork50 to theplayer tracking server80, where the player identification information is compared to player information records in theplayer database90 to provide the player with information regarding their player account or other features at thegaming device10 where the player is wagering. Additionally,multiple databases90 and/orservers80 may be present and coupled to one ormore networks50 to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data.
• The various systems described with reference toFIGS. 1-3 can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.
• This system can be used to enhance player enjoyment by making targeted suggestions to the player. Specifically, this system can evaluate player preferences, as evidenced by prior playing styles or by other methods, and suggest other games that that have similar qualities that the player seems to prefer.
• When the offering system detects play at a gaming device, it analyzes multiple factors about the player and the playing session. In gaming systems where the player is an identified player, as described above, the offering system has access to a history of the player's actions. Details such as average wager, wagering style, average length of session, etc. and other variables described below may be considered as to whether to make an offer and, if an offer is made, what offer to make. If such information is not available on a stored player history, for example if the player is un-identified, information gathered from the present gaming session may be used instead, or in conjunction with other non-player-specific information described below. When the player “cashes out” or spends all of his or her credits, or at other times, the system generates an invitation to the player to try another activity. In most embodiments the other activity is an invitation to try a second game, but embodiments of the invention need not necessarily be limited to only game suggestions. Choosing which offer to make to the player, if any, is described below, after the process of how to make the offer to the player is described.
• There are multiple ways to make an offer to a player. For purposes of this discussion, assume that the offering system has determined that it will make an offer to the player that the player try a second game. The second game may have qualities that the system has reason to believe the player will enjoy. For instance, by analyzing past play behavior, the offering system calculates that there is a likelihood that the player prefers extremely volatile gameplay. A volatile game is one that may pay infrequently, but tends to make larger awards to the player than non-volatile games, even though, over time, both the volatile and non-volatile games converge on the same payback percentage. The offering system then, having determined that the player prefers volatile games, makes an offer of free games to a new game having similar volatility to the one the player finished playing. The offer may be made when the player cashes out of the current game, or at another time.
• As described above, there are multiple ways to communicate with the player, and embodiments of the invention may use any or all of them, in any combination. For instance, with reference toFIG. 1A, communication sent through the gaming network50 (FIG. 3) can be presented to the player directly through thegaming display20, such as by generating a text or graphics window on the display that contains the message or offer. In other embodiments, the messages can be presented on thesecondary display25, or on a display associated with theplayer tracking system45. Still further messages can be printed by theticket printer38, which automatically (or with player action) print directly for the player. Thespeaker26 may be used for announcing messages by speech or by sounds or series of sounds that indicate to the player that a message is being presented to them.
• Some embodiments of the invention use a communication network that is separate from thegaming network50 to communicate with a player. With reference toFIG. 4, aplayer communication server102 is coupled to thegaming network50 and communicates directly with the gaming network. Stored within the player profile on the gaming network is contact information for the player, such as email address, cell phone number, personalized Uniform Resource Locator, such as for a social network, etc. Theplayer communication server102 can generate messages to aplayer104 over a wiredplayer communication network110, which is likely an existing network such as a distributed LAN, coax cable or phone lines and using protocols such as Ethernet, Token Ring, etc. Additionally theplayer communication server102 can send messages to and receive messages from awireless communication network112, such as a cell phone network, local wi-fi, metropolitan area network such as wi-max, or 3G or other phone data network or over a standard cellular phone network.
• Theplayer communication server102 can generate a message to theplayer104 over any one, or several, of the communication networks. For instance, theplayer communication server102 may simultaneously send an email to the player's email address over thewired communication network110 and send a text message over awireless phone network112. If thecommunication server102 receives a response over one of the networks, for example, a reply text message, it may send future correspondence over only that communication path. Of course, if the message from theplayer104 specified how the player preferred to communicate with thecommunication server102, then the communication server would use the chosen network.
• Devices attached to thenetworks110,112 facilitate communication with the player. For instance a personal computer (PC)116 may be coupled to thewired communication network110 while acell phone118 may be coupled to thewireless communication network112. It is possible that a single device can communicate over more than one network. For instance, thePC116 may include both an Ethernet card for wired communication over the Internet as well as a wireless card to communicate over thewireless communication network112. An example method of presenting an offer to a player is illustrated inFIG. 5. Aflow120 generally describes processes that the offering system can use to make an offer to a player. Theflow120 begins at a start process, and in aprocess124 the offering system determines that a player is playing a gaming device. In aprocess126, the offering system analyzes factors available to it, described below, that are used to make the offering decision and may determine to make an offer to the player based on those or other factors. In adetermination process130, theflow120 determines whether the offering system has determined to make the player an offer. During the majority of gameplay time there is no offer being made (for example, the player is in the middle of a game session), and theflow120 exits thedetermination process130 in the NO direction and loops back to theprocess124.
• When the offering system determines to make an offer to the player, theflow120 exits thedetermination process130 in the YES direction to aprocess132, where the offer is made. As described above, the offer may be made through theticket printer38,player tracking system45,main gaming display20,secondary display25, through thespeaker26, or any combination thereof. Additionally, the offer may be made over a non-gaming network such as110,112, by, for example, sending a text message, which may be personalized, to the player'scell phone118. In one example the offering system generates an offer to the player to play a second game, by generating a message on thegaming display20, and offers the player five free spins, if the player plays the second game within the next hour. In another example the offering system generates an offer to play a second game by generating an email to the player'sPC116, having a message to return to the gaming floor within the next two days, type a particular code (which indexes the particular offer) into the gaming device, and the player will be given seven free spins.
• Theflow120 continues to adecision process140. If the offer is made to the player to play a second game, the second game may be located on the same gaming device on which the player is currently playing, or may be on a another gaming device or elsewhere in the casino. If the second game is not on the present gaming device, theflow120 exits theprocess140 in the NO direction. In such a case, the offering system may include directions or an explanation to the player in aprocess142 so that the player can find the second game or location of the subject of the offer. For example, the directions can take the form of text directions or a map printed on theticket printer38 so that the player may find the second game. In some cases the second game may be in a remote location, such as a second casino. In such an embodiment theticket printer38 could print a transportation voucher for the player to travel to the second location. Most multi-property casinos have a shuttle bus that operates between the properties, and the printed directions may inform the player to go to the shuttle departure area and show the ticket to the driver. In other cases theticket printer38 may print a cab or other transportation voucher. In yet other examples, directions to the second gaming machine may be sent in a text message to the playerscellular phone118.
• If instead thedecision process140 exits in the YES direction, meaning that the second game is on the device itself, then the second game is effected on thegaming device70 on which the player is playing in aprocess144. If thegaming device70 includes multiple games stored within it, and the second game is already one of those stored games, then effecting the second game may be as simple as switching to the second game. In other embodiments thegaming device70 includes memory such that the second game may be downloaded over thegaming network50 directly to thegaming device70. After thegaming device70 has downloaded the new game, the gaming device then switches to the newly downloaded game.
• After theprocesses142 or144 are completed, theflow120 loops back to theprocess124, where the player is again playing the gaming device. The player may be playing the second game, as offered, or may be still playing the first game or even another game. The offering system may include the information of whether the player accepted the offer in deciding whether to offer the player yet another game, as described below.
• FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of an offering system. InFIG. 6 an offering system200 includes multiple components. Central to the offering system200 is abenefit matching server210, which includes acontinuous tuning portion212. Thecontinuous tuning portion212 monitors the response of the player or players after offers have been made to them over thegaming network50, or other data collected on the gaming network, then makes continuous adjustments to thebenefit matching server210 based on this feedback. If the tuningportion212 determines that particular offers are being accepted while others are not, the tuning portion may increase the value of the non-accepted offers. For instance, if the tuningportion212 determines that players switch to game A 30% of the time with an offer of five free games, but that players only switch togame B 10% of the time, the tuningportion212 may cause the benefit matching server to increase the offer to play game B to ten free games.
• Thebenefit matching server210 accepts input from a variety of sources, such as aplayer value system220, which provides a player “value,” as determined by historical play, or a potential player value based on other data factors. Information such as average wager, total amount wagered, relative price of a rented casino hotel room, etc., can all factor into valuing a player, as described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 12/166,150, entitled Player Value Determination System, which is incorporated herein by reference.
• Additionally coupled to thebenefit matching server210 is aplayer history230, which is coupled to and gets information from thegaming network50. Theplayer history230 includes all of the information known about a player, including whether the player is identified to the network or not. The most information is known about identified players, of course, because information from multiple past gaming sessions is stored during or after each session and averages and comparisons to the averages can be made for each subsequent gaming session. For instance, if a player has had 30 previous gaming sessions, and the average session lasts 45 minutes, while the longest was 75 minutes, it is likely that the player will not play for an entire afternoon. The offering system200 can use this information to determine whether to make an offer to the player, and when to make such an offer.
• Theplayer history230 also includes information about the particular likes and dislikes of a player, either based on direct feedback from the player or based on observation. Information such as average budget, wagering history cashout behavior, volatility preferences, and style of play can all be used to generate a player profile. The profile is stored with and becomes part of theplayer history230. Real-time calculations can also be made by theplayer history230 or benefit matchingserver210. For instance, if the player typically plays $80 at an average gaming session, and the player has already played $240, thebenefit matching server210 can assume that the player is having an exceptionally good time. Likewise, if the player typically plays the credits down to zero but instead cashes out with $45 remaining, thebenefit matching server210 may determine that the player had reason to leave, and the likelihood of any offer being accepted is minimal.
• Theplayer history230 also includes data in real-time from the casino floor streamed over thegaming network50. In other words, if an offer has been made to the player and the player accepts the offer, thebenefit matching server210 is informed of this information through theplayer history230, which in turn received the information directly from thegaming network50. In this way thecontinuous tuning portion212 can monitor player behavior and the effect, including real-time effect, of making offers to various players on a gaming floor.
• To make the best decisions of what offers can or should be made, thebenefit matching server210 also includes a listing ofavailable game resources240, which may also receive real-time data from the gaming floor. For instance, if there are fourteen “I Love Lucy” games on the gaming floor and all of them are in use, it could be frustrating for a player to receive an invitation to play the game when none are available to be played. Therefore, thebenefit matching server210 may use information gathered from theavailable resources240 to make offers only for accessible games. Additionally, theavailable game resources240 may work in conjunction with thebenefit matching server210 to determine if a second game is nearby the player. In other words, any game suggested by the offering system200 should preferably be somewhat nearby the player, so that the player need not walk all the way across the casino just to play the nearest available game. By analyzing real-time casino game resources and only making offers to nearby games, this problem may be avoided.
• In operation, as described above, thebenefit matching server210 combines theplayer history230, even if it is only the present gaming session for an unidentified player, with theplayer value220, if available, along with theavailable game resources240, if available, to determine an appropriate offer to be made to a player. It is important to know that thebenefit matching server210 may make offers or recommendations to a player even if none of thevalue220,history230 orresources240 is known, but in such a case the offer will not be well tailored to the particular player. It is much more likely that the offer will be accepted if at least some personal information is included in the calculus.
• A typical offer is an offer to a player of a first game to play a similar game. For example, if thebenefit matching server210 detects that a particular player plays faster on a certain type of game, which may indicate an increased interest, thebenefit matching server210 may make an offer to the player to play another game similar to the type of game the player is currently playing.
• The offer itself may be almost any type of offer. For instance, the offer may be an offer of free games for a particular game, or the offer may be for reduced cost games. In a simple form, the offer may be simply “we invite you to play our new ‘Spinning Blazes’ game, and we'll give you $10.00 credit to try it.” The offer may include time restrictions, such as “return tomorrow between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm and play seven free video poker games.” The time restrictions may be based on a redemption period that has a particular start and stop time, or may only include an expiration date. For instance, the offer may state “play ten ‘I Love Lucy’ games within the next three hours on us.” Other time restrictions may be based on the number of games played, for instance “two free plays on any video reel game in the casino, but they must be played before you play your next physical reel game.”
• Other offers may be for discount plays—for instance, “For the next 15 minutes, all video poker games are discounted 60% for you, take advantage of this NOW.” Offers may be made with time restrictions “built-in” to the offer. For instance, the offer may state “Play lucky seven with Halo bonus—50% off five games if played by tomorrow, 10% off five games if played after tomorrow but before Sunday.” Offers may also be made that include a match made by the player, such as “put up $20, and we'll match it if you play our new game ‘Red Ryder’.”
• Yet other offers may include play restrictions. For instance, the offer may state “if you play more than 50 games tomorrow at ‘max-bet’ you will receive 10 games free to a newly introduced game.” Progress toward the offer may be shown to the player on thegaming display20,player tracking system45,secondary display25, or in other manners.
• Based on the various factors available to thebenefit matching server210, such as demographic or other data, offers may vary between players or even between particular gaming sessions of the same player. For instance, if thebenefit matching server210 determines that it is likely that the player is a highly valued player, based on input from theplayer value220, an offer may be made that is more generous than to a non-highly valued player. Other offers may be made to players based on age. Some games may be only offered to particular players, while other offers may be made for different levels of discount, depending on the player. Any of the other factors may also influence thebenefit matching server210 to make a particular award. In some embodiments the offers are initially made at random, at least to some players, then thecontinuous tuning portion212 tracks the offers and modifies the parameters within thebenefit matching server210 to maximize the desired response. One desired response is that players accept the offers. Another desired response is that players play the suggested game with their own money because they like it so well.
• Offers may be specifically targeted based on an observed style of play. For instance, if the player at agaming device70 spends more time at game B as opposed to other games, then thebenefit matching server210 may select another game for which to make an offer that has qualities similar to game B. Other factors that are tracked by thebenefit matching server210 may include volatility of the game, amount of wagers, and payback percentage, among others. For instance, if a player, based on the stored history, tends to favor games with the highest payback percentage, then thebenefit matching server210 may make an offer to play another high payback percentage game, which may incite the player to play more and have a more enjoyable time.
• Such factors, and others, may be used by thebenefit matching server210 to determine when to make the offer. Typically, an offer is made at the conclusion of a gaming session, for instance when the player cashes out or all remaining credits are spent. However, various other factors may act as triggers within thebenefit matching server210 to cause an offer to be made. For example, a player may change his or her rate of play, either going to very fast play or to very slow play. Slow play may indicate the player is becoming bored, or trying to conserve credits, and therefore the player may be increasingly willing to accept an offer for free or discount games. Other factors may include change in wager size, periods of pause within a gaming session, and the number of credits remaining on the credit meter at cashout.
• Offers may be accepted in a number of ways. If the offer was communicated through a ticket printed at theticket printer38, as described above, the player may simply insert the ticket into the new machine. Thegaming device70 then reads codes from the ticket, communicates to thebenefit matching server210 or other apparatus on thegaming network50, which automatically transfers credits to the new game. In other embodiments, the offer is ‘stored’ on theplayer tracking server80 so that a player need not manage any ticket. In this embodiment, the player simply inserts his or her playing card into the target machine, or otherwise provides identification, theplayer tracking server80 or benefit matchingserver210 recognizes that the offer is being accepted, and transfers the credits or other award directly to thegaming device70, without further action from the player. If the offer was communicated through an email, the player may bring a print of the email to the gaming floor, type in a particular set of codes to reference the offer, and retrieve the offer. In other embodiments the offering system only makes one offer outstanding at any time, and the act of simply identifying the player to thegaming network50 causes the offering system to recognize that the outstanding offer is unused and still exists.
• The offering system described above may increase the enjoyment of players by introducing them to games or other features/services that players may be unaware of. In other cases, an offering system may serve as an advertising vehicle for introducing new games and services to casino patrons.
• Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.

Claims (46)

1. A method for inducing a player of a first game on an electronic gaming device at a gaming station to play a second game comprising:

determining that the player has begun play of the first game;

communicating to the player at the gaming station about the second game; and

offering to the player at the gaming station an incentive to play the second game.

2. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the second game is on a second electronic gaming device at a second gaming station.

3. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising indicating to the player where the second gaming station is located.

4. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

downloading the second game to the electronic gaming device; and

allowing the player to play the second game on the electronic gaming device.

5. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising:

tracking the player's play of games on a plurality of gaming devices;

comparing the tracked play with play characteristics of a plurality of different games;

selecting at least one of the plurality of different games; and

identifying the selected game as the second game.

6. The method ofclaim 5 wherein the play characteristics include at least one of volatility and payback percentage.

7. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the incentive is effective immediately.

8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the incentive is effective after a predefined lapse of time.

9. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the incentive comprises at least one free play of the second game.

10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the incentive comprises discounted play for at least one play of the second game.

11. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising communicating to the player at the gaming station about the second game in response to an indication that the player is preparing to conclude play on the first game.

12. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the incentive offer is made via at least one of a portable electronic communicator, a computing device connected to a computer network, a screen associated with the gaming device, a cell phone associated with the player, and a ticket printed at the gaming device.

13. A method for inducing a player to play an electronic gaming device comprising:

detecting the player playing a first game at a first electronic gaming device;

suggesting to the player at the first electronic gaming device that the player play a second game at a second electronic gaming device; and

offering to the player at the first electronic gaming device an incentive to play the second game at the second electronic gaming device.

14. The method ofclaim 13 further comprising indicating to the player where the second gaming station is located.

15. The method ofclaim 13 further comprising:

tracking the player's play of games on a plurality of gaming devices;

comparing the tracked play with play characteristics of a plurality of different games;

selecting at least one of the plurality of different games; and

identifying the selected game as the second game.

16. The method ofclaim 15 wherein the play characteristics include at least one of volatility and payback percentage.

17. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the incentive is effective immediately.

18. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the incentive is effective after a predefined lapse of time.

19. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the incentive comprises at least one free play of the second game.

20. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the incentive comprises discounted play for at least one play of the second game.

21. The method ofclaim 13 further comprising communicating to the player at the first electronic gaming device about the second game in response to an indication that the player is preparing to conclude play on the first electronic gaming device.

22. The method ofclaim 13 wherein the incentive offer is made via at least one of a portable electronic communicator, a computing device connected to a computer network, a screen associated with the gaming device, a cell phone associated with the player, and a ticket printed at the gaming device.

23. A method for operating a plurality of networked gaming devices comprising:

tracking at least one player of the networked gaming devices;

storing data related to the tracked player, including data related to the player's play of the networked gaming devices;

identifying the tracked player at a first one of the gaming devices;

communicating to the player at the first gaming device about a second gaming device;

offering to the player at the first gaming device an incentive to play the second gaming device; and

basing at least one of (a) the identity of the second gaming device and (b) the incentive, at least in part, on the stored data.

24. The method ofclaim 23 further comprising indicating to the player where the second gaming device is located.

25. The method ofclaim 23 wherein storing data related to the tracked player further comprises storing demographic data related to the tracked player.

26. The method ofclaim 25 wherein the demographic date includes the player's age.

27. The method ofclaim 26 wherein the incentive is effective only during at least one predefined time period.

28. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the incentive is effective only during at least one predefined time period.

29. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the incentive is effective immediately.

30. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the incentive is effective after a predefined lapse of time.

31. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the incentive comprises at least one free play of the second gaming device.

32. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the incentive comprises discounted play for at least one play of the second gaming device.

33. The method ofclaim 23 further comprising communicating to the player at the gaming station about the second gaming device in response to an indication that the player is preparing to conclude play on the first gaming device.

34. The method ofclaim 14 wherein the incentive offer is made via at least one of a portable electronic communicator, a computing device connected to a computer network, a screen associated with the gaming device, a cell phone associated with the player, and a ticket printed at the gaming device.

35. A method for inducing a player of a first game on an electronic gaming device at a gaming station to play a second game comprising:

observing the player's play on the first game;

storing data related to the observed play;

suggesting to the player at the gaming station that the player play a second game;

offering to the player at the gaming station an incentive to play the second game; and

basing at least one of (a) the identity of the second game and (b) the incentive, at least in part, on the stored data.

36. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the second game is on a second electronic gaming device at a second gaming station.

37. The method ofclaim 36 further comprising indicating to the player where the second gaming station is located.

38. The method ofclaim 35 further comprising:

downloading the second game to the electronic gaming device; and

allowing the player to play the second game on the electronic gaming device.

39. The method ofclaim 35 further comprising:

tracking the player's play of games on a plurality of gaming devices;

comparing the tracked play with play characteristics of a plurality of different games:

selecting at least one of the plurality of different games; and

identifying the selected game as the second game.

40. The method ofclaim 39 wherein the play characteristics include at least one of volatility and payback percentage.

41. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the incentive is effective immediately.

42. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the incentive is effective after a predefined lapse of time.

43. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the incentive comprises at least one free play of the second game.

44. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the incentive comprises discounted play for at least one play of the second game.

45. The method ofclaim 35 further comprising communicating to the player at the gaming station about the second game in response to an indication that the player is preparing to conclude play on the first game.

46. The method ofclaim 35 wherein the incentive offer is made via at least one of a portable electronic communicator, a computing device connected to a computer network, a screen associated with the gaming device, a cell phone associated with the player, and a ticket printed at the gaming device.

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