Casino gaming exchange market

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10134232-B2
Application number	US-201615099337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Aug 18, 2008
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

In a cashless gaming environment, a gaming patron has accounts and may accumulate winnings as well as different types of awards. Methods for efficiently exchanging the awards are disclosed. A secondary market is established for trading different goods and services. Liquidity of credits and awards is established.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A gaming system comprising:
at least one display device;
at least one input device;
at least one processor; and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
for a play of a game:
randomly determine a game outcome,

cause the at least one display device to display the randomly determined game outcome to a player,
determine a first award associated with the randomly determined game outcome, and
cause the at least one display device to display the determined first award to the player,
responsive to at least one input associated with an exchange of the displayed first award for a different, second award being previously received and the second award being available:
prevent the first award from being exchanged for a third award in association with the previously received at least one input associated with the exchange of the displayed first award for the different, second award, and
automatically exchange the first award for the second award, and
responsive to no input associated with any exchange of the displayed first award for the different, second award being previously received, receive, via the at least one input device, at least one input associated with exchanging the displayed first award for a fourth award.

2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the first award is an award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

3. The gaming system of claim 2 , wherein the second award is another award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the second award is available based on at least one input associated with an exchange of the second award from another player.

5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the third award and the fourth award are the same award.

6. The gaming system of claim 1 , further comprising an acceptor, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to: responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and responsive to a cashout input being received, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

7. A gaming system server comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
for a play of a game:
randomly determine a game outcome,
communicate data which results in at least one display device displaying the randomly determined game outcome to a player,
determine a first award associated with the randomly determined game outcome, and
communicate data which results in the at least one display device displaying the determined first award to the player,

responsive to data associated with at least one previous input for an exchange of the displayed first award for a different, second award being received and the second award being available:
prevent the first award from being exchanged for a third award in association with the at least one previous input for the exchange of the displayed first award for the different, second award, and
automatically exchange the first award for the second award, and

responsive to no data associated with any previous input of any exchange for the displayed first award for the different, second award being received, receive data representative of at least one input associated with exchanging the displayed first award for a fourth award.

8. The gaming system server of claim 7 , wherein the first award is an award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

9. The gaming system server of claim 8 , wherein the second award is another award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

10. The gaming system server of claim 7 , wherein the second award is available based on at least one input associated with an exchange of the second award from another player.

11. The gaming system server of claim 7 , wherein the third award and the fourth award are the same award.

12. The gaming system server of claim 7 , wherein a credit balance associated with the play of the game is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device.

13. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:
for a play of a game:
randomly determining, by at least one processor, a game outcome,
displaying, by at least one display device, the randomly determined game outcome to a player,
determining, by the at least one processor, a first award associated with the randomly determined game outcome, and
displaying, by the at least one display device, the determined first award to the player,

responsive to at least one input associated with an exchange of the displayed first award for a different, second award being previously received and the second award being available:
preventing, by the at least one processor, the first award from being exchanged for a third award in association with the previously received at least one input associated with the exchange of the displayed first award for the different, second award, and
automatically exchanging, by the at least one processor, the first award for the second award, and

responsive to no input associated with any exchange of the displayed first award for the different, second award being previously received, receiving at least one input associated with exchanging the displayed first award for a fourth award.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first award is an award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second award is another award selected from the group consisting of: an amount of comp dollars associated with an available good, an amount of comp dollars associated with an available service, an amount of credits associated with a quantity of plays of a game, and a tangible item.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second award is available based on at least one input associated with an exchange of the second award from another player.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the third award and the fourth award are the same award.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein a credit balance associated with the play of the game is incr

Assignees

• Igt Reno Nev

Inventors

• Preisach Michael

Classifications

• G07F17/3232

  wherein the operator is informed · CPC title

• G07F17/32

  for games, toys, sports, or amusements · CPC title

• G07F17/3279

  wherein the competition is one-to-one, e.g. match · CPC title

• G07F17/3244 Primary

  Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes · CPC title

• G06Q40/04

  Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange · CPC title