Gaming system for tracking player activity during virtual sessions at a gaming machine

摘要

A gaming system has a central authority connected to a plurality of gaming machines. Player activity is tracked at the gaming machines during regular gaming sessions and during virtual gaming sessions. Such data is transmitted to the central authority for providing player points in a player account file of a central database. Regular gaming sessions occur between player card insertion and player card removal. Virtual gaming sessions may occur prior to player card insertion as well as after player card insertion. For example, a coin-in event prior to player card insertion will establish a virtual session, and credits remaining on the credit meter at a card-out event will establish a virtual gaming session.

主权项

1. A method of operating a gaming system having a central authority associated with a database and interconnected to a plurality of gaming machines, each of the plurality of gaming machines having a credit input mechanism configured to receive a physical item associated with a monetary value for establishing a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity, a memory having a primary indicator and a secondary indicator, the primary indicator having an active state and an inactive state, and the secondary indicator having an active state and an inactive state, and a game controller, the method comprising:
establishing a player account in said database associated with at least one player; establishing a credit balance via said credit input mechanism of a first gaming machine of the plurality of gaming machines receiving the physical item; in accord with the credit input mechanism of the first gaming machine receiving the physical item, conducting a first game session at the first gaming machine between a first time and a second time; setting via the controller the primary indicator to the active state at the first time and the primary indicator to the inactive state at the second time; conducting via the controller a second game session between a third time and a fourth time; setting via the controller the secondary indicator to the active state at the third time and the secondary indicator to the inactive state at the fourth time; collecting via the controller first player data from the first gaming machine when said primary indicator is in an active state; collecting via the controller second player data from the first said gaming machine when said secondary indicator is in an active state and said primary indicator is in an inactive state; combining via the controller both said first player data and said second player data; and transmitting the combined data to said central authority.