Tracking gaming payment-card transactions and spending limits via token(s)

1 . A method comprising:

initiating, by a processor in response to user input via a player interface device connected to a gaming machine and a gaming network, a payment-card transaction to purchase game credits for use at the gaming machine;

obtaining, by the processor from a payment terminal in response to initiating the payment-card transaction, a token that replaces sensitive payment-card information;

searching, by the processor, a database of transaction records using the token as a search parameter to identify at least one transaction record associated with the token;

in response to identifying the at least one transaction record, copying from the at least one transaction record a player account identifier associated with a player account;

determining, by the processor in response to copying the player account identifier, a previous use of the player account, via the gaming network, for one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred via the gaming network within a given period;

determining, by the processor in response to determining the previous use of the player account, whether a spending limit, for the player account associated with the token, would be exceeded by an amount of the payment-card transaction; and

presenting, by the processor via a display, an indication of whether the spending limit would be exceeded.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the token comprises:

obtaining the token from a payment service provider system communicatively coupled to the payment terminal via the gaming network and at least one telecommunication network, wherein the payment service provider system is authorized to replace the sensitive payment-card information, from the payment-card transaction, with the token.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein initiating the payment-card transaction comprises:

presenting, by the processor via the display, an input control associated with the amount; detecting, via the display, the user input in connection with the input control;

determining, in response to the user input, the amount;

passing, by the processor, the amount to the payment terminal;

presenting, via the display, an indication to use the payment terminal to conduct a payment-card action via the payment terminal for the amount; and

electronically communicating, in response to the payment-card action via the payment terminal, the payment-card transaction to the payment service provider system via a payment gateway associated with the gaming network.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the payment-card transaction is for a first monetary amount, and wherein the determining whether the spending limit would be exceeded comprises:

determining, by the processor, a second monetary amount comprising a total for the one or more additional payment-card transactions; and

determining, by the processor in response to determining the second monetary amount, whether a total of the first monetary amount and the second monetary amount would exceed the spending limit.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

prior to initiating the payment-card transaction, conducting, by the processor, the one or more additional payment-card transactions via the gaming network while the player account is logged in via either the player interface device or one or more additional player interface devices communicatively coupled to the gaming network;

receiving, by the processor during the conducting, one or more tokens for the one or more additional payment-card transactions, wherein the token comprises one of the one or more tokens; and

in response to receiving the one or more tokens, associating, by the processor in a database, the one or more tokens with a player account identifier for the player account.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the given period is indicated in a spending-limit setting of the player account, and wherein the determining the previous use of the token for the one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred via the gaming network within the given period comprises:

accessing, by the processor, the setting to ascertain the given period; and

searching the database, by the processor based on time stamps within the given period, for payment-card transactions that are associated with one or more of the player account identifier or the token.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining the previous use of the token for the one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred within the given period comprises determining, by the processor, that the token is associated with at least one transaction record stored in a database communicatively coupled to the gaming network.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the database comprises transaction records for the one or more additional payment-card transactions, and wherein determining that the token is associated with the at least one transaction record comprises:

searching, by the processor using the token as a search parameter, the transaction records, wherein the at least one transaction record is included in the transaction records;

in response to detecting the token in the at least one transaction record, copying from the at least one transaction record a player account identifier associated with the player account; and

searching, based on the player account identifier, additional ones of the transaction records for the one or more additional payment-card transactions.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein prior to initiating the payment-card transaction, and after receiving the user input, determining, by the processor, that the player account is not logged in to the player interface device, and wherein determining that the token is associated with at least one transaction stored in the database is in response to detecting that the player account is not logged in.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the payment terminal is authorized for access to the sensitive payment-card information for encrypted communication with the payment service provider system, and wherein the player interface device is not authorized for access to the sensitive payment-card information.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the payment terminal is compliant with at least one level of regulatory requirements of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensitive payment-card information comprises one or more of a payment-card primary account number and a user PIN, wherein the token is obtained from a token vault of the payment service provider system, and wherein the token is uniquely assigned, in the token vault, with a payment card associated with the payment-card transaction and at least one of the one or more additional payment-card transactions.

13 . A gaming system comprising:

a display; and

a processor communicatively coupled to a telecommunication network and gaming network, wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions that, when executed, cause the gaming system to perform operations to:

initiate, in response to user input via the display, a payment-card transaction to purchase game credits for use at a gaming machine connected to the gaming network;

obtain, from a payment terminal in response to initiating the payment-card transaction, a token from a payment service provider system communicatively coupled to the payment terminal via the gaming network and the telecommunication network, wherein the payment service provider system is authorized to replace sensitive payment-card information, from the payment-card transaction, with the token;

search a database of transaction records using the token as a search parameter to identify at least one transaction record associated with the token;

in response to identifying the at least one transaction record, copy from the at least one transaction record a player account identifier associated with a player account;

determine, in response to copying the player account identifier, a previous use of the player account, via the gaming network, for one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred via the gaming network within a given period;

determine, in response to determining the previous use of the player account, whether a spending limit, for the player account, would be exceeded by an amount of the payment-card transaction; and

transmit, for presentation via the display, an indication of whether the spending limit would be exceeded.

14 . The gaming system of claim 13 , wherein the operation to initiate the payment-card transaction includes operations to:

present, via the display, an input control associated with the amount;

detect, via the display, the user input in connection with the input control;

determine, in response to the user input, the amount;

pass the amount to the payment terminal;

present, via the display, an indication to use the payment terminal to conduct a payment-card action via the payment terminal for the amount; and

electronically communicate, in response to the payment-card action via the payment terminal, the payment-card transaction to the payment service provider system via a payment gateway associated with the gaming network.

15 . The gaming system of claim 13 , wherein the amount of the payment-card transaction is for a first monetary amount, and wherein the operation to determine whether the spending limit would be exceeded includes operations to:

determine a second monetary amount comprising a total for the one or more additional payment-card transactions; and

determine, in response to determining the second monetary amount, whether a total of the first monetary amount and the second monetary amount would exceed the spending limit.

16 . The gaming system of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to execute instructions that, when executed, cause the gaming system to further perform operations to:

prior to initiating the payment-card transaction, conduct the one or more additional payment-card transactions via the gaming network while the player account is logged in via a player interface device communicatively coupled to the gaming network;

receive, during the conducting, one or more tokens for the one or more additional payment-card transactions, wherein the token comprises one of the one or more tokens; and

in response to receiving the one or more tokens, associate, in a database, the one or more tokens with a player account identifier for the player account.

17 . The gaming system of claim 16 , wherein the given period is indicated in a spending-limit setting of the player account, and wherein the operation to determine the previous use of the token for the one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred via the gaming network within the given period includes operations to:

access, via the gaming network, the setting to ascertain the given period; and

search the database, based on time stamps within the given period, for payment-card transactions that are associated with one or more of the player account identifier or the token.

18 . The gaming system of claim 16 , wherein the operation to determine the previous use of the token for the one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred within the given period includes operations to determine that the token is associated with at least one transaction record stored in the database.

19 . The gaming system of claim 18 , wherein the database comprises transaction records for the one or more additional payment-card transactions, and wherein the operation to determine that the token is associated with the at least one transaction record includes operations to:

search, using the token as a search parameter, the transaction records, wherein the at least one transaction record is included in the transaction records;

in response to detecting the token in the at least one transaction record, copy from the at least one transaction record the player account identifier; and

search, based on the player account identifier, additional ones of the transaction records for the one or more additional payment-card transactions.

20 . The gaming system of claim 17 , wherein prior to the operation to initiate the payment-card transaction, and after receiving the user input, the gaming system is configured to perform further operations to determine that the player account is not logged in to the player interface device, and wherein the operation to determine that the token is associated with at least one transaction stored in the database is in response to an operation to detect that the player account is not logged in.

21 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

initiating, in response to user input via a player interface device connected to a gaming machine and a gaming network, a payment-card transaction to purchase game credits for use at the gaming machine;

obtaining, from a payment terminal in response to the operation of initiating the payment-card transaction, a token that replaces sensitive payment-card information;

searching a database of transaction records using the token as a search parameter to identify at least one transaction record associated with the token;

copying, from the at least one transaction record in response to identifying the at least one transaction record, a player account identifier associated with a player account;

determining, in response to the operation of copying the player account identifier, a previous use of the player account, via the gaming network, for one or more additional payment-card transactions that occurred via the gaming network within a given period;

determining, in response to the operation of determining the previous use of the player account, whether a spending limit, for the player account associated with the token, would be exceeded by an amount of the payment-card transaction; and

presenting, via a display, an indication of whether the spending limit would be exceeded.