National customer recognition system and method
View Patent ↗A system and method for implementing a customer tracking and recognition program that encompasses customers' gaming and non-gaming activity alike at a plurality of affiliated casino properties. Customer information is accumulated at each affiliated casino through one or more LAN-based management systems, updated to a central patron database (CPDB) that is coupled to each casino LAN through a WAN, and made available to each affiliated casino property as needed. Customer accounts are automatically activated and provided with data from the CPDB when a customer from one casino property first visits an affiliated casino property. Customer accounts are updated with new activity data whenever a management system associated with the casino receives customer data from input devices, such as card readers, workstations, and dumb terminals, located at various venues throughout the casino. Customers are awarded points, based on their tracked activity at all affiliated casino properties. The point awards have a monetary value and are redeemable for gifts, meals, cash and the like, at any of the casino properties. The point awards may embody different promotional schemes in which point awards are adjusted to target different casino properties or different venues within a casino. Summary customer data, including point levels, is regularly updated to reflect ongoing customer activity at the casino property. This data is made available to employees at any affiliated casino property, as needed, to personalize customer services.
1. A computer-implemented method for tracking patronage of a plurality of customers at a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising:
maintaining a first account associated with a customer at a first casino property;
collecting betting activity associated with the customer's gaming activity at the first casino property;
updating the first account to reflect comps awarded to the customer based on the collected betting activity;
identifying the customer at a second casino property where second casino property is not the first casino property;
responsive to identifying the customer at the second casino property, automatically retrieving customer account data maintained in the first account from the first casino property; and
providing comps redemption to the customer at the second property.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the comps include a hotel room.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the comps include a meal.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the comps include an event ticket.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the first account to reflect comps redeemed by the customer at the second property.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
collecting second betting activity associated with the customer's gaming activity at the second casino property; and
updating the first account to reflect comps awarded to the customer based on the collected second betting activity.
7. A computer-implemented method for tracking patronage of a plurality of customers at a plurality of casino properties, the method comprising:
maintaining a first account associated with a customer at a first casino property;
collecting first betting activity associated with the customer's gaming activity at the first casino property;
updating the first account to reflect points awarded to the customer based on the collected first betting activity and a first weighting factor;
identifying the customer at a second casino property; where second casino property is not the first casino property,
collecting second betting activity associated with the customer's gaming activity at the second casino property; and
updating the first account to reflect points awarded to the customer based on the collected second betting activity and a second weighting factor that is different than the first weighting factor.
8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing points redemption to the customer at the second property.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the first weighting factor is determined at least in part by a time period at which the first betting activity is collected.