METHOD FOR PROVIDING INCENTIVE TO PLAY GAMING DEVICES CONNECTED BY A NETWORK TO A HOST COMPUTER
A method for providing incentive to players of networked slot machines includes a card reader associated with each machine and a card associated with each player. A player account accessible by a host computer on the network is created which associates the player's card with the account. A predetermined credit is applied to the player's account. In a complementary incentive, credit from the player's account is applied to the coin-in meter of a slot machine responsive to insertion of the player card into a card reader associated with the machine. In a matching incentive also implemented by the present invention, each time the player inserts a coin into the slot machine, an equal credit is debited from the player's account and applied to the coin-in meter of the machine. In both cases, the credit can only be used by the player to play the machines and cannot be cashed out by the player.
1 . A method for providing incentive to a player of gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:
creating a player account accessible by the host computer;
tracking data relating to the player's play on one or more gaming devices and associating the tracked play with the player account;
analyzing the player account to determine an amount wagered by the player;
and applying a promotional credit to the player account.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein analyzing the player account to determine an amount wagered by the player comprises:
calculating an amount played by the player;
calculating an amount won by the player; and
deducting the amount won by the player from the amount played by the player.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the promotional credit is a function of the amount wagered by the player.
4 . The method of claim 3 wherein the promotional credit is a bonus.
5 . The method of claim 3 wherein the promotional credit is a multiple of the amount wagered by the player.
6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing a predetermined condition that must be met before the player can play the promotional credit.
7 . A method for providing incentive to players of gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:
creating player accounts accessible by the host computer;
associating each player account with a particular player;
tracking data relating to each player's play on one or more gaming devices and associating the tracked play with the particular player's account;
analyzing the player accounts to determine an amount wagered by each player;
and applying a promotional credit to one or more of the player accounts.
8 . The method of claim 8 wherein the promotional credit is a function of an amount wagered by one or more players.
9 . The method of claim 8 further comprising applying a promotional credit to the player account of the player having the greatest amount wagered during a predetermined period.
10 . A method for providing incentive to a player of gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:
creating a player account accessible by the host computer;
tracking data relating to the player's play on one or more gaming devices and associating the tracked play with the player account;
analyzing the player account to determine an amount lost by the player; and
applying a promotional credit to the player account.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein analyzing the player account to determine an amount lost by the player comprises:
calculating an amount played by the player;
calculating an amount won by the player; and
deducting the amount won by the player from the amount played by the player.
12 . The method of claim 10 wherein the promotional credit is a function of the amount lost by the player.
13 . The method of claim 12 wherein the promotional credit is a bonus.
14 . The method of claim 12 wherein the promotional credit is a multiple of the amount lost by the player.
15 . The method of claim 10 further comprising establishing a predetermined condition that must be met before the player can play the promotional credit.
16 . A method for providing incentive to a player of gaming devices connected by a network to a host computer comprising:
creating a player account accessible by the host computer;
tracking data relating to a player's play on one or more gaming devices and associating the tracked play with the player's account;
establishing a predetermined duration of play;
analyzing the player account to determine whether the player has met the predetermined duration of play; and
applying a promotional credit to the player account in response to the player meeting the predetermined duration of play.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the promotional credit is a function of the duration of play of the player.
18 . The method of claim 16 wherein the promotional credit is a bonus.
19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the promotional credit is a multiple of the duration of play of the player.
20 . The method of claim 16 further comprising establishing a predetermined condition that must be met before the player can play the promotional credit.
21 . An incentive-based player tracking system, comprising:
a host computer;
a network interconnecting gaming devices to the host computer;
means for tracking play;
a memory for storing the tracked play;
means for analyzing an amount wagered by a player during a predetermined time; and
means for providing the player with an incentive based on the amount wagered.