Methods and architecture for cashless system security
Methods for secure transactions between gaming machines and portable devices are described. A logic device, separate from a master gaming controller on the gaming machine and placed in the gaming machine, may be operable to authenticate a portable device, such as a smart card, and authorize transactions involving transfers of indicia of credit between the portable device and the gaming machine. The logic device may be operable to send authentication information relating to the portable device to a remote host where a value amount of transactions involving the portable device authorized by the logic device may be higher when the logic device and the remote host authenticate the portable device as opposed to when the portable device is only authenticated by the logic device.
1. A gaming system comprising:
at least one input device;
at least one display 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 operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to:
(a) wirelessly receive information from a mobile device, wherein:
(i) said mobile device is in one of an online state and an offline state,
(ii) the offline state corresponds to at least one transaction performed when the mobile device is authenticated by the at least one processor,
(iii) the online state corresponds to at least one transaction performed when the mobile device is authenticated by the at least one processor and by a remote host, and
(iv) the received mobile device information relates to any unacknowledged transactions that were performed when the mobile device was operating in the offline state,
(b) responsive to receiving from the mobile device information relating to a first unacknowledged transaction, send the information relating to the first unacknowledged transaction to the remote host,
(c) receive a transaction acknowledgment from the remote host for the first unacknowledged transaction, and
(d) send the transaction acknowledgment to the mobile device and enable a play of wager-based game.
2. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the remote host is a cashless server.
3. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is a smart card.
4. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device is a cellular phone.
5. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable a cashless transaction up to a first value when the mobile device is in the offline state.
6. The gaming system of claim 5 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable a cashless transaction up to a second, greater value when the mobile device is in the online state.
7. The gaming system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of any wager placed on the play of the wager-based game and any award associated with the play of the wager-based game is selected from the group of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.
8. The gaming system of claim 1 , which includes a housing, and a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices to: if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item, and if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
9. 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:
(a) wirelessly receive information from a mobile device, wherein:
(i) said mobile device is in one of an online state and an offline state,
(ii) the offline state corresponds to at least one transaction performed when the mobile device is authenticated by the at least one processor,
(iii) the online state corresponds to at least one transaction performed when the mobile device is authenticated by the at least one processor and by a remote host, and
(iv) the received mobile device information relates to any unacknowledged transactions that were performed when the mobile device was operating in the offline state,
(b) responsive to receiving from the mobile device information relating to a first unacknowledged transaction, send the information relating to the first unacknowledged transaction to the remote host,
(c) receive a transaction acknowledgment from the remote host for the first unacknowledged transaction, and
(d) send the transaction acknowledgment to the mobile device and enable a play of wager-based game.
10. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein the remote host is a cashless server.
11. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein the mobile device is a smart card.
12. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein the mobile device is a cellular phone.
13. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable a cashless transaction up to a first value when the mobile device is in the offline state.
14. The gaming system server of claim 13 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to enable a cashless transaction up to a second, greater value when the mobile device is in the online state.
15. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein at least one of any wager placed on the play of the wager-based game and any award associated with the play of the wager-based game is selected from the group of: a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.
16. The gaming system server of claim 9 , wherein any wager placed on the play of the wager-based game causes a decrease of a credit balance which is increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and decreasable via a cashout device.