GAME PERFORMANCE DETERMINATION BY INCREMENTAL REVENUE
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods of determining the performance of a gaming device by analyzing the incremental revenue generated by the gaming device. This method may include identifying an analysis period, recording game performance data for a set of gaming devices and a test gaming device during the analysis period, and comparing the recorded data to historical gaming data for the set of gaming devices. Some examples of this method may also include developing parameters for the analysis period and using those developed parameters to normalize the recorded game data for the analysis period prior to comparing the recorded data to the historical gaming data.
1 . A method of changing a feature of a gaming device that is new to a location having a plurality of existing gaming devices on a network, the method comprising:
tracking play for a historical game session on at least one of the networked gaming devices at the location;
storing the tracked play for the historical game session in a player database;
thereafter implementing at least one previously unimplemented gaming device at the location;
connecting the at least one previously unimplemented gaming device to the network;
tracking play for a current game session on the at least one previously unimplemented gaming device;
storing the tracked play for the current game session in the player database;
categorizing players into at least one player group based on at least one predefined criterion using at least one of the historical and current game-session tracked play stored in the player database;
communicating tracked play for the current and historical game sessions via the network to a computing device connected to the network;
comparing, via the computing device, tracked play of the at least one group for the current game session with tracked play of the at least one group for a historical game session; and
changing a feature on at least one of the gaming devices based on the comparison.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein changing a feature on at least one of the gaming devices based on the comparison comprises changing the denomination of one of the gaming devices.
3 . The method of claim 2 wherein changing the denomination of one of the gaming devices comprises lowering the denomination.
4 . The method of claim 3 wherein lowering the denomination comprises lowering the denomination of the previously unimplemented gaming device.
5 . The method of claim 4 wherein the at least one player group comprises players who have less than a predefined number of prior game sessions stored in the player database.
6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the at least one player group comprises unidentified players.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein comparing, via the computing device, tracked play of the at least one player group for the current game session with tracked play of the at least one player group for a historical game session includes comparing at least one of a total time for each game session and a total coin-in for each game session.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising summing incremental differences identified from the comparison of the current and historical game sessions for identified players.
9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising comparing a total of unidentified game play for the current game session with the average of unidentified game play on a similar gaming device for the historical game session.
10 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising comparing tracked play for the current game session on the previously unimplemented gaming device with game play of other gaming devices during the current game session for players who have less than a predefined number of prior game sessions stored in the player database.
11 . A method of promoting play of a gaming device that is new to a location having a plurality of existing gaming devices on a network, the method comprising:
tracking play for a historical game session on at least one of the networked gaming devices at the location;
storing the tracked play for the historical game session in a player database;
thereafter implementing at least one previously unimplemented gaming device at the location;
connecting the at least one previously unimplemented gaming device to the network;
tracking play for a current game session on the at least one previously unimplemented gaming device;
storing the tracked play for the current game session in the player database;
categorizing players into at least one player group based on at least one predefined criterion using at least one of the historical and current game-session tracked play stored in the player database;
communicating tracked play for the current and historical game sessions via the network to a computing device connected to the network;
comparing, via the computing device, tracked play of the at least one group for the current game session with tracked play of the at least one group for a historical game session;
identifying players that play both the at least one networked gaming device and the previously unimplemented gaming device; and
if the number of identified players is greater than a predefined number, offering promotional credits to players of the at least one networked gaming device to play the previously unimplemented playing device.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein comparing, via the computing device, tracked play of the at least one player group for the current game session with tracked play of the at least one player group for a historical game session includes:
averaging a plurality of historical game sessions at the location prior to implementing the previously unimplemented gaming device; and
comparing the tracked play for the current game session with the averaged historical game sessions at the location.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein averaging a plurality of historical game sessions at the location prior to implementing the gaming device includes:
normalizing each historical game session; and
averaging the plurality of normalized historical game sessions.
14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising normalizing the tracked play for the current game session.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein normalizing of game sessions includes applying at least one scaling factor to the game sessions.
16 . The method of claim 11 , wherein comparing, via the computing device, tracked play of the at least one player group for the current game session with tracked play of the at least one player group for a historical game session includes comparing at least one of a total time for each game session and a total coin-in for each game session.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising summing incremental differences identified from the comparison of the current and historical game sessions for identified players.
18 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising comparing game play of the previously unimplemented gaming device within the current game session with game play of other gaming devices during the current game session for players whose most recent visit to the location was a plurality of months prior to the current visit.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising summing incremental differences identified from the comparison of the game play for the players whose most recent visit to the location was a plurality of months prior to the current visit.
20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising combining summed incremental differences for multiple categories of players.