Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-24
2001-11-06
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S026000, C463S027000, C463S028000, C463S029000, C273S138100, C273S139000, C273S14100A, C273S14200F, C273S460000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312333
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to electronic gaming machines interconnected by a computer network and more particularly to a method and apparatus for crediting winnings to such machines adjusted for tax laws.
IRS regulations require that a player complete a W2-G form declaring certain winnings for tax purposes. Currently, if a player wins a bonus award that exceeds a certain threshold (currently set at $1,200 or more), then that player must fill out the W2-G form prior to being awarded an amount adjusted for taxes. Casinos are required by law to enforce these regulations.
Enforcement on slot machines is typically accomplished by programming the games to automatically lock up on any award of $1,200 or more and require that the jackpot be manually paid. This lockup gives the casino an opportunity to cause the player to complete the W2-G form. The award is not paid until the player signs the form as required. The casino then retrieves the jackpot amount in cash or tokens and pays the customer. A casino representative would then “clear” the machine by turning a reset key on the side of the machine and normal play is continued.
Obtaining cash to pay the customer requires that certain procedures be followed to insure security and propriety. These procedures typically take between about twenty to thirty minutes to complete. Unfortunately the player is forced to wait while this process occurs.
Another drawback to paying players directly involves the fact that such cash awards occur outside of the networked environment. More recently, gaming machines within casinos are networked together to allow networked bonusing and account control. U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,882 to Acres et al. (“the '882 patent”), for instance, discloses a card reader installed at each gaming machine. The '882 patent is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. The card reader disclosed in the '882 patent reads a player identification card issued to customers of the casino and maintains an account balance at a central database within the casino. Thus, a customer could move from machine to machine without having to cash-out and reinsert large amounts of cash into the new machine. By hand-paying the customer, the account information is lost and the player would have to reinsert the cash into the machine.
On machines with denominations of $1 and less, jackpots of $1,200 and above occur rarely. On $5 games the problem is more noticeable. At $25 and especially $100 and above, awards of $1,200 and more are so frequent that customer enjoyment is severely impacted.
Accordingly, a need remains for an improved system for awarding bonuses within casinos that comply with current tax laws.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to allow winnings adjusted for any tax laws to be credited directly to the gaming machines.
Another object of the invention is to more fully automate the reporting of large award wins for tax purposes.
To achieve these objects, the invention comprises a method for automatically awarding credits to a player on a gaming machine network adjusted for tax codes. The network comprises a plurality of gaming machines on which a primary game is played, a bonus server implementing the credit adjustment, and a database containing player information such as tax status, country of residence, tax rate, electronic signature, etc. Play is allowed to continue on the gaming machines and any bonus amount won on the machines are detected. If the bonus amount meets a preestablished threshold, currently set by IRS regulations as any award equal to or greater than $1200, then the gaming machine is locked up until the actual awarded amount can be determined. If the player record is complete and the proper tax amount is included, then the bonus award can be adjusted and a withholding calculated to yield a reduced award amount. An authorization signal is sent through the network to the gaming machine that credits the reduced amount to the games credit meter. The game is then unlocked and play can commence in the normal manner whereby the player can gamble with the winnings without reinserting any handpay into the machine.
The benefits of the present invention are three-fold. First, customer waiting time is drastically reduced. A W2-G form can be completed in 3-5 minutes. Under the conventional system, manual payouts were performed at the cashier's booth typically far removed from the gaming machine. Accordingly, the customer is happier and is back playing his or her favorite game much more quickly. Second, paperwork, security concerns and casino labor requirements are greatly reduced because of automation performed according to the invention. Finally, the player has credits applied directly on the gaming machine. There is no need to play the jackpot won back into the games. This enhances player enjoyment, speeds their play and reduces the likelihood that he or she will quit playing.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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Acres Gaming Incorporated
Marger & Johnson & McCollom, P.C.
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Nguyen Binh-An D.
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