U.S. patent application number 11/587666 was filed with the patent office on 2010-03-11 for player controls.
Invention is credited to Phillip James Ryan.
Application Number | 20100062834 11/587666 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35125265 |
Filed Date | 2010-03-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100062834 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ryan; Phillip James |
March 11, 2010 |
Player controls
Abstract
The patent involves the use of a personal Storage Device with
memory which can store the unique biometrics of its registered
owner for the purposes of identification; can record the unique
biometrics of any person attempting to use the device; can confirm
whether the user is the registered owner of the device; can control
access to electronic devices and their consumption; can monitor and
record the operational activity of its user; can store pre-defined
value, duration and budgetary constraints; can compare operational
activity to pre-defined values, durations and budgetary
constraints; can store legal tender value; can visually indicate
when it is electronically operative; can be electronically locked
and de-activated; and can connect and communicate directly or
remotely to other electronic devices. The device can be used in the
identification and elimination of problem gamblers from gaining
personal access to electronic gaming machines and other gambling
devices or services whilst either physically present at a gambling
venue or through their remote access to a gambling venue or
gambling service via the internet, interactive television,
intranets, extraneous, telephones or other digital communication
services. In its USB derivative format the device can connect
directly or remotely to the ubiquitous USB outlet of electronic
devices without the need for additional and expensive electronic
reader or writer hardware
Inventors: |
Ryan; Phillip James;
(Victoria, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SMITH FROHWEIN TEMPEL GREENLEE BLAHA, LLC
Two Ravinia Drive, Suite 700
ATLANTA
GA
30346
US
|
Family ID: |
35125265 |
Appl. No.: |
11/587666 |
Filed: |
July 4, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
July 4, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/AU05/00502 |
371 Date: |
September 8, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/25 ; 463/29;
463/43 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3237 20130101;
G07F 17/32 20130101; G07F 17/3239 20130101; G07F 17/3206
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/25 ; 463/43;
463/29 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A personal Storage Device with memory which can store the unique
biometrics of its registered owner for the purposes of
identification; can record the unique biometrics of any person
attempting to use the device; can confirm whether the user is the
registered owner of the device; can control access to electronic
devices and their consumption; can monitor and record the
operational activity of its user; can store pre-defined value,
duration and budgetary constraints; can compare operational
activity to pre-defined values, durations and budgetary
constraints; can store legal tender value; can visually indicate
when it is electronically operative; can be electronically locked
and de-activated; and can connect and communicate directly or
remotely to other electronic devices.
2. A personal Storage Device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the
Storage Device additionally has its own microprocessor capacity for
undertaking the processing of binary digit calculations for the
purposes of data storage, data comparison, data manipulation and
data analytics of alphanumeric and image data.
3. A personal storage device in accordance with claims 1 and 2 that
can store data in an encrypted format for data protection and can
store digital certificates to ensure only authorised parties can
transmit or receive data to or from the device.
4. A personal Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2 or 3
wherein the device is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device with in
built memory.
5. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 which is
used in the gambling industry to monitor gamblers.
6. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein the Storage Device can be locked and become inoperable to
prevent a person from gaining access to the Storage Device for a
defined period of time if the attempted user is not confirmed to be
the registered owner of the original device.
7. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein the confirming means of identification includes the use of
a biometric fingerprint identification system or other biometric
identification characteristics or a personal identification number
(PIN) or a password or an external photograph on the outside of the
device of the registered owner of the device, or a digital
photograph of the registered owner stored internally in the device,
or an answer to a specific question associated with the registered
owner.
8. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein individual users can pre-record their desired total
gambling financial loss information over pre-defined periods of
time and their desired total desired durations of gambling over
pre-defined periods of time and have these associated with, and
even stored within the Storage Device
9. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 8 wherein the
pre-defined recorded periods of time associated with each device
are daily, weekly, monthly and annually.
10. A Storage Device in accordance with claims 8 and 9 wherein the
desired gambling financial loss information and total desired
durations of gambling within the pre-defined periods of time are
stored on a central monitoring computer to which the device can be
connected, and if required can also be stored simultaneously on
both the Storage Device and the central monitoring computer.
11. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein each individual player's gambling activities as to
individual gambling financial bet outlays, individual gambling bet
wins, individual gambling bet losses, individual gambling incidents
and individual durations of gambling activities are recorded on the
Storage Device.
12. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 11 wherein such data
is stored on a central monitoring computer to which the device can
be connected, and if required can also be stored simultaneously on
both the Storage Device and the central monitoring computer.
13. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5
wherein each individual player's gambling activities with respect
to aggregate gambling financial bet outlays, aggregate bet wins or
losses, aggregate gambling incidents, and total duration of play
are recorded on the Storage Device for pre-defined periods of time
such as daily, weekly, monthly, and annually.
14. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 13 wherein such data
is stored on a central monitoring computer to which the device can
be connected, and if required can also be stored simultaneously on
both the Storage Device and the central monitoring computer.
15. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims that
compares actual gambling losses and duration of play to a player's
pre-determined desired gambling losses and duration of play on a
daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis, and is electronically
locked and de-activated either by itself or by a central monitoring
computer if the pre-determined financial or duration limits are
exceeded in any pre-determined period of time.
16. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 15 that uses a
central monitoring computer to undertake the appropriate
calculations and device de-activation
17. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims that
compares actual gambling losses and duration of play to
pre-determined publicly recognized or government mandated
reasonable gambling loses and duration of play on a daily, weekly,
monthly or annual basis, and is electronically locked and
de-activated either by itself or by a central monitoring computer
if the publicly recognized financial or duration limits are
exceeded in any pre-determined period of time.
18. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 17 that uses a
central monitoring computer to undertake the appropriate
calculations and device de-activation
19. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
whereby individual gamblers who voluntarily wish to be excluded
from accessing all or some specific gambling facilities and/or all
or some specific gambling devices and/or all or some gambling
services will be able to have their personal Storage Device pre-set
for such restricted access arrangements.
20. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein, in order to successfully gain physical entry and/or exit
to a gambling venue, gamblers will be required to match their
identity to that stored on or within their Storage Device.
21. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein, in order to successfully gain physical access and/or exit
to a gambling venue all prospective players would be required to
match their identity to that stored on their personal Storage
Device at the time of original player registration, at a designated
point at the gambling venue, and those people, who could not
digitally match their identity to that stored on the Storage
Device, would not have their Storage Device digitally activated for
access to any gambling equipment at the venue for a pre-defined
duration.
22. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
wherein in order to play on a gambling device, all players would
insert their Storage Device into the gambling machine or the
telecommunications device facilitating gambling and be required to
confirm that their fingerprint(s) or other designated biometric
characteristics are the same as those stored on the Storage Device
by the original owner of the Storage Device at the time of original
registration of the player and the device, so that if a correct
match occurs then the player is allowed access to the gambling
device or service and his/her gambling behaviours such as money
lost and won, wagered and duration of play on every game will be
monitored and stored on the Storage Device itself if the gambling
device is not being centrally monitored, or stored on the Storage
Device itself and/or at a central monitoring computer facility if
the gambling device is being centrally monitored.
24. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 which
is programmed to de-activate or lock out any further use for a
pre-defined period of time whenever players using the device are
inactive in their gambling for a continuous defined period of time,
or for detected uncharacteristic playing behaviour in terms of
either their wagers, losses or duration of play, and the Storage
Device can only be restarted by further re-confirmation of the
identity of the user to equal that of the original registered owner
after meeting the pre-defined deactivation period of time.
25. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 which
controls a person's gambling activities with respect to Internet,
intranet and extranet gambling sites, interactive television
gambling channels and services, and other gambling services
provided through the use of electronic devices such as telephones,
mobile phones, personal digital organizers, Smartphones, laptop
computers, desktop computers, televisions, television set top
boxes, activated by the player through telecommunication services
such as WAP, Short Message Service, ISDN, General Packet Relay
Switching, third generation mobile phones, 2.5 generation mobile
phones, satellite, cable, microwave, electronic photons,
lightwaves, Bluetooth or remote USB, using controlling mechanisms
to confirm identity and compare gambling losses and duration of
play to pre-determined limits set by the player and limits known to
be in the public interest, through direct connection or remote
connection of the Storage Device to the physical device offering a
gambling facility.
26. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 which
has the storage capacity and technical capabilities to securely
store legal tender in the form of digital currency in an electronic
purse, which can be transferred to the device by a player's
financial institution or other currency provider in order to allow
cashless gambling where the digital currency may be used to wager
and thereby be depleted in value, and/or have any winnings
accumulated to its value whilst engaged in gambling, and then be
re-converted to legal tender if required.
27. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
can be unique to each individual gambling service provider or which
can be made available to multiple gambling providers through
commercial cooperation or government mandate, to accumulate a
single gambler's behaviours such as wagers, wins, losses, durations
of play on a single USB Storage Device used across all agreed or
approved gambling venues or service providers including gaming,
wagering, and lotteries, and which would be de-activated if
aggregate individual player financial or duration limits across all
service providers of gambling or across pre-determined limits for
any one individual service provider of gambling are exceeded, or
individual publicly acceptable or government mandated limits, are
exceeded.
28. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
can connect directly or remotely to an electronic devices USB
connectivity point and authenticate and identify the current user
to be the original registered owner of the USB Storage Device, and
then allows the user to connect to a unique website through which
they can gain access to multiple service providers of gambling and
have their gambling monitored and their access denied to the web
site and/or the web sites service providers if their gambling
exceeds any pre-defined limits associated with their unique storage
device.
29. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 which
can connect directly or remotely to a computer's USB connectivity
point and authenticate and identify the current user to be the
original registered owner of the Storage Device, and then allows
the user to connect to a unique website through which they can gain
access to multiple service providers and have their activities
monitored and their access denied to the web site and/or the web
sites service providers if their activities exceeds any of their
own or the service providers or a government regulators pre-defined
limits.
30. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
can connect directly or remotely to the connectivity point of any
telecommunications device such as a television, telephone, mobile
telephone, personal organizer, Smartphone, and then authenticate
and identify the current user to be the original registered owner
of the Storage Device, and then allows the user to connect to a
unique service provider master portal through which they can gain
access to multiple service providers of gambling and have their
gambling monitored and their access denied to the master portal if
their gambling exceeds any pre-defined limits.
31. A Storage Device in accordance with claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 which
can connect directly or remotely to the connectivity point of any
telecommunications device such as a television, telephone, mobile
telephone, personal organizer, Smartphone, and then authenticate
and identify the current user to be the original registered owner
of the Storage Device, and then allows the user to connect to a
unique service provider master portal through which they can gain
access to multiple service providers and have their activities
monitored and their access denied to the master portal if their
activities exceed any of their own or the service providers or a
government regulators pre-defined limits.
32. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
can have its individual customer pre-set gambling limits and/or
publicly recognized or government mandated reasonable gambling
financial limits automatically updated by acceptably annual
increases due to the effects of inflation etc.
33. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
can have its individual customer pre-set gambling limits updated
upon a customers request which is regarded as acceptable by the
operators of the Storage Device and as acceptable by any associated
government gambling regulator.
34. A Storage Device in accordance with all preceding claims which
operates using remote USB or Radio Frequency Identification (RAID)
means to communicate between itself and electronic devices.
35. A system of gambling that restricts access to gambling to only
those players who use a USB Storage Device in accordance with all
preceding claims, which has not been deactivated, and requiring
every player to present themselves and their Storage Device at all
gambling venues or devices to confirm their identity ownership of
the device and to confirm their gambling is within their own
acceptable limits or acceptable public limits and that their device
has not therefore been de-activated to stop their further
gambling.
36. A system of gambling including: (a) identifying a person; (b)
issuing a person with a unique and identifiable USB Storage Device
which they must use in order to be able to gamble; (c) utilizing
unique personal identification and authentication means to monitor
the person's gambling activities across a range of gambling devices
and gambling communication channels using the USB Storage Device;
(d) setting limits on gambling behavior for each USB Storage Device
owner in terms of both money which can be lost and duration of
gambling by the person for pre-defined periods of time; and (e)
providing linkage to financial sources for electronically
transferring verifiable funds to the USB Storage Device which are
able to be selectively transferred to the device when the user
wishes to undertake a gambling activity.
37. A system for regulating gambling substantially as hereinbefore
described using a USB Storage Device.
Description
OVERVIEW
[0001] This complete patent specification relates to the
identification and elimination of problem gamblers from gaining
personal access to electronic gaming machines and other gambling
devices or services whilst either physically present at a gambling
venue or through their remote access to a gambling venue or
gambling service via the internet, interactive television,
intranets, extranets, telephones or other digital communication
services.
A Key Target
[0002] Electronic gaming machines (sometimes referred to as poker
machines or slot machines) will be an initial key target of this
invention, as they have grown in popularity across the globe in
recent decades. Their increasing popularity has also led to a
significant rise in problem gambling being experienced by a rising
percentage of gamblers. In Australia over one third of all player
losses on poker machines is estimated to come from problem gamblers
(Productivity Commission Report on Gambling).
[0003] Governments have attempted to restrict problem gambling by
restricting the environments of electronic gaming rooms (via
lighting controls, the installation of clock displays, displaying
of problem gambling advice notices, initiating smoking restrictions
in gaming rooms etc) and by restricting the machines themselves
(limiting the number of machines, limiting the denomination of bank
notes accepted by the machines, slowing machine game rates and
creating maximum bet limits on a single wager etc).
[0004] Unfortunately most measures introduced to date have been
broad-brush approaches that have failed to reduce the incidence of
problem gambling amongst poker machine players and have primarily
resulted in severely limiting the playing experience of genuine
recreational players.
[0005] The difficulty for the operators of poker machine venues and
poker machine networks is that it is virtually impossible to detect
a problem gambler from pure external observations (compared to the
relative ease of detecting a person inebriated from alcohol or
under the influence of drugs in the very same licensed venue).
[0006] Even once detected by a venue, a problem gambler can very
easily move from venue to venue on a daily basis across a wide
geographic region so as to avoid any further detection, and
continue their habitual behaviour.
Access to Other Forms of Gambling
[0007] Problem gamblers can also gain relatively easy and virtually
anonymous access to a wide and growing range of alternative
electronic gambling venues via the internet, interactive
televisions linked to homes and businesses via cable or satellite,
mobile telephone, direct computer linkages to gambling venues via
ISDN, the internet and other means of telecommucation connection,
any or all of which also place the personal financial resources of
such gamblers at high risk.
[0008] The detection of problem gamblers and their elimination from
gaining access to gambling venues, gambling devices and gambling
services are overcome by this proposed technical solution, which
restricts access to poker machines, internet gambling sites, mobile
telephone, direct computer linkages to gambling venues, and
interactive televisions for the purposes of gambling, and through
other mediums defined later, to only those players who are genuine
recreational players, and thereby completely disallowing access to
identified problem gamblers.
ILLUSTRATIONS
[0009] In order that the invention may be more clearly understood
and put into practical effect there shall now be described in
detail, preferred embodiments of a player control system in
accordance with the invention.
Electronic Gaming Machines
[0010] The first illustration relates to electronic gaming machines
operating as a network of centrally monitored machines in a defined
geographic region.
[0011] The Access Key [0012] Player access control is achieved by
requiring all prospective players to be issued with a uniquely
identifiable, personal and portable Universal Serial Bus (USB)
storage device with flash memory or its equivalent (hereafter
referred to as a USB Access Key), which can communicate directly or
remotely to a USB port of a gaming machine or to a USB port of a
centrally monitored electronic box connected to each gaming machine
or gambling device, and to have all of each player's playing
activities recorded on a central monitoring computer (in one
variant of the invention) or on their personal USB Access Key (for
a second variant of the invention) or on both their personal USB
Access Key and a central monitoring computer (for a third variant
of the invention) for all games played on all poker machines in all
the gaming venues being monitored in a geographic region.
[0013] Initial Player Registration
[0014] At initial mandatory player registration each person wishing
to gain access to gambling services as a player will be required to
present personal credentials confirming their true identity at a
standard equivalent to that required at the time by the major banks
in Australia (or the country of deployment) for customers wishing
to establish their first account with a bank. Once their identity
is confirmed they will be provided with their uniquely identifiable
USB Access Key, and have a customer account established which
contains their name, address, contact details, any other necessary
details and agreement to be contacted by professional problem
gamblers if they start exhibiting potential problem gambler player
characteristics. [0015] At registration all players will be given
the opportunity to define their own pre-defined maximum daily
and/or weekly and/or monthly and/or annual limits on gambling
losses and duration of play.
[0016] Player Monitoring [0017] Players are then monitored by
recording every poker machine player's individual and collective
gambling wagers, wins, losses, games played and durations of play
for every one of their bets at every poker machine they play in the
geographic region, and then comparing this data to their own
pre-defined daily and weekly limits on gambling losses and duration
of play, and by also comparing their play to publicly recognised
limits on reasonable gambling losses and durations of play on a
daily and/or weekly and/or monthly and/or annual basis (eg
Productivity Commission definitions of problem gambling behaviours
in Australia being losses exceeding around $12,000 per annum). In
the absence of any publicly recognised limits being available,
either direct market research will be undertaken across a
representative sample of the adult population to determine
acceptable limits of annual spend and gambling duration on poker
machines, or the government controlled gambling authority will be
asked to define or approve such a value.
[0018] Player Classification [0019] Potential problem gamblers are
those whose aggregate daily and/or weekly gambling losses and/or
durations of play exceed their own limits set at initial player
registration (or later updated by the player in a manner which is
not beyond an agreed multiple of normal annual inflation or annual
Consumer Price Indexes increases or which are regarded as
acceptable by qualified and approving problem gambling counselors)
or exceed the limits publicly recognised as exhibiting problem
gambling characteristics. Recreational players are those who do not
exceed any such limits.
[0020] Storage of the Comparative Data [0021] Both sets of data
i.e. player pre-defined limits on losses and duration of play (and
publicly recognised limits on reasonable gambling losses) and
actual player losses and duration of play, are recorded against the
player's profile on a central monitoring computer connected to
every gaming machine (in one variant of the invention) and/or on
the personal USB Access Key issued to every player (in second and
third variants of the invention).
[0022] Collection of Playing Data [0023] Actual player losses and
durations of play are obtained by ensuring in order to activate any
poker machine, a player must first confirm their true identity as
the original owner of the USB Access Key, as discussed more
extensively in the later section on ENTRY CONTROL VARIATIONS. A
central monitoring computer and/or the USB Access Key will then
continuously record in a digital manner all player losses and
durations of play from all machines and games played by the player,
and aggregate this behavioural data over time in the designated
storage facility.
[0024] Use of Problem Gambling Counselors [0025] If a player
exceeds their own or any publicly recognised reasonable limits on
losses or duration of play then they will be counseled by
professional problem gambling counselors and encouraged to modify
their compulsive gambling behaviours. If this isn't successful then
all such players upon advice from the professionally recognized
counselors will be completely restricted from playing poker
machines until they can once again demonstrate reasonable gambling
behaviours.
[0026] Enforcing Restrictions [0027] These restrictions will be
enforced at all gaming rooms in a specified geography, by requiring
every player to present themselves and their personal USB Access
Key at all gaming rooms and/or all gaming machines, prior to being
given player access to any gaming machines in the venue.
[0028] Confirming Identity [0029] It will be necessary to firstly
confirm that the identity of the person presenting himself or
herself is the same as the identity of the original USB Access Key
owner. This will be done by applying one or more of a range of
options available with the USB Access Key (from simple photo ID
matching between the person and any photograph implanted on the
face of, or in another variant stored digitally inside, the USB
Access Key device; to Personal Password matching the users proposed
Password to the actual Password of the real owner stored on the USB
Access Key; through to matching of the fingerprint profile or
profiles (and possibly other biometric characteristics in other
variants of the invention) of the person presenting themselves to
the gaming room venue or gaming machine with those of the real
owner of the USB Access Key designated at a time of original player
registration, which are stored digitally inside the USB Access
Key).
[0030] Player Analysis to Allow Continued Play [0031] Once player
identification is confirmed, electronic analysis of the players
past playing activities will be analysed on the central monitoring
computer (in one variant of the invention) and/or on the player's
USB Access Key (in a second and third variant of the invention) and
a determination made as to whether the player is actually a
recreational player or a potential problem gambler by direct
digital comparison of actual player losses and durations of play
with those registered and stored in the USB Access Key and/or the
central monitoring computer at original registration (or
subsequently updated). [0032] Only recreational players who are not
exceeding both their own pre-defined and also the publicly accepted
pre-defined limits on money losses to date and total duration of
play to date will be allowed access to the gaming equipment in the
gaming venue. All players exceeding either their own pre-defined
limits or the publicly accepted limits will be excluded from
gaining access to the gaming room or in the alternative denied
access to any gaming equipment.
[0033] Voluntary Exclusion [0034] Individual problem gamblers who
voluntarily wish to be excluded from any or all gaming rooms or any
or all gaming machines will be able to have their personal USB
Access Keys pre-set for such arrangements.
[0035] Entry Control Variations [0036] In a most basic alternative
of the invention, in order for entry controls to be exerted at a
single physical entrance to all gaming rooms it would be necessary
for all gaming rooms to have floor to ceiling walls to exclude
entry at all points other than their entrance. Players wishing to
enter the gaming room would be required to match their identity to
that stored on or by alternative within their USB Access Key. All
authorised players wishing to leave a gaming room may also be
required to match their identity characteristics to those stored on
or in their personal USB Access Key at the same place as entry.
[0037] In another alternative, digital barriers to entry (as
alternatives to physical barriers of entry) would be exercised
whereby all prospective players would be required to match their
fingerprint (or other biometric characteristics) to that stored on
their personal USB Access Key at the time of original player
registration, at a designated point at the gaming venue. Once
confirmed as the true owner of the USB Access Key, their USB Access
Key would be digitally activated to allow the owner to have access
to all gaming equipment and gambling facilities in that venue for
the duration of their current visit or for a pre-defined and
specified duration. Those people, whose fingerprint(s) (or other
biometric characteristics) did not match those on the USB Access
Key they present, would not have their USB Access Keys digitally
activated for access to any gaming equipment at the venue for a
pre-defined duration. [0038] In a more intensive alternative at the
micro level, all players would present themselves at a gaming
machine. They would insert their USB Access Key into the gaming
machine and the USB Access Key would require the person inserting
the device to confirm that their fingerprint(s) (or other
designated biometric characteristics) are the same as those stored
on the USB Access Key by the original owner of the USB Access Key
at the time of original registration of the player and the device.
If a correct match occurs then the player is allowed access to the
gaming machine and his/her gambling behaviours (i.e. money lost and
won, wagered and duration of play on every game etc) will be
monitored and stored on the USB Access Key itself if the gaming
machine is not being centrally monitored, or stored on the USB
Access Key itself and/or at a central monitoring facility if the
gaming machine is being centrally monitored.
Protection of Access Keys
[0039] The USB Access Key would be programmed to terminate play for
players who are inactive in their gambling for a defined period of
time, or for uncharacteristic playing behaviour in terms of either
wagers, losses or duration of play, and would only be restarted by
further re-confirmation of the identity of the original owner. This
will eliminate risks of USB Access Keys being left in devices and
used by other players.
Application to Alternative Forms of Gambling
[0040] With respect to Internet, intranet and extranet gambling
sites, interactive television gambling channels and services, and
other directly connected gambling devices activated by the player
through other telecommunication services (e.g. WAPP, SMS, ISDN,
mobile telephone, GPRS, 3G, 2.5G, satellite, cable, microwave,
electronic photons, lightwaves etc) the player would similarly be
initially registered with associated collection of their personal
details and agreements at standards equivalent to those outlined in
the electronic gaming example.
[0041] Registered players would then be required to insert their
personal USB Access Key into the physical device or its associated
equipment connecting the device to the player and the service
provider (e.g. via their television, television set top box, pay
television subscriber box, Personal Digital Organiser, mobile
telephone, Smartphone, telephone, laptop computer, or desktop
computer etc) firstly confirming that the fingerprints (or other
designated biometrics) of the requesting user is/are in fact the
fingerprints (or other biometrics) of the original owner of the
original USB Access Key at the time of original player registration
and allocation of the USB Access Key.
[0042] Once confirmed as the original owner of the USB Access Key,
the players' devices would be programmed to allow the user
continued access to the gambling facility or its gambling services
whilst their accumulated player behaviours are within their own
limits or publicly accepted limits of recreational gamblers. The
USB Access Key would be programmed to accumulate the gambling
behaviours of the player (both in terms of money spent and money
won and money lost) as the player is connected to the gambling
service remotely. If limits are exceeded and problem gambling
counselors are not able to be satisfied that the registered player
is a recreational gambler and not a problem gambler, then the
player's USB Access Key will be locked to disallow them any further
access to the gambling service until their player behaviours are
satisfactorily modified to a level of satisfaction agreed to by
their counselors.
Single Provider Usage Versus Holistic Usage
[0043] The USB Access Key could be unique to each individual
gambling service provider or could be programmed by multiple
gambling provider cooperation or government regulation, to
accumulate the player behaviours of a single player on a single USB
Access Key that is used across all agreed or approved gambling
venues or service providers (including gaming, wagering, lotteries
etc).
Extended Uses of the Access Key
[0044] The USB Access Key may have the storage capacity and
technical capabilities to store digital currency in an electronic
purse which is transferred to the device by a player's financial
institution or other currency provider in order to allow cashless
gaming. In cashless gaming the digital currency may be used to
wager and thereby depleted in value, and/or have any winnings
accumulated to its value whilst engaged in gambling.
[0045] The USB Access Key would also have the ability to be
activated for remote USB connectivity or Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) of the player for a pre-defined period of
time once the player's identity has been confirmed as the original
owner of the USB Access Key. Once identity is confirmed, gambling
access is achieved by ensuring the Access Key contained a single
unique piece or group of binary digits of information to indicate
the owner's presence via remote USB transmission or via radio
frequency transmission through an RFID reader which can detect the
transmission of the unique ID binary digits during a pre-defined
period of time. The player can then simply swipe their Access Key
in the vicinity of the device used for gambling services and have
their gambling behaviours collected remotely or via radio frequency
transmission
Advantages of the Access Key
[0046] The use of a Universal Serial Bus storage device as a
personal Access Key offers many significant advancements and
advantages for players and providers of gambling facilities and
services.
[0047] The major advantage of USB devices is that connection plugs
for Universal Serial Bus devices are now ubiquitous on desktop
computers and laptop computers, and are provided as standard
equipment on such devices.
[0048] Those devices not currently providing USB access can be
converted to USB status very quickly and very cheaply due to the
open structure standard environment created for USB devices
globally.
[0049] USB storage devices with biometric fingerprint ownership
confirmation are now being commercially provided by a range of
manufacturers such as Sony in Japan with their Sony Puppy and from
Lexuscom in Taiwan with their BioDisk Biometric Flash Disk
[0050] USB storage devices also offer cost and access advantages as
well as greater storage capacity (currently at levels around 512
Megabytes) over other devices such as smartcard devices which are
not automatically provided as standard equipment with desktop
computers, laptop computers, and other technological devices;
require the additional expense of specific smartcard readers; and
are very limited in their storage capacities.
[0051] USB devices will also store all types of files such as text
files, graphics, programs, music and multi-media, which make them
very versatile to changing customer needs and environments,
including the direct downloading of a player's favourite games.
Typical USB storage devices will currently operate at over one
million insertions and removals of the unit into and out of
electronic devices and their memories last at least 10 years.
Interface of the Access Key with Current Loyalty Programs
[0052] Another advantage of the USB Access Key is that it offers an
increased level of sophistication (i.e. unique player
identification and authentication) over current player loyalty
programs, but can still simply interface with all such loyalty
programs whether they utilise magnetised cards or smartcards. In
other words such loyally programs can co-exist with this invention
providing the added value of confirming player identity.
[0053] Current loyalty providers will not be required to convert to
a new uniform standard of equipment which forces them to change
their current investments in both past hardware and software
development. All that is required is for the loyalty program
providers to gain initialised upfront confirmation of the owner's
true identity via this USB Access Key prior to activating their
unique loyalty program hardware and software services for the
player.
iGaming
[0054] The USB Access Key lends itself to resolving the user
identity issues confronted by governments currently reluctant to
allow their citizens to gamble on digital superhighways.
[0055] Currently U.S. law prohibits Internet wagering. U.S.
government officials defend their laws saying on-line gambling is
dangerous because it cannot prevent under-aged wagering. This
identity problem is resolved through use of the digital Access Key,
which can immediately identify the bona fides of all on-line
gamblers.
[0056] The current prohibitions by governments are not sustainable
in the long term because their current bans on domestic internet
gambling are only encouraging their citizens to gamble with
overseas internet and wagering services, which pay no taxes to the
local domestic government.
[0057] Worldwide there are now an estimated 2,200 on-line gambling
sites. Global Internet gambling increased from around A$3 billion
in 2000, to around A$6 billion in 2002, with revenues forecast to
reach A$18 billion in 2006.
[0058] In light of increasing iGaming usage and an inability to
capture taxation revenues from overseas gambling providers,
national and state governments will need technologies that provide
confirmation of player identity (to ensure under age gamblers are
restricted), combined with capabilities to restrict domestic
players to interface with only their local domestic gambling
providers (in order to capture full taxation benefits), ideally
overlaid with technology that detects and restricts any growth in
the incidence of problem gambling.
[0059] The Access Key provides instant laptop and PC connectivity
for over 1 billion computer users with USB connectivity (i.e. users
do not need to purchase additional magnetic or smartcard
readers).
[0060] USB connectivity is also currently being deployed for
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and shortly to global mobile
telephones.
[0061] Deployment of a iGaming solution to a country such as
Australia would involve the creation of a specific single gambling
portal site which would be a government mandated accessible entry
gate available to online gambling for Australians. This site would
provide links to all government accredited gaming, wagering, sports
betting, lottery and other approved gambling providers licensed,
regulated and taxed in Australia.
[0062] Australian Internet users wishing to gamble would log onto
this master portal, activate their biometric USB device on their PC
by confirming their fingerprint identity, and then would be allowed
to gamble with all gambling providers in any manner designated and
permitted by each individual gambling service provider and their
associated state regulator.
[0063] Access to the portal interface would be managed by a
government accredited supplier (to ensure user identity matching
criteria interfaces are activated and confirmed), and each gambling
service provider accessible from the master portal would be
required to provide the supplier with a summary of each gambling
session by each player (e.g. duration of gambling, amount wagered,
amount won or lost) which would be accumulated to the player's USB
device during or at the conclusion of each gambling session.
[0064] By being able to identify on line gamblers and ensure that
only recreational gamblers are gambling, this iGaming solution
allows expansion growth in the range of internet gambling
activities hitherto banned due to their previously perceived
potential of increasing problem gambling and underage gambling.
[0065] Specifically the solution would allow for the introduction
of: [0066] On line Casino gambling for Australians, [0067] On line
poker machine betting for Australians [0068] On line ball-by-ball
betting after the commencement of a sporting event for Australians
[0069] In-the-run betting on the final outcome of a sporting event
after commencement.
[0070] Such control mechanisms would allow for the creation of a
viable on-line casino and expanded sports betting model for
Australian citizens, corporations and governments. It is already
known that the dominant forms of interactive gambling across the
globe are currently internet casino gaming and sports betting,
which together constitute 85% of on line gambling revenue, and 93%
of internet gambling activity.
[0071] This solution is also transportable to other global
jurisdictions.
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