Patent Publication Number: US-2009239660-A1

Title: Method for providing incentives for a player to play a gaming device

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to provisional application 61/038,548 filed Mar. 21, 2008, entitled Gaming Systems and Methods, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This disclosure relates generally to personalized gaming, and more particularly to helping the player discover different opportunities that the player may enjoy. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Players play at gaming machines for a variety of reasons. At two ends of the enjoyment spectrum, one player may be seriously engaged with a particular game or style of game and gain tremendous enjoyment from playing it. At the other end, a player may simply be playing a game to pass time while waiting for something more enjoyable to do. In some cases, these behaviors can be found in the same player at different times. Embodiments of the invention can be used to potentially enhance the enjoyment of both of these types of players, and for other players along the spectrum as well. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in  FIG. 1A . 
         FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  2 C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram illustrating an example communication system between a gaming network and a player separate from the standard gaming network, according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating an example method of making an incentive offer to a player at a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram illustrating components in an example system for deciding what offers to make a player, according to embodiments of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a gaming device  10  is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electro-mechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine  10  shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . 
     The gaming device  10  includes a cabinet  15  housing components to operate the gaming device  10 . The cabinet  15  may include a gaming display  20 , a base portion  13 , a top box  18 , and a player interface panel  30 . The gaming display  20  may include mechanical spinning reels ( FIG. 2A ), a video display ( FIGS. 2B and 2C ), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). The gaming cabinet  15  may also include a credit meter  27  and a coin-in or bet meter  28 . The credit meter  27  may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device  10  that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter  27  may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter  27  reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter  28  may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display  20  is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself  20  ( FIG. 2B ). 
     The base portion  13  may include a lighted panel  14 , a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle  12  operable on a partially rotating pivot joint  11 . The game handle  12  is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels  22  after placement of a wager. The top box  18  may include a lighted panel  17 , a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator  19 . The player interface panel  30  may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device  10 . 
     The player interface panel  30  may include one or more game buttons  32  that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device  10  to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons  32  may cause the gaming device  10  to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter  27 ), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle  19 . In addition, the player interface panel  30  may include one or more game actuating buttons  33 . The game actuating buttons  33  may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices  10  a “Max Bet” game actuating button  33  may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel  30  may further include a bill acceptor  37  and a ticket printer  38 . The bill acceptor  37  may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer  38  may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device  10  when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons  32  programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash. 
     The gaming device  10  may also include one or more speakers  26  to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device  10 . For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers  26  may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played. 
     The gaming device  10  may further include a secondary display  25 . This secondary display  25  may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display  25  may show any combination of primary game information and ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display  25  may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options. 
     The gaming device  10  may include a separate information window (not shown) dedicated to supplying any combination of information related to primary game play, secondary bonus information, player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements or player selectable game options. This window may be fixed in size and location or may have its size and location vary temporally as communication needs change. One example of such a resizable window is International Game Technology&#39;s “service window”. Another example is Las Vegas Gaming Incorporated&#39;s retrofit technology which allows information to be placed over areas of the game or the secondary display screen at various times and in various situations. 
     The gaming device  10  includes a microprocessor  40  that controls operation of the gaming device  10 . If the gaming device  10  is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor  40  may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display  20  to represent the outcome of a game, communicating with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor  37 ), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device  10 . In other embodiments where the gaming device  10  is coupled to a network  50 , as described below, the microprocessor  40  may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor  40  may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network  50  from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor  40  may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device. 
     The microprocessor  40  may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI)  42  that connects the gaming device  10  to a gaming network  50 . The MCI  42  may be coupled to the microprocessor  40  through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device  10  may include memory  41  (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor  40  and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI  42 . The MCI  42  may also facilitate communication between the network  50  and the secondary display  25  or a player tracking unit  45  housed in the gaming cabinet  15 . 
     The player tracking unit  45  may include an identification device  46  and one or more buttons  47  associated with the player tracking unit  45 . The identification device  46  serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device  46  may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers  46  are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to  FIG. 3 . The player account may include the player&#39;s name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device  46  thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play. 
     To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display  25  or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player&#39;s account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display  25  to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device  10 . In other embodiments, the identification device  46  may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although  FIG. 1A  shows the player tracking unit  45  with a card reader as the identification device  46 , other embodiments may include a player tracking unit  45  with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account. 
     During typical play on a gaming device  10 , a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor  37 . The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit, debit or casino account card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). One of skill in the art will readily see that this invention is useful with all gambling devices, regardless of the manner in which wager value-input is accomplished. 
     The credit meter  27  displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device  10 . That is, if the gaming device  10  is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor  37 , the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices  10  that support multiple denominations, the credit meter  27  will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits. 
     A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons  32 , which may be reflected on the bet meter  28 . That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel  30 , such as  32 ), which transfers one credit from the credit meter  27  to the bet meter  28 . Each time the button  32  is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter  28  up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device  10 . The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle  12  or depressing the spin button  33 . On some gaming devices  10 , a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons  32  on the player interface panel  30 ) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device  10  and initiate a gaming session. 
     If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter  27  by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button  32  on the player interface panel  30 ), which causes the credits on the credit meter  27  to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer  38 , or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray. 
     If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display  20 , the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter  27 . For example, if the gaming device  10  is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols  23  may land on a played payline on reels  22 . If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device  10  may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter  27 . 
       FIGS. 2A to 2C  illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.  FIG. 2A  illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A,  FIG. 2B  illustrates an example video slot machine  10 B, and  FIG. 2C  illustrates an example video poker machine  10 C. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , a spinning-reel gaming machine  10 A includes a gaming display  20 A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels  22 A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines  10 A have three to five spinning reels  22 A. Each of the spinning reels  22 A has multiple symbols  23 A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels  22 A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels  22 A present in the gaming device  10 A and the number of different symbols  23 A that may appear on the spinning reels  22 A. Each of the symbols  22 A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel  22 A where the reel  22 A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels  22 A of various games  10 A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices  10 A have reels  22 A with twenty two stops. 
     During game play, the spinning reels  22 A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor  40  ( FIG. 1A ). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device  10 A has mechanical based spinning reels  22 A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory  41  of the gaming device  10 A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel  22 A. This mapping allows the gaming device  10 A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips. 
     A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine  10 A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons  32 A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle  12  ( FIGS. 1A ,  1 B) or pressing the spin button  33 A to spin the reels  22 A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons  32 A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels  22 A. The spinning reels  22 A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display  20 A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines  10 A include an electronic display screen in the top box  18  ( FIG. 1B ), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box  18 , or a secondary display  25  ( FIG. 1A ) to execute a bonus. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2B , a video gaming machine  10 B may include a video display  20 B to display virtual spinning reels  22 B and various other gaming information  21 B. The video display  20 B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display  20 B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number of symbols  23 A appear on each of the virtual spinning reels  22 B. Although  FIG. 2B  shows five virtual spinning reels  22 B, the flexibility of the video display  20 B allows for various reel  22 B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games  10 B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display  20 B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display  20 B. On the other hand, other video slot games  10 B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuous virtual spinning reel  22 B. 
     Because the virtual spinning reels  22 B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines  10 A ( FIG. 2A ) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel  22 A. 
     With the possible increases in reel  22 B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device  10 A, video gaming devices  10 B often have multiple paylines  24  that may be played. By having more paylines  24  available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels  22 B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline  24  to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline  24  and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines  24 . This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline  24 , but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines  24 . 
     Because the video display  20 B can easily modify the image output by the video display  20 B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game  10 B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display  20 B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display  20 B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display  20 B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image. 
     Also, as mentioned above, the video display  20 B may allow various other game information  21 B to be displayed. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2B , banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels  22 B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter  27  ( FIG. 1A ) and bet meter  28 , the same information can instead be displayed on the video display  20 B. In addition, “soft buttons”  29 B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display  20 B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display  20 B adds to the flexibility of the game  10 B. 
     Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display  20 B, several physical buttons  32 B and  33 B are usually provided on video slot machines  10 B. These buttons may include game buttons  32 B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines  24  he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline  24 . In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons  32 B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines  24  and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button  33 B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2C , a video poker gaming device  10 C may include a video display  20 C that is physically similar to the video display  20 B shown in  FIG. 2B . The video display  20 C may show a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons  29 C. The video display  20 C may present a poker hand of five cards  23 C and various other player information  21 C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons  29 C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3C  shows only one hand of poker on the video display  20 C, various other video poker machines  10 C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically, video poker machines  10 C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video poker games  10 C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown in  FIG. 2C  a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game  10 C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, the video poker game  10 C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter. 
     The player selectable soft buttons  29 C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display  20 C. These soft buttons  29 C allow players to select specific cards on the video display  20 C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines  10 C also include physical game buttons  32 C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button  33 C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button  32 C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed. 
     Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine  10 A, a video slot machine  10 B, and a video poker machine  10 C have been illustrated in  FIGS. 2A-2C , gaming machines and various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs)  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server  80  through a network  50 . For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75  are generically referred to as EGMs  70 - 75 . The term EGMs  70 - 75 , however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs  70 ,  71 ,  72 ,  73 ,  74 , and  75 . Additionally, the gaming server  80  may be coupled to one or more gaming databases  90 . These gaming network  50  connections may allow multiple gaming devices  70 - 75  to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices  70 - 75  coupled on the gaming network  50  may resemble the gaming devices  10 ,  10 A,  10 B, and  10 C shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B  and  2 A- 2 C, other coupled gaming devices  70 - 75  may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices  70 - 75  may include traditional slot machines  75  directly coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50 , banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network through a bank controller  60 , wireless handheld gaming machines  72  and cell phones  73  coupled to the gaming network  50  through one or more wireless routers or antennas  61 , personal computers  74  coupled to the network  50  through the internet  62 , and banks of gaming devices  71  coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines  64 . Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices  70 ,  71 , and  75  may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example. 
     Gaming devices  71  coupled over an optical line  64  may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line  64  may be coupled to the gaming network  50  through an electronic to optical signal converter  63  and may be coupled to the gaming devices  71  through an optical to electronic signal converter  65 . The banks of gaming devices  70  coupled to the network  50  may be coupled through a bank controller  60  for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network  50  may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, Rs-232 lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown in  FIG. 3 , substantially the entire network  50  may be made of fiber optic lines or may be a wireless network utilizing a wireless protocol such as IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, or n, Zigbee, RF protocols, optical transmission, near-field transmission, or the like. 
     As mentioned above, each gaming device  70 - 75  may have an individual processor  40  ( FIG. 1A ) and memory  41  to run and control game play on the gaming device  70 - 75 , or some of the gaming devices  70 - 75  may be terminals that are run by a remote server  80  in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server  80  based control. 
     Thus, in some embodiments, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network  50 , server  80 , and database  90  may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader  46  ( FIG. 1A ), the player tracking unit  45  sends player identification information obtained on the card reader  46  through the MCI  42  over the network  50  to the player tracking server  80 , where the player identification information is compared to player information records in the player database  90  to provide the player with information regarding their player account or other features at the gaming device  10  where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases  90  and/or servers  80  may be present and coupled to one or more networks  50  to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data. 
     The various systems described with reference to  FIGS. 1-3  can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits. 
     This system can be used to enhance player enjoyment by making targeted suggestions to the player. Specifically, this system can evaluate player preferences, as evidenced by prior playing styles or by other methods, and suggest other games that that have similar qualities that the player seems to prefer. 
     When the offering system detects play at a gaming device, it analyzes multiple factors about the player and the playing session. In gaming systems where the player is an identified player, as described above, the offering system has access to a history of the player&#39;s actions. Details such as average wager, wagering style, average length of session, etc. and other variables described below may be considered as to whether to make an offer and, if an offer is made, what offer to make. If such information is not available on a stored player history, for example if the player is un-identified, information gathered from the present gaming session may be used instead, or in conjunction with other non-player-specific information described below. When the player “cashes out” or spends all of his or her credits, or at other times, the system generates an invitation to the player to try another activity. In most embodiments the other activity is an invitation to try a second game, but embodiments of the invention need not necessarily be limited to only game suggestions. Choosing which offer to make to the player, if any, is described below, after the process of how to make the offer to the player is described. 
     There are multiple ways to make an offer to a player. For purposes of this discussion, assume that the offering system has determined that it will make an offer to the player that the player try a second game. The second game may have qualities that the system has reason to believe the player will enjoy. For instance, by analyzing past play behavior, the offering system calculates that there is a likelihood that the player prefers extremely volatile gameplay. A volatile game is one that may pay infrequently, but tends to make larger awards to the player than non-volatile games, even though, over time, both the volatile and non-volatile games converge on the same payback percentage. The offering system then, having determined that the player prefers volatile games, makes an offer of free games to a new game having similar volatility to the one the player finished playing. The offer may be made when the player cashes out of the current game, or at another time. 
     As described above, there are multiple ways to communicate with the player, and embodiments of the invention may use any or all of them, in any combination. For instance, with reference to  FIG. 1A , communication sent through the gaming network  50  ( FIG. 3 ) can be presented to the player directly through the gaming display  20 , such as by generating a text or graphics window on the display that contains the message or offer. In other embodiments, the messages can be presented on the secondary display  25 , or on a display associated with the player tracking system  45 . Still further messages can be printed by the ticket printer  38 , which automatically (or with player action) print directly for the player. The speaker  26  may be used for announcing messages by speech or by sounds or series of sounds that indicate to the player that a message is being presented to them. 
     Some embodiments of the invention use a communication network that is separate from the gaming network  50  to communicate with a player. With reference to  FIG. 4 , a player communication server  102  is coupled to the gaming network  50  and communicates directly with the gaming network. Stored within the player profile on the gaming network is contact information for the player, such as email address, cell phone number, personalized Uniform Resource Locator, such as for a social network, etc. The player communication server  102  can generate messages to a player  104  over a wired player communication network  110 , which is likely an existing network such as a distributed LAN, coax cable or phone lines and using protocols such as Ethernet, Token Ring, etc. Additionally the player communication server  102  can send messages to and receive messages from a wireless communication network  112 , such as a cell phone network, local wi-fi, metropolitan area network such as wi-max, or 3G or other phone data network or over a standard cellular phone network. 
     The player communication server  102  can generate a message to the player  104  over any one, or several, of the communication networks. For instance, the player communication server  102  may simultaneously send an email to the player&#39;s email address over the wired communication network  110  and send a text message over a wireless phone network  112 . If the communication server  102  receives a response over one of the networks, for example, a reply text message, it may send future correspondence over only that communication path. Of course, if the message from the player  104  specified how the player preferred to communicate with the communication server  102 , then the communication server would use the chosen network. 
     Devices attached to the networks  110 ,  112  facilitate communication with the player. For instance a personal computer (PC)  116  may be coupled to the wired communication network  110  while a cell phone  118  may be coupled to the wireless communication network  112 . It is possible that a single device can communicate over more than one network. For instance, the PC  116  may include both an Ethernet card for wired communication over the Internet as well as a wireless card to communicate over the wireless communication network  112 . An example method of presenting an offer to a player is illustrated in  FIG. 5 . A flow  120  generally describes processes that the offering system can use to make an offer to a player. The flow  120  begins at a start process, and in a process  124  the offering system determines that a player is playing a gaming device. In a process  126 , the offering system analyzes factors available to it, described below, that are used to make the offering decision and may determine to make an offer to the player based on those or other factors. In a determination process  130 , the flow  120  determines whether the offering system has determined to make the player an offer. During the majority of gameplay time there is no offer being made (for example, the player is in the middle of a game session), and the flow  120  exits the determination process  130  in the NO direction and loops back to the process  124 . 
     When the offering system determines to make an offer to the player, the flow  120  exits the determination process  130  in the YES direction to a process  132 , where the offer is made. As described above, the offer may be made through the ticket printer  38 , player tracking system  45 , main gaming display  20 , secondary display  25 , through the speaker  26 , or any combination thereof. Additionally, the offer may be made over a non-gaming network such as  110 ,  112 , by, for example, sending a text message, which may be personalized, to the player&#39;s cell phone  118 . In one example the offering system generates an offer to the player to play a second game, by generating a message on the gaming display  20 , and offers the player five free spins, if the player plays the second game within the next hour. In another example the offering system generates an offer to play a second game by generating an email to the player&#39;s PC  116 , having a message to return to the gaming floor within the next two days, type a particular code (which indexes the particular offer) into the gaming device, and the player will be given seven free spins. 
     The flow  120  continues to a decision process  140 . If the offer is made to the player to play a second game, the second game may be located on the same gaming device on which the player is currently playing, or may be on a another gaming device or elsewhere in the casino. If the second game is not on the present gaming device, the flow  120  exits the process  140  in the NO direction. In such a case, the offering system may include directions or an explanation to the player in a process  142  so that the player can find the second game or location of the subject of the offer. For example, the directions can take the form of text directions or a map printed on the ticket printer  38  so that the player may find the second game. In some cases the second game may be in a remote location, such as a second casino. In such an embodiment the ticket printer  38  could print a transportation voucher for the player to travel to the second location. Most multi-property casinos have a shuttle bus that operates between the properties, and the printed directions may inform the player to go to the shuttle departure area and show the ticket to the driver. In other cases the ticket printer  38  may print a cab or other transportation voucher. In yet other examples, directions to the second gaming machine may be sent in a text message to the players cellular phone  118 . 
     If instead the decision process  140  exits in the YES direction, meaning that the second game is on the device itself, then the second game is effected on the gaming device  70  on which the player is playing in a process  144 . If the gaming device  70  includes multiple games stored within it, and the second game is already one of those stored games, then effecting the second game may be as simple as switching to the second game. In other embodiments the gaming device  70  includes memory such that the second game may be downloaded over the gaming network  50  directly to the gaming device  70 . After the gaming device  70  has downloaded the new game, the gaming device then switches to the newly downloaded game. 
     After the processes  142  or  144  are completed, the flow  120  loops back to the process  124 , where the player is again playing the gaming device. The player may be playing the second game, as offered, or may be still playing the first game or even another game. The offering system may include the information of whether the player accepted the offer in deciding whether to offer the player yet another game, as described below. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an example embodiment of an offering system. In  FIG. 6  an offering system  200  includes multiple components. Central to the offering system  200  is a benefit matching server  210 , which includes a continuous tuning portion  212 . The continuous tuning portion  212  monitors the response of the player or players after offers have been made to them over the gaming network  50 , or other data collected on the gaming network, then makes continuous adjustments to the benefit matching server  210  based on this feedback. If the tuning portion  212  determines that particular offers are being accepted while others are not, the tuning portion may increase the value of the non-accepted offers. For instance, if the tuning portion  212  determines that players switch to game A 30% of the time with an offer of five free games, but that players only switch to game B 10% of the time, the tuning portion  212  may cause the benefit matching server to increase the offer to play game B to ten free games. 
     The benefit matching server  210  accepts input from a variety of sources, such as a player value system  220 , which provides a player “value,” as determined by historical play, or a potential player value based on other data factors. Information such as average wager, total amount wagered, relative price of a rented casino hotel room, etc., can all factor into valuing a player, as described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 12/166,150, entitled Player Value Determination System, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     Additionally coupled to the benefit matching server  210  is a player history  230 , which is coupled to and gets information from the gaming network  50 . The player history  230  includes all of the information known about a player, including whether the player is identified to the network or not. The most information is known about identified players, of course, because information from multiple past gaming sessions is stored during or after each session and averages and comparisons to the averages can be made for each subsequent gaming session. For instance, if a player has had 30 previous gaming sessions, and the average session lasts 45 minutes, while the longest was 75 minutes, it is likely that the player will not play for an entire afternoon. The offering system  200  can use this information to determine whether to make an offer to the player, and when to make such an offer. 
     The player history  230  also includes information about the particular likes and dislikes of a player, either based on direct feedback from the player or based on observation. Information such as average budget, wagering history cashout behavior, volatility preferences, and style of play can all be used to generate a player profile. The profile is stored with and becomes part of the player history  230 . Real-time calculations can also be made by the player history  230  or benefit matching server  210 . For instance, if the player typically plays $80 at an average gaming session, and the player has already played $240, the benefit matching server  210  can assume that the player is having an exceptionally good time. Likewise, if the player typically plays the credits down to zero but instead cashes out with $45 remaining, the benefit matching server  210  may determine that the player had reason to leave, and the likelihood of any offer being accepted is minimal. 
     The player history  230  also includes data in real-time from the casino floor streamed over the gaming network  50 . In other words, if an offer has been made to the player and the player accepts the offer, the benefit matching server  210  is informed of this information through the player history  230 , which in turn received the information directly from the gaming network  50 . In this way the continuous tuning portion  212  can monitor player behavior and the effect, including real-time effect, of making offers to various players on a gaming floor. 
     To make the best decisions of what offers can or should be made, the benefit matching server  210  also includes a listing of available game resources  240 , which may also receive real-time data from the gaming floor. For instance, if there are fourteen “I Love Lucy” games on the gaming floor and all of them are in use, it could be frustrating for a player to receive an invitation to play the game when none are available to be played. Therefore, the benefit matching server  210  may use information gathered from the available resources  240  to make offers only for accessible games. Additionally, the available game resources  240  may work in conjunction with the benefit matching server  210  to determine if a second game is nearby the player. In other words, any game suggested by the offering system  200  should preferably be somewhat nearby the player, so that the player need not walk all the way across the casino just to play the nearest available game. By analyzing real-time casino game resources and only making offers to nearby games, this problem may be avoided. 
     In operation, as described above, the benefit matching server  210  combines the player history  230 , even if it is only the present gaming session for an unidentified player, with the player value  220 , if available, along with the available game resources  240 , if available, to determine an appropriate offer to be made to a player. It is important to know that the benefit matching server  210  may make offers or recommendations to a player even if none of the value  220 , history  230  or resources  240  is known, but in such a case the offer will not be well tailored to the particular player. It is much more likely that the offer will be accepted if at least some personal information is included in the calculus. 
     A typical offer is an offer to a player of a first game to play a similar game. For example, if the benefit matching server  210  detects that a particular player plays faster on a certain type of game, which may indicate an increased interest, the benefit matching server  210  may make an offer to the player to play another game similar to the type of game the player is currently playing. 
     The offer itself may be almost any type of offer. For instance, the offer may be an offer of free games for a particular game, or the offer may be for reduced cost games. In a simple form, the offer may be simply “we invite you to play our new ‘Spinning Blazes’ game, and we&#39;ll give you $10.00 credit to try it.” The offer may include time restrictions, such as “return tomorrow between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm and play seven free video poker games.” The time restrictions may be based on a redemption period that has a particular start and stop time, or may only include an expiration date. For instance, the offer may state “play ten ‘I Love Lucy’ games within the next three hours on us.” Other time restrictions may be based on the number of games played, for instance “two free plays on any video reel game in the casino, but they must be played before you play your next physical reel game.” 
     Other offers may be for discount plays—for instance, “For the next 15 minutes, all video poker games are discounted 60% for you, take advantage of this NOW.” Offers may be made with time restrictions “built-in” to the offer. For instance, the offer may state “Play lucky seven with Halo bonus—50% off five games if played by tomorrow, 10% off five games if played after tomorrow but before Sunday.” Offers may also be made that include a match made by the player, such as “put up $20, and we&#39;ll match it if you play our new game ‘Red Ryder’.” 
     Yet other offers may include play restrictions. For instance, the offer may state “if you play more than 50 games tomorrow at ‘max-bet’ you will receive 10 games free to a newly introduced game.” Progress toward the offer may be shown to the player on the gaming display  20 , player tracking system  45 , secondary display  25 , or in other manners. 
     Based on the various factors available to the benefit matching server  210 , such as demographic or other data, offers may vary between players or even between particular gaming sessions of the same player. For instance, if the benefit matching server  210  determines that it is likely that the player is a highly valued player, based on input from the player value  220 , an offer may be made that is more generous than to a non-highly valued player. Other offers may be made to players based on age. Some games may be only offered to particular players, while other offers may be made for different levels of discount, depending on the player. Any of the other factors may also influence the benefit matching server  210  to make a particular award. In some embodiments the offers are initially made at random, at least to some players, then the continuous tuning portion  212  tracks the offers and modifies the parameters within the benefit matching server  210  to maximize the desired response. One desired response is that players accept the offers. Another desired response is that players play the suggested game with their own money because they like it so well. 
     Offers may be specifically targeted based on an observed style of play. For instance, if the player at a gaming device  70  spends more time at game B as opposed to other games, then the benefit matching server  210  may select another game for which to make an offer that has qualities similar to game B. Other factors that are tracked by the benefit matching server  210  may include volatility of the game, amount of wagers, and payback percentage, among others. For instance, if a player, based on the stored history, tends to favor games with the highest payback percentage, then the benefit matching server  210  may make an offer to play another high payback percentage game, which may incite the player to play more and have a more enjoyable time. 
     Such factors, and others, may be used by the benefit matching server  210  to determine when to make the offer. Typically, an offer is made at the conclusion of a gaming session, for instance when the player cashes out or all remaining credits are spent. However, various other factors may act as triggers within the benefit matching server  210  to cause an offer to be made. For example, a player may change his or her rate of play, either going to very fast play or to very slow play. Slow play may indicate the player is becoming bored, or trying to conserve credits, and therefore the player may be increasingly willing to accept an offer for free or discount games. Other factors may include change in wager size, periods of pause within a gaming session, and the number of credits remaining on the credit meter at cashout. 
     Offers may be accepted in a number of ways. If the offer was communicated through a ticket printed at the ticket printer  38 , as described above, the player may simply insert the ticket into the new machine. The gaming device  70  then reads codes from the ticket, communicates to the benefit matching server  210  or other apparatus on the gaming network  50 , which automatically transfers credits to the new game. In other embodiments, the offer is ‘stored’ on the player tracking server  80  so that a player need not manage any ticket. In this embodiment, the player simply inserts his or her playing card into the target machine, or otherwise provides identification, the player tracking server  80  or benefit matching server  210  recognizes that the offer is being accepted, and transfers the credits or other award directly to the gaming device  70 , without further action from the player. If the offer was communicated through an email, the player may bring a print of the email to the gaming floor, type in a particular set of codes to reference the offer, and retrieve the offer. In other embodiments the offering system only makes one offer outstanding at any time, and the act of simply identifying the player to the gaming network  50  causes the offering system to recognize that the outstanding offer is unused and still exists. 
     The offering system described above may increase the enjoyment of players by introducing them to games or other features/services that players may be unaware of. In other cases, an offering system may serve as an advertising vehicle for introducing new games and services to casino patrons. 
     Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims.