Patent ID: 7997978

Claim:
A gaming machine for automatically generating loyalty points during periods of anonymous play, comprising: a master gaming controller configured to i) control a game of chance played on the gaming machine, ii) initiate a first game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance by an anonymous player, iii) generate, responsive to the anonymous player registering credit on the gaming machine, first loyalty points based upon play during the first game play session, iv) receive loyalty program instrument data from a portable wireless device after initiation of the first game play session, the loyalty program instrument data identifying the anonymous player and associating a loyalty program account with the identified player, v) initiate, responsive to receiving the loyalty program instrument data, a second game play session including play of a plurality of instances of the game of chance, vi) generate second loyalty points based upon play during the second gaming session, and vii) provide information to a remote server that allows the first loyalty points associated with the plurality of instances of the game of chance played prior to receiving the loyalty program instrument data and the second loyalty points associated with the play of the plurality of instances of the game of chance after receiving the loyalty program instrument data to be credited to the loyalty program account; a wireless interface, coupled to the master gaming controller, for receiving loyalty program instrument data from the portable wireless device; wherein the gaming machine is operable to a) receive the loyalty program instrument data from a loyalty program instrument b) determine that a terminating event has occurred on the gaming machine, c) terminate the loyalty program session in response to the terminating event wherein the terminating event is one or more of i) an occurrence of zero credits on the gaming machine, ii) an amount of idle time on the gaming machine exceeding a specified limit, iii) a cashout request, iv) a timeout condition, and v) an inability to detect a user at the gaming machine; an input mechanism operable to receive an indicia of credit or money for a wager on the game of chance; and an output mechanism operable to output the indicia of credit or the money.