Patent ID: 8047914

Claim:
A method for verifying the continued presence of a player during a gaming session, the method comprising: providing a gaming machine having a thermal imager, wherein the thermal imager periodically obtains thermal images of a target area adjacent to the gaming machine; activating a gaming session on the gaming machine; receiving information that identifies a first player via a player tracking card or player input; obtaining a first thermal image of the target area, wherein the first player is positioned within the target area; designating the first thermal image as a reference image; obtaining a second thermal image of the target area during the gaming session; analyzing the second thermal image to determine whether the second thermal image is substantially similar to the reference image, said analysis ignoring the identity of said first player; and if the second thermal image is substantially similar to the reference image, then determining that the first player continues to be present during the gaming session, updating the reference image by designating the second thermal image as the reference image, and continuing to obtain subsequent thermal images.