Patent ID: 7775876

Claim:
A data processing apparatus for tracking gaming machine activity to award a bonus, the apparatus comprising: an interface configured to transmit activity data over a data network; and a processor configured to: generate data regarding individual activities associated with the operation of a gaming machine; transmit the individual activity data to a remote location; store the individual activity data at the remote location; mine the stored individual activity data based on one or more characteristics; generate trend information based upon the mined data, the trend information representing one or more trends of the mined data, including generating a graphical representation of the mined data in three dimensions, and the trend information including a rate at which a player presents value to the gaming machine; determine a target date by which the player is expected to reach a target level of play, wherein the target date is based upon the rate at which the player presents value to the gaming machine; display the graphical representation in the three dimensions, wherein the graphical representation is based on a coordinate system having at least three axes, a first axis represents a game identity, a second axis represents a casino identity, and a third axis represents time; determine that the player has reached the target level of play before the target date; and award the bonus to the player when the player reaches the target level of play before the target date, wherein the bonus is independent of a game outcome.