Patent ID: 8342943

Claim:
A method for providing personalized rewards to slot machine players, comprising: defining, by a computing device, multiple player categories; providing, by the computing device, player category rules, wherein the player category rules comprise threshold values that represent different amounts of money wagered by slot machine players over a first period of time; assigning, by the computing device, slot machine players to the player categories based on the player category rules, wherein a slot machine player is assigned to a player category whose threshold is less than an amount wagered by the slot machine player over the first period of time; and during a gaming session on a slot machine: identifying, by the computing device, a current player on the slot machine; identifying, by the computing device, a player category to which the current player is assigned; detecting, by the computing device, a triggering event involving the current player's activity on the slot machine; and in response to detecting the triggering event, awarding, by the computing device, bonus credits to the current player, wherein awarding the bonus credits to the current player comprises evaluating one or more bonus rules that correspond to the triggering event that is detected, and wherein the bonus rules define the number of bonus credits to be awarded as a function consisting of the player category and a number of coins wagered on the current spin of the slot machine, wherein the bonus credits awarded to the current player changes a hold percentage of the slot machine, wherein for one category of player the hold percentage is lowered whereas for another category of player, the hold percentage is increased.