| CPC G06Q 30/0227 (2013.01) [G06Q 50/34 (2013.01); G07F 17/3239 (2013.01); G07F 17/3276 (2013.01)] | 19 Claims |
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1. A player tracking unit comprising:
a player tracking card reader;
a first communication interface operable to communicate with a server of a player tracking system;
a second communication interface operable to communicate with a server of an enterprise loyalty system operating distinct and independent from any game being played at any electronic gaming machine;
a third communication interface operable to serially communicate, in accordance with a slot accounting system protocol, with a master gaming controller of an electronic gaming machine;
a processor; and
a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
responsive to a receipt of a player tracking card by the player tracking card reader, communicate, via the first communication interface and to the server of the player tracking system, data associated with an identifier of a user read from the player tracking card,
responsive to a receipt, via the second communication interface, of leaderboard data from the server of the enterprise loyalty system and for each of a plurality of different entities affiliated with an enterprise, cause a display device to display a leaderboard maintained in association with that entity, wherein:
for each entity, the leaderboard maintained for that entity is modifiable, at least in part, based on an exclusive allocation of at least one non-monetary loyalty point to that entity, the exclusive allocation occurring independent from any game being played at any electronic gaming machine,
each enterprise is affiliated with a different plurality of entities, each enterprise is distinct and independent from any electronic gaming machine and any game being played at any electronic gaming machine, and
each of the plurality of different entities affiliated with each enterprise are distinct and independent from any electronic gaming machine and any game being played at any electronic gaming machine, and
responsive to a receipt, via the third communication interface and from the master gaming controller of the electronic gaming machine, of data associated with an occurrence of a point accumulation event associated with the user:
communicate, via the second communication interface, the data associated with the occurrence of the point accumulation event associated with the user to the server of the enterprise loyalty system, and
responsive to a receipt, via the second communication interface and from the server of the enterprise loyalty system, of data associated with an accumulation of a quantity of non-monetary loyalty points in an account maintained for the user by the server of the enterprise loyalty system, cause the display device to display a notification of the accumulation of the quantity of non-monetary loyalty points in the account, wherein when initially accumulated, the quantity of non-monetary loyalty points in the account are not allocated to any of the entities affiliated with the enterprise, after a specific non-monetary loyalty point of the quantity of non-monetary loyalty points is subsequently exclusively allocated to a particular entity of the plurality of different entities, that specific non-monetary loyalty point remains in non-monetary loyalty point form in the account maintained for that user, and when: (i) a first non-monetary loyalty point of the quantity of non-monetary loyalty points is exclusively allocated to a first particular entity prior to any realized benefit event occurring in association with the first non-monetary loyalty point, (ii) a second, different non-monetary loyalty point of the quantity of non-monetary loyalty points is exclusively allocated to a second, different particular entity prior to any realized benefit event occurring in association with the second, different non-monetary loyalty point, and (iii) a realized benefit event occurs in association with the first non-monetary loyalty point executively allocated to the first particular entity, then no benefit is realized in association with the second, different non-monetary loyalty point exclusively allocated to the second, different particular entity.
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