Method and system for managing the circulation of gaming chips in a gambling establishment

Abstract

A method for managing the circulation of gaming chips in a gambling establishment. Each gaming chip is of a specific gaming chip type selected from a plurality of predetermined gaming chip types. The gambling establishment includes a plurality of wagering stations each implementing at least one wagering game and a plurality of gaming chip distributors. The method includes: at one of the gaming chip distributors, receiving a payment from an intended user, the payment defining a payment monetary value; and at the one of the gaming chip distributors, issuing to the intended user a plurality of gaming chips, the gaming chips being issued in numbers such that the sum of the monetary values represented by the issued gaming chips is equal to the monetary value of the received payment; wherein the number of gaming chips of each predetermined gaming chip type issued depends, at least in part, on an operational parameter of either a set of wagering stations from the plurality of wagering stations at which the distributed gaming chips are likely to be used by the intended user; the gaming chip distributor; or a combination of the set of wagering stations and the gaming chip distributor.

1 . A method for managing the circulation of gaming chips in a gambling establishment, each gaming chip being of a specific gaming chip type selected from a plurality of predetermined gaming chip types, each predetermined gaming chip type having a respective predetermined monetary value, the gambling establishment including a plurality of wagering stations each implementing at least one wagering game, the gambling establishment further including a plurality of gaming chip distributors, said method comprising: 
 at one of the gaming chip distributors, receiving a payment from an intended user, the payment defining a payment monetary value; and    at the one of the gaming chip distributors, issuing to the intended user a plurality of gaming chips, the gaming chips being issued in numbers such that the sum of the monetary values represented by the issued gaming chips is equal to the monetary value of the received payment;    wherein the number of each type of issued gaming chips depends, at least in part, on an operational parameter of either 
 a set of wagering stations from the plurality of wagering stations at which the distributed gaming chips are likely to be used by the intended user;  
 the gaming chip distributor; or  
 a combination of said set of wagering stations and said gaming chip distributor.  
   
   
   
       2 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter includes a number of gaming chips of at least one gaming chip type present at least one of the wagering stations from the set of wagering stations, said method further comprising: 
 transmitting a number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type present at the wagering stations to the gaming chip distributor; and    adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor upon the satisfaction of a predetermined gaming chip number condition regarding the number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type present at the wagering stations.    
   
   
       3 . A method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the predetermined gaming chip number condition includes having a number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type falling below a predetermined low level gaming chip number; and    adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor includes increasing a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor.    
   
   
       4 . A method as defined in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 the predetermined gaming chip number condition includes having a number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type increasing above a predetermined high level gaming chip number; and    adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor includes reducing a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor.    
   
   
       5 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter includes a minimal wager accepted by at least one of the wagering stations from the set of wagering stations, said method further comprising issuing preferably gaming chips representative of the minimal wager.  
   
   
       6 . A method as defined in  claim 5 , wherein the numbers and types of the issued gaming chips is such that the total number of issued gaming chips is at most a predetermined maximal number of gaming chips.  
   
   
       7 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein: the operational parameter includes a number of gaming chips of at least one gaming chip type remaining within the gaming chip distributor said method further comprising adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor upon the satisfaction of a predetermined gaming chip remaining condition regarding the number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type remaining within the gaming chip distributor.  
   
   
       8 . A method as defined in  claim 7 , wherein: 
 the predetermined gaming chip remaining condition includes having a number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type falling below a predetermined low level gaming chip remaining; and    adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor includes reducing a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor.    
   
   
       9 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the operational parameter includes historical data on the temporal evolution of the number of gaming chip of at least one gaming chip type at least one of the wagering stations from the set of wagering stations, said method further comprising adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor upon the satisfaction of a predetermined temporal evolution condition.  
   
   
       10 . A method as defined in  claim 9 , wherein: 
 the predetermined temporal evolution condition includes having a gaming chip shortage probability increasing beyond a predetermined probability, the gaming chip shortage probability representing the probability of a shortage of the at least one gaming chip type at the at least one wagering station; and    said adjusting of a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor includes increasing a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor.    
   
   
       11 . A method as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the gaming chip shortage probability is determined by: 
 acquiring historical data for the at least one gaming chip type at the at least one wagering station;    fitting the historical data to a probabilistic model; and    estimating the gaming chip shortage probability from the probabilistic model by computing the probability that the number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type at the at least one wagering station falls below a predetermined number of gaming chips within a predetermined time interval.    
   
   
       12 . A method as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the operational parameter includes historical data on the temporal evolution of the number of gaming chip of at least one other gaming chip type at the at least one of the wagering stations, said method further comprising: 
 computing a removal ratio equal to a number of gaming chips of the at least one type of gaming chips removed from the wagering station during a predetermined past time interval divided by a number of gaming chips of the at least one other type of gaming chips removed from the wagering station during the predetermined past time interval;    adjusting a number of gaming chips of the at least one type distributed by the gaming chip distributor includes issuing gaming chips of the two gaming chip types in proportions substantially equal to the removal ratio.    
   
   
       13 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the set of wagering stations includes wagering stations that are distanced from the gaming chip distributor by a distance less than a predetermined distance.  
   
   
       14 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 at a wagering station from the plurality of wagering stations, issuing an alarm upon a number of gaming chips of at least one gaming chip type increasing above a predetermined overflow level;    probing at least two gaming chip distributors from the plurality of gaming chip distributors to receive their respective numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each gaming chip distributor;    receiving the numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each gaming chip distributor from the at least two gaming chip distributors; and    moving a predetermined moved quantity of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type to the gaming chip distributor from the at least two gaming chip distributors for which the number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip types remaining is lowest.    
   
   
       15 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 at a wagering station from the plurality of wagering stations, issuing an alarm upon a number of gaming chips of at least one gaming chip type increasing above a predetermined overflow level;    probing at least two wagering station from the plurality of wagering stations to receive their respective numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each gaming chip distributor;    receiving the numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each wagering station from the at least two wagering stations; and    moving a predetermined moved quantity of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type to a gaming chip distributor from the plurality of gaming chip distributors that is closest to the wagering station from the at least two wagering stations for which the numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining is smallest.    
   
   
       16 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 at a wagering station from the plurality of wagering stations, issuing an alarm upon a number of gaming chips of at least one gaming chip type decreasing below a predetermined underflow level;    probing at least two gaming chip distributors from the plurality of gaming chip distributors to receive their respective numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each gaming chip distributor;    receiving the numbers of gaming chips of the at least one type remaining within each gaming chip distributor from the at least two gaming chip distributors; and    moving a predetermined moved quantity of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip type to the wagering station from the plurality of wagering stations from the gaming chip distributor from the at least two gaming chip distributors for which the number of gaming chips of the at least one gaming chip types remaining is highest.    
   
   
       17 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , wherein receiving a payment from the intended user includes at least one of: receiving cash, crediting a credit card, debiting a debit card, crediting an in-house credit account and receiving gaming chips.  
   
   
       18 . A system for managing the circulation of gaming chips in a gambling establishment, each gaming chip being of a respective gaming chip type selected from a plurality of predetermined gaming chip types, each predetermined gaming chip type being representative of a respective predetermined monetary value, said system comprising: 
 a plurality of wagering stations each implementing at least one wagering game;    a plurality of gaming chip distributors, said at least one gaming chip distributor being operative for: 
 receiving a payment from an intended user, the payment defining a payment monetary value; and  
 issuing to the intended user a plurality of gaming chips, the gaming chips being issued in numbers such that the sum of the monetary values represented by the issued gaming chips is equal to the monetary value of the received payment;  
 wherein the numbers and types of the issued gaming chips depends at least in part on an operational parameter of at least one of: a set of wagering stations from said plurality of wagering stations at which the distributed gaming chips are likely to be used by the intended user and said at least one gaming chip distributor.  
   
   
   
       19 . A gaming chip distributor for managing the circulation of gaming chips in a gambling establishment, each gaming chip being of a respective gaming chip type selected from a plurality of predetermined gaming chip types, each predetermined gaming chip type being representative of a respective predetermined monetary value, the gambling establishment having a plurality of wagering stations each implementing at least one wagering game, said gaming chip distributor being operative for: 
 receiving a payment from an intended user, the payment defining a payment monetary value; and    issuing to the intended user a plurality of gaming chips, the gaming chips being issued in numbers such that the sum of the monetary values represented by the issued gaming chips is equal to the monetary value of the received payment; 
 wherein the numbers and types of the issued gaming chips depends at least in part on an operational parameter of at least one of: a set of wagering stations from the plurality of wagering stations at which the distributed gaming chips are likely to be used by the intended user and said gaming chip distributor.