Method for corroborating a gaming jackpot payment

Abstract

A method for authorizing a witness-less manual payment of a gaming jackpot includes comparing a jackpot transaction value from a payment user to a maximum witness-less hand-payment jackpot value and to a jackpot value from the gaming machine. Confirmed jackpots of suitable value can be authorized for hand-payment without a corroborating human witness. The maximum value is selectable by the casino.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for authorizing a manual payment of a gaming jackpot, comprising: 
 receiving a jackpot winning signal from a gaming machine, said jackpot signal including a jackpot value of a player;    receiving a payment user transaction signal, said transaction signal including a payment user identifier and a jackpot transaction value;    generating a confirmed jackpot value if the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal is equal to the jackpot transaction value of the transaction signal;    authorizing transfer of the confirmed jackpot value to the player without a requirement for a corroborating payment witnessing user; and    creating a record of the authorized transfer.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein creating a record of the authorized transfer comprises printing a jackpot payment transaction receipt including indicia indicating that authorization was granted without the requirement for a corroborating payment witnessing user.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 suspending said gaming machine to prevent further gaming play thereon.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising: 
 transferring the confirmed jackpot value to the player.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising: 
 releasing the gaming machine to permit gaming play thereon.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 generating an unconfirmed jackpot value signal if the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal is not equal to the jackpot transaction value of the transaction signal; and    generating a witness summoning signal.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 comparing the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal to a maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value; and    requiring a corroborating payment witnessing user if the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal is greater than a witness-less jackpot manual payment maximum value.    
     
     
         8 . An article comprising a storage medium, said storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a computing device, result in: 
 receiving a jackpot winning signal from a gaming machine, said jackpot signal including a jackpot value of a player;    receiving a payment user transaction signal, said transaction signal including a payment user identifier and a jackpot transaction value;    generating a confirmed jackpot value if the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal is equal to the jackpot transaction value of the transaction signal;    authorizing transfer of the confirmed jackpot value to the player without a requirement for a corroborating payment witnessing user; and    creating a record of the authorized transfer.    
     
     
         9 . A method for corroborating a gaming machine jackpot payment, comprising: 
 generating a jackpot winning signal corresponding to a jackpot won by a gaming player of a gaming machine, said jackpot winning signal including a jackpot value;    determining a jackpot payment user authorization;    verifying the jackpot value;    creating a jackpot transaction record indicating authorization of a transfer of the jackpot value without a corroborating jackpot payment user; and    authorizing the jackpot payment user to credit the jackpot value to the winning player without a jackpot payment corroborating witness.    
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein creating a jackpot transaction record comprises printing a jackpot payment transaction receipt including indicia indicating that authorization was granted without the requirement for a corroborating payment witnessing user.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the jackpot winning signal includes at least one of chronological data or a gaming machine identifier.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein determining a jackpot payment user authorization comprises determining a jackpot manual payment permission of the jackpot payment user.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein determining a jackpot payment user authorization comprises: 
 comparing a jackpot payment user identification code entered at the gaming machine to a stored jackpot payment user identification code; and  
 authorizing the jackpot payment user to credit the jackpot value to the winning player without a jackpot payment corroborating witness if the entered identification code matches the stored identification code.  
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein determining a jackpot payment user authorization comprises generating a jackpot manual payment permission request for the jackpot payment user if said jackpot payment user does not have an associated jackpot manual payment permission.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 logging the jackpot manual payment permission request.    
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 crediting the jackpot value to the winning player.    
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein crediting the jackpot value to the winning player comprises dispensing to the winning player cash equal to the jackpot value, dispensing to the winning player a check in the amount of the jackpot value, assigning a credit equal to the jackpot value to the credit meter of the gaming machine, or assigning a credit equal to the jackpot value to an account of the winning player.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 comparing the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal to a jackpot manual witness payment value; and    declining to authorize the jackpot payment user to credit the jackpot value to the winning player if the jackpot value of the jackpot winning signal is greater than the jackpot manual witness payment value.    
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the jackpot manual witness payment value is a selectable value.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 storing parameters of the jackpot value credit authorization in a jackpot payment database.    
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein parameters of the jackpot value credit authorization include at least one of the jackpot value, a gaming machine identifier, gaming machine chronological data, and a jackpot payment user identifier.  
     
     
         22 . A method for paying a gaming machine jackpot, comprising: 
 generating a jackpot payment transaction request from a jackpot payment user;    verifying a jackpot payment request value with a jackpot signal value of a jackpot signal transmitted from a gaming machine;    authorizing a transfer without a jackpot payment corroborating witness of a verified jackpot value to a player of said gaming machine; and    printing a jackpot payment transaction receipt including indicia that a jackpot payment corroborating witness is not required for the transfer of the verified jackpot value.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the jackpot signal further includes at least one of a gaming player identity value, a gaming machine identity value, a chronological value, or gaming outcome data.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the jackpot payment transaction request further includes a jackpot payment user identity value.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22  wherein verifying the jackpot value comprises: 
 comparing the jackpot value of the jackpot signal to a maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value; and  
 requiring a jackpot payment corroborating witness if the jackpot value of the jackpot signal is greater than the maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value.  
 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value is a selectable value.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22  wherein verifying the jackpot value comprises: 
 comparing the jackpot payment request value of the jackpot payment transaction request to a maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value; and  
 requiring a jackpot payment corroborating witness if the jackpot payment request value is greater than the maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value;  
 else authorizing the jackpot payment transaction request without a payment corroborating witness requirement.  
 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the maximum jackpot witness-less manual payment value is a selectable value.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22  wherein verifying the jackpot value comprises correlating the jackpot signal value with the jackpot payment request value.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising: 
 rejecting the jackpot payment transaction request if the jackpot signal value is not equal to the jackpot payment request value; and    storing the jackpot payment transaction request rejection.    
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30  wherein transferring the jackpot value comprises crediting the jackpot value to a player account.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising: 
 transferring the jackpot value from the jackpot payment user to the gaming player of said gaming machine.    
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32  wherein transferring the jackpot value to a player comprises physically transferring a tangible value medium from the jackpot payment user to the player.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising: 
 storing jackpot value transfer data in a jackpot payment data log.    
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34  wherein storing jackpot value transfer data comprises storing data representing at least one of the jackpot signal or the jackpot payment transaction request.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 22  wherein authorizing a jackpot value transfer comprises: 
 determining if the jackpot payment user has an associated jackpot manual payment permission;  
 approving the jackpot payment transaction request if the jackpot payment user has an associated jackpot manual payment permission; and  
 assigning a jackpot value transfer authorization code.  
 
     
     
         37  The method of  claim 36  wherein: 
 storing jackpot value transfer data comprises storing the jackpot payment transaction request and the jackpot value transfer authorization code.  
 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising: 
 rejecting the jackpot payment transaction request if the jackpot payment user does not have an associated jackpot manual payment permission.    
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising: 
 comparing the jackpot payment request value to a jackpot payment value limit associated with the jackpot payment user;    approving the jackpot payment transaction request if the jackpot payment request value is equal to or less than the jackpot payment value limit; and    rejecting the jackpot payment transaction request if the jackpot payment request value is greater than the jackpot payment value limit.    
     
     
         40 . A method for corroborating a gaming machine jackpot payment, comprising: 
 receiving a jackpot signal from the gaming machine, said jackpot signal corresponding to a jackpot won by a gaming player of a gaming machine and including a jackpot value;    receiving a jackpot payment request initiated by a jackpot payment user at the gaming machine, said jackpot payment request including a user identification signal and a jackpot payment value;    determining a jackpot payment authorization for the jackpot payment user;    comparing the jackpot value and the jackpot payment value;    authorizing the jackpot payment user to pay the jackpot value to the winning player at the gaming machine without a jackpot payment corroborating witness if the jackpot value and the jackpot payment value are equal;    paying the jackpot value to the gaming player; and    storing parameters of the jackpot value payment in a jackpot payment database.    
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising: 
 receiving a jackpot reimbursement request from a jackpot payment user at a value station remote from the gaming machine, said transaction reimbursement request including the user identification signal;    comparing the user identification signal of the jackpot reimbursement request with the user identification signal of the jackpot transaction request;    authorizing a reimbursement of the jackpot value to the jackpot payment user if the user identification signals match; and    printing a jackpot transaction record indicating authorization of a transfer of the jackpot value without a corroborating jackpot payment user.