System and method for incentivizing purchases in association with a gaming establishment retail account

Abstract

A system and method that provides zero, one or more incentives to a retail patron in association with utilizing an amount of funds in one or more gaming establishment accounts to complete one or more purchases of goods and/or services from a retail establishment.

The invention is claimed as follows: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 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 completion of a transaction associated with a gaming establishment and a determination that a source of funds used to complete the transaction is a first source of funds:
 determine a first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, 
 determine a second benefit associated with the first source of funds, 
 associate each of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit with a user, and 
 communicate data that results in a display, by a display device, of at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein when executed by the processor responsive to the completion of the transaction associated with the gaming establishment and a determination that the source of funds used to complete the transaction is a second, different source of funds, the instructions cause the processor to:
 determine the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds,   associate the determined first benefit with the user, and   communicate data that results in a display, by the display device, of the determined first benefit.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the transaction associated with the gaming establishment comprises a retail purchase occurring at a point-of-sale terminal associated with the gaming establishment. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the point-of-sale terminal determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a component of a gaming establishment fund management system determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a component of a gaming establishment patron management system determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the first source of funds comprises a gaming establishment retail account. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit comprise player tracking points. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit is based on at least one of an amount of the transaction and an identity of the user. 
     
     
         10 . A system comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
 following an approved purchase occurring at a point-of-sale terminal associated with a retail establishment and responsive to a receipt of data associated with a transfer of an amount of funds from a gaming establishment retail account maintained in association with a user to an account associated with the retail establishment:
 determine, independent of the point-of-sale terminal and based on the approved purchase occurring at the point-of-sale terminal, a benefit to associate with the user, and 
 communicate data that results in a display, by a display device, of the determined benefit. 
 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor comprises a component of a gaming establishment patron management system. 
     
     
         12 . A method of operating a system, the method comprising:
 responsive to a completion of a transaction associated with a gaming establishment and a determination that a source of funds used to complete the transaction is a first source of funds:
 determining, by a processor, a first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, 
 determining, by the processor, a second benefit associated with the first source of funds, 
 associating, by the processor, each of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit with a user, and 
 displaying, by a display device, at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising, responsive to the completion of the transaction associated with the gaming establishment and a determination that the source of funds used to complete the transaction is a second, different source of funds:
 determining, by the processor, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds,   associating, by the processor, the determined first benefit with the user, and   displaying, by the display device, the determined first benefit.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the transaction associated with the gaming establishment comprises a retail purchase occurring at a point-of-sale terminal associated with the gaming establishment. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the point-of-sale terminal determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a component of a gaming establishment fund management system determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein a component of a gaming establishment patron management system determines at least one of: the source of funds used to complete the transaction, the first benefit not associated with the first source of funds, and the second benefit associated with the first source of funds. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first source of funds comprises a gaming establishment retail account. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit comprise player tracking points. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the determined first benefit and the determined second benefit is based on at least one of an amount of the transaction and an identity of the user.