WO2008043159A1

WO2008043159A1 - Encoded gaming ticket

Info

Publication number: WO2008043159A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/001558
Authority: WO
Inventors: Barrie James Holst; Graeme CHURCHILL; Mark Cleary
Original assignee: The Bright Group Pty Limited; Mark Sensing (Aust.) Pty Limited
Priority date: 2006-10-12
Filing date: 2007-10-11
Publication date: 2008-04-17

Abstract

An encoded gaming ticket (11) has a thermal side (10) and a non-thermal side (24). A barcode (12) is printed on the thermal side (10) of the ticket (11) and non-visible encoded strips are printed on the non-thermal side of the ticket. The non-visible encoded ink may be selected from magnetic inks, infra-red inks, ultra-violet inks and photocopy prevention inks.

Description

ENCODED GAMING TICKET FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to thermal gaming tickets and more particularly to encoded thermal gaming tickets. Such gambling tickets usually have a thermal side on which a barcode is printed which represents a cash payout amount and a non thermal side which is used for venue promotional material. BACKGROUND ART

The gaming industry is especially security conscious and in order to counter fraud, a thermal payout ticket is widely used. For example, a poker machine will print out a thermal ticket which carries a printed code and the jackpot payment value to be paid on that poker machine. The printed code is registered in the payment system of the gaming venue at the time of printing.

In a first case, the player takes the thermal ticket to a payout office within the gaming venue to obtain cash in exchange for the ticket. Thermal gaming tickets are not negotiable outside the gaming venue and to make a payment, the cashier must have a match with the code and if this is successful the payout system advises the cashier the amount of money to be paid. In a second case, the player, after winning an amount on the slot machine, presses the collect button and receives a ticket. He puts the ticket with the credits/cash amount back into another machine via the banknote validator which accepts both cash and thermal gaming tickets, this system is called TITO (ticket in/ ticket out). This therefore transfers the credits/cash amount to another gaming machine for the player to continue to play. Various attempts are made to duplicate or copy payment tickets in order to claim the payout cash more than the once only authorised time. In its simplest form, this involves photocopying the gaming ticket and as it will be

11/10/07 evident from the second case, the note validator will accept a photocopied ticket as it is looking for a barcode that matches the system of the venue as a genuine ticket. The fraud occurs when the photocopied ticket is put into the note acceptor before the genuine ticket is presented as the ticket can only be verified once by this system. In the first case the ticket is presented to a cashier who can detect a photocopied ticket because of its appearance.

Thus, there is a need for a further level of security for encoded gaming tickets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an encoded gaming ticket incorporating a security system comprised by a row of non- visible encoded ink strips on the ticket.

Preferably, there are two rows of such encoded ink strips. The ink strips may be incorporated in the venue logo as a segment or part of the design not necessarily as stand alone ink strips. The encoded ink strips may be on one side of the ticket or on both sides of the ticket.

The payout cashier would be provided with a reader so that the encoded ticket would be scanned, and if successful, pass through to the normal payout procedures. The encoded ink strip may be applied to the gaming ticket in any convenient way by any convenient means.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided an encoded gaming ticket incorporating ultra-violet printing on the thermal side of the ticket adapted to be read by a note validator and metallic ink one side of the ticket adapted to be read by the note validator.

The encoded gaming ticket of the second aspect of the invention is particularly useful for encoded gaming tickets for the Ticket in Ticket out

11/10/07 system in which any player can take his ticket from machine to machine and insert the ticket into the validator to register credits on a second machine.

In either forms of the invention, the encoded gaming ticket may carry additional thermal wording VOID which is revealed if the ticket has been photocopied or scanned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the front face on an encoded gaming ticket, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rear face of the encoded gaming ticket shown in Fig. 1.

The front face 10 of the encoded gaming ticket 11 shown in Fig. 1 is the thermal side of the ticket on which is printed a barcode 12 which represents the cash payout amount 13. The rear face 14 of the encoded gaming ticket 11 shown in Fig. 2 has an open area 15 for printing of promotional material such as the venue logo in colour.

The ticket printer specifies by firmware, the location and coding of a second security system which may comprise a row of non-visible strips in magnetic, infra-red, ultra-violet or photocopy prevention inks. The printing is achieved by chemical applications and is invisible. The preferred location is within the open area 15 but any available area on the front or rear of the ticket may be used.

Thus, one aspect of the invention is to print or otherwise apply various chemicals that are readable or recognised by a note validator, these could be printed on either side of the ticket.

11/10/07 Magnetic inks, infra red inks, ultraviolet inks, and photocopy prevention inks (that image after the ticket is photocopied therefore reducing the original ticket to no value) may be used.

The selected ink is printed onto the gaming ticket in an unknown pattern that may be incorporated into the venue logo/promotional printing on the back of the ticket therefore hiding the area which is secure.

The note validators will have software loaded in them recognising the position and amount of the ink and confirming the ticket is a genuine ticket issued by the venue and not a photocopy which of course does not have the security code on it.

In a Casino environment, a note validator may not only be in a gaming machine, it may be in a cashier's cage or in a redemption terminal where a customer can redeem his ticket for cash rather than continuing playing.

Various modifications may be made in details of design and construction without departing from the scope and ambit of the invention.

11/10/07

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. An encoded gaming ticket incorporating an invisible security system comprised by an array of non-visible encoded ink strips on the ticket.

2. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 1 having a thermal side on which a barcode is printed and a non-thermal side which is used for promotional material and wherein the non-visible array comprises a second security system.

3. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 2 wherein the second security system is invisibly printed on the non-thermal side of the ticket.

4. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 2 wherein the second security system is invisibly printed on the thermal side of the ticket.

5. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 2 wherein the second security system is printed on both sides of the ticket.

6. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 1 wherein the ink is selected from magnetic ink, infra-red ink, ultra-violet ink and photocopy prevention inks

7. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 2 wherein the ink is printed in an unknown pattern which is incorporated into the promotional material on the non-thermal side of the ticket.

8. An encoded gaming ticket according to claim 1 having ultra-violet printing on the thermal side of the ticket adapted to be read by a note validator and a metallic ink on the thermal side or the non-thermal side also adapted to be read by a note validator.

11/10/2007