JP7709832B2 - Management System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a management system for managing storage media associated with a value for lending gaming media used in games at an amusement arcade.

For example, in an amusement parlor (amusement hall) equipped with gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines, a storage medium associated with a value is used to lend gaming media used in games to players. Here, the gaming medium is, for example, pachinko balls or medals, and the storage medium is, for example, a contactless type medium with an IC chip and an antenna, such as a membership card or a non-member card. Alternatively, a mobile phone or electronic money medium owned by a player may be used as the storage medium.

Patent Document 1 discloses a system that uses a storage medium to lend gaming media to players, and describes various operating methods for associating a value with the storage medium using a ticket issuing machine. According to Patent Document 1, it is possible to associate a value with the storage medium by depositing a high-value bill into the ticket issuing machine.

JP 2004-154493 A

On the other hand, in recent years, when playing gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines, players are unable to stop playing even after spending a certain amount of money, and end up with debts that exceed the amount originally planned. This problem of player addiction has become an issue. Although the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an operation technology for a storage medium to which a valuable value is associated, it does not mention anything about how to deal with the so-called "addiction problem."

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide a management system that can prevent so-called addiction when playing on gaming machines.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a management system for managing the amount of money used by a player at an amusement arcade, the management system comprising: a ticket issuing machine for associating a negotiable value with a storage medium based on the player's desire to issue a negotiable value; and a management device communicably connected to the ticket issuing machine, the ticket issuing machine having an imaging means for capturing a facial image of the player who desires to issue a negotiable value, the management device having a memory section in which data correlating the facial image of the player with the amount of money the player plans to use is registered in advance, and a facial image captured by the imaging means and received from the ticket issuing machine, and a management device communicably connected to the ticket issuing machine, the management device having a memory section in which data correlating the facial image of the player with the amount of money the player plans to use is registered in advance, and a management device The device is equipped with a comparison section which compares the image with the image, a judgment section which refers to the amount planned to be used by the player and judges the difference with the amount already issued, and an output section which issues an alert via the ticket issuing machine when the issued amount reaches the amount planned to be used at the player's request, and is configured so that when the issued amount reaches the amount planned to be used, it is impossible to associate a valuable with the storage medium, and it is possible to associate a valuable with the storage medium again by an additional operation, and the association of a valuable with the storage medium by the additional operation is limited to only 1,000 yen .

The present invention makes it possible to prevent so-called addiction when playing on gaming machines.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a gaming system; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of a planned usage amount management computer. FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing main steps of a management method according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing main steps of a management method according to a modified example of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in this specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

<Gaming System 1>
First, the entire gaming system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the configuration of a gaming system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the gaming system 1, a plurality of pachinko machines 2 (gaming machines), a plurality of spaced machines 3 and 4 (gaming devices), a plurality of slot machines 5 (gaming machines), and a plurality of spaced machines 6 (gaming devices) are connected to a network 8 via an island computer 7. The spaced machines 3 and 4 are each connected to the plurality of pachinko machines 2. The spaced machines 6 are each provided between the slot machines 5. The network 8 is, for example, a network such as a LAN. The plurality of pachinko machines 2 and spaced machines 3, the plurality of pachinko machines 2 and spaced machines 4, and the plurality of slot machines 5 and spaced machines 6 form "islands" arranged in rows.

The gaming system 1 is equipped with various devices. A counting machine 10, a settlement machine 11, a prize management machine (POS) 12, a replay reception machine 13, a ticket issuing machine 14, a wearable terminal 17, and the like are also connected to the network 8. A prize dispensing machine 18 can also be installed alongside the prize management machine (POS) 12.

The information from the devices is output to the management device 20 via the network 8, and is then transmitted to the card center 23 via the protocol converter 21 and modem 22. The management device 20 is also connected to, for example, a personal computer 24. The personal computer 24 can access each piece of information managed by the management device 20, and can display and print each piece of information. Furthermore, the personal computer 24 can also perform various settings for the management device 20, such as setting replay fees, and member registration. The information from the management device 20 is output to each device via the network 8. The communication of information from the modem 22 to the card center 23 is performed via a general communication line.

In the gaming system 1, a player can play games such as pachinko and slot machines using a member's card 30 (storage medium), a non-member's card 31 (storage medium), a mobile terminal (storage medium) owned by the player such as a smartphone, etc. Specifically, in the gaming system 1, gaming media such as pachinko balls and medals (coins) are lent and borrowed between the gaming hall and the player (member player, non-member player) using points (value) that can be specified by currency, the member's card 30, and the non-member's card 31, and the player plays games using the lent and borrowed pachinko balls and medals. Here, "points" refers to the amount of money deposited that is converted into a numerical value consumed by playing (points converted). For example, 10,000 yen converted into points is 100 points.

The storage medium and each device constituting the gaming system 1 described above each use a known configuration, such as that disclosed in JP 2017-148575 A and JP 2020-14892 A. In the following explanation, the ticket issuing machine 14 and management device 20 according to the present invention will be described.

<Ticket issuing machine 14>
The ticket issuing machine 14 records or updates the number of points corresponding to the amount selected by the purchase points button for the amount of bills inserted from the bill insertion slot in a storage medium such as the member card 30 or the non-member card 31. Alternatively, the number of points may be transmitted to the management device 20, which will be described later, together with the identification number of the storage medium, and the management device 20 may store the number of points corresponding to the amount instead of directly recording the number of points in the storage medium. If the player does not own a storage medium, a non-member card 31 may be issued in which the number of points corresponding to the amount is recorded. That is, the ticket issuing machine 14 has a function of associating the value (number of points) with a storage medium such as the member card 30 or the non-member card 31 based on the player's request (request for issuance of a valuable value). In addition, when a mobile phone or electronic money medium owned by the player is used as the storage medium, the ticket issuing machine 14 may record or update the valuable value. The ticket issuing machine of the present invention is not limited to the form of the ticket issuing machine 14 in FIG. 1, but also includes gaming devices such as the inter-machine machines 3, 4, and 6 equipped with a bill deposit function.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ticket issuing machine 14 is provided with a card insertion slot 40 for inserting a member's card 30 or the like, which is a storage medium, and a bill insertion slot 41 for inserting bills to record (deposit) a value in the storage medium. In addition, a reading unit 41a for depositing money into the storage medium using electronic money or the like is also provided. The bill insertion slot 41 and the reading unit 41a function as deposit means when recording a value (points) in a storage medium such as a member's card 30 or a non-member's card 31. In addition to the card insertion slot 40, a storage medium receiving unit capable of contactless communication with a mobile phone or IC card may be provided. In that case, instead of inserting the storage medium into the card insertion slot 40, the storage medium is brought close to the storage medium receiving unit. The ticket issuing machine 14 may also be provided with purchase point buttons 42 (42a to 42c) that are pressed to specify the amount to be deposited in the storage medium and correspond to a number of deposit amounts (e.g., 1,000 yen, 5,000 yen, 10,000 yen). In addition, a bill return port (not shown) may also be provided for returning bills and change that have been inserted through the bill insertion port 41.

In addition, a unit camera 45 is provided as an imaging means at the top front of the ticket issuing machine 14. The unit camera 45 faces the player who records or updates the value (points) in the storage medium in the ticket issuing machine 14, and captures an image of the face of the player. The unit camera 45 captures an image of the player each time the ticket issuing machine 14 records or updates the value (points). The image is also captured when a bill or storage medium is inserted. The image data captured by the unit camera 45 is transmitted to the management device 20 via the network 8.

The front of the ticket issuing machine 14 is provided with a display unit 50 such as a liquid crystal panel. The display unit 50 can display, for example, the balance of the valuable recorded in a storage medium, and the balance before and after updating the valuable. Specifically, the inserted deposit amount, the amount of change, the remaining points of the card inserted through the card insertion slot 40, the number of balls held, the number of saved balls, and other valuables can be confirmed, allowing the timing of deposit to be determined. The information displayed on the display unit 50 is not particularly limited, and information other than the valuables, such as messages, may also be displayed.

<Management device 20>
Next, the management device 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the management device 20 (functions as a planned usage management computer, which will be described later). The management device 20 has functions as a hall computer, a card management computer, a prize management computer, a member management computer, a planned usage management computer, and the like.

The hall computer's function is to manage various information related to the play of each gaming machine for each gaming machine. Specifically, it stores and manages the game information for each gaming machine (individual machine history information, aggregated information such as average values) for adjusting the various gaming machines, game information for some gaming machine groups (aggregated information such as average values), and game information for the entire gaming hall, and outputs it according to instructions.

The function of the card management computer is to store and manage various valuable values (points information, number of balls held, etc.) based on ID information, which is identification information that differs for each storage medium (member's card 30, non-member's card 31). Specifically, it is a function to store and manage valuable values from deposit, use in games with inter-machine machines 3, 4, 6, settlement of remaining points into cash by settlement machine 11, and prize exchange processing with acquired held balls based on the ID information of the storage medium (member's card 30, non-member's card 31), and output according to instructions.

The functions of the prize management computer are to record the number of prizes received and taken out, the number of items in stock, the number of prize exchange values required for prize exchange, and to subtract and update the prize exchange values resulting from prize exchanges.

The function of the member management computer is to manage the information of the member players mentioned above. Specifically, it is a function to store and manage the member's playing trend information, number of saved balls information, number of saved balls information for replays, point information, and data related to replays (including replay fees) based on the ID information of the member's card 30.

The planned usage amount management computer function is a function according to an embodiment of the present invention. This function refers to the planned usage amount specified at the request of the player, etc., when recording and updating the value (points) in the storage medium of the ticket issuing machine 14, and notifies the player of the planned usage amount. This function can solve the so-called "addiction problem" in which a player spends more than the planned usage amount and ends up with more debt than originally planned. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing this function as a planned usage amount management computer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the management device 20 has an input unit 101, a memory unit 102, a collation and comparison unit 103, a determination unit 104, a camera control unit 105, and an output unit 110. The input unit 101, the memory unit 102, the collation and comparison unit 103, the determination unit 104, the camera control unit 105, and the output unit 110 are realized by, for example, electronic elements such as IC chips, electrical circuits, external devices (external devices), and various programs that operate these.

The management device 20 may be configured as a single computer, or multiple computers may be connected via a cable or network so that they function as a single management device 20.

The management device 20 transmits and receives various information to and from each device shown in FIG. 1. There are no particular limitations on the protocol used for this transmission and reception, but whatever the protocol, the management device 20 is configured to be able to identify the device that sent the information it received. For example, by adding an IP address, MAC address, or unique identifier to the information sent to the management device 20, the management device 20 can individually identify each device (the same applies to devices other than the management device 20).

The control unit 100 is mainly composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM), and the CPU executes various types of calculation processing using programs and data stored in the ROM and RAM.

The control unit 100 controls the input unit 101, memory unit 102, collation/comparison unit 103, judgment unit 104, camera control unit 105, and output unit 110, and communicates information with each device that constitutes the gaming system 1 shown in Figure 1, such as the island computer 7, pachinko machine 2, slot machine 5, inter-machine machines 3, 4, and 6, and prize management machine (POS) 12, via network 8.

The input unit 101 is an interface for receiving data (signals) from each device shown in FIG. 1 via the network 8. The input unit 101 receives data from each device. For example, the input unit 101 receives image data captured by the unit camera 45 of the ticket issuing machine 14. For example, the input unit 101 receives events input from the personal computer 24 or the wearable terminal 17. For example, the input unit 101 receives information about the player, such as the amount of money deposited in the storage medium, the number of deposits, and the frequency of deposits, when the player records or updates a value (point) in the storage medium in the ticket issuing machine 14. For example, the input unit 101 receives information about the game by the player (for example, the occurrence of a jackpot, winning or losing in the game, depositing, returning the card, etc.), information indicating the occurrence of errors, troubles, and the like, and information indicating the execution of each process, from the gaming machine and each device constituting the gaming system 1 shown in FIG. 1. Information input to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone owned by the player may also be received. The data entered into the input unit 101 is sent to the memory unit 102.

The storage unit 102 is a database that stores data from each part of the management device 20. For example, the storage unit 102 stores image data captured by the unit camera 45, and information about the player, such as the amount, number of deposits, and frequency of deposits, deposited into the storage medium when the player records or updates the value (points) in the storage medium at the ticket issuing machine 14.

The memory unit 102 also stores matching source data and matching source image data for matching and comparison in the matching and comparison unit 103 described below. Matching source data is data that is registered in advance and that associates, for example, a face image of a player with the amount of money the player plans to spend. The memory unit 102 may also store, in addition to the face image of a player and the amount of money the player plans to spend, the ID information of the player's member card 30 and non-member card 31 in association with each other.

The facial image of the player and the amount of money to be used are registered in advance, for example, by the player himself. Furthermore, the facial image and the amount of money to be used may be registered by a person other than the player himself, such as a family member, using a photograph or a mobile phone, etc.

The memory unit 102 also stores information about gaming machines and about member and non-member players, which are managed as functions of the hall computer and member management computer described above. Specifically, the amount of money spent and deposited for each player on the day or over a certain period, information about each player's game and each gaming machine, information about the gaming trends of members, information about the gaming trends of non-members, data related to replays (including replay fees), attributes of members, etc. are stored and managed in association with, for example, the ID information of the member card 30 and non-member card 31.

Furthermore, the memory unit 102 stores various programs for controlling the gaming system 1.

The matching and comparing unit 103 compares the matching source data, which associates the face image of the player registered in the memory unit 102 with the amount of money the player plans to use, with the image data of the player captured by the unit camera 45. For example, the facial image data of the player registered in the memory unit 102 (matching source data) is compared with the facial image data of the player captured by the unit camera 45, and if there is a match, the registered amount of money planned to be used is referenced. At that time, information such as the amount of money deposited in the storage medium by the player, the number of deposits, and the frequency of deposits may also be referenced.

The determination unit 104 compares the planned amount of use registered for the matched player after comparison in the matching unit 103 with the player's current amount of use, amount deposited in the storage medium, number of deposits, deposit frequency, etc. (i.e. amount already issued), and determines whether or not there is a difference from the planned amount of use. It also determines whether additional purchases (recording and updating of value (points) in the storage medium) are possible. For example, when a specific player requests a deposit at the ticket issuing machine 14 (request for the issuance of value), the planned amount of use of the player is referenced and a determination is made as to whether it is within the planned amount of use, whether it has reached the planned amount of use, and how much more deposit is required to reach the planned amount of use.

The camera control unit 105 controls the operation of the unit camera 45 provided in the ticket issuing machine 14. Specifically, it controls the timing of capturing images by the unit camera 45. In this embodiment, an image is captured when a player inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 41 of the ticket issuing machine 14. Note that these cameras may capture images continuously or at predetermined time intervals.

The output unit 110 is an interface for transmitting data (signals) to each device shown in FIG. 1 via the network 8. The output unit 110 compares the reference data registered in the memory unit 102 with the image data of the player captured by the unit camera 45 in the comparison unit 103, and outputs the result of the difference with the planned amount of use determined in the judgment unit 104. Specifically, when a specific player wishes to deposit money, when the planned amount of use is reached in the judgment unit 104, a notice to that effect is output to the ticket issuing machine 14, and the player is notified via the ticket issuing machine 14. In addition, when the planned amount of use is registered by a family member of the player, the family member may be notified via a mobile phone or the like. In addition, the notification of the planned amount of use may be made to the game parlor employee together with the player. Notifications related to the amount to be used include notifications that the planned amount has already been reached, notifications of how much more is needed to be deposited to reach the planned amount, notifications that deposits are not possible if the planned amount is reached and it is no longer possible to record or update any more valuable value (points) on the storage medium (i.e. deposits or additional purchases), as described below, and notifications of how much deposits are still possible if the remaining amount that can be deposited up to the planned amount is low.

In addition to informing the relevant player of the planned amount of money to be used, the output unit 110 may output a signal to the ticket issuing machine 14 that makes it impossible to record or update the value (points) in the storage medium (i.e., to deposit or purchase additional points). Alternatively, in addition to informing the relevant player that a deposit is not possible, a signal may be output to allow the deposit if a specified additional operation is performed on the ticket issuing machine 14, etc.

One example of an additional operation is displaying an "OK" button on the ticket issuing machine 14 along with a message indicating that money cannot be deposited, and then pressing the "OK" button. Another example of an additional operation may be an operation by an arcade employee on the ticket issuing machine 14 itself, or an operation on a remote control such as the wearable terminal 17. In addition, if the registration of the planned amount of money to be used is an application made on behalf of a family member of the player, an example of an additional operation may be an operation in which the family member of the player gives approval via a mobile phone, etc.

<Management method according to an embodiment of the present invention>
Next, a management method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing main steps of the management method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[S101: Registration process]
First, based on the wishes of the player or his/her family, a facial image of the player and the planned amount of money to be spent in a predetermined period (for example, one day, one week, or one month) are registered in the memory unit 102. The facial image of the player to be registered can be an image taken by the unit camera 45 provided in the ticket issuing machine 14, a mobile terminal carried by an employee, or a mobile phone of the player or his/her family. It is preferable to register the facial image of the player as a pre-registration before the player plays, and the registered data is managed and stored in the management device 20.

[S102: Imaging process]
When a player wishes to deposit money into the ticket issuing machine 14, for example, at the timing when the player inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 41, the unit camera 45 captures an image of the player. Image data captured by this camera is output to the management device 20. In the management device 20, the input unit 101 receives the image data, and the image data is then transmitted to the storage unit 102.

At this time, the camera control unit 105 controls the operation of the unit camera 45. Specifically, when a player inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 41 of the ticket issuing machine 14, the unit camera 45 is controlled to capture an image of the player's face. At this time, the unit camera 45 may be controlled to capture multiple images of the player's face, refer to the multiple image data, and select and use image data that captures the player from the front.

[S103: Collation and comparison process]
In the collation comparison unit 103, image data captured when a deposit is desired is collated with already registered image data (reference data). If the captured image data matches the reference data, the amount of money to be used by the relevant player (hereinafter, the target player) that has already been registered in the storage unit 102 is referenced. Here, information such as the amount of money used by the target player, the amount deposited in the storage medium, the number of deposits, and the frequency of deposits may also be referenced. Furthermore, if the player is a member and a member card 30 is inserted into the card insertion slot 40, the member number may also be used as the reference data used in the collation comparison unit 103 in addition to the registered image data.

[S104: Determination step]
The determination unit 104 compares the amount of money to be used by the target player with the amount already deposited, and determines the difference between the amount of money to be used and the amount already deposited. For example, a case where there is a difference between the amount of money to be used and the amount already deposited may be determined as a "difference determination," and a case where there is no difference between the amount of money to be used and the amount already deposited may be determined as a "no difference determination." Various determination criteria may be set for this difference with the amount of money to be used, and the determination may be made based on, for example, the amount of money to be used on a daily basis, the amount of money to be used on a weekly basis, the amount of money to be used on a monthly basis, and the amount of money already deposited for each period. Note that the amount of money already used for gaming may be used as the comparison target, rather than the amount of money already deposited.

When the result of the judgment is a so-called "judgment of discrepancy," the value (points) is recorded and updated in the storage medium of the ticket issuing machine 14 according to the player's wishes within the range of the difference between the amount of money already deposited and the amount to be used. At that time, the ticket issuing machine 14 may display how much more can be deposited up to the amount to be used by the player, or only the purchase point buttons 42 for the amount that can be deposited may be made pressable, and for example, the purchase point buttons 42 for the amount that can be deposited may be made lighted, and the purchase point buttons 42 for the amount that cannot be deposited may be made unlighted, making it impossible to deposit, so that the player can distinguish between them. Specifically, when the difference up to the amount to be used is 6,000 yen and a 10,000 yen bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 41, the 1,000 yen purchase point button 42 and the 5,000 yen purchase point button 42 are made lighted and pressable, while the 10,000 yen purchase point button 42 is made unlighted and does not respond when pressed.
On the other hand, if the determination result is that the amount already deposited reaches the planned amount to be used (so-called no difference determination), an output as described below is provided to the ticket issuing machine 14 in the following output step S105.

The judgment unit 104 may make a judgment multiple times for the same player within a specified period (for example, one day). In that case, the judgment unit 104 may make a judgment based on the accumulated amount by accumulating the amount deposited by the player as valuable into the storage medium. Alternatively, the judgment unit 104 may subtract the amount deposited by the player as valuable from the amount of money to be used that is registered in advance, and make a judgment based on the amount after subtraction.

[S105: Output process]
The output unit 110 outputs to the ticket issuing machine 14 based on the difference determined by the determination unit 104. That is, when a player inserts a bill into the bill insertion slot 41, if the amount already deposited reaches the planned amount to be used (i.e., no difference is determined), a notice to that effect is output to the ticket issuing machine 14, and the ticket issuing machine 14 notifies the player (notification that the planned amount to be used has been deposited). When the difference determination for the day is performed based on the planned amount to be used on a daily basis, the notification that the planned amount to be used has been deposited may be made not only on the day, but also, for example, at the time of the first deposit at the next visit, that the planned amount to be used was used at the previous visit. Also, when the player performs the above-mentioned additional operation to deposit an additional amount despite the planned amount to be used having already been reached, the ticket issuing machine 14 may notify, for example, of the amount of the excess additional deposit and the number of additional deposits.

When the amount of money already deposited by a player reaches the amount of money the player plans to spend, various types of notification may be made to the player. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a notification may be made to the player that deposits are prohibited (deposits not permitted) at the ticket issuing machine 14. In addition to the notification that deposits are prohibited, the ticket issuing machine 14 may display a means (such as a display button) for confirming that the player has understood the notification. In addition to notifying the player, a similar notification may also be made to employees. In addition, if the registration of the amount of money to spend is requested by a family member of the player, the family member may be notified in addition to the player himself, and the family member may be notified via a mobile phone, etc.

By providing such notifications, players can avoid situations where they end up in debt by losing more than they had originally planned to spend, and this helps to resolve the so-called "addiction problem."

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

<Modifications of the present invention>
Next, a management method according to a modified example of the present invention will be described. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the management method according to the modified example of the present invention. Note that this modified example is a modified example of the steps after the output step S105 of the embodiment of the present invention, and the other steps are configured in the same manner as in the embodiment, so that the description thereof will be omitted here.

[S105: Output process]
In the above embodiment, a flow chart (see FIG. 3) was shown and explained in which, in the output step S105, a notification is given in the ticket issuing machine 14 to the effect that deposit is prohibited for a player who has been determined to have exceeded the limit in the determination step S104, but the present invention is not limited to this form. That is, even if a player wishes to deposit money and has been determined to have exceeded the limit, the player may be configured to be able to deposit money by performing a predetermined additional operation (additional operation S106).

[S106: Additional operation]
For example, when no difference is determined in the output process S105 and a notification is given that deposits are prohibited, a means (e.g., a display button) may also be displayed to confirm that the player has understood the notification, and a signal may be output by the output unit 110 to the ticket issuing machine 14 that enables additional deposits to be made when the player performs an additional operation (e.g., pressing a display button) indicating understanding.

In addition, when it is determined in the output step S105 that there is no difference and a notice is issued that a deposit is prohibited, a similar notice may also be issued to an employee of the amusement facility. In that case, a signal may be output by the output unit 110 to the ticket issuing machine 14 so that an employee can make an additional deposit by performing a specified additional operation.

In addition, if the registration of the planned amount of use is an application made on behalf of the player's family, when it is determined in the output step S105 that there is no difference and the player is notified that deposits are prohibited, a similar notification may also be given to the player's family. In such a case, the output unit 110 may output a signal to the ticket issuing machine 14 so that additional operations by the family member will enable additional deposits. In this case, the additional operations by the family member are performed, for example, on a mobile phone carried by the family member.

In addition, various restrictions may be placed on the additional deposits associated with the additional operation described in this modified example. For example, the number of additional deposits may be limited to a predetermined number, such as only one, or the amount of additional deposits may be limited to a predetermined amount, such as only 1,000 yen, or both the number of additional deposits and the amount of additional deposits may be limited.

According to the configuration of this modified example, when a player wishes to make an additional deposit after using up the amount of money that he or she had initially planned to use, a specific additional operation is required. This keeps the amount of additional deposit to a minimum, preventing problems such as players becoming addicted and taking on large debts.

The present invention can be applied to a management system for managing storage media associated with a value for lending gaming media used in games at an amusement arcade.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Gaming system 14 Ticket issuing machine 20 Management device 45 Unit camera 102 Storage unit 103 Collation comparison unit 104 Determination unit 110 Output unit

Claims (3)

A management system for managing the amount of money used by a player at an amusement facility,
a ticket issuing machine for associating a negotiable value with a storage medium based on the player's desire to issue the ticket;
A management device connected to the ticket issuing machine so as to be capable of communicating with the ticket issuing machine;
having
the ticket issuing machine includes an imaging means for imaging a face image of the player who wishes to issue a valuable item;
The management device includes:
a storage unit in which data correlating a face image of a player with an amount of money the player plans to spend is registered in advance;
a verification and comparison unit that verifies and compares a face image captured by the imaging means and received from the ticket issuing machine with a face image registered in the storage unit;
A determination unit that determines a difference between an amount of money already issued to the player and an amount of money expected to be used by the player;
an output unit that notifies the player through the ticket issuing machine when the issued amount reaches the planned amount of use at the player's request;
A management system configured such that when the issued amount reaches the planned usage amount, it is impossible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium, and it is possible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium again by an addition operation, and the association of a negotiable value with the storage medium by the addition operation is limited to only 1,000 yen . A management system for managing the amount of money used by a player at an amusement facility,
a ticket issuing machine for associating a negotiable value with a storage medium based on the player's desire to issue the ticket;
A management device connected to the ticket issuing machine so as to be capable of communicating with the ticket issuing machine;
having
the ticket issuing machine includes an imaging means for imaging a face image of the player who wishes to issue a valuable item;
The management device includes:
a storage unit in which data correlating a face image of a player with an amount of money the player plans to spend is registered in advance;
a verification and comparison unit that verifies and compares a face image captured by the imaging means and received from the ticket issuing machine with a face image registered in the storage unit;
A determination unit that determines a difference between an amount of money already issued to the player and an amount of money expected to be used by the player;
an output unit that notifies the player through the ticket issuing machine when the issued amount reaches the planned amount of use at the player's request;
A management system configured such that when an issued amount reaches a planned usage amount, it is impossible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium, and it is possible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium again by an addition operation, and the association of a negotiable value with the storage medium by the addition operation is limited to only one time. A management system for managing the amount of money used by a player at an amusement facility,
a ticket issuing machine for associating a negotiable value with a storage medium based on the player's desire to issue the ticket;
A management device connected to the ticket issuing machine so as to be capable of communicating with the ticket issuing machine;
having
the ticket issuing machine includes an imaging means for imaging a face image of the player who wishes to issue a valuable item;
The management device includes:
a storage unit in which data correlating a face image of a player with an amount of money the player plans to spend is registered in advance;
a verification and comparison unit that verifies and compares a face image captured by the imaging means and received from the ticket issuing machine with a face image registered in the storage unit;
A determination unit that determines a difference between an amount of money already issued to the player and an amount of money expected to be used by the player;
an output unit that notifies the player through the ticket issuing machine when the issued amount reaches the planned amount of use at the player's request;
A management system configured such that when the issued amount reaches the planned usage amount, it becomes impossible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium, and it becomes possible to associate a negotiable value with the storage medium again by performing an additional operation , and the additional operation is performed on a mobile phone carried by a family member of the player .