GB2591754A

GB2591754A - Gaming table monitoring apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2591754A
Application number: GB2001498.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Baker French Nicholas
Original assignee: TCS John Huxley Europe Ltd
Current assignee: TCS John Huxley Europe Ltd
Priority date: 2020-02-04
Filing date: 2020-02-04
Publication date: 2021-08-11
Also published as: GB202001498D0

Abstract

Roulette ball position detection apparatus comprising a plurality of ball detection sensors 106 arranged to detect the presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel 102 at least one position sensor 110 arranged to detect a position of a roulette wheel, a master consensus module 114 and a slave consensus module 122. The master consensus module or controller being arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors, and wheel position sensor, and identify the position of the ball from the sensor data. The slave consensus module is arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying a fail state, performing the identification of the ball position from the sensor data.

Description

GAMING TABLE MONITORING APPARATUS

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gaming table monitoring apparatus, and particularly to a gaming table monitoring apparatus arranged to reliably identify an event occurrence in a game being played at the table -such as, for example, the identification of pocket of a roulette wheel in which a roulette ball has ceased moving.

Background to the Invention

Roulette wheels are becoming increasingly automated and monitored in order to limit time spent resetting and carrying out jackpot payments. Many online forms of roulette are driven by a real-world roulette wheel which is used to provide an online graphical user experience with non-pseudorandom results in as non-biased and non-exploitable a fashion as possible.

Automated roulette wheels can provide enormous benefits in the form of improved consistency and speed of play and maximising the length and number of play opportunities for a player. Automated systems can suffer inherent drawbacks, however, which often require human intervention to rectify. One critical problem with automated roulette wheels is the frequency of incorrect identifications of a winning roulette result. As such, even automated roulette wheels typically require the presence of a table operator or croupier.

In the past, a roulette wheel was developed to operate on a table, enabling a result to be obtain based on betting options also provided on the table. In recent times, such practice has now evolved to incorporate the placing of displays on tables which enable roulette players to see and keep track of previous results and statistics. Such monitoring of roulette results was typically done using reader heads which were positioned above the pockets of roulette wheel.

The next generation of this technology emerged as the embedding of the associated pocket reading technology into the roulette wheel itself. This provided a number of advantages including: hiding unsightly reader heads to provide a more elegant and minimalist roulette wheel; improving reliability since a reader head positioned above pockets of roulette wheel would often be knocked or otherwise moved from position, or be affected by other external factors such as lighting, resulting in misreads; and enabling more integration with other roulette wheel technology.

Even with the incorporated reading technology, however, automated roulette systems still experience difficulties in accounting for the near-infinite number of possible trajectories a roulette ball can take, and anomalous events which may occur due to rare combinations of highly-infrequent circumstances. Increasing the number of plays by automating processes can cause otherwise infrequent occurrences, to become more frequent.

An occasional misread (or no read at all) by such technology has historically not provided any substantial issue, in cases where players are assembled around a roulette table, as a croupier could easily handle any halting of payments, re-setting of the roulette wheel and handling any mis-payments.

Modern-day casinos are typically more technology-based than these older systems, and electronic terminals are commonly incorporated into table games such as roulette. Such terminals often provide players with the ability to sit remotely from a table in more perceived privacy, using a touchscreen to place bets on a table. Such improvements have, however, added their own complications, since, if an error occurs at a roulette table (such as, for example, a bad spin by dealer, an incorrectly identified result, or no result issued at all), the players are no longer in the immediate vicinity of the table operator or croupier such that the errors can be rectified and the results of such errors controlled.

Such problems are now compounded following the advent of online table games, which are typically driven by a real-world table. In online table games there can be in excess of a million people playing roulette at a single roulette wheel. While the reliability of roulette wheel reading technology has improved, the likelihood of an incorrect result issued remains. This causes a great deal of problems in cases where player payouts are performed automatically following issuance of a roulette result.

Some solutions have included a stop button (arranged to stop transactions such as payouts), or a series of validation steps to confirm results ahead of issuing said results to client devices of players. Such solutions carry their own drawbacks such as the inevitable slowing of the game and the increased labour-intensiveness of operating the wheel. In wheels having a stop button, it is often not possible to stop transactions in time before some players are able to receive their incorrect payment and cash out before the mis-payments can be recovered. In general, the result is invariably a reduced level of entertainment value and reduced level of trust in such systems.

It is therefore desirable to provide a solution which overcomes the disadvantages of the current technology. Particularly, it is desirable to provide a roulette wheel reading apparatus and method which reduces labour-intensiveness of a roulette wheel, minimises the time taken to reliably identify a winning roulette result and overcomes a number of known anomalous events which cause misreads, while maximising the frequency of potential play experiences for a user, thereby improving the overall player experience. It is therefore preferable to provide a solution which enables an increased uptake of automated roulette wheels for modern casino environments incorporating remote gaming terminals and for online casino games.

Summary of the Invention

The present application is directed to a gaming table monitoring apparatus for monitoring events of a game being played at a gaming table. In accordance with a first aspect, the monitoring apparatus comprises: a plurality of event sensors arranged to detect an occurrence of an event of a game being played at the gaming table at a corresponding time, each of the plurality of event sensors being arranged to output an event detection signal indicating the occurrence of the event; a master consensus module arranged to receive the event detection signals from each of the plurality of event detection sensors; identify, from each event detection signal, a consensus event occurrence; and output a first event signal indicating the consensus event occurrence; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying the fail state of the master consensus module: receive the event detection signals from each of the plurality of event detection sensors; identify, from the event detection signals, a consensus event occurrence; and output a second event signal indicating the consensus event occurrence.

The apparatus of the present invention aims to modify table-based play in a casino-setting, particularly by improving the reliability of automated tables, and thereby enable an increased uptake of automated tables for modern casino environments incorporating remote gaming terminals and for online casino applications.

Further aspects of the present invention are described herein wherein the gaming table is a roulette wheel. Additional embodiments of the first aspect will be appreciated wherein the gaming table is not a roulette wheel, but is any casino-related gaming table having event detection sensors arranged to monitor event occurrences at the table. Examples of such gaming tables may include, but are by no means limited to, roulette, baccarat, poker, blackjack, sic bo, money wheel, craps, or any other suitable casino-based dice game, card game or other game performed at a table.

In particular examples, the event detection sensors may be used for detecting events such as: the placing of gaming tokens, chips or jettons as a wager on an outcome of the game being played at the table; the entry of a hand, arm or other body part into a betting or wagering zone of the table; an action of a dealer, croupier or table operator, such as the drawing or dealing of a card, the launching of a roulette ball, the rolling of dice, the clearing of the table of cards or chips, the actuation of a button, key or lever to mark the beginning or end of an event, or a state or position of a roulette ball or die. Other examples of events to be detected will be appreciated by the skilled addressee.

In most embodiments the events detected by the event detection sensors may signal particular points of play progression at the table. In such embodiments, the present invention may aid in providing a reliable and consistent operation of apparatuses at a gaming table. Other embodiments will be appreciated however wherein the events detected by the event detection sensors may indicate a security risk or error in play at the table. In such cases, the present invention may aim to provide reliable and consistent security provision in order to prevent illegal action such as theft or other exploitation of inconsistencies in play at the table. In any case the present invention aims to provide an improved play experience for players at, or remote to, the table and may thereby improve uptake of automated table systems for the use of remote play and online applications.

In accordance with preferable embodiments of the first aspect, there is provided a roulette wheel reading apparatus for determining the location of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of ball detection sensors arranged to detect the presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel at a corresponding time, the plurality of ball detection sensors being further arranged to output a detection signal indicating said presence of a roulette ball; at least one position sensor arranged to detect a position of a roulette wheel wheelhead at the corresponding time, and output a position signal indicating said position; a master consensus module, the master consensus module being arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying a fail state of the master consensus module: receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location.

The apparatus preferably further comprises a clock arranged to provide a time-stamp to each of the detection signals indicating the corresponding time, such that concurrent detections may be linked for the purpose of satisfactorily identifying a consensus event occurrence at a particular time. In embodiments wherein the gaming table is a roulette wheel table, detection of a roulette ball may be required to be paired with the corresponding position of the roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of the roulette wheel, for the purpose of identifying a roulette result. In such embodiments, position signals issued by the position sensor may each also be issued a time-stamp indicating the corresponding time. In this way, a time-stamp issued by the clock, or by a processor using time issued by the clock, preferably permits synchronisation of detections with the associated positions of the roulette wheel wheelhead at the time of the detection, such that a pocket in which the ball was detected can be identified and corroborated alongside further detection/position pairings by the master and/or slave consensus modules. Preferably the apparatus is arranged to allocate a position of a position signal to a detection of a detection signal, according to the corresponding time-stamps of said position signal and said detection signal, which may be to provide synchronised, concurrent detection/position pairings. Preferably such allocation is performed by the master consensus module and/or the slave consensus module, which may be during identification of the consensus roulette ball location.

The apparatus preferably further comprises a signal routing module arranged to perform said allocating, and is further arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; and for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; wherein the signal routing member may be further arranged to perform said allocation; and output said position signal and said detection signal to the master consensus module and/or slave consensus module. Thereby, such time-synchronised, concurrent detection/position pairings may be performed by a signal routing module prior to outputting and receiving the detection signals and the position signals, or alternatively said pairings, by the master and/or slave consensus modules.

The apparatus may further comprise: a memory, wherein the memory is arranged to store at least one of: the detection signals; the position signals; the consensus roulette ball location; the first result signal; the second result signal. Said storing may be for the purpose of producing or updating a database or catalogue of previous event occurrences or results for monitoring, tracking, analysing or displaying to a table operator, monitor or plurality of players.

The apparatus may further comprise: a display screen arranged to receive the first result signal and the second result signal, and further arranged to display an indication of the consensus roulette ball location. The display screen may be arranged to display a series of indications of previous consensus roulette ball locations. As such, the display screen may in such embodiments provide an indication to one or more table operators or players of roulette, the previous consensus roulette ball locations, which may identify roulette results. Using the present invention therefore, such a display of previous roulette results is feasible since the improved reliability provided by the present invention in identifying occurrence of an event at a table game preferably minimises any likelihood of incorrect results being stored and displayed, which would thereby provide incorrect result-tracking information for table operators or players who may each be looking to identify trends in the results of the roulette wheel. In the case of players, any trends may be exploited, whereas for table operators, any trends in results may indicate a fault or inconsistency in the play at the table, such as in operation of a roulette wheel, triggering ceasing of play for review, repair or maintenance; or perhaps even indicate foul play. Reliable displaying of such trends, due to the initial improved-reliability in event detection, therefore preferably minimises incidence of incorrect ceasing of play, thereby preferably maximising consistency of play, minimising security risks and maximises playing opportunities and player experience.

The event detection sensors, such as ball detection sensors, are preferably arranged to emit and/or receive a signal having a signal type selected from the group: acoustic; pressure wave; infrared; near infrared; ultraviolet; any suitable region of the electromagnet spectrum. Any suitable detection of events will be appreciated, and may instead include a contact-or pressure-sensing detection. In preferable embodiments, at least one of the plurality of event detection sensors, such as ball detection sensors, is an optical sensor. In most preferable embodiments, two or more of the plurality of event detection sensors, such as ball detection sensors, are arranged to emit and/or receive a signal having a different signal type to one another. The present invention therefore may preferably provide multiple types of event sensors in order to determine a consensus event occurrence. Use of multiple types of event detection sensors, such as ball detection sensors, may be beneficial to minimise instances wherein random or environment artefact influences event detection, which may relate to environmental light levels (such as according to time-of-day) or other signal interference.

The plurality of event detection sensors, such as ball detection sensors, preferably comprises a first plurality of event detection sensors, and a second plurality of event detection sensors, the first plurality of event detection sensors being arranged to output their respective detection signals to the master consensus module, and the second plurality of event detection sensors being arranged to output their respective detection signals to the slave consensus module.

In some embodiments it may be preferable for the master consensus module to receive event detection signals from a first plurality of event detection sensors, and for the slave consensus module to receive event detection signals from a second plurality of event detection sensors, different to the first. In such a way, a fail state of the master consensus module identified by the slave consensus module may additionally comprise a fail state of one or more of the first plurality of event detection sensors. In such instances it may be beneficial for the slave consensus module to depend upon signals received from a second, separate set of sensors to provide complete reliability.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a roulette wheel having a roulette wheel bowl and a roulette wheel wheelhead, the roulette wheel wheelhead having a circumferential pocket region comprising a plurality of pockets, the roulette wheel further comprising a roulette wheel reading apparatus comprising: a plurality of ball detection sensors arranged to detect the presence of a roulette ball in one of the plurality of pockets of the roulette wheel at a corresponding time, the plurality of ball detection sensors being further arranged to output a detection signal indicating said presence of a roulette ball; at least one position sensor arranged to detect a position of the roulette wheel wheelhead at the corresponding time, and output a position signal indicating said position; a master consensus module, the master consensus module being arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying the fail state of the master consensus module: receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location In some embodiments of the second aspect, the roulette wheel reading apparatus may be a gaming table monitoring apparatus in accordance with the first aspect. It will therefore be appreciated that any features described herein as suitable for incorporation into the first aspect will also be suitable for incorporation into the roulette wheel of the second aspect.

A roulette wheel is described in particular for the second aspect. It will be appreciate that the present invention will be suitable for inclusion in any suitable gaming table as described earlier.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detecting a location of a roulette ball in a pocket region of a roulette wheel; the method comprising the steps of: - detecting, by each of a plurality of ball detection sensors, a presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel at a corresponding time; sending, by each of the first plurality of sensors, a detection signal indicating said presence; - detecting, by a position sensor, a position of a wheelhead of the roulette wheel at the corresponding time; sending, by the position sensor, a position signal indicating the position; - receiving, by a master consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor; - identifying, by the master consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals; outputting, by the master consensus module, a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; identifying, by a slave consensus module, a fail state of the master consensus module; receiving, by the slave consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor; - identifying, by the slave consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals; outputting, by the slave consensus module, a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location.

In some embodiments of the third aspect, the method steps may be performed by a gaming table monitoring apparatus, such as a roulette wheel reading apparatus, in accordance with the first aspect, or a gaming table, such as a roulette wheel in accordance with the second aspect. The steps of the method of the third aspect will be appreciated as being performable in any suitable order.

Detailed Description

Specific embodiments will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an automated roulette wheel and pay-out system comprising a roulette wheel in accordance with the second aspect having a roulette wheel reading apparatus according to the first aspect; FIG. 2 shows a flowchart depicting steps of an example method in accordance with the third aspect; and FIG. 3 shows a flowchart depicting additional steps of the method of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic view of an example embodiment 100 of the present invention is shown, having a roulette wheel 102 in accordance with the second aspect, the roulette wheel 102 comprising a roulette wheel reading apparatus 104 in accordance with the first aspect. In the example roulette wheel 102 shown, the roulette wheel 102 comprises a roulette wheel bowl having a circumferential rim, beneath which is positioned a roulette ball track.

In game play, the roulette ball track is arranged to carry a roulette ball launched around the track until the roulette ball loses momentum and moves off the track and along a negative gradient of the interior surface of the wheel bowl. Positioned inside the wheel bowl and located immediately beneath the ball track is a sensor strip extending about the wheel bowl along the ball track. Extending from the sensor strip, downward toward the centre of the wheel bowl is a sloping surface defining a roulette wheel apron. The apron comprises a plurality of roulette ball deflectors protruding therefrom and distributed evenly about the apron. The roulette wheel 102 further comprises a spindle protruding upwards from the centre of the wheel bowl.

Suspended on the spindle, and rotatable relative thereto is a wheelhead comprising an uppermost central portion and a cone portion extending downwards therefrom. Radiating outwardly from the cone is a pocket region of the wheelhead comprising a plurality of roulette wheel pockets arranged to accept a roulette ball. Adjacent pockets are separated by a vertically protruding fret extending therebetween. Extending outwardly from the pocket region is a numbered region comprising a different number corresponding to each roulette wheel pocket.

The numbered region forms a continuous annular edge of the wheelhead. When the wheelhead is in place on the spindle, the edge formed by the numbered region extends proximate to the corresponding edge of the apron and any gap therebetween is minimised such that an approximately continuous surface between the apron and the numbered region is formed. In the example shown, in order to permit smooth rotation of the wheelhead relative to said apron, the outer edge in use does not make contact with the corresponding edge of the apron. Some embodiments may be appreciated wherein a low-friction contact between the edge and the apron may be permitted.

Turning to the lower portion of FIG. 1, the sensor strip comprises a plurality of ball-detecting sensors 106 forming part of a roulette wheel reading apparatus 104 in accordance with the first aspect. The plurality of ball-detecting sensors 106 comprise a combination of individual locating sensors and groups of cooperating sensors. One example group of sensors (not shown) comprises a first infra-red signal emitter, a second infra-red signal emitter and an infra-red signal receiver, together forming a triangulation sensor arranged to triangulate a roulette ball position in a pocket of the wheelhead.

The apparatus 104 further comprises a position sensor 110 arranged to detect a rotational position of a wheelhead of the roulette wheel 102, and particularly a rotational position of one or more pockets of the wheelhead at any one time as the wheelhead rotates on its axis during play of a roulette game. The position sensor 110 is further arranged to output a position signal 112 indicative of said position at the corresponding time.

The roulette wheel reading apparatus 104 further comprises a master consensus module 114 comprising a processor arranged to receive and process detection signals 108 transmitted by one or more of the plurality of ball-detecting sensors 106 each at a corresponding time, the detection signals 108 each indicating passage of a roulette ball across a near-infra red beam emitted by said sensors 106, and therefore the presence of a roulette ball at a location specific to said sensor at a corresponding time. The processor of the master consensus module 114 is further arranged to receive and process position signals 112 transmitted by one or more of the plurality of ball-detecting sensors 106 each at a corresponding time.

The detection signals 108 and the position signals 112 are each time-stamped according to a corresponding time issued by a clock (not shown).

The master consensus module 114 processes the detection signals 108 and the position signals 112 to provide detection/position pairings according to concurrent time-stamps of said signals. From the detection/position pairings, the master consensus module 114 is arranged to identify, for each pairing (and therefore for each ball detection sensor 106), a corresponding pocket of the roulette wheel 102 in which the ball was identified. The master consensus module 114 is arranged to compare successive pairings in order to identify a series of repeated identifications of the roulette ball in the same pocket of the roulette wheel, and thereby determine a consensus roulette ball location.

In use, when a roulette ball is located in a pocket of the roulette wheel 102, an infra-red signal emitted from one ball detection sensor 106 (comprising an infra-red emitter) is reflected from the ball to a signal receiver, indicating that the ball is present in a pocket. A detection signal 108 is then sent to the master consensus module 114 to be coupled with a concurrent position signal 112 received from the position sensor 110 to identify the pocket. If the roulette ball remains in the same pocket during further rotation of the wheelhead, a reflection of a further infra-red signal emitted by an additional ball detection sensor 106 can be expected to be received by a signal receiver, followed by a detection signal 108 emitted by the ball detection sensor 106 having a concurrent position signal 112 which together indicate that the pocket remains the same. The master consensus module 114 identifies a sequence of successive pockets identified (a consensus roulette ball location) and issues a first result signal 116 indicating the consensus roulette ball location, to a plurality of remote gaming terminals 118 each having a display screen 120 for displaying the consensus roulette ball location as a roulette result to a player (not shown).

The roulette wheel reading apparatus 104 further comprises a slave consensus module 122, substantially the same as the master consensus module 114, the slave consensus module 122 arranged to periodically issue a query signal 123 requesting a fail-state status of the master consensus module 114. Upon receipt of confirmation of a fail-state, or lack of response from the master consensus module 114 (indicating a fail-state), the slave consensus module 122 is arranged to be prioritised as the master consensus module and henceforth receives ball detection signals 124 from the ball detection sensors 106 and position signals 126 from the position sensor 110 in order to determine a consensus roulette ball location as described, and issue a second result signal 128 indicative of the consensus roulette ball location to the plurality of gaming terminals.

In the example 100 shown, the roulette wheel 102 is an automated roulette wheel. Initiation of launch of a roulette ball about the ball track is carried out automatically following completion of a final game event, such as jackpot payouts, from a previous roulette game. The sensor strip in the example 100 shown additionally comprises sensors arranged to detect further game events such as the passing of the roulette ball from the ball track over the sensor strip and downwards along the apron toward the wheelhead. Following detection of such a game event (which may, in some other embodiments of the first aspect, precede the identification of a consensus event occurrence determined by the master or slave consensus module), i.e. the ball leaving the ball track, said sensor strip (or, in some embodiments, the master/slave consensus module) is arranged to initiate provision of a "no more bets" signal to the one or more remote gaming terminals 118 for output via the display screen 120. The "no more bets" signal causes a display of "no more bets" on the remote result output and prevents any further bets being placed on the roulette game. The effect of the "no more bets" signal is removed following completion of a final game event, such as completion of all payouts of a current roulette game, and initiation of launch of a further roulette ball. Following issuance of the consensus roulette ball location (the roulette result) to the one or more remote gaming terminals, and prior to initiation of launch of a further roulette ball, a floor of the pocket in which the ball resides descends to permit passage of the ball into an internal ball retrieval system (not shown) inside the automated roulette wheel 102. The ball retrieval system is arranged to feed the ball to an automatic ball launcher arranged to launch the ball randomly in either direction around the ball track. The ball launcher is arranged to provide a random spin profile on the ball, causing the ball to spin on its axis in a random direction as it circumnavigates the ball track of the wheel bowl (also in a random direction).

Complete automation and randomisation of the roulette wheel is preferably permitted owing to the improved reliability provided by the present invention. Such a roulette wheel can be used with more confidence in a casino environment employing remote betting facilities, or for the purpose of providing a real randomised experience for an online roulette game, and an improved entertainment and player experience.

In the example embodiment 100 shown, the gaming terminals 118 are remote gaming terminals 118 each having a touch-screen display 120 arranged to permit players to place a wager on a roulette game played at the roulette wheel 102 remotely to the roulette wheel 102.

The touch-screen display 120 is arranged to provide an array of roulette betting options, along with a visual representation of the roulette wheel 102. In the example embodiment 100, the visual representation of the roulette wheel 102 is a real-time photographic plan view of the roulette wheel 102 captured by an overhead camera (not shown) and supplied to each of the gaming terminals 118 for output to a player. Other embodiments will be appreciated wherein the visual representation of the roulette wheel is instead a dynamic or animated illustration of the roulette wheel. In some embodiments, the overhead camera may form part of either (or both) of the first or second plurality of sensors arranged to indicate a corresponding location of a roulette ball in a pocket of the roulette wheel. In the embodiment 100 shown, the roulette wheel system additionally comprises a memory arranged to store previous results issued by the master and slave consensus modules 114, 122, such results only being stored if they originate from the master and slave consensus modules 114, 122. The roulette system also comprises a processor arranged to process said stored previous results in order to calculate roulette statistics and graphical representations of the previous results over time for display by the display screen 120 of the remote gaming terminals 118. Historically such displays, when used with an automated roulette wheel -prone to issuance of erroneous results -can provide incorrect or misleading statistics, which acts as a deterrent for players and may cause subsequent miscalculation of odds which later results in incorrect transfer of data and currency. The improved reliability of the present invention preferably permits use of such displays with automated roulette wheels.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, steps of an example method 200 in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention are shown. Steps of the method 200 which are shown in FIG. 2 comprise: -detecting, by each of a plurality of ball detection sensors, a presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel at a corresponding time 202; -sending, by each of the first plurality of sensors, a detection signal indicating said presence 204; -detecting, by a position sensor, a position of a wheelhead of the roulette wheel at the corresponding time 206; - sending, by the position sensor, a position signal indicating the position 208; receiving, by a master consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor 210; -identifying, by the master consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals 212; outputting, by the master consensus module, a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location 214.

Steps of the method 200 which are shown in FIG. 3 comprise: identifying, by a slave consensus module, a fail state of the master consensus module 216; receiving, by the slave consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor 218; identifying, by the slave consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals 220; outputting, by the slave consensus module, a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location 222.

The steps of the method 200 of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 will be appreciated as being performable by the roulette wheel reading apparatus 104 and wheel 102 of the previous embodiment 100 described in relation to FIG. 1, and any features described as suitable therewith will be appreciated as suitable for use with the method 200. The steps shown in FIG. 2 will be appreciated as being performed during normal use of a roulette wheel reading apparatus of a roulette wheel. The steps of FIG. 3 will be appreciated as being performed in the event of a failing of the master consensus module, in which case this is detected by the slave consensus module 216, which is subsequently prioritised for receipt of the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor 218 It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, in the embodiments shown, the roulette wheel 102 is an automated roulette wheel. Embodiments of the present invention will be applicable to both automated and non-automated roulette wheels. 25 The steps of the example method 200 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are shown performed in an order. The steps will be appreciated as being performable in any order required. Detection of game events is performed in the embodiments described by infra-red sensors. Embodiments will be appreciated wherein the detection of game events, such as the detection of the presence of a roulette ball, may be performed by any known suitable detection method. 30

Claims

CLAIMSA roulette wheel reading apparatus for determining the location of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of ball detection sensors arranged to detect the presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel at a corresponding time, the plurality of ball detection sensors being further arranged to output a detection signal indicating said presence of a roulette ball; at least one position sensor arranged to detect a position of a roulette wheel wheelhead at the corresponding time, and output a position signal indicating said position; a master consensus module, the master consensus module being arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying a fail state of the master consensus module: receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location.
2. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a clock arranged to provide a time-stamp to each of the detection signals and each of the position signals, the time-stamp indicating the corresponding time.
3. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the apparatus is arranged to allocate a position of a position signal to a detection of a detection signal, according to the corresponding time-stamps of said position signal and said detection signal.
4. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the apparatus further comprises a signal routing module arranged to perform said allocating, and is further arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; and for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; wherein the signal routing member is further arranged to perform said allocation; and output said position signal and said detection signal to the master consensus module and/or slave consensus module.
5. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a memory, and wherein the memory is arranged to store at least one of: the detection signals; the position signals; the consensus roulette ball location; the first result signal; the second result signal.
6. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further comprises: a display screen arranged to receive the first result signal and the second result signal, and further arranged to display an indication of the consensus roulette ball location.
7. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the display screen is arranged to display a series of indications of previous consensus roulette ball locations.
8. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ball detection sensors are arranged to emit and/or receive a signal having a signal type selected from the group: acoustic; pressure wave; infrared; near infrared; ultraviolet; any suitable region of the electromagnet spectrum.
9. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of ball detection sensors is an optical sensor.
10. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, wherein two or more of the plurality of ball detection sensors are arranged to emit and/or receive a signal having a different signal type to one another.
11. A roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of ball detection sensors comprises a first plurality of ball detection sensors and a second plurality of ball detection sensors, the first plurality of ball detection sensors being arranged to output their respective detection signals to the master consensus module, and the second plurality of ball detection sensors being arranged to output their respective detection signals to the slave consensus module.
12. A roulette wheel having a roulette wheel bowl and a roulette wheel wheelhead, the roulette wheel wheelhead having a circumferential pocket region comprising a plurality of pockets, the roulette wheel further comprising a roulette wheel reading apparatus comprising: a plurality of ball detection sensors arranged to detect the presence of a roulette ball in one of the plurality of pockets of the roulette wheel at a corresponding time, the plurality of ball detection sensors being further arranged to output a detection signal indicating said presence of a roulette ball; at least one position sensor arranged to detect a position of the roulette wheel wheelhead at the corresponding time, and output a position signal indicating said position; a master consensus module, the master consensus module being arranged to receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying the fail state of the master consensus module: receive the detection signals from each of the plurality of ball detection sensors; for each of the detection signals, receive the corresponding position signal from the position sensor; identify, from the detection signals and each corresponding position signal, a consensus roulette ball location; and output a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location.
13. A roulette wheel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the roulette wheel apparatus is an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.
14. A method of detecting a location of a roulette ball in a pocket region of a roulette wheel; the method comprising the steps of: -detecting, by each of a plurality of ball detection sensors, a presence of a roulette ball in one of a plurality of pockets of a roulette wheel at a corresponding time; sending, by each of the first plurality of sensors, a detection signal indicating said presence; -detecting, by a position sensor, a position of a wheelhead of the roulette wheel at the corresponding time; sending, by the position sensor, a position signal indicating the position; receiving, by a master consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor; identifying, by the master consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals; - outputting, by the master consensus module, a first result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location; identifying, by a slave consensus module, a fail state of the master consensus module; - receiving, by the slave consensus module, the detection signals from each of the first plurality of sensors, and the corresponding position signals from the position sensor; identifying, by the slave consensus module, a consensus roulette ball location, from the detection signals and the position signals; -outputting, by the slave consensus module, a second result signal indicating the consensus roulette ball location.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method steps are performed by a roulette wheel reading apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, or a roulette wheel as claimed in any one of claims 12 or 13.
16. A gaming table monitoring apparatus for monitoring events of a game being played at a gaming table, the monitoring apparatus comprising: a plurality of event sensors arranged to detect an occurrence of an event of a game being played at the gaming table at a corresponding time, each of the plurality of event sensors being arranged to output an event detection signal indicating the occurrence of the event; a master consensus module arranged to receive the event detection signals from each of the plurality of event detection sensors; identify, from each event detection signal, a consensus event occurrence; and output a first event signal indicating the consensus event occurrence; the apparatus further comprising, a slave consensus module, the slave consensus module arranged to identify a fail state of the master consensus module and, upon identifying the fail state of the master consensus module: receive the event detection signals from each of the plurality of event detection sensors; identify, from the event detection signals, a consensus event occurrence; and output a second event signal indicating the consensus event occurrence.