Cashing out independent wagering games

• US 10,282,941 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2015
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Ward, Matthew J., McCormack, John, Sharpe, Joseph A., Sylla, Craig J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skaarup, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/684,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,485 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A gaming system and its operations are described herein. In some embodiments, the operations can include controlling a first casino wagering game. The first casino wagering game has a first credit meter balance. The operations can further include intercepting an electronic request sent from a second device to cash out a second credit meter balance for a second casino wagering game controlled by the second device. In some examples, the gaming system is independent from the second device. The operations can further include, after intercepting the electronic request, cashing out a combined total of the first credit meter balance and the second credit meter balance.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating electronic cooperation between a first content control device and a second content control device in an electronic wagering game system, the method comprising:

intercepting, by the second content control device, first video content for a first wagering game, the first video content originating from the first video content control device and destined for a video display device of the electronic wagering game system;

causing, by the second content control device, presentation of second video content for a second casino wagering game integrated with the first video content for the first wagering game on the video display device;

intercepting, via a communications interface of the first content control device, an electronic request, sent from the second content control device, to cash out a second credit meter balance for the second casino wagering game; and

after intercepting the electronic request, cashing out, by an accounting control module of the first content control device, a combined total of the second credit meter balance and a first credit meter balance for the first casino wagering game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intercepting the electronic request comprises preventing the electronic request from being sent from the second content control device to an accounting system independent from the second content control device and the first content control device.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

reporting the combined total to an accounting system independent from both the second content control device and the first content control device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second content control device is configured to cash out the second credit meter balance with the accounting system in a first cash-out mode that requires a funds transfer from the second content control device to the accounting system, wherein the cashing out the combined total comprises cashing out the second casino wagering game and the first casino wagering game in the first cash-out mode as a proxy for the accounting system, and wherein the reporting the combined total to the accounting system comprises reporting the combined total to the accounting system in a second cash-out mode that does not require the funds transfer from the second content control device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the electronic request is made using a Slot Accounting System protocol and wherein the accounting system comprises a Slot Accounting System server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the cashing out the combined total of the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance comprises:

combining, into the combined total, the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance; and

sending a command to the second content control device to generate a cash-out object for the combined total via a single cash-out mechanism.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the combining the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance includes a first funds transfer that transfers the second credit meter balance from the second content control device to the first content control device, and wherein the generating the cash-out object for the combined total includes a second funds transfer that transfers the combined total to the second content control device to generate the cash-out object.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the cash-out object comprises one or more of an amount of cash equivalent to the combined total, a printed cash equivalent that indicates a value for the combined total, and a persistent electronic object that indicates a value for the combined total.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein first wagering game content for the first casino wagering game is provided by a first wagering game source, and wherein second wagering game content for the second casino wagering game is provided by a second wagering game source different from the first wagering game source.

10. One or more machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors of a first content control device cause the set of one or more processors to perform operations for facilitating electronic cooperation between a first content control device and a second content control device in an electronic wagering game system, the instructions comprising:

instructions to control a first casino wagering game having a first credit meter balance;

instructions to intercept, via a communications interface of the first content control device, an electronic request sent from a second content control device to cash out a second credit meter balance for a second casino wagering game controlled by the second content control device, wherein the first content control device is independent from the second content control device; and

instructions to after interception of the electronic request, cash out a combined total of the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance.

11. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the operations for intercepting the electronic request include operations comprising preventing the electronic request from being sent from the second content control device to an accounting system independent from the second content control device and the first content control device.

12. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 10, said operations further comprising:

reporting the combined total to an accounting system independent from both the second content control device and the first content control device.

13. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the second content control device is configured to cash out the second credit meter balance with the accounting system in a first cash-out mode that requires a funds transfer from the second content control device to the accounting system, wherein the cashing out the combined total comprises cashing out the second casino wagering game and the first casino wagering game in the first cash-out mode as a proxy for the accounting system, and wherein the reporting the combined total to the accounting system comprises reporting the combined total to the accounting system in a second cash-out mode that does not require the funds transfer from the second content control device.

14. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 12, wherein the electronic request is made using a Slot Accounting System protocol and wherein the accounting system comprises a Slot-Accounting-System server.

15. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 10, wherein the operation of cashing out the combined total of the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance includes operations comprising:

combining, into the combined total, the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance; and

sending a command to the second content control device to generate a cash-out object for the combined total via a single cash-out mechanism.

16. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one network communications interface configured to connect a first content control device with a second content control device independent from the first content control device, wherein the first content control device is associated with a first casino wagering game having a first credit meter balance, and wherein the second content control device is associated with a second casino wagering game having a second credit meter balance; and

at least one memory device configured to store instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the gaming system to facilitate electronic cooperation between a first content control device and a second content control device, the instructions including

instructions to intercept an electronic request sent from the second content control device to cash out the second credit meter balance, and

instructions to after the electronic request is intercepted, cash out a combined total of the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, the instructions further including:

instructions to combine, into the combined total, the second credit meter balance and the first credit meter balance; and

instructions to send a command to the second content control device to generate a cash-out object for the combined total via a single cash-out mechanism.

18. The gaming system of claim 17 wherein the instructions further including:

instructions to transfer first funds from the second credit meter balance to the first content control device, and

instructions transfer second funds for the combined total to the second content control device to generate the cash-out object.

19. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the cash-out object comprises one or more of an amount of cash equivalent to the combined total, a printed cash equivalent that indicates a value for the combined total, and a persistent electronic object that indicates a value for the combined total.

20. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein first wagering game content for the first casino wagering game is provided by a first wagering game source, and wherein second wagering game content for the second casino wagering game is provided by a second wagering game source different from the first wagering game source.