INTEGRATING SOCIAL NETWORKS AND WAGERING GAMES

• US 20120028718A1
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Barclay, Brian J., Guinn, Andrew C., Schwartz, Richard T., Hofer, Jeffrey D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3272 Games involving multiple players

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include determining a wagering game player account and determining a social network account associated with the wagering game player account. The social network account can be associated with a social network. The operations can further include determining one or more applications from the social network that are associated with the social network account. The operations can further include integrating the one or more applications with a wagering game session for the wagering game player account.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting a bet value entered via a wagering application presented via a webpage of a social network website, wherein the bet value is entered in response to a first user input via the wagering application, wherein the presentation of the webpage is associated with a social network session for a social network account, and wherein the wagering application is associated with a wagering session for a wagering game player account;

determining an outcome value that specifies a non-wagering game outcome of game play via a non-wagering game application presented via the webpage, wherein the non-wagering game outcome is in response to a second user input through the non-wagering game application;

using the outcome value as at least a portion of a wagering game outcome; and

transacting the bet value based on the wagering game outcome.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a third user input via the wagering application, wherein the third user input indicates login information for the wagering game player account;

connecting to the wagering game player account using the login information;

initiating the wagering session for the wagering game player account; and

using money from the wagering game player account for said transacting the bet value.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating the non-wagering game outcome using a random number that represents the outcome value; and

using the random number for the at least a portion of the wagering game outcome.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an indication of a potential occurrence of the non-wagering game outcome, wherein the indication of the potential occurrence of the non-wagering game outcome is entered via the wagering application prior to an occurrence of the non-wagering game outcome and specifies that the non-wagering game outcome will potentially occur via the game play of the non-wagering game application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting an additional player account in response to third user input via the wagering application, wherein the additional player account is associated with the wagering game player account as a social contact via the social network website; and

transmitting a notification that challenges the additional player account to bet against the wagering game player account in response to said selecting the additional player account.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bet value specifies a virtual asset associated with the wagering game player account.

7. One or more machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors causes the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

presenting a user interface for a wagering application on a device, wherein the wagering application is connected to a wagering game player account, wherein the wagering game player account is controlled by a wagering game server;

detecting an indication of an event, via user input via the wagering application, wherein the indication of the event specifies that the event will occur via use of a non-wagering application via a social networking website;

detecting the event, after the detecting the indication of the event, wherein the event occurs via the non-wagering application;

generating a winning wagering game outcome value in response to the detecting the indication of the event and the detecting the event; and

presenting a notification of the winning wagering game outcome value via the user interface.

8. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 7 said operations further comprising:

determining a bet amount via an additional user input of the user interface of the wagering application, wherein the bet amount is associated with the indication of the event; and

transacting the bet amount automatically for the wagering game player account on a wagering game on behalf of the wagering game player account based on the winning wagering game outcome value.

9. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the operation for detecting the event includes operations comprising:

determining an occurrence of a social communication activity via use of a social communication mechanism controlled via the non-wagering application.

10. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 9, wherein the social communication activity comprises one or more of sending messaging media, posting a blog entry, making an update to a social network account, configuring blog aggregation, and making a telephone call.

11. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 7, wherein the wagering application is a widget presented on a social networking website.

12. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 7, said operations further comprising:

presenting a representation of the winning wagering game outcome value via a social networking application associated with the social networking website, wherein the wagering game player account is associated with a social networking account for the social networking website.

13. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 7 said operations further comprising:

determining a win amount for the winning wagering game outcome value; and

updating an account balance for the wagering game player account with the win amount.

14. A system comprising:

a client comprising

a social network gaming module configured to

present a wagering control mechanism via a web widget presented during a user session for a social network website, wherein the user session is associated with a social network account,

determine a first potential outcome for the event indicated via the web widget, and

determine a first wager amount indicated via the web widget, wherein the first wager amount is associated with a wager that the first potential outcome will occur for the event; and

a wagering game server comprising

a gaming controller configured to

receive data that specifies the first wager amount and the first potential outcome,

determine a first wagering game player account associated with the social network account,

determine a second wager from a second wagering game player account,

determine a second potential outcome of the event indicated by the second wagering game player account, and

broker the first wager against the second wager.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the gaming controller is configured to

store the first wager and the second wager in a secured escrow account,

determine an event outcome for the event,

determine that the first potential outcome was equivalent to the event outcome, and

release the funds in the secured escrow account to the first wagering game player account.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the gaming controller is further configured to release the funds to one or more of a banking account, a non-wagering broker account, and a financial escrow accounts belonging to the first wagering game player account.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the gaming controller is configured to broker wagers of non-monetary value.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the event is an occurrence whose outcome is at least partially outside of the control of the first wagering game player account and the second wagering game player account.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a game representation publisher configured to, via the processor,

determine a social network account associated with a wagering game player account,

determine a wagering game activity associated with a wagering game,

generate a messaging medium content,

generate a wagering game representation,

associate the wagering game representation with the messaging medium content,

determine one or more social contact accounts associated with the social network account, and

send the messaging medium content to the one or more social contact accounts.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the messaging medium content is a text message, and wherein the game representation publisher is further configured to

embed the wagering game representation in the text message,

determine contact information for the one or more social contact accounts, and

send the text message to the one or more social contact accounts using the contact information.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wagering game representation includes a link to a game replay, wherein the link is one or more of a written link to a website, an active link to a website, and an active link to a file included with the a message.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the game representation publisher is further configured to track activity of the one or more social contact accounts that receive and view the wagering game representation.

23. An apparatus comprising:

means for determining an occurrence of a game play outcome from a non-wagering game application presented via a webpage of a social network venue;

means for detecting an indication of a bet on the game play outcome, wherein the indication of the bet is indicated via user input via a wagering web widget embedded in the webpage of the social network venue;

means for converting a first value for the game play outcome to a second value that represents a wagering game outcome; and

means for transacting the bet using the second value that represents the wagering game outcome.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising:

means for transacting the bet automatically for a wagering game player account associated with a social network account.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for receiving additional user input via the wagering web widget, prior to the occurrence of the game play outcome, wherein the additional user input indicates that the game play outcome will potentially occur.