Real Money Gambling Payouts That Depend on Online Social Activity

• US 20140274341A1
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zynga Incorporated
• Inventors: Janosov, Jesse, Leibovich, Nir
• Granted Patent: US 9,659,446 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/34 Betting or bookmaking, e.g. Internet betting
• 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 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

Software on a server and/or client device causes a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a game to be displayed to a user. The game is an online gambling game for real money. The software receives input from the user. The input includes a wager and play according to game mechanics for the game. The software calculates a payout from the play. The payout includes a promotional payout that depends at least in part on a measure of social activity associated with the user or a measure of social influence associated with the user. And the software broadcasts the payout to at least one other person who is a social relation of the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the operations of:

causing a view a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a game to be displayed to a user, where the game is an online gambling game for real money;

receiving input from the user, wherein the input includes a wager and play according to game mechanics for the game;

calculating a payout from the play, wherein the payout includes a promotional payout that depends at least in part on a measure of social activity or on a measure of social influence associated with the user; and

broadcasting the payout to at least one other person who is a social relation of the user, wherein each of the operations is executed by one or more processors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the promotional payout is a supplemental payout that is not reflected in the paytable for the game.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure of social activity depends at least in part on active social network (ASN).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ASN is a count of the social relations of the user with whom the user has had a reciprocal interaction loop within a duration window that is within a recency period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure of influence depends at least in part on eigenvector centrality.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the measure of influence depends at least in part on degree centrality.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadcasting of the payout occurs through a content stream.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the content stream is maintained by a social networking website.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the social relation is associated with a list maintained by a social networking website.

10. A computer-readable storage medium persistently storing a program, wherein the program, when executed, instructs one or more processors to perform the following operations:

cause a view a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a game to be displayed to a user, where the game is an online gambling game for real money;

receive input from the user, wherein the input includes a wager and a play according to game mechanics for the game of chance;

calculate a payout from the play, wherein the payout includes a promotional payout that depends at least in part on a measure of social activity associated with the user or a measure of social influence associated with the user; and

broadcast the payout to at least one other person who is a social relation of the user, wherein each of the operations is executed by one or more processors.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the promotional payout is a supplemental payout that is not reflected in the paytable for the game.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the measure of social activity depends at least in part on active social network (ASN).

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the ASN is a count of the social relations of the user with whom the user has had a reciprocal interaction loop within a duration window that is within a recency period.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the measure of influence depends at least in part on eigenvector centrality.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the measure of influence depends at least in part on degree centrality.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the broadcasting of the payout occurs through a content stream.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the content stream is maintained by a social networking website.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the social relation is associated with a list maintained by a social networking website.

19. A method, comprising the operations of:

causing a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a game to be displayed to a user, wherein the game is a video slot machine and the view includes a reel symbol that includes text suggesting that the user invite other persons to play the game;

receiving input from the user identifying one or more other persons to be invited to the play the game; and

changing the reel symbol with the text to another reel symbol that compensates the user, wherein each of the operations is executed by one or more processors.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein each of the other persons is a social relation of the user and wherein the social relation is associated with a list maintained by a social networking website.