INTERACTIVE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS

• US 20160104350A1
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Costello, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 9,530,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• 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 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

An interactive financial transactions systems and methods are disclosed for providing gaming activity using funds located at a financial institution. Prior to initiating gaming activity, the player indicates the amount of funds the player would like to wager in a session. The financial institution is contacted to block the player funds from being used for another purpose while the player is placing wagers on the interactive gaming system. As the player completes wagers, the results of wagering activities may be passed to the financial institution. When the player completes the gaming session, the financial institution is instructed to release the blocked funds. In one embodiment, the interactive gaming system contacts an intermediary business which performs the account blocking and financial transactions with the financial institution.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A gaming platform, comprising:

an intermediary business system that, in operation;

receives, from a client device of a user via one or more computer networks, a request to initiate a wagering session with the client device for play of a wagering game, wherein the request specifies an amount of funds for use in the wagering session;

transmits, to a financial institution via the one or more computer networks in response to the received request, a block request to place a block on the specified amount of funds in a financial account associated with the user;

receives, via the one or more computer networks, a notification from the financial institution that the block has been placed on the specified amount of funds in the associated financial account;

provides, to an interactive gaming server and in response to the received notification, an indication that the requested wagering session is authorized for the specified amount of funds; and

settles, responsive to an indication from the interactive gaming server that the requested wagering session is concluded and via one or more electronic communications with the financial institution over the one or more computer networks, a transaction corresponding to the requested wagering session, wherein settling the transaction includes a release of the financial block on the specified amount of funds; and

an interactive gaming server that, in operation;

in response to an indication from the intermediary business system that a requested wagering session is authorized for a specified amount of funds, initiates the requested wagering session;

provides, for each of one or more gaming outcomes associated with the requested wagering session, a notification to the intermediary business system regarding the gaming outcome; and

notifies the intermediary business system that the requested wagering session is concluded.

25. The gaming platform of claim 24 wherein in operation the intermediary business system reports each of the one or more gaming outcomes to the financial institution.

26. The gaming platform of claim 24 wherein settling the transaction further includes reconciling, with the financial account associated with the user, a net result associated with the requested wagering session

27. The gaming platform of claim 24 wherein in operation the intermediary business system further:

receives a second request to initiate a distinct second wagering session;

transmits a second block request to place a second block on an indicated amount of funds; and

prevents, via the interactive gaming server and in response to a notification from the financial institution that the second block has not been placed, initiation of the requested second wagering session.

28. The intermediary system of claim 27 wherein the notification that the second block has not been placed is based at least in part on a failure to verify that the second financial account contains the indicated amount of funds.

29. An intermediary system for controlling access to an interactive gaming server, comprising:

one or more processors; and

at least one memory, the memory including instructions that, upon execution by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the intermediary system to;

receive, from a client device of a user via one or more computer networks and the interactive gaming server, a request to initiate a wagering session with the client device for play of a wagering game, wherein the request specifies an amount of funds for use in the wagering session;

transmit, to a financial institution via the one or more computer networks in response to the received request, a block request to place a block on the specified amount of funds in a financial account associated with the user;

initiate, via the interactive gaming server over the one or more computer networks and in response to a notification from the financial institution that the block has been placed, the requested wagering session; and

settle, responsive to a conclusion of the requested wagering session and via one or more electronic communications with the financial institution over the one or more computer networks, a transaction corresponding to the requested wagering session, wherein settling the transaction includes a release of the financial block on the specified amount of funds.

30. The intermediary system of claim 29 wherein the instructions further cause the intermediary system to report, for each of one or more wagering results associated with the requested wagering session and prior to the end of the requested wagering session, the wagering result to the financial institution.

31. The intermediary system of claim 29 wherein settling the transaction further includes reconciling, with the financial account associated with the user, a total amount associated with one or more wagering results associated with the requested wagering session

32. The intermediary system of claim 29 wherein the intermediary system is part of a gaming platform, and wherein the gaming platform further includes the interactive gaming server.

33. The intermediary system of claim 29 wherein the instructions further cause the intermediary system to:

receive a second request via the interactive gaming server to initiate a distinct second wagering session for play of the wagering game;

transmit a second block request to place a second block on an indicated amount of funds in a second financial account associated with the received second request; and

prevent, via the interactive gaming server and in response to a notification that the second block has not been placed, initiation of the requested second wagering session.

34. The intermediary system of claim 33 wherein the notification that the second block has not been placed is based at least in part on a failure to verify that the second financial account contains the indicated amount of funds.

35. The intermediary system of claim 29 wherein the intermediary system is part of a gaming platform that includes the interactive gaming server.

36. The intermediary system of claim 29, further comprising one or more data structures that store user account data, wherein the stored user account data at least associates the user with the financial institution.

37. The intermediary system of claim 29, wherein the instructions further cause the intermediary system to receive financial institution data from the client device via the interactive gaming server.

38. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a user device of a user via one or more computer networks and the interactive gaming server, a request to initiate a wagering session with the user device for play of a wagering game, the request specifying an amount of funds for use in the wagering session;

transmitting, to a financial institution via the one or more computer networks in response to the received request, a block request to place a block on the specified amount of funds in a financial account associated with the user;

initiating, via the interactive gaming server over the one or more computer networks and in response to a notification from the financial institution that the block has been placed, the requested wagering session; and

settling, responsive to a conclusion of the requested wagering session and via one or more electronic communications with the financial institution over the one or more computer networks, a transaction corresponding to a net result of the requested wagering session, wherein settling the transaction includes a release of the financial block on the specified amount of funds.

39. The computer-implemented method of claim 38 wherein initiating the requested wagering session includes providing an indication to the interactive gaming server that the requested wagering session is authorized.

40. The computer-implemented method of claim 38 further comprising reporting, for each of one or more wagering outcomes associated with the requested wagering session and prior to the end of the requested wagering session, the wagering outcome to the financial institution.

41. The computer-implemented method of claim 38, further comprising:

receiving a second request via the interactive gaming server to initiate a distinct second wagering session;

transmitting a second block request to place a second block on an indicated amount of funds in a second financial account associated with the received second request; and

preventing, via the interactive gaming server and in response to a notification that the second block has not been placed, initiation of the requested second wagering session.

42. The computer-implemented method of claim 38, further comprising storing user account data that associates the user with the financial institution.

43. The computer-implemented method of claim 38, further comprising receiving information regarding the financial institution from the user device.