Providing and controlling embeddable gaming content

• US 8,550,920 B1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Allen, Jeffrey L., Stankovic, Danijel, Werneke, John R.
• Primary Examiner(s): CUFF, MICHAEL A
• Application Number:
  US13/113,563
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 463/42, 463/29, 463/25
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include detecting a request to login a player account via a widget embedded in host content. The operations can further include detecting a selection of a wagering game theme, via the widget, for a wagering game that the player account has previously played and presenting a collection of widget content that the player account is authorized to access, via the widget, based on statistics, playing history, achievements, etc. of the wagering game. The operations can further include detecting a selection of a non-wagering game from the collection of widget content and providing a non-wagering game via the widget. The operations can further include providing customized information for a host and/or the player account via the widget based on statistics from the wagering game content or from the widget content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

initiating, via at least one of one or more processors, a non-wagering game session in response to first user input via a gaming widget embedded in a webpage;

detecting a selection of a wagering game theme, via second user input from the gaming widget, wherein the wagering game theme is associated with wagering game content that was previously played during one or more wagering game sessions that occurred before the non-wagering game session;

detecting wagering game statistics for the wagering game content in response to the detecting the selection of the wagering game theme;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, non-wagering game content that is authorized to present based on the wagering game statistics and based on the selection of the wagering game theme; and

providing the non-wagering game content for presentation via the gaming widget during the non-wagering game session.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the selection of the wagering game theme includes

providing a list of a plurality of wagering game themes for presentation via the gaming widget, and

detecting the selection of the wagering game theme from the list via the second user input.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the providing the non-wagering game content for presentation via the gaming widget comprises:

providing game selection graphics for presentation via the gaming widget, wherein the game selection graphics are for non-wagering games associated with the wagering game theme, and wherein the game selection graphics indicate that a player account, associated with both the non-wagering game session and the one or more wagering game sessions, is authorized to access at least one of the non-wagering games based on the wagering game statistics;

detecting a selection via the gaming widget of one of the game selection graphics for the at least one of the non-wagering games; and

providing game play elements for the at least one of the non-wagering games for presentation via the gaming widget.

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

providing, for presentation via the gaming widget, an indication of game play status in a persistent-state game that tracks achievements for the wagering game content and for the non-wagering game content;

detecting occurrence of one of the achievements via play of the non-wagering game content;

storing an indication of the one of the achievements in a player account;

awarding a number of status indicators for the one of the achievements; and

providing the number of status indicators for presentation via the gaming widget.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the wagering game statistics comprises:

logging in a first player account using first user login information input via the gaming widget;

logging in a second player account, associated with the first player account, using second user login information input via the gaming widget;

authorizing the first player account to access the second player account; and

retrieving the wagering game statistics from the second player account for the wagering game theme.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game statistics are one or more of a number of plays of the wagering game content, a number of times a player played a bonus game associated with the wagering game content, and one or more winning events that occurred for the wagering game content.

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

determining an advertisement pertinent to the wagering game statistics; and

providing the advertisement for presentation via the gaming widget.

8. An apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a gaming services module configured to, via at least one of the one or more processors,

initiate a non-wagering game session in response to first user input via a gaming widget embedded in a webpage,

detect a selection, via second user input from the webpage, of a game theme associated with wagering game content that was played previously via a wagering game session,

detect wagering game statistics for the wagering game content in response to the selection of the game theme,

detect non-wagering game content authorized for access based on the wagering game statistics, wherein the non-wagering game content is associated with the game theme,

customize the non-wagering game content based on settings for a subscriber account that subscribes to a gaming service that provides the non-wagering game content, and

provide the non-wagering game content for presentation via the gaming widget during the non-wagering game session.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the gaming services module is further configured to

detect that one of the settings that indicates at least one of a plurality of rewards for attaining a game achievement for the non-wagering game content,

detect that the game achievement was attained during the non-wagering game session via play of the non-wagering game content via a player account,

select the at least one of the plurality of rewards for the game achievement, and

provide the at least one of the plurality of rewards to the player account.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the gaming services module is further configured to

determine a player loyalty status level for an additional player account linked with the player account, and

select the at least one of the plurality of rewards based on the player loyalty status level.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the gaming services module is configured to

provide an indication of the at least one of the plurality of rewards for presentation via the gaming widget.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the gaming services module is further configured to select one or more of advertisement content, promotional content, and branding content based on the subscriber account and the wagering game statistics.

13. One or more non-transitory, 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:

initiating a first game session in response to first user input via an online gaming widget;

detecting a selection of a game theme, via second user input from the online gaming widget, wherein the game theme is associated with one or more monetary-wagering games played via one or more second game sessions that initiated before the first game session;

detecting that one or more statistical thresholds were attained for the one or more monetary-wagering games;

determining one or more non-monetary-wagering games to provide based on the one or more statistical thresholds; and

providing the one or more non-monetary-wagering games for presentation via the gaming widget via the first game session.

14. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, said operations further comprising customizing the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more statistical thresholds.

15. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the operation for customizing the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more statistical thresholds includes one or more operations comprising one or more of incorporating an indication of the one or more statistical thresholds into content for the one or more non-monetary-wagering games, indicating a level of progress in the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more statistical thresholds, and unlocking elements of the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more statistical thresholds.

16. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein a first player account is associated with the first game session, and wherein a second player account, different from the first player account, is associated with the one or more second game sessions, and said operations further comprising accessing a game history for the second player account for the one or more monetary-wagering games.

17. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the one or more statistical thresholds comprise one or more of a number of plays of the one or more monetary-wagering games, a number of times a player played a bonus game associated with the one or more monetary-wagering games, and one or more winning events that occurred for the one or more monetary-wagering games.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the online gaming widget is embedded in a webpage, and said operations further comprising modifying webpage content on the webpage according to the game theme.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein the operation of modifying the webpage content on the webpage includes operations comprising one or more of updating thematic web content on the webpage that indicates the game theme, updating content in one or more additional widgets presented on the webpage, and presenting one or more interstitial advertisements on the webpage.

20. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more memory units configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations to

initiate a first game session in response to first user input via an online gaming widget,

detect a selection of a game theme, via second user input from the online gaming widget, wherein the game theme is associated with one or more monetary-wagering games played via one or more second game sessions that initiated before the first game session,

detect that one or more accomplishments were achieved via the one or more monetary-wagering games,

determine one or more non-monetary-wagering games to provide based on the one or more accomplishments, and

provide the one or more non-monetary-wagering games for presentation via the online gaming widget via the first game session.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform one or more operations to customize the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more accomplishments.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more operations to customize the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more accomplishments includes one or more operations to one or more of incorporate an indication of the one or more accomplishments into content for the one or more non-monetary-wagering games, indicate a level of progress in the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more accomplishments, and unlock elements of the one or more non-monetary-wagering games based on the one or more accomplishments.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein a first player account is associated with the first game session, and wherein a second player account, different from the first player account, is associated with the one or more second game sessions, and wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform operations to access a game history for the second player account for the one or more monetary-wagering games.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more accomplishments comprise one or more of a number of plays of the one or more monetary-wagering games, a number of times a player played a bonus game associated with the one or more monetary-wagering games, and one or more winning events that occurred for the one or more monetary-wagering games.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the online gaming widget is embedded in a webpage, and wherein the one or more memory units are configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to further perform one or more operations to modify webpage content on the webpage according to the game theme.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more operations to modify the webpage content on the webpage includes one or more operations to one or more of update thematic web content on the webpage that indicates the game theme, update content in one or more additional widgets presented on the webpage, and present one or more interstitial advertisements on the webpage.