Controlling and configuring responsible gaming data

• US 8,821,267 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Vijay K., Burke, Mary M., Maskaleris, Elias R.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/437,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/25, 463/29
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include presenting wagering game content during a wagering game session via a wagering game machine, where the wagering game session is for a first player account. The operations can further include detecting an amount of money spent on gambling via the first player account during a time period. The operations can further include determining that a second player account, associated with the first player account, is configured to authorize presentation of an indication of the amount of money spent on gambling during the time period. The operations can further include presenting the indication of the amount of money spent during the time period in response to the determining that the second player account is configured to authorize presentation of the indication of the amount of money spent on gambling.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

presenting wagering game content during a wagering game session via a wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game session is for a first player account;

determining, by one or more processors associated with the wagering game machine, an amount of money spent on gambling via the first player account during a time period, wherein the amount of money is spent, at least in part, via the wagering game machine during the wagering game session;

determining that a second player account, associated with the first player account, is configured to authorize presentation of an indication of money spent on gambling; and

presenting an indication of the amount of money spent during the time period via the wagering game machine, wherein the presenting the indication of the amount of money spent during the time period is in response to the determining that the second player account is configured to authorize the presentation of the indication of the money spent on gambling.

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

determining that the second player account is designated on behalf of the first player account to authorize the presentation of the indication of the money spent on gambling.

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

accessing the first player account via a first casino network;

accessing the second player account via a second casino network;

determining that the second player account is associated with the first player account;

detecting a setting of the second player account that authorizes the presenting of the indication of the amount of money to the first player account; and

presenting the indication of the amount of money in response to detecting the setting of the second player account.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

presenting a comparison of the amount of money to spending by one or more additional player accounts during the time period.

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

determining one or more spending statistics of the second player account; and

presenting a comparison of statistics of the one or more spending statistics of the second player account against the amount of money spent during the time period via the first player account.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising presenting the wagering game content via the wagering game machine simultaneously with the presenting the indication of the amount of money spent during the time period via the wagering game machine, so that the indication of the amount of money and the wagering game content are perceptible during the wagering game session.

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

detecting one or more values, stored in one or more of the first player account and the second player account, which one or more values represent a monetary worth of time;

using the one or more values to determine a monetary worth equivalent for the time period; and

presenting an indication of the monetary worth equivalent for the time period via the wagering game machine.

8. 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:

tracking accounting transaction data during a wagering game session for a first player account, wherein the accounting transaction data relates to an amount of financial transactions that the first player account has transacted on gambling during a time period;

determining one or more player preferences, for a second player account, regarding presentation of the accounting transaction data for the first player account;

presenting, via a wagering game machine, the accounting transaction data for the first player account according to the one or more player preferences so that the accounting transaction data is perceptible during the wagering game session;

determining a transaction limit set in the one or more player preferences of the second player account associated with the first player account, wherein the transaction limit indicates a limit on a use of funds for the first player account; and

indicating, via the wagering game machine, the transaction limit during the wagering game session.

9. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 8, said operations further comprising:

determining that the second player account is designated on behalf of the first player account to authorize notification of the accounting transaction data and the transaction limit, and wherein the presenting the transaction data and the indicating the transaction limit are in response to the determining that the second player account is designated on behalf of the first player account to authorize the notification of the accounting transaction data and the transaction limit.

10. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8, said operations further comprising:

accessing the first player account via first casino network;

searching a second casino network for one or more player accounts associated with the first player account;

determining, based on the searching of the second casino network, that the second player account is one of the one or more player accounts associated with the first player account;

determining that the second player account is associated with the first player account;

detecting a setting of the second player account that authorizes the presenting of the indication of the amount of money to the first player account; and

presenting the indication of the amount of money in response to detecting the setting of the second player account.

11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8, said operations further comprising presenting one or more incentives for monetary marketing offers in exchange for terminating wagering activity when use of the funds approaches the transaction limit.

12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein said operation of indicating the transaction limit comprises displaying a graphic of a limit value covering at least a portion of the wagering game elements presented during the wagering game session.

13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8, said operations further comprising:

determining one or more spending statistics of the second player account; and

presenting a comparison of statistics of the one or more spending statistics of the second player account to the accounting transaction data.

14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8, said operations further comprising:

presenting to the first player account one or more incentives for monetary marketing offers in exchange for terminating wagering activity when use of the funds approaches the transaction limit.

15. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

determine a withdrawal limit set in one or more player preferences for a first player account, wherein the withdrawal limit indicates an amount of funds that the first player account specifies can be withdrawn from an account balance for the first player account within a time period,

initiate a wagering game session for a second player account,

present wagering game content via a display of a wagering game machine during the wagering game session,

track withdrawals from an account balance for the second player account during the wagering game session,

determine that the first wagering game player account is authorized to monitor withdrawals by the second player account,

determine that the withdrawals from the account balance for the second player account are approaching the withdrawal limit specified by that the first player account, and

present a warning message via the display of the wagering game machine, which warning message covers at least a portion of wagering game elements from the wagering game content, wherein the warning indicates that the withdrawal limit is being approached.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to present one or more incentives for monetary marketing offers in exchange for terminating wagering activity before the withdrawal limit is reached or exceeded.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more memory storage devices are configured to store instructions, which when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the system to

determine one or more withdrawal statistics of the first player account within the time period, and

present a comparison of the one or more withdrawal statistics of the first player account against the withdrawals from the account balance for the second player account.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a responsible gaming module configured to, via the processor,

present wagering game content during a wagering game session via a wagering game machine, wherein the wagering game session is for a first player account,

determine an amount of money spent on gambling during a time period, wherein the amount of money is spent, at least in part, via the wagering game machine during the wagering game session via the first player account,

determine that a second player account is configured with one or more settings that track spending of gambling,

assign the one or more settings of the second player account to the first player account, and

present the indication of the amount of money spent during the time period via the wagering game machine based on assignment of the one or more settings of the second player account to the first player account.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the responsible gaming module is further configured to:

determine that the second player account is designated on behalf of the first player account to authorize assignment of the one or more settings of the second player account to the first player account, and wherein presentation of the indication of the amount of money spent during the time period is in response to the assignment of the one or more settings of the second player account to the first player account.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the responsible gaming module is further configured to

generate a comparison between the amount of money spent on gambling during the time period by the first player account to an additional amount of money spent on gambling during the time period by the second player account, and

present an indication of the comparison via one or more of the first player account and the second player account.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the responsible gaming module is further configured to

determine that the first player account and the second player account have at least one common characteristic, and

select the second player account from a plurality of player accounts based on determination that the first player account and the second player account have the at least one common characteristic.

22. A computer-implemented method comprising:

accessing, via use of one or more processors, a first player account configured to provide funds for play of one or more wagering games, wherein the first player account is configured with a gambling limit;

determining, via at least one of the one or more processors, that the first player account is associated with a second player account configured to provide funds for play of one or more wagering games;

after determining that the first player account is associated with the second player account, determining that the first player account is designated by the second player account to impose a gambling limit; and

after determining that the first player account is designated by the second player account to impose the gambling limit applying, via at least one of the one or more processors, the gambling limit to the second player account.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein the gambling limit is configured to limit an amount of money spent on gambling, and further comprising:

prior to accessing the first player account, detecting that the second player account spends at least a portion of the amount of money on gambling during a specific time period;

accessing the first player account in response to detecting the second player account spends the at least a portion of the amount of money on gambling during the specific time period; and

presenting, via a display of a wagering game machine, an indication of the at least a portion of the amount of money spent during the time period via the wagering game machine.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein the first player account is associated with a first casino network and the second player account is associated with a second casino network.