Systems and methods for shared access to gaming accounts

• US 8,977,680 B2
• Filed: 02/02/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vegas.com
• Original Assignee: Vegas.com
• Inventors: Gibson, James, Allison, Bryan, Painter, John Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Keller, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US13/365,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A web server provides a host website to receive user profile and financial information to establish user gaming accounts that are shared by a plurality of on-line gaming venues. Each gaming venue, operated by different entities, provides gaming activities on a respective website. The host website provides a plurality of links to the participating on-line gaming venues and each gaming venue has shared access to the same user gaming account to facilitate user participation.

Claims

1. A computer system to perform a method of establishing and sharing a shared user gaming account for on-line gaming activities, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising computer executable instruction code to direct the processor to,

provide a host website with a plurality of links to corresponding on-line gaming venues operated by different entities,

receive, through the host website, user-entered profile and financial information corresponding to a user to generate and store a shared user gaming account specific to the user,

receive, through the host website, a user name and password specific to the user and shared user gaming account,

enable the user to log-in to the corresponding shared user gaming account by entering the user name and password,

enable each on-line gaming venue shared access to the shared user gaming account to confirm user eligibility to participate in gambling and to fund gaming activities on the respective on-line gaming venue, wherein the user eligibility to participate in gambling is at least partially based on a residence address associated with the user,

enable each on-line gaming venue, and at least one physical casino venue affiliated with one of the on-line gaming venues, to update profile information and financial information of the user in the shared user gaming account in response to gaming activity conducted at a respective on-line gaming venue,

track spending activity of the shared user gaming account associated with at least one on-line gaming venue,

enable at least one of the on-line gaming venues to provide an incentive offer to incentivize a user to visit the affiliated physical casino venue, wherein the incentive offer is at least partially based on the tracked spending activity, and

enable the user to log-in to a website of each of the on-line gaming venues by entering the user name and password associated with the shared user gaming account.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to store the user gaming account in a database in electrical communication with a server.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to enable each on-line gaming venue to view spending activity corresponding to the respective on-line gaming venue.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to generate an incentive offer for the user specific to an on-line gaming venue and based on the spending activity at the on-line gaming venue.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to display incentive offers adjacent to the on-line gaming venue links and corresponding to the respective on-line gaming venues.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to confirm user legal eligibility to participate in gambling based on the user-entered profile information.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instruction code further directs the processor to confirm user ability to fund gaming activities based on the financial information.

8. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the on-line gaming venue provides an option to download an executable gaming application to enable one or more gaming activities.

9. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising computer readable instruction code for performing a method of establishing and sharing a shared user gaming account for on-line gaming activities, the method comprising:

providing a host website with a plurality of links to corresponding on-line gaming venues operated by different entities,

receiving, through the host website, user-entered profile and financial information corresponding to a user to generate and store a shared user gaming account specific to the user,

receiving, through the host website, a user name and password specific to the user and user gaming account,

enabling the user to log-in to the corresponding shared user gaming account by entering the user name and password,

enabling each on-line gaming venue shared access to the shared user gaming account to confirm user eligibility to participate in gambling and to fund gaming activities on the respective on-line gaming venue, wherein the user eligibility to participate in gambling is at least partially based on a residence address associated with the user,

enabling each on-line gaming venue, and at least one physical casino venue affiliated with one of the on-line gaming venues, to update profile information and financial information of the user in the shared user gaming account in response to gaming activity conducted at a respective on-line gaming venue,

tracking spending activity of the shared user gaming account associated with at least one on-line gaming venue,

enabling at least one of the on-line gaming venues to provide an incentive offer to incentivize a user to visit the affiliated physical casino venue, wherein the incentive offer is at least partially based on the tracked spending activity, and

enabling the user to log-in at a website of each of the on-line gaming venues by entering the user name and password associated with the shared user gaming account.

10. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises storing the user gaming account in a database in electrical communication with a server.

11. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises enabling each on-line gaming venue to view spending activity corresponding to the respective on-line gaming venue.

12. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises generating an incentive offer for the user specific to an on-line gaming venue and based on the spending activity at the on-line gaming venue.

13. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises displaying incentive offers adjacent to the on-line gaming venue links and corresponding to the respective on-line gaming venues.

14. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises confirming user legal eligibility to participate in gambling based on the user-entered profile information.

15. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises confirming user ability to fund gaming activities based on the financial information.

16. The computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein the on-line gaming venue provides an option to download an executable gaming location to enable one or more gaming activities.

17. A computer system to perform a method of establishing and sharing a shared user gaming account for on-line gaming activities, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium comprising computer executable instruction code to direct the processor to,

receive, through the host website, user-entered profile and financial information corresponding to a user to generate and store a shared user gaming account specific to the user,

receive, through the host website, a user name and password specific to the user and the shared user gaming account,

enable the user to log-in to the corresponding shared user gaming account by entering the user name and password in response to gaming activity conducted at the respective on-line gaming venue, and

enable each on-line gaming venue shared access to the shared user gaming account to confirm user eligibility to participate in gambling and to fund gaming activities on the respective on-line gaming venue, wherein the user eligibility to participate in gambling is at least partially based on a residence address associated with the user,

track spending activity of the shared user gaming account associated with at least one on-line gaming venue,

enable at least one of the on-line gaming venues to provide an incentive offer to incentivize a user to visit an affiliated physical casino venue, wherein the incentive offer is at least partially based on the tracked spending activity, and to

enable each on-line gaming venue, and at least one affiliated physical casino venue, to update profile and financial information in the shared user gaming account.