Integrating social communities and wagering games

• US 9,039,507 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Allen, Jeffrey L., Barclay, Brian J., Gagner, Mark B., Guinn, Andrew C.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/752,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 25- 29
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services

Abstract

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In some examples, the operations include detecting a side wager placed by a social network user accounts connected to a communal wagering game, detecting that a jurisdictional rule prohibits a characteristic of the side wager, and altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule. In some examples, the operations can further include determining a request by a first of the social network user accounts to transact an exchange of one or more non-cash items associated with the communal wagering game with a second of the social network user accounts, and transacting the exchange.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system configured to provide one or more regulated wagering games, the method comprising:

detecting a request sent from a client device to the gaming system via a communications network, said request to place a side wager on one or more potential, random wagering game outcomes to be generated by the gaming system for a communal wagering game, wherein the request is made by one of a plurality of social network user accounts associated with the client device, and wherein the communal wagering game is one of the one or more regulated wagering games provided by the gaming system;

detecting that a jurisdictional rule, associated with one or more of the plurality of social network user accounts, prohibits a characteristic of the side wager for a jurisdiction in which the client device is located;

altering, by the gaming system, the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule; and

placing, by the gaming system, the side wager after altering the characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule comprises changing a cash value of the side wager to a non-cash value.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request to place the side wager is a request to place the side wager against an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts, wherein the detecting that the jurisdictional rule prohibits the characteristic of the side wager comprises detecting that the jurisdictional rule prohibits one or more of the one of the plurality of the social network user accounts and the additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts from making monetary wagers, and wherein the altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule comprises providing a non-monetary wagering alternative for the side wager.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting the request to place the side wager in response to a social communication between the one of the plurality of social network user accounts and an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of social network user accounts are hosted by different social network providers.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of social network user account are hosted by different social network providers.

6. A gaming system configured to provide one or more regulated wagering games, said gaming system comprising:

one or more processors;

at least one wagering game outcome generator configured to generate one or more random wagering game outcomes for the one or more regulated wagering games; and

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

detect a request sent from a client device to the gaming system via a communications network, said request to place a side wager on at least one of the one or more random wagering game outcomes to be generated by the at least one random outcome generator for a communal wagering game, wherein the request is made by one of a plurality of social network user accounts associated with the client device, and wherein the communal wagering game is one of the one or more regulated wagering games provided by the gaming system,

detect that a jurisdictional rule, associated with one or more of the plurality of social network user accounts, prohibits a characteristic of the side wager for a jurisdiction in which the client device is located,

alter the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule, and

place the side wager after altering the characteristic.

7. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the at least one memory unit configured to store the instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform the operation to alter the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule is configured to store one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform one or more operations to change a cash value of the side wager to a non-cash value.

8. The gaming system of claim 6, wherein the request to place the side wager is a request to place the side wager against an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts, wherein the at least one memory unit configured to store the instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform the operation to detect that the jurisdictional rule prohibits the characteristic of the side wager is configured to store one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform one or more operations to detect that the jurisdictional rule prohibits one or more of the one of the plurality of the social network user accounts and the additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts from making monetary wagers, and wherein the at least one memory unit configured to store the instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform the operation to alter the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule is configured to store one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform one or more operations to provide a non-monetary wagering alternative for the side wager.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory unit is configured to store instructions which, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, further cause the gaming system to perform operations to detect the request to place the side wager in response to a social communication between the one of the plurality of social network user accounts and an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts.

11. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a set of one or more processors cause the set of one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

detecting a request sent from a client device to a gaming system via a communications network, said request to place a side wager on one or more potential, random wagering game outcomes to be generated by the gaming system for a communal wagering game, wherein the request is made by one of a plurality of social network user accounts, and wherein the communal wagering game is one of one or more regulated wagering games provided by the gaming system;

detecting that a jurisdictional rule, associated with one or more of the plurality of social network user accounts, prohibits a characteristic of the side wager for a jurisdiction in which the client device is located;

altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule; and

placing the side wager after altering the characteristic.

12. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the operation of altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule comprises changing a cash value of the side wager to a non-cash value.

13. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein the operation of detecting the request to place the side wager includes an operation of detecting a request to place the side wager against an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts, wherein the operation of detecting that the jurisdictional rule prohibits the characteristic of the side wager includes an operation of detecting that the jurisdictional rule prohibits one or more of the one of the plurality of the social network user accounts and the additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts from making monetary wagers, and wherein the operation of altering the characteristic of the side wager to comport with the jurisdictional rule includes an operation of providing a non-monetary wagering alternative for the side wager.

14. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 13, wherein the operation of detecting the request to place the side wager is in response to a social communication between the one of the plurality of social network user accounts and an additional one of the plurality of social network user accounts.

15. The one or more non-transitory, machine-readable storage media of claim 11, wherein at least two of the plurality of social network user account are hosted by different social network providers.