System and method for providing benefits on wagering and non-wagering networks

• US 9,466,171 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hornik, Jeremy M., Vann, Jamie W., Jaffe, Joel R., Aoki, Dion K., Ehrlich, Dean, Savino, Candice
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US14/337,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20140335944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 812 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A gaming system community server communications controller sends information to a wagering-game server. A community server processor obtains gaming session information relating to a player'"'"'s gaming session from the wagering-game server or wagering-game machine. The system determines whether the gaming session information satisfies a condition precedent to an award of player profile content comprising a currency in a community server secondary economy, game content available to the player on the community server, non-game content available to the player on the community server, game content available to the wagering-game machine player, non-game content available to the wagering-game machine player, and/or game content available to the player from the wagering-game server. The player profile content is stored in association with the player identified in the gaming session information and the information sent to the wagering-game server by the communications controller includes information relating to a location-based incentive available to the player.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a wagering incentive across a plurality of distinct networks, the first network being a non-wagering network operated by or for a first entity and the second network being a wagering network operatively associated with a wagering-game machine operated by or for a second entity distinct from the first entity, the method comprising:

offering, via a communications controller of a community server in said first network, an incentive to a participant of said first network to play a wagering game on said wagering-game machine of said second network;

receiving information from the second network comprising wagering-game machine gaming session information relating to a player'"'"'s gaming session on said wagering-game machine;

determining, using a processor operatively associated with said first network, a number of points to be awarded in association with the gaming session information;

adding, using the processor operatively associated with said first network, said number of points to a number of points stored in a player profile to yield a total number of points stored in the player profile;

comparing, using the processor operatively associated with said first network, the total number of points stored in the player profile to a total number of points stored in other player profiles for said wagering-game machine or comparing the total number of points stored in the player profile to a ranking schedule for said wagering-game machine;

determining, using the processor operatively associated with said first network, if the total number of points stored in the player profile corresponds to a higher rank in said ranking schedule for said wagering-game machine compared to a threshold rank in said ranking schedule associated with the number of points stored in the player profile; and

increasing, using the processor operatively associated with said first network, an incentive available in association with said player profile on said first network or on said wagering-game machine of said second network if the total number of points stored in the player profile corresponds to the higher rank.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of predefined ranks are set forth in said ranking schedule, and wherein each of said predefined ranks corresponds to a predetermined point accelerator.

3. A method of implementing a wagering incentive, the method comprising the acts of:

storing in association with a first player profile, on a non-transient physical computer readable medium, wagering game machine gaming session information relating to a first player'"'"'s gaming session on a wagering game machine operatively associated with a wagering network of one or more wagering game machines;

determining, using a processing device operatively associated with said non-transient physical computer readable medium, a number of points to be added to a first player profile point total based on the wagering game machine gaming session information;

using the processing device, adding the number of points to the first player profile point total stored in the non-transient physical computer readable medium;

comparing, using the processing device, the first player profile point total to point totals in a plurality of second player profiles stored in the non-transient physical computer readable medium;

determining, responsive to the act of comparing, a rank of the first player based on the first player profile point total relative to the point totals of second players and corresponding ranks of the second players based on the point totals of the second profiles relative to the first player profile total;

causing a first benefit to be provided to the first player at the one or more of the wagering game machines, via the processing device, responsive to the rank of the first player exceeding at least one of the corresponding ranks of the second players;

communicating the rank of the first player and the corresponding ranks of the second players between a non-wagering network community server and the wagering network; and

causing a second benefit to be provided to the first player at the non-wagering network community server, via the processing device, responsive to the rank of the first player exceeding at least one of the corresponding ranks of the second players.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the wagering game machine gaming session information comprises one or more of a number of visits to the wagering game machine, a count of a number of logins to the wagering game machine, a cumulative amount of coin-in to the wagering game machine, or a highest payout of the wagering game machine.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the wagering game machine is configured to provide personalized treatment responsive to a player rank and identification of the first player to the wagering-game machine.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the benefit comprises a personalized graphical user interface or wagering game visual elements mapped to the rank of the first player.

7. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the act of:

issuing a communication to a player communication device if a player rank is altered or if a margin between the rank of the first player and a rank of at least one of the second players decreased below a threshold level.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first benefit comprises an accelerated collection of player points, with increasing player ranks providing increasing levels of accelerated collection of players points.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the accelerated collection of player points with increasing player ranks is achieved via application of a rank-based multiplier or a rank-based point bonus to a number of points determined to correspond to the wagering game machine gaming session information.

10. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the acts of:

decrementing a number of points from the first player profile point total responsive to an occurrence of a trigger condition;

comparing, using the processing device, the decremented point total to the point totals in the second player profiles;

determining, responsive to the act of comparing, the rank of the first player relative to the point totals of second players and the corresponding ranks of the second players; and

causing, via the processing device, a third benefit to be provided to a player at one or more of the wagering game machine, a gaming establishment in which the wagering game machine is disposed, or another wagering game machine manufactured by a same manufacturer as that of the wagering game machine, based on the rank of the first player.

11. The method according to claim 3, wherein the trigger condition comprises one of a lapse of time in accord with a schedule for decrementing points from the first player profile point total, player inactivity at the wagering game machine, player inactivity at the gaming establishment in which the wagering game machine is disposed, or player inactivity at wagering game machines manufactured by the same manufacturer as that of the wagering game machine.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein the trigger condition comprises a lapse of time in accord with a decay rate assigned to the player profile point total or the rank of the first player.

13. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

providing an additional benefit to a player, via the processing device, responsive to a player maintenance of a minimum predetermined player rank for a predetermined period of time.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein the second benefit at the non-wagering network community server comprises access to downloadable content via the non-wagering network community server.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the downloadable content comprises one or more games.

16. A system for implementing a wagering incentive, the system comprising:

a non-transient physical computer readable medium;

a wagering game machine configured to conduct a wagering game; and

a processing device communicatively coupled with the non-transient physical computer readable medium and the wagering game machine,

wherein the processing device is configured to determine, from gaming session information relating to a first player'"'"'s gaming session on the wagering game machine operatively associated with a wagering network of one or more wagering game machines, a number of points to be added to a first player profile point total stored in the non-transient physical computer readable medium,

wherein the processing device is further configured to add the number of points to the first player profile point total and to compare the first player profile point total to point totals in a plurality of second player profiles to determine a rank of the first player based on the first player profile point total relative to the point totals of the second player profiles and corresponding ranks of the second players based on the point totals of the second profiles relative to the first player profile total,

wherein the processing device is further configured to cause a first benefit to be provided to the first player in a subsequent gaming session at the one or more of the wagering game machines, responsive to the rank of the first player exceeding at least one of the corresponding ranks of the second players,

wherein the processing device is further configured to communicate the rank of the first player and the corresponding ranks of the second players between a non-wagering network community server and the wagering network, and

wherein the processing is further configured to cause a second benefit to be provided to the first player at the non-wagering network community server responsive to the rank of the first player exceeding at least one of the corresponding ranks of the second players.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the wagering game machine gaming session information comprises one or more of a number of visits to the wagering game machine, a count of a number of logins to the wagering game machine, a cumulative amount of coin-in to the wagering game machine, or a highest payout of the wagering game machine.

18. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first benefit comprises one or both of a personalized wagering game machine graphical user interface or wagering game visual elements mapped to the rank of the first player.

19. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to transmit a communication to a player communication device if a player rank is altered or if a margin between the rank of the first player and a rank of at least one of the second players decreased below a threshold level.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the communication to the player communication device comprises a communication to a player account on the non-wagering network community server.

21. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first benefit comprises an accelerated collection of player points, with increasing player ranks providing increasing levels of accelerated collection of players points.

22. The system according to claim 16, wherein the first benefit comprises a rank-based multiplier or a rank-based point bonus applied to a number of points corresponding to wagering game machine gaming session information in a subsequent gaming session.

23. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to:

decrement a number of points from the first player profile point total responsive to an occurrence of a trigger condition;

compare the decremented point total to the point totals in the second player profiles;

determine, responsive to the act of comparing, the rank of the first player based on the first player profile point total relative to the point totals of the second player profiles and the corresponding ranks of the second players; and

cause a third benefit to be provided to the first player in a subsequent gaming session at one or more of the wagering game machine, the gaming establishment in which the wagering game machine is disposed, or another wagering game machine manufactured by the same manufacturer as that of the wagering game machine, based on the rank of the first player.

24. The system according to claim 23, wherein the trigger condition comprises one of a lapse of time in accord with a schedule for decrementing points from the first player profile point total, player inactivity at the wagering game machine, player inactivity at the gaming establishment in which the wagering game machine is disposed, or player inactivity at wagering game machines manufactured by the same manufacturer as that of the wagering game machine.

25. The system according to claim 23, wherein the trigger condition comprises a lapse of time in accord with a decay rate assigned to the first player profile point total or the rank of the first player.

26. The system according to claim 23, wherein the processing device is further configured to:

cause an additional benefit to be provided to a player, responsive to a player maintenance of a minimum predetermined player rank for a predetermined period of time.