Wagering game content based on locations of player check-in

• US 9,564,007 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Dicillo, Michael V., Savage, Dave, Vann, Jamie W., Ward, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARTER, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US13/786,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

A computer-implemented method comprises replacing, by one or more processors, original wagering game content with modified wagering game content based on a wagering game player'"'"'s check-ins at one or more physical locations. The method also includes presenting, on an electronic display device, a wagering game with the modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

receiving a check-in request initiated by a mobile device, wherein the check-in request indicates, via a global positioning device, a physical location near the mobile device at a time of a check-in and an identification of a wagering game player associated with the mobile device, wherein the physical location is external to a wagering game establishment;

detecting, via at least one of one or more electronic input devices of a wagering game machine, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance, wherein the wagering game machine includes the one or more electronic input devices, an electronic display device, and one or more controllers;

replacing, by one or more processors after the wagering game player is logged into a player account at the wagering game machine, original wagering game content with modified wagering game content in response to receiving the first check-in request, the modified wagering game content modifying an outcome of a wagering game, wherein the modified wagering game content is associated with an attribute of the physical location;

initiating the wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance;

presenting, on the electronic display device of the wagering game machine, the wagering game with the modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content; and

receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified wagering game content indicates the physical location.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, over a computer network, the modified wagering game content at the wagering game machine.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical location is associated with a business entity, and wherein a portion of the modified wagering game content is sponsored by the business entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the portion of the modified wagering game content comprises a game result that includes an award of monetary value provided by the business entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified wagering game content varies based on a number of check-in requests initiated by the mobile device near the physical location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the replacing, presenting, on the electronic display device of the wagering game machine, the wagering game with the original wagering game content.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second check-in request at a second physical location by the wagering game player using the mobile device, wherein the second check-in comprises the identification of the wagering game player and the second physical location near where the mobile device is located at a second time of a second check-in, wherein the second physical location is external to the wagering game establishment;

replacing, after receiving the check-in request and the second check-in request and after the wagering game player is logged into the player account at the wagering game machine, the original wagering game content with a second modified wagering game content based on the check-in and the second check-in, wherein the second modified wagering game content is different from the modified wagering game content; and

presenting, on the at least one electronic display device of the wagering game machine, the wagering game with the second modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content.

23. The method of claim 1 wherein the modifying the outcome of the wagering game comprises modifying a value of a symbol from a pay table for the wagering game in response to receiving the check-in request.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the replacing the original wagering game content with the modified wagering game content is in response to determining that the check-in request has been received a threshold number of times from one or more geographic locations associated with a business entity.

8. A wagering game machine comprising:

one or more electronic input devices;

at least one electronic display device;

one or more controllers;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device configured to store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the wagering game machine to;

receive a first check-in request initiated by a mobile device, wherein the first check-in request indicates, via a global positioning device, a first physical location near the mobile device at a first time of a first check-in and an identification of a wagering game player associated with the mobile device, wherein the physical location is external to a wagering game establishment, and wherein the wagering game machine is inside the wagering game establishment;

detect, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance;

replace, after the wagering game player is logged into a player account at the wagering game machine, original wagering game content with modified wagering game content in response to the check-in request being received, the modified wagering game content modifying an outcome of a wagering game, wherein the modified wagering game content is associated with an attribute of the physical location;

initiate the wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance;

present, on the at least one electronic display device, the wagering game with the modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content; and

receive, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.

9. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the modified wagering game content indicates the physical location.

10. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the wagering game machine to receive, over a computer network, the modified wagering game content.

11. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the physical location is associated with a business entity, and wherein a portion of the modified wagering game content is sponsored by the business entity.

12. The wagering game machine of claim 11, wherein the portion of the modified wagering game content comprises a game result that includes an award of monetary value provided by the business entity, wherein modifying the outcome of the wagering game comprises modifying a value of a symbol from a pay table for the wagering game in response to receiving the check-in request, and wherein the modifying the value of the symbol comprises selecting a symbol from the pay table whose modification would cause the game result to provide at least the award of monetary value provided by the business entity.

13. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the modified wagering game content varies based on a number of check-in requests initiated by the mobile device near the physical location.

14. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the wagering game machine to present, on the at least one electronic display device, the wagering game with the original wagering game content prior to replacing the original wagering game content.

21. The wagering game machine of claim 8, wherein the instructions further cause the wagering game machine to:

replace, after the check-in request and a second check-in request are received and after the wagering game player is logged into the player account at the wagering game machine, the original wagering game content with a second modified wagering game content, wherein the second check-in request is initiated by the wagering game player at a second physical location, wherein the second modified wagering game content is different from the modified wagering game content; and

present, on the at least one electronic display device, the wagering game with the second modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content.

15. One or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media including instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a wagering game machine, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a check-in request initiated by a mobile device, wherein the check-in request indicates, via global positioning device, a physical location near the mobile device at a time of check-in and an identification of a wagering game player associated with the mobile device, wherein the physical location is external to a wagering game establishment, wherein the wagering game machine is inside the wagering game establishment, and wherein the wagering game machine includes one or more electronic input devices, at least one electronic display device, and one or more controllers;

detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value that establishes a credit balance;

replacing after the wagering game player is logged into a player account at the wagering game machine, original wagering game content with modified wagering game content in response to receiving the check-in request, the modified wagering game content modifying an outcome of a wagering game, wherein the modified wagering game content is associated with an attribute of the physical location;

initiating the wagering game in response to an input indicative of a wager covered by the credit balance;

presenting on the at least one electronic display device, the wagering game with the modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content; and

receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.

16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the operations for presenting the wagering game include operations for outputting a result of the wagering game, wherein the result includes an award of monetary value provided by a business entity.

17. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the wagering game comprises a slots game having reel symbols, and wherein the operations for replacing the original wagering game content includes operations comprising replacing at least one of the reel symbols with a modified reel symbol.

18. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the operations for replacing the at least one of the reel symbols with the modified reel symbol includes operations comprising:

replacing a first one of the at least one of the reel symbols associated with a first payout value in response to a first number of check-ins by the wagering game player at the physical location; and

replacing a second one of the at least one of the reel symbols associated with a second payout value that is higher than the first payout value in response to a second number of check-ins by the wagering game player at the physical location, the second number of check-ins being greater than the first number of check-ins.

19. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein prior to the operations for replacing, the one or more processors are configured to perform operations for presenting, on the at least one electronic display device of the wagering game machine, the wagering game with the original wagering game content.

22. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15, the instructions further causing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

receiving a second check-in request at a second physical location by the wagering game player using the mobile device, wherein the second check-in request comprises the identification of the wagering game player and the second physical location near where the mobile device is located at a second time of a second check-in, wherein the second physical location is external to the wagering game establishment;

replacing, after receiving the first check-in request and the second check-in request and after the wagering game player is logged into the player account at the wagering game machine, the original wagering game content with a second modified wagering game content based on the check-in and the second check-in, wherein the second modified wagering game content is different from the modified wagering game content; and

presenting, on the at least one electronic display device of the wagering game machine, the wagering game with the second modified wagering game content in place of the original wagering game content.