WIRELESS GAMING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20070243927A1
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming International Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,870,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A system employs a server computing system with an integrated database and wireless communications devices, for example, handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs). The server computing system may also communicate with fully automated data collection systems associated with some gaming tables and/or with the casino'"'"'s legacy data collection systems and databases. The server computing system may communicate with various non-gaming related casino systems, such as point-of-sale terminals and/or accounting systems, related to the various guest facilities, for example, allowing player comps to be freely exchanged for services and merchandise. The wireless communications devices permit remote wagering.

Claims

1. A method of operating a server computing system to facilitate remote wagering on table games, the method comprising:

receiving, at the server computing system, a wager transaction packet for a proposed wager, the wager transaction packet including information indicative of an identity of a wireless communication device that produced the wager transaction packet, a wager amount, and a game occurring at a gaming table on which the wager is being placed;

determining whether the proposed wager was placed during a wager lock out period; and

in response to determining the proposed wager was not placed during the wager lock out period, accepting the proposed wager.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an indication to the wireless communication device that the proposed wager was accepted.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining a time that the proposed wager was placed.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

maintaining a database having at least one of wager lock out periods and periods during which wagers are accepted stored therein.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining whether the proposed wager was placed during the wager lock out period includes using the time that the wager was placed and one of the stored periods during which wagers are accepted.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager was entered into a wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager transaction packet was received by the server computing system.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager transaction packet was received at a wireless remote access point.

9. A system to facilitate remote wagering on table games, the system comprising:

a server computing system comprising at least one processor and at least one processor readable memory that stores instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to process wager transactions by;

receiving, at the server computing system, a plurality of wager transaction packets, each wager transaction packet for a proposed wager, each wager transaction packet including information indicative of an identity of a wireless communication device that produced the wager transaction packet, a wager amount, and a game occurring at a gaming table on which the wager is being placed;

for each wager transaction packet, determining whether the proposed wager was placed during a wager lock out period; and

in response to determining the proposed wager was not placed during the wager lock out period, accepting the proposed wager.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the instructions further include providing an indication to the wireless communication device that the proposed wager was accepted.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the instructions further include determining a time that the proposed wager was placed.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the instructions further include maintaining a database having at least one of wager lock out periods and periods during which wagers are accepted stored therein.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein determining whether the proposed wager was placed during the wager lock out period includes using the time that the wager was placed and one of the stored periods during which wagers are accepted.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager was entered into a wireless communication device.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager transaction packet was received by the server computing system.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein the time that the wager was placed corresponds to when the wager transaction packet was received at a wireless remote access point.

17. A method of operating a wireless communication device to facilitate remote wagering on table games, the method comprising:

receiving, at the wireless communication device, user input indicating a proposed wager to be placed on a game occurring at a gaming table;

determining whether the user input indicating the proposed wager was received during a wager lock out period; and

in response to determining the user input indicating the proposed wager was not received during the wager lock out period, transmitting, from the wireless communication device, a wager transaction packet to a server computing system via a network.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the wager transaction packet is transmitted intact to the server computing system and remains intact during the transmission between the wireless communication device and the server computing system.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing an indication to a user of the wireless communication device whether wagers are currently being accepted.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein providing the indication to the user of the wireless communication device that wagers are currently being accepted includes providing a message indicative of an amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes providing a visual message via a display, wherein the visual message is displayed on the wireless communication device.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes providing an aural message.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes successively updating a countdown of time remaining until the beginning of the wager lock out period.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

providing an indication to a user of the wireless communication device that wagers are not currently being accepted.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein providing the indication to the user of the wireless communication device that wagers are not currently being accepted includes providing a message indicative of an amount of time until wagers will be accepted.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining until wagers will be accepted includes providing a visual message via a display, wherein the visual message is displayed on the wireless communication device.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

including in the wager transaction packet an indication of when the proposed wager was placed on the wireless communication device.

28. A wireless communication device operable to facilitate gaming, the wireless communication device comprising:

a processor;

a processor-readable memory that stores instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to selectively accept proposed wagers by;

receiving, at the wireless communication device, user input indicating a proposed wager to be placed on a game occurring at a gaming table;

determining whether the user input indicating the proposed wager was received during a wager lock out period; and

in response to determining the user input indicating the proposed wager was not received during the wager lock out period, transmitting, from the wireless communication device, a wager transaction packet to a server computing system via a network.

29. The wireless communication device of claim 28 wherein the instructions further comprise:

providing an indication to a user of the wireless communication device whether wagers are currently being accepted.

30. The wireless communication device of claim 29 wherein providing the indication to the user of the wireless communication device that wagers are currently being accepted includes providing a message indicative of an amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted.

31. The wireless communication device of claim 30 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes providing a visual message via a display, wherein the visual message is displayed on the wireless communication device.

32. The wireless communication device of claim 30 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes providing an aural message.

33. The wireless communication device of claim 30 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining during which wagers are currently being accepted includes successively updating countdown of time remaining until the beginning of the wager lock out period.

34. The wireless communication device of claim 28, further comprising:

providing an indication to a user of the wireless communication device that wagers are not currently being accepted.

35. The wireless communication device of claim 34 wherein providing the indication to the user of the wireless communication device that wagers are not currently being accepted includes providing a message indicative of an amount of time until wagers will be accepted.

36. The wireless communication device of claim 35 wherein providing the message indicative of the amount of time remaining until wagers will be accepted includes providing a visual message via a display, wherein the visual message is displayed on the wireless communication device.