GAMING SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN PROVIDING RANDOM REWARDS ASSOCIATED WITH PLAY-FOR-FUN APPLICATIONS

• US 20130324218A1
• Filed: 06/01/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Video Gaming Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Video Gaming Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Thacker, Christopher John, Milligan, Daniel William, Cuddy, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 9,607,471 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine

Abstract

Systems and methods for use in providing a random reward associated with at least one play-for-fun application are disclosed. One exemplary method includes crediting, at the gaming server, gaming activity directed to a play-for-fun application by a player to a player tracking account, issuing at least one coupon associated with a random reward based on at least the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account, tracking, at the gaming server, redemption of the at least one coupon, and awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed at a gaming machine in accordance with at least one trigger condition.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use in providing a random reward associated with at least one play-for-fun application, said method comprising:

crediting, at the gaming server, gaming activity directed to a play-for-fun application by a player to a player tracking account;

issuing at least one coupon associated with a random reward based on at least the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account;

tracking, at the gaming server, redemption of the at least one coupon; and

awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed at a gaming machine in accordance with at least one trigger condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the at least one coupon based on at least the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account includes generating, at the gaming server, a substantially random number based on a seed value and the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account and issuing the at least one coupon when the substantially random number satisfies a predetermined condition.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising assigning the seed value based on a fee associated with the play-for-fun application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing the at least one coupon based on at least the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account includes issuing the at least one coupon when the gaming activity satisfies at least one predetermined condition.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the play-for-fun application to a computing device in response to a request from the player.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one credential from the player;

and

associating the play-for-fun application with the player tracking account based on the at least one credential.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically transmitting the at least one coupon to the player based on contact information associated with the player tracking account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a status, for presentation to the player, indicating at least one of a proximity of gaming activity relative to a next issued coupon and a proximity of the random reward to satisfying the at least on trigger condition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed under the at least one trigger condition includes awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed after a predetermined number of coupons have been redeemed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed under at least one trigger condition includes awarding the random reward when the coupon is redeemed during a predetermined interval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the play-for-fun application includes at least one of a poker game, a racing game, and a puzzle game.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupon issued includes at least one barcode printed thereon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the player is one of a plurality of participants associated by a predefined relationship.

14. A gaming system for use in providing a random reward associated with at least one play-for-fun application, said gaming system comprising:

a gaming server configured to store a plurality of player tracking accounts, credit gaming activity directed to a play-for-fun application by a player to one of the plurality of player tracking accounts, issue at least one coupon associated with a random reward based on the gaming activity to at least one of said one of the plurality of player tracking accounts, and credit a redemption of the at least one coupon to the random reward.

15. The gaming server of claim 14, wherein said gaming server is further configured to award the random reward based on at least one trigger condition.

16. The gaming server of claim 14, wherein said gaming server is configured to issue the at least one coupon when the gaming activity satisfies at least one predetermined condition.

17. The gaming server of claim 14, further comprising a gaming machine coupled to said gaming server, said gaming machine configured to receive the at least one coupon, at an input device, and indicate receipt of the at least one coupon to said gaming server;

wherein said gaming server is configured to receive the indication from the gaming machine and credit the redemption of the at least one coupon to the random reward based on the indication from the gaming machine.

18. The gaming server of claim 14, wherein said gaming server is configured to generate a substantially random number based on a seed value and the gaming activity credited to at least one of the plurality of player tracking accounts and issuing the at least one coupon when the substantially random number satisfies a predetermined condition.

19. The gaming server of claim 18, wherein the seed value is based at least partially on a fee associated with the play-for-fun application.

20. The gaming server of claim 14, wherein said gaming server is configured to provide for presentation to the player, at a gaming device, a listing of play-for-fun applications and transmit a selected play-for-fun application from the listing of play-for-fun applications, in response to a request from the gaming device.

21. The gaming server of claim 14, wherein said gaming server is further configured to issue at least one coupon including at least one barcode printed thereon.

22. The gaming server of claim 14 wherein said gaming server is further configured to issue at least one divisible coupon to at least two players satisfying a predetermined relationship.

23. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, said computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

credit gaming activity directed to a play-for-fun application by a player to a player tracking account;

issue at least one coupon associated with a random reward based on at least the gaming activity credited to the player tracking account;

tracking redemption of the at least one coupon; and

award the random reward when the coupon is redeemed at a gaming machine in accordance with at least one trigger condition.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein said computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to randomly generate a random number based on a seed value and the gaming activity, and issue the at least one coupon associated with a random reward based on the randomly generated number.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein said computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to receive at least one credential from a gaming device and credit gaming activity directed to a play-for-fun application by a player to a player tracking account based on the at least one credential.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 23, wherein said computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to create the random reward based on at least one parameter associated with the play-for-fun application.