U.S. patent application number 11/682253 was filed with the patent office on 2007-10-18 for casino gaming incentives using game themes, game types, paytables, denominations.
This patent application is currently assigned to IGT. Invention is credited to Cara Iddings.
Application Number | 20070243928 11/682253 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46045450 |
Filed Date | 2007-10-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070243928 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Iddings; Cara |
October 18, 2007 |
CASINO GAMING INCENTIVES USING GAME THEMES, GAME TYPES, PAYTABLES,
DENOMINATIONS
Abstract
Various techniques are disclosed for conducting promotional
activities in a casino gaming network. In at least one embodiment,
various incentives and/or promotions may be associated with
selected gaming components which are accessible to a given gaming
machine. Such gaming components may include, for example,
paytables, denominations, game types, and/or game themes which are
accessible to a given gaming machine cabinet. In this way, the
lowest level of granularity for targeting promotional offers and
incentives may be extended to selected paytables, denominations,
game types, game themes, and/or other desired components within
(and/or accessible to) selected gaming machine cabinet(s).
Inventors: |
Iddings; Cara; (Henderson,
NV) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BEYER WEAVER LLP
P.O. BOX 70250
OAKLAND
CA
94612-0250
US
|
Assignee: |
IGT
Reno
NV
|
Family ID: |
46045450 |
Appl. No.: |
11/682253 |
Filed: |
March 5, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11595774 |
Nov 10, 2006 |
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11682253 |
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60792082 |
Apr 13, 2006 |
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60822859 |
Aug 18, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
463/26 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3239 20130101;
G07F 17/3223 20130101; G07F 17/32 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/26 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A gaming device in a casino gaming network, comprising: a first
display; a communication interface for communicating with a remote
host; a master gaming controller; an input mechanism for receiving
cash or an indicia of credit; the gaming device being operable to:
control a wager-based game played on the gaming device; identify a
first gaming machine in the casino gaming network; identify at
least one gaming component available at the first gaming machine,
wherein the at least one gaming component includes a first gaming
component selected from a group of gaming components consisting of:
a game theme, a game type, a paytable, and a denomination; identify
a first promotion that is available for the first gaming component;
and present a first promotional offer relating to the identified
first promotion; wherein the first promotional offer provides an
incentive for a player to participate in game play at the first
gaming machine relating to the first gaming component.
2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the gaming device is
configured as a single-player gaming machine.
3. The gaming device of claim 1: wherein the first promotional
offer includes at least one offer selected from a group consisting
of: a game type promotional offer, a game theme promotional offer,
a paytable promotional offer, and a denomination promotional offer;
wherein the game type promotional offer provides an incentive for a
player to participate in game play at the first gaming machine
involving a new or different game type; wherein the game theme
promotional offer provides an incentive for a player to participate
in game play at the first gaming machine involving a new or
different game theme; wherein the denomination promotional offer
provides an incentive for a player to participate in game play at
the first gaming machine involving a new or different denomination;
wherein the paytable promotional offer provides an incentive for a
player to participate in game play at the first gaming machine
involving a new or different paytable.
4. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game type which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the gaming device being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first game type; and present a first game type promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first game
type promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first game type.
5. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game kind which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the gaming device being further operable to:
identify a first game kind promotion relating to the identified
first game kind; and present a first available promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first game
kind promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first game kind.
6. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first paytable which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the gaming device being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first paytable; and present a first paytable promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first
paytable promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first paytable.
7. The gaming device of claim 1 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first denomination which is available for play at
the first gaming machine, the gaming device being further operable
to: identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first denomination; and present a first denomination promotional
offer relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first
denomination promotional offer provides an incentive for the player
to participate in game play at the first gaming machine which
relates to the first denomination.
8. A promotion server system in a casino gaming network, the casino
gaming network including a plurality of gaming devices, the
promotion server system comprising: at least one CPU; memory; and
at least one interface for communicating with other devices in the
gaming network; the promotion server system being operable to:
identify at least one gaming component available for game play at
the casino gaming network, the at least one gaming component
including a first gaming component selected from a group of gaming
components consisting of: a game theme, a game type, a paytable, a
denomination; identify a first promotion that is available for the
first gaming component; and present a first promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first
promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first promotional
reward to an offeree upon satisfaction of a first set of
conditions, the first set of conditions including a first condition
that the offeree participate in game play relating to the first
gaming component.
9. The system of claim 8 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game type which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the system being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first game type; present a first game type promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein
the first game type promotional offer includes an offer to provide
a first promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a
first set of conditions, the first set of conditions including a
first condition that the offeree participate in game play relating
to the first game type.
10. The system of claim 8 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game kind which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the system being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first game kind; present a first game kind promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein
the first game kind promotional offer includes an offer to provide
a first promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a
first set of conditions, the first set of conditions including a
first condition that the offeree participate in game play relating
to the first game kind.
11. The system of claim 8 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first paytable which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the system being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first paytable; present a first paytable promotional offer relating
to the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein the first
paytable promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first
promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a first set
of conditions, the first set of conditions including a first
condition that the offeree participate in game play relating to the
first paytable.
12. The system of claim 8 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first denomination which is available for play at
the casino gaming network, the system being further operable to:
identify a first available promotion relating to the identified
first denomination; present a first denomination promotional offer
relating to the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein
the first denomination promotional offer includes an offer to
provide a first promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction
of a first set of conditions, the first set of conditions including
a first condition that the offeree participate in game play
relating to the first denomination.
13. The system of claim 8 being further operable to: detect that
the offeree has initiated a process of satisfying the first set of
conditions at a first gaming device; detect that the offeree has
suspended the process of satisfying the first set of conditions at
the first gaming device; detect that the offeree has resumed the
process of satisfying the first set of conditions at a second
gaming device
14. The system of claim 8 being further operable to: detect that
the offeree has successfully satisfied the first set of conditions
via game play on at least two different gaming devices.
15. The system of claim 8: wherein the first promotional reward
includes a promotional credit for providing the offeree with a
specified amount of free play credits for use in engaging in game
play relating to at least one specified gaming component; wherein
the at least one gaming specified component includes at least one
gaming component selected from a group of gaming components
consisting of: a game theme, a game type, a paytable, and a
denomination.
16. A method for conducting promotional activities in a casino
gaming network, the casino gaming network including a plurality of
gaming devices operable for playing wager-based games, the method
comprising: identifying a first gaming machine in the casino gaming
network; identifying at least one gaming component available at the
first gaming machine, wherein the at least one gaming component
includes a first gaming component selected from a group of gaming
components consisting of: a game theme, a game type, a paytable,
and a denomination; identifying a first promotion that is available
for the first gaming component; and presenting a first promotional
offer relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first
promotional offer provides an incentive for a player to participate
in game play at the first gaming machine relating to the first
gaming component.
17. The method of claim 16: wherein the first promotional offer
includes at least one offer selected from a group consisting of: a
game type promotional offer, a game theme promotional offer, a
paytable promotional offer, and a denomination promotional offer;
wherein the game type promotional offer provides an incentive for a
player to participate in game play at the first gaming machine
involving a new or different game type; wherein the game theme
promotional offer provides an incentive for a player to participate
in game play at the first gaming machine involving a new or
different game theme; wherein the denomination promotional offer
provides an incentive for a player to participate in game play at
the first gaming machine involving a new or different denomination;
wherein the paytable promotional offer provides an incentive for a
player to participate in game play at the first gaming machine
involving a new or different paytable.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game type which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the method further comprising: identifying a
first available promotion relating to the identified first game
type; presenting a first game type promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion; wherein the first game type
promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first game type.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game kind which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the method further comprising: identifying a
first game kind promotion relating to the identified first game
kind; presenting a first available promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion; wherein the first game kind
promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first game kind.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first paytable which is available for play at the
first gaming machine, the method further comprising: identifying a
first available promotion relating to the identified first
paytable; presenting a first paytable promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion; wherein the first paytable
promotional offer provides an incentive for the player to
participate in game play at the first gaming machine which relates
to the first paytable.
21. The method of claim 16 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first denomination which is available for play at
the first gaming machine, the method further comprising:
identifying a first available promotion relating to the identified
first denomination; presenting a first denomination promotional
offer relating to the identified first promotion; wherein the first
denomination promotional offer provides an incentive for the player
to participate in game play at the first gaming machine which
relates to the first denomination.
22. The method of claim 16 wherein the first promotional offer is
presented via a display at the first gaming machine.
23. The method of claim 16 wherein first promotional offer is
presented to a casino player or patron.
24. The method of claim 16 wherein first promotional offer is
presented via a wireless handheld device.
25. The method of claim 16 wherein first promotional offer is
presented via a display device on the casino floor.
26. A method for conducting promotional activities in a casino
gaming network, the casino gaming network including a plurality of
gaming devices operable for playing wager-based games, the method
comprising: identifying at least one gaming component available for
game play at the casino gaming network, the at least one gaming
component including a first gaming component selected from a group
of gaming components consisting of: a game theme, a game type, a
paytable, and a denomination; identifying a first promotion that is
available for the first gaming component; and presenting a first
promotional offer relating to the identified first promotion;
wherein the first promotional offer includes an offer to provide a
first promotional reward to an offeree upon satisfaction of a first
set of conditions, the first set of conditions including a first
condition that the offeree participate in game play relating to the
first gaming component.
27. The method of claim 26 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game type which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the method further comprising: identifying a
first available promotion relating to the identified first game
type; presenting a first game type promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein the first
game type promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first
promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a first set
of conditions, the first set of conditions including a first
condition that the offeree participate in game play relating to the
first game type.
28. The method of claim 26 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first game kind which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the method further comprising: identifying a
first available promotion relating to the identified first game
kind; presenting a first game kind promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein the first
game kind promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first
promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a first set
of conditions, the first set of conditions including a first
condition that the offeree participate in game play relating to the
first game kind.
29. The method of claim 26 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first paytable which is available for play at the
casino gaming network, the method further comprising: identifying a
first available promotion relating to the identified first
paytable; presenting a first paytable promotional offer relating to
the identified first promotion to the offeree; wherein the first
paytable promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first
promotional reward to the offeree upon satisfaction of a first set
of conditions, the first set of conditions including a first
condition that the offeree participate in game play relating to the
first paytable.
30. The method of claim 26 wherein the first gaming component
corresponds to a first denomination which is available for play at
the casino gaming network, the method further comprising:
identifying a first available promotion relating to the identified
first denomination; presenting a first denomination promotional
offer relating to the identified first promotion to the offeree;
wherein the first denomination promotional offer includes an offer
to provide a first promotional reward to the offeree upon
satisfaction of a first set of conditions, the first set of
conditions including a first condition that the offeree participate
in game play relating to the first denomination.
31. The method of claim 26 further comprising: detecting that the
offeree has initiated a process of satisfying the first set of
conditions at a first gaming device; detecting that the offeree has
suspended the process of satisfying the first set of conditions at
the first gaming device; detecting that the offeree has resumed the
process of satisfying the first set of conditions at a second
gaming device
32. The method of claim 26 further comprising: detecting that the
offeree has successfully satisfied the first set of conditions via
game play on at least two different gaming devices.
33. The method of claim 26: wherein the first promotional reward
includes a promotional credit for providing the offeree with a
specified amount of free play credits for use in engaging in game
play relating to at least one specified gaming component; wherein
the at least one gaming specified component includes at least one
gaming component selected from a group of gaming components
consisting of: a game theme, a game type, a paytable, and a
denomination.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims
priority to, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn.120, prior U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/595,774 (Attorney Docket No. IGT1P334)
entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATING REMOTELY-HOSTED AND
LOCALLY RENDERED CONTENT ON A GAMING DEVICE" by LeMay et al., filed
on Nov. 10, 2006, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/792,082 (Attorney Docket
No. IGT1P337P), filed Apr. 13, 2006, naming Little, et al., as
inventors, and titled "Remote Content Management and Resource
Sharing on a Gaming Machine," and which also claims benefit under
35 U.S.C. 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
60/822,859 (Attorney Docket No. IGT1P337P2), filed Aug. 18, 2006,
naming Little, et al., as inventors, and titled "Remote Content
Management and Resource Sharing on a Gaming Machine and Method of
Implementing same." Each of these applications is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Casinos and other forms of gaming comprise a growing
multi-billion dollar industry both domestically and abroad, with
electronic and microprocessor based gaming machines being more
popular than ever. A gaming entity that provides gaming services
may control gaming devices that are globally distributed in many
different types of establishments. For example, gaming machines may
be placed in casinos, convenience stores, racetracks, supermarkets,
bars and boats. Further, via a remote server, a gaming entity may
provide gaming services in locale of a user's choosing, such as on
a home computer or on a mobile device carried by the user.
[0003] Electronic and microprocessor based gaming machines can
include various hardware and software components to provide a wide
variety of game types and game playing capabilities, with such
hardware and software components being generally well known in the
art. For example, bill validators, coin acceptors, card readers,
keypads, buttons, levers, touch screens, displays, coin hoppers,
player tracking units and the like are examples of hardware that
can be coupled to a gaming machine. Software components can
include, for example, boot and initialization routines, various
game play programs and subroutines, credit and payout routines,
image and audio generation programs, security monitoring programs,
authentication programs and a random number generator, among
others.
[0004] The functions available on a gaming machine may depend on
whether the gaming machine is linked to other gaming devices. For
instance, when connected to other remote gaming devices, a gaming
machine may provide progressive jackpots, player tracking and
loyalty points programs, cashless gaming, and bonusing among other
items. Many of these added components, features and programs can
involve the implementation of various back-end and/or networked
systems, including more hardware and software elements, as is
generally known.
[0005] In a typical casino-based electronic gaming machine, such as
a slot machine, video poker machine, video keno machine or the
like, a game play is initiated through a wager of money or credit,
whereupon the gaming machine determines a game outcome, presents
the game outcome to the player and then potentially dispenses an
award of some type, including a monetary award, depending upon the
game outcome. In this instance, the gaming machine is operable to
receive, store and dispense indicia of credit or cash as well as
calculate a gaming outcome that could result in a large monetary
award.
[0006] A gaming entity may provide gaming services to tens of
thousands of users. For instance, a single land-based casino may
include thousands of gaming machines. However, player's gaming
interests are constantly changing, and the effort associated with
providing fresh content to users may be quite costly. Accordingly,
it may be desirable to utilize various mechanisms for inducing or
promoting desired player gaming activities at the casino.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to
different methods, systems, and computer program products for
conducting promotional activities in a casino gaming network. In at
least one embodiment, the casino gaming network includes a
plurality of gaming devices operable for playing wager-based games.
At least one gaming component available at a first gaming machine
may be identified. According to specific embodiments, the
identified gaming component(s) may include, for example, one or
more of the following (or combinations thereof): a game theme, a
game type, a paytable, and a denomination. At least one action or
operation may be initiated to identify a first promotion that is
available for the first gaming component. The a first promotional
offer relating to the identified first promotion may be presented,
for example, to one or more persons at the casino. According to a
specific embodiment, the first promotional offer provides an
incentive for a player to participate in game play at the first
gaming machine relating to the first gaming component. In at least
one embodiment, the first promotional offer includes at least one
offer relating to one or more of the following (or combinations
thereof): a game type promotional offer, a game theme promotional
offer, a paytable promotional offer, and a denomination promotional
offer. According to specific embodiments, a game type promotional
offer provides an incentive for a player to participate in game
play at the first gaming machine involving a new or different game
type; a game theme promotional offer provides an incentive for a
player to participate in game play at the first gaming machine
involving a new or different game theme; a denomination promotional
offer provides an incentive for a player to participate in game
play at the first gaming machine involving a new or different
denomination; and a paytable promotional offer provides an
incentive for a player to participate in game play at the first
gaming machine involving a new or different paytable.
[0008] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to
different methods, systems, and computer program products for
conducting promotional activities in a casino gaming network. In at
least one embodiment, the casino gaming network includes a
plurality of gaming devices operable for playing wager-based games.
At least one action or operation may be initiated to identify at
least one gaming component available for game play at the casino
gaming network. According to various specific embodiments, the at
least one gaming component includes a first gaming component
relating to one or more of the following (or combinations thereof):
a game theme, a game type, a paytable, and a denomination. A first
promotion may be identified which is available for the first gaming
component. A first promotional offer may be presented relating to
the identified first promotion. In at least one embodiment, the
first promotional offer includes an offer to provide a first
promotional reward to an offeree upon satisfaction of a first set
of conditions. In one embodiment, the first set of conditions
includes a first condition that the offeree participate in game
play relating to the first gaming component.
[0009] Additional objects, features and advantages of the various
aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the
following description of its preferred embodiments, which
description should be taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and
serve only to provide examples of possible structures and/or
process steps of the various embodiments described herein.
[0011] FIG. 1 shows a specific example of an embodiment of a gaming
network 100 which may be used for implementing various
features.
[0012] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a
gaming machine.
[0013] FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary gaming
machine 300 in accordance with a specific embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an EGM state diagram in
accordance with a specific embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 5 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating
various interactions which may occur between a gaming device and a
promotion server in accordance with a specific embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an interaction
between two hosts and a gaming machine for one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a gaming network for
embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of one embodiment of the present
invention, illustrating the remote host proving a player a bonus
award based on the player's gaming activity for the currently
played gaming session.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Example embodiments will now be described in further detail,
and accompanied by the drawings. In the following description,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a
thorough understanding of example embodiments. It will be apparent,
however, to one skilled in the art, that example embodiments may be
practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other
instances, well known process steps and/or structures have not been
described in detail in order to not obscure example
embodiments.
[0020] One or more different inventions may be described in the
present application. Further, for one or more of the invention(s)
described herein, numerous embodiments may be described in this
patent application, and are presented for illustrative purposes
only. The described embodiments are not intended to be limiting in
any sense. One or more of the invention(s) may be widely applicable
to numerous embodiments, as is readily apparent from the
disclosure. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to
enable those skilled in the art to practice one or more of the
invention(s), and it is to be understood that other embodiments may
be utilized and that structural, logical, software, electrical and
other changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
one or more of the invention(s). Accordingly, those skilled in the
art will recognize that the one or more of the invention(s) may be
practiced with various modifications and alterations. Particular
features of one or more of the invention(s) may be described with
reference to one or more particular embodiments or figures that
form a part of the present disclosure, and in which are shown, by
way of illustration, specific embodiments of one or more of the
invention(s). It should be understood, however, that such features
are not limited to usage in the one or more particular embodiments
or figures with reference to which they are described. The present
disclosure is neither a literal description of all embodiments of
one or more of the invention(s) nor a listing of features of one or
more of the invention(s) that must be present in all
embodiments.
[0021] Headings of sections provided in this patent application and
the title of this patent application are for convenience only, and
are not to be taken as limiting the disclosure in any way.
[0022] Devices that are in communication with each other need not
be in continuous communication with each other, unless expressly
specified otherwise. In addition, devices that are in communication
with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one
or more intermediaries.
[0023] A description of an embodiment with several components in
communication with each other does not imply that all such
components are required. To the contrary, a variety of optional
components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible
embodiments of one or more of the invention(s).
[0024] Further, although process steps, method steps, algorithms or
the like may be described in a sequential order, such processes,
methods and algorithms may be configured to work in alternate
orders. In other words, any sequence or order of steps that may be
described in this patent application does not, in and of itself,
indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order.
The steps of described processes may be performed in any order
practical. Further, some steps may be performed simultaneously
despite being described or implied as occurring non-simultaneously
(e.g., because one step is described after the other step).
Moreover, the illustration of a process by its depiction in a
drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of
other variations and modifications thereto, does not imply that the
illustrated process or any of its steps are necessary to one or
more of the invention(s), and does not imply that the illustrated
process is preferred.
[0025] When a single device or article is described, it will be
readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not
they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article.
Similarly, where more than one device or article is described
(whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a
single device/article may be used in place of the more than one
device or article.
[0026] The functionality and/or the features of a device may be
alternatively embodied by one or more other devices that are not
explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus,
other embodiments of one or more of the invention(s) need not
include the device itself.
[0027] Although at least one embodiment is directed primarily to
gaming machines and systems, it is worth noting that some of the
apparatuses, systems and methods disclosed herein might be
adaptable for use in other types of devices, systems or
environments, as applicable, such that their use is not restricted
exclusively to gaming machines and contexts. Such other adaptations
may become readily apparent upon review of the inventive
apparatuses, systems and methods illustrated and discussed
herein.
[0028] In the following figures, method and apparatus applicable to
various gaming system configurations and their associated
components are described. The gaming systems may comprise a network
infrastructure for enabling one or more hosts to communicate with
gaming machines. The gaming machines may be operable to provide
wagering on a game of chance. A plurality of gaming devices, such
as bill/ticket validators, printers, mechanical displays, video
displays, coin hoppers, light panels, input buttons, touch screens,
key pads, card readers, audio output devices, etc., may be coupled
to the gaming machine. The gaming devices may be controlled by a
master gaming controller executing authenticated software to
provide a gaming interface for a game play experience on the gaming
machine.
[0029] It will be appreciated that many of today's conventional
casino electronic gaming machines are designed to store gaming
software on unalterable memory (such as, for example, an EPROM, a
read-only CD/DVD optical disc or a read-only disk memory with write
capability disabled) located within each gaming machine's
respective gaming machine cabinet. As a result, each gaming machine
cabinet which houses a conventional-type gaming machine
architecture is typically statically preconfigured, and dedicated
to hosting a specified game theme or specified set of game
themes.
[0030] Due, in part, to this static nature of conventional-type
gaming machine architectures, casino incentive programs and other
promotional programs (e.g., programs offered by the casino to
players to entice players to engage in desired gaming activities)
have typically been limited to specifically selected gaming machine
cabinets. Consequently, the lowest level of granularity for
targeting promotional offers and incentives has traditionally been
limited to individual gaming machine cabinets.
[0031] However, with the introduction of a new gaming technologies
such as, for example, those relating to server-based gaming,
multi-denomination wagering, and multi-game gaming machines, one
aspect of the present invention is directed to techniques for
offering incentives and/or promotions for selected gaming
components which are accessible to a given gaming machine. Such
gaming components may include, for example, paytables,
denominations, game types, and/or game themes which are accessible
to a given gaming machine cabinet. In this way, the lowest level of
granularity for targeting promotional offers and incentives may be
extended to selected paytables, denominations, game types, game
themes, and/or other desired components within (and/or accessible
to) a selected gaming machine cabinet. According to at least one
implementation, components which are considered accessible to a
selected gaming machine cabinet may include "local" components
(e.g., paytables, denominations, game types, game themes) which are
resident within the local memory of the gaming machine;
"configurable" components which, for example, may be selectively
configurable to be enabled/disabled at the gaming machine;
"remotely-accessible" components (e.g., paytables, denominations,
game types, game themes) which are accessible to the gaming machine
for downloading and installation within the local memory of the
gaming machine.
[0032] Additionally, another aspect of the present invention is
directed to techniques for allowing casinos to market specific game
types, game themes, paytables, and/or denominations to specific
players and/or other patrons.
[0033] According to at least one embodiment a "game type" may refer
to one or more types of casino games and/or other types wagering
activities which are available to players or patrons of a casino.
Various different game types may include, but are not limited to,
for example: keno, poker, blackjack, slots, roulette, craps,
baccarat, etc.
[0034] According to at least one embodiment a "game theme" may
refer to one or more different types of themes for a given game
type. Typically, game themes may be characterized by different
criteria such as, for example, behavior, appearance, rules of play,
bonus activity, etc. For example, the game type of poker may have
associated therewith a variety of different game themes such as,
for example: Texas Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw, etc.
In another example, different types of game themes may be
associated with slot-type games, such as, for example: Wheel of
Fortune.RTM., Star Wars.RTM., Megabucks.RTM., Cleopatra.RTM.,
etc.
[0035] According to at least one embodiment a "denomination" may
refer to a factor that determines the monetary value of one unit of
credit. For example, conventional slot-type gaming machines
typically have a predetermined denomination (e.g., $0.05, $0.025,
$1) associated therewith which represents the monetary value of one
unit of credit for each individual gaming machine. Traditionally,
each gaming machine cabinet on the casino floor is statically
preconfigured to be associated with a specific, predetermined
denomination for all games which are played on that particular
gaming machine. For example, the term "$1 slots" typically refers
to slot-type gaming machines associated with a $1 denomination.
Conventional slot-type gaming machines of this type are typically
not able to automatically and/or dynamically change their
associated denomination value. According to at least some
embodiments, the denomination value may be used to define a minimum
wager amount or monetary value which is required for initiating
game play at a given gaming machine.
[0036] According to at least one embodiment a paytable may refer to
a table (or other data structure type) in which pay amounts are
defined as functions various game play criteria such as, for
example: game play outcomes, winning combinations, number of coins
or credits wagered, etc.
[0037] According to various embodiments, promotions and/or
incentives may be used by a casino to award selected players or
patrons "promotional credits" or "free play" in order to trial new
game types, game themes, paytables, and/or denominations offerings.
In at least some embodiments, different types of promotional
offerings or incentives may be associated with different game
types, game themes, paytables and/or denominations within a given
gaming machine cabinet.
[0038] FIG. 1 shows a specific example of an embodiment of a gaming
network 100 which may be used for implementing various features.
Descriptions of at least a portion of the various components and/or
systems shown in FIG. 1 are also provided in other sections of this
application.
[0039] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, gaming network 100
may include one or more gaming devices 101 for which promotional
functionality has been enabled. According to specific embodiments,
examples of such gaming devices may include, but are not limited
to, one or more of the following (and/or combination thereof):
electronic gaming machines; wireless gaming devices; mobile gaming
devices; remote gaming devices (e.g., computer systems which are
operable to allow a user to engage in casino game play activities
via the Internet); other electronic devices (e.g., cell phones,
PDAs, etc.) which may be operable to allow a user to engage in
casino game play activities; etc.
[0040] Depending upon particular circumstances, an active player
130 may or may not be actively involved in game play at the gaming
device 101.
[0041] According to some embodiments, such as that illustrated in
FIG. 1, the gaming device 101 may be operable to communicate with
various other components and/or systems of gaming network 100 in
order, for example, to carry out operations relating to its various
functionalities. As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, such
other components and/or systems may include, but are not
necessarily limited to, one or more of the following: player
tracking system(s) 104, promotion server system(s) 104, casino
layout/physical environment system(s) 102, wager
tracking/accounting system(s) 114, real-time data tracking
system(s) 112, game server(s) 110, bonus server(s) 108, etc.
Although not specifically illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1,
other components/systems of the gaming network may also be operable
to communicate with various other components and/or systems of
gaming network 100 in order, for example, to carry out operations
relating to their various functionalities.
[0042] In at least one embodiment, promotion server system 106 may
be operable to facilitate and/or manage a variety of
promotion-related activities such as, for example: polling selected
gaming devices for current state information and/or game history
information; selecting and/or generating promotion information;
facilitating promotion tracking; managing promotional offer
database(s); entering promotion objectives; creating promotions or
campaigns; selecting players, EGMs, and/or components for promotion
participation; monitoring one or more promotion(s) as they are
executed; analyzing promotion results, including, for example, the
player and casino profitability and/or revenue impact; etc.
[0043] As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, promotion server
system 106 may include various components or subsystems such as,
for example, a promotion tracking component 106a, a promotional
offer database 106b, etc. In at least one implementation, promotion
tracking component 106a may be operable to track the status (and/or
other details) of various active promotions. Such tracking may
include, for example, monitoring the fulfillment of various
requirements associated with one or more active promotions.
[0044] In at least one embodiment, promotional offer database 106b
may be operable to store information relating to different
promotional offers and associated criteria. In at least one
implementation, promotion server system 106 may include at least
one interface for allowing the promotional offer database to be
populated and/or managed by various promotional offer providers
144. Such promotional offer providers may include local and/or
remote entities such as, for example: casino employees, gaming
vendors, advertisers, remote servers, software-implemented
entities, etc. In one implementation, promotional offers may be
generated by electronic entities possessing some degree of
artificial intelligence. For example, different types of game
themes, game types, denominations, and/or paytables may be
configured or designed to include a sufficient amount of artificial
intelligence to allow such entities to independently generate one
or more different promotional offers which may be fed into the
promotional offer database 106b.
Example Gaming Machine Embodiments
[0045] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a gaming machine 2 in
accordance with a specific embodiment of various embodiments. The
gaming devices and gaming functions described with respect to at
least FIG. 2 may be incorporated as components of one or more
externally-controlled interfaces (ECIs) as described herein, for
example. Further, the gaming devices may be operated in accordance
with instructions received from a remote host in communication with
the gaming machine. In some instance, a host-controlled process
executed on the gaming machine may share a gaming device with a
process controlled by the master gaming controller 46 on the gaming
machine.
[0046] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 2, machine 2 includes
a main cabinet 4, which generally surrounds the machine interior
and is viewable by users. The main cabinet includes a main door 8
on the front of the machine, which opens to provide access to the
interior of the machine.
[0047] In one embodiment, attached to the main door is at least one
payment acceptor 28 and a bill validator 30, and a coin tray 38. In
one embodiment, the payment acceptor may include a coin slot and a
payment, note or bill acceptor, where the player inserts money,
coins or tokens. The player can place coins in the coin slot or
paper money, a ticket or voucher into the payment, note or bill
acceptor. In other embodiments, devices such as readers or
validators for credit cards, debit cards or credit slips may accept
payment. In one embodiment, a player may insert an identification
card into a card reader of the gaming machine. In one embodiment,
the identification card is a smart card having a programmed
microchip or a magnetic strip coded with a player's identification,
credit totals (or related data) and other relevant information. In
another embodiment, a player may carry a portable device, such as a
cell phone, a radio frequency identification tag or any other
suitable wireless device, which communicates a player's
identification, credit totals (or related data) and other relevant
information to the gaming machine. In one embodiment, money may be
transferred to a gaming machine through electronic funds transfer.
When a player funds the gaming machine, the master gaming
controller 46 or another logic device coupled to the gaming machine
determines the amount of funds entered and displays the
corresponding amount on the credit or other suitable display as
described above.
[0048] In one embodiment attached to the main door are a plurality
of player-input switches or buttons 32. The input switches can
include any suitable devices which enables the player to produce an
input signal which is received by the processor. In one embodiment,
after appropriate funding of the gaming machine, the input switch
is a game activation device, such as a pull arm or a play button
which is used by the player to start any primary game or sequence
of events in the gaming machine. The play button can be any
suitable play activator such as a bet one button, a max bet button
or a repeat the bet button. In one embodiment, upon appropriate
funding, the gaming machine may begin the game play automatically.
In another embodiment, upon the player engaging one of the play
buttons, the gaming machine may automatically activate game
play.
[0049] In one embodiment, one input switch is a bet one button. The
player places a bet by pushing the bet one button. The player can
increase the bet by one credit each time the player pushes the bet
one button. When the player pushes the bet one button, the number
of credits shown in the credit display preferably decreases by one,
and the number of credits shown in the bet display preferably
increases by one. In another embodiment, one input switch is a bet
max button (not shown), which enables the player to bet the maximum
wager permitted for a game of the gaming machine.
[0050] In one embodiment, one input switch is a cash-out button.
The player may push the cash-out button and cash out to receive a
cash payment or other suitable form of payment corresponding to the
number of remaining credits. In one embodiment, when the player
cashes out, the player may receive the coins or tokens in a coin
payout tray. In one embodiment, when the player cashes out, the
player may receive other payout mechanisms such as tickets or
credit slips redeemable by a cashier (or other suitable redemption
system) or funding to the player's electronically recordable
identification card. Details of ticketing or voucher system that
may be utilized with various embodiments are described in
co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/406,911, filed Apr.
2, 2003, by Rowe, et al., and entitled, "Cashless Transaction
Clearinghouse," which is incorporated herein by reference and for
all purposes.
[0051] In one embodiment, one input switch is a touch-screen
coupled with a touch-screen controller, or some other
touch-sensitive display overlay to enable for player interaction
with the images on the display. The touch-screen and the
touch-screen controller may be connected to a video controller. A
player may make decisions and input signals into the gaming machine
by touching the touch-screen at the appropriate places. One such
input switch is a touch-screen button panel.
[0052] In one embodiment, the gaming machine may further include a
plurality of communication ports for enabling communication of the
gaming machine processor with external peripherals, such as
external video sources, expansion buses, game or other displays, an
SCSI port or a key pad.
[0053] As seen in FIG. 2, viewable through the main door is a video
display monitor 34 and an information panel 36. The display monitor
34 will typically be a cathode ray tube, high resolution flat-panel
LCD, SED based-display, plasma display, a television display, a
display based on light emitting diodes (LED), a display based on a
plurality of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), a display based
on polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs), a display including a
projected and/or reflected image or any other suitable electronic
device or display. The information panel 36 or belly-glass 40 may
be a static back-lit, silk screened glass panel with lettering to
indicate general game information including, for example, a game
denomination (e.g. $0.25 or $1) or a dynamic display, such as an
LCD, an OLED or E-INK display. In another embodiment, at least one
display device may be a mobile display device, such as a PDA or
tablet PC, that enables play of at least a portion of the primary
or secondary game at a location remote from the gaming machine. The
display devices may be of any suitable size and configuration, such
as a square, a rectangle or an elongated rectangle.
[0054] The display devices of the gaming machine are configured to
display at least one and preferably a plurality of game or other
suitable images, symbols and indicia such as any visual
representation or exhibition of the movement of objects such as
mechanical, virtual or video reels and wheels, dynamic lighting,
video images, images of people, characters, places, things and
faces of cards, and the like. In one alternative embodiment, the
symbols, images and indicia displayed on or of the display device
may be in mechanical form. That is, the display device may include
any electromechanical device, such as one or more mechanical
objects, such as one or more rotatable wheels, reels or dice,
configured to display at least one or a plurality of game or other
suitable images, symbols or indicia. In another embodiment, the
display device may include an electromechanical device adjacent to
a video display, such as a video display positioned in front of a
mechanical reel. In another embodiment, the display device may
include dual layered video displays which co-act to generate one or
more images.
[0055] The bill validator 30, player-input switches 32, video
display monitor 34, and information panel are gaming devices that
may be used to play a game on the game machine 2. Also, these
devices may be utilized as part of an ECI provided on the gaming
machine. According to a specific embodiment, the devices may be
controlled by code executed by a master gaming controller 46 housed
inside the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2. The master gaming
controller may include one or more processors including general
purpose and specialized processors, such as graphics cards, and one
or more memory devices including volatile and non-volatile memory.
The master gaming controller 46 may periodically configure and/or
authenticate the code executed on the gaming machine.
[0056] In one embodiment, the gaming machine may include a sound
generating device coupled to one or more sounds cards. In one
embodiment, the sound generating device includes at least one and
preferably a plurality of speakers or other sound generating
hardware and/or software for generating sounds, such as playing
music for the primary and/or secondary game or for other modes of
the gaming machine, such as an attract mode. In one embodiment, the
gaming machine provides dynamic sounds coupled with attractive
multimedia images displayed on one or more of the display devices
to provide an audio-visual representation or to otherwise display
full-motion video with sound to attract players to the gaming
machine. During idle periods, the gaming machine may display a
sequence of audio and/or visual attraction messages to attract
potential players to the gaming machine. The videos may also be
customized for or to provide any appropriate information.
[0057] In one embodiment, the gaming machine may include a sensor,
such as a camera that is selectively positioned to acquire an image
of a player actively using the gaming machine and/or the
surrounding area of the gaming machine. In one embodiment, the
camera may be configured to selectively acquire still or moving
(e.g., video) images and may be configured to acquire the images in
either an analog, digital or other suitable format. The display
devices may be configured to display the image acquired by the
camera as well as display the visible manifestation of the game in
split screen or picture-in-picture fashion. For example, the camera
may acquire an image of the player and the processor may
incorporate that image into the primary and/or secondary game as a
game image, symbol or indicia.
[0058] In another embodiment, the gaming devices on the gaming
machine may be controlled by code executed by the master gaming
controller 46 (or another logic device coupled to or in
communication with the gaming machine, such as a player tracking
controller) in conjunction with code executed by a remote logic
device in communication with the master gaming controller 46. In at
least one implementation, the master gaming controller 46 may
execute ECI processes that enable content generated and managed on
a remote host to be output on the gaming machine. The gaming
machine may receive and send events to a remote host that may
affect the content output on an instantiation of a particular ECI.
The master gaming controller 46 may be configured to limit the
resources that can be utilized by the ECI processes executing on
the gaming machine at any given time and may constantly monitor
resources utilized by the ECI processes to ensure that gaming
experience on the gaming machine is optimal.
[0059] Many different types of games, including mechanical slot
games, video slot games, video poker, video black jack, video
pachinko and lottery, may be accessed via gaming machine 2. In
particular, the gaming machine 2 may be operable to provide
consecutive play or concurrent play of different game types, game
themes, denominations, paytables, etc. In at least some
embodiments, the game play activities provided at gaming machine 2
may be differentiated according to themes, sounds, graphics, type
of game (e.g., slot game vs. card game), denomination, number of
paylines, maximum jackpot, progressive or non-progressive, bonus
games, etc.
[0060] In one embodiment, the gaming machine 2 may be operable to
enable a player to select a game of chance to play from a plurality
of different gaming components (e.g., game themes, game types,
denominations, paytables, etc.) available via the gaming machine.
For example, the gaming machine may provide a menu with a list of
the different games that are available for play on the gaming
machine and a player may be able to select from the list a first
game of chance that they wish to play. In one such embodiment, a
memory device of the remote host stores different game programs and
instructions, executable by a gaming machine processor, to control
the gaming machine. Each executable game program represents a
different game theme or game type, which may be played on one or
more of the gaming machines in the gaming system. Such different
games may include the same or substantially the same game play with
different denominations and/or paytables. In different embodiments,
the executable game program is for a primary game, a secondary game
or both. In another embodiment, the game program may be executable
as a secondary game to be played simultaneous with the play of a
primary game (which may be downloaded to or fixed on the gaming
machine) or vice versa.
[0061] In one such embodiment, each gaming machine includes at
least one or more display devices and/or one or more input switches
for interaction with a player. A local processor, such as the
above-described gaming machine processor or a processor of a local
server, is operable with the display device(s) and/or the input
switch(s) of one or more of the gaming machines. In operation, the
remote host is operable to communicate one or more of the stored
game programs to at least one local gaming machine processor. In
different embodiments, the stored game programs are communicated or
delivered by embedding the communicated game program in a device or
a component (e.g., a microchip to be inserted in a gaming machine),
writing the game program on a disc or other media, downloading or
streaming the game program over a dedicated data network, internet
or a telephone line. In different embodiments, the stored game
programs are downloaded in response to a player inserting a player
tracking card, a player selecting a specific game program, a player
inserting a designated wager amount, the remote host communicating
data to the gaming device regarding an upcoming tournament or
promotion or any other suitable trigger. After the stored game
programs are communicated from the remote host, the local gaming
machine processor executes the communicated program to facilitate
play of the communicated program by a player through the display
device(s) and/or input switch(s) of the gaming machine. That is,
when a game program is communicated to a local gaming machine
processor, the local gaming machine processor changes the game or
type of game played at the gaming machine.
[0062] In particular embodiments, the master gaming controller 46
may provide information to a remote host providing content to an
ECI on the gaming machine 2 that enables the remote host to select
graphical and audio themes for the ECI content that matches the
theme of the game graphics and game sounds currently played on the
gaming machine 2.
[0063] In one embodiment, the various games available for play on
the gaming machine 2 may be stored as game software on a mass
storage device in the gaming machine. In one such embodiment, the
memory device of the gaming machine stores program codes and
instructions, executable by the gaming machine processor, to
control the games available for play on the gaming machine. The
memory device also stores other data such as image data, event
data, player input data, random or pseudo-random number generators,
pay-table data or information and applicable game rules that relate
to the play of the gaming machine. In another embodiment, the games
available for play on the gaming machine may be generated on a
remote gaming device but then displayed on the gaming machine.
[0064] In one embodiment, the gaming machine 2 may execute game
software, such as but not limited to video streaming software that
enables the game to be displayed on the gaming machine. When a game
is stored on the gaming machine 2, it may be loaded from the mass
storage device into a RAM for execution. In some cases, after a
selection of a game, the game software that enables the selected
game to be generated may be downloaded from a remote gaming device,
such as another gaming machine.
[0065] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 2, the gaming machine
2 includes a top box 6, which sits on top of the main cabinet 4.
The top box 6 houses a number of devices, which may be used to add
features to a game being played on the gaming machine 2, including
speakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer 18 which prints bar-coded
tickets 20, a key pad 22 for entering player tracking information,
a display 16 (e.g., a video LCD display) for displaying player
tracking information, a card reader 24 for entering a magnetic
striped card containing player tracking information, and a video
display screen 45. The ticket printer 18 may be used to print
tickets for a cashless ticketing system. Further, the top box 6 may
house different or additional devices not illustrated in FIG. 6.
For example, the top box may include a bonus wheel or a back-lit
silk screened panel which may be used to add bonus features to the
game being played on the gaming machine. As another example, the
top box may include a display for a progressive jackpot offered on
the gaming machine. During a game, these devices are controlled and
powered, in part, by circuitry (e.g. a master gaming controller 46)
housed within the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2.
[0066] It will be appreciated that gaming machine 2 is but one
example from a wide range of gaming machine designs on which
various embodiments may be implemented. For example, not all
suitable gaming machines have top boxes or player tracking
features. Further, some gaming machines have only a single game
display--mechanical or video, while others may have multiple
displays. As another example, a game may be generated in on a host
computer and may be displayed on a remote terminal or a remote
gaming device.
[0067] In various embodiments, the remote gaming device may be
connected to the host computer via a network of some type such as a
local area network, a wide area network, an intranet or the
Internet. In one such embodiment, a plurality of the gaming
machines may be capable of being connected together through a data
network. In one embodiment, the data network is a local area
network (LAN), in which one or more of the gaming machines are
substantially proximate to each other and an on-site remote host as
in, for example, a gaming establishment or a portion of a gaming
establishment. In another embodiment, the data network is a wide
area network (WAN) in which one or more of the gaming machines are
in communication with at least one off-site remote host. In this
embodiment, the plurality of gaming machines may be located in a
different part of the gaming establishment or within a different
gaming establishment than the off-site remote host. Thus, the WAN
may include an off-site remote host and an off-site gaming machine
located within gaming establishments in the same geographic area,
such as a city or state. The WAN gaming system may be substantially
identical to the LAN gaming system described above, although the
number of gaming machines in each system may vary relative to each
other.
[0068] In another embodiment, the data network is an internet or
intranet. In this embodiment, the operation of the gaming machine
can be viewed at the gaming machine with at least one internet
browser. In this embodiment, operation of the gaming machine and
accumulation of credits may be accomplished with only a connection
to the central server or controller (the internet/intranet server)
through a conventional phone or other data transmission line,
digital subscriber line (DSL), T-1 line, coaxial cable, fiber optic
cable, or other suitable connection. In this embodiment, players
may access an internet game page from any location where an
internet connection and computer, or other internet facilitator is
available. The expansion in the number of computers and number and
speed of internet connections in recent years increases
opportunities for players to play from an ever-increasing number of
remote sites. It should be appreciated that enhanced bandwidth of
digital wireless communications may render such technology suitable
for some or all communications, particularly if such communications
are encrypted. Higher data transmission speeds may be useful for
enhancing the sophistication and response of the display and
interaction with the player.
[0069] In another embodiment, the remote gaming device may be a
portable gaming device such as but not limited to a cell phone, a
personal digital assistant, and a wireless game player. Images
rendered from 3-D gaming environments may be displayed on portable
gaming devices that are used to play a game of chance. Further a
gaming machine or server may include gaming logic for commanding a
remote gaming device to render an image from a virtual camera in a
3-D gaming environments stored on the remote gaming device and to
display the rendered image on a display located on the remote
gaming device. In addition, various combinations of gaming devices
are possible on the gaming machine. For example, some gaming
machine only accept cash, cashless vouchers or electronic fund
transfers and do not include coin acceptors or coin hoppers. Thus,
those of skill in the art will understand that various embodiments,
as described below, can be deployed on most any gaming machine now
available or hereafter developed.
[0070] In another embodiment, the gaming machine disclosed herein
is operable over a wireless network, such as part of a wireless
gaming system. In this embodiment, the gaming machine may be a hand
held device, a mobile device or any other suitable wireless device
that enables a player to play any suitable game at a variety of
different locations. It should be appreciated that a gaming machine
as disclosed herein may be a device that has obtained approval from
a regulatory gaming commission or a device that has not obtained
approval from a regulatory gaming commission.
[0071] Some preferred gaming machines of the present assignee are
implemented with special features and/or additional circuitry that
differentiates them from general-purpose computers (e.g., desktop
PC's and laptops). Gaming machines are highly regulated to ensure
fairness and, in many cases, gaming machines are operable to
dispense monetary awards of multiple millions of dollars.
Therefore, to satisfy security and regulatory requirements in a
gaming environment, hardware and software architectures may be
implemented in gaming machines that differ significantly from those
of general-purpose computers. A description of gaming machines
relative to general-purpose computing machines and some examples of
the additional (or different) components and features found in
gaming machines are described below.
[0072] At first glance, one might think that adapting PC
technologies to the gaming industry would be a simple proposition
because both PCs and gaming machines employ microprocessors that
control a variety of devices. However, because of such reasons as
1) the regulatory requirements that are placed upon gaming
machines, 2) the harsh environment in which gaming machines
operate, 3) security requirements and 4) fault tolerance
requirements, adapting PC technologies to a gaming machine can be
quite difficult. Further, techniques and methods for solving a
problem in the PC industry, such as device compatibility and
connectivity issues, might not be adequate in the gaming
environment. For instance, a fault or a weakness tolerated in a PC,
such as security holes in software or frequent crashes, may not be
tolerated in a gaming machine because in a gaming machine these
faults can lead to a direct loss of funds from the gaming machine,
such as stolen cash or loss of revenue when the gaming machine is
not operating properly.
[0073] For the purposes of illustration, a few differences between
PC systems and gaming systems will be described. A first difference
between gaming machines and common PC based computers systems is
that gaming machines are designed to be state-based systems. In a
state-based system, the system stores and maintains its current
state in a non-volatile memory, such that, in the event of a power
failure or other malfunction the gaming machine will return to its
current state when the power is restored. For instance, if a player
was shown an award for a game of chance and, before the award could
be provided to the player the power failed, the gaming machine,
upon the restoration of power, would return to the state where the
award is indicated. As anyone who has used a PC, knows, PCs are not
state machines and a majority of data is usually lost when a
malfunction occurs. This requirement affects the software and
hardware design on a gaming machine.
[0074] A second important difference between gaming machines and
common PC based computer systems is that for regulation purposes,
the software on the gaming machine used to generate the game of
chance and operate the gaming machine has been designed to be
static and monolithic to prevent cheating by the operator of gaming
machine. For instance, one solution that has been employed in the
gaming industry to prevent cheating and satisfy regulatory
requirements has been to manufacture a gaming machine that can use
a proprietary processor running instructions to generate the game
of chance from an EPROM or other form of non-volatile memory. The
coding instructions on the EPROM are static (non-changeable) and
must be approved by a gaming regulators in a particular
jurisdiction and installed in the presence of a person representing
the gaming jurisdiction. Any changes to any part of the software
required to generate the game of chance, such as adding a new
device driver used by the master gaming controller to operate a
device during generation of the game of chance can require a new
EPROM to be burnt, approved by the gaming jurisdiction and
reinstalled on the gaming machine in the presence of a gaming
regulator. Regardless of whether the EPROM solution is used, to
gain approval in most gaming jurisdictions, a gaming machine must
demonstrate sufficient safeguards that prevent an operator or
player of a gaming machine from manipulating hardware and software
in a manner that gives them an unfair and some cases an illegal
advantage. The gaming machine should have a means to determine if
the code it will execute is valid. If the code is not valid, the
gaming machine must have a means to prevent the code from being
executed. The code validation requirements in the gaming industry
affect both hardware and software designs on gaming machines.
[0075] A third important difference between gaming machines and
common PC based computer systems is the number and kinds of
peripheral devices used on a gaming machine are not as great as on
PC based computer systems. Traditionally, in the gaming industry,
gaming machines have been relatively simple in the sense that the
number of peripheral devices and the number of functions the gaming
machine has been limited. Further, in operation, the functionality
of gaming machines were relatively constant once the gaming machine
was deployed, i.e., new peripherals devices and new gaming software
were infrequently added to the gaming machine. This differs from a
PC where users will go out and buy different combinations of
devices and software from different manufacturers and connect them
to a PC to suit their needs depending on a desired application.
Therefore, the types of devices connected to a PC may vary greatly
from user to user depending in their individual requirements and
may vary significantly over time.
[0076] Although the variety of devices available for a PC may be
greater than on a gaming machine, gaming machines still have unique
device requirements that differ from a PC, such as device security
requirements not usually addressed by PCs. For instance, monetary
devices, such as coin dispensers, bill validators and ticket
printers and computing devices that are used to govern the input
and output of cash to a gaming machine have security requirements
that are not typically addressed in PCs. Therefore, many PC
techniques and methods developed to facilitate device connectivity
and device compatibility do not address the emphasis placed on
security in the gaming industry.
[0077] To address some of the issues described above, a number of
hardware/software components and architectures are utilized in
gaming machines that are not typically found in general purpose
computing devices, such as PCs. These hardware/software components
and architectures, as described below in more detail, include but
are not limited to watchdog timers, voltage monitoring systems,
state-based software architecture and supporting hardware,
specialized communication interfaces, security monitoring and
trusted memory.
[0078] For example, a watchdog timer is normally used in
International Game Technology (IGT) gaming machines to provide a
software failure detection mechanism. In a normally operating
system, the operating software periodically accesses control
registers in the watchdog timer subsystem to "re-trigger" the
watchdog. Should the operating software fail to access the control
registers within a preset timeframe, the watchdog timer will
timeout and generate a system reset. Typical watchdog timer
circuits include a loadable timeout counter register to enable the
operating software to set the timeout interval within a certain
range of time. A differentiating feature of the some preferred
circuits is that the operating software cannot completely disable
the function of the watchdog timer. In other words, the watchdog
timer always functions from the time power is applied to the
board.
[0079] IGT gaming computer platforms preferably use several power
supply voltages to operate portions of the computer circuitry.
These can be generated in a central power supply or locally on the
computer board. If any of these voltages falls out of the tolerance
limits of the circuitry they power, unpredictable operation of the
computer may result. Though most modern general-purpose computers
include voltage monitoring circuitry, these types of circuits only
report voltage status to the operating software. Out of tolerance
voltages can cause software malfunction, creating a potential
uncontrolled condition in the gaming computer. Gaming machines of
the present assignee typically have power supplies with tighter
voltage margins than that required by the operating circuitry. In
addition, the voltage monitoring circuitry implemented in IGT
gaming computers typically has two thresholds of control. The first
threshold generates a software event that can be detected by the
operating software and an error condition generated. This threshold
is triggered when a power supply voltage falls out of the tolerance
range of the power supply, but is still within the operating range
of the circuitry. The second threshold is set when a power supply
voltage falls out of the operating tolerance of the circuitry. In
this case, the circuitry generates a reset, halting operation of
the computer.
[0080] The standard method of operation for IGT gaming machine game
software is to use a state machine. Different functions of the game
(bet, play, result, points in the graphical presentation, etc.) may
be defined as a state. When a game moves from one state to another,
critical data regarding the game software is stored in a custom
non-volatile memory subsystem. This is critical to ensure the
player's wager and credits are preserved and to minimize potential
disputes in the event of a malfunction on the gaming machine.
[0081] In general, the gaming machine does not advance from a first
state to a second state until critical information that enables the
first state to be reconstructed is stored. This feature enables the
game to recover operation to the current state of play in the event
of a malfunction, loss of power, etc that occurred just prior to
the malfunction. After the state of the gaming machine is restored
during the play of a game of chance, game play may resume and the
game may be completed in a manner that is no different than if the
malfunction had not occurred. Typically, battery backed RAM devices
are used to preserve this critical data although other types of
non-volatile memory devices may be employed. These memory devices
are not used in typical general-purpose computers.
[0082] As described in the preceding paragraph, when a malfunction
occurs during a game of chance, the gaming machine may be restored
to a state in the game of chance just prior to when the malfunction
occurred. The restored state may include metering information and
graphical information that was displayed on the gaming machine in
the state prior to the malfunction. For example, when the
malfunction occurs during the play of a card game after the cards
have been dealt, the gaming machine may be restored with the cards
that were previously displayed as part of the card game. As another
example, a bonus game may be triggered during the play of a game of
chance where a player is required to make a number of selections on
a video display screen. When a malfunction has occurred after the
player has made one or more selections, the gaming machine may be
restored to a state that shows the graphical presentation at the
just prior to the malfunction including an indication of selections
that have already been made by the player. In general, the gaming
machine may be restored to any state in a plurality of states that
occur in the game of chance that occurs while the game of chance is
played or to states that occur between the play of a game of
chance.
[0083] Game history information regarding previous games played
such as an amount wagered, the outcome of the game and so forth may
also be stored in a non-volatile memory device. The information
stored in the non-volatile memory may be detailed enough to
reconstruct a portion of the graphical presentation that was
previously presented on the gaming machine and the state of the
gaming machine (e.g., credits) at the time the game of chance was
played. The game history information may be utilized in the event
of a dispute. For example, a player may decide that in a previous
game of chance that they did not receive credit for an award that
they believed they won. The game history information may be used to
reconstruct the state of the gaming machine prior, during and/or
after the disputed game to demonstrate whether the player was
correct or not in their assertion. Further details of a state based
gaming system, recovery from malfunctions and game history are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,763, titled "High Performance
Battery Backed RAM Interface", U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,608, titled
"Frame Capture of Actual Game Play," U.S. application Ser. No.
10/243,104, titled, "Dynamic NV-RAM," and U.S. application Ser. No.
10/758,828, titled, "Frame Capture of Actual Game Play," each of
which is incorporated by reference and for all purposes.
[0084] In particular embodiments, a state of a gaming device may be
reconstructed from game history information stored in multiple
locations. For instance, in one embodiment, a gaming device
operable to provide an ECI and a game interface simultaneously may
not store state information for the ECI but only for the game
interface. Thus, to reconstruct the state of gaming device
including the ECI in a dispute, after a malfunction or after a
power-failure, game history information may have to be retrieved
from a local memory source on the gaming device and a remote memory
source located on a remote host that provides the ECI. For example,
the remote and gaming machine may store correlation information,
such as timing information or referential information, that allows
events on the gaming machine to be correlated to events occurring
on the remote host. The correlation information stored at the
gaming machine and/or remote host may be used to synchronize the
reconstruction of a game state on the gaming machine. In a
particular embodiment, a remote host that provides ECI services to
a gaming device may provide an ECI that allows archival information
regarding ECIs displayed on a gaming device to be retrieved.
[0085] Another feature of gaming machines, such as IGT gaming
computers, is that they often include unique interfaces, including
serial interfaces, to connect to specific subsystems internal and
external to the gaming machine. The serial devices may have
electrical interface requirements that differ from the "standard"
EIA 232 serial interfaces provided by general-purpose computers.
These interfaces may include EIA 485, EIA 422, Fiber Optic Serial,
optically coupled serial interfaces, current loop style serial
interfaces, etc. In addition, to conserve serial interfaces
internally in the gaming machine, serial devices may be connected
in a shared, daisy-chain fashion where multiple peripheral devices
are connected to a single serial channel.
[0086] The serial interfaces may be used to transmit information
using communication protocols that are unique to the gaming
industry. For example, IGT's Netplex is a proprietary communication
protocol used for serial communication between gaming devices. As
another example, SAS is a communication protocol used to transmit
information, such as metering information, from a gaming machine to
a remote device. Often SAS is used in conjunction with a player
tracking system.
[0087] IGT gaming machines may alternatively be treated as
peripheral devices to a casino communication controller and
connected in a shared daisy chain fashion to a single serial
interface. In both cases, the peripheral devices are preferably
assigned device addresses. If so, the serial controller circuitry
must implement a method to generate or detect unique device
addresses. General-purpose computer serial ports are not able to do
this.
[0088] Security monitoring circuits detect intrusion into an IGT
gaming machine by monitoring security switches attached to access
doors in the gaming machine cabinet. Preferably, access violations
result in suspension of game play and can trigger additional
security operations to preserve the current state of game play.
These circuits also function when power is off by use of a battery
backup. In power-off operation, these circuits continue to monitor
the access doors of the gaming machine. When power is restored, the
gaming machine can determine whether any security violations
occurred while power was off, e.g., via software for reading status
registers. This can trigger event log entries and further data
authentication operations by the gaming machine software.
[0089] Trusted memory devices and/or trusted memory sources are
preferably included in an IGT gaming machine computer to ensure the
authenticity of the software that may be stored on less secure
memory subsystems, such as mass storage devices. Trusted memory
devices and controlling circuitry are typically designed to not
enable modification of the code and data stored in the memory
device while the memory device is installed in the gaming machine.
The code and data stored in these devices may include
authentication algorithms, random number generators, authentication
keys, operating system kernels, etc. The purpose of these trusted
memory devices is to provide gaming regulatory authorities a root
trusted authority within the computing environment of the gaming
machine that can be tracked and verified as original. This may be
accomplished via removal of the trusted memory device from the
gaming machine computer and verification of the secure memory
device contents is a separate third party verification device. Once
the trusted memory device is verified as authentic, and based on
the approval of the verification algorithms included in the trusted
device, the gaming machine is enabled to verify the authenticity of
additional code and data that may be located in the gaming computer
assembly, such as code and data stored on hard disk drives. A few
details related to trusted memory devices that may be used in
example embodiments are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,567, filed
Aug. 8, 2001 and titled "Process Verification," and U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/221,314, titled "Data Pattern Verification
in a Gaming Machine Environment," filed Sep. 6, 2005, each of which
is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all
purposes.
[0090] In at least one embodiment, at least a portion of the
trusted memory devices/sources may correspond to memory which
cannot easily be altered (e.g., "unalterable memory") such as, for
example, EPROMS, PROMS, Bios, Extended Bios, and/or other memory
sources which are able to be configured, verified, and/or
authenticated (e.g., for authenticity) in a secure and controlled
manner.
[0091] According to a specific implementation, when a trusted
information source is in communication with a remote device via a
network, the remote device may employ a verification scheme to
verify the identity of the trusted information source. For example,
the trusted information source and the remote device may exchange
information using public and private encryption keys to verify each
other's identities. In another example of an embodiment, the remote
device and the trusted information source may engage in methods
using zero knowledge proofs to authenticate each of their
respective identities. Details of zero knowledge proofs that may be
used with example embodiments are described in US publication no.
2003/0203756, by Jackson, filed on Apr. 25, 2002 and entitled,
"Authentication in a Secure Computerized Gaming System", which is
incorporated herein in its entirety and for all purposes.
[0092] Gaming devices storing trusted information may utilize
apparatus or methods to detect and prevent tampering. For instance,
trusted information stored in a trusted memory device may be
encrypted to prevent its misuse. In addition, the trusted memory
device may be secured behind a locked door. Further, one or more
sensors may be coupled to the memory device to detect tampering
with the memory device and provide some record of the tampering. In
yet another example, the memory device storing trusted information
might be designed to detect tampering attempts and clear or erase
itself when an attempt at tampering has been detected.
[0093] Additional details relating to trusted memory
devices/sources are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
11/078,966, entitled "Secured Virtual Network in a Gaming
Environment", naming Nguyen et al. as inventors, filed on Mar. 10,
2005, herein incorporated in its entirety and for all purposes.
[0094] Mass storage devices used in a general purpose computer
typically enable code and data to be read from and written to the
mass storage device. In a gaming machine environment, modification
of the gaming code stored on a mass storage device is strictly
controlled and would only be enabled under specific maintenance
type events with electronic and physical enablers required. Though
this level of security could be provided by software, IGT gaming
computers that include mass storage devices preferably include
hardware level mass storage data protection circuitry that operates
at the circuit level to monitor attempts to modify data on the mass
storage device and will generate both software and hardware error
triggers should a data modification be attempted without the proper
electronic and physical enablers being present. Details using a
mass storage device that may be used with example embodiments are
described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,522, herein
incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
[0095] Returning to the example of FIG. 2, when a user wishes to
play the gaming machine 2, he or she inserts a ticket or cash
through the payment or coin acceptor 28 or bill validator 30.
Additionally, the bill validator may accept a printed ticket
voucher which may be accepted by the bill validator 30 as an
indicia of credit when a cashless ticketing system is used. At the
start of the game, the player may enter playing tracking
information using the card reader 24, the keypad 22, and the
florescent display 16. Further, other game preferences of the
player playing the game may be read from a card inserted into the
card reader. During the game, the player views game information
using the video display 34. Other game and prize information may
also be displayed in the video display screen 45 located in the top
box.
[0096] During the course of a game, a player may be required to
make a number of decisions, which affect the outcome of the game.
For example, a player may vary his or her wager on a particular
game, select a prize for a particular game selected from a prize
server, or make game decisions which affect the outcome of a
particular game. The player may make these choices using the
player-input switches 32, the video display screen 34 or using some
other device which enables a player to input information into the
gaming machine. In some embodiments, the player may be able to
access various game services such as concierge services and
entertainment content services using the video display screen 34
and one more input devices.
[0097] During certain game events, the gaming machine 2 may display
visual and auditory effects that can be perceived by the player.
These effects add to the excitement of a game, which makes a player
more likely to continue playing. Auditory effects include various
sounds that are projected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. Visual
effects include flashing lights, strobing lights or other patterns
displayed from lights on the gaming machine 2 or from lights behind
the belly glass 40. After the player has completed a game, the
player may receive game tokens from the coin tray 38 or the ticket
20 from the printer 18, which may be used for further games or to
redeem a prize. Further, the player may receive a ticket 20 for
food, merchandise, or games from the printer 18.
[0098] In one embodiment, as described above, the gaming machine
can incorporate any suitable wagering primary or base game. The
gaming machine or device may include some or all of the features of
conventional gaming machines or devices. The primary or base game
may comprise any suitable reel-type game, card game, cascading or
falling symbol game, number game or other game of chance
susceptible to representation in an electronic or electromechanical
form, which in one embodiment produces a random outcome based on
probability data at the time of or after placement of a wager. That
is, different primary wagering games, such as video poker games,
video blackjack games, video keno, video bingo or any other
suitable primary or base game may be implemented.
[0099] FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary gaming
machine 300 in accordance with a specific embodiment. As
illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 3, gaming machine 300
includes at least one processor 310, at least one interface 306,
and memory 316.
[0100] In one implementation, processor 310 and master game
controller 312 are included in a logic device 313 enclosed in a
logic device housing. The processor 310 may include any
conventional processor or logic device configured to execute
software allowing various configuration and reconfiguration tasks
such as, for example: a) communicating with a remote source via
communication interface 306, such as a server that stores
authentication information or games; b) converting signals read by
an interface to a format corresponding to that used by software or
memory in the gaming machine; c) accessing memory to configure or
reconfigure game parameters in the memory according to indicia read
from the device; d) communicating with interfaces, various
peripheral devices 322 and/or I/O devices; e) operating peripheral
devices 322 such as, for example, card readers, paper ticket
readers, etc.; f) operating various I/O devices such as, for
example, displays 335, input devices 330; etc. For instance, the
processor 310 may send messages including game play information to
the displays 335 to inform players of cards dealt, wagering
information, and/or other desired information.
[0101] The gaming machine 300 also includes memory 316 which may
include, for example, volatile memory (e.g., RAM 309), non-volatile
memory 319 (e.g., disk memory, FLASH memory, EPROMs, etc.),
unalterable memory (e.g., EPROMs 308), etc.. The memory may be
configured or designed to store, for example: 1) configuration
software 314 such as all the parameters and settings for a game
playable on the gaming machine; 2) associations 318 between
configuration indicia read from a device with one or more
parameters and settings; 3) communication protocols allowing the
processor 310 to communicate with peripheral devices 322 and I/O
devices 311; 4) a secondary memory storage device 315 such as a
non-volatile memory device, configured to store gaming software
related information (the gaming software related information and
memory may be used to store various audio files and games not
currently being used and invoked in a configuration or
reconfiguration); 5) communication transport protocols (such as,
for example, TCP/IP, USB, Firewire, IEEE1394, Bluetooth, IEEE
802.11x (IEEE 802.11 standards), hiperlan/2, HomeRF, etc.) for
allowing the gaming machine to communicate with local and non-local
devices using such protocols; etc. In one implementation, the
master game controller 312 communicates using a serial
communication protocol. A few examples of serial communication
protocols that may be used to communicate with the master game
controller include but are not limited to USB, RS-232 and Netplex
(a proprietary protocol developed by IGT, Reno, Nev.).
[0102] A plurality of device drivers 342 may be stored in memory
316. Example of different types of device drivers may include
device drivers for gaming components, device drivers for peripheral
components 322, etc. Typically, the device drivers 342 utilize a
communication protocol of some type that enables communication with
a particular physical device. The device driver abstracts the
hardware implementation of a device. For example, a device drive
may be written for each type of card reader that may be potentially
connected to the gaming machine. Examples of communication
protocols used to implement the device drivers include Netplex,
USB, Serial, Ethernet 375, Firewire, I/O debouncer, direct memory
map, serial, PCI, parallel, RF, Bluetooth.TM., near-field
communications (e.g., using near-field magnetics), 802.11 (WiFi),
etc. Netplex is a proprietary IGT standard while the others are
open standards. According to a specific embodiment, when one type
of a particular device is exchanged for another type of the
particular device, a new device driver may be loaded from the
memory 316 by the processor 310 to allow communication with the
device. For instance, one type of card reader in gaming machine 300
may be replaced with a second type of card reader where device
drivers for both card readers are stored in the memory 316.
[0103] In some embodiments, the software units stored in the memory
316 may be upgraded as needed. For instance, when the memory 316 is
a hard drive, new games, game options, various new parameters, new
settings for existing parameters, new settings for new parameters,
device drivers, and new communication protocols may be uploaded to
the memory from the master game controller 312 or from some other
external device. As another example, when the memory 316 includes a
CD/DVD drive including a CD/DVD designed or configured to store
game options, parameters, and settings, the software stored in the
memory may be upgraded by replacing a first CD/DVD with a second
CD/DVD. In yet another example, when the memory 316 uses one or
more flash memory 319 or EPROM 308 units designed or configured to
store games, game options, parameters, settings, the software
stored in the flash and/or EPROM memory units may be upgraded by
replacing one or more memory units with new memory units which
include the upgraded software. In another embodiment, one or more
of the memory devices, such as the hard-drive, may be employed in a
game software download process from a remote software server.
[0104] In some embodiments, the gaming machine 300 may also include
various authentication and/or validation components 344 which may
be used for authenticating/validating specified gaming components
such as, for example, hardware components, software components,
firmware components, information stored in the gaming machine
memory 316, etc. Examples of various authentication and/or
validation components are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,047,
entitled, "ELECTRONIC GAMING APPARATUS HAVING AUTHENTICATION DATA
SETS," incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all
purposes.
[0105] Peripheral devices 322 may include several device interfaces
such as, for example: transponders 354, wire/wireless power
distribution components 358, input device(s) 330, sensors 360,
audio and/or video devices 362 (e.g., cameras, speakers, etc.),
transponders 354, wireless communication components 356, wireless
power components 358, mobile device function control components
362, promotion management components 364, etc. In one
implementation, promotion management components 364 may include
various functionality for managing, monitoring, and/or tracking
promotion related activities/events which may occur at EGM 300
and/or other devices in the gaming network.
[0106] Sensors 360 may include, for example, optical sensors,
pressure sensors, RF sensors, Infrared sensors, image sensors,
thermal sensors, biometric sensors, etc. Such sensors may be used
for a variety of functions such as, for example detecting the
presence and/or identity of various persons (e.g., players, casino
employees, etc.), devices (e.g., mobile devices), and/or systems
within a predetermined proximity to the gaming machine. In one
implementation, at least a portion of the sensors 360 and/or input
devices 330 may be implemented in the form of touch keys selected
from a wide variety of commercially available touch keys used to
provide electrical control signals. Alternatively, some of the
touch keys may be implemented in another form which are touch
sensors such as those provided by a touchscreen display. For
example, in at least one implementation, the gaming machine player
displays and/or mobile device displays may include input
functionality for allowing players to provide desired information
(e.g., game play instructions and/or other input) to the gaming
machine, game table and/or other gaming system components using the
touch keys and/or other player control sensors/buttons.
Additionally, such input functionality may also be used for
allowing players to provide input to other devices in the casino
gaming network (such as, for example, player tracking systems, side
wagering systems, etc.) Wireless communication components 356 may
include one or more communication interfaces having different
architectures and utilizing a variety of protocols such as, for
example, 802.11 (WiFi), 802.15 (including Bluetooth.TM.), 802.16
(WiMax), 802.22, Cellular standards such as CDMA, CDMA2000, WCDMA,
Radio Frequency (e.g., RFID), Infrared, Near Field Magnetic
communication protocols, etc. The communication links may transmit
electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals which carry digital
data streams or analog signals representing various types of
information.
[0107] Power distribution components 358 may include, for example,
components or devices which are operable for providing wired or
wireless power to other devices. For example, in one
implementation, the power distribution components 358 may include a
magnetic induction system which is adapted to provide wireless
power to one or more mobile devices near the gaming machine. In one
implementation, a mobile device docking region may be provided
which includes a power distribution component that is able to
recharge a mobile device without requiring metal-to-metal
contact.
[0108] In at least one embodiment, mobile device function control
components 362 may be operable to control operating mode selection
functionality, features, and/or components associated with one or
more mobile devices (e.g., 350). In at least one embodiment, mobile
device function control components 362 may be operable to remotely
control and/or configure components of one or more mobile devices
350 based on various parameters and/or upon detection of specific
events or conditions such as, for example: time of day, player
activity levels; location of the mobile device; identity of mobile
device user; user input; system override (e.g., emergency condition
detected); proximity to other devices belonging to same group or
association; proximity to specific objects, regions, zones,
etc.
[0109] In other embodiments (not shown) other peripheral devices
include: player tracking devices, card readers, bill
validator/paper ticket readers, etc. Such devices may each comprise
resources for handling and processing configuration indicia such as
a microcontroller that converts voltage levels for one or more
scanning devices to signals provided to processor 310. In one
embodiment, application software for interfacing with peripheral
devices 322 may store instructions (such as, for example, how to
read indicia from a portable device) in a memory device such as,
for example, non-volatile memory, hard drive or a flash memory.
[0110] In at least one implementation, the gaming machine may
include card readers such as used with credit cards, or other
identification code reading devices to allow or require player
identification in connection with play of the card game and
associated recording of game action. Such a user identification
interface can be implemented in the form of a variety of magnetic
card readers commercially available for reading a user-specific
identification information. The user-specific information can be
provided on specially constructed magnetic cards issued by a
casino, or magnetically coded credit cards or debit cards
frequently used with national credit organizations such as
VISA.TM., MASTERCARD.TM., banks and/or other institutions.
[0111] The gaming machine may include other types of participant
identification mechanisms which may use a fingerprint image, eye
blood vessel image reader, or other suitable biological information
to confirm identity of the user. Still further it is possible to
provide such participant identification information by having the
dealer manually code in the information in response to the player
indicating his or her code name or real name. Such additional
identification could also be used to confirm credit use of a smart
card, transponder, and/or player's mobile device.
[0112] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other
memory types, including various computer readable media, may be
used for storing and executing program instructions pertaining to
the operation EGMs described herein. Because such information and
program instructions may be employed to implement the
systems/methods described herein, example embodiments may relate to
machine-readable media that include program instructions, state
information, etc. for performing various operations described
herein. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not
limited to, magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and
magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM disks; magneto-optical
media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices that are
specially configured to store and perform program instructions,
such as read-only memory devices (ROM) and random access memory
(RAM). Example embodiments may also be embodied in a carrier wave
traveling over an appropriate medium such as airwaves, optical
lines, electric lines, etc. Examples of program instructions
include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and
files including higher level code that may be executed by the
computer using an interpreter.
[0113] In particular embodiments, the gaming devices on the gaming
machine may be controlled by software executed by a master gaming
controller at the gaming machine in conjunction with software,
which, for example, may be executed locally and/or remotely (e.g.,
executed by a remote logic device such as, for example, a remote
host, a central server, a central controller, etc., in
communication with the gaming machine). The master gaming
controller may execute externally-controlled interface (ECI)
processes (described in more detail below) operable to enable
content generated and managed on the remote host to be output on
the gaming machine. The gaming machine may receive and send events
to the remote host that may affect the content output by one or
more ECI processes as well as enable an ECI process to be initiated
on the gaming machine.
[0114] The master gaming controller may be configured to limit the
resources that can be utilized by the ECI processes executing on
the gaming machine. Specific resource limitations may be
predetermined, negotiated with a host device controlling an ECI
prior to the execution of the ECI on the gaming machine or
combinations thereof. To enforce any established resource
limitations, the master gaming controller may constantly monitor
resources utilized by the ECI processes and other gaming processes
executing on the gaming machine.
[0115] The ECI's may be executed while a gaming machine is operable
to provide a play of wager-based game of chance (e.g., during
operation, one or more games and one or more executed
simultaneously, one or more games may be executed without execution
of an ECI or one or more ECIs may be executed while a game is not
being played). Therefore, the resources may be limited to ensure
that a gaming experience on the gaming machine is optimal while
access to gaming resources is granted to a remote host. The
resources allocated to ECI's may be limited for many reasons, such
as ensuring the game play experience is adequate or for security
purposes, and the examples described herein, which are provided for
illustrative purposes only. For instance, the CPU cycles provided
to executing ECI processes may be limited to ensure a minimal
graphically rendered frame rate is maintained on the gaming
machine. As another example, the ECI processes may not be allowed
to directly control or access certain devices, such as money
handling devices, to prevent the ECI from allowing cash or an
indicia of credit to be input or output from the gaming
machine.
[0116] It should be appreciated that the gaming device resources
utilized by the ECI processes may include, but are not limited to,
one or more of the following (or combination thereof): graphic
resources of the gaming machine (e.g., what graphical real estate
is available on the display device without interfering with the
graphics of the primary game), audio resources of the gaming
machine (e.g., what audio content may be provided by the gaming
machine without interfering with the audio of the primary game),
timing resources available (e.g., has the primary game ended or is
the primary game beginning), CPU processing resources of the gaming
machine, etc. In one embodiment, access to such resources may be
based on a priority system configured to maximize an optimal gaming
experience for each player.
[0117] In particular embodiments, the host-controlled ECI processes
may be decoupled from the processes used to generate the game of
chance played on the gaming machine such that the content output by
the host-controlled ECI processes doesn't alter the play of game of
chance. Thus, the logic for the game processes may be designed such
that information regarding the state or content generated by the
ECI processes is not needed to generate the game of chance and/or
the game and related processes may not recognize any information
produced by the ECI'S. The ECI processes may be designed in a
similar manner.
[0118] An advantage of ECI software and game software decoupled in
this manner may be that content may be provided from a remote host
that enhances the functionality and features available on the
gaming machine. The content can be easily varied with little or no
modification to the gaming software resident on the gaming machine.
For instance, many features and services on a gaming machine can be
provided using a generic ECI that enables access to a display and a
touch screen on the gaming machine.
[0119] Additional details about other gaming machine architectures,
features and/or components are described, for example, in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 10/040,239, entitled, "GAME DEVELOPMENT
ARCHITECTURE THAT DECOUPLES THE GAME LOGIC FROM THE GRAPHICS
LOGIC," and published on Apr. 24, 2003 as U.S. Patent Publication
No. 20030078103, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
for all purposes.
[0120] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an EGM state diagram in
accordance with a specific embodiment. In at least one embodiment,
objects 402, 404, 406, 412, 414 may represent various states or
operating modes of an EGM (e.g., EGM 300, FIG. 3) which has been
configured or designed to implement various features described
herein. As described in greater detail below, the EGM may be
operable to automatically and dynamically change its current
operating mode from one state to another state, for example, in
response to the occurrence of different events and/or
conditions.
[0121] Additionally, according to specific embodiments, promotions
or promotional offers which are offered by the EGM to a player or
patron may automatically and/or dynamically changed based on the
current operating mode of the EGM and/or based on other specified
conditions/events.
[0122] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 4, one mode of
operation of the EGM is INIT mode 402. In one embodiment, the EGM
may enter into INIT mode 402 when the EGM is turned on or
restarted, whereupon the EGM may then perform various
initialization and/or configuration operations.
[0123] Another mode of operation of the EGM is Attract mode 404. In
at least one embodiment, the EGM may enter into Attract mode 404,
for example, at times when the EGM is available for game play.
According to specific embodiments, while operating in Attract mode,
the EGM may be operable to automatically and/or dynamically present
promotional offers which have been generated and/or customized
specifically for the Attract mode of operation. For example, in one
embodiment, while operating in Attract mode 404, specific
promotional offers may be identified and/or selected for
presentation based on criteria such as, for example: time of day;
date; location of the EGM (e.g., on the casino floor, relative to
other EGMs, etc.); machine ID; game types, game themes, paytables,
denominations available for play; external input (for example,
input from entities such as: advertisers, vendors, casino
employees, promotion server system 106, artificial intelligence
entities, etc.); the enablement/disablement of a new or existing
component; player proximity; weather or other environmental
factors; EGM or bank or section net; theoretical and/or meter
win(s) over a specified time period; last player whose card was
inserted; trends in meter or actual win(s) over time (e.g., going
up/down); etc.
[0124] Another mode of operation of the EGM is Player Proximity
mode 406. In at least one embodiment, the EGM may enter into Player
Proximity mode 406, for example, at times when the EGM is available
for game play and one or more players/patrons have been detected as
being in proximity to the EGM. According to specific embodiments,
player proximity detection may be implemented using a variety of
different mechanisms such as, for example, EGM sensor(s),
surveillance mechanisms, player tracking mechanisms, wireless
signal detection mechanisms, other human tracking mechanisms,
and/or any combination thereof.
[0125] According to specific embodiments, while operating in Player
Proximity mode, the EGM may be operable to automatically and/or
dynamically present promotional offers which have been generated
and/or customized specifically for the Player Proximity mode of
operation. For example, in one embodiment, while operating in
Player Proximity mode 406, specific promotional offers may be
identified and/or selected for presentation based on criteria such
as, for example: time of day; date; location of the EGM (e.g., on
the casino floor, relative to other EGMs, etc.); machine ID; game
types, game themes, paytables, denominations available for play;
external input (for example, input from entities such as:
advertisers, vendors, casino employees, promotion server system
106, artificial intelligence entities, etc.); player identity;
player profile information (e.g., player preferences, play level,
etc.); player tracking information; player membership information
(e.g., promotional offer presented to player to entice player to
enroll as casino player tracking member); the
enablement/disablement of a new or existing component; available
hotel, food, and/or retail offers; weather or other environmental
factors; EGM or bank or section net; theoretical and/or meter
win(s) over a specified time period; last player whose card was
inserted; trends in meter or actual win(s) over time (e.g., going
up/down); etc.
[0126] Another mode of operation of the EGM is Active Player mode
412. In at least one embodiment, the EGM may enter into Active
Player mode 412, for example, at times when a player (herein
"active player") is actively engaged in one or more activities
(e.g., game play activities, bonus activities, player tracking
activities, wagering activities, etc.) at the EGM. According to
specific embodiments, Active Player detection may be implemented
using a variety of different mechanisms (or combination thereof)
such as, for example, EGM sensor(s), surveillance mechanisms, game
tracking mechanisms, real-time play tracking mechanisms, player
tracking mechanisms, wager tracking mechanisms, etc.
[0127] According to specific embodiments, while operating in Active
Player mode, the EGM may be operable to automatically and/or
dynamically present promotional offers which have been generated
and/or customized specifically for the Active Player mode of
operation. For example, in one embodiment, while operating in
Active Player mode 412, specific promotional offers may be
identified and/or selected for presentation based on criteria such
as, for example: time of day; date; location of the EGM (e.g., on
the casino floor, relative to other EGMs, etc.); machine ID; game
types, game themes, paytables, denominations available for play;
external input (for example, input from entities such as:
advertisers, vendors, casino employees, promotion server system
106, artificial intelligence entities, etc.); player identity;
player profile information (e.g., player preferences, play level,
etc.); player tracking information; game history information (e.g.,
prior game themes played, prior game types played, prior paytables
played, prior denominations played); real-time game play data
(e.g., current game theme being played, current game type being
played, current paytable being played, current denomination being
played); player membership information; number of casino visits by
player; player's frequency of play at selected EGM(s); information
relating to player's hotel stays; the enablement/disablement of a
new or existing component; player participation in promotions
and/or group play; weather or other environmental factors; EGM or
bank or section net; theoretical and/or meter win over a specified
time period; total member player play on component over a time
period; trends in meter or actual win over time (e.g., going
up/down); trends in player members play over time period (e.g.,
win(s) up/down by paytable, theme, denomination, types, etc.);
etc.
[0128] Another mode of operation of the EGM is Game Play mode 414.
In at least one embodiment, the EGM may enter into Game Play mode
414, for example, at times when a player (herein "Game Play") is
actively engaged in game play activities (and/or related
activities) at the EGM. According to specific embodiments, Game
Play detection may be implemented using a variety of different
mechanisms (or combination thereof) such as, for example, EGM
sensor(s), surveillance mechanisms, game tracking mechanisms,
real-time play tracking mechanisms, player tracking mechanisms,
wager tracking mechanisms, etc.
[0129] According to specific embodiments, while operating in Game
Play mode, the EGM may be operable to automatically and/or
dynamically present promotional offers which have been generated
and/or customized specifically for the Game Play mode of operation.
For example, in one embodiment, while operating in Game Play mode
414, specific promotional offers may be identified and/or selected
for presentation based on criteria such as, for example: time of
day; date; game start time; game end time; location of the EGM
(e.g., on the casino floor, relative to other EGMs, etc.); machine
ID; game types, game themes, paytables, denominations available for
play; external input (for example, input from entities such as:
advertisers, vendors, casino employees, promotion server system
106, artificial intelligence entities, etc.); player identity;
player profile information (e.g., player preferences, play level,
etc.); player tracking information; game history information (e.g.,
prior game themes played, prior game types played, prior paytables
played, prior denominations played); real-time game play data
(e.g., current game theme being played, current game type being
played, current paytable being played, current denomination being
played); wagering amounts; total time played; total coin in; amount
won; specific game outcomes; points earned; bonuses earned; rate of
play; rate of wagering; player membership information; number of
casino visits by player; player's frequency of play at selected
EGM(s); information relating to player's hotel stays, retail,
and/or food and beverage purchases; the enablement/disablement of a
new or existing component; player participation in promotions
and/or group play; weather or other environmental factors; EGM or
bank or section net; theoretical and/or meter win(s) over a
specified time period; total member player play on component over a
time period; trends in meter or actual win(s) over time (e.g.,
going up/down); trends in player members play over time period
(e.g., win(s) up/down by paytable, theme, denomination, types,
etc.); tickets inserted; wager account transfer(s) performed;
bill(s) inserted; side bets placed; jackpots won; hotel guest;
etc.
[0130] In at least one embodiment, the Active Player mode 412 and
Game Play mode 414 may be merged or otherwise combined into a
single mode or state of operation 410. In such embodiment the EGM
may be operable to automatically and/or dynamically present
promotional offers which have been generated and/or customized
specifically for the mode of operation 410. Such promotional offers
may be identified and/or selected for presentation based on various
criteria such as, for example, one or more of the criteria stated
above with respect to the Active Player mode 412 and/or Game Play
mode 414.
[0131] FIG. 5 shows an example of a flow diagram illustrating
various interactions which may occur between a gaming device and a
promotion server in accordance with a specific embodiment.
[0132] For purposes of illustration, it will be assumed the gaming
device 501 corresponds to an electronic gaming machine such as that
illustrated, for example, with respect to FIG. 3 of the drawings.
However, it will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, gaming
device 501 may correspond to other types of devices such as, for
example: electronic gaming machines; wireless gaming devices;
mobile gaming devices; remote gaming devices (e.g., computer
systems which are operable to allow a user to engage in casino game
play activities via the Internet); other electronic devices (e.g.,
cell phones, PDAs, etc.) which may be operable to allow a user to
engage in casino game play activities; etc.
[0133] According to at least one embodiment, one or more gaming
devices on the casino floor (e.g., gaming device 501) may each be
operable to periodically transmit a status report to a promotion
server (e.g., 510), and/or may each be operable to periodically
transmit a promotion request message to the promotion server 510 in
order to obtain updated information relating to promotional offers
to be presented at the gaming device. For example, in one
embodiment, gaming device 501 may be operable to periodically
transmit updated status reports (e.g., relating to activities
occurring at gaming device 510) to promotion server 510, and in
response, the promotion server may be operable to periodically
transmit updated promotional offer information to the gaming
device. In an alternate embodiment, the gaming device may be
operable to periodically transmit a promotion request message to
the promotion server (e.g., upon the occurrence of specified
events/conditions), and, in response, the promotion server may be
operable to transmit updated promotional offer information to the
gaming device. It at least one implementation, the promotion
request message(s) may also include updated gaming device status
information.
[0134] In the specific embodiment of FIG. 5, it is assumed at (1)
that at least one event has been detected for triggering the gaming
device 501 to transmit an updated status report message and/or
promotion request message to promotion server 510. Such events may
include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following
(and/or combination thereof): [0135] detection by the gaming device
of one or more conditions and/or signals (e.g., expired timer,
change in current operating mode of gaming device, updated game
play data available, updated player tracking information available,
updated player profile information available, etc.) [0136] receipt
of a status request message (and/or other type of request message)
from the promotion server; [0137] detection of other conditions
and/or criteria which meet minimum threshold for triggering gaming
device 501 to generate an updated status report message; [0138]
jackpot(s) and/or other win(s); [0139] removal of player tracking
card; [0140] player inactive or timeout on EGM; [0141] new players
initiates play; [0142] game components enabled/disabled; [0143] EGM
tilt or error; [0144] etc.
[0145] According to specific embodiments, one or more components at
the gaming device 501 may be operable to: (1) cause one or more
triggering events/conditions to occur; (2) detect one or more of
the triggering events/conditions, and/or (3) facilitate in the
generation of the updated status report message and/or promotion
request message. For example, in at least one embodiment, the
gaming device's master game controller (e.g., MGC 312) may include
appropriate functionality for implementing at least a portion of
the above-described features. Additionally, in at least some
embodiments, the gaming device may include intelligent software
entities (which, for example, may include game theme components,
game type components, paytable components, denomination components,
etc.) which are operable to perform at least a portion of the
above-described features (and/or other features described
herein).
[0146] At (3) the gaming device may acquire status information to
be included in the status report message (or promotion request
message) that is to be sent to the Promotion Server 510. According
to specific embodiments, the status information may include
different types of information such as, for example: [0147] current
operating mode (or current state) of gaming device; [0148] current
states of selected processing operating at the gaming device;
[0149] machine ID; [0150] location of gaming device; [0151] IDs of
detected nearby players; [0152] ID of active player; [0153] player
tracking information relating to one or more selected players
(e.g., active player, nearby players, level of player, etc.);
[0154] player profile information relating to one or more selected
players; [0155] current and/or historical game play data; [0156]
current and/or historical wager data [0157] current and/or
historical win data; [0158] components (e.g., local components,
configurable components, and/or remote components) accessible or
available to the gaming machine; [0159] etc.
[0160] Using at least a portion of the acquired status information,
a status report message and/or promotion request message may be
generated at the gaming device and transmitted (5) to the Promotion
Server 510.
[0161] At (7) it is assumed that Promotion Server 510 has received
the status report/promotion request message from gaming device 501.
Accordingly, in at least one implementation, the Promotion Server
may analyze and use at least a portion of the information included
in the status report/promotion request message (and/or other
desired information/criteria) for identifying, determining and/or
generating one or more promotional offers to be presented at the
gaming device 501.
[0162] According to specific embodiments, the process of
identifying, determining and/or generating one or more promotional
offers to be presented at the gaming device 501 may be implemented
using a variety of different automated mechanisms. For example, one
such mechanism may relate to a real-time auctioning or bidding
process (e.g., similar to that used by web advertisers to
automatically and dynamically select advertisements to be displayed
on dynamically generated web pages) whereby multiple promotional
offer providers (e.g. 144) concurrently bid for the opportunity to
have one of their promotional offers selected for presentation at
the gaming device. According to specific embodiments, other
promotional offers may be accessed from various resort areas and/or
other entities which have unused capacity, such as, for example,
hotels, shows, restaurants, etc. Third party advertisers may also
generate promotional offers.
[0163] In a different embodiment, the Promotion Server may identify
various gaming components (e.g., paytables, denominations, game
types, game themes, etc.) which are accessible or available to the
gaming machine, and may determine whether one or more promotions
are currently available for one or more of the identified gaming
components. For example, in one embodiment, the Promotion Server
may determine that gaming device 501 is able to access and provide
game play availability relating to at least the following gaming
components: blackjack game type, poker game type, slots game type,
Wheel of Fortune.RTM. game theme, Star Wars.RTM. game theme,
Megabucks.RTM. game theme, $0.25 denomination, $1 denomination,
Paytable A, Paytable B, etc. The Promotion Server may then
determine whether any active promotions exist for any of the
identified gaming components associated with gaming device 501.
According to a specific embodiment, if one or more active
promotions are identified, the Promotion Server may generate
appropriate promotional offer information to be included in at
least one communication directed to gaming device 501.
[0164] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, it is assumed at (9) that the
Promotion Server has processed the received status report/promotion
request message, generated an updated promotional offer list which
may include one or more promotional offers which are available for
presentation at gaming device 501, and transmit the list of
available promotional offers to gaming device 501.
[0165] In at least one embodiment, the list of available
promotional offers may include one or more promotional offers which
are available for immediate presentation at gaming device 501,
and/or may include other promotional offers which may be available
for presentation at gaming device 501 (e.g., at a future time) if
specified criteria, events, and/or conditions are satisfied.
[0166] According to specific embodiments, the list of available
promotional offers may include, but are not limited to, one or more
of the following (or combination thereof): [0167] A "game type"
promotional offer which provides an incentive for a player (e.g.,
an active player at the gaming device) to participate in game play
at the gaming device involving a new or different game type. In at
least one implementation, the promotional game type is different
from a game type which the player is currently playing (or has
previously played) at the gaming device. [0168] A "game theme"
promotional offer which provides an incentive for a player (e.g.,
an active player at the gaming device) to participate in game play
at the gaming device involving a new or different game theme. In at
least one implementation, the promotional game theme is different
from a game theme which the player is currently playing (or has
previously played) at the gaming device. [0169] A "denomination"
promotional offer which provides an incentive for a player (e.g.,
an active player at the gaming device) to participate in game play
at the gaming device involving a new or different denomination. In
at least one implementation, the promotional denomination is
different from a denomination which the player is currently playing
(or has previously played) at the gaming device. [0170] A
"paytable" promotional offer which provides an incentive for a
player (e.g., an active player at the gaming device) to participate
in game play at the gaming device involving a new or different
paytable. In at least one implementation, the promotional paytable
is different from a paytable which the player is currently playing
(or has previously played) at the gaming device.
[0171] According to specific embodiments, one or more of the
promotional offers may each include a respective offer to provide
at least one promotional reward to the offeree (e.g., player,
patron, or other person(s) to whom the offer is presented) upon
satisfaction of a specified set of terms or conditions. In at least
one embodiment, the specified set of terms/conditions may include a
first condition specifying that the offeree participate in game
play relating to one or more gaming components (such as, for
example, selected paytable(s), denomination(s), game type(s), game
theme(s), etc.). For example, in one embodiment, a promotional
offer may be presented to an offeree (e.g., player) which states,
"Receive an instant $5 in Free Play right now if you try Hoot Loot
$1 within the next 5 minutes!" In this particular example, the
promotional reward of $5 in Free Play credits is conditional upon
the offeree playing Hoot Loot (game theme) $1 (denomination) within
5 minutes of the offer being presented.
[0172] According to specific embodiments, various types of
promotional rewards may include, but are not limited to, one or
more of the following (and/or combination thereof): [0173]
promotional credit(s); [0174] hotel comp(s); [0175] meal comp(s);
[0176] entertainment comp(s) (e.g., free passes to shows); [0177]
game credits; [0178] game tickets; [0179] wager account transfers;
[0180] discount coupons; [0181] multiple jackpot time and/or free
spin sessions; [0182] etc.
[0183] In at least one embodiment, the promotional reward itself
may be tied or linked to one or more gaming component (or
combinations thereof). For example, in one embodiment, a
promotional reward may include $5 of Free Play credit to be used
only to play a particular game theme, game type, paytable,
denomination, and/or combination thereof. For example, a player may
be notified, "Congratulations! You have received $5 in Free Play
credit which can be redeemed (either in whole or in part) at any
gaming machine which offers play of Hoot Loot $1 or Star Wars
$0.25." In this example, the player may only redeem the $5 in Free
Play credit for playing Hoot Loot $1 and/or Star Wars $0.25.
Additionally, according to at least one embodiment, the promotional
reward may be "linked to" or redeemable only at one or more
specified gaming devices.
[0184] In at least some embodiments, one or more of the promotions
associated with the various promotional offers may be implemented
as a "persistent" type promotion, wherein the promotion is
associated with a specific player rather than with a specific
gaming device. For example, according to a specific embodiment, if
Player A accepts a "persistent" type promotional offer at gaming
device 501, and begins participating in the "persistent" type
promotion at gaming device 501, Player A may subsequently elect to
stop participating in the "persistent" type promotion at gaming
device 501, and resume participation in the "persistent" type
promotion at a different gaming device. According to various
embodiments, the persistent promotion may expire upon the
occurrence of specified events/conditions, or may continue
indefinitely. In one embodiment, a promotion may require a specific
level of player play in order to continue to persist.
[0185] Upon receiving the list of available promotional offers
(which, for example, includes updated available promotional offer
information), the gaming device may process (11) the updated
available promotional offer information as appropriate. For
example, in one embodiment, the gaming device may analyze the
conditional requirements associated with one or more promotional
offers in order to monitor specific activities, events and/or
conditions which may trigger the display or presentation of one or
more promotional offers at the gaming device. Such processing may
also include filtering the list of available promotional offers
based upon predefined filter criteria.
[0186] At (13) it is assumed that one or more event(s)/condition(s)
have been detected for triggering the presentation of an identified
promotional offer. Accordingly, as shown at (15), the identified
promotional offer associated with the detected triggering
event(s)/condition(s) may be presented. According to at least one
embodiment, presentation of an identified promotional offer may be
displayed on a display screen at the gaming device. In other
embodiments, the identified promotional offer of may be displayed
on a mobile device, wireless device, a casino marquee, a remote
display (such as, for example, on a display of a remote client
system connected to the gaming network via the Internet), a cell
phone, a PDA, a gaming device, and/or other type display unit in
communication with the gaming network.
[0187] According to specific embodiments, a variety of different
events/conditional (and/or combinations thereof) may be used to
trigger presentation of one or more promotional offers to one or
more identified offerees. Examples of such events/conditions may
include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following
(and/or combination thereof): [0188] time of day; [0189] date;
[0190] game start time; [0191] game end time; [0192] location of
the EGM (e.g., on the casino floor, relative to other EGMs, etc.);
[0193] location of offeree; [0194] gaming device ID; [0195] game
types, game themes, paytables, denominations available for play;
[0196] external input (for example, input from entities such as:
advertisers, vendors, casino employees, promotion server system
106, artificial intelligence entities, etc.); [0197] player
identity; [0198] player profile information (e.g., player
preferences, play level, rank, rating, etc.); [0199] player
tracking information; [0200] game history information (e.g., prior
game themes played, prior game types played, prior paytables
played, prior denominations played); [0201] real-time game play
data (e.g., current game theme being played, current game type
being played, current paytable being played, current denomination
being played); [0202] wagering amounts; [0203] total time played;
[0204] total coin in; [0205] amount won; [0206] theoretical win;
[0207] specific game outcomes; [0208] points earned; [0209] bonuses
earned; [0210] rate of play; [0211] rate of wagering; [0212] player
membership information; [0213] number of casino visits by player;
[0214] player's frequency of play at selected EGM(s); [0215]
information relating to player's hotel stays; [0216] etc.;
[0217] In at least one embodiment, a remote server (such as, for
example, Promotion Server 510) may be provided with direct control
of a region at the gaming device display unit (and/or may also be
provided with direct control of other display units on the casino
floor) for displaying selected promotional offers.
[0218] In the example of FIG. 5, it is assumed at (17) that the
identified promotional offer has been presented to an active player
at gaming device 501, and that the active player (e.g., Player A)
has performed some action to accept the presented promotional
offer. As shown at (19), acceptance of the promotional offer by
Player A may be reported to the Promotion Server and/or other
devices/systems of the casino network.
[0219] As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 5, when the
Promotion Server receives notification of the acceptance of an
identified promotional offer, the Promotion Server may update the
status of the identified promotional offer to reflect acceptance of
the promotional offer by Player A. For example, according to
different embodiments, the status of the promotion associated with
the identified promotional offer may be updated to "accepted"
status or "active" status. Additionally, in at least some
embodiments, the Promotion Server may initiate (23) tracking
activities relating to the newly active promotion. According to
specific embodiments, such tracking activities may include
notifying (25) the gaming device 501 (and/or other devices/systems
of the gaming network) of the "active" status of the identified
promotion, and/or providing updated promotion tracking
instructions, as appropriate.
[0220] According to specific embodiments, the information included
in the updated promotion tracking instructions may differ, for
example, depending upon factors such as the particular
device/system receiving the instructions, the specific terms and
conditions associated with the identified promotion, etc.
[0221] As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 5, when the gaming
device 501 receives notification of the "active" status of the
identified promotion and/or updated promotion tracking
instructions, the gaming device may initiate tracking (27) of
activities/data relating to the identified active promotion.
Similarly, although not specifically illustrated in FIG. 5, other
devices/systems in the casino network may also initiate tracking of
activities/data relating to the identified active promotion in
response to receiving notification of the "active" status of the
identified promotion and/or updated promotion tracking
instructions.
[0222] As shown at (29) the tracked activities/data relating to the
identified active promotion may be periodically reported to the
Promotion Server (and/or other devices/systems of the gaming
network). At (31) the Promotion Server may utilize at least a
portion of the received updated promotion tracking information to
update the status of one or more promotions (and/or associated
promotional offers). For example, in one embodiment, Promotion
Server 510 may utilize updated promotion tracking information
relating to the active promotion associated with Player A to update
status information relating to the active promotion. According to
specific embodiments, such status information may include, for
example, information relating to the degree of progress which has
been made towards the completion or satisfaction of the terms,
conditions and/or other requirements associated with the active
promotion.
[0223] At (33) it is assumed that the Promotion Server has
determined that all required conditions for the active promotion
have been satisfied for the issuance of one or more rewards
associated with that promotion. Accordingly, the Promotion Server
may update the current status of the active promotion (e.g., to
reflect that all terms/conditions have been satisfied, and that
reward fulfillment has not yet been completed). Additionally, the
Promotion Server may notify the gaming device 501 (and/or other
devices/systems of the gaming network) of the updated status of the
active promotion. In at least one embodiment, the Promotion Server
may also provide promotion reward fulfillment instructions to the
gaming device (and/or other devices/systems of the gaming network)
in order to distribute the appropriate rewards to Player A, in
accordance with the terms/conditions of the active promotion.
[0224] At (35) it is assumed that the gaming device implements
fulfillment of the appropriate reward(s) associated with the active
promotion. In at least one embodiment, Player A may also be
notified of the updated status of the active promotion and/or of
any reward(s) which Player A has earned.
[0225] At (37) it is assumed that fulfillment of the appropriate
reward(s) associated with the active promotion has been completed.
Accordingly, the gaming device may notify the Promotion Server of
the successful fulfillment of the active promotion reward(s). In
one embodiment, such reward fulfillment may include, for example,
distributing appropriate reward(s) to Player A and/or to
devices/systems for which Player A may receive benefits of such
reward(s).
[0226] As shown at (39), when the Promotion Server receives
notification of the successful fulfillment of reward(s) associated
with an identified promotion, it may update the status of the
identified promotion as appropriate. For example, in one
embodiment, the Promotion Server may update the status of the
identified promotion to reflect that the promotion was successfully
activated, fulfilled, closed, etc. Additionally, as shown at (41),
the Promotion Server may notify gaming device 501 (and/or other
devices/systems of the gaming network) of the updated status of the
identified promotion.
[0227] As shown at (43) gaming device 501 may process the updated
promotion status information to update its local data, as
appropriate. For example, in one embodiment where a promotion was
successfully activated by Player A, and subsequently fulfilled, the
gaming device may update locally stored information relating to the
associated promotional offer in order, for example, to prevent the
same promotional offer from being presented again to Player A.
[0228] It will be appreciated that, in at least one embodiment, the
various operations illustrated in FIG. 5 (and described above) may
be implemented in real-time or near real-time such that the entire
process of FIG. 5 is transparent to an active player at gaming
device 501.
[0229] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an interaction
between two hosts, 602 and 604, and a gaming machine 601 in
accordance with at least one embodiment. Each host controls an ECI
on gaming machine 601. Host 602 controls ECI 626 and host 604
controls ECI 628. The hosts, 602 and 604, may control their
respective ECIs, 626 and 628, in an independent or a dependent
manner with respect to one another. In the independent case, events
generated with respect to the execution of one ECI don't affect the
execution of the other ECI. In the dependent case, one or both ECIs
may generate events that affect one another. In at least one
embodiment, two remote hosts, such as 602 and 604, may share access
to a single ECI and may alternately or simultaneously provide
content for the ECI. Further, as previously described, the ECIs,
such as 626 and 628, may directly share information without routing
it through their respective hosts.
[0230] Each host includes a state manager, 606 and 608, content,
614 and 616, a history manager, 610 and 612, an interface manager,
618 and 620, and a resource negotiator, 622 and 624. The state
manager may maintain a state of the ECI on the gaming machine. In
the event of a malfunction on a) the gaming machine, b) the host or
c) in the network between the host and the gaming machine, the
state manager may be designed to store information that enables the
remote host, if it chooses to restore an ECI on the gaming machine
601 to a state proximate to the state immediately prior to an
occurrence of the malfunction. In one embodiment, the gaming
machine maintains its own state via state manager 634 but not the
state of any of the ECIs executing on the gaming machine 601. In
other embodiments, the gaming machine may maintain some state
information regarding the content displayed in the ECI. For
example, the gaming machine may capture frames output to its
display that include information from an ECI controlling a portion
of the display.
[0231] The hosts, 602 and 604, may each provide content to ECIs
executing simultaneously on a plurality of gaming machines. The
content provided on each gaming machine may be different (e.g., the
content may be personalized using information regarding the player
at each machine or the hosts may be dynamically responding to
events generated on each gaming machine and adjusting content
accordingly) and the gaming machines served by each host may be
different (e.g., host 602 may provide content to gaming machines A,
B and C while host 604 is providing content to gaming machines B,
C, D). For each gaming machine that the host provides content via
an ECI, the hosts, 602 and 604, may maintain a state of the
content. The content, as described above, may comprise data and/or
instructions provided as application files that are run and/or
parsed by the ECI. The application files may include
information/data used by the ECI and commands/instructions for
utilizing one or more functions of the ECI. For instance, an ECI
may be operable to receive command/instructions in regards to
utilizing vector graphic capabilities of the ECI. In addition, when
vector graphics are applied, the ECI may be operable to apply edge
smoothing the vector-based graphics.
[0232] In regards to vector graphics, computers may display
graphics in two formats: vector and bitmap. Bitmaps are made up of
discrete units called pixels. Each pixel contains a single color.
When combined, the variations in pixel color create the patterns
that make up an image. Bitmaps contain color information for each
pixel in an image plus the dimensions for the image, and transmit
images pixel by pixel. To change the size of a bitmap image, i.e.,
to fit into a display region with different dimensions than the
original bitmap. The bitmap image has to be regenerated at the
desired dimensions or the image has to be stretched, usually with
undesirable results.
[0233] By comparison, vector graphics store a series of
commands/instructions necessary to create an image using lines and
curves. The commands, called vectors, dictate attributes of lines
and curves such as thickness, direction, color, and position. A
processor associated with the master gaming controller may be
utilized to process the commands locally to generate a specified
vector image. For instance, the master gaming controller may
execute an ECI that is operable to parse vector graphic
instructions and generate the image specified by the
instructions.
[0234] Vector graphics allow for fine detail and may be easily be
resized without losing definition. An image generated with vector
graphics may be modified by changing the attributes of the lines
and curves comprising the image. Vector graphics are best for
displaying simple shapes with flat areas of color, such as icons,
logos, and cartoon-style drawings. Both vector and bitmap graphics
may be drawn on request, but vectors may generally use much smaller
file sizes and can be drawn much more quickly. When downloaded,
bitmaps are transmitted pixel by pixel, so file size and download
time are proportional to an image's dimensions. Vector graphics
transmit instructions, which are then carried out by your
processor, so that file size and rendering speed are determined by
the complexity of the instructions, not the size of the graphic. In
various embodiments, various graphical techniques and data may be
utilized for providing video content to an ECI including vector
graphics, bit map images, movies, etc.
[0235] The state managers, 606 and 608, may each generate
information that is sent to their history manager, 610 and 612, for
dispute resolution and auditing purposes. In the event of a
dispute, for example, a player may dispute an event that happened
three games ago on the gaming machine when ECI 626 and ECI 628 were
executing. The gaming machine 601 may include logic that enables
the gaming machine to contact each host and request information
regarding one or more states of the ECI it supported during the
disputed game. The host may send the requested information to the
gaming machine for display.
[0236] To enable for dispute resolution, the gaming machine 601 and
the hosts 602 and 604 may exchange information, such as time
stamps, game start time, game end time, ECI start time, ECI finish
time, event occurred at time A, etc., that enable content generated
by each device and stored by the history manger to be recalled and
correlated to one another. This information may be exchanged while
the ECI is executing and then again later when requests for stored
information are received by one of the hosts.
[0237] As an example of state history management and access, the
gaming machine 601 may store a start and stop time for each game,
whether one or more ECIs were executed during the game and when at
least one ECI is executed during a particular game, information
needed to contact the host that provided content for the ECI. Thus,
the gaming machine 601 may be able to contact one of the remote
host and request ECI states during a time period, which corresponds
to a particular game. In response, the host may send the requested
information to the gaming machine.
[0238] The gaming machine 601 may provide a number of shared
resources 640 that may be utilized by an ECI, such as 626. For
instance, in one embodiment, the gaming machine 601 may be operable
to share: a) processing resources from a processor, such as 642, b)
memory 644 which may comprise volatile memory, such as RAM or
non-volatile memory, such as flash memory or a hard drive, c) one
or more displays, such as display A 646 or display B, 648, d) one
or more communication interfaces, such as a network communication
interface 650 or a wireless interface (not shown) that allows the
gaming machine to communicate with wireless devices located
proximate to the gaming machine 601, e) audio devices 652, such as
speakers, amps and signal codecs for processing sound files, and/or
f) input/output devices, such as a touch screen 654 or card reader
656.
[0239] Prior to launching the ECI, a negotiation may take place
between the gaming machines and one or more remote hosts in regards
to the resources that may be utilized by the ECI while it is
executed on the gaming machine. In one embodiment, when an ECI,
such as 626, is shared or controlled by two or more hosts or where
each host controls its own ECI but the ECIs share common resources
and/or resource limitations based on the combined usage of
resources used by the ECIs controlled by each host, a resource
negotiation may take place between the two or more hosts to
determine what resources are needed by each host. The host-to-host
negotiation may allow the hosts to provide content/instructions to
a shared ECI or to each of their ECIs in an integrated manner so
that each host has enough resources to display their
content/instructions on the shared ECI or each of their respective
ECIs.
[0240] For example, if a first ECI controlled by a first host
utilizes display 646 and a second ECI controlled by a second host
utilizes display 646 each host may only need a portion of the
display 646 rather than the whole display. If one or both hosts try
to utilize the entire display then both hosts may not be able to
have content displayed via their ECIs simultaneously. But, if the
first and the second host agree to share the display by utilizing
only a portion of it via a resource negotiation, then the first and
second host may be able to display content via their ECIs on the
display 646 at the same time. In general, the gaming machine may be
the final arbiter of what resources are assigned to each ECI and
the host-host negotiations may take place in the context of
negotiations with the gaming machine.
[0241] In particular embodiments, the resource negotiators 622 and
624 may communicate with the remote resource manager 630 on the
gaming machine 601 or each other to determine what resources are
available for the ECI that each remote host controls, such as 626
or 628 or for an ECI which the remote hosts share. The one or more
remote hosts may use this information to adjust the content that is
sent to the gaming machine for its respective ECI. For instance,
display 646 and display 648 may be of different sizes. Thus, at
some times, a remote host may be provided access to display 646 and
provide content to an ECI formatted to be compatible with the
resolution of display 646 while at other times display 646 may not
be available and the remote host may provide content formatted to
be compatible with the resolution of display 648 (The content
provided at different times to the displays 646 and 648 may be the
same or different content).
[0242] In yet another embodiment, the remote hosts, 602 and 604,
may compete for access to resources on the gaming machine. For
example, remote host 602 may provide one advertising stream/content
and remote host 604 may provide another advertising stream/content.
The gaming machine may allow only one advertising stream/content at
a time. Thus, the gaming machine 601 may initiate negotiations
where access to its resources goes to the remote host, which is the
highest bidder.
[0243] The gaming machine may notify potential hosts when resources
become available and solicit bids for the resources from two or
more hosts. In one embodiment, the gaming machine 601 while
displaying content from one host may receive a bid for resources
from another remote host and switch access to the gaming machine
from a first remote host, such as 602, to a second remote host,
such as 604, after receiving a better bid for resources from the
second remote host 602.
[0244] In yet another embodiment, the gaming machine 601 may
provide information regarding various resource packages with
various costs to potential remote hosts. The cost of a resource
package may affect the amount of resources and priority of access
of resources afforded to a remote host providing an ECI. For
instance, access to a larger portion of a display that is shared
may cost more than access to a smaller portion of the display. As
another example, access to a display where control of the display
is not to be switched to another remote host provided ECI or taken
over by the gaming machine for a particular time period may cost
more than sharing access to the display with another remote host
and allowing the gaming machine to intermittently use the
display.
[0245] The interface managers, 618 and 620, may be responsible for
determining what content to send each ECI and sending the content.
Further, the interface managers may be designed to respond to
events generated on the gaming machine. For example, when interface
manager 618 receives information indicating a touch screen has been
activated on the gaming machine via the event manger 662, the
interface 618 manager may determine whether the touch screen is
activated in a display area that it controls and whether content
displayed on ECI 626 needs to be adjusted. As another example, when
the interface managers, 618 or 620, receive information regarding
the resolution of a particular display and visual content is to be
displayed, the interface managers, may select content stored on
their respective remote host that is closest to a needed
resolution, reformat (if needed) the content, generate new content
to fit the resolution of the particular display or locate and/or
download needed content from another source, such as another remote
host.
[0246] In particular embodiments, an ECI and/or remote host may not
be granted access to all of the features of the shared resources.
For example, when the card reader is operable to read/write data to
a card, such as a smart card. The ECI may be allowed to receive
data read from a card but not write data to the card. In one
embodiment, during the negotiation phase, the gaming machine may
provide a) a list of available shared resources, b) features of the
shared resources that may be controlled by the remote host directly
and/or via an ECI including commands and data formats that allow
the features to be utilized, c) under what conditions the features
may be utilized, etc.
[0247] In one embodiment, the data formats, commands and/or
instructions that an ECI or remote host may utilize may be
incorporated in a communication protocol that is utilized by both
the ECI and/or remote host and gaming machine (or gaming device).
In a particular embodiment, the commands/instructions that the ECI
and the remote host may communicate to the gaming machine, such as
to control a device, may be high-level commands that are translated
by the gaming machine to low-level instructions that are used to
actually perform the operation that is requested. For instance, to
spin a bonus wheel coupled to the gaming machine, a remote host
and/or ECI may send a "spin wheel" command to the gaming machine.
The gaming machine may translate the command to a number of
low-level instructions that a stepper motor coupled to the gaming
machine to be controlled. In another embodiment, the ECI and/or
remote host may be operable to provide low-level instructions that
allow a device to be directly controlled. For instance, the ECI
and/or remote host may be able to send the low-level instructions
for controlling the stepper motor directly to the bonus wheel
without needing the gaming machine to translate.
[0248] In a particular embodiment, the communications between the
gaming machine and the remote host may be separated into two parts.
The first part of the communications may include information
regarding gaming machine transactions, such as money handling,
metering, game outcomes, random number generation, player
identification information. In general, the first part of the
communications may include information that is generated as a
result of game play from a primary game of chance executed on the
gaming machine. In one embodiment, the gaming machine transaction
information may be communicated using the G2S protocol approved by
the Gaming Standards Association (Fremont, Calif.). The second part
of the communications between the gaming machine and the remote
host may enable the communications between the remote host and the
ECI, such as commands, instructions and/or data sent between the
remote host and the ECI, which may include content for the ECI to
output.
[0249] One advantage of separating the communications in this
manner is that the ECI may be isolated from game play information.
When the ECI is isolated from game play information, it may result
in a more secure system. The higher level of security is based on
the assumption that if a process executing on the gaming machine is
unaware of game play information, such as the state of a game, it
will more difficult for the process to affect the game in
unacceptable manner. It is noted that although the ECI may not be
aware of game play information, as described in the previous
paragraph, the remote host may be aware of game play
information.
[0250] The game play information described in the previous
paragraph may be related to information generated as a result of
play of a primary game of chance generated on the gaming machine.
Further, in some embodiments, the ECI itself may provide the play
of games separate from the primary game. Nevertheless, the ECI may
not be aware that is providing the play of a game and may be still
unaware of any game play information that is generated. From the
perspective of the ECI, it is simply outputting content utilizing
commands, instructions and data provided by a remote host where the
ECI does not distinguish between game related content and non-game
related content.
[0251] In particular embodiments, the ECI may be operable to
process input generated as a result of the play of the game
provided by the ECI but may not be operable to distinguish this
input from other types of input, i.e., it may not be configured to
determine the function associated with the input. For instance, the
ECI may be instructed by the remote host to generate a bet button
on a touch screen display for a game output utilizing the ECI. The
ECI may be operable to receive input from the touch screen and
determine that a particular button has been pressed. The ECI may
forward this information to the remote host and the remote host may
determine that this button corresponds to a bet button. The ECI may
be unaware the button for a bet has been pressed or activated,
i.e., it is unaware of the function of the button.
[0252] In particular embodiments, when an ECI and/or remote host is
access or control is prohibited for one or more resources, such as
utilizing a peripheral device or utilizing one of the features of
the peripheral device coupled to the gaming machine, and the ECI
and/or remote host generates an instruction that tries to utilize
or control the resource, then the gaming machine may respond in
various manners. For example, in one embodiment, if the device or
device feature the ECI and/or remote host is trying to access or
control is not critical, then the gaming machine may simply ignore
the command or instruction and possibly notify the device that it
is trying to perform a function that is not available to it. For
instance, the ECI and/or remote host may send instructions to a
gaming machine to flash lights when this function is not available
to it, and the gaming machine may simply ignore the
instructions.
[0253] In another embodiment, the ECI and/or remote host may try to
access or control a critical device in a manner that is prohibited.
For instance, ECI or remote host could try to send a command to a
printer to print a cashless ticket of a particular value, which is
not allowed. In some possible responses, the gaming machine may 1)
log the event, 2) terminate the connection with the ECI, 3) enter a
tilt state or 4) combinations thereof. Some details of tilt
handling that may be utilized with various embodiments are
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,890,259, entitled, "Modular Tilt
Handling," which is incorporated by reference and for all
purposes.
[0254] In particular embodiments, the available resources that may
be utilized by a remote host as part of an ECI may vary from gaming
device to gaming device. For example, a casino-type gaming machine
with random number generation capability may have more capabilities
that may be utilized in an ECI than a portable hand-held device.
Further, in other embodiments, the capabilities of a gaming device,
such as gaming machine 601, that may be offered to a remote host
for utilization may vary depending on the remote host. For example,
some remote hosts may be more trusted than other remote hosts and
thus may be afforded greater access to devices on the gaming
machine than other remote hosts.
[0255] During operation of an ECI, the gaming machine may check the
resources utilized by an ECI to determine whether the resources
utilized by the ECI are in compliance with limits established for
the ECI, such as during the negotiation phase. The gaming machine
601 may utilize its local resource management 638 including the
partition manager 656, the device scheduler 658 and the resource
metering 660 on the gaming machine 601 to check the resource
utilization of one or more ECIs individually or a group of ECIs in
combination against resource allocations for each individual ECI or
the group of ECIs. When resource allocation for an ECI is exceeded,
a number of remedial actions may be taken. For instance, when CPU
resources are exceeded, the ECI may be denied further CPU cycles
and the display characteristics of the ECI may slow down and become
jerky. Further, the gaming machine may notify the ECI that it has
it exceeded it resource requirements. As another example, when
resources are exceeded, the gaming machine may terminate a session
with the remote host and stop execution of the ECI on the gaming
machine. The execution of the ECI may be stopped permanently or may
be stopped temporarily until more resources become available on the
gaming or until the remote host adjusts the content of the ECI.
[0256] As examples, an ECI may exceed its allocated resources
because the gaming machine downwardly adjusted the resources
available to the ECI after the start of an ECI session or because
the remote host didn't correctly estimate an amount of resources it
needed. In response to learning it is exceeding resources it has
been allocated on the gaming machine, the remote host, such as 602
or 604, may adjust their content to consume less resources on the
gaming machine. In particular embodiments, the remote hosts, such
as 602 and 604, may be operable to dynamically adjust the content
that is sent to the gaming machine for utilization by an ECI after
a session has been initiated (at the start of the session an
initial resource allocation may be specified) to satisfy changing
resource allocations on the gaming machine, which may change, and
thus, to prevent it from exceeding its resource allocation.
[0257] Since the manner in which an ECI and/or remote host may be
allowed to access or utilize a gaming machine may vary, such as
from one remote host to another, from one time to another and
different gaming machine may have different capabilities (e.g., a
gaming machine may have different capabilities than a portable),
the gaming machine may include logic for checking instructions
and/or data received from an ECI and/or remote host to comply with
their access privileges. For example for illustrative purposes only
as a communication protocol doesn't have to be utilized, when the
instructions and/or data are codified in a communication protocol,
the gaming machine may first check to see whether the instructions
and/or data is a recognized part of the protocol. Then, even if the
instructions and/or data is part of the protocol, the gaming
machine may not offer the capability requested, thus compatibility
of instructions and/or data with the gaming machine capabilities
may be checked (e.g., at the negotiation phase, the instructions
and/or data that the gaming machine is capable of utilizing, which
may be a subset of the instructions and/or data that may be
communicated as part of the communication protocol may be
established.) Then, the instructions and/or data may be checked
against the access privileges for the particular ECI and/or remote
host. For each remote host and its associated ECI, information
regarding resource access privileges may be stored (e.g., the
information may have been generated at the negotiation phase or at
some other time). The privilege and/or error checking may be
performed by the checking logic 674 in the local resource
management 638.
Example System Architectures
[0258] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram illustrating components of a
gaming system 700 which may be used for implementing various
aspects of various embodiments. In FIG. 7, the components of a
gaming system 700 for providing game software licensing and
downloads are described functionally. The described functions may
be instantiated in hardware, firmware and/or software and executed
on a suitable device. In the system 700, there may be many
instances of the same function, such as multiple game play
interfaces 711. Nevertheless, in FIG. 7, only one instance of each
function is shown. The functions of the components may be combined.
For example, a single device may comprise the game play interface
711 and include trusted memory devices or sources 709. The
described components and their functions may be incorporated into
various embodiments of the servers and clients described
herein.
[0259] The gaming system 700 may receive inputs from different
groups/entities and output various services and or information to
these groups/entities. For example, game players 725 primarily
input cash or indicia of credit into the system, make game
selections that trigger software downloads, and receive
entertainment in exchange for their inputs. Game software content
providers 722 provide game software for the system and may receive
compensation for the content they provide based on licensing
agreements with the gaming machine operators. Gaming machine
operators 720 select game software for distribution, distribute the
game software on the gaming devices in the system 700, receive
revenue for the use of their software and compensate the gaming
machine operators. The gaming regulators 730 may provide rules and
regulations that must be applied to the gaming system and may
receive reports and other information confirming that rules are
being obeyed.
[0260] In the following paragraphs, details of each component and
some of the interactions between the components are described with
respect to FIG. 7. The game software license host 701 may be a
server connected to a number of remote gaming devices that provides
licensing services to the remote gaming devices. For example, in
other embodiments, the license host 701 may 1) receive token
requests for tokens used to activate software executed on the
remote gaming devices, 2) send tokens to the remote gaming devices,
3) track token usage and 4) grant and/or renew software licenses
for software executed on the remote gaming devices. The token usage
may be used in utility based licensing schemes, such as a
pay-per-use scheme.
[0261] In another embodiment, a game usage-tracking host 715 may
track the usage of game software on a plurality of devices in
communication with the host. The game usage-tracking host 715 may
be in communication with a plurality of game play hosts and gaming
machines. From the game play hosts and gaming machines, the game
usage tracking host 715 may receive updates of an amount that each
game has available for play on the devices has been played and on
amount that has been wagered per game. This information may be
stored in a database and used for billing according to methods
described in a utility based licensing agreement.
[0262] The game software host 702 may provide game software
downloads, such as downloads of game software or game firmware, to
various devious in the game system 700. For example, when the
software to generate the game is not available on the game play
interface 711, the game software host 702 may download software to
generate a selected game of chance played on the game play
interface. Further, the game software host 702 may download new
game content to a plurality of gaming machines via a request from a
gaming machine operator.
[0263] In one embodiment, the game software host 702 may also be a
game software configuration-tracking host 713. The function of the
game software configuration-tracking host is to keep records of
software configurations and/or hardware configurations for a
plurality of devices in communication with the host (e.g.,
denominations, number of paylines, paytables, max/min bets).
Details of a game software host and a game software configuration
host that may be used with various embodiments are described in
co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 6,645,077, by Rowe, entitled, "Gaming
Terminal Data Repository and Information System," filed Dec. 21,
2000, which is incorporated herein in its entirety and for all
purposes.
[0264] A game play host device 703 may be a host server connected
to a plurality of remote clients that generates games of chance
that are displayed on a plurality of remote game play interfaces
711. For example, the game play host device 703 may be a server
that provides central determination for a bingo game play played on
a plurality of connected game play interfaces 711. As another
example, the game play host device 703 may generate games of
chance, such as slot games or video card games, for display on a
remote client. A game player using the remote client may be able to
select from a number of games that are provided on the client by
the host device 703. The game play host device 703 may receive game
software management services, such as receiving downloads of new
game software, from the game software host 702 and may receive game
software licensing services, such as the granting or renewing of
software licenses for software executed on the device 703, from the
game license host 701.
[0265] In particular embodiments, the game play interfaces or other
gaming devices in the gaming system 700 may be portable devices,
such as electronic tokens, cell phones, smart cards, tablet PC's
and PDA's. The portable devices may support wireless communications
and thus, may be referred to as wireless mobile devices. The
network hardware architecture 716 may be enabled to support
communications between wireless mobile devices and other gaming
devices in gaming system. In one embodiment, the wireless mobile
devices may be used to play games of chance.
[0266] The gaming system 700 may use a number of trusted
information sources. Trusted information sources 704 may be
devices, such as servers, that provide information used to
authenticate/activate other pieces of information. CRC values used
to authenticate software, license tokens used to enable the use of
software or product activation codes used to activate to software
are examples of trusted information that might be provided from a
trusted information source 704. Trusted information sources may be
a memory device, such as an EPROM, that includes trusted
information used to authenticate other information. For example, a
game play interface 711 may store a private encryption key in a
trusted memory device that is used in a private key-public key
encryption scheme to authenticate information from another gaming
device.
[0267] When a trusted information source 704 is in communication
with a remote device via a network, the remote device will employ a
verification scheme to verify the identity of the trusted
information source. For example, the trusted information source and
the remote device may exchange information using public and private
encryption keys to verify each other's identities.
[0268] Gaming devices storing trusted information might utilize
apparatus or methods to detect and prevent tampering. For instance,
trusted information stored in a trusted memory device may be
encrypted to prevent its misuse. In addition, the trusted memory
device may be secured behind a locked door. Further, one or more
sensors may be coupled to the memory device to detect tampering
with the memory device and provide some record of the tampering. In
yet another example, the memory device storing trusted information
might be designed to detect tampering attempts and clear or erase
itself when an attempt at tampering has been detected.
[0269] The gaming system 700 of various embodiments may include
devices 706 that provide authorization to download software from a
first device to a second device and devices 707 that provide
activation codes or information that enable downloaded software to
be activated. The devices, 706 and 707, may be remote servers and
may also be trusted information sources. One example of a method of
providing product activation codes that may be used with at least
one embodiment is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,561, herein
incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
[0270] A device 706 that monitors a plurality of gaming devices to
determine adherence of the devices to gaming jurisdictional rules
708 may be included in the system 700. In one embodiment, a gaming
jurisdictional rule server may scan software and the configurations
of the software on a number of gaming devices in communication with
the gaming rule server to determine whether the software on the
gaming devices is valid for use in the gaming jurisdiction where
the gaming device is located. For example, the gaming rule server
may request a digital signature, such as CRC's, of particular
software components and compare them with an approved digital
signature value stored on the gaming jurisdictional rule
server.
[0271] Further, the gaming jurisdictional rule server may scan the
remote gaming device to determine whether the software is
configured in a manner that is acceptable to the gaming
jurisdiction where the gaming device is located. For example, a
maximum bet limit may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and
the rule enforcement server may scan a gaming device to determine
its current software configuration and its location and then
compare the configuration on the gaming device with approved
parameters for its location.
[0272] A gaming jurisdiction may include rules that describe how
game software may be downloaded and licensed. The gaming
jurisdictional rule server may scan download transaction records
and licensing records on a gaming device to determine whether the
download and licensing was carried out in a manner that is
acceptable to the gaming jurisdiction in which the gaming device is
located. In general, the game jurisdictional rule server may be
utilized to confirm compliance to any gaming rules passed by a
gaming jurisdiction when the information needed to determine rule
compliance is remotely accessible to the server.
[0273] Game software, firmware or hardware residing a particular
gaming device may also be used to check for compliance with local
gaming jurisdictional rules. In one embodiment, when a gaming
device is installed in a particular gaming jurisdiction, a software
program including jurisdiction rule information may be downloaded
to a secure memory location on a gaming machine or the jurisdiction
rule information may be downloaded as data and utilized by a
program on the gaming machine. The software program and/or
jurisdiction rule information may used to check the gaming device
software and software configurations for compliance with local
gaming jurisdictional rules. In another embodiment, the software
program for ensuring compliance and jurisdictional information may
be installed in the gaming machine prior to its shipping, such as
at the factory where the gaming machine is manufactured.
[0274] The gaming devices in game system 700 may utilize trusted
software and/or trusted firmware. Trusted firmware/software is
trusted in the sense that is used with the assumption that it has
not been tampered with. For instance, trusted software/firmware may
be used to authenticate other game software or processes executing
on a gaming device. As an example, trusted encryption programs and
authentication programs may be stored on an EPROM on the gaming
machine or encoded into a specialized encryption chip. As another
example, trusted game software, i.e., game software approved for
use on gaming devices by a local gaming jurisdiction may be
required on gaming devices on the gaming machine.
[0275] In various embodiments, the devices may be connected by a
network 716 with different types of hardware using different
hardware architectures. Game software can be quite large and
frequent downloads can place a significant burden on a network,
which may slow information transfer speeds on the network. For
game-on-demand services that require frequent downloads of game
software in a network, efficient downloading is essential for the
service to remain viable. Thus, in various embodiments, network
efficient devices 710 may be used to actively monitor and maintain
network efficiency. For instance, software locators may be used to
locate nearby locations of game software for peer-to-peer transfers
of game software. In another example, network traffic may be
monitored and downloads may be actively rerouted to maintain
network efficiency.
[0276] One or more devices in various embodiments may provide game
software and game licensing related auditing, billing and
reconciliation reports to server 712. For example, a software
licensing billing server may generate a bill for a gaming device
operator based upon a usage of games over a time period on the
gaming devices owned by the operator. In another example, a
software auditing server may provide reports on game software
downloads to various gaming devices in the gaming system 700 and
current configurations of the game software on these gaming
devices.
[0277] At particular time intervals, the software auditing server
712 may also request software configurations from a number of
gaming devices in the gaming system. The server may then reconcile
the software configuration on each gaming device. In one
embodiment, the software auditing server 712 may store a record of
software configurations on each gaming device at particular times
and a record of software download transactions that have occurred
on the device. By applying each of the recorded game software
download transactions since a selected time to the software
configuration recorded at the selected time, a software
configuration is obtained. The software auditing server may compare
the software configuration derived from applying these transactions
on a gaming device with a current software configuration obtained
from the gaming device. After the comparison, the software-auditing
server may generate a reconciliation report that confirms that the
download transaction records are consistent with the current
software configuration on the device. The report may also identify
any inconsistencies. In another embodiment, both the gaming device
and the software auditing server may store a record of the download
transactions that have occurred on the gaming device and the
software auditing server may reconcile these records.
[0278] There are many possible interactions between the components
described with respect to FIG. 7. Many of the interactions are
coupled. For example, methods used for game licensing may affect
methods used for game downloading and vice versa. For the purposes
of explanation, details of a few possible interactions between the
components of the system 700 relating to software licensing and
software downloads have been described. The descriptions are
selected to illustrate particular interactions in the game system
700. These descriptions are provided for the purposes of
explanation only and are not intended to limit the scope of various
embodiments.
[0279] Various embodiments may be implemented in various
configurations for gaming machines, including but not limited to:
(1) a dedicated gaming machine, wherein the computerized
instructions for controlling any games (which are provided by the
gaming machine) are provided with the gaming machine prior to
delivery to a gaming establishment; and (2) a changeable gaming
machine, where the computerized instructions for controlling any
games (which are provided by the gaming machine) are downloadable
to the gaming machine through a data network when the gaming
machine is in a gaming establishment. In another embodiment, the
computerized instructions for controlling any games are
communicated from the remote host, the central server or central
controller to a gaming machine local processor and memory devices.
In such a "thick client" embodiment, the gaming machine local
processor executes the communicated computerized instructions to
control any games (or other suitable interfaces) provided to a
player.
[0280] In one alternative embodiment, the computerized instructions
for controlling any games are executed by a remote host, a central
server or central controller. In such a "thin client" embodiment,
the remote host remotely controls any games (or other suitable
interfaces) and the gaming machine is utilized to display such
games (or suitable interfaces) and receive one or more inputs or
commands from a player. In one embodiment, one or more gaming
machines in a gaming system may be thin client gaming machines and
one or more gaming machines in the gaming system may be thick
client gaming machines. In another embodiment, certain functions of
the gaming machine are implemented in a thin client environment and
certain other functions of the gaming machine are implemented in a
thick client environment. In one such embodiment, computerized
instructions for controlling any primary games are communicated
from the remote host to the gaming machine in a thick client
configuration and computerized instructions for controlling any
secondary games or bonus functions are executed by a remote host in
a thin client configuration. It should be appreciated that one,
more or each of the functions of the remote host as disclosed
herein may be performed by one or more gaming machine processors.
It should be further appreciated that one, more or each of the
functions of one or more gaming machine processors as disclosed
herein may be performed by the remote host.
[0281] In one embodiment, the gaming machine randomly generates
awards and/or other game outcomes based on probability data. In one
such embodiment, this random determination is provided through
utilization of a random number generator (RNG), such as a true
random number generator, a pseudo random number generator or other
suitable randomization process. In one embodiment, each award or
other game outcome is associated with a probability and the gaming
machine generates the award or other game outcome to be provided to
the player based on the associated probabilities. In this
embodiment, since the gaming machine generates outcomes randomly or
based upon one or more probability calculations, there is no
certainty that the gaming machine will ever provide the player with
any specific award or other game outcome.
[0282] In an alternative embodiment, the remote host maintains one
or more predetermined pools or sets of predetermined game outcomes.
In this embodiment, the remote host receives the game outcome
request and independently selects a predetermined game outcome from
a set or pool of game outcomes. The remote host flags or marks the
selected game outcome as used. Once a game outcome is flagged as
used, it is prevented from further selection from the set or pool
and cannot be selected by the remote host upon another wager. The
provided game outcome can include a primary game outcome, a
secondary game outcome, primary and secondary game outcomes, or a
series of game outcomes such as free games.
[0283] The remote host communicates the generated or selected game
outcome to the initiated gaming machine. The gaming machine
receives the generated or selected game outcome and provides the
game outcome to the player. In an alternative embodiment, how the
generated or selected game outcome is to be presented or displayed
to the player, such as a reel symbol combination of a slot machine
or a hand of cards dealt in a card game, is also determined by the
remote host and communicated to the initiated gaming machine to be
presented or displayed to the player. Central production or control
can assist a gaming establishment or other entity in maintaining
appropriate records, controlling gaming, reducing and preventing
cheating or electronic or other errors, reducing or eliminating
win-loss volatility and the like.
[0284] In another embodiment, a predetermined game outcome value is
determined for each of a plurality of linked or networked gaming
machines based on the results of a bingo, keno or lottery game. In
this embodiment, each individual gaming machine utilizes one or
more bingo, keno or lottery games to determine the predetermined
game outcome value provided to the player for the interactive game
played at that gaming machine. In one embodiment, the bingo, keno
or lottery game is displayed to the player. In another embodiment,
the bingo, keno or lottery game is not displayed to the player, but
the results of the bingo, keno or lottery game determine the
predetermined game outcome value for the primary or secondary
game.
[0285] In another embodiment, the game outcome provided to the
player is determined by a remote host and provided to the player at
the gaming machine. In this embodiment, each of a plurality of such
gaming machines are in communication with the remote host. Upon a
player initiating game play at one of the gaming machines, the
initiated gaming machine communicates a game outcome request to the
remote host. In one embodiment, the remote host receives the game
outcome request and randomly generates a game outcome for the
primary game based on probability data. In another embodiment, the
remote host randomly generates a game outcome for the secondary
game based on probability data. In another embodiment, the remote
host randomly generates a game outcome for both the primary game
and the secondary game based on probability data. In this
embodiment, the remote host is capable of storing and utilizing
program code or other data similar to the processor and memory
device of the gaming machine.
[0286] In another embodiment, one or more of the gaming machines
are in communication with a remote host for monitoring purposes.
That is, when not communicating with the remote host regarding any
ECIs, each individual gaming machine randomly generates the game
outcomes to be provided to the player and the remote host monitors
the activities and events occurring on the plurality of gaming
machines. In one embodiment, the gaming network includes a
real-time or on-line accounting and gaming information system
operably coupled to the remote host. The accounting and gaming
information system of this embodiment includes a player database
for storing player profiles, a player tracking module for tracking
players and a credit system for providing automated casino
transactions.
[0287] In another embodiment, a plurality of gaming machines at one
or more gaming sites may be networked to the remote host in a
progressive configuration, as known in the art, wherein a portion
of each wager to initiate a base or primary game may be allocated
to one or more progressive awards. In one embodiment, a progressive
gaming system host site computer is coupled to a plurality of the
remote hosts at a variety of mutually remote gaming sites for
providing a multi-site linked progressive automated gaming system.
In one embodiment, a progressive gaming system host site computer
may serve gaming machines distributed throughout a number of
properties at different geographical locations including, for
example, different locations within a city or different cities
within a state.
[0288] In one embodiment, the progressive gaming system host site
computer is maintained for the overall operation and control of the
progressive gaming system. In this embodiment, a progressive gaming
system host site computer oversees the entire progressive gaming
system and is the master for computing all progressive jackpots.
All participating gaming sites report to, and receive information
from, the progressive gaming system host site computer. Each remote
host computer is responsible for all data communication between the
gaming machine hardware and software and the progressive gaming
system host site computer. In one embodiment, an individual gaming
machine may trigger a progressive award win. In another embodiment,
a remote host (or the progressive gaming system host site computer)
determines when a progressive award win is triggered. In another
embodiment, an individual gaming machine and a remote host (or
progressive gaming system host site computer) work in conjunction
with each other to determine when a progressive win is triggered,
for example through an individual gaming machine meeting a
predetermined requirement established by the remote host.
[0289] In one embodiment, a progressive award win is triggered
based on one or more game play events, such as a symbol-driven
trigger. In other embodiments, the progressive award triggering
event or qualifying condition may be by exceeding a certain amount
of game play (such as number of games, number of credits, or amount
of time), or reaching a specified number of points earned during
game play. In another embodiment, a gaming machine is randomly or
apparently randomly selected to provide a player of that gaming
machine one or more progressive awards. In one such embodiment, the
gaming machine does not provide any apparent reasons to the player
for winning a progressive award, wherein winning the progressive
award is not triggered by an event in or based specifically on any
of the plays of any primary game. That is, a player is provided a
progressive award without any explanation or alternatively with
simple explanations. In another embodiment, a player is provided a
progressive award at least partially based on a game triggered or
symbol triggered event, such as at least partially based on the
play of a primary game.
[0290] In one embodiment, one or more of the progressive awards are
each funded via a side bet or side wager. In this embodiment, a
player must place or wager a side bet to be eligible to win the
progressive award associated with the side bet. In one embodiment,
the player must place the maximum bet and the side bet to be
eligible to win one of the progressive awards. In another
embodiment, if the player places or wagers the required side bet,
the player may wager at any credit amount during the primary game
(i.e., the player need not place the maximum bet and the side bet
to be eligible to win one of the progressive awards). In one such
embodiment, the greater the player's wager (in addition to the
placed side bet), the greater the odds or probability that the
player will win one of the progressive awards. It should be
appreciated that one or more of the progressive awards may each be
funded, at least in part, based on the wagers placed on the primary
games of the gaming machines in the gaming system, via a gaming
establishment or via any suitable manner.
[0291] In another embodiment, one or more of the progressive awards
are partially funded via a side-bet or side-wager which the player
may make (and which may be tracked via a side-bet meter). In one
embodiment, one or more of the progressive awards are funded with
only side-bets or side-wagers placed. In another embodiment, one or
more of the progressive awards are funded based on player's wagers
as described above as well as any side-bets or side-wagers
placed.
[0292] In one alternative embodiment, a minimum wager level is
required for a gaming machine to qualify to be selected to obtain
one of the progressive awards. In one embodiment, this minimum
wager level is the maximum wager level for the primary game in the
gaming machine. In another embodiment, no minimum wager level is
required for a gaming machine to qualify to be selected to obtain
one of the progressive awards.
[0293] In another embodiment, the gaming system maintains at least
one progressive award by allocating a percentage of a player's
wager into the player's own progressive award or pool (i.e., a
personal progressive award). In this embodiment, upon the
occurrence of an event (either associated with game play or
independent of game play), the gaming system provides the player
their personal progressive award. In one such embodiment, the
gaming system displays, via one or more ECI's (as described above),
information related to their personal progressive award.
[0294] In another embodiment, a plurality of players at a plurality
of linked gaming machines in a gaming system participate in a group
gaming environment. In one embodiment, a plurality of players at a
plurality of linked gaming machines work in conjunction with one
another, such as playing together as a team or group, to win one or
more awards. In one such embodiment, any award won by the group is
shared, either equally or based on any suitable criteria, amongst
the different players of the group. In another embodiment, a
plurality of players at a plurality of linked gaming machines
compete against one another for one or more awards. In one such
embodiment, a plurality of players at a plurality of linked gaming
machines participate in a gaming tournament for one or more awards.
In another embodiment, a plurality of players at a plurality of
linked gaming machines play for one or more awards wherein an
outcome generated by one gaming machine affects the outcomes
generated by one or more linked gaming machines.
[0295] FIG. 8 shows an example of a gaming machine display 800 in
accordance with a specific embodiment. According to specific
embodiments, one or more promotional offers may be presented to a
player via EGM display 800. For example, as illustrated in the
example of FIG. 8, a promotional offer object 802 is displayed via
the graphical user interface (GUI) of display 800. According to
specific embodiments, different promotional offer objects may
include, for example, text, graphics, still images, video clips,
icons, and/or any combination thereof.
[0296] As illustrated in the example of FIG. 8, promotional offer
object 802 includes text for conveying a promotional offer to a
player. In this particular example, the promotional offer states,
"Receive an instant $5 in Free Play right now if you try Hoot Loot
$1 now! Press here to begin." According to a specific embodiment,
such a promotional offer may be referred to as a "hybrid" or
"mixed" promotional offer which includes multiple components of
different promotion types. More specifically, in this particular
example, the promotional offer displayed at 802 includes both a
game theme promotion component (e.g., Hoot Loot), and a
denomination component (e.g., $1 denomination). It will be
appreciated that, in at least some other embodiments, other types
of hybrid or mixed promotional offers may be presented such as, for
example: game type/denomination; game theme/paytable; game
type/paytable; game type/game theme; denomination/paytable; game
type/denomination/paytable; game theme/denomination/paytable;
etc.
[0297] According to a specific embodiment, if the player in the
example of FIG. 8 elects to accept the promotional offer displayed
at 802, the EGM may automatically implement appropriate actions to
begin game play of Hoot Loot $1 at the EGM. In accordance with the
terms of the promotional offer, after the player has commenced
active play of Hoot Loot $1 at the EGM, the player may receive an
instant credit of $5 in Free Play.
[0298] In at least one embodiment, the promotional offers displayed
to a given customer or player may vary, depending on various
preferences specified by the customer/player. For example, a player
may specify a preferred game type, game theme, denomination,
paytable, and/or other criteria. If one or more available
promotional offers are identified which match the specified
criteria, one or more of the identified promotional offers may be
presented to the player.
[0299] According to a specific embodiment, identification of one or
more promotional offers for presentation at a particular EGM may
occur after a player has inserted his or her player card into the
EGM's card reader. Once inserted, the system may check to see if
the player and/or the EGM's entities (e.g., game theme entities,
game type entities, denomination entities, paytable entities, etc.)
have Promotional Credits for play. The video monitor or display of
the EGM cabinet may then offer the player a selection of game
themes, game types, denominations, paytables, etc., for which Free
Play Promotional Credits are available. The player may then select
a desired promotional offer. For example, in one embodiment, the
player may select an offering that offers additional
XtraCredit.TM.. In one embodiment, normal XtraCredit.TM. usage may
begin and/or continue until either the player uses the credits,
changes game choice, or removes their player card. If the player
selects a game that is not included in an offered promotion, the
player may receive no XtraCredit.TM..
[0300] In a different embodiment (not shown) the casino may wish to
entice selected players to trial a new paytable. Given that players
may be leery of choosing a new game, the game vendor and/or casino
may offer a promotion to encourage trial of the game and associated
new paytable. In one embodiment, this may be accomplished by
presenting the player with a "Game Choice Screen" (which, for
example, may display multiple different paytable choices), and
showing a $5.00 promotional credit offer that can be used by the
player if the player elects to play the promoted game/paytable
during the current gaming session.
[0301] In a different embodiment (not shown) the casino may wish to
entice selected players to trial a new denomination. In this
particular example, it is assumed that Casino Player X is
accustomed to playing a 5 cent denomination, and the casino has a
new 10 cent offering on the player's favorite Game theme and would
like to see the player's response. According to a specific
embodiment, when Player X has been identified as an active player
at a given EGM, the player may automatically receive a message
stating, for example, "Today only--try the new 10 cent game and
receive $5.00 when you wager $5.00 of your own." According to
specific embodiments, such a message may be conveyed to Player X
using a variety of different mechanisms such as, for example: via
one or more EGM display(s); via the player's cell phone, mobile
gaming device, and/or other wireless device; etc.
[0302] It will be appreciated that at least one feature of the
present invention provides the ability for casinos (and/or other
entities) to market gaming features at levels of granularity which
extend beyond the level of granularity of the EGM cabinet itself,
and may be used to further enhance the various potentials and/or
benefits of Server Based Gaming. For example, using one or more of
the techniques described herein, casinos and/or vendors may provide
"incentives" for trialing new game features, themes, types,
denominations, paytables, paylines, etc. Additionally at least some
aspects of the present invention may be use to help casinos and/or
vendors to more effectively optimize game content.
[0303] Various features relating to casino gaming technology are
also described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/595,798, filed on
Nov. 10, 2006 (Attorney docket. No. IGT1P337/P-1121A), naming
Little, et al. as inventors, and titled, "REMOTE CONTENT MANAGEMENT
AND RESOURCE SHARING ON A GAMING MACHINE AND METHOD OF IMPLEMENTING
SAME," which is incorporated herein by reference and for all
purposes.
[0304] Although several preferred embodiments of this invention
have been described in detail herein with reference to the
accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is
not limited to these precise embodiments, and that various changes
and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art
without departing from the scope of spirit of the invention as
defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *