Abstract:
A method may include: (i) communicatively associating an electronic game host with an electronic gaming machine (EGM) remote from the electronic game host; (ii) executing a gaming application for conducting a wagering game on the electronic game host; (iii) communicating data from the electronic game host to the EGM to present the wagering game on a display of the EGM; (iv) receiving data at the electronic game host from the EGM to accept a wager associated with the wagering game through input/output controls of the EGM; (v) conducting a randomized selection process to determine a randomized prize associated with the wager; (vi) communicating data from the electronic game host to the EGM to present an indication of the randomized selection process to the display of the EGM; and (vii) metering and storing locally to the electronic game host game play data associated with execution of the wagering game.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates generally to gaming systems, machines, and methods used to provide wagering games, and, more particularly, to systems and methods for centralized game execution in a casino gaming environment. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Gaming systems, machines, and methods used to provide wagering games may be electronically implemented by instant lottery systems. These may be referred to as “video lottery” systems because they commonly show the result of a play in the lottery game on a video display device at the player terminal. In an electronic lottery gaming system, the results may be identified by a set of electronic lottery records. The set of electronic lottery records may be analogous to a set of printed paper lottery game tickets. Individual lottery game play records may be assigned from the set of electronic lottery game play records in some random order in response to requests for plays in the lottery game. The result defined by an assigned electronic lottery game play record may be displayed at an electronic lottery player station rather than on a printed lottery ticket. As in traditional paper lotteries, the rules by which the set of lottery records is created for an electronic lottery game determines the overall prize distribution for the game. For example, an electronic lottery game set may include one million records, with one record associated with the top prize, ten records associated with a next highest prize, and so forth throughout all of the potential results available in the lottery game set. 
         [0003]    Alternatively, gaming systems, machines, and methods used to provide wagering games may be electronically implemented by predetermined cards or displays and include a number of designations randomly arranged in a grid, matrix, or other layout of locations. The may be referred to as “bingo” systems. The game board or display may be represented by a data structure which defines a representation having various card or display locations and designations associated with the locations. For example, in a traditional bingo game sequence, a number of the predetermined bingo cards are first sold for a particular bingo game. After the sale of bingo cards is closed for a given game, designations are randomly selected from a pool of available designations and matched to the designations on each bingo card that is in play in the bingo game. This matching of bingo designations randomly selected for a game and bingo designations associated with a bingo card in play in the game may be referred to as daubing the card. 
         [0004]    Typically, a user may play an electronic wagering game by interacting with an electronic gaming machine (EGM). In traditional approaches, an EGM may in effect comprise a standalone computing device configured to play one or more wagering games having execution instructions for such one or more wagering games stored on a computer-readable medium local to the EGM. The EGM may further interface with a gaming server to facilitate wagering or game play, wherein the gaming server may monitor wagering and/or conduct randomized prize determinations for wagering games played on the EGM. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include a computer-readable medium, a processor coupled to the computer-readable medium, and instructions readable by the processor and stored on the computer-readable medium. The instructions, when read and executed, may cause the processor to: (i) communicatively associate the electronic device with an electronic gaming machine remote from the electronic device; (ii) communicate data to the electronic gaming machine to present a wagering game on a display of the electronic gaming machine; (iii) receive data from the electronic gaming machine to accept a wager associated with the wagering game through input/output controls of the electronic gaming machine; (iv) conduct a randomized selection process to determine a randomized prize associated with the wager; (v) communicate data to the electronic gaming machine to present an indication of the randomized selection process to the display of the electronic gaming machine; and (vi) meter and store game play data associated with execution of the wagering game to the computer-readable medium. 
         [0006]    In accordance with additional embodiments of the present disclosure, a system may include a plurality of electronic gaming machines and a plurality of electronic game hosts configured to communicatively couple remotely to the plurality of electronic gaming machines. Each particular electronic game host of the plurality of electronic game hosts may be configured to: (i) communicatively associate the particular electronic game host with an associated electronic gaming machine of the plurality of electronic gaming machines; (ii) communicate data to the associated electronic gaming machine to present a wagering game on a display of the associated electronic gaming machine; (iii) receive data from the associated electronic gaming machine to accept a wager associated with the wagering game through input/output controls of the associated electronic gaming machine; (iv) conduct a randomized selection process to determine a randomized prize associated with the wager; (v) communicate data to the associated electronic gaming machine to present an indication of the randomized selection process to the display of the associated electronic gaming machine; and (vi) meter and store game play data associated with execution of the wagering game to a computer-readable medium remote from the associated electronic gaming machine. 
         [0007]    In accordance with further embodiments of the present disclosure, a method may include communicatively associating an electronic game host with an electronic gaming machine remote from the electronic game host. The method may also include executing a gaming application for conducting a wagering game on the electronic game host. The method may additionally include communicating data from the electronic game host to the electronic gaming machine to present the wagering game on a display of the electronic gaming machine. The method may further include receiving data at the electronic game host from the electronic gaming machine to accept a wager associated with the wagering game through input/output controls of the electronic gaming machine. The method may also include conducting a randomized selection process to determine a randomized prize associated with the wager. The method may further include communicating data from the electronic game host to the electronic gaming machine to present an indication of the randomized selection process to the display of the electronic gaming machine. The method may additionally include metering and storing locally to the electronic game host game play data associated with execution of the wagering game. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example embodiment of a system for centralized game execution in a gaming environment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; 
           [0010]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate example embodiments of data structures for game play data, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  illustrates a flow chart of an example method for centralized game execution in a gaming environment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example embodiment of a system  100  for centralized game execution in a gaming environment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. System  100  may include an electronic gaming machine (“EGM”)  102  communicatively coupled to one or more electronic game hosts  106 , and/or a gaming server  104  communicatively coupled to the one or more electronic game hosts  106 . An electronic game host  106  may be configured to execute a gaming application  108  and communicate to and from EGM  102  in order to provide a wagering game conducted by gaming application  108  to a user interfacing to EGM  102 . System  100  may be configured to provide a randomized prize associated with a wager made by a user through gaming application  108 . 
         [0013]    EGM  102  may be implemented in any suitable manner according to the teachings of this disclosure. EGM  102  may be implemented, for example, in an electronic device such as a portable device, tablet device, mobile device, traditional wagering game cabinet, or arcade gaming cabinet. EGM  102  may include any suitable display  116  and I/O  114 . For example, display  116  may include a display of a portable device, tablet device, mobile device, or game cabinet. I/O  114  may include one or more buttons, switches, a touch screen panel, joysticks, levers, trackballs, or any other suitable I/O mechanisms. Although system  100  is illustrated having a single EGM  102 , system  100  may include more EGMs networked together through network  122 . Such EGMs  102  may make up a bank of gaming devices in, for example, a casino or part of a casino. In one embodiment, one or more EGMs of system  100  may include portable or similar devices that may be checked out from a kiosk in a casino. In another embodiment, one or more EGMs of system  100  may include player-owned mobile devices which may install gaming applications and be usable within the premises of a casino. 
         [0014]    As depicted in  FIG. 1 , EGM  102  may include a client module  136  communicatively coupled to display  116  and I/O  114 . Client module  136  may include any system, device, or apparatus for communicating data associated with display  116  and/or I/O  114  to and/or from an electronic game host  106 . In embodiments in which EGM  102  is a traditional wagering game cabinet or arcade gaming cabinet, client module  136  may comprise an interface configured for solely for communicating display  116  and I/O  114  data, and/or for metering of I/O events occurring at EGM  102  and storing EGM data  138  on EGM  102 , as described in greater detail below. In embodiments in which EGM  102  is a portable device, tablet device, or mobile device, client module  136  may comprise a program of instructions stored on a memory (not expressly shown) of EGM  102  and executable by a processor (not expressly shown) of EGM  102 . Client module  136  may interface with network  122 , electronic game hosts  106 , and/or other elements of system  102  via Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and/or other suitable communication standard or protocol. 
         [0015]    Processors  118 ,  130  may comprise, for example a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other digital or analog circuitry configured to interpret and/or execute program instructions and/or process data. In some embodiments, processors  118 ,  130  may interpret and/or execute program instructions and/or process data stored in memories  120 ,  132 . Memories  120 ,  132  may be configured in part or whole as application memory, system memory, or both. Memories  120 ,  132  may include any system, device, or apparatus configured to hold and/or house one or more memory modules. Each memory module may include any system, device or apparatus configured to retain program instructions and/or data for a period of time (e.g., computer-readable media). 
         [0016]    An electronic game host  106  may comprise a processor  118  and a memory  120 , as described above. In some embodiments, an electronic game host  106  may be implemented as a standalone computing device. In these and other embodiments, an electronic game host  106  may comprise a blade or similar form factor capable of being electrically and/or mechanically mounted in an enclosure (e.g., a chassis) with one or more other electronic game hosts  106 . 
         [0017]    An electronic game host  106  may include a gaming application  108  having wagering components. Gaming application  108  may be implemented in any suitable mechanism, such as an application, script, module, shared library, function, or routine. Gaming application  108  may be one in which successful play is primarily accorded to random chance, such as many traditional casino games such as bingo, electronic lotteries, slot machines, Blackjack, craps, roulette, etc. EGM  102  in concert with an electronic game host  106  may include features for traditional casino gaming actions, such as adding money for wagering, picking a certain number of credits or money to wager, cashing out deposited credits or money, or calling an attendant. 
         [0018]    Gaming application  108  may interact via network  122  with client module  136  to enable a user of EGM  102  to place a wager and determine a randomized prize for a given wager. Gaming application  108  may be configured to determine such a randomized prize by accessing gaming server  104 . Such a randomized prize may be implemented by any suitable mechanism of casino wagering and randomized prizes, for example, those used in slot machines, bingo games, Class II or Class III devices. Gaming application  108 , alone or in combination with other elements of system  100 , may be configured to accept payment from a user, keep track of the available funds or credits with which to play, and provide indications to the user of prizes or payouts received as a result of wagering. Gaming application  108  may be configured to cash out a balance of a user&#39;s available funds. The funds used to wager may be represented in currency, credits, or any other suitable unit. 
         [0019]    An electronic game host  106  may also include game play data  110 . Game play data  110  may comprise one or more database, tables, maps, logs, lists, and/or other data structures setting forth present and/or historical data relating to wagering and game play associated with gaming application  108 . Example contents of game play data  110  are set forth in  FIGS. 2A and 2B  below. Such game play data  110  may be stored on memory  120  and/or other suitable computer-readable media. 
         [0020]    Different gaming applications  108  may execute on the various electronic game hosts  106 . For example, a first set of one or more gaming applications  108  may execute on a corresponding first set of electronic game hosts  106 , a second set of one or more gaming applications  108  may execute on a corresponding second set of electronic game hosts  106 , and so on. Thus, by configuring the makeup of gaming applications  108  executing on electronic game hosts  106 , and the association of electronic game hosts  106  with electronic gaming machines, a desired configuration of games may be made available to casino patrons. 
         [0021]    Gaming server  104  may be configured to communicate with gaming application  108  to facilitate game play and/or wagering through gaming application  108 . Gaming server  104  may include a processor  130  coupled to a memory  132 . Processor  130  may be configured to execute logic for components of gaming server  104  such as network wager application  124 , for example. 
         [0022]    Network wager application  124  may be communicatively coupled to various electronic game hosts  106 , and configured to monitor wagering occurring at each such EGM  102 . In one embodiment, network wager application  124  may be configured to conduct randomized prize determinations on behalf of gaming application  108 . For example, network wager application  124  may be configured to conduct a bingo game to determine potential prizes to a given gaming application. In another embodiment, such prize determinations may be made in gaming application  108  itself. Network wager application  124  may be configured to award prizes based on a randomized event, such as a bingo game or random number generator and payout table. 
         [0023]    In operation, system  100  may provide for centralized execution of wagering games interacting with users at EGMs  102 , in that an EGM  102 , rather than executing a wagering game within the EGM  102  itself, will interface with an associated game host  106  that executes the wagering game remotely from the electronic game host  106 . Thus, from a user standpoint, game play appears to execute as if the game is executing within an EGM  102 , despite that fact that the game may execute from a centralized, secure group of electronic game hosts  106 . The type of game played by a user at an EGM  102  may be changed by modifying the association between EGM  102  and electronic game hosts  106  (e.g., by uncoupling EGM  102  from one electronic game host  106  executing a first type of game and recoupling the EGM to another electronic game host executing a second type of game). In addition or alternatively, the type of game played by a user at an EGM  102  may be changed by terminating one gaming application  108  on an electronic game host  106  associated with an EGM  102  and loading another gaming application  108  on the same electronic game host  106 . In either case, the type of game played at an EGM  102  may be selected by a user interfacing EGM  102  (e.g., via a menu of game choices displayed to the user at display  116  by client module  136  and/or gaming application  108 ), or may be selected by a casino operator (e.g., by commands issued to gaming server  104 , and electronic game host  106 , and/or other component of system  100 ). 
         [0024]    Such centralized execution may allow for flexibility in the type and number of games offered on a gaming floor and may provide redundancy in the event of failure of a component of system  100 . For example, a first set of one or more gaming applications  108  may be configured to execute a first type of game (e.g., video poker), a second set of one or more gaming applications  108  may be configured to execute a second type of game (e.g., three-reel slots), and a third set of one or more gaming applications  108  may be configured to execute a third type of game (e.g., five-reel slots). As user demand for particular types of games changes, a casino operator may modify the game makeup of a gaming floor or multiple gaming floors of its casino by issuing suitable commands to modify associations between individual EGMs  102  and electronic game hosts  106  or by issuing suitable commands to modify the types of gaming applications  108  executing on electronic game hosts  106  communicatively coupled to the individual EGMs  102 . In some embodiments, gaming server  104 , one or more electronic game hosts  106 , and/or other elements of system  100  may provide a user interface allowing a casino operator to effect such modifications. As another example, client module  136  and/or gaming application  108  may display to a user at an EGM  102  a menu of game types that may be played at EGM  102 , a user may select a desired game via I/O  114 , and in response, client module  136  and/or gaming application  108  may issue instructions to cause an electronic game host  106  to load a different gaming application and/or cause EGM  102  to decouple from one electronic game host  106  and recouple to another electronic game host  106 . 
         [0025]    In addition, the centralized game execution may allow for redundancy in the event of failure. For example, a number of electronic game hosts  106  may be designated as “standby” electronic game hosts  106 . In the event of a failure or crash of an electronic game host  106 , system  100  may be configured to re-designate a standby electronic game host  106  as an active electronic game host  106 , thus potentially reducing downtime associated with a failure of an individual electronic game host  106 . Alternatively or in addition, an EGM  102  interfacing with an active electronic game host  106  may be configured to switch to a standby electronic game host  106  in the event of a failure of the active electronic game host  106 . 
         [0026]    The gaming industry is heavily regulated by various national governments, states governments, provincial governments, tribal governments, and local governments. Such regulation often mandates extensive record keeping of gaming activities. For example, some jurisdictions require that every user-initiated action taking place on an EGM (e.g., EGM  102 ) must be metered or logged. In addition, some jurisdictions require that results of each game play and/or other date associated with each game play (e.g., amount wagered, type of game, etc.) must be metered or logged. Such record keeping may also be useful to a casino operator for accounting and/or marketing purposes. For example, such data may be analyzed to gauge the relative popularity of different wagering games among a casino&#39;s patrons. Traditionally, all such data was typically stored in a memory local to an EGM. However, the centralized approach of the present disclosure may not be suitable for metering and/or storing all metered data at an EGM. 
         [0027]    In embodiments in which EGM  102  comprises a traditional wagering game cabinet or arcade gaming cabinet or a portable device, tablet device, or mobile device owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by a casino operator, a hybrid metering and logging approach may be employed. In such hybrid approach, client module  136  may monitor user-initiated events occurring with respect to I/O  114  and/or display  116  and/or other events occurring with respect to EGM  102 , and store EGM data  138  indicative of such events to a computer-readable storage medium local to EGM  102 . Such events may include any events required by a gaming regulatory authority to be locally monitored and/or logged at an EGM  102 , and/or any events that a casino operator desires to monitor or log. Examples of such events may include a user&#39;s insertion of game play credit (e.g., a voucher, ticket, tokens, coins, paper currency, etc.), a user&#39;s desire to cash out game play credit (e.g., by interacting with I/O  114  and/or touch-screen elements of display  116  to indicate a desire to cash out), a wager (e.g., a user&#39;s interaction with I/O  114  and/or touch-screen elements of display  116  to indicate a wager), a game play (e.g., a user&#39;s interaction with I/O  114  and/or touch-screen elements of display  116  to indicate a desire play a wagering game), and/or other events. 
         [0028]    In such embodiments (i.e., those in which EGM  102  comprises a traditional wagering game cabinet or arcade gaming cabinet), an electronic game host  106  may meter and log game play data  110  associated with the electronic game host  106 . Such data may include any data associated with wagering device game play required by a gaming regulatory authority to be metered and/or logged, and/or any events that a casino operator desires to monitor or log.  FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate example embodiments of data structures for game play data  110 , in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in  FIG. 2A , game play data  110  may include a table or other data structure that records associations between EGMs  102  and electronic game hosts  106  (including times and dates of such associations), a game type or game theme of gaming applications  108  executing on an electronic game host  106  (including times and dates of such execution). Additionally or alternatively, as depicted in  FIG. 2B , game play data  110  may include a table or other data structure that records associations between EGMs  102  and electronic game hosts  106  (including times and dates of such associations), events occurring at such EGMs  102  (including times and dates of such events), and/or game play results of gaming applications  108  execution on electronic game host  106  (including times and dates of such results). Some or all of such data may be recorded based on information regarding events communicated between EGM  102  and electronic game host  106 . 
         [0029]    Although  FIGS. 2A and 2B  depict metering and/or logging of particular types of data, any suitable data related to electronic game hosts  106 , EGMs  102 , execution of gaming application  108 , and/or any other component of system  100  may be metered and/or logged in game play data  110 . In addition, although  FIGS. 1 ,  2 A, and  2 B depict each electronic game host  106  metering and storing data specific to the particular electronic game host  106 , such metering and storing of game play data for a set of electronic game hosts  106  may be carried out by a subset of electronic game hosts (e.g., a subset of one or more electronic game hosts  106  may meter and store data for all electronic game hosts in a particular gaming floor, casino, etc.) or by another component of system  100  (e.g., gaming server  104 ). 
         [0030]    Data metered and logged may be collected for regulatory compliance, or may be analyzed by a casino operator to identify trends or information that the casino operator may use to increase profitability. 
         [0031]    In some embodiments, EGM data  138  may not be stored locally to EGM  102 , but may instead be stored as a portion of game play data  110  on an electronic game host  106  that is or was communicatively coupled to EGM  102  for wagering game play. 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  illustrates a flow chart of an example method for centralized game execution in a gaming environment, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In step  305 , a user or game operator may indicate a desired game to play or a desired association between an EGM and an electronic game host. For example, a user interacting with user interface elements at an EGM may select (e.g., from a display displayed as a result of communication of data from an electronic game host, gaming server, or another computing device) a desired game. As another example, a casino operator may interface with a gaming server, electronic game host, EGM, or another computing device to select a desired game for an EGM and/or a desired association between a particular EGM and a electronic game host. 
         [0033]    In step  310 , in response to the user or casino operator&#39;s indication of desired game or association, an EGM and an electronic game host may communicatively associate (e.g., via a network) with each other, such that the EGM may, in concert with the associated electronic game host, display the desired game and interact with a user to facilitate game play. 
         [0034]    In step  315 , the user may interact with the EGM (e.g., via I/O components of the EGM) in order to wager and/or initiate game play of a wagering game executed by the electronic game host. In step  320 , the EGM may meter and locally log events associated with the user&#39;s interaction (e.g., cash in, cash out, wagers, other interactions with I/O devices, etc.). As noted above, in some embodiments, EGM may not meter and locally log events associated with the user&#39;s interaction and, instead, such events may be metered by the electronic game host. 
         [0035]    In step  325 , in response to the user&#39;s wagering and initiation of game play, the associated electronic game host may execute a wagering game, communicate the wagering game result to the user, update a balance of user game play credits in response to the result, and meters and logs game play data (e.g., association between EGM and electronic game host, association between electronic game host and game theme or type, game play events, etc.). 
         [0036]    In step  330 , the electronic game host, a gaming server, or another computing element may determine whether a user or casino operator has indicated a desire to change the desired game or association. If the user or casino operator indicates a desire to change the desired game or association, method  300  may proceed again to step  310 . Otherwise, if the user or casino operator does not indicate a desire to change the desired game or association, method  300  may proceed again to step  315 . 
         [0037]    Method  300  may be implemented using the system of  FIGS. 1-2B , or any other system operable to implement method  300 . As such, the preferred initialization point for method  300  and the order of its steps may depend on the implementation chosen. In some embodiments, some steps may be optionally omitted, repeated, or combined. In some embodiments, some steps of method  300  may be executed in parallel with other steps of method  300 . In certain embodiments, method  300  may be implemented partially or fully in software embodied in computer-readable media. 
         [0038]    For the purposes of this disclosure, computer-readable media may include any instrumentality or aggregation of instrumentalities that may retain data and/or instructions for a period of time. Computer-readable media may include, without limitation, storage media such as a direct access storage device (e.g., a hard disk drive or floppy disk), a sequential access storage device (e.g., a tape disk drive), compact disk, CD-ROM, DVD, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or flash memory; as well as communications media such wires, optical fibers, and other electromagnetic and/or optical carriers; and/or any combination of the foregoing. 
         [0039]    Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.