Patent ID: 8616981

Claim:
A gaming system for conducting a wagering game with a mobile computing device, the mobile computing device being configured to wirelessly communicate information with the gaming system via a network, the gaming system comprising: one or more processors; and one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to: receive an indication of a physical location of the mobile computing device; determine if the physical location of the mobile computing device corresponds to or is within a predetermined proximity of a designated hotspot location; and responsive to the physical location of the mobile computing device corresponding to or being within the predetermined proximity of the designated hotspot location, determine a location-based gaming feature associated with the designated hotspot location and automatically trigger the location-based gaming feature without requiring an input from a user of the mobile computing device, wherein automatically triggering the location-based gaming feature includes initiating play of at least a portion of the wagering game.