Abstract: Apparatus and methods for simulating the appearance of a plurality of slot machine reels are provided including a plurality of mechanical cylinders which rotate around a plurality of video displays. The video displays show graphics or video of spinning slot machine reel images and the mechanical cylinders rotate around the video display in coordinated speed with the graphics or video to give the appearance of mechanical slot machine reels.

Abstract: A method of operating an electronic gaming machine includes generating an interactive game environment in accordance with game data, the interactive game environment having a viewing area may include a plurality of visible game components as a subset of the interactive game environment, displaying the viewing area with the plurality of visible game components, monitoring eye gaze of a player to collect player eye gaze data, determining a location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area using the player eye gaze data, and in response to the location of the eye gaze of the player relative to the viewing area, changing a resolution of a portion of the viewing area other than a portion of the viewing area corresponding to location of the eye gaze of the player on the viewing area. Related electronic gaming machines are also disclosed.

Abstract: A device for playing a skill-based game that modifies the visual representation of the game play using game enhancement elements. A game processor automatically generates game enhancement elements using game data of the skill-based game and computes a game skill level. A game controller is connected to a data storage device and a display screen. The game controller controls the skill-based game, the game controller configured to: render visual representation of game play; detect real-time game play of the game by the player; compute a player skill level based on the detected game play; select a game enhancement element by comparing the game skill level and the player skill level; modify the visual representation of the game play using the one or more selected game enhancement elements; and award the player based on the additional game play and the comparison of the game skill level and the player skill level.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine (EGM) includes a display having a display surface configured to provide stereoscopic 3D viewing of at least a portion of the game. The portion of the game includes a 3D interface element. The EGM further includes a locating sensor that generates an electronic signal based on a player's location in a sensing space. The EGM includes an ultrasonic emitter configured to emit an ultrasonic field. At least a portion of the ultrasonic field is located in the sensing space. The EGM also includes one or more processors configured to: identify a location of one or more player features based on the electrical signal from the locating sensor; determine that the location of the player features is associated with the 3D interface element; and control one or more of the ultrasonic emitters based on the identified location to provide tactile feedback to the player.

Abstract: According to some aspects, a method of assessing behavior of a player of a wagering game is provided, the method comprising receiving, at a wagering gaming device, via a wireless communication interface from a wearable device worn by the player of the wagering game, physiological data of the player obtained using at least one sensor of the wearable device worn by the player, determining, using at least one processor, whether the player is exhibiting behavior exceeding at least one predefined risk threshold based at least in part on an automated analysis of the received physiological data and the player's history of gaming actions, and when it is determined that the player is exhibiting the behavior, performing at least one action by the wagering gaming device designed to reduce the exhibited behavior below the at least one predefined risk threshold in response to said determination.

Abstract: Techniques for controlling a casino game machine include detecting, via one or more muscle activity sensors worn by a player of a wagering game played on the casino game machine, voluntary muscle activity of the player while playing the wagering game on the casino game machine. The detected voluntary muscle activity of the player may be analyzed to infer a state of the player indicative of the player's level of interest while playing the wagering game. The inferred state of the player may be mapped to one or more game adjustments appropriate for increasing a likelihood that the player in the inferred state will continue to play the wagering game or another wagering game. The game adjustments may be applied by changing one or more operating parameters of the casino game machine controlling one or more aspects of the wagering game while the player is playing the wagering game.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for enhancing game components in a gaming system using various three-dimensional enhancements. The three-dimensional enhancements may involve stacks of gaming components to provide and integrate additional symbols, multi-faceted gaming components, multi-faceted gaming surfaces running multiple games in parallel, items animating to simulate real-world physics, merging components, shapes to push up or down gaming components to create stacks, and so on. Further example three-dimensional enhancements are described.

Abstract: In one aspect, there is described a computer-implemented method of configuring timeout values for an electronic gaming system. The electronic gaming system includes an electronic gaming machine and a first host coupled to the electronic gaming machine through a network. The method includes: receiving a command to initiate timeout calibration through an input interface associated with the electronic gaming system; and in response to receiving the command: i) sending a plurality of test messages between the electronic gaming machine and the first host; ii) determining transmission times for the test messages; iii) based on the determined transmission times, automatically determining one or more timeout values; and iv) configuring one or both of the electronic gaming machine and the first host based on the determined timeout values.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine is provided. The computer device comprises at least one data storage unit storing game data for a game, a display unit to display graphical game components to a player of the game, at least one data capture unit, such as a camera, to collect data about the player's gaze, and a processor to process the player gaze data, determine if a player gaze condition is satisfied, determine whether a game condition is satisfied. If both the player gaze condition and the game condition are satisfied, the processor modifies at least some of the graphical game components based on the player gaze condition and the game condition.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine where the player plays an interactive game using their player eye gaze. A graphics processor generates an interactive game environment and defines a viewing area as its subset, the viewing area having visible game components. A display device displays the viewing area having the plurality of visible game components. The display controller controls rendering of the viewing area on the display device using the graphics processor. At least one data capture camera device continuously monitors the player eye gaze to collect player eye gaze data. The game controller determines the location of the player's eye gaze relative to the viewing area and triggers a control command to the display controller. In response, the display controller controls the display device in real-time to provide a graphical animation effect displayed on the display device representative of a visual update to the visible game components in the viewing area.

Abstract: While a player is playing one game on a gaming machine using a mobile gaming device, the systems and methods described herein recommend other games to the player based on the player's real time game play. An export data set is generated using parsing rules and used for recommendations. The game recommendations are provided to the mobile gaming device for selection by the user.

Abstract: Systems and methods for automated discovery of gaming preferences and delivery of gaming choices based gaming preferences are disclosed. The systems and methods may operate in real time and may detect and analyze data representing various game features and/or game player behavior and match the data with predetermined models, profiles or game player types. Game choices may then be presented to the game player based on the analysis of the data. Systems and methods to analyze and categorize the game player behavior are also disclosed, including mining data in a cluster model based analysis to identify and develop the models, profiles or game player types and to select the games to be provided for each of the identified models, profiles or game player types. A different collection of games may be provided for each of the identified models, profiles or game player types.

Abstract: According to some aspects, a method of operating a casino game is provided comprising obtaining indications of communication latency from the server to at least a first gaming device and a second gaming device, receiving first user input data from the first gaming device, the first user input data being indicative of a wager, determining an outcome for the first instance of the casino game based at least in part on the wager, and, based at least in part on the indications of communication latency from the server to the first and second gaming devices, sending first image data to the first gaming device through wired communication channels, the first image data including one or more visual indications of the outcome, and sending second image data to the second gaming device through at least one wireless communication channel.

Abstract: A wagering gaming apparatus is provided, the display being configured to make a first set of pixels spanning substantially the full area of the display visible in a first viewing zone occupied by a first player and not in a second viewing zone occupied by a second player, and to make a second set of pixels spanning substantially the full area of the display visible in the second viewing zone and not in the first viewing zone. Executing a multi-player wagering game via the wagering gaming apparatus may include displaying via the first set of pixels a first-player view of the multi-player wagering game visible to the first player and not to the second player, and displaying via the second set of pixels a second-player view of the multi-player wagering game, different from the first-player view, and visible to the second player and not to the first player.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine (EGM) for providing haptic feedback to a player is provided. The EGM includes a touchscreen having a touchscreen surface. The EGM also includes a heating device coupled to the touchscreen to selectively radiate heat from the touchscreen surface. The EGM further includes a processor coupled to the touchscreen and to the heating device. The processor may be configured to detect a game condition associated with the game and, in response to detecting the game condition, control the heating device to set a level of heat radiating from the touchscreen surface.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine to play an interactive game where a players eye gaze acts as x-ray vision. A graphics processor generates an interactive game environment and defines a viewing area as its subset. A display device displays the viewing area, where a visible game component masks an invisible game component. A display controller controls rendering of the viewing area on the display device using the graphics processor. At least one data capture camera device continuously monitors player eye gaze to collect player eye gaze data. A game controller calculates a player eye gaze location relative to the viewing area, the location corresponding to the invisible game component, and triggers a control command to the display controller. In response, the display controller controls the display device in real-time to provide a graphical animation effect representative of a visual update to the visible game component to reveal the invisible game component.

Abstract: A community gaming system including a central controller and a plurality of gaming terminals each with a graphical user interface operating. The system determines that a bonus event is triggered and which of the terminals qualify. The central controller transmits a trigger signal to each of the qualified gaming terminals in the sequence in turn, in response to which each qualified gaming terminal initiates scrolling of a bonus event graphic across its respective graphical user interface such that as the bonus event graphic scrolls across the graphical user interface of one of the qualified gaming terminals to reach an edge of that graphical user interface a next one of the qualified gaming terminals in the sequence then initiates scrolling of that bonus event graphic across its graphical user interface. The bonus event graphic appears to scroll across successive graphical user interfaces of the sequence of terminals.

Abstract: Electronic gaming machines with an interactive bonus game. A touch sensitive display device provides an interactive game environment with prize symbols, a pointer, and a selection game zone with masked or covered selector game symbols. A player input device detects player interaction commands to select the game symbols to move the pointer relative to the prize symbols. A graphical animation effect represents movement of the pointer relative to the prize symbols.

Abstract: A wagering gaming apparatus is provided, comprising a 3-dimensional (3D) display device configured to create for a player a visual illusion of a 3D scene for a wagering game, the 3D scene having perceived depth in a z-direction perpendicular to a physical screen having width in an x-direction and height in a y-direction; one or more sensor devices configured to sense a physical location of one or more anatomical features of the player; at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions. The processor-executable instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform various adjustments regarding the 3D scene based on the sensed physical location of an anatomical feature of the player.

Abstract: A video slot machine has M reels, each displaying N symbols when stopped. Above the display of the reels is a set of generally valuable replacement symbols that have been independently selected at random independent from the reel display. Each reel is associated with a particular replacement symbol in the set. If a special symbol is displayed on a reel, the replacement symbol associated with that reel substitutes for the special symbol when determining the award. Examples of the replacement symbols include wild symbols, bonus symbols, and multiplier symbols. After each game, the replacement symbols are shifted, and used replacement symbols are randomly replaced to vary the possibilities for each game. The player is incentivized to play longer due to the possibility of using valuable replacement symbols in the symbol array and the possibility of very high awards being granted by multiple special symbols being displayed.