Abstract: In various embodiments, promotions are featured on mobile gaming devices.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer programs for sharing a game play over a social network include executing a play session of a game. During execution of the play session, an option is provided to share a portion of the game on a social network. In response to receiving a request to share the portion of the game, an instance of the game is generated at a time when the request is received and is posted to a stream of the social network. The instance of the game inherits a current state of the play session. A reward is generated to a user account that plays the instance in the stream and to the user that initiates the sharing of the portion of the game upon the user playing the instance of the game claims the reward.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided to implement a technique for managing the response of a digital entity in a simulation to reflect its interaction with one or more players over time, such as managing a non-player character's responses to player characters in an online computer game. In the system, a computer system tracks the interaction of the digital entity with other entities and the occurrence or status of internal and external events to control how the digital entity reacts to current events and interactions.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods and systems for interfacing a controller with a gaming system to interact with a computer program rendering interactive content on a display are presented. In one embodiment, a controller includes a handle, a connector and an attachment. The handle has an elongated shape, which includes opposite first and second ends, and is configured to be held by a single hand of a user during operation. The handle's second end, aimed towards the display during operation, holds the connector. The attachment includes two interfaces: a visual interface for communication with the gaming system, and a connector interface that is coupled to the connector in the handle. The attachment can be coupled and decoupled to the connector and allows the gaming system to visually track the location of the handle via the visual interface. In another embodiment, the attachment provides additional communication capabilities.

Abstract: The gaming system disclosed herein provides a player one or more chances or opportunities to win the same progressive award. In these embodiments, the gaming system provides the player one or more opportunities to win a progressive award in association with a first game sequence. If the player does not win the progressive award in association with the first game sequence, the gaming system determines whether to provide the player any additional chances or opportunities to win the same progressive award in a second game sequence.

Abstract: A method and system of generating and displaying a game of chance with a computer on an electronic device to a player, wherein the player places a wager on a primary poker hand dealt from a deck of cards and a secondary string bonus hand of one to five cards. The game may be played on site at a legal game casino, in a non-gambling mode on-line over the internet, or off-line on a home computer using a disc such as a compact disc. The game could also be played as a game in gambling or non-gambling mode at a tavern, bar, or the like.

Abstract: An electronic gaming machine and a computer implemented method of administering game play, include displaying an electronic reel simulation including a multiple reel array for a wagering game on a display. A user input is accepted indicating a selected play option from a plurality of play options, wherein all play options of the plurality of play options enable all displayed positions of the multiple reel array to be considered in winning outcomes. A game outcome is determined and presented on the game display, the game outcome including game symbols for the displayed positions of the multiple reel array. Winning combinations of the game symbols are determined, where each winning combination includes three or more matching game symbols appearing in the displayed positions on each of three or more adjacent reels and at least one of the three or more matching game symbols is not used in another winning combination.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention enable rich control input data to control video games that are remotely executed. Rich control input includes three-dimensional image data, color video, audio, device orientation data, and touch input. A remotely-executed video game is one executed on a server or other computing device that is networked to a client device receiving the rich control input. Rich control input includes more data than can be uploaded to a game server without degrading game performance. Embodiments of the present invention preprocess the rich control data on the client and into data that may be uploaded to the game server. The rich input stream may be processed in a general way or in a game-specific way.

Abstract: Examples disclosed herein relate to systems and methods, which may receive wagers on one or more paylines. The systems and methods may utilize one or more tournament game structures. The systems and methods may utilize one or more power-up cards in the one or more tournament game structures.

Abstract: Exemplary implementations may facilitate modifications to characters and/or virtual items within a virtual space, or to the virtual space itself, made responsive to detection of a token. In some implementations, a physical accessory may depict a character in the virtual space. By way of non-limiting example, the physical accessory may include a toy figurine resembling the character. A detectable token (i.e., a physical object) may be removably attached to the physical accessory. According to some implementations, responsive to the physical accessory being detected along with the removably attached token, a modification within the virtual space may be made to the character and/or a virtual item associated with the character. In some implementations, detection of the token alone may effectuate such a modification.

Abstract: Various embodiments are directed towards employing one or more physical sensors arranged on or in proximity to a video game player to obtain biofeedback measures that are then useable to dynamically modify a state of play of a video game. The sensors may be connected or even un-connected to the game player, replace, or otherwise augment traditional physical game controllers. The sensors gather various biofeedback measures and provide such measures to a biofeedback application programming interface (API). Before and/or during video game play, the video game queries the biofeedback API to request inferences about the game player's state of arousal. The response to the query is then used to modify the state of the video game play. Where the video game is a multi-player video game, biofeedback measures from other game players may also be obtained and used to further modify the state of the video game play.

Abstract: A method of automatically generating a calibration file for a card handling device comprises automatically generating a calibration file stored in memory of a main control system for a card handling device. Automatically generating the calibration file comprises identifying at least one parameter associated with a rank area around a rank of the at least a portion of the card, identifying at least one parameter associated with a suit area around a suit of the at least a portion of the card, and storing the at least one parameter associated with the rank area and the at least one parameter associated with the suit area in the calibration file. Additionally, a method of automatically generating deck libraries for one or more decks of cards comprises automatically generate a plurality of master images for the cards of the first deck type using the parameters from the calibration file.

Abstract: The APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AN ONLINE BEHAVIOR MONITOR (“OBM”) transform user social-gaming behavioral pattern data via various OBM components into online social-gaming experience customizations. In one embodiment, the OBM may generate individual social-gaming activity timelines for a group of users within a geographical region using user online gaming pattern and social activity data. The OBM may calculate individual time-varying activity level graphs for the users, as well as an aggregate activity level graph. The OBM may identify an activity trough in the aggregate activity level graph, and an event in the geographical region corresponding to the activity level trough. Based on keywords corresponding to the event, the OBM may obtain product results from a product database.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention pertain to a computer program product and processor based computing system that provides processing means for executing coded instructions and input means for interacting with said processing means to create a virtual welding environment. The system establishes an objective to change a functional or operational state of a virtual article, and directs the end user to perform at least one virtual welding operation for changing its functional state. The system trains new users and inexperienced welders on the fundamental aspects of welding.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for administering game play include displaying an electronic reel simulation including a multiple reel array for a wagering game on a display. A user input indicates a selected play option from a plurality of play options. All play options enable all displayed positions of the multiple reel array to be considered in winning outcomes. A game outcome is determined and presented as game symbols on the display. Winning combinations of the game symbols are determined, wherein each winning combination includes three or more matching game symbols appearing in the displayed positions on each of three or more adjacent reels and at least one of the three or more matching game symbols is not used in another winning combination. A payout is determined and multiplied by a multiple correlated to the selected play option when a substitute multiplier symbol appears as one of the game symbols.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus and methods for enabling a mobile station to control a virtual world being executed on a console system are described. The method can include establishing a communication link between the mobile station and a console system, identifying user interface characteristics of the mobile station, and providing a controller application to the mobile station, the controller application being based on the identified user interface characteristics and configured to transform user interface inputs into controller commands. The method can further include receiving signals containing data representing the controller commands from the mobile station over the communication link and determining a sequence of events of the virtual world based on the received controller commands In one aspect, the controller application can execute in the context of an application on the mobile station.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for use in gaming activities such as slot machine. A plurality of symbols is presented in connection with a gaming activity. At least one multi-characteristic symbol capable of exhibiting a plurality of different gaming characteristics is also presented. A first gaming characteristic is attributed to the multi-characteristic symbol during play of the gaming activity. The multi-characteristic symbol's first gaming characteristic is replaced with a second gaming characteristic if none of the remaining plurality of symbols exhibit the second gaming characteristic.

Abstract: A gaming system is provided with a monitor for displaying and outputting a gaming screen, a touch panel superposed upon the monitor, and an external storage device for storing sequence data in which an operational period of the touch panel has been described. In addition, the gaming system displays upon the monitor a gaming area whereupon two reference units disposed apart from each other and a specific reference unit disposed in the vicinity of the reference units are set. Also, an object for instructing operations for each of the reference units is displayed while being caused to move within the gaming area, and in the case of a mis-operation of a specific object heading toward the specific reference unit, the specific object is destroyed, and the path which had been set as the object appearance area is used as the path of movement for the next object.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for a multiplayer video game on a peer-to-peer network in which players' game consoles can pass off or accept server or other management responsibilities for individual rooms, levels, or other virtual areas from other game consoles. Each player's game console can be either a ‘level server’ or a ‘level client,’ the level server's responsibilities including spawning and directing non-player characters, tracking objects, and/or conducting other management responsibilities of the room for the level clients. The level server can send updates such as save game states and other level checkpoints to its level clients for the specific virtual area that it manages.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for enhancing game components in a gaming system, the method comprising: displaying at least one of a row and a column of the game components along a plane on a display device in accordance with a set of game rules for a given game, each one of the game components having an original symbol associated thereto; selecting at least one of the game components for enhancement; expanding selected ones of the game components outside of the plane and associating at least one additional symbol to expanded selected ones of the game components; and integrating the at least one additional symbol into the given game.