System and method for streaming games and services to gaming devices

Abstract

A gaming system providing a game and/or gaming services to a player or user at a gaming or gaming services device. The device receives streaming audio-video representing the game or gaming services and plays streaming audio-video at a device. The device also receives input related to the play of the game or the gaming services from the user/player and relays the input to the gaming system. The system includes a storage device and a controller. The storage device stores elements of the game and/or gaming services. The game controller receives the input from the user/player and responsively retrieving the elements of the game and/or gaming services from the storage device, dynamically creates an audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements and the input, and broadcasts the audio-video stream to the gaming and/or gaming services device.

1 . A gaming system for providing a game to a player at a gaming device, the gaming device for receiving streaming audio-video representing the game and playing the streaming audio-video on a display and for receiving input related to the play of the game from the player and relaying the player input to the gaming system, comprising:
 a storage device for storing elements of a first set of games in a first library and a second set of games in a second library, each library being one of active and inactive, wherein the games in an active library are available to the player at the gaming device and the games in an inactive library are not available to the player at the gaming device; and,   a game controller coupled to the storage device and the gaming device for receiving the player input from the player, the player input being associated with a chosen game from an active one of the libraries and responsively retrieving the elements of the chosen game from the storage device, for playing the chosen game, determining an outcome of the chosen game, and awarding the player an award if the outcome of the chosen game is a winning outcome, and responsively, dynamically creating an audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements, the player input, the outcome of the chosen game, and the award, if any, and for broadcasting the audio-video stream to the gaming device.   
     
     
         2 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein only library may be active at any time. 
     
     
         3 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is also in the first library. 
     
     
         4 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is a variation of a game in the first library. 
     
     
         5 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is not in the first library. 
     
     
         6 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the elements of the game include one or more of game application executable code, game graphics, and sound data. 
     
     
         7 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 6 , wherein the elements of the game further include gaming device location data. 
     
     
         8 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein the gaming device location data includes a type of location and an identification of the location of the game device. 
     
     
         9 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , wherein the gaming device includes a display, the storage device stores a configuration properties file containing the display characteristics, the game controller creating the audio-video stream as a function of the configuration properties file. 
     
     
         10 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 9 , the gaming system for providing the game to a second gaming device, the game controller in playing the game, creates first and second instances of the game associated with the gaming device and the second gaming device, respectively. 
     
     
         11 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the game controller includes a single random number generator used with the first and second instances of the game. 
     
     
         12 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , the gaming service for providing a gaming service at the gaming device, the storage device for storing elements of the gaming service, the audio-video stream including the gaming service determined as a function of the stored elements of the gaming service and player input. 
     
     
         13 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 12 , the gaming system including a separate gaming service controller for generating a portion of the audio-video stream associated with the gaming service. 
     
     
         14 . A gaming system, as set forth in  claim 1 , the gaming device allowing the player to choose a second game, the game controller for receiving player input associated with the second chosen game and responsively retrieving the elements of the second chosen game from the storage device, for playing the second chosen game, determining an outcome of the second game, and responsively awarding the player a second award if the outcome of the chosen game is a winning outcome of the second chosen game, the dynamically created audio-stream including the chosen game and the second chosen game. 
     
     
         15 . A method for providing an electronic game to a player at a gaming device, the gaming device for receiving streaming audio-video representing the game and playing the streaming audio-video on a display and for receiving input related to the play of the game from the player and relaying the player input to the gaming system, comprising:
 storing a first library and a second library on a storage device, the first library including elements of a first set of games, the second library including elements of a second set of game, each library being one of active and inactive, wherein the games in an active library are available to the player at the gaming device and the games in an inactive library are not available to the player at the gaming device;   allowing a player to choose a game from an active library;   responsively retrieving the elements of the chosen game from the storage device;   playing the chosen game;   determining an outcome of the chosen game and responsively awarding the player an award if the outcome of the chosen game is a winning outcome;   responsively, dynamically creating an audio-video stream as a function of the retrieved elements, the player input, the outcome of the chosen game, and the award, if any, and for broadcasting the audio-video stream to the gaming device.   
     
     
         16 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein only library may be active at any time. 
     
     
         17 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is also in the first library. 
     
     
         18 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is a variation of a game in the first library. 
     
     
         19 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the second library includes at least one game which is not in the first library. 
     
     
         20 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the elements of the game include one or more of game application executable code, game graphics, and sound data. 
     
     
         21 . A method, as set forth in  claim 20 , wherein the elements of the game further include gaming device location data. 
     
     
         22 . A method, as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the gaming device location data includes a type of location and an identification of the location of the game device. 
     
     
         23 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , the gaming device including a display, the method including the step of storing a configuration properties file containing the display characteristics on the storage device, the audio-video stream being created as a function of the configuration properties file. 
     
     
         24 . A method, as set forth in  claim 23 , the gaming system for providing the game to a second gaming device, the step of playing the game including the step of creating first and second instances of the game associated with the gaming device and the second gaming device, respectively. 
     
     
         25 . A method, as set forth in  claim 24 , wherein the step of playing the game uses a single random number generator with the first and second instances of the game. 
     
     
         26 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , including the step of providing a gaming service, the method including the step of storing elements of the gaming service on the storage device, the audio-video stream including the gaming service determined as a function of the stored elements of the gaming service and player input. 
     
     
         27 . A method, as set forth in  claim 15 , the method including the steps of:
 allowing the player to choose a second game;   receiving player input associated with the second chosen game and responsively retrieving the elements of the second chosen game from the storage device;   playing the second chosen game; and,   
       determining an outcome of the second game, and responsively awarding the player a second award if the outcome of the chosen game is a winning outcome of the second chosen game, the dynamically created audio-stream including the chosen game and the second chosen game.