Device for controlling the operation of at least one physical gaming machine and gaming installation comprising the device

A control device for controlling operation of at least one physical gaming machine (1) governed by a programmable electronic control logic (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) in a gaming system, the control device comprising:

• a remote server (3);
• and
• first telecommunication means (4) to exchange data between the gaming machine (1) and the remote server (3), each gaming machine amongst the at least one physical gaming machine (1) comprising
• a physical viewing display (5) to show an on-site player (6) information on gaming stages, and
• physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) to allow the on-site player (6) to select available on-site commands with respect to a game session of the game,
• the programmable electronic control logic (2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) being configured to process the on-site commands selected by the on-site player (6), activate the gaming machine (1) when an on-site player (6) has paid a price to be able to play the game, capture position signals identifying the positions of the images displayed on the physical viewing display (5) at each time, and process payment of prizes to the on-site player (6) when the on-site player has won at least one game session of the game from the gaming machine (1),
• the physical viewing display (5), the physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) and the first telecommunication means (4) being connected to the control logic (2);
• the control device further comprising:
• an accounts manager module (3b) integrated in the remote server (3), to manage collections and payments in the respective accounts of remote players;
• at least one digital camera (13) for real-time taking of images connected to image transmission means (8), the digital camera (13) arranged to take images (5′) in real time of the physical viewing display (5) of the gaming machine (1);
• second telecommunication means (9) to perform interactive wireless communications of data related to the game, between the remote server (3) and at least one remote player terminal (10) of a remote player, and for the real-time transmission of images to the remote user terminal (10), the second telecommunication means (9) being configured to transmit to the remote user terminal (10) the images (5′) of the physical viewing display (5) taken by the digital camera (13);
• a gaming interface (11) that, at least when it is in communication with the remote server (3), shows in real time on a screen (10a) of the remote player terminal (10) the images transmitted by the image transmission means (8), as well as remote selecting means (7a′, 7b′, 7c′, 7d′) which are analogous to the physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) of the gaming machine (1), the gaming interface (11) further allowing the remote player to select, on the remote player terminal (10), available commands in the stages of the game session of the game and transmit them in real time via the second telecommunication means (9) to the remote server (3), the gaming interface (11) being configured to display on the screen (10a) of the remote user terminal (10) images (5′) of the physical viewing display (5);
• a control module (12) connected to the control logic (2) of the gaming machine (1) for automatically blocking, when receiving blocking commands from the remote server (3), at least the activation of remote selection commands when the gaming machine (1) is activated by an on-site player (6), and for automatically blocking at least the activation of the on-site selection commands, the activation of on-site play of the gaming machine (1) when the on-site player (6) has paid the price and the processing of the payment of prizes to the on-site player (6), and for activating at least the processing of the on-site commands selected by the on-site player (6), in remote gaming mode, when the gaming machine (1) is activated by the remote player,
• the image transmission means (8) being integrated in the control module;
• and
• the remote server (3) being configured to process in real-time commands selected by the remote player in the gaming interface (11) of the remote player terminal (10), and transmit in real-time the selected processed commands to the control module (12) via the first telecommunication means (4), the remote server (3) comprising:
• a control server (3c) configured to control functionalities of the system, to store data transmitted between the gaming machine (1) and the remote server (3), images (5′) taken by the digital camera (13), data transmitted between the remote server (3) and the remote player terminal (10), and to route the images (5′) taken by the digital camera (13) to the respective remote player terminals (10) from which the remote players are playing on different gaming machines (1);
• and
• a video server (3d) configured to collect the images (5′) captured by each digital camera (13) and transmit them to respective remote player terminals (10) indicated by the control server (3c).

A gaming installation comprising:

• at least one gaming machine (1) governed by a programmable electronic control logic (2) in a gaming system;
• a remote server (3);
• first telecommunication means (4) to transmit data between the gaming machine (1) and the remote server (3),
• the gaming machine (1) comprising
• a physical viewing display (5) to show an on-site player (6) information on gaming stages, and
• physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) to allow the on-site player (6) to select on-site commands available with respect to a game session of the game,
• the programmable electronic control logic (2) configured to process the on-site commands selected by the on-site player (6), activate the gaming machine (1) when an on-site player (6) has paid a price to be able to play the game, process payout of prizes to the on-site player (6) when the on-site player has won at least one game session of the game from the gaming machine (1),
• the physical viewing display (5), the physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) and the first telecommunication means (4) being connected to the control logic (2);
• a control device including
• an accounts manager module (3b) integrated in the remote server (3), to manage collections and payments in the respective accounts of remote players, and
• at least one digital camera (13) for real-time taking of images connected to image transmission means (8), the digital camera (13) arranged to take images (5′) in real time of the physical viewing display (5) of the gaming machine (1);
• second telecommunication means (9) to perform interactive wireless communications of data related to the game, between the remote server (3) and at least one remote player terminal (10) of a remote player, and for the real-time transmission of images to the remote user terminal (10), the second telecommunication means (9) being configured to transmit to the remote user terminal (10) the images (5′) of the physical viewing display (5) taken by the digital camera (13);
• a gaming interface (11) that, at least when it is in communication with the remote server (3), shows in real time on a screen (10a) of the remote player terminal (10) the images transmitted by the image transmission means (8), as well as remote selecting means (7a′, 7b′, 7c′, 7d′) which are analogous to the physical selector means (7a, 7b, 7c, 7d) of the gaming machine (1), the gaming interface (11) further allowing the remote player to select, on the remote player terminal (10), available commands in the stages of the game session of the game and transmit them in real time via the second telecommunication means (9) to the remote server (3), the gaming interface (11) being configured to display on the screen (10a) of the remote user terminal (10) images (5′) of the physical viewing display (5);
• and
• a control module (12) connected to the control logic (2) of the gaming machine (1) for automatically blocking, when receiving blocking commands from the remote server (3), at least the activation of remote selection commands when the gaming machine (1) is activated by an on-site player (6), and for automatically blocking at least the activation of the on-site selection commands, the activation of on-site play of the gaming machine (1) when the on-site player (6) has paid the price and the processing of the payment of prizes to the on-site player (6), and for activating at least the selection process module (2a) in remote gaming mode, when the gaming machine (1) is activated by the remote player, the image transmission means (8) being integrated in the control module;
• and
• wherein the remote server (3) is configured to process, in real-time, commands selected by the remote player in the gaming interface (11) of the remote player terminal (10), and transmit in real-time the processed commands to the control module (12) via the first telecommunication means (4),the remote server (3) comprising
• a control server (3c) configured to control functionalities of the system, to store data transmitted between the gaming machine (1) and the remote server (3), images (5′) taken by the digital camera (13), data transmitted between the remote server (3) and the remote player terminal (10), and to route the images (5′) taken by the digital camera (13) to the respective remote player terminals (10) from which the remote players are playing on different gaming machines (1), and
• a video server (3d) configured to collect the images (5′) captured by each digital camera (13) and transmit the collected images to respective remote player terminals (10) indicated by the control server (3c).