Real money gambling payouts that depend on online social activity

Abstract

Software on a server and/or client device causes a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for a game to be displayed to a user. The game is an online gambling game for real money. The software receives input from the user. The input includes a wager and play according to game mechanics for the game. The software calculates a payout from the play. The payout includes a promotional payout that depends at least in part on a measure of social activity associated with the user or a measure of social influence associated with the user. And the software broadcasts the payout to at least one other person who is a social relation of the user.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising the operations of:
 causing a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for an online game to be displayed to a user, wherein the online game is a video slot machine and the view includes a reel symbol that includes text suggesting that the user invite other persons to play the online game;   searching information stored in databases of at least one social networking website via corresponding application programming interfaces (APIs) for one or more other persons who is a social relation of the user;   presenting the one or more other persons to the user;   receiving input from the user identifying a first other person to be invited to play the online game; and   changing the reel symbol with the text to another reel symbol that compensates the user,   wherein each of the operations is executed by one or more processors.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the other persons is a social relation of the user and wherein the social relation is associated with a list maintained by a social networking website. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving input from the user further comprises:
 receiving selection of the reel symbol;   presenting a search text box in the GUI allowing the user to identify the first other person who is a social relation of the user;   receiving first input within the search text box identifying the first other person;   searching at least one social networking website via corresponding application programming interfaces (APIs) of the at least one social networking website for a user profile of the first other person;   determining that the first other person is not playing the online game; and   sending a first invite to the first other person via a first API of a first social networking website of which the first other person is a member, wherein the first invite includes an invitation to the play the online game.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein sending a first invite further comprises:
 sending the first invite via a first content or activity stream of the first other person via the first API.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 discovering through the first API that the first other person has authorized sending of the first invite via the first social networking website.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 changing the reel symbol to another reel symbol that compensates the user.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the another reel comprises a scatter symbol comprising a promotional payout for at least one play by the user of the online game. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving selection of a social networking website from the user, wherein the social networking website supports the online game to its members for play;   determining at least one other person who is a social relation of the user from a list maintained by the social networking website including social relations of the user;   causing a first sublist of at least one other person from the list who is not playing the online game to be presented in the GUI;   receiving selection of the first other person from the first sublist; and   sending a first invite to the first other person via the social networking website, wherein the first invite includes an invitation to play the online game.   
     
     
         9 . A method, comprising the operations of:
 causing a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for an online game to be displayed to a user, wherein the online game is a video slot machine and the view includes a reel symbol that includes text suggesting that the user invite other persons to play the online game;   receiving selection of the reel symbol from the user;   receiving selection of a first social networking website from the user, wherein the first social networking website is targeted for sending invitations to play the online game;   determining at least one other person who is a social relation of the user via a first application programming interface (API) of the first social networking website, wherein the at least one other person is a member of the first social networking website;   causing a first sublist of at least one other person who is a social relation of the user who is not playing the online game to be presented in the GUI;   receiving selection of a first other person from the first sublist; and   sending a first invite to the first other person via the API of the first social networking website, wherein the first invite includes an invitation to play the online game,   wherein each of the operations is executed by one or more processors.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein determining at least one other person further comprises:
 accessing a list maintained by the social networking website including social relations of the user.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 causing a second sublist of at least one other person who is a social relation of the user who is playing the online game to be presented in the GUI.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 sending the first invite via a first content or activity stream of the first other person via the first API.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 discovering through the first API that the first other person has authorized sending of the first invite via the first social networking website.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 discovering through a second social networking website supporting the online game to its members for play that the first other person has authorized sending of the first invite via the first social networking website.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 changing the reel symbol with the text to another reel symbol that compensates the user.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 replacing the reel symbol with a scatter symbol comprising a promotional payout for at least one play by the user of the online game.   
     
     
         17 . A computer-readable storage medium persistently storing a program, wherein the program, when executed, instructs one or more processors to perform the following operations:
 cause a view in a graphical user interface (GUI) for an online game to be displayed to a user, wherein the online game is a video slot machine and the view includes a reel symbol that includes text suggesting that the user invite other persons to play the online game;   search information stored in databases of at least one social networking website via corresponding application programming interfaces (APIs) for one or more other persons who is a social relation of the user;   present the one or more other persons to the user;   receive input from the user identifying a first other person to be invited to play the online game; and   change the reel symbol with the text to another reel symbol that compensates the user.   
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein each of the other persons is a social relation of the user and wherein the social relation is associated with a list maintained by a social networking website. 
     
     
         19 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the program instructs the one or more processors to further perform the following operations:
 receive selection of the reel symbol;   present a search text box in the GUI allowing the user to identify a first other person who is a social relation of the user;   receive first input within the search text box identifying the first other person;   search at least one social networking website via corresponding application programming interfaces (APIs) of the at least one social networking website for a first user profile of the first other person;   determine that the first other person is not playing the online game; and   send a first invite to the first other person via a first API of a first social networking website of which the first other person is a member, wherein the first invite includes an invitation to the play the online game.   
     
     
         20 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the program instructs the one or more processors to further perform the following operations:
 change the reel symbol to a scatter reel symbol comprising a promotional payout for at least one play by the user of the online game.