Zynga files multiple patents ahead of egaming launch
Operator currently holds 33 patents directly related to gambling technology.
A report into patents filed and acquired by Zynga over the course of 2012 has offered a number of insights into the operator’s preparations for the launch of a real money gambling offering.
Intellectual property advisor EnvisionIP has revealed that having previously held just one patent and only published 9 applications by February last year, Zynga now holds 89 patents, with a further 36 applications pending.
Of the 89 patents the operator now holds, 38 were acquired from Connecticut-based software developer Walker Digital “ a company which previously brought legal action against Zynga for patent infringement of its gaming technology “ with all but 5 of these relating directly to gambling technology.
The patents include one for a wagering machine; a method of connecting gaming devices to a central slot machine server, and a system for that allows players to play slots as ‘teams’ in land-based casinos. The other 51 patents, believed to be most likely developed in-house, include technology to manage virtual currency and gifting solutions and online multiplayer technology.
With the majority of the patents relating to land-based gambling technology, it suggests that the company could look to partner with a bricks-and-mortar casino, first mooted in April last year, when Zynga CEO Mark Pincus name-checked Wynn Resorts International during a discussion about the company’s online gambling plans.
However, after confirming its plans to launch a UK-facing real money gambling offering in July last year, the company partnered with bwin.party in a deal which will see one of Europe’s largest operators provide technology for a full suite of gambling products, a Zynga Poker skin set up on the bwin.party poker network, and the development of FarmVille-branded online slot games.
Zynga also filed an application for a Preliminary Finding of Suitability from the Nevada Gaming Control Board in December 2012, described at the time by chief revenue officer Barry Cottle as a step towards “preparing for a regulated [US] market.”