An application enabling a player to utilize a portable computing device, such as a Smartphone, to function as a game controller for a gaming machine. The user would receive and return an associating link code to initiate a communication link between the gaming machine and the portable computing device by way of tapping, manually entering the code, or scanning an image of the code. The portable computing device enables manual user input or use of motion controllers for controlling skill based games in a casino environment. The application can receive a configuration from the gaming machine to replicate or mimic the controls and the gaming images, thus enabling the player to play the game at a short distance from the machine. The gaming machine can suspend play or terminate play when the portable computing device becomes distant or disconnected from the gaming machine.