Sports theme gaming apparatus and method for playing the same

• US 20050282612A1
• Filed: 08/14/2003
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Marc Mathews
• Original Assignee: Marc Mathews
• Inventors: Mathews, Marc
• Application Number:
  US10/642,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20050282612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games

Abstract

A gaming apparatus includes a housing with a front operable surface and a visual display region thereon. The visual display region includes a plurality of windows disposed in a rectangular positional array of four rows and four columns with a plurality of paylines defined by a line intersecting four adjacent elements in a single row, column or diagonal on the array. A button or mechanical arm on the housing will cause all of the symbols in the array to be randomly selected and displayed as part of a gaming sequence. A payout is generated if one or more of the selected paylines contain a predetermined number of predetermined symbols. The housing further includes three additional screen displays of various table games, for potential play if a winning combination is achieved in the main window.

Claims

1. A gaming display for use in a gaming apparatus with a sports theme, comprising:

a plurality of independently and randomly selected symbols disposed in a rectangular positional array of four rows and four columns of windows;

each said symbol of said plurality being directly related to a single predetermined sport; and

a plurality of individually selectable paylines respectively intersecting four rows, four columns and two diagonals of four symbols displayed in the windows of said array, whereby the outcome of a gaming sequence using said display is a function of the symbols displayed along a selected one or more of said paylines.

2. A gaming apparatus having a sports theme, comprising:

a housing having a front operable surface with a visual display region thereon;

said visual display region including a plurality of windows, each window displaying one of a plurality of independently and randomly selected symbols;

each said symbol of said plurality being directly related to a single predetermined sport;

said windows disposed in a rectangular positional array of four rows and four columns;

a plurality of paylines, each payline defined by a line intersecting four adjacent elements in a single row, column or diagonal on the array;

means on the housing for causing all of the symbols in the array to be randomly selected and displayed as part of a gaming sequence; and

means for identifying and generating a payout at the conclusion of a gaming sequence upon the display of predetermined symbols along at least one predetermined payline.

3. The gaming apparatus of claim 2, wherein said housing further includes first, second and third display regions on the operating surface thereof, each said display region including means for displaying a round of a predetermined table game thereon.

4. A method of playing a gaming apparatus of the type having a housing with a front operable surface and a visual display region thereon, said visual display region including a plurality of windows, each window displaying one of a plurality of independently and randomly selected symbols, said windows disposed in a rectangular positional array of four rows and four columns;

comprising the steps of;

providing a plurality of paylines on said visual display region, each payline defined by a line intersecting four adjacent elements in a single row, column or diagonal on the array;

providing means on the housing for causing all of the symbols in the array to be randomly selected and displayed as part of a gaming sequence;

a patron placing a bet on one or more paylines;

the patron operating the means for causing the symbols to be randomly selected, after placing the bet; and

identifying winning and losing bets at the conclusion of a gaming sequence upon the display of predetermined symbols along the paylines for which a bet was placed; and

generating a payout in the event a winning bet was placed by the patron.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of enabling the gaming apparatus to play a bonus round of a gaming sequence in the event that a patron selects a predetermined payline, bets a predetermined amount of money on the payline, and receives a predetermined arrangement of predetermined symbols along the predetermined payline.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the bonus round is a single play of one of three predetermined table games.