Wagering games with pooling of awards

• US 20060183536A1
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, Alfred, Gagner, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,927,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

Method and system are disclosed for operating wagering game terminals where each terminal contributes an award to an award pool. A bank controller aggregates the awards, reapportions, and randomly assigns them back to the wagering game terminals. The reapportioned award assigned to a given wagering game terminal may be less than, the same as, or greater than the award contributed by that terminal. At regular or irregular intervals, the bank controller may shuffle the reapportioned awards and reassign them. As a result, the volatility of the wagering game terminals increases significantly while the payout percentage of each wagering game terminal remains the same over time. Alternatively, instead of randomly reassigning the reapportioned awards, the players may be allowed to pick the reapportioned awards. The reapportioning may also occur randomly and the assigning on an as-needed basis.

Claims

1. A wagering game system, comprising:

a network;

a plurality of wagering game terminals connected to said network, each wagering game terminal capable of conducting a wagering game in which an outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes, each wagering game terminal contributing a predetermined award to said network; and

a network controller operable to aggregate awards contributed by said wagering game terminals into an award pool, said network controller configured to reapportion said awards and to randomly assign reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals;

wherein said network controller reapportions said awards by increasing a credit amount of some awards and decreasing a credit amount of other awards while keeping a total credit amount in said award pool fixed.

2. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller randomly assigns said reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals substantially simultaneously.

3. The wagering game system according to claim 2, wherein said network controller is configured to randomly reassign said reapportioned ones of said awards on a regular or an irregular basis.

4. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller randomly assigns said reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals only when one of said awards in said award pool is achieved by a player during said wagering game.

5. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller is configured to reapportion said awards in said award pool each time a wagering game terminal is connected to or removed from said network.

6. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein each wagering game terminal has a substantially equal chance of being assigned any reapportioned award.

7. The wagering game system according to claim 1, further comprising signage coupled to said network controller for displaying said reapportioned ones of said awards, said signage mounted in a location that allows players at said wagering game terminals to observe said signage.

8. A method of increasing volatility in wagering game terminals, comprising the steps of:

pooling awards from said wagering game terminals into an award pool;

reapportioning said awards in said award pool such that some awards are increased while other awards are decreased, but a total credit amount in said award pool remains fixed; and

randomly selecting reapportioned ones of said awards for said wagering game terminals such that each wagering game terminal may receive a reapportioned award that is less than, the same as, or greater than an award contributed by said wagering game terminal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of randomly selecting reapportioned ones of said awards includes receiving input from a player of said wagering game terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning produces the same number of reapportioned awards as awards contributed to said award pool.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning produces a different number of reapportioned awards as awards contributed to said award pool.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning results in no change to a payout percentage of said wagering game terminals.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein all wagering game terminals contribute the same award.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one wagering game terminal contributes a different award.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising normalizing said reapportioned ones of said awards according to a credit amount contributed by each wagering game terminal.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein said predetermined award contributed by each wagering game terminal is a highest award for said wagering game terminal.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising setting a lower credit amount limit and/or an upper credit amount limit for said reapportioned ones of said awards.

18. The method according to claim 8, further comprising combining a progressive jackpot with said award pool, wherein randomly selected portions of said progressive jackpot may be added to said reapportioned ones of said awards.

19. The method according to claim 8, wherein said awards correspond to a predetermined winning outcome for each wagering game terminal.

20. A computer readable medium encoded with instructions for directing a network controller to perform the method according to claim 8.

21. A wagering terminal, comprising:

a wager input device for accepting a wager from a player at said wagering game terminal;

a display unit for displaying a wagering game, said wagering game having an outcome that is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes; and

a controller for controlling said display unit, said controller causing said display unit to display a plurality of awards corresponding to a predetermined payout scheme of said wagering game terminal;

wherein at least one of said awards is replaced on said display unit with a variable credit symbol representing a variable credit amount, said variable credit amount determined by an external source and subsequently used by said wagering game terminal as part of said predetermined payout scheme.

22. The wagering game terminal according to claim 21, wherein said external source includes an award pool and said variable credit amount corresponds to an award received by said wagering game terminal from said award pool, said award pool including awards contributed by multiple wagering game terminals.