Symbol Driven Contributions For A Prize Pool In A Wagering Game

• US 20070202943A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Thomas, Alfred
• Application Number:
  US10/594,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20070202943A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming terminal and a method for playing a wagering game on the gaming terminal. The gaming terminal is one of a plurality of gambling terminals and the wagering game has a prize pool. The method includes conducting a basic game having a randomly selected outcome. A player is awarded at payout amount if the randomly selected outcome is one of a plurality of winning outcomes. Also, the amount of the prize pool is increased if the randomly selected outcome is a prize-pool increasing outcome. In one embodiment, the only payout amounts available at the gaming terminal are from the bonus pool that is funded by the prize-pool increasing outcome.

Claims

1. A method for playing a wagering game on a gaming terminal, the gaming terminal being one of a plurality of gaming terminals, the plurality of gaming terminals being linked to a multi-terminal prize pool, the method comprising:

conducting a wagering game having a randomly selected outcome;

awarding a player a payout amount in response to the randomly selected outcome being one of a plurality of winning outcomes; and

increasing the amount of the multi-terminal prize pool in response to the randomly selected outcome being a multi-terminal prize-pool increasing outcome.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the randomly selected outcome comprises a at least one symbol.

5. The method of claim 1, further including receiving player-identification information, the awarding step comprising crediting an amount to a player account indicated in the player-identification information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conducting, awarding, and increasing steps are performed by a controller connected to each of the plurality of gaming terminals.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising inputting a wager amount on the wagering game by the player, and, wherein, in response to the randomly selected outcome being the multi-terminal prize-pool increasing outcome, the multi-terminal prize pool is increased by an amount equal or greater than the wager amount.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising awarding the multi-terminal prize pool in response to the randomly selected outcome being a multi-terminal prize-pool award outcome.

12. The method claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of gaming terminals includes a terminal-level prize pool and further comprising increasing the terminal-level prize pool at one of said plurality of gaming terminals in response to the randomly selected outcome being a terminal-level prize pool at said one of said plurality of gaming terminals.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising awarding the terminal-level prize pool for a limited amount of time or a limited number of gaming sessions.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-terminal prize pool is a restricted-access wagering game.

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17. A gaming system, comprising:

a controller; and

a plurality of gaming terminals coupled to the controller, each of the plurality of gaming terminals having a wagering game having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game, and a prize pool;

in response to one of the randomly selected outcomes at one of the plurality of gaming terminals being one of a plurality of winning outcomes, the one of the plurality of gaming terminals awarding the player a payout amount, and, in response to the randomly selected outcome at one of the plurality of gaming terminals being a prize-pool increase outcome, the one of the plurality of gaming terminals increasing the amount of the prize pool.

18. The gaming system of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of multi-terminal prize pools, the multi-terminal prize pools including a bank-level prize pool and a wide-area network prize pool.

19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein, in response to the randomly selected outcome being the prize-pool increase outcome, the controller increases the amount of at least one of the plurality of multi-terminal prize pools.

20. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the prize pool is a terminal-level prize pool.

21. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the basic game comprises the player wagering a wagering amount on the basic game, and in response to the randomly selected outcome being the prize-pool increase outcome, the prize pool is increased by a percentage of the wager amount.

24. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the prize pool is awarded when the randomly selected outcome is a predetermined one of the plurality of winning outcomes.

25. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein the randomly selected outcome comprises at least one symbol and the amount the prize pool is increased depends on which of the at least one symbols is achieved.

45. The gaming system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of winning outcomes includes a plurality of symbols, and at least one of the symbols is a “

break the bank”

symbol.

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39. A gaming terminal comprising:

a wagering game having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game; and

a first prize pool;

wherein, in response to the randomly selected outcome being one of a plurality of prize-pool increase outcomes, the gaming terminal increases the amount of the first prize pool.

40. The gaming terminal of claim 39, wherein each of the plurality of prize-pool increase outcomes increases the first prize pool by a different amount.

41. The gaming terminal of claim 39 further comprising:

a second prize pool;

wherein, in response to the randomly selected outcome being one of a plurality of prize-pool increase outcomes, the gaming terminal increases the amount of the first or second prize pools.

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