GAMING SYSTEM HAVING MULTIPLE GAMING MACHINES WHICH PROVIDE BONUS AWARDS

• US 20080070677A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Ching, Erick, Peterson, Tonja, Vasquez, James, Baerlocher, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,216,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• 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 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3283 wherein the number of active machines is limited
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• 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 system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines and a plurality of bonus awards. The central server monitors wagers on the gaming machines. Based at least in part on the wagers the central server determines when bonus events will occur and which gaming machine(s) will provide the bonus awards. In one embodiment, the central server determines which gaming machine will provide a primary bonus award and any secondary bonus awards. In one embodiment, the number of secondary bonus awards is determined based on the number of active gaming machines. The selected gaming machine then determines a component of or the amount of the bonus award to be provided to the gaming machine selected by the central server.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said gaming system including a controller in communication with a plurality of gaming machines, wherein each gaming machine includes a primary game operable upon a wager placed by a player, said method comprising:

(a) causing the controller to maintain an accumulated wager pool, wherein said accumulated wager pool is based at least in part on the wagers placed on the primary games of the gaming machines;

(b) for each gaming machine, causing the controller to maintain a total of the wagers placed on the primary game of said gaming machine during a bonus event accumulation period for one of a plurality of bonus awards;

(c) causing the controller to maintain the accumulated wager pool including a total of the wagers on the primary games of all of gaming machines during the bonus event accumulation period for the bonus award;

(d) causing the controller to determine at designated intervals during the bonus event accumulation period if a bonus event will occur;

(e) if the bonus event is determined to occur;

(i) causing the controller to determine which of the gaming machines were in an active state during a bonus event qualification period for said bonus event, and

(ii) causing the controller to select at least one of the gaming machines in the active state; and

(f) causing the controller to select one of the gaming machines to display and provide one of the plurality of bonus awards, wherein said selection is based on the accumulated wager pool and independent of any event in or of any play of any of the primary games of the gaming machines and said bonus award is selected from said plurality of bonus awards by said selected gaming machine independent of the accumulated wager pool.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the controller to select at least one of the gaming machines in the active state based on the total wagers placed during the bonus event accumulation period for each gaming machine in the active state relative to a total of the wagers placed for all of said gaming machines in the active state during the bonus event accumulation period.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period includes causing each gaming machine to determine if a wager was placed on the primary game of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period includes causing each gaming machine to determine if a designated level wager was placed on the primary game of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining which of the gaming machines were in the active state during the bonus event qualification period includes causing each gaming machine to determine if a designated number of wagers were placed on the primary game of that gaming machine during the bonus event qualification period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein if at least two of the gaming machines are each in the active state, the method includes causing the controller to select at least one of the gaming machines in the active state to provide a secondary bonus award, wherein said selection excludes the gaming machine selected to provide the bonus award.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if at least two gaming machines are each in the active state, the method includes causing the controller to determine a number of secondary bonus awards based on the number of gaming machines in the active state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each bonus award includes a value component.

9. The method of claim 8, which includes causing the selected gaming machine to determine the value component.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the value component is determined in a secondary game played on the selected gaming machine.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of said primary games of at least two of the plurality of gaming machines are different.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated intervals are time based.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated intervals are based on the accumulated wager pool.

14. The method of claim 1, which is provided through a data network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data network is an internet.