Gaming System With Non-Cash-Based Progressive Awards

• US 20110098107A1
• Filed: 10/15/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jaffe, Joel R., Englman, Allon G., Gomez, Benjamin T., SeLegue, Dylan B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,562,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A gaming method includes displaying on a display a progressive award as a cash value and incrementing the progressive award in response to play of one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award. One or more processors are used to convert the cash value of the progressive award to a plurality of non-cash values of respective different game parameters, and, in response to a triggering event, a progressive game is awarded using the non-cash value of one of the game parameters.

Claims

1. A gaming method comprising:

displaying on a display a progressive award as a cash value;

incrementing the progressive award in response to play of one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award;

using one or more processors to convert the cash value of the progressive award to a plurality of non-cash values of respective different game parameters; and

in response to a triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of one of the game parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the awarding includes

in response to the triggering event being a first triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a first game parameter;

and

in response to the triggering event being a second triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a second game parameter different from the first game parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with the same wagering game.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with different wagering games.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the awarding includes in response to the triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a randomly selected one of the game parameters.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the awarding includes in response to the triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a player-selected one of the game parameters.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the game parameters are selected from a group consisting of free spins, extra wilds, multipliers, credits, picks, paylines, rolls of dice, number of wins, pooper savers, cascading events, number of played games, spinning streaks events, random bonuses, nudges, and random play enhancements.

8. The method of claim 1, further including displaying on the display the progressive award as the plurality of non-cash values of respective different game parameters.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of progressive levels, wherein the displaying includes displaying the progressive levels as respective cash values, and wherein the using includes using one or more processors to convert the cash values of the respective progressive levels to respective non-cash values of the same game parameter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-cash value of the one of the game parameters used in the awarded progressive game is rounded to a whole number.

11. The method of claim 10, further including using the one or more processors to determine a difference between (i) the cash value and (ii) an equivalent cash value of the rounded non-cash value, and add the difference to a reset cash value of the progressive award.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-cash value of the one of the game parameters used in the awarded progressive game is selected based on a weighted probability table such that the expected value of the selection is substantially equal to the cash value of the progressive award.

13. A gaming system comprising:

a wager input device configured to receive a wager from a player for playing a wagering game through which the player is eligible to win a progressive award, the progressive award incrementing in response to one or more processor-controlled wagering games or gaming devices linked to the progressive award;

at least one display configured to display the progressive award as a cash value; and

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the display, at least one of the processors being operative to convert the cash value of the progressive award to a plurality of non-cash values of respective different game parameters, at least one of the processors being operative to, in response to a triggering event, award a progressive game using the non-cash value of one of the game parameters.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to award

in response to the triggering event being a first triggering event, a progressive game using the non-cash value of a first game parameter;

and

in response to the triggering event being a second triggering event, a progressive game using the non-cash value of a second game parameter different from the first game parameter.

15. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to randomly select one of the game parameters.

16. The gaming system of claim 13, further comprising a player-input device for receiving a player selection of one of the game parameters.

17. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein the game parameters are selected from a group consisting of free spins, extra wilds, multipliers, credits, picks, paylines, rolls of dice, number of wins, pooper savers, cascading events, number of played games, spinning streaks events, random bonuses, nudges, and random play enhancements.

18. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to cause the displaying on the display of the progressive award as the plurality of non-cash values of respective different game parameters.

19. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to cause the displaying on the display of cash values corresponding to progressive levels of the progressive award, at least one of the processors being operative to convert the cash values of the respective progressive levels to respective non-cash values of the same game parameter.

20. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to round the non-cash value of the one of the game parameters used in the awarded progressive game to a whole number.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to determine a difference between (i) the cash value and (ii) an equivalent cash value of the rounded non-cash value, and add the difference to a reset cash value of the progressive award.

22. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to select the non-cash value of the one of the game parameters used in the awarded progressive game based on a weighted probability table such that the expected value of the selection is substantially equal to the cash value of the progressive award.

23. A gaming method comprising:

associating a processor-controlled wagering game or gaming device with a progressive award represented by at least two different types of values that are non-cash values of respective different game parameters, the game parameters including a first game parameter and a second game parameter;

using one or more processors to increment the values in response to play of the wagering game or gaming device; and

in response to a triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of the first game parameter.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the awarding includes in response to the triggering event being a first triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of the first game parameter;

and in response to the triggering event being a second triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of the second game parameter.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with the same wagering game.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with different wagering games.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein one of the at least two different types of values is the non-cash value of the first game parameter, and wherein another one of the at least two different types of values is initially a cash value, and further including using one or more processors to convert the cash value of the progressive award to the non-cash value of the first game parameter.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the awarding includes in response to the triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a randomly selected one of the game parameters.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the awarding includes in response to the triggering event, awarding a progressive game using the non-cash value of a player-selected one of the game parameters.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the game parameters are selected from a group consisting of free spins, extra wilds, multipliers, credits, picks, paylines, rolls of dice, number of wins, pooper savers, cascading events, number of played games, spinning streaks events, random bonuses, nudges, and random play enhancements.

31. The method of claim 23, further including displaying the progressive award, on a display, with the at least two different types of values.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the progressive award includes a plurality of progressive levels, wherein the displaying includes displaying the progressive levels as respective values of each of the at least two different types of values.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the non-cash value of the first game parameter used in the awarded progressive game is rounded to a whole number.

34. A gaming system comprising:

a wager input device for receiving a wager from a player;

a display for displaying a progressive award represented by at least two different types of values that are non-cash values of respective different game parameters, the game parameters including a first game parameter and a second game parameter; and

one or more processors coupled to the display and to the wager input device, at least one of the processors being operative to

associate a processor-controlled wagering game or gaming device with the progressive award,

increment the values in response to play of the wagering game or gaming device, and

in response to a triggering event, award a progressive game using the non-cash value of the first game parameter.

35. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to

in response to the triggering event being a first triggering event, award a progressive game using the non-cash value of the first game parameter;

and

in response to the triggering event being a second triggering event, award a progressive game using the non-cash value of the second game parameter.

36. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with the same wagering game.

37. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the first and second triggering events are associated with different wagering games.

38. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to convert a cash value of the progressive award to the non-cash value of the first game parameter.

39. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to award, in response to the triggering event, a progressive game using the non-cash value of a randomly selected one of the game parameters.

40. The gaming system of claim 34, further comprising a player-input device for receiving a player selection of one of the game parameters, wherein at least one of the processors is further operative to award, in response to the triggering event, a progressive game using the non-cash value of a player-selected one of the game parameters.

41. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein the game parameters are selected from a group consisting of free spins, extra wilds, multipliers, credits, picks, paylines, rolls of dice, number of wins, pooper savers, cascading events, number of played games, spinning streaks events, random bonuses, nudges, and random play enhancements.

42. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the processors is operative to cause the displaying on the display of a plurality of progressive levels of the progressive award, the plurality of progressive levels being displayed as respective values of each of the at least two different types of values.

43. The gaming system of claim 34, wherein at least one of the processors is operative to round to a whole number the non-cash value of the first game parameter used in the awarded progressive game.