GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY GROUPING GAMING DEVICES TO PROVIDE PROGRESSIVE AWARDS

• US 20110111843A1
• Filed: 11/12/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Lafky, Ernest M., Nicely, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,968,083 B2
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• 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 enables players of a group of gaming devices to wager on progressive or other awards for that group and tracks an amount of player activity at the group. If player activity of the group exceeds an upper reconfiguration threshold, the gaming system disassociates one or more gaming devices from the group to reduce the amount of player activity. If the player activity of the group falls below a lower reconfiguration threshold, the gaming system associates one or more additional gaming devices with that group to increase player activity. Reallocation of gaming devices can occur following a player winning the award for the group. The system can incrementally increase an award reset amount, while reducing the odds of winning the award, to maintain a desired range of gaming experiences. The system can also enable a player to select an initial groups based on a characteristic of that player.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

(a) at a first point in time;

(i) maintaining a first progressive award available to be won by a plurality of players at a group of gaming devices,

(ii) determining a quantity indicative of player activity at the group of gaming devices,

(iii) determining if the quantity indicative of player activity exceeds a progressive award reconfiguration threshold associated with the first progressive award, and

(iv) if the quantity indicative of player activity exceeds the progressive award reconfiguration threshold;

(1) determining a first subset of the group of gaming devices, the first subset including a first quantity of the gaming devices, and

(2) determining a second subset of the group of gaming devices, the second subset including a second quantity of the gaming devices, and

(b) at a second point in time, if the progressive award reconfiguration event has occurred;

(i) maintaining the first progressive award available to be won by a first subset of the plurality of players at the first subset of the group of gaming devices, wherein the first progressive award is not available to be won by the players at the second subset of the group of gaming devices, and

(ii) maintaining a second progressive award available to be won by a second subset of the plurality of players at the second subset of the group of gaming devices, wherein the second progressive award is not available to be won by the players at the first subset of the group of gaming devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the quantity indicative of player activity at the first point in time does not exceed the progressive award reconfiguration threshold, repeating (a)(ii) to (a)(iv).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a sum of the first quantity of the gaming devices and the second quantity of the gaming devices is equal to a total quantity of the group of gaming devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a quantity of less than all of the gaming devices is N gaming devices, the first quantity is N−

Y gaming devices, and the second quantity is Y gaming devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity indicative of player activity is based on a quantity of the group of gaming devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity indicative of player activity is based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an average wager value, a cumulative wager value, a wager frequency, and information indicative of a wagering history.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the progressive award reconfiguration event includes one of the group of gaming devices generating an outcome associated with awarding the first progressive award.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the progressive award reconfiguration event includes an event causing the progressive award to increment.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the progressive award reconfiguration threshold is an upper progressive award reconfiguration threshold, and which includes, at the first point in time, determining if the quantity indicative of player activity is less than a lower progressive award reconfiguration threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, which includes, if the quantity indicative of player activity is less than the lower progressive award reconfiguration threshold, maintaining the first progressive award available to be won by the plurality of players at the group of gaming devices and at least one additional player at one or more one additional gaming devices.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional gaming device is one of a group of gaming devices associated with another group of gaming devices.

12. The method of claim 1, which includes, at the second point in time, maintaining a third progressive award available to be won by both the players at the first subset of the group of gaming devices and the players at the second subset of the group of gaming devices.

13. The method of claim 1, which includes enabling one of the players to select between the first progressive award and the second progressive award based on a characteristic of the player stored in a player tracking system.

14. The method of claim 1, which includes:

(i) determining an actual probability of providing the first progressive award and determining an actual progressive award reset amount of the first progressive award,

(ii) determining a desired probability of providing the first progressive award and determining a desired progressive award reset amount of the first progressive award based on the desired probability,

(iii) at the second point in time, if the progressive award reconfiguration event has occurred, maintaining the first progressive award based on the desired probability of providing the first progressive award and based on the desired progressive award value.

15. The method of claim 1, which is operated through a data network.

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

17. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

(a) at a first point in time;

(i) maintaining a first progressive award available to be won by a first plurality of players at a first group of gaming devices, wherein the first progressive award is not available to be won by a second plurality of players at a second group of gaming devices,

(ii) maintaining a second progressive award available to be won by the second plurality of players at the second group of gaming devices, wherein the second progressive award is not available to be won by the first plurality of players at the first group of gaming devices, and

(iii) determining a quantity indicative of player activity of the first group of gaming devices; and

(b) at a second point in time, if a progressive award reconfiguration event has occurred;

(i) determining if the quantity indicative of player activity at the first group of gaming devices is less than a progressive award reconfiguration threshold associated with the first progressive award, and

(ii) if the quantity indicative of player activity at the first group of gaming devices is less than the progressive award reconfiguration threshold associated with the first progressive award, maintaining the first progressive award available to be won by both the first plurality of players at the first group of gaming devices and the second plurality of players at the second group of gaming devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the quantity indicative of player activity at the second point in time is not less than the progressive award reconfiguration threshold, repeating (a)(i) to (a)(iii).

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a sum of a first quantity of the first group of gaming devices and a second quantity of the second group of gaming devices equal to a total quantity of the group of gaming devices.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the a of less than all of the group of gaming devices is N gaming devices, the first quantity is N−

Y gaming devices, and the second quantity is Y gaming devices.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the quantity indicative of player activity is based on a quantity of the group of gaming devices.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the quantity indicative of player activity is based on at least one selected from the group consisting of:

an average wager value, a highest wager value, a wager frequency, and a historical wager amount.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the progressive award reconfiguration event includes one of the group of gaming devices generating an outcome associated with the first progressive award.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the progressive award reconfiguration threshold is a lower progressive award reconfiguration threshold, and which includes, at the second point in time, determining if the quantity indicative of player activity exceeds an upper progressive award reconfiguration threshold.

25. The method of claim 24, which includes, if the quantity indicative of player activity exceeds the upper progressive award reconfiguration threshold, maintaining the first progressive award available to be won by at least one but less than all of the first plurality of players of the first group of gaming devices.

26. The method of claim 17, which includes, at the first point in time, maintaining a third progressive award available to be won by both the players at the first group of gaming devices and the players at the second group of gaming devices.

27. The method of claim 17, which includes enabling one of the players to select between the first group of gaming devices and the second group of gaming devices based on a characteristic of the player stored in a player tracking system.

28. The method of claim 17, which includes:

(i) determining an actual probability of providing the first progressive award and determining an actual progressive award reset amount of the first progressive award,

(ii) determining a desired probability of providing the first progressive award and determining a desired progressive award reset amount of the first progressive award based on the desired probability,

(iii) at the second point in time, if the progressive award reconfiguration event has occurred, maintaining the first progressive award based on the desired probability of providing the first progressive award and based on the desired progressive award value.

29. The method of claim 17 which is operated through a data network.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the data network is an internet.

31. A method of operating a gaming system, the method comprising:

a) maintaining a progressive award having a probability of being provided and a progressive award reset amount, the progressive award being associated with a group of gaming devices;

(b) enabling a plurality of players to wager on a plurality of plays of games of the group of gaming devices;

(c) automatically determining a quantity indicative of player activity of the group of gaming devices based on wagers by the plurality of players;

(d) if the quantity indicative of player activity is outside of a progressive award reconfiguration threshold range, upon an occurrence of a progressive award reconfiguration event, automatically modify the progressive award associated with the group of gaming devices.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein automatically modifying the progressive award associated with the group of gaming devices includes disassociating at least one of the gaming devices from the group of gaming devices.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein automatically modifying the progressive award associated with the group of gaming devices includes associating at least one new gaming device with the group of gaming devices.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein automatically modifying progressive award associated with the group of gaming devices includes:

(i) automatically calculating an actual probability of providing the progressive award to one of the gaming devices of the group of gaming devices and determining an actual reset amount of the at least one progressive award,

(ii) automatically calculating a desired probability of providing the progressive award to one of the gaming devices of the group of gaming devices and determining a desired progressive award reset amount of the progressive award based on the desired probability, and

(iii) upon an occurrence of a progressive award reconfiguration event for one of the group of gaming devices;

(A) providing the progressive award to a player wagering on plays of a game at said one of the gaming devices, and

(B) maintaining a new progressive award having the desired probability of being provided and the desired progressive award reset amount.

35. The method of claim 31, which includes enabling at least one of the plurality of players to select the group of gaming devices from among a plurality of groups of gaming devices based on at least one characteristic of the player, the characteristic determined by a player tracking system.

36. The method of claim 31, which is operated through a data network.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the data network is an internet.