GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD HAVING CONFIGURABLE BONUS GAME TRIGGERING OUTCOMES

• US 20110244944A1
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,360,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system and method which provides for one or more gaming device triggered bonus games to be skipped or otherwise not provided to the players at the gaming devices which triggered such bonus games. The average expected payouts of skipped gaming device triggered bonus games are contributed to a bonus accumulation pool or fund. The accumulation pool is subsequently utilized to provide one or more gaming system triggered bonuses to one or more players at one or more of the gaming devices in the gaming system. A player'"'"'s accumulated triggering symbols determine, at least in part, the player'"'"'s probability of winning part of the bonus accumulation pool and/or the player'"'"'s portion of the bonus accumulation pool.

Claims

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

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) for each of any of a plurality of gaming devices that generate a designated number of triggering symbols in association with a play of a primary game;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to contribute an average expected payout of a gaming device triggered bonus game to the maintained bonus accumulation pool, and

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a quantity of triggering symbols for a player of said gaming device; and

(c) for a play of a gaming system triggered bonus game;

(i) enabling one of the players of one of the gaming devices to redeem a quantity of accumulated triggering symbols for a gaming system triggered bonus game award, wherein a value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on said quantity of redeemed accumulated triggering symbols, and

(ii) causing one of the gaming devices to provide the gaming system triggered bonus game award to the player that redeemed the quantity of accumulated triggering symbols, wherein said gaming system triggered bonus game award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

2. The method of claim 1, which includes enabling each player with a designated quantity of accumulated triggering symbols to bid an amount of said accumulated triggering symbols in an auction sequence.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the player that redeems the quantity of accumulated triggering symbols for the gaming system triggered bonus game award is the player that bid the highest amount of said accumulated triggering symbols in the auction sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on a randomly determined value for each redeemed accumulated triggering symbol.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on a portion of the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

6. The method of claim 1, which includes causing any of said gaming devices that generated the designated number of triggering symbols to skip the gaming device triggered bonus game.

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

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data network is the internet.

9. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) for each of a plurality of gaming devices, causing said gaming device to enable a player of said gaming device to bid a quantity of any accumulated triggering symbols for a gaming system triggered bonus game award in an auction bidding sequence, wherein prior to a termination of the auction bidding sequence, a value of the gaming system triggered bonus game award is unknown;

(c) causing said gaming devices to each display a current winning bid;

(d) repeating (b) to (c) until the termination of the auction bidding sequence occurs; and

(e) after the termination of the auction bidding sequence;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine which of any of the bid quantities of triggering symbols is a final winning bid, and

(ii) causing the gaming device of the player that placed the final winning bid to provide the gaming system triggered bonus game award, wherein a provided value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on said final winning bid, and said gaming system triggered bonus game award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the provided value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on a randomly determined value for each accumulated triggering symbol of the final winning bid.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the provided value of said gaming system triggered bonus game award is based, at least in part, on a portion of the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

12. The method of claim 9, which is provided through a data network.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the data network is the internet.

14. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) for each of any of a plurality of gaming devices that generate a designated number of triggering symbols in association with a play of a primary game;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to contribute an average expected payout of a gaming device triggered bonus game to the maintained bonus accumulation pool, and

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a quantity of triggering symbols for a player of said gaming device; and

(c) for a play of a gaming system triggered bonus game;

(i) enabling the players of the gaming devices to each redeem a quantity of any accumulated triggering symbols,

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select at least one of a plurality of players of the plurality of gaming devices, wherein for each player, said selection is based on said player'"'"'s quantity of any redeemed accumulated triggering symbols,

(iii) causing at least one display device to display a gaming system triggered bonus game award to any selected players, and

(iv) providing the gaming system triggered bonus game award to any selected players, wherein said gaming system triggered bonus game award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a value of the gaming system triggered bonus game award is based on a value of the maintained bonus accumulation pool and the quantity of players selected.

16. The method of claim 14, which includes enabling each selected player to accept or reject any displayed gaming system triggered bonus game award.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein if any selected player rejects any displayed gaming system triggered bonus game award, a value of said rejected gaming system triggered bonus game award is caused to be returned to the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

18. The method of claim 14, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select at least one of the players based on if a target quantity of triggering symbols are accumulated for that player.

19. The method of claim 14, which includes repeating (c) for each of a plurality of rounds of a multi-round accumulation game.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein if one of the gaming devices generates the at least one triggering symbol, the quantity of triggering symbols accumulated for the player is based on that player'"'"'s wager on the primary game.

21. The method of claim 14, which includes causing any of said gaming devices that generated the designated number of triggering symbols to skip the gaming device triggered bonus game.

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

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the data network is the internet.

24. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to maintain a bonus accumulation pool;

(b) for each of any of a plurality of gaming devices that generate a designated number of triggering symbols in association with a play of a primary game;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to contribute an average expected payout of a gaming device triggered bonus game to the maintained bonus accumulation pool, and

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to accumulate a quantity of triggering symbols for a player of said gaming device; and

(c) for a play of a gaming system triggered bonus game;

(i) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select one of the players of the plurality of gaming devices to provide a gaming system triggered bonus game award, wherein said determination is based on a rate the selected player has accumulated triggering symbols over a designated period of time, and

(ii) providing the selected player the gaming system triggered bonus game award, wherein said gaming system triggered bonus game award is funded by the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

25. The method of claim 24, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to select a plurality of players for the play of the gaming system triggered bonus game.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each selected player is provided a gaming system triggered bonus game award that is based on a portion of the maintained bonus accumulation pool.

27. The method of claim 24, which includes causing at least one display device to display of the play of the gaming system triggered bonus game as a maze game.

28. The method of claim 24, which includes causing any of said gaming devices that generated the designated number of triggering symbols to skip the gaming device triggered bonus game.

29. The method of claim 24, which is provided through a data network.

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