Wagering Game System With Player Rewards

• US 20120329551A1
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Arezina, Vladimir I., Blankstein, Michael J., Block, Rory L., Englman, Allon G., Files, McLaurin H., Gagner, Mark B., Gamache, Brian R., Hornik, Jeremy M., Jaffe, Joel R., Pacey, Larry J., Joshi, Shridhar P., Thomas, Alfred, Vann, Jamie, Ward, Matthew J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,771,082 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 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• 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

Abstract

A gaming system includes one or more processors and one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform a plurality of operations. The operations include awarding a plurality of points to a player, and, in response to a predetermined number of the points being redeemed by the player, accessing or modifying wagering game content.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform the operations of;

awarding a plurality of points to a player; and

in response to a predetermined number of the points being redeemed by the player, accessing or modifying wagering game content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the wagering game content cannot be accessed or modified without redemption of points.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the awarding is responsive to one or more wagering games being played by the player.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the awarding includes awarding the plurality of points to the player at a faster rate if the player is a member of a player club than if the player is not a member of the player club.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessing or modifying includes accessing the wagering game content, the wagering game content being selected from a group consisting of a wagering game;

an episode of an episodic wagering game;

a bonus game triggered during play of an underlying wagering game;

a community game; and

a progressive jackpot game.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessing or modifying includes accessing the wagering game content prior to the wagering game content being made available without redemption of points.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessing or modifying includes modifying the wagering game content by modifying game play rules or a presentation of a wagering game associated with the wagering game content in accordance with player-selected modifications.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the accessing or modifying is further responsive to receiving an indication that the player is a member of a player club.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions cause the gaming system to perform the operation of conducting a wagering game with the accessed or modified wagering game content.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to a predetermined number of points being redeemed by the player, modifying, via at least one of the one or more processors, the wagering game in accordance with player-selected modifications.

10. A gaming system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory devices storing instructions that, when executed by at least one of the one or more processors, cause the gaming system to perform the operation of, in response to receiving an indication that a player is a member of a player club, accessing a wagering game or segment thereof that is currently unavailable to players who are not members in the player club.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the wagering game or the segment thereof is exclusively available to members of the player club such that the wagering game or the segment thereof is unavailable to players who are not members in the player club.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the accessing includes accessing the wagering game or the segment thereof prior to the wagering game or the segment thereof being made available to players who are not members in the player club.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the segment of the wagering game is selected from a group consisting of an episode of the wagering game;

a bonus game triggered during play of the wagering game; and

a progressive jackpot game.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the gaming system to perform the operation of, in response to a predetermined number of points being redeemed by the player, modifying the wagering game in accordance with player-selected modifications.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the gaming system to perform the operation of conducting the wagering game or the segment thereof.

16. A computer-implemented method of conducting wagering games on a wagering game system, the wagering game system including one or more wager input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, a wager to initiate a wagering game on the wagering game system;

randomly selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes;

awarding, via at least one of the one or more processors, a plurality of points to a player; and

in response to a predetermined number of the points being redeemed by the player, accessing or modifying, via at least one of the one or more processors, wagering game content.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the awarding is responsive to one or more wagering games being played by the player.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein the awarding includes awarding the plurality of points to the player at a faster rate if the player is a member of a player club than if the player is not a member of the player club.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the accessing or modifying includes accessing the wagering game content, the wagering game content being selected from a group consisting of a wagering game;

an episode of an episodic wagering game;

a bonus game triggered during play of an underlying wagering game;

a community game; and

a progressive jackpot game.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the accessing or modifying includes accessing the wagering game content prior to the wagering game content being made available without redemption of points.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the accessing or modifying includes modifying the wagering game content by modifying game play rules or a presentation of a wagering game associated with the wagering game content in accordance with player-selected modifications.

22. A computer-implemented method of conducting wagering games on a wagering game system, the wagering game system including one or more wager input devices, one or more display devices, and one or more processors, the method comprising:

receiving, via at least one of the one or more input devices, a wager to initiate a wagering game on the wagering game system;

randomly selecting, via at least one of the one or more processors, a game outcome from a plurality of game outcomes; and

in response to receiving an indication that a player is a member of a player club, accessing, via at least one of the one or more processors, a wagering game or segment thereof that is currently unavailable to players who are not members in the player club.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the accessing includes accessing the wagering game or the segment thereof prior to the wagering game or the segment thereof being made available to players who are not members in the player club.