METHODS OF ADMINISTERING ROULETTE BONUS WAGERS USING A ROULETTE BALL LAUNCHING SYSTEM

• US 20170092037A1
• Filed: 09/26/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Snow, Roger M., Mercer, Haven A., Nelson, Troy D., Helgesen, James P., Scheper, Paul K., Kotifani, Jamal Hani, Fekete, Georg
• Granted Patent: US 10,546,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 5/0094 with a plurality of roulette wheels A63F5/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/322 Casino tables, e.g. tables having integrated screens, chip detection means
• 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 17/3267 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Methods of administering games of roulette may involve accepting a wager may from a player and using a ball launching system to launch at least one roulette ball into a track of a roulette wheel. A number and associated color may be randomly generated from within a range of numbers and associated colors. The triggering event may be identified by determining whether the randomly generated number is identical to a randomly generated number from an immediately preceding round. Upon identifying a triggering event, one or more additional special games of roulette may be played and a payout may be paid to the player according to a paytable associated with the outcome of the special game play. The amount of the wager may be collected for the house when the triggering event is not identified.

Claims

1. A method of administering a game of roulette using a ball launching device, comprising:

providing a ball launching device comprising;

a driver configured to impart rotary motion;

a rotor connected for rotation to the driver; and

a ball cup assembly mounted to the rotor, the ball cup assembly including a first cup wall, and a second cup wall, the first and second cup walls being spaced apart from each other,

the rotor and the ball cup assembly being positioned inside a roulette wheel bowl proximal a circumferential ball track of a roulette wheel;

accepting a wager from a player;

using the ball launching device to launch a roulette ball onto the roulette wheel to randomly generate a number and associated color within a range of numbers and associated colors defined in the roulette wheel, comprising;

the driver rotating the rotor to a launch angle with the roulette ball captured between the first and second cup walls;

a launch actuator of the ball launching device causing at least one of the first and second cup walls to move away from the other cup wall to release the roulette ball from the ball cup assembly into the circumferential ball track when the rotor is at the launch angle,

the roulette ball coming to rest in a space of the range of numbers and associated colors to randomly generate the randomly generated number and associated color;

identifying a triggering event by determining whether the randomly generated number and associated color is identical to a randomly generated number and associated color from an immediately preceding round;

upon identifying the triggering event;

using the ball launching device to launch the roulette ball onto the roulette wheel to randomly generate at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome; and

paying a payout to the player, an amount of the payout being equal to an amount of the wager modified according to a pay table associated with various possible special game outcomes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein using the ball launching device comprises introducing a single roulette ball onto the roulette wheel while the roulette wheel is spinning.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein using the ball launching device to launch the roulette ball onto the roulette wheel to randomly generate at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome comprises introducing the roulette ball and at least one other roulette ball onto the roulette wheel while the roulette wheel is spinning.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting another wager from the player on a characteristic of the randomly generated number and associated color before randomly generating the number and associated color.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wager is a side wager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the driver rotating the rotor to a launch angle comprises the driver rotating the rotator about a rotor axis that is substantially perpendicular to a plane defined by a perimeter of the circumferential ball track.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the launch actuator of the ball launching device causing at least one of the first and second cup walls to move away from the other cup wall comprises counter-rotating the first and second cup walls about a common pivot axis.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the driver is offset from a rotor axis of rotation of the rotor and is connected to the rotor by at least one of a belt, a chain, or a gear train.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the player using a remote signal button to initiate the launch actuator of the ball launching device causing the at least one of the first and second cup walls to move away from the other cup wall to release the roulette ball from the ball cup assembly.

10. A method of administering a game of roulette using a ball launching system, comprising:

providing a ball launching system configured to launch a roulette ball into a ball track of a roulette wheel, the ball launching system comprising;

a support stand;

a driver configured to impart rotary motion;

a launch actuator;

a ball loader;

a rotor mounted on the support stand for rotation by the driver and rotated about a rotor axis, the support stand positioning the rotor inside a perimeter of the ball track; and

a ball cup assembly fixed to the rotor distal the rotor axis, the ball cup assembly comprising a first cup wall and second cup wall spaced oppositely apart from each other;

accepting a first wager from a player;

accepting a second wager from the player;

using the ball launching system and the roulette wheel to randomly generate a number and associated color within a range of numbers and associated colors, comprising;

the ball loader delivering the roulette ball to the ball cup assembly when the rotor is positioned at a loading angle;

with the ball cup assembly in a retain mode, the ball loader capturing the roulette ball between at least the first and second cup walls;

the driver rotating the rotor to a launch angle with the roulette ball captured in the ball cup assembly and the ball cup assembly in the retain mode;

the launch actuator causing the ball cup assembly to switch from the retain mode to a launch mode to release the roulette ball into the ball track when the rotor is at the launch angle; and

the roulette ball coming to rest in a space of the range of numbers and associated colors to randomly generate the number and associated color;

resolving the first wager by comparing a characteristic of the randomly generated number and associated color with a characteristic associated with the first wager;

identifying a triggering event by determining whether the randomly generated number and associated color is identical to a randomly generated number and associated color from an immediately preceding round; and

upon identifying the triggering event;

randomly generating at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome; and

paying a payout to the player, an amount of the payout being equal to an amount of the second wager modified according to a pay table associated with various possible special game outcomes.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein randomly generating at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome comprises again using the ball launching device to launch the roulette ball onto the roulette wheel.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein randomly generating at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome comprise using another ball launching device to launch at least one roulette ball onto another roulette wheel.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein randomly generating at least one additional number and associated color to produce a special game outcome comprises again using the ball launching device to launch the roulette ball and at least one other roulette ball onto the roulette wheel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein again using the ball launching device to launch the roulette ball and at least one other roulette ball onto the roulette wheel comprises:

launching the roulette ball onto the roulette wheel while it is spinning; and

before the roulette wheel stops spinning, launching the at least one other roulette ball.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein using the ball launching system and the roulette wheel to randomly generate the number and associated color within the range of numbers and associated colors comprises randomly generating the number from the group consisting of 00 and 0 through 36, each of which is assigned an associated color from the group consisting of red, black, and green.

16. A gaming table for administering a game of roulette, comprising:

at least one roulette wheel;

at least one ball launching system mounted to the gaming table proximate the at least one roulette wheel, each of the at least one ball launching systems comprising;

a post mounted to the gaming table;

a beam extending from the post;

a ball cup assembly supported from a distal end of the beam;

a rotator configured to rotate the ball cup assembly from a home position, in which the ball cup assembly directs a roulette ball toward a radial center of the at least one roulette while, toward a launch position in which the ball cup assembly directs the roulette ball toward a ball track of the at least one roulette wheel; and

a playing surface comprising;

a wagering area illustrated with indicia associated with a range of numbers and colors of the at least one of the roulette wheel;

at least one bonus wager area external to the wager area; and

a display separate from the playing surface and comprising;

an area designated for displaying historical game outcomes;

an immediately preceeding outcome area; and

a paytable defining bonus payouts.

17. The gaming table of claim 16, further comprising an operator interface, a nontransitory memory, and at least one processor, the at least one processor programmed to:

interpret a randomly generated number and associated color within the range of numbers and colors;

determine winning outcome conditions, including determining a triggering event when the randomly generated number is identical to a randomly generated number from an immediately preceding round;

cause the display to display the winning outcome conditions in the area designated for displaying historical game outcomes;

record in the memory authorization of collection of the amount of the wager for the house when the triggering event is not determined to have occurred;

upon determination of the triggering event, and after random selection of at least one additional number and associated color producing a special game outcome, record in the memory authorization of payment of a payout to a player according to the paytable.

18. The gaming table of claim 16, wherein the gaming table comprises a plurality of the roulette wheels, each associated with one of a plurality of the ball launching systems.

19. The gaming table of claim 18, wherein one of the plurality of the roulette wheels is designated for resolving a wager received in the wagering area and another of the plurality of the roulette wheels is designated for administering a special game outcome to resolve a side wager received in the at least one bonus wager area.

20. The gaming table of claim 18, wherein the gaming table comprises three of the roulette wheels, each associated with a separate ball launching system of the at least one ball launching systems.