Wagering game with win-deferral feature for payoffs

• US 7,758,421 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Hornik, Jeremy M., Anderson, Peter R., Mastropietro, Michael W., Englman, Allon G
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones; Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah; Milap
• Application Number:
  US11/628,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463 16- 20, 273/138.1
• US Class Current: 463/25
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming terminal having a wagering game. The wagering game includes a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game. In response to the randomly selected outcome being a win-deferral outcome, the wagering game provides a player with a selection of immediately obtaining a first award or obtaining a second award under a specified condition.

Claims

1. A gaming terminal comprising:

a wagering game having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game, the plurality of outcomes including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferral outcome;

wherein if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player; and

wherein, in response to the randomly selected outcome being a win-deferral outcome, the wagering game provides a player with a selection of immediately obtaining a first award while the player is still at the gaming terminal or foregoing the first award and obtaining a second award associated with the play of the wagering game, the second award obtained by the player only after returning to the gaming terminal in the future and under a specified condition.

2. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein the first award and the second award are monetary awards.

3. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein the first award and the second award are non-monetary awards.

4. The gaming terminal of claim 3, wherein the non-monetary awards are chosen from the group consisting of free spins, multipliers and an entry to an advanced game.

5. The gaming terminal of claim 4, wherein the entry to an advanced game is one of entry to a bonus game or entry to a progressive game.

6. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein one of the first award and the second award is a monetary award and the other of the first award and the second award is a non-monetary award.

7. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein the randomly selected outcome of the wagering game includes at least one winning outcome and at least one non-winning outcome.

8. A method of playing a wagering game via a gaming terminal, the method comprising:

using a processor to randomly select an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of possible outcomes, the plurality of possible outcomes including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferral outcome;

displaying the selected outcome on a display of the gaming terminal;

if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player;

if the outcome is the win-deferral outcome, displaying on the display a first award, a second award, and a specified condition that a player is required to meet to obtain the second award;

receiving an input from the player selecting one of the first award or the second award;

in response to the selection of the first award, immediately awarding the player the first award while the player is still at the gaming terminal; and

in response to the selection of the second award, foregoing the first award and awarding the player the second award only after the player returns to the gaming terminal in the future and if the specified condition is met.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the specified condition includes designating a time for the retrieval of the second award.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein designating a time includes a designating specific time frame for the retrieval of the second award, the time frame being chosen from one of a year, month, week, day, or span of hours.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the specified condition includes determining a specific location for the retrieval of the second award.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the specific location includes designating the player to go to a bank of gaming terminals or a particular type of gaming terminal for the retrieval of the second award.

13. A method of playing a wagering game comprising:

conducting the wagering game at a gaming terminal;

using a processor to randomly select an outcome of the wagering game from a plurality of possible outcomes, the plurality of possible outcomes including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferral outcome;

displaying the selected outcome on a display of the gaming terminal;

if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player;

displaying a first player-selectable element and a second player-selectable element at the gaming terminal in response to achieving a predetermined outcome, the first player-selectable elements comprising a first associated award, and the second player-selectable element including a specified condition to be achieved prior to achieving a second associated award associated with the player of the wagering game;

selecting, via player inputs, one of the first and second player-selectable elements;

in response to the selection of the first player-selectable element, immediately awarding the player the first associated award while the player is still at the gaming terminal; and

in response to the selection of the second player-selectable element, foregoing the first associated award and awarding the player the second associated award if the specified condition is achieved and only when the player returns to the gaming terminal in the future.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second player-selectable elements include monetary awards.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second player-selectable elements include non-monetary awards.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-monetary awards are chosen from the group consisting of free spins, multipliers, and entries into an advanced game.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the entry into an advanced game include one of an entry into a bonus game or an entry into a progressive game.

18. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display;

at least one gaming terminal for playing a wagering game, the wagering game having a plurality of possible outcomes including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferred outcome; and

a controller coupled to the at least one gaming terminal and the at least one display, the controller operative to

(i) if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player;

(ii) in response to the win-deferred outcome being achieved, cause the display to display a first award option to immediately award the first award while the player is still at the gaming terminal and a second award option to a player, the second award option associated with the play of the wagering game;

(iii) presenting a specified condition to be met in conjunction with awarding a second award; and

(iv) determining whether the specified condition has been met prior to awarding the second award in the future only after the player returns to the gaming terminal and foregoes the first award by selecting the second award option.

19. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further operative to receive inputs from the player as to a selection of the first award option and the second award option.

20. The gaming system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further operative to determine the specified condition to be applied.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the controller is further operative to determine the specified condition utilizing a self-learning technique.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the controller is further operative to receive the specified condition to be presented from an outside source.

23. A gaming terminal comprising:

a wagering game having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game the randomly selected outcome including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferral outcome; and

wherein, if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player; and

wherein in response to the randomly selected outcome being a win-deferral outcome, the wagering game provides a player with a selection of immediately obtaining a first award while the player is still at the gaming terminal or foregoing the first award and obtaining a second deferred award associated with the play of the wagering game, the second award obtained by the player only after returning to the gaming terminal or another gaming terminal in the future and under a specified condition.

24. A method of playing a wagering game comprising:

conducting the wagering game at a gaming terminal the wagering game having a plurality of possible outcomes including at least one non-win-deferral outcome and a win-deferral outcome;

if the outcome is the non-win-deferral outcome, immediately awarding an associated award to the player;

achieving a win-deferral award at the gaming terminal;

displaying a first award and a second award at the gaming terminal, the second award associated with the play of the wagering game;

determining a specified condition that a player is required to meet to obtain the second award;

selecting, via player inputs, one of the first award or the second award;

in response to the selection of the first award, immediately awarding the player the first award while the player is still at the gaming terminal; and

in response to the selection of the second award, foregoing the first award; and

awarding the player the second award only after the player returns to the gaming terminal or another gaming terminal in the future and if a specified condition is met.