Progressive jackpot game with special bonus

• US 7,850,524 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jackson, Kathleen Nylund
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai; Xuan M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu; Kang
• Application Number:
  US10/804,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20040242320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 463/12, 463/13, 463/16, 463/20, 463 25- 28
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A method of providing all players on a linked network to receive a bonus opportunity based on one player hitting the primary jackpot. All players in an active game, (i.e., the reel spinning mode has been activated by the player bet, and the reels have not yet stopped) receive a bonus opportunity when the primary jackpot is hit. Examples of bonuses are of “scratch tickets” to players that would distribute varying amounts, or a secondary jackpot bonus of a fixed amount or an amount in proportion to the main jackpot. An alternative bonus incorporates a specific time span after the primary jackpot is hit where all players have the chance for a bonus payoff or prize, without having to achieve the extremely high rank of the jackpot award.

Claims

1. A method of playing a gaming system played by a plurality of players where a jackpot is awarded, the method comprising:

accepting wagers made by players playing an underlying wagering game via a plurality of wager input devices;

when an outcome occurs in the underlying wagering game that identifies that a jackpot is to be awarded to at least one of said players, entering a special bonus event for all of said players presently playing the underlying wagering game, the special bonus event providing a chance to be awarded bonuses;

randomly selecting bonuses to be awarded in the special bonus event via a processor; and

randomly selecting more than one but less than all of said players to be awarded the randomly selected bonuses and excluding at least one player from being awarded any bonus via the processor, said randomly selected bonuses being in addition to any awards some of said players may win during continued play of the underlying wagering game.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the underlying game is a casino table game.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the underlying game is played on a slot-type wagering apparatus.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the slot-type wagering apparatus is a networked wagering apparatus.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the jackpot is a progressive jackpot.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the bonuses do not decrement the jackpot.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the bonuses do not decrement the jackpot.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the bonuses do not decrement the jackpot.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising excluding the player who received the jackpot from being randomly awarded a bonus from the special bonus events.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising excluding the player who received the progressive jackpot from being randomly awarded the bonus from the special bonus event.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the bonus is selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the bonus is selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the bonus is selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein the bonus is selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the bonus is selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.

16. A method of playing a gaming system played by a plurality of players where a jackpot is awarded, the method comprising:

permitting players to play underlying wagering games in which wagers are made by the players via wager input devices;

when an outcome occurs in one of the underlying wagering games that identifies that a jackpot is to be awarded to at least one player, entering a special bonus event for all players presently playing the underlying wagering games, the special bonus event providing a chance to be awarded bonuses;

randomly selected bonuses to be awarded via a processor; and

randomly selecting more than one but less than all players to be awarded the randomly selected bonuses in addition to any awards the some of the players may win during continued play of the underlying wagering games but excluding at least one player from winning any award via the processor, wherein the randomly selected bonuses are based upon a progressive bonus jackpot.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the underlying game is a casino table game.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the underlying game is played on a slot-type wagering apparatus.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the slot-type wagering apparatus is a networked wagering apparatus.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the bonuses do not decrement the jackpot.

21. The method of claim 16 further comprising excluding the player who is awarded the jackpot from being randomly awarded a bonus from the special bonus events.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the randomly selected bonuses are selected from the group consisting of immediate random bonus awards, immediate play bonus awards, mini-jackpot awards, free play awards, electronic game tickets, physical game tickets, and combinations thereof.