Wagering game providing free game play as a progressive award

• US 7,874,915 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Caspers, Christopher J., Hopkins, Peter R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams; Ross A
• Application Number:
  US10/594,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20070213114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/20, 463/27, 463/18, 463/22, 463/1, 463/6, 463 40- 42, 2731381-138
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A wagering game is comprised of a basic game and a progressive award. The progressive award increases based on wager inputs received from players playing at one or more gaming terminals. The actual value of a progressive award is determined by follow-up game play by a player at the gaming terminal. The follow-up game play can include one or more free plays of the basic game. The follow-up game play can also include the opportunity to play a progressive game where a player selects options in the progressive game that are associated with a monetary award. The options are different for different progressive awards that are achieved, such that a higher progressive award yields a higher expected value, which is effected by more favorable player-selectable options in the progressive game.

Claims

1. A gaming terminal for playing a wagering game, comprising:

an input device configured to receive a wager input from a player for playing a wagering game;

a display device configured to display

a basic game having a plurality of symbols that indicate a randomly selected outcome of said basic game, said randomly selected outcome being selected in response to the wager input by the player, said basic game having a first mathematical model; and

a progressive game feature having a progressive award that is triggered by a predetermined event, said progressive game feature having a second mathematical model that is different than said first mathematical model, said progressive award including a plurality of free plays incrementally increasing based on said wager being received at said gaming terminal and other wager inputs being received from other gaming terminals, said progressive award having an expected value and an actual value, said expected value being defined by a statistical advantage associated with said second mathematical model and said actual value being determined by said plurality of free plays of said progressive award;

wherein upon being awarded, said plurality of free plays is received by said player independent of said wager input.

2. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said plurality of free plays yields a monetary or non-monetary value associated with randomly selected outcomes of said plurality of free plays.

3. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said progressive award is associated with a multiplier value, said multiplier value increasing the value of a monetary award achieved in said plurality of free plays.

4. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said predetermined event is a selection of a progressive-award outcome from a plurality of progressive game outcomes that are randomly selectable in response to receiving said wager input.

5. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said progressive award is measured in integers and increases by an incremental value for each wager input, said incremental value being a fraction of the integers associated with said progressive award.

6. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said progressive game feature has multiple progressive awards that are determined by said plurality of free plays at said gaming terminal.

7. The gaming terminal of claim 1, wherein said actual value may be zero based on said plurality of free plays.

8. A method of playing a progressive wagering game having a progressive award, comprising:

accepting, at an input device, a wager input from a player for playing a wagering game;

conducting a basic game of the wagering game at a plurality of gaming terminals in response to receiving wager inputs, said basic game having a first mathematical model;

displaying the basic game on respective display devices of the plurality of gaming terminals;

changing said progressive award in response to said wager inputs received at said plurality of gaming terminals, said progressive award including a plurality of free plays incrementally increasing based on said wager inputs received at said plurality of gaming terminals, said progressive game feature having a second mathematical model that is different than said first mathematical model;

in response to a randomly selected outcome being a progressive-award outcome, awarding said progressive award to a player, said progressive award having an expected value and an actual value, said expected value being defined by a statistical advantage associated with said second mathematical model and said actual value being determined by said player conducting said plurality of free plays at a respective one of said gaming terminals; and

upon being awarded, receiving said plurality of free plays by said player independent of said wager inputs.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of allowing said player to engage in said plurality of free plays.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of awarding to said player said actual value in response to outcomes achieved in said plurality of free plays.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said randomly selected outcome is an outcome that is not selected during said basic game.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said randomly selected outcome is determined by a progressive-game controller that is external to said plurality of gaming terminals.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said randomly selected outcome is determined after a preselected wager amount is received at one of said plurality of gaming terminals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said preselected wager amount is the maximum wager amount at said plurality of gaming terminals.

15. The method of claim 13, further including, in response to said wager input being more than said preselected wager amount and said progressive award being awarded, using a remainder of said wager input to determine if a consolation prize is won by said player, the remainder of said wager input being the difference between said wager input and said preselected wager amount.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said progressive award has multiple levels and further including, in response to said wager input being more than said preselected wager amount and said progressive award being awarded, using a remainder of said wager input to determine a level of said progressive award that is awarded, the remainder of said wager input being the difference between said wager input and said preselected wager amount.

17. A method of providing a progressive award, the progressive award including a number of free plays of a computerized game and a multiplier associated therewith, each free play having a randomly selected outcome with a payoff amount, the method comprising:

using an input device to accept a wager input for providing wagering game play;

displaying the wagering game play on a display device of a gaming terminal;

in response to the wagering game play being displayed at one or more gaming terminals linked to a progressive award, using a progressive game controller to increase the progressive award by incrementing the number of free plays and the multiplier associated therewith based on said wager being received at said gaming terminal and on other wager inputs received from other gaming terminals; and

in response to a triggering event resulting from the wagering game play, awarding the current number of free plays and the associated multiplier defining the progressive award, the current number of free plays and the associated multiplier being provided independent of the wager input.

18. The method of claim 17, further including conducting the current number of free plays to determine an actual monetary value of the progressive award.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the actual monetary value is based on the payoff amount associated with the randomly selected outcome of each free play.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more gaming terminals includes a plurality of gaming terminals.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the wagering game play includes wager inputs such that the increasing includes increasing the progressive award in response to the wager inputs.

22. The method of claim 17, further including resetting the number of free plays to a startup value after the awarding of the current number of free plays.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the progressive award includes a first level and a second level, the first level including a first number of free plays of the computerized game, the second level including a second number of free plays of the computerized game, the increasing including increasing the first number of free plays and the second number of free plays, the awarding including awarding the first number of free plays and the second number of free plays.

24. The method of claim 17, further including displaying the progressive award on the one or more gaming terminals.

25. The method of claim 17, further including displaying the progressive award on signage distinct from the one or more gaming terminals.

26. The method of claim 17, further including displaying a representation of a fraction of a free play between the current number of free plays and a next higher whole number of free plays.