Wagering games with pooling of awards

• US 7,927,209 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2006
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gagner, Mark, Thomas, Alfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US11/347,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20060183536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 463/26, 463/27, 463/25, 463/28
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

Method and system are disclosed for operating wagering game terminals where each terminal contributes an award to an award pool. A bank controller aggregates the awards, reapportions, and randomly assigns them back to the wagering game terminals. The reapportioned award assigned to a given wagering game terminal may be less than, the same as, or greater than the award contributed by that terminal. At regular or irregular intervals, the bank controller may shuffle the reapportioned awards and reassign them. As a result, the volatility of the wagering game terminals increases significantly while the payout percentage of each wagering game terminal remains the same over time. Alternatively, instead of randomly reassigning the reapportioned awards, the players may be allowed to pick the reapportioned awards. The reapportioning may also occur randomly and the assigning on an as-needed basis.

Claims

1. A wagering game system, comprising:

a network;

a plurality of wagering game terminals connected to said network, each wagering game terminal being capable of conducting a wagering game in which an outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes, each wagering game terminal contributing a predetermined award to said network, each of said predetermined awards being associated with at least one of said plurality of wagering game outcomes; and

a network controller operable to aggregate said predetermined awards contributed by said wagering game terminals into an award pool having a total aggregated award value, said network controller being configured to reapportion said awards and to randomly assign reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals;

wherein said network controller reapportions said awards by increasing a credit amount of some awards and decreasing a credit amount of other awards while keeping said total aggregated award value of said award pool fixed.

2. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller randomly assigns said reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals substantially simultaneously.

3. The wagering game system according to claim 2, wherein said network controller is configured to randomly reassign said reapportioned ones of said awards on a regular or an irregular basis.

4. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller randomly assigns said reapportioned ones of said awards to said wagering game terminals only when one of said awards in said award pool is achieved by a player during said wagering game.

5. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said network controller is configured to reapportion said awards in said award pool each time a wagering game terminal is connected to or removed from said network.

6. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein each wagering game terminal has a substantially equal chance of being assigned any reapportioned award.

7. The wagering game system according to claim 1, further comprising signage coupled to said network controller for displaying said reapportioned ones of said awards, said signage mounted in a location that allows players at said wagering game terminals to observe said signage.

21. The wagering game system according to claim 1, wherein said wagering game includes a pay table including said predetermined award contributed by each of said wagering game terminals.

8. A method of increasing volatility in wagering game terminals, each of said wagering game terminals being configured to conduct a wagering game in which an outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes, the method comprising:

pooling awards contributed from said wagering game terminals into an award pool having a total contributed award value, each of said contributed awards being associated with at least one of said plurality of outcomes;

reapportioning, via at least one controller associated with the wagering game terminals, said awards in said award pool such that some of the awards are increased while other ones of the awards are decreased, but said total contributed award value of said award pool remains fixed; and

randomly selecting, via at least one controller, reapportioned ones of said awards for said wagering game terminals such that each wagering game terminal may receive a reapportioned award that is less than, the same as, or greater than an award contributed by said wagering game terminal.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of randomly selecting reapportioned ones of said awards includes receiving input from a player of said wagering game terminal.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning produces the same number of reapportioned awards as awards contributed to said award pool.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning produces a different number of reapportioned awards as awards contributed to said award pool.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said step of reapportioning results in no change to a payout percentage of said wagering game terminals.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein all wagering game terminals contribute the same award.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least one wagering game terminal contributes a different award.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising normalizing said reapportioned ones of said awards according to a credit amount contributed by each wagering game terminal.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein said predetermined award contributed by each wagering game terminal is a highest award for said wagering game terminal.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising setting a lower credit amount limit and/or an upper credit amount limit for said reapportioned ones of said awards.

18. The method according to claim 8, further comprising combining a progressive jackpot with said award pool, wherein randomly selected portions of said progressive jackpot may be added to said reapportioned ones of said awards.

19. The method according to claim 8, wherein said awards correspond to a predetermined winning outcome for each wagering game terminal.

22. The method according to claim 8, wherein said wagering game includes a pay table including said predetermined award contributed by each of said wagering game terminals.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause a network controller to perform operations associated with wagering game terminals, each of said wagering game terminals being configured to conduct a wagering game in which an outcome is randomly selected from a plurality of outcomes, the operations comprising:

pooling awards contributed by said wagering game terminals into an award pool having a total contributed award value, each of said contributed awards being associated with at least one of said plurality of outcomes;

reapportioning said awards in said award pool such that some of the awards are increased while other ones of the awards are decreased, but said total contributed award value of said award pool remains fixed; and

randomly selecting reapportioned ones of said awards for said wagering game terminals such that each wagering game terminal may receive a reapportioned award that is less than, the same as, or greater than the respective award contributed by said wagering game terminal.