Gaming system and method for providing enhanced wagering opportunities

• US 8,152,629 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2008
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: DeWaal, Daniel J., Elias, Hans, Schneider, Richard J., Baerlocher, Anthony J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pandya, Sunit
• Application Number:
  US12/015,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20080182655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463 42- 43
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• 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

A gaming system including a central server linked to a plurality of gaming machines. In one embodiment, the gaming system provides players with one or more enhanced wagering opportunities. One enhanced wagering opportunity enables a player to continue playing one or more primary games at the maximum wager even if the player'"'"'s continued play causes the gaming device'"'"'s credit meter to fall below zero credits. In one such embodiment, after playing one or more maximum wager games which cause the credit meter to drop below zero, the player'"'"'s player tracking account is utilized to cover any amount of credits the gaming device'"'"'s credit meter is below zero.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one display device;

at least one input device;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the at least one display device and the at least one input device to;

(a) monitor any wagers placed by a player during a time period;

(b) determine whether to offer the player a guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played at a predetermined wager placed per game played, wherein;

(i) said guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played times the predetermined wager placed per game played exceeds a total value displayed on a credit meter, and

(ii) said determination is based on if the monitored wagers placed by the player during the time period meet a predefined criteria for wagers placed during the time period; and

(c) if the determination is to offer the player the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played at the predetermined wager placed per game played;

(i) enable the player to accept said offer of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games at the predetermined wager placed per game,

(ii) if the player accepts said offer, display a play of each of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games, and

(iii) thereafter, if the plays of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games cause the credit meter to display a negative balance, account for the negative balance of the credit meter, wherein said negative balance of the credit meter is accounted for, at least in part, by at least one of a plurality of forms of payment selected from the group consisting of;

(A) information received from a player tracking system associated with the player,

(B) any determined award amounts associated with any game outcomes generated in any subsequent plays of the game by the player, and

(C) an amount from an enhanced wagering opportunity pool.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said at least one display device and said at least one input device reside in a housing remote from said at least one processor.

3. A method of providing a wagering game comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to monitor any wagers placed by a player during a time period;

(b) causing the at least one processor to determine whether to offer the player a guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played at a predetermined wager placed per game played, wherein;

(i) said guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played times the predetermined wager placed per game played exceeds a total value displayed on a credit meter, and

(ii) said determination is based on if the monitored wagers placed by the player during the time period meet a predefined criteria for wagers placed during the time period; and

(c) if the determination is to offer the player the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games played at the predetermined wager placed per game played;

(i) enabling the player to accept said offer of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games at the predetermined wager placed per game,

(ii) if the player accepts said offer, causing at least one display device to display a play of each of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games, and

(iii) thereafter, if the plays of the guaranteed quantity of consecutive games cause the credit meter to display a negative balance, accounting for the negative balance of the credit meter, wherein said negative balance of the credit meter is accounted for, at least in part, by at least one of a plurality of forms of payment selected from the group consisting of;

(A) information received from a player tracking system associated with the player,

(B) any determined award amounts associated with any game outcomes generated in any subsequent plays of the game by the player, and

(C) an amount from an enhanced wagering opportunity pool.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one display device is located remote from the at least one processor.

5. The method of claim 3, which is provided through a data network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data network is the internet.