Overlapping progressive jackpots

• US 8,251,803 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Nelson, Loren
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Masud
• Application Number:
  US12/112,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20090275398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463 25- 30, 273/138.1, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

A gaming device accepts a wager. The wager is logically associated with a first progressive jackpot, the first progressive jackpot associated with a first set of participating gaming devices. The wager is also logically associated with a second progressive jackpot different than the first progressive jackpot, the second progressive jackpot associated with a second set of participating gaming devices, the second set of participating gaming devices comprising more gaming devices than the first set of participating gaming devices.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of enabling participation in progressive jackpots in a gaming property, the method comprising:

accepting a wager at a gaming device;

logically associating the wager with a first progressive jackpot, the first progressive jackpot associated with a first set of participating gaming devices; and

logically associating the wager with a second progressive jackpot different than the first progressive jackpot, the second progressive jackpot associated with a second set of participating gaming devices, the second set of participating gaming devices comprising more gaming devices than the first set of participating gaming devices,

wherein logically associating the wager with the first progressive jackpot further comprises allocating at least a first fraction of the wager to increase the first progressive jackpot, the first fraction having a first value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a first amount, the first fraction having a second value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a second amount, the first value being greater than the second value when the first amount is less than the second amount, the second value being equal to zero when the second amount reaches a predetermined value level; and

wherein logically associating the wager with the second progressive jackpot further comprises allocating at least a second fraction of the wager to increase the second progressive jackpot, wherein the first fraction is larger than the second fraction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of participating gaming devices is defined by the gaming device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of participating gaming devices is defined by a bank of gaming devices in the gaming property.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second set of participating gaming devices is defined by gaming devices located throughout the gaming property.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second set of participating gaming devices is defined by gaming devices located throughout a plurality of gaming properties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wager is logically associated with the first progressive jackpot at a first progressive jackpot controller communicatively coupled to the first set of participating gaming devices.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wager is logically associated with the second progressive jackpot at a second progressive jackpot controller communicatively coupled to the second set of participating gaming devices, the second progressive jackpot controller different than the first progressive jackpot controller.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of participating gaming devices comprises a subset of the second set of participating gaming devices.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling play of a game of chance on the gaming device;

wherein odds of winning the first progressive jackpot in the game of chance are better than odds of winning the second progressive jackpot in the game of chance.

10. A gaming device comprising:

a housing;

a display carried by the housing;

a user interface carried by the housing and configured to receive user input from a player;

a processor that executes instructions; and

a computer-readable memory that stores instructions that cause the processor to enable participation in progressive jackpots, by;

accepting a wager via the user interface;

logically associating the wager with a first progressive jackpot, the first progressive jackpot associated with a first set of participating gaming devices; and

logically associating the wager with a second progressive jackpot different than the first progressive jackpot, the second progressive jackpot associated with a second set of participating gaming devices, the second set of participating gaming devices comprising more gaming devices than the first set of participating gaming devices,

wherein logically associating the wager with the first progressive jackpot further comprises allocating at least a first fraction of the wager to increase the first progressive jackpot, the first fraction having a first value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a first amount, the first fraction having a second value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a second amount, the first value being greater than the second value when the first amount is less than the second amount, the second value being equal to zero when the second amount reaches a predetermined value level; and

wherein logically associating the wager with the second progressive jackpot further comprises allocating at least a second fraction of the wager to increase the second progressive jackpot, wherein the first fraction is larger than the second fraction.

11. The gaming device of claim 10, wherein logically associating the wager with the first progressive jackpot includes sending information indicative of the wager to a first progressive jackpot controller.

12. The gaming device of claim 11, wherein logically associating the wager with the second progressive jackpot includes sending information indicative of the wager to a second progressive jackpot controller, the second progressive jackpot controller different than the first progressive jackpot controller.

13. The gaming device of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable memory stores further instructions that cause the processor to enable participation in progressive jackpots by, enabling play of a game of chance on the display, and wherein odds of winning the first progressive jackpot in the game of chance are better than odds of winning the second progressive jackpot in the game of chance.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions that cause a processor to enable participation in progressive jackpots, by:

receiving information indicative of a wager made at a gaming device;

logically associating the wager with a first progressive jackpot if the information indicative of the wager indicates that the wager is equal or greater than a predetermined number of bets associated with the first progressive jackpot, the first progressive jackpot associated with a first set of participating gaming devices defined by a bank of gaming devices in a gaming property, wherein logically associating the wager with the first progressive jackpot comprises allocating at least a first fraction of the wager to increase the first progressive jackpot, the first fraction having a first non-zero value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a first amount and having a second value that is less than the first value when the first progressive jackpot comprises a second amount that is higher than the first amount, the second value being equal to zero when the first progressive jackpot comprises a predetermined value level; and

logically associating the wager with a second progressive jackpot different than the first progressive jackpot, the second progressive jackpot associated with a second set of participating gaming devices defined by gaming devices located throughout the gaming property, the second set of participating gaming devices comprising more gaming devices than the first set of participating gaming devices.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first set of participating gaming devices is defined by the gaming device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second set of participating gaming devices is further defined by gaming devices in a plurality of gaming properties.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein logically associating the wager with the second progressive jackpot comprises allocating at least a second fraction of the wager to increase the second progressive jackpot.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first set of participating gaming devices comprises a subset of the second set of participating gaming devices.