Wagering game triggering mechanism for use with multi-level progressive game

• US 8,317,585 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: WMS Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Gomez, Benjamin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US12/447,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20100093422A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,875 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16
• US Class Current: 463/16
• 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

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of conducting a wagering game is provided. The method allows an opportunity to achieve a first progressive award and a second progressive award. The method comprises the acts of receiving a primary wager from a player for playing the wagering game and initiating the wagering game. The method further includes the act of displaying a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game via a plurality of symbols. The plurality of symbols are selected from a set of symbols including a predetermined symbol. In response to the randomly selected outcome including a first number of the predetermined symbols, the method includes the act of triggering an event in which the first progressive award can be achieved. In response to the randomly selected outcome including a second number of the predetermined symbols, the method includes the act of triggering an event in which the second progressive award can be achieved.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a wagering game allowing an opportunity to achieve a first progressive award and a second progressive award, the method comprising:

receiving a primary wager from a player, on a wagering game machine, for playing the wagering game;

initiating the wagering game on the wagering game machine;

displaying, on a display, a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game via a plurality of symbols selected from a set of symbols including a predetermined symbol;

in response to the randomly selected outcome including a first number of the same predetermined symbol, triggering an event in which a first set of potential awards including the first progressive award can be achieved; and

in response to the randomly selected outcome including a second number of the same predetermined symbol, triggering an event in which a second set of potential awards including the second progressive award can be achieved, the first set of potential awards being different than the second set of potential awards.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second progressive awards are local area progressive awards funded by a portion of the primary wagers received from a plurality of gaming machines.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second number is larger than the first number and the second progressive award is larger than the first progressive award.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising triggering an event in which a third progressive award can be achieved in response to the randomly selected outcome including a third number of the predetermined symbols, wherein the third number and the third progressive award are larger than the second number and the second progressive award.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event, triggered in response to the randomly selected outcome including the first number of the same predetermined symbol, includes a plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements being associated with the first progressive award when the randomly selected outcome includes the first number of the same predetermined symbol, and wherein the different event, triggered in response to the randomly selected outcome including the second number of the same predetermined symbol, includes the plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements being associated with the second progressive award when the randomly selected outcome includes the second number of the same predetermined symbol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein other ones of the player-selectable elements are associated with consolation prizes.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the probability of achieving the first or second award increases as the primary wager increases.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in response to the randomly selected outcome including the first number of the predetermined symbols or the second number of the predetermined symbols, the respective first or second progressive award is automatically achieved without triggering the event when the primary wager is a maximum amount.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the wagering game includes a free-spin bonus game including a plurality of player-selectable elements being associated an awardable number of free spins.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the free-spin bonus game is triggered from a predetermined symbol combination in a basic game of the wagering game and the event for achieving the progressive award is triggered during the free spins awarded from the free-spin bonus game.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second number is greater than the first number, the first progressive award has a first value, the second progressive award has a second value, and the second value is greater than the first value.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to the randomly selected outcome including a first number of the same predetermined symbol and a wild symbol, triggering the event in which the second progressive award can be achieved.

13. A method of conducting a wagering game associated with a plurality of progressive award levels, comprising:

receiving a primary wager on a wagering game machine;

initiating a basic game of the wagering game on the wagering game machine;

displaying, on a display, a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, the plurality of symbols being selected from a set of symbols including at least one predetermined symbol; and

determining a level of a progressive award from the plurality of progressive award levels based on the number of displayed predetermined symbols in the basic game; and

after determining the level of the progressive award, initiating a bonus game providing an opportunity to achieve the progressive award.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the progressive award levels are local area progressive awards funded by a portion of the primary wagers received from a plurality of gaming machines.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of progressive award levels are associated with a local area progressive game and further comprising awarding a second progressive award if a predetermined symbol combination is displayed in the basic game, the second progressive award being associated with a wide area progressive game.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the predetermined symbol combination is five wide-area-progressive symbols being aligned along an active payline.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the bonus game includes a plurality of player-selectable elements, at least one of the player-selectable elements being associated with a level of the plurality of progressive award levels depending on the number of displayed predetermined symbols.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the other ones of the player-selectable elements are associated with consolation prizes.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a first level of the plurality of progressive award levels is associated with the display of three of the predetermined symbol anywhere in the array.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a second level of the plurality of progressive award levels is associated with the display of four of the predetermined symbol anywhere in the array.

21. A gaming system for playing a wagering game allowing an opportunity to achieve a plurality of progressive award levels comprising:

a wager input device for receiving a primary wager to play a game of the wagering game; and

a display for displaying a randomly selected outcome of the game, the randomly selected outcome being indicated by a plurality of symbols arranged in an array, the plurality of symbols being selected from a set of symbols, at least one of the symbols in the set being a predetermined symbol,

wherein the opportunity to achieve a level of the plurality of progressive award levels is based on a number of the predetermined symbols displayed in the randomly selected outcome, the progressive award level corresponding to the number of the predetermined symbol in the randomly selected outcome, the progressive award level being determined prior to the opportunity.

22. The gaming system of claim 21, wherein the progressive award levels are local area progressive awards funded by a portion of the primary wagers received from a plurality of gaming terminals.