Gaming system and method for normalizing average expected payouts to players

• US 8,328,633 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cohen, Alexander Casey Naglestad, Wolf, Bryan D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US13/335,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20120094746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 355 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/20, 463/21
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

The gaming system disclosed herein accounts for game play over a gaming session in determining a bonus game attribute for a triggered bonus game. The gaming system maintains a plurality of different bonus game attributes. Each different bonus game attribute is associated with a different bonus game attribute modification event and an initial probability of that bonus game attribute being selected for a play of a bonus game. For each bonus game attribute modification event that occurs, the gaming system modifies the probability that the associated bonus game attribute will be selected for a play of a bonus game. Upon an occurrence of a bonus game triggering event, the gaming system randomly selects one of the maintained bonus game attributes. The gaming system then displays a bonus game and determines a bonus game award utilizing the selected bonus game attribute.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor,

at least one input device,

at least one display device, 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) enable a player to place one of a plurality of different wager amounts on a play a base game, each different wager amount associated with one of a plurality of wager levels, each wager level associated with a different one of a plurality of different bonus games, each of the bonus games having a probability of being selected and a plurality of the bonus games each having a different average expected payout;

(b) modify the probability of being selected of the bonus game associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount;

(c) determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs;

(d) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeat (a) to (d) until the bonus game triggering event occurs; and

(e) if the bonus game triggering event occurs;

(i) randomly select one of the bonus games, said random selection based on the then current probabilities associated with each of the bonus games,

(ii) randomly determine a bonus game award in association with a play of the selected bonus game, and

(iii) display the determined bonus game award to the player.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein a remote controller maintains a database of the different bonus games, the wager level associated with each bonus game and the then current probability of being selected associated with each bonus game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to identify the player that placed one of the wager amounts.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein a remote controller maintains, for said identified player, a database of the different bonus games, the wager level associated with each bonus game and the then current probability of being selected associated with each bonus game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor when the player places one of the plurality of different wager amounts, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to modify the probability of being selected associated with at least one of the bonus games not associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount.

6. The gaming system of claim 5, wherein which probability associated with at least one of the bonus games not associated with the wager level associated with the placed wager amount is modified is based on the placed wager amount.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein each placed wager is associated with a bonus game modification event.

8. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the determination that the bonus game triggering event will occur is independent of any displayed event in any play of any base game.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein prior to any of the different wager amounts being placed, each bonus game has the same probability of being selected.

10. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein prior to any of the different wager amounts being placed, a plurality of the bonus games each have a different probability of being selected.

11. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by the at least one processor after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to reset any modified probabilities associated with the bonus games to a designated probability.

12. A gaming system comprising:

a gaming device including;

at least one processor,

at least one input device,

at least one display device, 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 enable a player to place a plurality of different wager amounts on a play of a base game, each different wager amount associated with one of a plurality of wager levels; and

a controller configured to communicate with said gaming device, said controller and said gaming device configured to operate to;

(a) maintain a plurality of different bonus games, each bonus game associated with a different one of the plurality of wager levels and a plurality of the bonus games each having a different average expected payout;

(b) at a first point in time, if the player placed one of the plurality of different wager amounts for a first play of the base game, a first quantity of a first one of the wager amounts have been placed on plays of the base game and a bonus game triggering event occurs in association with the first play of the base game;

(i) randomly select one of the maintained plurality of different bonus games, the bonus game associated with the wager level associated with the first one of the wager amounts having a first probability of being selected at the first point in time,

(ii) determine a first bonus game award in association with a play of the bonus game selected at the first point in time, and

(iii) display the determined first bonus game award to the player, and

(c) at a second, subsequent point in time, if the player placed one of the plurality of different wager amounts on a second play of the base game, a second, different quantity of the first one of the wager amounts have been placed on plays of the base game and the bonus game triggering event occurs in association with the second play of the base game;

(i) randomly select one of the plurality of different bonus games, the bonus game associated with the wager level associated with the first one of the wager amounts having a second, different probability of being selected at the second, subsequent point in time,

(ii) determine a second bonus game award in association with a play of the bonus game selected at the second point in time, and

(iii) display the determined second bonus game award to the player.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein said controller and said at least one gaming device are configured to operate to identify each player that placed one of the wager amounts.

14. The gaming system of claim 13, wherein said controller and said at least one gaming device are configured to operate to maintain, for each identified player, the different bonus games.

15. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein the determination that the bonus game triggering event will occur is independent of any displayed event in any play of any base game.

16. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each of said gaming devices including;

at least one processor,

at least one input device,

at least one display device, 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; and

a controller configured to communicate with said plurality of gaming devices, said controller and said gaming devices configured to operate to;

(a) maintain a plurality of bonus games for the plurality of gaming devices, each bonus game having a probability of being selected and a plurality of the bonus games each having a different average expected payout;

(b) if a bonus game probability modification event occurs in association with any of the gaming devices, then for each of the plurality of gaming devices, modify at least one of the probabilities of at least one of the bonus games being selected;

(c) determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs in association with one of the gaming devices;

(d) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeat (b) to (d) until the bonus game triggering event occurs; and

(e) if the bonus game triggering event occurs in association with one of the gaming devices;

(i) randomly select one of the bonus games, said random selection based on the then current probabilities of the maintained bonus games,

(ii) determine a bonus game award in association with a play of the selected bonus game, and

(iii) display the determined bonus game award to the player of said gaming device associated with the bonus game triggering event.

17. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein if the bonus game probability modification event occurs in association with any of the gaming devices, then for each of the plurality of gaming devices, said controller and said gaming devices are configured to operate to modify a plurality of the probabilities of a plurality of the bonus games being selected.

18. The gaming system of claim 16 wherein the determination that the bonus game triggering event will occur is independent of any displayed event in any play of any base game.

19. The gaming system of claim 16, wherein after displaying the determined bonus game award to the player of said gaming device associated with the bonus game triggering event, for each of the plurality of gaming devices, the controller and the gaming devices are configured to operate, for each of any modified probabilities of the maintained bonus games, to reset said modified probability to a designated probability.

20. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor,

at least one input device,

at least one display device, 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) maintain a plurality of different bonus games, each of the bonus games associated with a different one of a plurality of different wager levels, each wager level associated with one of a plurality of different wager amounts, and a plurality of the bonus games each having a different average expected payout;

(b) enable a player to place one of the plurality of different wager amounts to play a base game;

(c) generate a random number of the bonus game associated with the wager level associated with the wager amount placed, said random number generated from a predefined range of random numbers;

(d) determine if a bonus game triggering event occurs;

(e) if the bonus game triggering event does not occur, repeat (b) to (e) until the bonus game triggering event occurs; and

(f) if the bonus game triggering event occurs;

(i) determine which of said generated random numbers is a designated random number, said determination being based on a comparison between at least one of any random numbers generated for each of said bonus games,

(ii) determine a bonus game award, said determined bonus game award based, at least in part, on the bonus game of the designated random number, and

(iii) display the determined bonus game award to the player.

21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein said determination of which of said generated random numbers is the designated random number is based on a comparison between each of any generated random numbers for each of said bonus games.

22. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein one of said generated random numbers is the designated random number if said generated random number is one of:

a highest generated random number, a lowest generated random number, a generated random number closest to a mean number, a generated random number closest to a mode number, a generated random number closest to a median number, and a generated random number closest to a randomly generated supplemental number.

23. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if a plurality of said generated random numbers are each determined to be the designated random number, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor, for each random number determined to be the designated random number, to randomly generate another random number from the predefined range of random numbers.

24. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein when executed by the at least one processor if a plurality of said generated random numbers are each determined to be the designated random number, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor, for each generated random number, to randomly generate another random number from the predefined range of random numbers.

25. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein each wager placed is associated with a bonus game modification event.