Gaming system and method for providing bingo wins

• US 8,444,471 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Reddicks, Christopher D., Thome, Connie L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ROSS A
• Application Number:
  US13/214,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110319151A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16- 20, 463 40- 42
• US Class Current: 463/19
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A gaming system includes a plurality of gaming machines and a continual game sequence including a plurality of symbols and a plurality of sessions. Each session includes a number of games. At the beginning of a game sequence, the gaming system draws all of the symbols. When the number of games of the current session has been played without a winner, the game sequence proceeds to the next session. For each session, the gaming system activates a number of the drawn symbols based on the session number. Upon player activation, a gaming machine generates a symbol subset, marking each symbol in the subset which matches the activated symbols. If the marked symbols match a predetermined pattern, the gaming system provides an award for a player, basing the award on an award pool amount and the session number. As the session number increases, the award provided to the player decreases.

Claims

1. A bingo gaming system comprising:

a plurality of bingo gaming machines; and

a controller configured to communicate;

with the gaming machines to;

(a) generate a bingo draw that determines a bingo draw order;

(b) designate a subset of the bingo draw order as active;

(c) communicate the designated subset of the bingo draw order to at least each bingo gaming machine on which a wager is made;

(d) cause the play of at least one of the bingo cards upon a wager by a player at said bingo gaming machine;

(e) determine the number of bingo cards played by all of the bingo gaming machines;

(f) determine if the number of bingo cards played by all of the bingo gaming machines without a winning bingo event occurring exceeds a predetermined number of bingo cards, wherein said predetermined number of bingo cards is determined before said bingo draw is generated;

(g) if the determined number of bingo cards played by all of the bingo gaming machines without the winning bingo event occurring exceeds the predetermined number of bingo cards, designate a different subset of the bingo draw order as active and repeat (b) to (g); and

(h) determine an award to provide to the player of the bingo gaming machine which played the bingo card associated with the winning bingo event, wherein said award is based, at least in part, on the designated subset of the bingo draw order associated with the winning bingo event.

2. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein the bingo winning event is a pattern chosen from one of the group consisting of:

four corners, a blackout, a plurality of bingo symbols arranged adjacently in a row, a plurality of bingo symbols arranged adjacently in a column, and a plurality of bingo symbols arranged adjacently and diagonally in a straight line.

3. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein the designated different subset of the symbol draw order includes the previously designated subset of the symbol draw order.

4. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein a probability of having an occurrence of the winning bingo event increases as the number of previously played bingo cards increases.

5. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein the award decreases as the number of previously played bingo cards increases.

6. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein an award pool increases with each bingo card played without the winning bingo event.

7. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein the award is additionally based on an award pool.

8. The bingo gaming system of claim 1, wherein the award is additionally based on a minimum win percentage.

9. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming machines; and

a controller configured to;

(a) generate a symbol draw, wherein the symbol draw determines a symbol draw order;

(b) designate a subset of the symbol draw order as active;

(c) communicate the subset of the symbol draw order to at least each gaming machine on which a wager was made;

(d) determine a number of games played by all of the gaming machines, wherein each game is associated with at least one of a plurality of sets of prearranged of symbols;

(e) determine if the number of games played by all of the gaming machines without a winning event occurring exceeds a predetermined number of games, wherein said predetermined number of games is determined before said symbol draw is generated;

(f) if the determined number of games played by all of the gaming machines without the winning event occurring exceeds the predetermined number of games, designate a different subset of the symbol draw order as active and repeat (b) to (f); and

(g) determine an award to provide to the player of the gaming machine which played the game associated with the set of prearranged symbols associated with the winning event, wherein said award is based, at least in part, on the designated subset of the symbol draw order associated with the winning event.

10. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the designated different subset of the symbol draw order includes the previously designated subset of the symbol draw order.

11. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein a probability of having an occurrence of the winning event increases as the number of previously played games increases.

12. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the award decreases as the number of previously played games increases.

13. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein an award pool increases with each of the games played without the winning event.

14. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the award is additionally based on an award pool.

15. The gaming system of claim 9, wherein the award is additionally based on a minimum win percentage.