Multi-player bingo game with multiple cards per player

• US 9,384,636 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Cannon, Lee E.
• Primary Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US14/741,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20150279163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3213 Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members
• 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 17/3267 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

The invention is directed to methods and gaming units for conducting a multi-player wagering game in which at least one of the players may win the occurrence of the wagering game by matching a game-winning pattern of game indicia on one or more game arrays having unique combinations of game indicia based on matching the game indicia on the game arrays to game indicia randomly selected for the occurrence of the wagering game. Each player matching a game-winning pattern may receive game-winning award, and may receive a game-winning award for each game array on which a game-winning pattern is matched. The method and gaming unit may further include an alternate outcome display wherein an outcome of a second wagering game may be displayed that corresponds to the outcome for the player on the one or more game arrays for the occurrence of the multi-player wagering game.

Claims

1. A method of operating a gaming system, said method comprising:

(a) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions stored in at least one memory device to enroll a plurality of players of a plurality of gaming devices for an occurrence of a multiplayer wagering game, wherein said occurrence of the multiplayer wagering game includes a predetermined total number of game arrays and each game array includes a different combination of indicia of a set of game indicia;

(b) for each enrolled real player, providing said enrolled real player with one or more of the game arrays for said occurrence of the multiplayer wagering game;

(c) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to randomly select game indicia from the set of game indicia;

(d) for each randomly selected game indicium, for each enrolled player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine whether said randomly selected game indicium matches any of the game indicia of the game arrays of said enrolled player and cause at least one display device of the gaming device of said enrolled player to display any said matches; and

(e) for each enrolled player, causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to;

(i) determine a game outcome for said play of the multiplayer wagering game based on any matched game indicia of the game arrays of said enrolled player, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any award associated with the determined game outcome for said play of the multiplayer wagering game, said credit balance being increasable via an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and said credit balance being decreasable via a cashout device;

(ii) cause the at least one display device of the gaming device of said enrolled player to display an outcome of a second wagering game, wherein;

(A) the outcome of the second wagering game corresponds to the game outcome of the multiplayer wagering game for said enrolled player,

(B) the second wagering game has a plurality of wagering options,

(C) a number of game arrays of said enrolled player corresponds to one of said wagering options,

(D) the displayed outcome of the second wagering game is an outcome for the wagering option corresponding to the number of game arrays of said enrolled player, and

(E) the credit balance is increasable based on any award associated with the outcome of the second wagering game; and

(iii) map a win frequency of achieving the game outcome of the multi-player wagering game with a win frequency of achieving the outcome of the second wagering game.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second wagering game is a spinning reel game associated with a plurality of paylines, and each wagering option is associated with a number of the paylines on which wagers are made.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a wager amount per payline is equal to a fixed wager amount per payline regardless of the number of game arrays for the player for the occurrence of the multi-player wagering game.

4. The method of claim 2, which includes, for each enrolled player, enabling said enrolled player to select a number of the paylines, and causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to provide a number of game arrays corresponding to the selected number of the paylines to said enrolled player.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, for each enroller player, a wager amount per game array is equal to a fixed wager amount per game array regardless of the number of game arrays provided to said enrolled player.

6. The method of claim 2, which includes, for each enrolled player, enabling said enrolled player to select one of the plurality of wagering options, and causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to provide the number of game arrays corresponding to the selected wagering option to said enrolled player.

7. The method of claim 1, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to:

determine whether any of the game arrays include a pattern of matched game indicia that matches a secondary pattern; and

for each enrolled real player having at least one game array including a pattern of matched game indicia that matches the secondary pattern, determine a secondary award for said enrolled real player.

8. The method of claim 1, which is provided through a data network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data network is an internet.