Gaming system and method for providing team play benefits

• US 9,390,585 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Nelson, Dwayne R., Lemay, Steven G., Davis, Dwayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US13/944,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20150024830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• 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 17/3272 Games involving multiple players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3274 wherein the players cooperate, e.g. team-play

Abstract

A gaming system and method which forms, tracks and maintains one or more groups, teams or pools of players. Each group, team or pool includes one or more players (i.e., team members). A player'"'"'s participation or involvement with the group or team enables the player to access one or more benefits otherwise not available to players unaffiliated with the group or team. That is, based on a player'"'"'s association with a formed group or team, the gaming system provides the player with one or more benefits, such as an award, an opportunity to win an award, or a modified probability of winning an award.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including;

(i) an acceptor, and

(ii) a cashout device;

at least one display device supported by the housing;

at least one processor; 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 plurality of input devices and the at least one display device to;

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,

(b) during a first period of time when a player is not associated with any teams;

(i) enable the player to place a first wager amount on a first play of a game, said first play of the game being associated with a first paytable having a first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) generate a game outcome,

(iii) display the generated game outcome,

(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) display any determined award,

(c) during a second, different period of time when the player is associated with a team;

(i) enable the player to place the first wager amount on a second play of the game, wherein independent of any player input, said second play of the game is associated, with a second, different paytable having a second, different average expected payback percentage, said second average expected payback percentage being greater than the first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) generate a game outcome,

(iii) display the generated game outcome,

(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) display any determined award, and

(d) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.

2. 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, during the first period of time when the player is not associated with any teams, enable the player to place a second wager amount on a third play of the game, said third play of the game being associated with the second, different paytable having the second, different average expected payback percentage and said second wager amount being greater than the first wager amount.

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 lock at least one feature associated with the game during the first period of time and unlock the at least one feature associated with the game during the second period of time.

4. 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 determine if the player is associated with the team based on an amount of wagering activity of the player during a designated period of time.

5. 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 determine if the player is associated with the team based on the player accepting an invitation to join the team.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein at least one of any placed wager amount and any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.

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

(a) during a first period of time when a player is not associated with any teams;

(i) enabling the player to place a first wager amount on a first play of a game, said first play of the game being associated with a first paytable having a first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) causing at least one processor to execute a plurality of instructions to generate a game outcome,

(iii) causing at least one display device to display the generated game outcome,

(iv) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) causing the at least one display device to display any determined award, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined award, 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, and

(b) during a second, different period of time when the player is associated with a team;

(i) enabling the player to place the first wager amount on a second play of the game, wherein independent of any player input, said second play of the game is associated with a second, different paytable having a second, different average expected payback percentage, said second average expected payback percentage being greater than the first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to generate a game outcome,

(iii) causing the at least one display device to display the generated game outcome,

(iv) causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) causing the at least one display device to display any determined award, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award.

8. The method of claim 7, which includes, during the first period of time when the player is not associated with any teams, enabling the player to place a second wager amount on a third play of the game, said third play of the game being associated with the second, different paytable having the second, different average expected payback percentage and said second wager amount being greater than the first wager amount.

9. The method of claim 7, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to lock at least one feature associated with the game during the first period of time and unlock the at least one feature associated with the game during the second period of time.

10. The method of claim 7, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if the player is associated with the team based on an amount of wagering activity of the player during a designated period of time.

11. The method of claim 7, which includes causing the at least one processor to execute the plurality of instructions to determine if the player is associated with the team based on the player accepting an invitation to join the team.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of any placed wager amount and any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.

13. The method of claim 7, which is provided through a data network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the data network is an internet.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium including a plurality of instructions, which when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

(a) during a first period of time when a player is not associated with any teams;

(i) enable the player to place a first wager amount on a first play of a game, said first play of the game being associated with a first paytable having a first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) generate a game outcome,

(iii) cause at least one display device to display the generated game outcome,

(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) cause the at least one display device to display any determined award, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined award, 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, and

(b) during a second, different period of time when the player is associated with a team;

(i) enable the player to place the first wager amount on a second play of the game, wherein independent of any player input, said second play of the game is associated with a second, different paytable having a second, different average expected payback percentage, said second average expected payback percentage being greater than the first average expected payback percentage,

(ii) generate a game outcome,

(iii) cause the at least one display device to display the generated game outcome,

(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and

(v) cause the at least one display device to display any determined award, wherein a credit balance is increasable based on any determined award.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, during the first period of time when the player is not associated with any teams, enable the player to place a second wager amount on a third play of the game, said third play of the game being associated with the second, different paytable having the second, different average expected payback percentage and said second wager amount being greater than the first wager amount.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to lock at least one feature associated with the game during the first period of time and unlock the at least one feature associated with the game during the second period of time.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to determine if the player is associated with the team based on an amount of wagering activity of the player during a designated period of time.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to determine if the player is associated with the team based on the player accepting an invitation to join the team.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein at least one of any placed wager amount and any determined awards is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a quantity of monetary credits, a quantity of non-monetary credits, a quantity of promotional credits, and a quantity of player tracking points.