Means for controlling payback percentage of gaming device

• US 9,704,331 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2010
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acres Technology
• Original Assignee: Patent Investment & Licensing Company
• Inventors: Acres, John F.
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEICHLITER, CHASE E
• Application Number:
  US12/980,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20120172107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: 463 16, 463 20, 463 25, 463 1, 463 21, 2731381, 273139
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3202 Hardware aspects of a gaming system, e.g. components, construction, architecture thereof
• 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 17/326 Game play aspects of gaming systems
• 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 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

Embodiments of the present concept provide means to control the payback percentage of games being played on gaming devices. In one example, a gaming device includes a processor configured to initiate a payback-controlling event and determine a game outcome to display on the game display in response to a gaming event being initiated. Here, the determined game outcome is a payback-controlling outcome when the payback-controlling event satisfies the payback-controlling criterion, and the determined game outcome is a game outcome determined from the base-game paytable when the payback-controlling event does not satisfy the payback-controlling criterion.

Claims

1. A method of determining an outcome of a play of a game played on an electronic gaming device, the method comprising:

receiving credits from the player at the electronic gaming device via at least one of a coin acceptor and a bill acceptor associated with the electronic gaming device;

receiving an input from the player via a button associated with the electronic gaming device to wager at least one of the received credits on an outcome of the game played on the electronic gaming device;

receiving an input that initiates the play;

determining via a processor controlled by program code stored in a memory, if a payback-lowering event has taken place, and if so, under control of the processor;

initiating a first process that generates either a first result or a second result, including;

randomly selecting a value within a predetermined range;

comparing the selected value with a predefined criterion;

indicating the first result when the selected value satisfies the predefined criterion; and

indicating the second result when the selected value does not satisfy the predefined criterion;

selecting a losing game-play outcome when the first process generates the first result;

initiating a second process that randomly selects one of a plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes using a base game paytable that includes the plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes when the first process generates the second result;

displaying the selected game-play outcome; and

distributing any awards associated with the selected game-play outcome via a ticket printed by a ticket printer;

if a payback-lowering event has not taken place, determining via the processor controlled by the program code stored in the memory, if a payback-raising event has taken place, and if so, under control of the processor;

initiating a third process that generates either a third result or a fourth result, including;

randomly selecting a value within a predetermined range;

comparing the selected value with a predefined criterion;

indicating the third result when the selected value satisfies the predefined criterion; and

indicating the fourth result when the selected value does not satisfy the predefined criterion;

awarding at least one of a free game and a bonus when the second process generates the third result;

initiating a fourth process that randomly selects one of a plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes using a base game paytable that includes the plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes when the second process generates the third and fourth result;

displaying the selected game-play outcome;

using the same base game paytable without altering the weights or payback percentage of the base game paytable;

distributing any awards associated with the selected game-play outcome via a ticket printed by a ticket printer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a losing game-play outcome when the first process generates the first result includes:

randomly selecting a game-play outcome;

determining if the selected game-play outcome is a losing outcome; and

repeating the random selection and determination processes when a losing game-play outcome is not selected.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising performing the method for each play of the game.

4. The method of claim 1 further including:

initiating the first process a plurality of times;

generating a corresponding plurality of results; and

generating the first result for a predetermined percentage of the plurality of results.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing the method for each play of the game.

6. The method of claim 1 where the plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes each comprise a predefined number of symbols regardless of the value of the predefined criterion in the payback-lowering event.

7. The method of claim 1 where the plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes each comprise a predefined number of symbols regardless of the value of the predefined criterion in the payback-raising event.

8. The method of claim 7 where the plurality of winning and losing game-play outcomes each comprise a predefined number of symbols regardless of the value of the predefined criterion in the payback-lowering event.