Gaming system having game difficulty controller

• US 20080227525A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sg Gaming, Inc. (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Kelly, Matthew F., Kelly, Bryan M., Kroeckel, John G., Link, John E., Petermeler, Norman B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,944,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3262 Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament

Abstract

The invention provides a prize redemption system for use with one or more game apparatuses. A game is provided on a game apparatus for a player to play in exchange for monetary input, and prize credits are credited to the player based on the game outcome. A prize selection menu is then displayed by the game apparatus, the menu including one or more prizes, where the player may select a prize that has a prize cost within the player'"'"'s prize credit amount. The player is dispensed a specific prize ticket that is redeemable for the selected prize. The game apparatus can also provide specific prizes and tournament games played for a tournament prize contributed to by multiple players. An operator can adjust prizes and payout percentages of the system to achieve a desired profitability for game apparatuses. Prize input is entered into a prize table describing multiple available prizes and also describing payout information that indicates a desired amount of payout that the operator wishes to provide back to players of the game apparatus in terms of the value of the prizes. Prize information, such as prize costs and specific prize win ratios, is automatically determined by the system for each of the prizes in view of the desired profitability of the game apparatus.

Additionally, the invention provides method and article of manufacture for implementing a user profile-driven gaming and prize redeeming system. The user profile-driven gaming and prize redemption system allows for the tailoring of a user'"'"'s experience of playing a computer implemented game on a network gaming system by first receiving an identifier selected from a group of identifiers including a user identifier relating to the user (i.e., player) of the network gaming system, a game identifier relating to a particular game played by the user of the network gaming system, and a site identifier relating to the location (i.e. web site) from which the game is being played. The network gaming system then alters the computer-implemented game played by the user in a manner based upon the selected identifier. The foregoing technique may also be applied to a prize redemption system.

Claims

1. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a gaming network;

a plurality game servers connected to each other via the network; and

a plurality of game units connected to at least one game server via the network, wherein each server enables periodic update signals to be sent to the remaining servers.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the update signals ensure that each server has current prize information, game state information, number of participants in a tournament, current tournament score information, or combinations thereof.

3. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game server;

a plurality of game units connected to the game server via a network, and

a player credit account, wherein the player credit account enables a player to store prize credits won by the player during a game session for later use, instead of cashing out the prize credits or exchanging the credits for a prize.

4. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the player credit account is located in a game unit used by the player.

5. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the player credit account is located remotely from a game unit used by the player.

6. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the player credit account is accessed by a player using an associated player identifier.

7. The gaming system of claim 3, wherein the player credit account is accessed by a player using an electronic form of identification selected from the group consisting of:

a credit card, a debit card, an ATM card and PIN number, and a smart card.

8. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game unit, wherein the game unit stores one or more games in electronic form; and

a game difficulty controller, wherein the game difficulty controller enables average prize credits awarded per game to be influenced by adjusting the difficulty of the game.

9. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein a game employed by the game unit is a card game, and wherein frequencies of winning card combinations are adjustable.

10. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein a game employed by the game unit is quiz games, and wherein question difficulty during a game is adjustable.

11. The gaming system of claim 8, wherein a game employed by the game unit is fixed time duration game, and wherein the fixed time duration is adjustable.

12. A gaming system that provides game play in exchange for monetary input per game played, the gaming system comprising:

a game server;

a plurality of game units connected to the game server via a network, and

a game prize normalizer, wherein the game prize normalizer determines a specific prize to be awarded, when a specific prize goal is achieved by a player, by multiplying a ratio in an associated prize table by a normalization factor for the game played.

13. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein each offered game on the gaming system is normalized to a specific prize ratio based on a frequency of players achieving the specific prize goal.

14. The gaming system of claim 12, wherein each offered game on the gaming system has a unique hit ratio that is used for determining an individual ratio.