METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WEIGHTING ODDS TO SPECIFIC GAMING ENTITIES IN A SHARED BONUS EVENT

• US 20150161844A1
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Published: 06/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Tessmer, Michael T., Cannon, Lee E., Centuori, Charlotte S., Williams, Alan D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,761,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3216 Construction aspects of a gaming system, e.g. housing, seats, ergonomic aspects
• 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 17/3244 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 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

Methods of weighting odds in shared bonus events and gaming systems and devices configured for weighting odds in shared bonus events. A number of participations or entries by the same gaming machine or player entity may be obtained for a shared bonus event in association with play of a base or primary game, allowing the odds of winning the shared bonus event to be weighted.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a housing;

at least one display device supported by the housing,

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

(i) an acceptor,

(ii) a validator, and

(iii) a cashout device;

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

(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor;

(i) identify, via the validator, the received physical item, and

(ii) establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received and identified physical item,

(b) for a play of a game;

(i) determine, via the at least one processor, a game outcome,

(ii) display, via the at least one display device, the determined game outcome to a player,

(iii) determine, via the at least one processor, any award associated with the determined game outcome, and

(iv) display, via the at least one display device, any determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the player, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on any determined award associated with the determined game outcome,

(c) if a lottery entry qualifying event occurs in association with the play of the game, cause at least one lottery entry to be associated with the player, 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 the lottery entry qualifying event is a randomly occurring event associated with the play of the game.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is a predetermined event occurring in association with the play of the game.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a random occurrence of a designated quantity of one or more symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of a designated combination of symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of the designated quantity of one or more symbols on a designated payline, a random occurrence of the designated combination of symbols on the designated payline, a placement of a wager of a certain amount, a placement of a designated quantity of wagers, and an elapsed amount of time playing the game.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to initiate the play of the game upon receipt of a wager amount placed on the play of the game, said credit balance being decreasable based on the wager amount placed on the play of the game.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause a printer to print the at least one lottery entry associated with the player.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein any award associated with the determined game outcome includes at least one of:

an amount of monetary credits and an amount of non-monetary credits.

8. A gaming system server comprising:

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;

(a) for a play of a game;

(i) determine a game outcome,

(ii) cause at least one display device to display the determined game outcome to a player,

(iii) determine any award associated with the determined game outcome,

(iv) cause the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the player, and

(v) cause any determined awards to increase a credit balance, said credit balance being;

(A) increasable via;

 

(I) an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and

 

(II) a validator configured to identify the physical item, and

(B) decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance, and

(b) if a lottery entry qualifying event occurs in association with the play of the game, cause at least one lottery entry to be associated with the player.

9. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is a randomly occurring event associated with the play of the game.

10. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is a predetermined event occurring in association with the play of the game.

11. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a random occurrence of a designated quantity of one or more symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of a designated combination of symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of the designated quantity of one or more symbols on a designated payline, a random occurrence of the designated combination of symbols on the designated payline, a placement of a wager of a certain amount, a placement of a designated quantity of wagers, and an elapsed amount of time playing the game.

12. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to initiate the play of the game upon receipt of a wager amount placed on the play of the game, said credit balance being decreasable based on the wager amount placed on the play of the game.

13. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to cause a printer to print the at least one lottery entry associated with the player.

14. The gaming system server of claim 8, wherein any award associated with the determined game outcome includes at least one of:

an amount of monetary credits and an amount of non-monetary credits.

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

(a) for a play of a game;

(i) causing at least one processor to determine a game outcome,

(ii) causing at least one display device to display the determined game outcome to a player,

(iii) causing the at least one processor to determine any award associated with the determined game outcome,

(iv) causing the at least one display device to display any determined award associated with the determined game outcome to the player, and

(v) causing any determined awards to increase a credit balance, said credit balance being;

(A) increasable via;

(I) an acceptor of a physical item associated with a monetary value, and

(II) a validator configured to identify the physical item, and

(B) decreasable via a cashout device configured to receive an input to cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance, and

(b) if a lottery entry qualifying event occurs in association with the play of the game, causing at least one lottery entry to be associated with the player.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is a randomly occurring event associated with the play of the game.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is a predetermined event occurring in association with the play of the game.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the lottery entry qualifying event is at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a random occurrence of a designated quantity of one or more symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of a designated combination of symbols on one or more paylines, a random occurrence of the designated quantity of one or more symbols on a designated payline, a random occurrence of the designated combination of symbols on the designated payline, a placement of a wager of a certain amount, a placement of a designated quantity of wagers, and an elapsed amount of time playing the game.

19. The method of claim 15, which includes causing the at least one processor to initiate the play of the game upon receipt of a wager amount placed on the play of the game, said credit balance being decreasable based on the wager amount placed on the play of the game.

20. The method of claim 15, which includes causing a printer to print the at least one lottery entry associated with the player.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein any award associated with the determined game outcome includes at least one of:

an amount of monetary credits and an amount of non-monetary credits.

22. The method of claim 15, which is provided via a data network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the data network is an internet.