Gaming system that pays out a progressive bonus using a lottery

• US 5,645,486 A
• Filed: 08/23/1995
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Original Assignee: Sega Enterprises LTD.
• Inventors: Nagao, Yuji, Yano, Keiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica
• Assistant Examiner(s): ONEILL, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US08/518,342
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 463/27, 463/26, 463/25, 463/17, 463/16, 463/13, 463/12, 463/42, 273/138 A, 273/832 P, 273/143 R
• US Class Current: 463/27
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/0017 progressive jackpot
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

A progressive gaming system pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined winning combination. The progressive gaming system includes a plurality of gaming controllers which detect when a player gets one of a plurality of predetermined winning combinations and pays out a predetermined number of coins or tokens according to the winning combination. Each of the gaming controllers counts coins or tokens bet by the player before the game is started and outputs an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens. The progressive gaming system further includes an master controller operatively connected to the plurality of gaming controllers, which adds a predetermined percentage of the bet coins or tokens reported by each of the gaming controllers to a bonus value, performs a lottery when the player gets a predetermined winning combination, and controls each of the gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward for the predetermined winning combination and saved bonus value.

Claims

1. A progressive gaming system that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming controllers for detecting when a player associated therewith gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations and paying out a predetermined number of coins or tokens corresponding to said one winning combination, each of said plurality of gaming controllers counting coins or tokens bet by a player before a game is started and outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens; and

a master controller operatively connected to said plurality of gaming controllers for receiving the indication signal from each of said plurality of gaming controllers, adding a predetermined percentage of a total number of bet coins or tokens contained in each of the gaming controllers to a bonus value, performing a lottery when a player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination, and controlling said plurality of gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward, including said bonus value, to said player having said predetermined bonus winning combination, if he wins the lottery.

2. The progressive gaming system according to claim 1, wherein said master controller adjusts a winning probability of the lottery according to the amount of bet coins or tokens.

3. The progressive gaming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in parallel.

4. The progressive gaming system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in series.

5. The progressive gaming system according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

6. The progressive gaming system according to claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

7. The progressive gaming system according to claim 6, said gaming controllers are connected in series via their I/O interfaces and the signal outputted from the master controller is inputted to the I/O interface of a first one of said serially connected plurality of gaming controllers, and the output from the I/O interface of the last serially connected gaming controller is connected to said master controller.

15. The progressive gaming system according to claim 5, wherein the master controller sends the signal to and from the plurality of gaming controllers one by one in parallel.

8. A progressive gaming system that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming controllers, each having means for detecting when a player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations, means for paying out a predetermined number of coins or tokens according to said one winning combination, means for counting coins or tokens bet by said player before the game is started, and means for outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens; and

a master controller operatively connected to said plurality of gaming controllers, said master controller having means for receiving the amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signal from each of said plurality of gaming controllers, means for adding a predetermined percentage of the bet coins or tokens to a progressively saved bonus, means for performing a lottery when a player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination, and means for controlling each of the gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said progressively saved bonus, to said player having said predetermined bonus winning combination, if he wins the lottery.

9. A progressive gaming system that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming controllers for detecting when a player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations and paying out a predetermined number of coins or tokens corresponding to said one winning combination, each of the gaming controllers counting coins or tokens bet by the player before the game is started and outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens; and

a master controller operatively connected to the gaming controllers, said master controller comprising;

means for depositing in a deposited amount a first predetermined percentage of the amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signals from said plurality of gaming controllers;

means for executing a lottery with a winning probability that corresponds to a dividend, when said deposited amount reaches a predetermined target value;

means for adding the dividend to said progressively saved bonus; and

means for controlling each of the gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined winning combination and to a progressively saved bonus.

10. The progressive gaming system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in parallel.

11. The progressive gaming system according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in series.

12. The progressive gaming system according to claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

13. The progressive gaming system according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

14. The progressive gaming system according to claim 13, said gaming controllers are connected in series via their I/O interfaces and the signal outputted from the master controller is inputted to the I/O interface of a first one of said serially connected plurality of gaming controllers, and the output from the I/O interface of the last serially connected gaming controller is connected to said master controller.

16. The progressive gaming system according to claim 10, wherein the master controller sends the signal to and from the plurality of gaming controllers.

33. The progressive gaming system according to claim 9, wherein the master controller further has means for saving in the progressively saved bonus a second predetermined amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signals from the plurality of gaming controllers.

17. A progressive gaming method that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming method comprising the following steps:

counting coins or tokens bet by a player before a game is started;

outputting an indication signal representing the amount of bet coins or tokens;

adding a predetermined percentage of a total number of bet coins or tokens to a bonus value;

detecting that a player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations;

performing a lottery when said player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination; and

paying out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said bonus value if the lottery is won.

18. The progressive gaming method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of adjusting a winning probability of the lottery according to the amount of bet coins or tokens.

19. A progressive gaming method that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming method comprising the following steps:

counting coins or tokens bet by a player before the game is started;

outputting an indication signal representing the amount of bet coins or tokens;

adding a predetermined percentage of the bet coins or tokens to a progressively saved bonus;

detecting that a player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations;

performing a lottery when the player gets a predetermined bonus winning combination; and

paying out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said progressively saved bonus when the lottery is won.

20. A progressive gaming method that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming method comprising the steps:

counting coins or tokens bet by a player before a game is started;

outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens;

depositing in a deposited amount a first predetermined percentage of the total amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signals for all players;

saving a second predetermined percentage of the total amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signals for all players to a progressively saved bonus;

executing a lottery with a winning probability that corresponds to a dividend, when the deposited amount reaches a predetermined target amount;

adding the dividend to the progressively saved bonus when the lottery is won;

detecting that a player gets a predetermined bonus winning combination among the plurality of predetermined winning combinations; and

paying out a reward of coins or tokens corresponding to the predetermined bonus winning combination, including the progressively saved bonus.

21. A progressive game system that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming controllers for detecting when a winning player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations and paying out a predetermined number of coins or tokens corresponding to said one winning combination, each of said plurality of gaming controllers counting coins or tokens bet by a player before a game is started and outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens; and

a master controller operatively connected to said plurality of gaming controllers for adding a predetermined percentage of a total number of bet coins or tokens contained in each of the gaming controllers to a bonus value, performing a lottery when a winning player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination and has bet less than a maximum bet amount, and controlling said plurality of gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to the predetermined bonus winning combination and the bonus value, if the winning player wins the lottery with a winning probability corresponding to the bet amount.

22. The progressive gaming system according to claim 21, wherein the master controller adjusts a winning probability of the lottery according to amount of bet coins or tokens.

23. The progressive gaming system according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in parallel.

24. The progressive gaming system according to claim 21, wherein the plurality of the gaming controllers are connected to the master controller in series.

25. The progressive gaming system according to claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

26. The progressive gaming system according to claim 24, wherein each of the plurality of the gaming controllers has a display monitor, a main control board for controlling an indication to the display monitor and an I/O interface via which a signal is sent to and received from the master controller.

27. The progressive gaming system according to claim 26, said gaming controllers are connected in series via their I/O interfaces and the signal outputted from the master controller is inputted to the I/O interface of a first one of said serially connected plurality of gaming controllers, and the output from the I/O interface of the last serially connected gaming controller is connected to said master controller.

29. The progressive gaming system according to claim 25, wherein the master controller sends signals to and from the plurality of gaming controllers one by one in parallel.

34. The progressive gaming system according to claim 21, wherein the master controller does not perform the lottery when the winning player has bet the maximum bet amount, and controls the gaming controllers to pay out the coins or tokens corresponding to the predetermined bonus winning combination and the bonus value to the winning player without performing a lottery.

28. A progressive gaming system that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming controllers, each having means for detecting when a winning player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations, means for paying out a predetermined number of coins or tokens according to said one winning combination, means for counting coins or tokens bet by said player before the game is started, and means for outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens; and

a master controller operatively connected to said plurality of gaming controllers, said master controller having means for receiving the amount of the bet coins or tokens indicated by the indication signal from each of said plurality of gaming controllers, means for adding a predetermined percentage of the bet coins or tokens to a progressively saved bonus, means for controlling each of the gaming controllers to pay out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said progressively saved bonus when a player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination and has bet a predetermined maximum bet amount;

means for performing a lottery when the player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination and has bet less than said maximum bet amount, said lottery giving said winning player a chance to win said predetermined reward, even if said winning player has bet less than said maximum bet amount.

30. A progressive gaming method that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming method comprising the steps:

counting coins or tokens bet by a player before a game is started;

outputting an indication signal of the amount of the bet coins or tokens;

adding a predetermined percentage of a total number of bet coins or tokens by all players to a bonus value;

detecting when a winning player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations;

when said winning player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination,

paying out the coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said bonus value, if said winning player has bet a maximum bet amount; and

performing a lottery if said winning player has bet less than said the maximum bet amount, said lottery giving said winning player a chance to win said predetermined reward even though he has bet less than said maximum bet amount.

31. The progressive gaming method according to claim 30, further comprising the step of adjusting a winning probability of the lottery according to the coins or tokens that the winning player has bet.

32. A progressive gaming method that pays out a progressively increasing bonus to a player who wins a game with a predetermined bonus winning combination among a plurality of predetermined winning combinations, the progressive gaming method comprising the steps:

detecting when a winning player gets one of said plurality of predetermined winning combinations;

counting coins or tokens bet by all player'"'"'s before the game is started;

adding a predetermined percentage of the bet coins or tokens to a progressively saved bonus;

paying out coins or tokens corresponding to a predetermined reward including said progressively saved bonus when said winning player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination and has bet a predetermined maximum bet amount;

performing a lottery when said winning player gets said predetermined bonus winning combination and has bet less than said predetermined maximum bet amount, said lottery giving said winning player a chance to win said predetermined reward even if said winning player has bet less than said maximum bet amount.