Gaming system and method for providing a community bonus event

• US 8,382,572 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2008
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Benjamin C., Rodgers, Paulina, Parker, Christmas C., Book, Brian J., Kremer, Jason D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuff, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Kevin Y
• Application Number:
  US12/270,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20100120503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 463/20
• US Class Current: 463/20
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• 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 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/34 depending on the stopping of moving members in a mechanical slot machine, e.g. "fruit" machines

Abstract

A gaming system and method including providing a community or group bonus event to a plurality of players at a plurality of gaming devices. For each of the players determined as eligible to participate in a triggered group bonus event, the gaming system determines that player'"'"'s relative probability of winning a group bonus event award in the triggered bonus event. In one such embodiment, each player'"'"'s relative probability of winning the group bonus event award is based on that player'"'"'s wagering history, such as any amounts wagered by that player, the frequency of placing such wagers and/or frequency of not placing any wagers.

Claims

1. A gaming system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices, each gaming device including at least one input device;

at least one display device associated with at least one of said gaming devices; and

at least one controller configured to operate with each of said gaming devices and said at least one display device to;

(a) for each of said players at each of said gaming devices;

(i) upon an occurrence of a bonus event point accumulation event, accumulate a first quantity of bonus event points, and

(ii) upon an occurrence of a bonus event point reduction event, reduce any accumulated bonus event points by a second quantity of bonus event points; and

(b) upon an occurrence of a competitive group race bonus event triggering condition;

(i) for each player having at least a designated balance of bonus event points, determine a relative starting position in a competitive group race bonus event, wherein said relative starting position in the competitive group race bonus event is based on said player'"'"'s current balance of bonus event points,

(ii) cause a display of each of the determined relative starting positions,

(iii) cause a display of a play of the competitive group race bonus event,

(iv) determine one of the players to win the displayed competitive group race bonus event, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on the determined relative starting positions, and

(v) cause a bonus event award to be displayed and provided to the player determined to win the displayed competitive group race bonus event.

2. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said bonus event point accumulation event occurs for each gaming device based on the player at said gaming device placing a wager.

3. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said bonus event point accumulation event occurs for each gaming device based on the player at said gaming device placing a designated amount of wagers for a designated period of time.

4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said bonus event point reduction event occurs based on a designated amount of time.

5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said bonus event point reduction event occurs for each gaming device based on the player at said gaming device not placing any wager within a designated amount of time.

6. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the designated balance of bonus event points includes at least one bonus event point.

7. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the bonus event award is one of a plurality of progressive awards.

8. The gaming system of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is configured to select one of the progressive awards to provide as the bonus event award based on the current balance of bonus event points for the player determined to win the displayed competitive group race bonus event.

9. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein said second quantity of bonus event points is less than the first quantity of bonus event points.

10. A gaming system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one input device;

at least one display device; 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 at least one input device to;

(a) maintain a plurality of progressive award values,

(b) accumulate a first quantity of bonus event points if a bonus event point accumulation event occurs,

(c) reduce any accumulated bonus event points by a second, lower quantity of bonus event points if a bonus event point reduction event occurs, and

(d) upon an occurrence of a bonus event triggering condition;

(i) select one of the plurality of progressive award values, wherein said selection is based on the current balance of bonus event points, and

(ii) display and provide the selected progressive award value to a player.

11. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said bonus event point accumulation event occurs based on the player placing a wager.

12. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said bonus event point reduction event occurs based on a designated amount of time.

13. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein said bonus event point reduction event occurs based on the player not placing any wager within a designated amount of time.

14. The gaming system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is located remote from the at least one display device and the at least one input device.