Patent Grant
7883405
This invention relates to lottery systems for conducting lottery games and casino gaming systems for gaming units such as slot machines and video poker machines and, more particularly, to incorporating multi-theme instant win games in such lottery and gaming systems.
Various lottery and gaming systems incorporating themes for the lottery and casino games have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,568 to Roffman et al. discloses an interactive gaming process and system. The system comprises a plurality of gaming machines to be played by a plurality of players. The system can be configured such that the gaming machines are either located in a casino or at internet locations. Each gaming machine comprises a wagering game and a theme game. The wagering game has features that correspond to the theme game wherein the results of the wagering game influence the results of the theme game as the wagering game is being played. The system also includes a controller for electronically linking the gaming machines and providing stimuli to the gaming machines to affect gaming machine outputs that are impartial and random. In one embodiment, the plurality of players play the wagering game as a group wherein if one players theme game results meet predetermined criteria, that particular player will play for the group. The group will then have the opportunity to split a jackpot. In another embodiment, the plurality of players play as a group wherein activation of each players wagering game either helps or hinders the group as a whole in its effort to achieve a predetermined goal. In a further embodiment, the players play their respective wagering game to directly compete against each other in the theme game. The results of the wagering games determine the winnings of each player, the eventual winner of the theme game and/or any predetermined jackpot.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 200/0151349 to Joshi discloses a gaming machine having features for increasing player appeal. The machine generally includes a processor, a display, and memory device. The processor monitors time signals from a clock and randomly selects one of a plurality of outcomes of the gaming machine in response to a wager amount. The display displays visual elements to be viewed by the player. The memory device is coupled to the processor and stores at least two data sets for producing at least two different types of visual elements. The processor selects one of at least two data sets in response to the processor monitoring a time signal corresponding to a predetermined time. The two different types of visual elements may be of a standard motif and a holiday motif, and the predetermined time is the holiday or one or more days before and/or after the holiday. Alternatively, the predetermined time can be at least one minute within one day, and the corresponding visual elements can be related to the time of day. The predetermined time can be a season of the year and the corresponding visual elements can be indicative of the season. The gaming machine may also include audio speakers and audio elements that replace the changing visual elements, or audio and video elements can be displayed in unison as a function of the time. The machine may also contemplate maintaining player appeal by providing a modified payout structure as a function of time.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method of conducting an instant win game in combination with a base wagering game. The method may include receiving a base wagering game entry and a base wagering game wager from a player, and receiving an instant win game wager from the player. The method may further include storing a game theme indicator, storing a plurality of instant win game outcome display themes, and determining an outcome of the instant win game for the player. Still further, the method may include displaying the outcome of the instant win game to the player, wherein the outcome may be displayed with one of the plurality of instant win game outcome display themes, and with the one of the plurality of instant win game outcome display themes corresponding to the stored game theme indicator. In addition, the method may include awarding the player an instant win game prize corresponding to the outcome of the instant win game.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a gaming system for conducting an instant win game in combination with a base wagering game. The gaming system may include a plurality of terminal units, with each of the terminal units including an input device that may allow a player to make a plurality of input selections, a terminal unit memory device, a currency-accepting mechanism that may be capable of allowing the player to deposit a medium of currency, a value-dispensing mechanism that may be capable of dispensing value to the player, an output device, and a terminal unit controller operatively coupled to the display unit, the input device, the terminal unit memory device, the currency-accepting mechanism, the value-dispensing mechanism, and the output device. The gaming system may also include a host computer operatively coupled to the plurality of terminal units, wherein the host computer may include a host computer memory device and a host computer controller operatively coupled to the host computer memory device.
The terminal unit controller may programmed to allow a player to enter a base wagering game entry at the input device, and to allow a player to make a base wagering game wager and an instant win game wager at the currency-accepting mechanism. One of the terminal unit controller and the host computer controller may be programmed to store a game theme indicator at the corresponding one of the terminal unit memory device and the host computer memory device, to store a plurality of instant win game outcome display themes at the corresponding one of the terminal unit memory device and the host computer memory device, and to determine an outcome of the instant win game. Further, the terminal unit controller may be programmed to display the outcome of the instant win game at the output device with the outcome being displayed with one of the plurality of instant win game outcome display themes corresponding to the game theme indicator, and to cause the value-dispensing mechanism to dispense an instant win game prize corresponding to the outcome of the instant win game.
In a further aspect, the invention is directed to a terminal unit for conducting an instant win game in combination with a base wagering game. The terminal unit may include an input device that allows the player to make a plurality of input selections, a memory device, a currency-accepting mechanism that may be capable of allowing the player to deposit a medium of currency, a value-dispensing mechanism that may be capable of dispensing value to the player, an output device, and a controller operatively coupled to the display unit, the input device, the memory device, the currency-accepting mechanism, the value-dispensing mechanism, and the output device. The controller may be programmed to allow a player to enter a base wagering game entry at the input device, to allow a player to make a base wagering game wager and an instant win game wager at the currency-accepting mechanism, and to store a game theme indicator at the memory device. The controller may also be programmed to store a plurality of instant win game outcome display themes at the memory device, to determine an outcome of the instant win game, to display the outcome of the instant win game at the output device with the outcome being displayed with one of the plurality of instant win game outcome display themes corresponding to the game theme indicator, and to cause the value-dispensing mechanism to dispense an instant win game prize corresponding to the outcome of the instant win game.
Additional aspects of the invention are defined by the claims of this patent.
Although the following text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment of the invention since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention.
It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the sentence “As used herein, the term ‘______’ is hereby defined to mean . . . ” or a similar sentence, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term by limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless a claim element is defined by reciting the word “means” and a function without the recital of any structure, it is not intended that the scope of any claim element be interpreted based on the application of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph.
A multi-theme game as described herein may have application in lottery systems, casino gaming systems and in other systems wherein an instant win game may be integrated into the existing functionality of the system. An instant win game may be provided in addition to a lottery or casino game, and may be provided for no additional charge or for an additional wager placed by the lottery or casino player. Typical instant win games, such as scratch-off games, are based on multi-tier probability tables wherein each possible winning result for the game occurs in a predetermined percentage of all outcomes of the instant win game. For example, in a given instant win game, for a $1.00 wager the probability of having a $1.00 winning outcome may be 1 in 10 occurrences of the instant win game, while the probability of having a $100 winning outcome is significantly lower, such as 1 in 500 occurrences of the instant win game.
One alternative for implementing an instant win game in a lottery system, or in a casino gaming system wherein the gaming units print and dispense tickets as credit vouchers or receipts, may be to print the instant win game on a ticket dispensed to the customer along with the other information related to the underlying lottery or casino game. For example, participants in a state or multi-state lottery game may be provided with the opportunity to place an additional wager on an instant win game accompanying the lottery game. If the player elects to pay the wager amount for the instant win game, the lottery ticket printed by the lottery terminal may include information relating to the lottery game along with information relating to the outcome of the instant win game. If the instant win game is a blackjack game, for example, the information printed on the ticket may show numbers and letters representative of cards in a player's hand and in a dealer's hand that may be totaled to represent the outcome of the instant win game. The player may win if the player's cards total an amount greater than the dealer's cards and are less than or equal to twenty-one. As another example, in a casino gambling unit that prints and dispenses prize vouchers or receipts to the player, the printer may also print information relating to the outcome of an instant win game on the vouchers and/or receipts.
Many instant win games have short life cycles, with sales peaking when the instant game is introduced and steadily declining for the duration of time that the instant game is offered. In order to attempt to maximize the sales of scratch-off instant win games, several different scratch-off instant win games may be rotated with a different scratch-off instant win game being introduced into the market as sales for the previously introduced scratch-off instant win game decrease. As described herein, a similar concept may be implemented for instant win games offered in conjunction with lottery games and casino gaming unit vouchers and receipts. As previously discussed, the instant win game outcome may be printed on the tickets, vouchers or receipts with a particular game theme, such as blackjack, as detailed above, football, Bingo, or any other theme that may be desired to display the outcome of the instant win game to the player. In one implementation in a lottery network, for example, lottery terminal units may be programmed with software to cause the printer to print instant game outcomes on lottery tickets with one of a plurality of available game themes. When a player purchases a lottery ticket and places an additional wager to play the instant win game, a game theme indicator provided by a central host computer and/or stored at the lottery terminal unit may cause the lottery terminal unit to print the outcome of the instant win game on the ticket with a corresponding one of the available game themes. When it is desired to rotate to a different instant win game theme, the game theme indicator provided by the host and/or stored at the lottery terminal unit may be changed so that a different one of the plurality of available game is printed on the lottery tickets for the instant win game by the lottery terminal units. The instant win game themes may similarly be programmed into casino gaming systems so that instant win games on casino vouchers or receipts may be printed using one of a plurality of available game themes that may be rotated as desired.
The lottery network 100 may further include other lottery terminal units 116 that may be directly connected to the network 110 through a plurality of direct network links 118, thereby eliminating the need for the bus 108, router 112 or other networking equipment. Each lottery terminal unit 116 in this configuration may represent a group of lottery retailers participating in the state lottery, as described above, or a plurality of the lottery terminal units 116 may be grouped together to form a lottery node 120. The lottery nodes 120, in turn, may be directly connected and/or multiplexed to the network 110 via the direct network links 118. Further, the direct network links 118 may represent secure communications channels physically hardened against tampering and/or the communications may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to information transmitted thereon.
The input keys 126 may allow the player or sales agent to select the game to be played, input the value to be wagered, manually enter the selected lottery characters, and input any other information necessary to play a given lottery game. The display 128 may be a LCD, a CRT, a touch-screen capable of receiving and displaying information, or any other suitable device capable of displaying the information input via the input keys 126, the lottery play slip reader 132 or the touch-screen input. The value input device may include any device that can accept value or a wager from a customer, such as the card reader 130 or an optical currency collector. The value input device may further be integrated with external devices, such as cash registers or other retail terminals, communicatively connected to the lottery terminal unit 104, to exchange information necessary to receive and record the wagering transactions. The lottery ticket printer 133 may be used to print or otherwise encode lottery tickets with information selected or required to play a given lottery game. Further, the lottery ticket printer 133 may provide lottery tickets, or even completed lottery slips if the selections were generated automatically, that could be used by the player in other lottery terminal units 116 equipped with lottery play slip or ticker readers 132.
Moreover, the lottery terminal units 104, 116 and lottery nodes 120 may include centralized or shared display mechanisms such as a scrolling digital signs or messaged boards configured to display the outcome of a completed lottery game and advertises or attract players to upcoming games. In one exemplary configuration, at least one lottery terminal unit 104 or 116 includes software for generating graphics and is communicatively connected to an external LCD suitable for displaying graphics. Upon completion of a lottery drawing, the results or winning information can be formatted by the graphical software and displayed, in an eye-catching manner, on the external LCD. Alternatively, the graphical software may be stored on a peripheral device, such as a CD-ROM, and the result of the lottery drawing communicated thereto for formatting and display.
The network 110, and hence the individual lottery terminal units 104 and 116, may be communicatively connected to a central host computer 134. The central host computer 134 may be a single networked computer, or a series of interconnected computers having access to the network 110 via a gateway or other known networking system. Generally, the central host computer 134 may include a central lottery controller 136 configured to manage, execute and control the individual lottery elements 104, 116 and 120 and the routines used to play the various lottery games. The central lottery controller 136 may include a memory 138 for storing lottery programs and routines, a microprocessor 140 (MP) for executing the stored programs, a random access memory 142 (RAM) and an input/output bus 144 (I/O). The memory 138, microprocessor 140, RAM 142 and the I/O bus 144 may be multiplexed together via a common bus, as shown, or may each be directly connected via dedicated communications lines, depending on the needs of the lottery system 100.
Further, the central lottery controller 136 may be directly connected, hardwired, or indirectly connected through the I/O bus 144 to external components such as a display 146, a control panel 148, a network interface device 150 and other peripheral I/O devices 152. Examples of other peripherals device include, but are not limited to, storage devices, wireless adaptors, printers, and the like. In addition, a database 154 may be communicatively connected to the central lottery controller 136 and provide a data repository for the storage and correlation of information gathered from the individual lottery terminal units 104, 116 or lottery nodes 120. The information stored within the database 154 may be information relating to individual lottery terminal units 104, 116 such as terminal specific information like a terminal identification code, sales agent code, and location for each lottery ticket printed. The database 154 may further include ticket specific information such as the type of game played (Lotto, Pick-3, Pick-4 etc.), or game specific information such as the total lottery sales, drawing outcomes, amounts wagered, numbers selected by the players, and the like.
In operation, the central lottery controller 136 may operate as a clearing-house for the lottery terminal units 116 and the first lottery network 102, whereby the lottery network computer 106 collects, stores and analyzes status and operational information relating to each lottery terminal unit 104. For example, the lottery network computer 106 may continuously receive transactional data from the individual lottery terminal unit 104 indicative of the number of tickets sold and associated dollar amounts, and the lottery numbers and number order generated at each lottery terminal unit. The transactional data collected by the lottery network computer 106 may be communicated to the central host computer 134 continuously or may be processed into a batch format and transmitted periodically for storage in the database 154. If, for example, the central lottery controller 136 and the lottery network computer 106 are communicating continuously, it may be desirable for the central lottery controller 136 to execute the actual lottery routine and transmit the results to the lottery network computer 106 for distribution to the lottery terminal units 104 and directly to the lottery terminal units 116. In addition, it may be desirable for the central lottery controller 136 to include, via the peripheral device input 152, a scanner, such as the lottery play slip reader 132, for directly importing/reading manual selections into the database 154.
It will be understood that the lottery network 100 illustrated in
The central host computer 134 may store the software for managing one or more lottery games offered in the lottery system 100. Some jurisdictions may limit the number of lottery games that may be offered by a lottery system. Consequently, once a lottery system offers the maximum number of lottery games allowed by the jurisdiction, it may be necessary to remove or otherwise decommission an existing lottery game in order to implement a new lottery game. Moreover, when a new game is implemented in the lottery system, it may be necessary to perform certification testing on the new lottery game to ensure compliance of the lottery game with the applicable gaming regulations. Therefore, it may be desirable to be able to reuse lottery game functionality in order to avoid certifying or recertifying lottery game software, and to conserve the limited number of available lottery game positions available in the lottery system.
Regardless of the configuration or layout of the lottery system 100, it may often be the case that the lottery terminal unit 104, 116 will include lottery play slip or ticket readers 132 which may be used to scan an instant game ticket or a lottery play slip 300 (
Referring to
The exemplary lottery play slip 300 illustrated in
It will be understood that to play the exemplary Keno game described above, the player may manually fill-out the lottery play slip 300 using a pencil, pen or other input method, and the player slip 300 may be read by the lottery play slip reader 132 of the lottery terminal unit 116 to input the player's selections into the lottery system 100. Alternatively, the player may key-in the desired selections at the lottery terminal unit 104, or instruct a sales agent to key-in the desired selections. Once the player's selections are entered into the lottery system 100, the inputted data may then be used by the lottery terminal unit 104, the lottery server 106, and/or the central host computer 134 to generate the lottery ticket 302 with information corresponding to the player's selections. The ticket 302 may serve as the player's receipt, or the lottery terminal 104 unit may print an additional receipt for the player. At the same time, the information for the player selections may be stored in a database, such as in the memory of the lottery terminal unit 104 or server 106, in database 154 or memory 138 of central host computer 134, or other storage location for later use in ticket validation, auditing, compliance monitoring, and the like. At this point, the player may also pay for the wager and games being played.
In general, lotteries may be implemented as the networked games described above, or as an instant game. Networked lottery games, such as Lotto and Powerball-style games wherein players may enter a drawing at any one of a number of sales agent locations having lottery terminal units 104, 116, are typically communicatively connected through the network 110 to the central host computer 134, as described above. Lotto and Powerball-style games often offer multi-thousand or multimillion-dollar jackpots, in which five or six numbers are randomly drawn from a pool of twenty or more possible numbers, and the player(s) who has selected, or has had the system select, matching numbers is a winner. Network lotteries may further be implemented as a number game, in a “Pick-3” or “Pick 4” format, in which three or four numbers are drawn from the integers 0 through 9. Number games such as these, in contrast to typical Lotto or Powerball-style games, are often performed with replacements (e.g., the number 2 could be drawn twice) and may distinguish by order (e.g. 3-4-5 may be a different outcome than 5-4-3).
The instant or “scratch-off” lotteries may be implemented as an artfully decorated piece of cardboard or other material with game characters or indicia concealed by a covering material such as latex. In one embodiment, the player simply scratches off the covering material to reveal whether or not the ticket is a winner. An alternate embodiment requires the player to scratch off and reveal a subset of the indicia on the ticket, and the player may or may not win based on the revealed indicia. For example, the scratch-off ticket may include six covered indicia, and the player must uncover three matching indicia, such as three “$20 WIN” spots, in order to win the twenty-dollar prize on the ticket. If one or more selected indicia does not match the other indicia, the player loses the instant win game. It will be understood that the “scratch-off” game may be implement on a video terminal by presenting a variety of indicia hidden behind selectable images. A video scratch-off game would require a player to select an image in an attempt to match indicia hidden there under.
Regardless of the manner in which the selections are made, upon completion of the selection process the player may pay the necessary wager amount at block 362 and the ticket may be dispensed as indicated at block 364. While shown and described as occurring in sequence with the player electing to participate, making game specific selections automatically or manually if necessary, paying the wager amount, and having a lottery ticket dispensed, the steps may occur in any order or concurrently as may be necessary or desired to implement a given lottery game or games. For example, the lottery terminal unit 104 may be configured to require a player to deposit money in a coin slot, currency reader, credit card reader or other value-deposit mechanism, before selecting a game and/or game-specific selections. Alternatively, sales agents may take all the information for the player's entry for the lottery game, print the corresponding lottery ticket and hand the ticket to the player before receiving the wager amount from the player. Those skilled in the art will understand that the steps of selecting a game, making game-specific selections, paying a wager amount and dispensing a lottery ticket may occur in any necessary sequence to accept player entries for the lottery games.
After the players' entries for the lottery game(s) are entered and the players have paid the necessary wager amounts, the lottery games may be executed at block 366. For lottery games involving a drawing, such as Lotto, Powerball-style games, Keno, Bingo, Pick-3 and Pick-4, the drawings may occur on a specified day and time, or at predetermined intervals, with the players being required to make their entries prior to the drawings. For other lottery games initiated by the players, such as instant win games and scratch-off games, the execution of the game occurs when the player performs the necessary actions with the lottery ticket to play the game. For each of these games, however, the execution of the lottery game involves a distinct process for determining the outcome of an occurrence of the game.
In a Lotto game, the players may wager on how many numbers they can match from a specified range of numbers or symbols. For example, during the game-specific selection, the players may select, or have the lottery system 100 select, six numbers from the range of whole numbers from, for example, 1 to 56. At the time of the drawing for the Lotto game, six numbers may be selected from the range of whole numbers from 1 to 56. The six numbers may be selected mechanically using a blower-type ball drawing machine containing a fifty-six balls, each having a number between 1 and 56 printed thereon, electronically using a random number generator or other random selection mechanism at, for example, the lottery host computer 134, or by any other mechanism for randomly selecting a subset of elements from a known set of elements. Winning player entries may be evaluated by comparing the players' selections to the drawing selections to determine the level of correspondence between the players' selections and the drawing selections. The greater the correspondence, the greater the prize may be, up to the awarding of a jackpot where a player's selections exactly match the drawing selections.
Powerball-style games may be similar to Lotto games, with players selecting a subset of a known range of numbers or symbols from multiple ranges of numbers or symbols. In one example of a Powerball-style game, players' entries consist of five numbers selected from the range of 1 to 53, and one number selected from the range of 1 to 42. When the drawing occurs, five numbers are selected from the range of 1 to 53, and one number is selected from the range of 1 to 42. As with Lotto games, the players' entries may also be evaluated by comparing the players' selections with the drawn selections, with prizes being awarded based on the level of correspondence. Matching some or all of the five numbers from the range of 1 to 53 and not matching the one number from the range of 1 to 42, or matching the one number from the range 1 to 42 and none or up to four of the numbers from the range of 1 to 53 may result in winning a fixed prize amount, while matching all five numbers from the first range and the one number from the second range may result in winning a jackpot.
Keno games are well known for both lottery games and casino games. In typical Keno games, players select one to ten or one to fifteen numbers from the range of 1 to 80. At the time of the drawing, twenty numbers are selected from the range of numbers from 1 to 80. Players win based on the level of correspondence, or lack thereof, between the selected numbers and the drawn numbers, with the win amount for any player entry being determined based on the level of correspondence and the amount of numbers selected by the player. For example, a player may be awarded a larger prize for selecting five numbers and matching all five numbers, than for selecting ten numbers and matching five of those numbers.
Bingo is another common lottery and casino game. In Bingo, each player selects one or more game card consisting of a five-by-five matrix of numbers from the range of 1 to 75. The first column contains five numbers selected from the range of 1 to 15, the second column contains five numbers selected from the range of 16 to 30, the third column typically contains four numbers selected from the range of 31 to 45 and a square entitled “FREE SPACE” in the center, the fourth column contains five numbers selected from the range of 46 to 60, and the fifth column contains five numbers selected from the range of 61 to 75. At the time of the drawing, numbers from the range of 1 to 75 are drawn randomly until at least one player matches a predetermined winning pattern, such as matching all the numbers in a row, column or diagonal, matching the four corners of the Bingo card, or matching any other pattern designated as a winning pattern. The player or players matching a winning pattern first are awarded a prize for the game. Larger prizes may also be awarded for matching particular patterns, or for matching the winning pattern within a predetermined number of drawn balls.
Pick-3 and Pick-4 games are somewhat similar to Powerball-style and Lotto games, wherein players select numbers or symbols from a predetermined range of numbers or symbols. In a Pick-3 game, players select a three-digit number (from 000 to 999) for their entry. At the time of making an entry, the player may be able to elect whether the three digit number must match the drawn three digit number exactly (straight bet) or whether the selected digits may appear in any order in the drawn three digit number (box bet). For example, if a player plays “123” in the Pick-3 as a straight bet, the player may only wins if the number “123” is drawn, while a player playing “123” as a box bet may win if “123,” “132,” “213,” “231,” “312” or “321” are drawn. In order to allow for the increased probability of winning a box bet, the player may either be required to wager a larger amount to box the bet, or be awarded a smaller prize amount due to the increased probability of having a winning entry. At the time of the drawing, three numbers are each drawn randomly from a separate set of numbers in the range of 0 to 9 such that digits may be repeated in the drawn three-digit number. In one implementation, three separate blower-type ball machines are used to conduct the drawing, with each machine containing ten balls each having a number between 0 and 9 printed thereon. The first-drawn ball is the first digit of the winning number, the second-drawn ball is the second digit of the winning number, and the third-drawn ball is the final digit. Pick-4 games are conducted in a similar manner using four digit numbers.
As previously mentioned, scratch-off lotteries do not involve a separate drawing conducted by the lottery. Instead, the lottery ticket includes indicia for conducting and determining the outcome of the scratch-off game, with the indicia being covered by a material that may be scratched off to expose the indicia disposed there under. For other games, such as pull tab games, the game indicia and/or the entire ticket may be covered by a covering sheet or substrate, with all or portions thereof being removable to expose the game indicia when the game is played by the player. The scratch-off or pull tab games may configured so that each ticket is predetermined to be a winning or losing entry for the game, or configured so that the each ticket may be either a winning or losing entry, with the outcome being determined based on the order or manner in which the player exposes the covered game indicia on the lottery ticket. In the former type of scratch-off or pull tab game, the indicia is configured to indicate whether the ticket is winning or losing entry, and the player merely removes the covering to expose the indicia and evaluates the indicia to determine whether the ticket is a winning or losing ticket. Any player purchasing the ticket will achieve the same outcome.
In the latter type of scratch-off or pull tab game, the player typically removes the covering from a subset of the indicia disposed on the lottery ticket, and the player wins if the player selected a predetermined winning subset of the indicia. For example, the indicia on the lottery ticket may represent different dollar amounts that may be awarded for winning numbers with three of the dollar amounts being the same, and the three remaining dollar amounts being different. To play the game, the player may select and remove the covering from three of the dollar amounts. If the player exposes the three matching dollar amounts, the player wins the corresponding prize amount. If the player exposes one or more of the non-matching dollar amounts, the player does not win a prize for that lottery ticket. Consequently, each ticket may potentially be a winning ticket, but the ticket will only be a winning ticket if the player selects and uncovers the winning combination of indicia.
Upon completion of the lottery game, the lottery tickets may be redeemed by the players and the winning entries may be determined at block 368. For the lottery games for which a drawing is conducted with the outcome of the drawing being compared to each of the player's entries to determine whether the entries are winning entries, the results of the drawing may be entered and recorded in the lottery system 100 at the lottery host computer 134, for example. In implementations where the player entries are stored in databases at the lottery host computer 134 and/or the lottery terminal units 104, the player entries for the occurrence of the lottery game may be compared to the outcome of the lottery drawing to determine which player entries are winning entries. Based on the results of the comparison, the lottery system 100 may generate a listing of winning entries for the occurrence of the lottery game.
When a player presents a lottery ticket at a sales agent location for redemption, the lottery ticket may be inserted in the ticket reader 132 of the lottery terminal unit 104. The lottery terminal unit 104 may use the information encoded on the lottery ticket to retrieve information from the lottery system 100 to determine whether the lottery ticket is a winning ticket. Alternatively, where the player's selections are encoded on the lottery ticket, the lottery terminal unit 104 or central host computer 134 may compare the player's selections to the drawing outcome to determine whether the lottery ticket is a winning ticket; and determine the corresponding award amount. Still further, the lottery ticket, and in particular a scratch-off and pull tab tickets or Bingo card, may be evaluated by a sales agent to determine whether the lottery ticket is a winning ticket, and any corresponding prize award.
Once the prize award for the lottery ticket is determined, the value may be dispensed to the player corresponding to the prize amount determined for a winning lottery ticket at block 370. The dispensed value may be in any appropriate form, including direct cash payments by the sales agent to the players, printing and issuance of a credit voucher or check at the lottery terminal unit 104, applying credit to a debit card, credit card, smart card, player's lottery or bank account, or any other mechanism for dispensing value to the player.
During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit 104 as determined at block 404, the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game-selection display may be generated on the display 128 at block 406 to allow the player to select a lottery available on the lottery terminal unit 104. The lottery terminal unit 104 may detect an input at block 404 in various ways. For example, the lottery terminal unit 104 could detect if the player presses any button on the control panel 124, could determine whether the player deposited currency into a coin slot or currency reader, inserted a smart card into the card reader 130, or recognized any other input of value by the player.
The game-selection display generated at block 406 may include, for example, a list of video lottery games that may be played on the lottery terminal unit 104 and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the lottery terminal unit 104. While the game-selection display is generated, the lottery terminal unit 104 may wait for the player to make a game selection. At block 408, if no game selection is made within a given period of time, the operation may branch back to block 402. Upon selection of one of the games by the player as determined at block 408, the controller 200 may execute one of a number of lottery game routines at block 410 to allow player to play the selected lottery game. The lottery game routine executes and allows the player to play the selected lottery game. For example, when playing video poker, the player may be allowed to indicate whether to hold or drop cards dealt by the lottery terminal unit 104 to the player. In video Keno, the player may select up to ten or fifteen numbers from 1 to 80 to use as the player's game entry. In video blackjack, the player may indicate whether to hit or stand on a hand, or split or double down on a hand. At the end of the game, the outcome may be determined at block 412. The lottery terminal unit 104 may determine the amount of any prize won by the player and corresponding to the player's wager on the game, and increment the amount of credits for the player on the lottery terminal unit 104.
At this point, the player may elect to quit the game and cash out the player's credits at block 414. If the player wishes to stop playing the lottery terminal unit 104 and “Cash Out” any accumulated credits, the controller 200 may dispense value to the player at block 416 based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block 402. If the player does not wish to quit as determined at block 414, the routine may return to block 406 where the game-selection display may again be generated to allow the player to select another game.
Lottery games for which a lottery ticket is printed and dispensed at the lottery terminal unit 104 may be enhanced or supplemented by providing players with the opportunity to participate in an instant win game along with the lottery game. An instant win game may implemented in a lottery system 100 as described herein wherein the central host computer 134 may be programmed with software for executing the various lottery games offered by a lottery commission, and one or more remote lottery terminal units 104, 116 are programmed to receive the game selections of the lottery players as input. The instant win game may be an additional lottery game wherein multiple themes are available for displaying the outcome of the lottery game while using the same logic for determining the outcome of the lottery game. The various themes may be coded into the software for the lottery game so that the themes may be alternated or cycled without the need to download additional code or reprogram the game logic in order to display a different game theme. The themes may be displayed at a monitor or other display device, such as display 128 at a lottery terminal unit 104 executing routine 400 to play video lottery games, or printed on the lottery ticket in addition to the information printed for the base lottery game with which the instant win game may be associated. Alternatively, the instant win game may be offered as a stand-alone game.
An example of a routine wherein an instant win game may be implemented along with a base lottery game is illustrated in
Depending on the manner in which the player's information is being input to enter into the lottery game, the prompting of the player to elect whether to participate in the game may be in any appropriate form. For example, if the player is entering information at one of the lottery terminal units 104, a prompt may be shown at the display 128 asking the player whether the player wants to participate in the instant win game, and indicating particular keys or portions of the display 128 to touch in order to indicate a desire to participate in the instant win game. If the player's information is being taken by a sales agent at the lottery terminal unit 104, a prompt may cause the sales agent to ask the player whether the player wants to participate in the instant win game. Further, the play slip for the lottery game may be modified to include a box or area to be marked if the player wants to play an instant win game.
One example of a Keno play slip 374 including information allowing the player to play an instant win game is shown in
Returning to
Alternatively, in a decentralized system, each lottery terminal unit 104 may be programmed with software for determining outcomes of occurrences of the instant win game. As discussed above, the lottery terminal unit 104 may be programmed with any appropriate algorithm and/or routine for determining an outcome of the instant win game. Further, the outcomes may be stored at the lottery terminal unit 104 or transmitted to the central host computer 134 for storage. Moreover, the process of determining the outcome of an occurrence of the instant win game may be divided between components of the system as may be necessary to achieved regulatory, system, processing and design requirements and preferences.
Once the outcome for the occurrence of the instant win game is determined, the lottery terminal unit 104 may print and dispense the lottery ticket to the player at block 384. The outcome of the instant win game may be printed on the lottery ticket using one of a plurality of available game themes. For example, after the Keno play slip 374 of
As previously discussed, a plurality of game themes may be available for lottery terminal unit 104 to print the outcome of the instant win game on the lottery ticket. The particular game theme used to display the outcome of the instant win game may be dictated to the lottery terminal unit 104 by a game theme indicator that may be a code corresponding to one of the available game themes. The game theme indicator may be preset so that the same theme is printed for the instant win game each time the instant win game is played until the game theme indicator is changed to cause the instant win game outcome to print with a different one of the stored game themes. For example, one value of the game theme indicator may cause the lottery ticket to print with a football theme for the instant game as shown in
A different game theme indicator may correspond to a blackjack theme, and may cause lottery terminal units 104 to print Pick-3 lottery tickets, such as lottery ticket 390 of
Depending on the implementation, the game theme indicator may reside in different locations within the lottery system 100. Where control of the lottery system 100 is centralized at the central host computer 134, the game theme indicator may be stored in the memory 138 or database 154. The central host computer 134 may also include an application allowing an operator to change the stored game theme indicator via input at, for example, one of the peripheral I/O devices 152 when it is desired to change the theme used with the instant win game. If the outcomes for occurrences of the instant win game are determined at the central host computer 134, the game theme indicator may be transmitted to the lottery terminal units 104 when the outcome of the occurrence of the instant win game is transmitted to the lottery terminal units 104. Alternatively, the game theme indicator may be transmitted to the lottery terminal units 104 and stored at the units 104 whenever the game theme indicator is changed at the central host computer 134. Still further, the lottery terminal units 104 may include applications allowing a game theme indicator stored therein to be updated at the lottery terminal units 104. It will be apparent that, depending on the implementation, the instant win game may use the same game theme indicator and display the same game theme on lottery tickets printed at all lottery terminal units 104, or may use different game theme indicators at different lottery terminal units 104 and, consequently, display different game themes on lottery tickets printed at different lottery terminal units 104.
For each game theme that may be used to display the outcome of the instant win game, the outcomes of the game associated with the game theme may be mapped to the potential outcomes of the instant win game. For example, blackjack theme game outcomes may map to the instant win game outcomes as shown in Table 1.
In the example, eight potential outcomes are defined for the instant win game corresponding to a win and a lose outcome for $1.00, $2.00, $5.00 and $20.00 prize amounts. Each outcome may have an associated probability of occurring that may be calculated to achieve a desired or required return or payout to the players wagering on the instant win game. Each of the potential instant game outcomes may be mapped to one blackjack outcome such that each time a given instant win game outcome occurs, the same blackjack hands will be printed on the lottery ticket. For example, each time the $5.00 WIN outcome occurs for the instant win game, the blackjack outcome printed on the lottery ticket will look similar to the indicia 394 of the lottery ticket 390 of
After the lottery ticket is dispensed, the flow of the routine proceeds similar to the flow of routine 350 of
In a similar manner, an instant win game with multiple themes may be implemented in a video lottery system, with the routine 400 of
It will be apparent that multiple game themes may be used to display the instant win game outcomes produced by the instant win game software without altering the instant win game software. Outcomes of each of the available game themes are mapped to the outcomes of the instant win game. The only change required to display the instant win game outcomes in the various game themes is updating the game theme indicator to point to the appropriate game theme. Therefore, reprogramming of the lottery system 100 is not required in order to change game theme used to display the outcome of the instant win game. Further, because the software for executing the instant win game is not reprogrammed, it may not be necessary or required to recertify the instant win game when the display of the outcome of the instant win game is switched between the various game themes. Moreover, by using the same underlying instant win game for the plurality of game themes, multiple game theme instant win games may be implemented while only counting as a single lottery game towards any applicable regulatory limit on the number of lottery games that may be offered by a lottery system 100.
The functionality and components of the lottery system 100 discussed hereinbefore may also have application in casino gaming systems as described in more detail hereinafter. Those skilled in the art will understand that, to the extent not specifically discussed, the functions and components of the lottery system 100 may be implemented as necessary or desired to provide similar functionality and perform similar functions in casino gaming systems. Moreover, those skilled in the art will similarly understand that functionality and components of casino gaming networks as described herein may be implemented in lottery systems, such as the lottery system 100.
Referring to
The first network 502 of gaming units 504 may be provided in a first casino, and the second network 510 of gaming units 512 may be provided in a second casino located in a separate geographic location than the first casino. For example, the two casinos may be located in different areas of the same city, or they may be located in different states. The network 518 may include a plurality of network computers or server computers (not shown), each of which may be operatively interconnected. Where the network 518 comprises the Internet, data communication may take place over the communication links 520, 522 via an Internet communication protocol.
The network computer 506 may be a server computer and may be used to accumulate and analyze data relating to the operation of the gaming units 504. For example, the network computer 506 may continuously receive data from each of the gaming units 504 indicative of the dollar amount and number of wagers being made on each of the gaming units 504, data indicative of how much each of the gaming units 504 is paying out in winnings, data regarding the identity and gaming habits of players playing each of the gaming units 504, etc. The network computer 514 may be a server computer and may be used to perform the same or different functions in relation to the gaming units 512 as the network computer 506 described above. The network computers 506, 514 may similar type computers to the host computers or servers 134 of the lottery system 100 described above, and may include analogous components to the controller 136, memory 138, microprocessor 140, RAM 142, I/O bus 144, display 146, control panel 148, network interface 150, peripheral I/O devices 152 and database 154.
Although each network 502, 510 is shown to include one network computer 506, 514 and four gaming units 504, 512, it should be understood that different numbers of computers and gaming units may be utilized. For example, the network 502 may include a plurality of network computers 506 and tens or hundreds of gaming units 504, all of which may be interconnected via the data link 508. The data link 508 may provided as a dedicated hardwired link or a wireless link. Although the data link 508 is shown as a single data link 508, the data link 508 may comprise multiple data links.
Referring to
If provided on the gaming unit 504, the ticket reader/printer 606 may be used to read and/or print or otherwise encode ticket vouchers 610. The ticket vouchers 610 may be composed of paper or another printable or encodable material and may have one or more of the following informational items printed or encoded thereon: the casino name, the type of ticket voucher, a validation number, a bar code with control and/or security data, the date and time of issuance of the ticket voucher, redemption instructions and restrictions, a description of an award, and any other information that may be necessary or desirable. Different types of ticket vouchers 610 could be used, such as bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casino chip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, merchandise ticket vouchers, restaurant ticket vouchers, show ticket vouchers, etc. The ticket vouchers 610 could be printed with an optically readable material such as ink, or data on the ticket vouchers 610 could be magnetically encoded. The ticket reader/printer 606 may be provided with the ability to both read and print ticket vouchers 610, or it may be provided with the ability to only read or only print or encode ticket vouchers 610. In the latter case, for example, some of the gaming units 504 may have ticket printers 606 that may be used to print ticket vouchers 610, which could then be used by a player in other gaming units 504 that have ticket readers 606.
If provided, the card reader 608 may include any type of card reading device, such as a magnetic card reader or an optical card reader, and may be used to read data from a card offered by a player, such as a credit card or a player tracking card. If provided for player tracking purposes, the card reader 608 may be used to read data from, and/or write data to, player tracking cards that are capable of storing data representing the identity of a player, the identity of a casino, the player's gaming habits, etc.
The gaming unit 504 may include one or more audio speakers 612, a coin payout tray 614, an input control panel 616, and a color video display unit 618 for displaying images relating to the game or games provided by the gaming unit 504. The audio speakers 612 may generate audio representing sounds such as the noise of spinning slot machine reels, a dealer's voice, music, announcements or any other audio related to a casino game. The input control panel 616 may be provided with a plurality of pushbuttons or touch-sensitive areas that may be pressed by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc.
If the gaming unit 504 provides a slots game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines which define winning combinations of reel symbols, the control panel 616 may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons 636, each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to spinning the reels. For example, five buttons 636 may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine paylines.
If the gaming unit 504 provides a slots game having a plurality of reels, the control panel 616 may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons 638 each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected. For example, if the smallest wager accepted by the gaming unit 504 is a quarter ($0.25), the gaming unit 504 may be provided with five selection buttons 638, each of which may allow a player to select one, two, three, four or five quarters to wager for each payline selected. In that case, if a player were to activate the “5” button 636 (meaning that five paylines were to be played on the next spin of the reels) and then activate the “3” button 638 (meaning that three coins per payline were to be wagered), the total wager would be $3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $0.25).
The control panel 616 may include a “Max Bet” button 640 to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable for a game. In the above example, where up to nine paylines were provided and up to five quarters could be wagered for each payline selected, the maximum wager would be 45 quarters, or $11.25. The control panel 616 may include a spin button 82 to allow the player to initiate spinning of the reels of a slots game after a wager has been made.
In
Although one possible control panel 616 is described above, it should be understood that different buttons could be utilized in the control panel 616, and that the particular buttons used may depend on the game or games that could be played on the gaming unit 504. Although the control panel 616 is shown to be separate from the display unit 618, it should be understood that the control panel 616 could be generated by the display unit 618. In that case, each of the buttons of the control panel 616 could be a colored area generated by the display unit 618, and some type of mechanism may be associated with the display unit 618 to detect when each of the buttons was touched, such as a touch-sensitive screen.
Although the program memory 654 is shown in
As shown in
One manner in which one or more of the gaming units 504 (and one or more of the gaming units 512) may operate is described below in connection with a number of flowcharts which represent a number of portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may be stored in one or more of the memories of the controller 652. The computer program(s) or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outside of the gaming unit 504, and may control the operation of the gaming unit 504 from a remote location. Such remote control may be facilitated with the use of a wireless connection, or by an Internet interface that connects the gaming unit 504 with a remote computer (such as one of the network computers 506, 514) having a memory in which the computer program portions are stored. The computer program portions may be written in any high-level language such as C, C++, C#, Java or the like or any low-level assembly or machine language. By storing the computer program portions therein, various portions of the memories 654, 656 are physically and/or structurally configured in accordance with computer program instructions.
During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit 504 as determined at block 204, the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game-selection display may be generated on the display unit 618 at block 706 to allow the player to select a game available on the gaming unit 504. The gaming unit 504 may detect an input at block 704 in various ways. For example, the gaming unit 504 could detect if the player presses any button on the gaming unit 504; the gaming unit 504 could determine if the player deposited one or more coins into the gaming unit 504; the gaming unit 504 could determine if player deposited paper currency into the gaming unit; etc.
The game-selection display generated at block 706 may include, for example, a list of video games that may be played on the gaming unit 504 and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit 504. While the game-selection display is generated, the gaming unit 504 may wait for the player to make a game selection. Upon selection of one of the games by the player as determined at block 708, the controller 652 may cause one of a number of game routines to be performed to allow the selected game to be played. For example, the game routines could include a video poker routine 710, a video blackjack routine 712, a slot routine 714, a video Keno routine 716, and a video Bingo routine 718. At block 708, if no game selection is made within a given period of time, the operation may branch back to block 702.
After one of the routines 710, 712, 714, 716, 718 has been performed to allow the player to play one of the games, block 720 may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit 504 or to select another game. If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit 504, which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller 652 may dispense value to the player at block 722 based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block 702. If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block 720, the routine may return to block 708 where the game-selection display may again be generated to allow the player to select another game.
It should be noted that although five gaming routines are shown in
During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit 504 as determined at block 754, the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game display may be generated on the display unit 618 at block 756. The game display generated at block 756 may include, for example, an image of the casino game that may be played on the gaming unit 504 and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit 504. At block 758, the gaming unit 504 may determine if the player requested information concerning the game, in which case the requested information may be displayed at block 760. Block 762 may be used to determine if the player requested initiation of a game, in which case a game routine 764 may be performed. The game routine 764 could be any one of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the five game routines 710, 712, 714, 716, 718, or another game routine.
After the routine 764 has been performed to allow the player to play the game, block 766 may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit 504. If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit 504, which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller 652 may dispense value to the player at block 768 based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block 752. If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block 766, the operation may return to block 758.
At block 812, the routine may determine if the player desires a new hand to be dealt. In that case, at block 814 a video poker hand may be “dealt” by causing the display unit 618 to generate playing card images. After the hand is dealt, at block 816 the routine may determine if the player wishes to “Hold” any cards, in which case data regarding which of the playing card images are to be “held” may be stored in the controller 652 at block 818. If the player selects “Deal/Draw” as determined at block 820, each of the playing card images that was not “held” may be caused to disappear from the display unit 618 and to be replaced by a new, randomly selected, playing card image at block 822.
At block 824, the routine may determine whether the poker hand represented by the playing card images currently displayed is a winner. That determination may be made by comparing data representing the currently displayed poker hand with data representing all possible winning hands, which may be stored in the memory of the controller 652. If there is a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined at block 826. At block 828, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the hand was a winner, the payout value determined at block 826. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed on the display unit 616.
Although the video poker routine 710 is described above in connection with a single poker hand of five cards, the routine 710 may be modified to allow other versions of poker to be played. For example, seven-card poker may be played, or stud poker may be played. Alternatively, multiple poker hands may be simultaneously played. In that case, the game may begin by dealing a single poker hand, and the player may be allowed to hold certain cards. After deciding which cards to hold, the held cards may be duplicated in a plurality of different poker hands, with the remaining cards for each of those poker hands being randomly determined.
At block 846, the player may be allowed to be “hit,” in which case at block 848 another card will be dealt to the player's hand by making another playing card image appear in the display unit 618. If the player is hit, block 850 may determine if the player has “bust,” or exceeded 21. If the player has not bust, blocks 846 and 848 may be performed again to allow the player to be hit again.
If the player decides not to hit, at block 852 the routine may determine whether the dealer should be hit. Whether the dealer hits may be determined in accordance with predetermined rules, such as the dealer always hit if the dealer's hand totals 15 or less. If the dealer hits, at block 854 the dealer's hand may be dealt another card by making another playing card image appear in the display unit 618. At block 856, the routine may determine whether the dealer has bust. If the dealer has not busted, blocks 852, 854 may be performed again to allow the dealer to be hit again.
If the dealer does not hit, at block 858 the outcome of the blackjack game and a corresponding payout may be determined based on, for example, whether the player or the dealer has the higher hand that does not exceed 21. If the player has a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined at block 860. At block 862, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the player won, the payout value determined at block 860. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display unit 618.
If the player selects “Spin” as determined at block 916, at block 918 the routine may cause images of slot machine reels to begin “spinning” to simulate the appearance of a plurality of spinning mechanical slot machine reels. At block 920, the routine may determine the positions at which the slot machine reel images will stop, or the particular symbol images that will be displayed when the reel images stop spinning. At block 922, the routine may stop the reel images from spinning by displaying stationary reel images and images of three symbols for each stopped reel image. The virtual reels may be stopped from left to right, from the perspective of the player, or in any other manner or sequence.
The routine may provide for the possibility of a bonus game or round if certain conditions are met, such as the display in the stopped reel images of a particular symbol. If there is such a bonus condition as determined at block 494, the routine may proceed to block 926 where a bonus round may be played. The bonus round may be a different game than slots, and many other types of bonus games could be provided. If the player wins the bonus round, or receives additional credits or points in the bonus round, a bonus value may be determined at block 928. A payout value corresponding to outcome of the slots game and/or the bonus round may be determined at block 930. At block 932, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the slot game and/or bonus round was a winner, the payout value determined at block 930.
Although the above routine has been described as a virtual slot machine routine in which slot machine reels are represented as images on the display unit 618, actual slot machine reels that are capable of being spun may be utilized instead.
Referring to
If play of the Keno game is to begin as determined at block 958, at block 960 a game number within a range set by the casino may be randomly selected either by the controller 652 or a central computer operatively connected to the controller, such as one of the network computers 506, 514. At block 962, the randomly selected game number may be displayed on the display unit 618 and the display units 618 of other gaming units 504 (if any) which are involved in the same Keno game. At block 964, the controller 652 (or the central computer noted above) may increment a count that keeps track of how many game numbers have been selected at block 960.
At block 966, the controller 652 (or one of the network computers 506, 514) may determine whether a maximum number of game numbers within the range have been randomly selected. If not, another game number may be randomly selected at block 960. If the maximum number of game numbers has been selected, at block 968 the controller 652 (or a central computer) may determine whether there are a sufficient number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers selected at block 960 to cause the player to win. The number of matches may depend on how many numbers the player selected and the particular Keno rules being used.
If there are a sufficient number of matches, a payout may be determined at block 970 to compensate the player for winning the game. The payout may depend on the number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers randomly selected at block 960. At block 972, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the Keno game was won, the payout value determined at block 970. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display unit 618.
Referring to
After the player has made a wager, at block 1008 the player may select a Bingo card, which may be generated randomly. The player may select more than one Bingo card, and may be limited to selecting a maximum number of Bingo cards. After play is to commence as determined at block 1012, at block 1014 a Bingo number may be randomly generated by the controller 652 or a central computer such as one of the network computers 506, 514. At block 1016, the Bingo number may be displayed on the display unit 618 and the display units 618 of any other gaming units 504 involved in the Bingo game.
At block 1018, the controller 652 (or a central computer) may determine whether any player has won the Bingo game. If no player has won, another Bingo number may be randomly selected at block 1014. If any player has Bingo as determined at block 1018, the routine may determine at block 1020 whether the player playing that gaming unit 504 was the winner. If so, at block 1022 a payout for the player may be determined. The payout may depend on the number of random numbers that were drawn before there was a winner, the total number of winners (if there was more than one player), and the amount of money that was wagered on the game. At block 1024, the player's cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the Bingo game was won, the payout value determined at block 1022. The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display unit 618.
In a similar manner as the lottery system 100, an instant win game with multiple themes may be implemented in the casino gaming system 500, with the routines 700 and 750 of
During the course of playing a casino game at gaming units 504, 512, players may be provided with the opportunity to play an instant win game by placing an additional wager or otherwise qualifying to play the instant win game. The gaming units 504 may be configured to display a prompt on the display 618 allowing a player to elect whether to participate in the instant win game. The player may elect to play the instant win game or decline by making the appropriate entry at an input device of the gaming unit 504. If the player elects to participate in the instant win game, an outcome of the instant win game may be associated with each occurrence of the casino game being played by the player, and may require the necessary wager amount for each outcome, or an outcome of the instant win game may be associated with the players session at the gaming unit 504, with the outcome being provided to the player at the time the player cashes out of the gaming unit 504.
When an outcome of the instant win game accompanies each occurrence of the casino gambling game, the necessary wager for the instant win game may be deducted from the player's credits at the gaming unit 504 when the player wagers on the casino gambling game. When the casino gambling game routine executes to allow the player to play the casino gambling game, an outcome of the instant win game may be determined locally at the gaming unit 504, or centrally at another component of the gaming network 500 in similar manners as described above in the lottery network 100 and depending on the configuration of the particular gaming network 500. Once the outcomes of the casino gambling game and the instant win game are determined, the results of the games may be displayed to the player at the display of the gaming unit 504.
Alternatively, a single outcome of the instant win game may accompany the player's session at the gaming unit 504, with the outcome of the instant win game being displayed to the player when the player cashes out of the gaming unit 504. The outcome of the instant win game may be determined either at the time the player elects to play the instant win game and stored until the player cashes out, or at the time the player selects the cash out button of the gaming unit 504 or uses all the remaining credits on the gaming unit 504, with the outcome being determined in a similar manner as described above. When the player cashes out, the outcome of the instant win game may be displayed at the display 618 as discussed above. Alternatively, the outcome of the instant win game may be printed on a receipt or voucher printed and dispensed at ticket printer 606.
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