U.S. patent application number 11/373748 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-13 for wager games with bonus play promotions, bonus play game mode, and pay table.
This patent application is currently assigned to Waterleaf Limited. Invention is credited to Martin Paul Moshal, Theo Naicker.
Application Number | 20070213121 11/373748 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38141275 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070213121 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moshal; Martin Paul ; et
al. |
September 13, 2007 |
Wager games with bonus play promotions, bonus play game mode, and
pay table
Abstract
A promotion for inducing players to play wager games takes the
form of bonus play. The bonus play, in one form, takes the form of
"free" turns of play in which a player credit account is not
debited by such turns of play. Winnings from bonus play can take
the form of cashable credit, bonus credit, or additional bonus
play, as dictated by the pay table of the wager game. In other
embodiments, the operator exercises control over the utilization
and features of the bonus play, such as by fixing the wagering for
the bonus play in advance and limiting the availability of the
bonus play to a particular time period. Bonus play is played in a
bonus mode of operation and the player may switch between bonus
mode and a regular mode. A pay table featuring bonus play as one of
the awards for a winning result of a wager game is also described.
A pay table featuring an award of bonus credit is also described.
Bonus credit is credit which is not subject to immediate withdrawal
by the player. Bonus credit can be withdrawn, if at all, provided
conditions set by the operator of the game are met.
Inventors: |
Moshal; Martin Paul;
(Gibraltar, GI) ; Naicker; Theo; (Durban,
ZA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP
300 S. WACKER DRIVE
32ND FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
Waterleaf Limited
Isle of Man
GB
|
Family ID: |
38141275 |
Appl. No.: |
11/373748 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/25 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/025 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A method for promoting play of a wager game by a player using a
game playing workstation, comprising: providing a promotion for
playing the wager game on the user interface of the workstation,
wherein the promotion comprises bonus play of the wager game, the
bonus play comprising one or more turns of play of the wager game
wherein a player credit account is not debited by such one or more
turns of play.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonus play is awarded to the
player as a sign-up bonus for registering with an operator of the
wager game.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wager game is presented to
the player of the workstation in two modes, namely a regular mode
and a bonus mode, wherein in the bonus mode turns of the play of
the wager game are charged against the number of turns of play
awarded in the bonus play.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the wager game is presented on
the user interface of the workstation in a manner wherein the
player may switch between the bonus mode and the regular mode.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the wager game is presented in a
manner wherein the user may enter the bonus mode, play one or more
turns of the wager game in the bonus mode, and switch to regular
mode, and wherein the operator of the wager game limits the ability
of the player switch between the bonus mode and regular mode.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein a time limit is set for the
player to exercise the bonus play.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein an operator of the wager game
exercises control over the utilization and features of the bonus
play.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the control comprises (a)
enabling a bonus mode of the wager game, (b) when the player plays
the wager game in bonus mode, the player utilizes bonus plays that
were awarded in the promotion; and (c) the wager amounts for the
play in the bonus mode are set by the operator and cannot be
changed by the player.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wager game comprises a
slots-type game with one or more pay lines, and wherein the
operator controls the wager amount for play in the bonus mode by
setting (a) a unit of wager, (b) a number of pay lines and (c) a
number of units of wager per pay line
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the number of pay lines is
greater than or equal to 5.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the control comprises setting a
start time and duration of the availability of the bonus play.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein the control comprises making the
bonus play available upon the player accessing the game with the
workstation and setting a limit to the number of times the player
can switch between a regular mode of play and a bonus mode of
play.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the wager game comprises a slots
game, and wherein the bonus play comprises one or more spins of the
slots game.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the wager game comprises a
Roulette game having a Roulette wheel and wherein the bonus play
comprises one or more spins of the Roulette wheel and a
predetermined amount of credit to place on one or more places in
the Roulette wheel.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager game comprises a card
game and wherein the bonus play comprises one or more hands of play
and a predetermined amount of credit with which to wager on the one
or more hands of play, and wherein the one or more hands of played
are played in a bonus mode of the card game.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the
step of providing data to the workstation in the form of a pay
table, wherein the pay table comprises a pay table in which two or
more types of payout are possible, one type comprising a credit
payout and a second type comprising one or more turns of bonus
play.
17. In a gaming server system for facilitating play of a wager game
by a workstation over a communications network, the improvement
comprising: (a) provides a facility to the operator of the wager
game whereby the operator may set controls for promotional awards
of bonus play, the bonus play comprising one or more turns of play
of the wager game wherein a player credit account is not debited by
such one or more turns of play; and wherein the gaming server
system further (b) provides datagrams to the workstation enabling
the workstation to play the wager game in a bonus mode, wherein the
player may make turns of bonus play, such turns of bonus play
comprising turns of play awarded in the promotional award of bonus
play.
18. The improvement of claim 17, wherein the controls comprise (a)
enabling a bonus mode of the wager game, (b) when the player plays
the wager game in bonus mode, the player utilizes bonus plays that
were awarded in the promotion; and (c) the wager amounts for the
play in the bonus mode are set by the operator and cannot be
changed by the player.
19. The improvement of claim 18, wherein the wager game comprises a
slots-type game with one or more pay lines, and wherein the
operator controls the wager amount for play in the bonus mode by
setting (a) a unit of wager, (b) a number of pay lines and (c) a
number of units of wager per pay line
20. The improvement of claim 19, wherein the number of pay lines is
greater than 5.
21. The improvement of claim 17, wherein the controls comprises
setting a start date and duration of the availability of the bonus
mode of play.
22. The improvement of claim 17, wherein the controls comprise
making the bonus mode play available upon the player accessing the
game with the workstation and setting a limit to the number of
times the player can switch between a regular mode of play and the
bonus mode of play.
23. The improvement of claim 17, wherein the facility provided to
the operator of the wager game whereby the operator may set
controls for promotional awards of bonus play comprises one or more
user interface screen displays comprising fields for entry of
parameters relating to 1) wagering properties for the wager game in
the bonus mode; 2) availability of the bonus mode of play, 3)
number of turns of bonus play for the wager game; and 4) assignment
of winnings resulting from bonus play to a credit account.
24. The improvement of claim 23, wherein the user interface screen
displays further comprises a means for accessing multiple different
wager games wherein parameters (1)-(4) may be set for such
different wagers games.
25. The improvement of claim 17, wherein the wager game comprises a
slots-type game.
26. The improvement of claim 23, wherein the wager game comprises a
slots-type game, and wherein the parameters for the wagering
properties of the wager game comprise (a) a number of pay lines,
(b) a unit of wager, and (c) a number of units of wager per pay
line.
27. The improvement of claim 17, wherein in aspect (b) the
workstation may switch between the bonus mode of play and a regular
mode of play, and wherein in aspect (a) the operator is provided
with a feature whereby the ability to switch between the bonus mode
and the regular mode is subject to restriction.
28. The improvement of claim 17, wherein in aspect (b) the
workstation is presented with a pay table in which two or more
types of payout are possible, one type comprising a credit payout
and a second type comprising one or more turns of bonus play.
29. A wager game having a pay table, wherein: the pay table
comprises one in which two or more types of awards are provided for
winning results of play of the wager game, one type comprising a
credit award and a second type comprising one or more turns of
bonus play, the bonus play characterized in that a) one or more
turns of play of the wager game are awarded to a player wherein a
player credit account is not debited by such one or more turns of
play, b) wagering for such one or more turns of play of the wager
game are set in advance by the operator of the wager game, and c)
wherein said bonus play is played in a bonus mode of play of the
wager game, said bonus mode of play comprising a separate mode of
play from a regular mode of play.
30. The wager game of claim 29, wherein the wager game comprises a
slots game wherein the pay table comprises a plurality of winning
results of play of the slots game, and wherein at least one of the
winning results is associated with an award of credit and wherein
at least one of the winning results is associated with an award of
bonus play.
31. The wager game of claim 30, wherein the pay table comprises two
or more winning results each associated with a credit award and two
or more winning results each associated with an award of bonus
play.
32. The wager game of claim 30, wherein the wager game is played
over a computer network.
33. The wager game of claim 29, wherein said pay table further
comprises a third type of award for a winning result comprising an
award of bonus credit, such bonus credit comprising credit added to
a player account but such credit not being immediately available
for withdrawal by a player winning such bonus credit.
34. The wager game of claim 33, wherein bonus credit is available
for withdrawal provided restrictions placed on return of bonus
credit to the player set by the operator of the wager game have
been complied with.
35. The wager game of claim 33, wherein the bonus credit is added
to a bonus credit account for the player, such bonus credit account
being separate from a cashable credit account for the player.
36. A wager game having a pay table, wherein: the pay table
comprises one in which two or more types of awards are provided for
winning results of play of the wager game, one type of award
comprising an award of bonus credit, wherein the bonus credit
comprises credit added to a player account but such credit not
being immediately available for withdrawal by a player winning such
bonus credit.
37. The wager game of claim 36, wherein bonus credit is available
for withdrawal to the player provided restrictions placed on return
of bonus credit to the player set by the operator of the wager game
have been complied with.
38. The wager game of claim 36, wherein the bonus credit is added
to a bonus credit account for the player, such bonus credit account
being separate from a cashable credit account for the player.
39. A casino comprising: one or more game playing areas where a
wager game is played, the wager game having a pay table, and
wherein the pay table comprises one in which two or more types of
awards are provided for winning results of play of the wager game,
one type comprising a credit award and a second type comprising one
or more turns of bonus play; the bonus play characterized in that:
a) one or more turns of play of the wager game are awarded to a
player wherein a player credit account is not debited by such one
or more turns of play, b) wagering for such one or more turns of
play of the wager game are set in advance by the operator of the
wager game, and c) wherein said bonus play is played in a bonus
mode of play of the wager game, said bonus mode of play comprising
a separate mode of play from a regular mode of play.
40. The casino of claim 39, wherein the casino comprises an
electronic casino accessed over a computer network and wherein the
game playing area comprises a virtual game room of the electronic
casino where a player may access an electronic wager game.
41. The casino of claim 39, wherein the pay table comprises one in
which a third type of award is possible for a winning result of
play, the third type comprising an award of bonus credit, wherein
the bonus credit comprises credit added to a player account but
such credit not being immediately available for withdrawal by a
player winning such bonus credit.
42. The casino of claim 39, wherein the game playing areas
comprises terminals for playing the wager game.
43. A casino comprising: one or more game playing areas where a
wager game is played, the wager game having a pay table, and
wherein the pay table comprises a plurality of winning results,
each of which is associated with an award, and wherein at least one
of the awards for a winning result comprises an award of bonus
credit, wherein the bonus credit comprises a credit added to a
player account but such credit is not immediately available for
withdrawal by a player winning such bonus credit.
44. The casino of claim 43, wherein the casino comprises an
electronic casino accessed over a computer network and wherein the
game playing area comprises a virtual game room of the electronic
casino where a player may access an electronic wager game.
45. The casino of claim 43, wherein the game playing areas
comprises terminals for playing the wager game.
46. The casino of claim 43, wherein the bonus credit is added to a
bonus credit account for the player, such bonus credit account
being separate from a cashable credit account for the player.
47. The casino of claim 43, wherein bonus credit is available for
withdrawal to the player provided restrictions placed on return of
bonus credit to the player set by the operator of the casino have
been complied with.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND
[0003] This disclosure relates generally to wager games and to
methods and systems for enabling a workstation, such as a personal
computer, to play wager games over a computer network such as the
Internet. Further aspects of this disclosure relate to methods of
providing bonuses to players in the form of "free" spins or turns
of a wager game (or, more generally, "bonus play"). Additional
aspects of this disclosure relate to promotions featuring such
bonus play, pay tables for wager games featuring bonus play as an
award for a winning result, and pay tables for wager games
featuring an award of bonus credit.
[0004] Operators of land-based casinos and casino web sites offer
wager games that have payout percentages that are slightly in the
favor of the casino operators. The more players that sign up and
play at a casino, and specifically the more wagering that is
conducted, the more revenue the casino operator realizes. Hence,
casinos typically feature promotions to attract new players.
Promotions are also important because a casino's clientele may
become disinterested over time or suffer losses, prompting them to
quit or play less. Furthermore, casinos, and casino web sites are
competing with each other to attract new players.
[0005] It has become common for an online casino/poker room to
attract players by means of promotions that involve free credit
(referred to herein as "promotional credit"), wherein the casino
operator essentially adds "free" money to the player's credit
account which they can use for placing wagers on wager games. The
administration of such promotional credit is problematic. For
example, the player may attempt to cash out early after playing
only a few turns and wagering a few dollars, and take with them
most of a promotional credit of say $25.00. The casino operator
needs to have in place complex rules on cashing out of a player
account balance in order to prevent this from happening. The
assignee of this invention has devised methods and apparatus for
overcoming administrative problems associated with promotional
credit, described in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/550,744
filed Sep. 23, 2005. The entire content of the '744 application is
incorporated by reference herein.
[0006] Aside from the administrative problems explained in the
above-cited U.S. patent application, promotional credit tends to be
expensive for operators of online casinos and poker rooms, as the
wagering of such credit, in the long run, will result in some net
payout to players coming straight from the operator's bottom line.
Moreover, it does not permit any significant differentiation
between on-line casino operators, as they all tend to offer the
same incentive or inducement to would-be players in order to remain
competitive. For example, if casino website operator "A" offers a
$25 promotional credit for new players, casino website operator "B"
will typically also offer a $25 promotional credit for a new player
to remain competitive in attracting new players. From the player's
perspective, there is no difference between the two operators. This
situation may, at least in theory, induce an operator to increase
the amount of promotional credit to offer to new players as a way
of differentiation. Essentially, a promotional credit "arms race"
may result. This, in turn, only further increases the costs to the
operators, cutting further into their bottom line.
[0007] There is a need in the art for a mechanism to attract new
players and retain existing players that is an improvement over a
mere award of promotional credit. In particular, there is a need
for a mechanism to attract new players and retain existing players
which avoids the administrative problems associated with
promotional credit, which is less costly for casino operators, and
which allows for ready market differentiation between casino
operators. Aspects of this invention meet this need.
[0008] Additional aspects of this disclosure relate to wager games
which feature a pay table that offers bonus play as an award for
achieving a winning result in a wager game. Whereas, in the prior
art a slots-type game may include free spins as an award for a
winning result, such free spins are tightly integrated into the
game play itself and are automatically played immediately after the
player wins the award. Moreover, wagering for the free spins is
typically frozen at the wager that was in place when the free
spin(s) was won. There is a need in the art for a bonus play award
in a pay table that allows the operator to exercise more control
over the utilization and wagering features of the bonus play award.
Additional aspects of this disclosure provide a pay table which
includes bonus play as an award for a winning result, and in which
(a) the bonus mode of play is treated as a separate mode of play
from a regular mode of play, (b) wagering controls during such
bonus mode of play are fixed in advance by the operator and cannot
be changed by the player, and (c) the player's credit account is
not debited for turns of play in the bonus mode.
SUMMARY
[0009] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides new methods for
attracting and retaining players by means of promotions that offer
"free" play (or, more generally, "bonus play") on any particular
wager game. While the invention is applicable to a variety of wager
games including card games and Roulette, it is particularly
applicable to slots-type games. A promotion providing bonus play
carries with it two major advantages, namely: 1) it is less
expensive for the operator than bonus credit; and 2) it allows for
more competitive and imaginative promotions to attract and retain
players, and differentiation between casino website operators. For
example one casino operator may offer 50 bonus plays on game "A",
while a different operator may offer 100 bonus plays on game "B".
With large numbers of different wager games available at casino
websites, an almost endless variety of possible promotions and
avenues for differentiation between casino operators is
possible.
[0010] In one embodiment, a method for promoting play of a wager
game by a remote game playing workstation over a computer network
is provided. The method comprises providing data to the workstation
for presenting a promotion for playing the wager game on the user
interface of the workstation. The promotion comprises bonus play of
the wager game, the bonus play comprising one or more turns of play
of the wager game wherein a player credit account is not debited by
such one or more turns of play.
[0011] In one exemplary embodiment, the operator of the wager game
exercises control over the utilization and features of the bonus
play awarded in the promotion. For example, the control comprises
(a) enabling a bonus mode of the wager game, which may also include
setting conditions and limitations on which bonus play may be
exercised, (b) when the player plays the wager game in bonus mode,
the player utilizes bonus plays that were awarded in the promotion;
and (c) the wager amounts for the play in the bonus mode are set by
the operator and cannot be changed by the player.
[0012] In another aspect, an improvement to a gaming server system
is provided for facilitating play of wager games by remotely
located workstations over a computer network. The improvement
comprises (a) providing a facility to the operator of the wager
game whereby the operator may set controls for promotional awards
of bonus play, the bonus play comprising one or more turns of play
of the wager game wherein a player credit account is not debited by
such one or more turns of play. The improvement further comprises
(b) providing datagrams to the workstation enabling the workstation
to play the wager game in a bonus mode, wherein the player may make
turns of bonus play, such turns of bonus play comprising turns of
play awarded in the promotional award of bonus play.
[0013] An example is provided below of a user interface providing
the facility by which an operator of a wager game may set controls
for the promotional award of bonus play. The user interface allows
the operator to set the conditions for availability of the bonus
mode of play and to fix or set the wager controls for bonus play.
Such controls can be global across all players, or specific to a
single player or a group or class of players. The facility for
setting controls for promotional awards of bonus play can take a
variety of forms and the example provided herein is offered by way
of example and not limitation.
[0014] In another aspect, wager games are described herein which
have a pay table with multiple winning entries, such as that
normally associated with a video slots game or a video poker game,
for example. Examples of such entries in a three-reel video slots
game could be, for example, BAR BAR BAR (e.g., paying out at 5000
to 1), BAR BAR LEMON (e.g., paying out at 500 to 1), etc. The
distinguishing feature of this aspect of the invention is that the
pay table has two or more different types or classifications of
awards for winning entries, namely (1) cashable credit (e.g.,
paying out $5000 for every dollar wagered) and (2) bonus play. The
bonus play in the pay table is characterized in that: a) one or
more turns of play of the wager game are awarded to the player
wherein a player credit account is not debited by such one or more
turns of play, b) wagers for such one or more turns of bonus play
are set in advance by the operator of the wager game, and cannot be
controlled by the player, and c) wherein the bonus play is played
in a bonus mode of play of the wager game, a separate mode of play
from a regular mode of play.
[0015] As an example, a pay table for a three-reel video slots game
may pay out (for a $1.00 wager) $1000 for a result of 3 reels each
displaying BLUE7 and 30 bonus plays for a result of three reels
each displaying BAR3. For at least one of the entries in the pay
table, the player wins a corresponding quantity of credit that is
added to their credit balance and the player can cash out in a
regular manner. Credit which can be cashed out in the regular
manner without restriction is referred to herein as "real" credit.
The distinguishing feature is that for at least one of the entries
of the pay table (3.times.BAR3 in this example), the player wins a
corresponding number of bonus plays as characterized above instead
of credit. In the context of slot machine-type games the bonus play
will comprise "free" spins of the reels, with wagering controls set
by the operator. In the context of other wager games the bonus play
may take the form of free hands of cards (and a certain amount of
credit available for wager), free spins of a Roulette wheel with a
certain amount of credit available to apply for wagers on the
Roulette wheel, or in other forms as will be apparent to persons
skilled in the art.
[0016] To invoke such bonus play, the player activates an icon on
the game graphical user interface indicating that they wish to play
their bonus plays, instead of playing against their credit balance
("regular mode"). The game then enters into a bonus mode, which is
a separate mode of operation of the game from a regular mode. In
bonus mode, the player uses up turns of bonus play. Wagers are not
charged against their credit account, but rather the wager amounts
are set by the operator. The player is able to toggle or switch
between bonus mode and regular mode of the wager game. The ability
to switch between the two modes may be limited by the game
operator.
[0017] An advantage of providing bonus play as a promotional tool,
as well as an award for a winning result of play, is reduced cost
relative to conventional credit. This saving can be applied
advantageously to make the game more attractive to players while at
the same time maintaining the overall profitability of the game.
This can be done by a) modifying the pay table by increasing the
"real" credit payouts for the higher-level entries in the pay table
while leaving the payouts for the lower-level entries unchanged; b)
modifying the pay table by increasing the bonus plays for the
lower-level entries in the pay table while leaving the payouts for
the higher-level entries unchanged; or c) modifying the composition
of symbols on the reels of the game to increase the frequency of
occurrence of a winning result. The first two modifications will be
attractive to players because the game will create a perception
that it has a generous pay table and is therefore a game with a
high payout percentage. The last modification creates a game that
provides a player with a satisfactory playing experience, once
again creating the perception of a high-payout percentage game.
Alternatively, the saving can be applied solely to increase the
profitability of the game while not reducing the "hit/win
frequency" of the playing experience.
[0018] In an additional aspect of this disclosure, a wager game is
provided with a pay table which awards bonus credit for a winning
result of play. "Bonus credit", as used herein, is credit which
cannot be immediately withdrawn by the player, e.g., as cash. It
can be cashed out, if at all, subject to satisfaction of certain
conditions set by the operator of the wager game, such as the
player having already wagered a minimum amount of the player's own
money. In some embodiments, bonus credit is not cashable and can be
only applied to additional turns of play of the wager game (but
winnings resulting from such play may be real credit). Combinations
of real credit, bonus credit, and bonus play are possible, both in
the overall pay table and in a given entry in the pay table. For
example, in a three-reel video slots game, a result of LEMON LEMON
LEMON may pay out at 500 to 1 in real credit and the player also is
awarded 25 bonus plays; a winning result of one BAR7 results in $50
of bonus credit alone.
[0019] In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments
described above, further aspects and embodiments will become
apparent by reference to the drawings and by study of the following
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. It is
intended that the embodiments and Figures disclosed herein are to
be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.
[0021] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a gaming environment in which
remote gaming workstations communicate with a central gaming server
over a computer network. Embodiments of this invention are suitable
for implementation in the environment of FIG. 1. The invention can
also be implemented on other environments, such as a land-based
casino.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of a home page of a
casino website of FIG. 1, showing a promotion for new players in
the form of an award of bonus play of a slots game. When the
workstation of FIG. 1 accesses the home page of the website, it
receives a datagram which contains the promotional display shown in
FIG. 2, as an inducement to register with the casino website
operator and play wager games hosted by the website.
[0023] FIG. 3 is a screen shot providing one example of a wager
game in the form of a five reel slots-type game, in which bonus
play awarded for registering with the casino operator can be
exercised.
[0024] FIG. 3A is an illustration of pay lines which are part of
the wager game of FIG. 3; while FIG. 3A shows 5 pay lines, it will
be appreciated that the game of FIG. 3 may contain a different
number of pay lines. In one aspect, the operator of the game
controls the number of pay lines that are available when the player
enters into a bonus mode of the wager game and plays turns of bonus
play.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an illustration of facility in the form of a user
interface in a gaming server system by which the operator of the
wager game of FIG. 3 may set controls for promotional awards of
bonus play, including wager controls, and availability of the bonus
mode of the game. The facility of FIG. 4 also includes a drop down
menu by which the operator may select different wager games and
configure bonus play for each wager game. The wagering controls may
further dictate whether winnings from bonus play are awarded as
cashable "real" credit, or as bonus credit.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a screen display provided on the gaming
workstation of FIG. 1, which provides a selection mechanism by
which the player may select to play in either a bonus mode of play,
wherein they may exercise bonus play awarded in the promotion of
FIG. 2, and a regular mode, wherein wagers made are applied against
the player's credit account.
[0027] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a second embodiment of a wager
game showing the play of the game in a bonus mode. This mode
includes an icon showing the number of bonus plays awarded to the
player and the number of turns of bonus play they have exercised,
and any winnings resulting from a turn of bonus play.
[0028] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the pay table of the game of
FIG. 6.
[0029] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the game of FIG. 6 when the
player has switched to a regular mode of play.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0030] Overview
[0031] Aspects for this invention are particularly suited for use
in the context of playing of wager games over a computer network.
As will be appreciated from the following discussion, aspects of
this invention are also suitable for use in other environments,
including land or ship-based casinos.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, a gaming system suitable for use in
wager games and promotions of this disclosure is indicated
generally by reference numeral (1). The gaming system (1) includes
a central gaming server (2), and a number of portals (3a, 3b) in
the form of portal websites on the World Wide Web of the Internet.
In this embodiment, each one of the portal websites is an online
casino website hosted on a corresponding casino web server (not
shown). For convenience, embodiments of the invention will be
described with particular reference to only two such online casino
websites (3a, 3b). Other online casino websites may be present, or,
alternatively, just one casino website may be present.
[0033] Each one of the online casino websites (3a, 3b) is
accessible by a would-be player (not shown) through a player gaming
workstation (4) in the form of an Internet-enabled computer
workstation having a display monitor (5) and an associated pointing
device (5a) such as a mouse or, alternatively, a touchpad. In this
embodiment, online casino website (3a) is shown as having one
computer workstation (4) logically connected thereto, whereas
casino website (3b) is shown as being logically connected to two
computer workstations (4). It will be appreciated by those skilled
in the art that such online casino websites (3a, 3b) can be
logically connected to any desired number of such computer
workstations (4) simultaneously, which number is physically limited
only by considerations of processing power and Internet access
bandwidth.
[0034] The gaming server (2), the online casino web servers (not
shown) corresponding to the online casino websites (3a, 3b), and
the computer workstations (4) are capable of communicating with
each other by means of an open communication network that is, in
this embodiment, the Internet. The Internet is represented in FIG.
1 as separate logical communication networks (6, 7, 8, 10). The
particular networking topology used and presence of intermediate
networks or switching equipment is not important, and may make use
of intervening communications network such as the public switched
telephone network, cable networks, cellular wireless networks,
WiFi, WiMax, etc.
[0035] Each online casino operates an account facility (14a and
14b, respectively) with a credit account corresponding to each
player who participates in a game offered by the online casino. In
the illustrated embodiment, therefore, the credit account facility
(14a) has one player credit account associated with it, while
credit account facility (14b) has two associated, but separate,
player credit accounts.
[0036] A stored workstation program (not shown) is resident in the
client computer workstation (4) which enables a participating
player to browse a casino website and to interact with the gaming
server (2) to play wager games such as slots, poker, Black Jack,
Roulette and other games. The stored workstation program includes
display tools for displaying on the user interface display (5)
gaming symbols (e.g., slot machine reels, cards, Roulette wheels,
etc.), display gaming controls by which the player can place
wagers, spin the reels, etc., and display the results of play. The
stored workstation program also includes gaming logic for
facilitating the execution of a turn of a game, and communications
facilities for communicating player actions using the user
interface to the central gaming server, and receiving datagrams
from the gaming server containing results of play. The data
representing results of play is translated to graphical symbols
which are presented on the user interface display (5). Further
details are known in the art and described in the patent
literature, see e.g., U.S. application Ser. No. 10/550,744 filed
Sep. 23, 2005.
[0037] Each computer workstation (4) may take the form of a
conventional personal computer operating under a Windows XP, ME,
2000 or other operating system, which is well known and
commercially available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond,
Wash., or other operating system such as provided by Apple Computer
or a Linux operating system. The gaming workstation may also take
the form of a portable computing device such as personal digital
assistant or cellular telephone. The gaming workstation may also
take the form of an electronic gaming terminal.
[0038] The gaming server (2) operates under control of a
server-stored program (not shown) that co-operates with the stored
workstation program in order to enable a player at the computer
workstation (4) to play a wager game. The gaming server (2)
operates, for example, under the Windows NT operating system.
[0039] The stored workstation program or application (not shown)
and the corresponding stored server program will be referred to,
for convenience, as a client process and a server process,
respectively. The server process generates one or more random
events that determine the outcome of turns of the game, such as
determining the outcome of spins of the slot machine reels in the
various slots games of the participating players. The client
process of any particular computer workstation (4) obtains the
result of the random events from the gaming server (2) along the
communication network (8) and displays the outcome of the game on
the display monitor (5) of the workstation in an intelligible
manner, by causing the player's set of slots reels to spin and to
come to rest at a position corresponding to the outcome.
[0040] In order to play the games from any particular computer
workstation (4), the client process (not shown) must first be
downloaded to that computer workstation from the gaming server (2)
or, alternatively, from a separate web server (not shown), and then
installed on the workstation.
[0041] In use, a player wishing to participate in a wager game uses
a computer workstation (4) to access an online casino website (3a,
3b) of his choice. When the player navigates using a Web browser to
a home page of a casino, a promotional message may be displayed
(described below). The player is presented with an icon on the GUI
on his computer workstation (4), which the player can activate in
order to download the client process and register with the casino
operator. Following these tasks, the player may request to play
games provided on the casino website by clicking on an appropriate
icon or taking other similar action.
[0042] The online casino websites (3a, 3b) may be provisioned as a
virtual slots room where slots is the only game available to
would-be players, rather than one where a variety of different
games are offered to a player.
[0043] It will be noted again that a system implementing the
methods of this invention need not include two (or more) separate
casino websites (3a, 3b), and that only one website (3) may be
linked to the gaming server (2).
[0044] Bonus Play Promotions, Bonus Mode of Play, and Pay Tables
Featuring Bonus Play and Bonus Credit
[0045] A. Promotions of Bonus Play
[0046] To attract new players, when a player clicks on or navigates
to a casino website, they may be presented with a "home page" that
contains various information about the casino and its features.
Such home page may also display a message announcing the promotion
of bonus play to prospective new players or to existing players.
For example, such message could take the form of a message such as
"Sign-up Bonus--50 Free Plays of the Lucky Slots Game!", "New
Players Get 10 Free Hands of Black Jack!" or some other similar
message.
[0047] FIG. 2 is a simplified illustration of a home page (20) of a
casino website (3, FIG. 1). When the workstation (4) of FIG. 1 logs
onto the home page (20) of the website they receive a datagram
which contains the promotional display of bonus play (24), as an
inducement to register with the casino website operator and play
wager games hosted by the website. Obviously, the particular layout
of the home page and the promotion of bonus play is not important
and can vary widely. In the example of FIG. 2, the home page
includes a welcoming message and the name or trademark of the
casino website (22), and a promotional message (24) indicating that
if the visitor to the web site signs up (i.e., registers with) the
casino web site operator they are rewarded with one or more turns
of bonus play of a particular wager game. In this example, the
promotion is 50 bonus plays of the "Lucky Slots" game. To obtain
such promotional award, the user clicks on the link (26) and
follows the instructions for downloading the client process and
registering with the casino website operator. The player can
register to play for free, or, more customarily, as a player
wishing to wager for money. In such case, the player will typically
place a certain amount into their credit account, such as $25.00.
The bonus play aspects of this disclosure pertain primarily to
players that register and play for money.
[0048] B. Bonus Mode and Bonus Play
[0049] After the player downloads the client process and registers
with the casino website, they select the game they wish to play. It
is assumed in this example that the player selects to play the game
for which the bonus play is awarded (Lucky Slots game or Black
Jack). When the selection occurs, the player is presented with a
user interface display showing game icons and a play area, wager
controls, a pay table, and other aspects of the game.
[0050] In one possible embodiment, the user is able to play the
game in either one of two modes, REGULAR mode and EXPERT mode.
Further details are set forth in published PCT application of the
assignee, publication number WO 2003/068349 dated Aug. 21, 2003,
the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. These two
modes of game play provide for differing levels of game
functionality, which are not relevant to the present discussion. A
player can freely switch the game between REGULAR and EXPERT modes
during play, as desired. As used herein and in the claims, the term
"regular mode" is intended to refer to a normal mode of play
(either EXPERT or REGULAR), wherein the player is placing wagers
from the player's credit account, as distinguished from a bonus
mode of play wherein the player plays turns of the game awarded
either a) by a bonus play promotion or b) by the pay table of the
game and described in detail below, and wherein wager amounts are
not deducted from the player's account.
[0051] Suppose the player wishes to play the bonus plays they were
awarded when they registered with the casino website operator. The
graphical user interface provides features, examples of which are
described herein, which allow the player to specifically play such
bonus play in a mode of play of the wager game referred to herein
as "bonus mode." The specifics of how the user enters bonus mode
are not particularly important. In one embodiment, the graphical
user interface provides an icon (such as an icon labeled BONUS),
which, when activated by user, triggers the bonus mode of play.
When the game is in the bonus mode, the icon could display the
number of turns that were awarded, the coin size (unit of wager),
and the number of turns of bonus play that have been used, the pay
table, etc. As another possibility, in addition to providing
REGULAR and EXPERT modes, a further mode of play is available,
namely BONUS mode. The user toggles or switches between REGULAR and
EXPERT modes by clicking on an icon, which is labeled REGULAR when
in REGULAR mode, and EXPERT when in EXPERT mode. Further toggling
the icon changes the mode to bonus mode and the icon is labeled
BONUS.
[0052] In a presently preferred embodiment, bonus mode of the wager
game (regardless of methodology by which the player gets to this
mode) has the following characteristics:
[0053] 1. Only an operator of the online casino can enable and
disable the BONUS mode of the game. That is, the bonus mode is
available only when the online casino operator has awarded bonus
play to a player and the player has not completed playing all the
bonus plays. Otherwise, the bonus mode is disabled.
[0054] 2. In bonus mode, when the player plays the game (e.g.,
clicks on SPIN in a slots type game), a player utilizes bonus plays
that were awarded, meaning that the play is essentially free to the
player. That is, in bonus mode, the player's credit account is not
debited when they play the game.
[0055] 3. Wager controls in bonus mode, e.g., the coin size, coins
per active pay line, and the number of active pay lines (in the
case of a slots type game) are configured in advance by the
operator. The term "pay line" refers to a combination of symbols,
or, more specifically, positions in an array of symbols, that
together form a set for which a winning combination of symbols must
be present in order to win. In the simplest case, a game of
three-reel slots has one pay line, which is a straight line across
the center of the display of the reels. In the next simplest case,
consider three sets of three slot machine reels arranged with the
sets on top of each other. The game has three pay lines, which are
three parallel straight lines across the sets of reels displayed on
the display. Combinations of symbols in the pay table may appear on
more than one pay line simultaneously, in which the player wins the
prize on each winning pay line. Pay lines need not be straight
lines. With a game presenting a 5.times.3 array of symbols such as
shown in FIG. 3, the game can have a configurable number of pay
lines such as 5, 9 or even 25 pay lines. The pay lines can be
revealed to the user by activating a pay table or other icon. FIG.
3A discussed below gives one example of a slots game comprising a
5.times.3 array of symbols with five pay lines, each pay line
comprised of a combination of 5 symbols in the array.
[0056] 4. The player cannot change the wager controls in bonus
mode, e.g., the coin size, the number of active pay lines, or
number of coins wagered per active pay line.
[0057] A first example of a wager game in the form of a slots game
featuring bonus mode of play is shown in FIG. 3. The screen display
(50) includes a display of a 5.times.3 array (48) of symbols (51),
which spin when the player activates a SPIN icon (53). The game of
FIG. 3 includes wager controls (52) (including select lines, select
coins and bet max icons) which are greyed out (unavailable to the
player) when the game is in the bonus mode. The coins icon (58),
which illustrates the unit of wager or coin size (here $0.10), is
also greyed out. Greying the icons out shows the player that the
parameters can normally be altered in regular mode but not in bonus
mode. As an alternative, these icons could be omitted altogether
when the game is in bonus mode.
[0058] The field (55) entitled "Spins" shows the number of turns of
play awarded in bonus mode, in this example 10. The field also
shows the number of turns of bonus play that the player has used
up, here 2. The field (54) shows the number of active pay lines in
the bonus mode, here 9. The coins field (56) indicates the number
of coins (units of wager) wagered per pay line. Since the wager
controls are frozen and set in advance by the operator of the wager
game in bonus mode, the numbers in fields (54) and (56) are also
set and not changeable by the player. The VIEW PAYOUT icon (60),
when activated, reveals the pay table for the game.
[0059] FIG. 3A is an illustration of pay lines which are part of a
slots-type wager game such as that shown in FIG. 3. In the example
of FIG. 3A, there are five pay lines (102) comprised of three
horizontal pay lines, numbers 1, 2 and 3, and two crisscrossing pay
lines, numbers 4 and 5. In the game of FIG. 3 where there are nine
pay lines, the additional four pay lines are formed from additional
sets of icons in the 5.times.3 array (48). As noted above, the
operator of the game controls the number of pay lines that are
available when the game is in bonus mode.
[0060] During play in bonus mode, the player clicks on the SPIN
icon (53) to execute a turn of bonus play. The symbols in the
5.times.3 array (48) spin, and come to rest in a randomly chosen
position. In one embodiment, results of play are determined in the
gaming server (2) of FIG. 1 and sent in the form of a datagram to
the workstation for display on the workstation's graphical user
interface. The player wins if a symbol, or combination of symbols,
appearing on any of the nine active pay lines present in the
5.times.3 array corresponds to a winning result in the pay table of
the game. The award for a winning result will be determined by the
pay table for the game. Such award for a winning result could
consist of real credit added to the player's credit account and
immediately redeemable for cash, as bonus credit in a separate
bonus credit account, or additional awards of bonus play, or
combinations thereof.
[0061] Referring again to FIG. 3, the player is able to revert from
bonus mode, shown in FIG. 3, to regular mode, by activating the
REGULAR icon (62). When the player switches to regular mode, the
"Spins" field (55) reverts to a display such as -/-, to indicate
that the player is not using any bonus play. The icons (52) and
(58) are no longer greyed out and the player can adjust the wager
controls. Wagers on additional turns of the game in regular mode
are charged against the player's credit account.
[0062] The operator will configure the coin size and the number of
active pay lines that will apply to the game bonus mode shown in
FIG. 3. These are preferably global parameters that will apply to
all players who play the game in bonus mode. It is envisaged that
the operator may also enable the game's bonus mode per individual
player, usually based on a particular event such as, for example, a
new player sign-up or the achievement of a predetermined threshold
of play. The operator may also configure the number of bonus plays
allowed for that player as a player-specific parameter.
[0063] Each turn of the game that the player plays while in bonus
mode causes the number of bonus plays available to the player to be
decremented by one. In the example of FIG. 3, the digit to the left
of the slash "/" in field (55) increases by 1 each time the player
activates the SPIN icon (53). Any win of real credit arising out of
a bonus play causes the player's credit balance to increment
accordingly. In one embodiment, any win resulting from bonus play
results in the player winning a quantity of "real" credit that the
player can cash out at any time (e.g., immediately). In one
alternative embodiment, where the player wins at a turn of bonus
play, a quantity of bonus credit is awarded that may or may not be
cashed out. Rules for cashing out bonus credit may take into
account the features disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No.
10/550,744. For example, the casino website operator may separately
account for bonus credit and apply special rules, such as requiring
a minimum amount of the player's own money to be wagered, before
permitting cashing out bonus credit.
[0064] When all bonus plays have been used up, the player is
notified by means of a dialog box and given an option to either
leave the game, or to continue playing the game in regular mode. In
regular mode, the player resumes the ability to adjust the coin
size and the number of active pay lines, change the amount of the
wager per pay line, etc., as described above.
[0065] If the player leaves the game or switches to EXPERT/REGULAR
mode without having used up all the bonus plays, in one embodiment
the unused bonus plays will still be available to the player when
the player re-enters the game or switches back to bonus mode. As a
variation, any unused bonus plays corresponding to a player may
expire a predetermined time after the operator of the online casino
enables the game bonus mode for that player.
[0066] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a facility in the form of a
user interface screen (70) generated by a gaming server system (2)
of FIG. 1, by which the operator of a wager game may set controls
for promotional awards of bonus play, including wager controls, and
availability of bonus mode. Field (72) is a drop down list of wager
games for which bonus mode of play may be configured. The operator
clicks on the arrow in the field (72) and a window pops up showing
a list of wager games. The operator uses their cursor to select a
game for setting up bonus mode parameters applicable to that wager
game.
[0067] Area (74) of the display includes wager controls by which
the game operator may set wager conditions for bonus play in
advance. The controls provided in area (74) include a number of
active pay lines (field 76). The user clicks on the arrow in field
(76) and a pop-up window appears where the operator may select a
number of pay lines, such as 5, 9 or 25. Field (78) includes a
display of the number of coins or units of wager wagered per pay
line. The user clicks on the arrow in the field to change the
number of lines. The field (80) displays the coin size or unit of
wager. The operator clicks on the arrow in the field (80) to change
the unit of wager. For a slots-type game with 9 pay lines, 5 coins
per pay line, and a wager of $0.01, each turn of the game in bonus
mode is a wager of $0.45 (9.times.5.times.0.01). Obviously, with
wager games other than slots-type games, the wager controls for
bonus mode provided in area (74) may differ.
[0068] Area (76) of the display provides a mechanism by which the
operator can control the availability of bonus mode of play to
players. By checking the box (78), the bonus mode of play is
activated for the wager game selected in field (72) at a certain
date and time and expires after a period of time elapses. This time
period is dictated by a starting date defined in field (80), a
starting time defined in field (82), and a field (84) defining a
duration after the starting date and time when bonus play is
available. The operator can change the values in the fields (80)
and (82) and the duration set forth in field (84).
[0069] If the operator checks the box (86), the bonus play is
enabled when the player first enters play of the game. In field
(88) the operator is given the option to set a number of times in
which the player can switch back and forth between regular mode and
bonus mode. The values in field (88) could be 0--indicating that
the player cannot switch back to bonus mode once they have left it
initially, 1--indicating that the player can change from regular
mode to bonus mode only once, 2--indicating that the player can
change from regular mode to bonus mode twice, etc., to
unlimited--indicating that the player can switch back and forth
between regular and bonus mode without limitation (or until all the
bonus play has been used up). The display (70) may also include an
additional time limit (not shown, but similar to the field (84)),
where the operator can limit the duration of bonus mode
availability once it is first entered. Thus, the availability of
bonus mode could be limited by the number of times the player can
switch back and forth between regular and bonus mode, established
by the field (88), either alone or in combination with a time limit
on availability of bonus mode, e.g., 24 hours.
[0070] The display (70) also includes a field (90) where the
operator may set up the number of bonus plays to provide as the
bonus play promotion. The number of bonus plays is selected by
activating the up and down arrows in the field (90) and selecting a
new number which pops up. In the example of FIG. 4, the operator
has set the number at 50.
[0071] The operator further can specify how winnings resulting from
bonus play should be credited to the player. This is provided by a
field (92). The operator clicks on the arrow in the field (92) and
a window showing possible credit accounts is displayed. A selection
of an available credit account type is then made. In the
illustrated example, the player winnings resulting from bonus play
are credited to a bonus credit account. Alternatively, the winnings
could be awarded as real credit. With bonus credit, the winnings
are not immediately available for withdrawal by the player. In one
option, bonus credit cannot be withdrawn and may only used for
additional wagers. In another option, bonus credit is available for
withdrawal only if specified conditions for withdrawal of bonus
credit set by the game operator have been met. For example, bonus
credit can be withdrawn only if the player has wagered a certain
amount of their own money, played at least a certain number of
turns of play of the wager game, etc.
[0072] Once the operator has finished setting all the controls for
bonus play using the facility of FIG. 4, the operator clicks on the
setup game icon (94) and the settings are saved in the gaming
server (2) of FIG. 1 and applied to bonus play for players
registered with the gaming server. The operator then proceeds to
select a new game using the drop-down menu (72) and repeats the
process for a new game, or a new player or class of players.
[0073] The facility for setting up conditions for bonus play shown
in FIG. 4 is offered by way of example and wide variation is
possible. For example, the features shown in FIG. 4 could be
provided in a series of screen displays, each one accessed from a
menu of available controls.
[0074] The facility illustrated in FIG. 4 can be used to define the
parameters for bonus play globally, or on a per-player or per class
of player basis. For example, the screen display could have a field
where the operator could specify a class of players, e.g., "first
time players", or "experienced players", and set up different
wagering controls or bonus play availability for different classes
of players.
[0075] The economics of providing bonus plays in a promotion as
compared to bonus credit as in the prior art are such that bonus
play is advantageous to the operator of the wager game. Firstly,
the bonus play allows for ready differentiation between casino
operators and a wide variety of possible promotions. Secondly,
bonus play is generally less costly for the operators. Consider an
example of a slots game such as shown in FIG. 3, and an example
where during bonus mode the coin size is set to, say, $0.01 and the
number of active pay lines to 20, and suppose the bonus play
awarded was 100 turns. Assuming all bonus plays are played, the
bonus play of the game will cost the operator, on average,
$0.01.times.20.times.100.times.GamePayout (1) which, for a game
having a payout of 0.95 (i.e. 95%), equates to $19. This is a
substantial reduction in cost compared to traditional bonus credit
where an operator might, for example, award $100 of bonus credit to
a new player who signs-up with that operator's online casino.
Therefore, for a cost of less than $20, the operator can provide a
very compelling sign-up bonus of 100 bonus plays.
[0076] In general, the cost to an operator of such a game-specific
bonus play promotion is: [Coin Denomination].times.[No. of Active
Pay Lines].times.[No. of bonus play turns].times.[Payout] (2)
[0077] FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of a method of a player
selecting between regular and bonus mode of play. In the embodiment
of FIG. 5, the player logs onto the casino website of FIG. 1,
registers with the casino operators, and is awarded bonus play in
the form of 50 free bonus spins. After registering with the
operator, the player is sent a datagram presenting the display of
FIG. 5 and provided with a message (100) prompting the player to
select bonus mode (106) or regular mode (104). The bonus mode
legend (106) includes the parameters of bonus mode play (9 pay
lines, 5 coins of $0.01 per line). The legend also includes an
expiration time limit--bonus mode plays must be used within 5 hours
of the player signing up and logging on to the game or else they
are lost.
[0078] Suppose the player selects the bonus mode (106). The GUI
display then reverts to the display (50) of the game shown in FIG.
6. The display includes a game area (48) comprising a 5.times.3
array of symbols which are randomly selected in order to play a
slots-type game. The icons include a spins icon (53) showing the
number of bonus plays awarded (fifty) and the number of bonus plays
that have been utilized (here, two). The icons further include a
lines icon (54) showing the number of pay lines that are active in
bonus mode (nine). The coins icon (56) shows the number of coins
wagered per pay line (five). The coin size (58), and wager control
icons SELECT LINES, SELECT COINS AND BEX MAX (52) are greyed out to
show that they are not available to the player. The spin icon (53),
when activated, causes each of the symbols (51) to spin and come to
rest on a symbol randomly determined by the gaming server. The
display includes a display (110) of the time remaining in bonus
mode, and a display (112) of winnings from a turn of bonus mode.
The winnings shown in area (112) are also shown in area (64). In
this turn of the game the pay line number 1 (middle row of symbols)
includes two of the castle symbols, which is a winning result of
$10 in accordance with the pay table for the game. The win is also
indicated by the line (116) going across the middle row.
[0079] When the user clicks on the REGULAR icon (62), the player
switches out of bonus mode and enters regular mode. Regular mode is
described below in conjunction with FIG. 8.
[0080] FIG. 7 is an illustration of the pay table of the game of
FIG. 6. The pay table shows the payouts for symbols that appear on
a pay line which are a winning result (generally designated by
(120)). The payouts in the pay table are in the form of real
credit. The pay table also includes feature (122) in which if a pay
line includes three RAMS symbols, the player wins 15 free spins.
Such free spins are tightly integrated into the functionality of
the wager game itself and are automatically placed immediately
after the player wins the award of free spins. Wagering for the
free spins is frozen at the wager that was in place when the award
of free spins was won, but the free spins are "free" to the player
in that the wager amount is not charged to the player's credit
account. The award and utilization of such free spins can occur
even if the operator has not enabled bonus mode for the particular
wager game in question. The free spins associated with the RAMS
result are not credited to the player's bonus play balance and
cannot be played in bonus mode as described above. Thus, such free
spins are not bonus play as contemplated in this embodiment.
[0081] Obviously, the specifics of the pay table are not
particularly pertinent and the pay table could include one or more
entries associated with a winning result of real credit, one or
more entries associated with a winning result of bonus credit, and
one or more entries associated with a winning result of additional
bonus play.
[0082] The player returns to the play of the game by activating the
RETURN TO GAME icon (124).
[0083] FIG. 8 is an illustration of the game of FIG. 6 when the
player has switched to a regular mode of play. The icon (62) shows
that the player is in REGULAR mode and can switch to either an
expert mode or bonus mode by toggling the icon (62). The wager
controls (52) and (58) are not greyed out and the player can change
the coin size, change the number of pay lines, select the number of
coins to play per line, and activate a BET MAX amount. The player
clicks on the SPIN icon (53) to play a turn. Wagers are charged
against the player's credit account, the balance of which is shown
in the lower left hand corner of the display. Any winnings from the
play are dictated by the pay table for the game and may be credited
to the player's real credit balance, bonus credit account, or bonus
play, or combinations thereof.
[0084] C. Pay Tables with Bonus Play
[0085] As noted above, bonus play can be awarded before any play of
the game commences, e.g., as a promotion. The bonus play is
typically available when a new player logs in and plays for the
first time. However, bonus play can be incorporated into a pay
table for a wager game and awarded when then player obtains a
winning result. In particular, wager games such as slots, poker,
Roulette, or other are contemplated herein which have a pay table
which awards both credit and bonus play. Consider, for example, a
game of video slots, where the pay table has multiple winning
entries. Examples of such entries could be BAR BAR BAR (e.g.,
paying out at 5000 to 1), BAR BAR LEMON (e.g., paying out at 500 to
1), etc. The distinguishing feature is that the pay table has two
or more different types or classifications of payouts for winning
entries, namely (1) credit (e.g., paying out $10 for every dollar
wagered) and (2) bonus play (e.g., free spins or free hands). As an
example, consider the following pay table for a three-reel video
slot game (for a $1.00 wager): TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Result Award
Type of Award 3 .times. Blue 7 $1000 Cashable credit 3 .times. Red
7 $80 Cashable credit 3 .times. Any 7 $40 Cashable Credit 3 .times.
Bar3 30 BONUS PLAYS 3 .times. Bar2 20 BONUS PLAYS 3 .times. Bar1 10
BONUS PLAYS 3 .times. Cherry 10 BONUS PLAYS 3 .times. AnyBar 5
BONUS PLAYS Any 2 Cherry 5 BONUS PLAYS Any 1 Cherry 2 BONUS
PLAYS
[0086] For each higher-level entry in the pay table, the player
wins a corresponding quantity of "real" credit that the player can
cash out in a regular manner. The distinguishing feature is that
for each lower-level entry in the pay table, the player wins a
corresponding number of bonus plays, which the player can use in
bonus mode as described above. In bonus mode, one or more turns of
play of the wager game are awarded to the player wherein a player
credit account is not debited by such one or more turns of play,
Unlike a prior art situation where bonus spins are tightly
integrated with the play of the game and are not played in a
separate mode of play of the wager game, the bonus play in the pay
table is characterized in that wagering parameters for such one or
more turns of play of the wager game are set in advance by the
operator of the wager game and cannot be changed by the player, and
the bonus play is played in a bonus mode of play of the wager game,
the bonus mode of play being a separate mode of play from a regular
mode of play.
[0087] The advantage of this arrangement is that the "cost" to an
operator of a payout consisting of bonus plays is less costly that
a corresponding payout consisting of "real" credit. This saving can
be applied advantageously to make the game more attractive to
players while at the same time maintaining the overall
profitability of the game. This can be done by a) modifying the pay
table by increasing the "real" credit payouts for the higher-level
entries in the pay table while leaving the payouts for the
lower-level entries unchanged; b) modifying the pay table by
increasing the bonus play payouts for the lower-level entries in
the pay table while leaving the payouts for the higher-level
entries unchanged; or c) modifying the composition of symbols on
the reels of the game to increase the frequency of occurrence of a
winning result. The first two modifications will be attractive to
players because the game will create a perception that it has a
generous pay table and is therefore a game with a high payout
percentage. The last modification will create a game that provides
a player with a satisfactory playing experience, once again
creating the perception of a high-payout percentage game.
Alternatively, the saving can be applied solely to increase the
profitability of the game while not reducing the "hit/win
frequency" of the playing experience.
[0088] Thus, in one aspect of the invention, a wager game is
provided having a pay table, wherein the pay table comprises one in
which two or more types of rewards are possible for winning results
of play of the wager game, one type comprising a credit payout and
a second type comprising one or more turns of bonus play, the bonus
play characterized in that a) one or more turns of play of the
wager game are awarded to the player wherein a player credit
account is not debited by such one or more turns of play, b)
wagering for such one or more turns of play of the wager game are
set in advance by the operator of the wager game, and c) wherein
bonus play is played in a bonus mode of play of the wager game, the
bonus mode of play comprising a separate mode of play from a
regular mode of play. In one embodiment, the game is a wager game
in the form of a slots game. Alternatively, the wager games could
be a card game such as poker wherein the player is awarded one or
more free hands and a credit amount is made available to wager on
the hand. Alternatively, the wager game could be a Roulette game,
and the player awarded with one or more free spins of the Roulette
wheel and a credit amount made available to place one or more
positions on the Roulette wheel.
[0089] In one embodiment the wager game comprises a slots game and
wherein the pay table comprises a plurality of winning results of
play of the slots game, and wherein at least one of the winning
results is associated with an award of a credit payout and wherein
at least one of the winning results is associated with an award of
bonus play, for example as shown in TABLE 1. As a further example,
the pay table may comprise two or more winning results each
associated with a credit payout and two or more winning results
each associated with an award of bonus play, again as shown by
example in TABLE 1. In a further example, the wager game is played
over a computer network as described above in conjunction with FIG.
1. Alternatively, the game can be played in a land-based casino in
which a gaming workstation is connected to a central gaming server
over a local area network.
[0090] D. Pay Tables with Bonus Credit
[0091] As an alternative, a wager game could have a pay table that
awards bonus credit. For example, the pay table may be generally
similar to the pay table of TABLE 1, with the exception that the
payouts for one or more of the lower-level entries in the pay
table, such as 3.times.BAR3, consists of bonus credit instead of
bonus plays. The pay table may award bonus credit either alone or
in combination with real credit and bonus play, or combinations
thereof. Such bonus credit is credit which is not immediately
available for withdrawal and which may only be cashed out, if at
all, in accordance with particular rules defined by the operator,
as described, for example, in U.S. application Ser. No.
10/550,744.
[0092] Examples of wager games with a pay table including an award
of bonus credit include slots-type games, card games such as poker,
and Roulette. The bonus credit can be applied to future turns of
play, such as for example an amount to wager on additional hands of
play, or spins of the Roulette wheel, or the like. In preferred
embodiments, the bonus credit is available for withdrawal to the
player, provided restrictions placed on return of bonus credit to
the player set by the operator of the wager game have been complied
with, e.g., a minimum amount of the player's own money has been
wagered or the player has played a minimum number of turns wagering
their own money. Also, bonus credit is preferably added to a bonus
credit account for the player, such bonus credit account being
separate from a cashable credit account for the player.
[0093] Casino Embodiments
[0094] It will be understood that the inventive aspects of this
disclosure, including bonus play promotions, pay tables with bonus
play, and pay tables with bonus credit, are applicable to casinos
generally. Such casinos can take the form of electronic casinos and
conventional "brick and mortar" casinos, e.g., land or ship-based
casinos. Such casinos, whether virtual or physical, will have one
or more game playing areas (e.g., virtual slots room or bank of
slot machine gaming terminals) where a wager game is played. The
wager game has a pay table. The pay table comprises one in which
two or more types of rewards are possible for winning results of
play of the wager game, one type comprising a credit payout and a
second type comprising one or more turns of bonus play; the bonus
play characterized in that: [0095] a) one or more turns of play of
the wager game are awarded to the player wherein a player credit
account is not debited by such one or more turns of play, [0096] b)
wagering for such one or more turns of play of the wager game are
set in advance by the operator of the wager game, as explained for
example in FIG. 4, and [0097] c) wherein bonus play is played in a
bonus mode of play of the wager game, the bonus mode of play
comprising a separate mode of play from a regular mode of play, as
explained for example in the discussion of FIGS. 3, 5, 6 and 8.
[0098] In another embodiment, a casino is provided comprising one
or more game playing areas where a wager game is played, the wager
game having a pay table, and wherein the pay table comprises a
plurality of winning results, each of which is associated with an
award, and wherein at least one of the awards for a winning result
comprises an award of bonus credit, wherein the bonus credit
comprising a credit added to a player account but such credit is
not immediately available for withdrawal by a player winning such
bonus credit.
[0099] While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have
been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize
certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations
thereof are present in the disclosure. It is therefore intended
that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced
are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations,
additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and
scope.
* * * * *