U.S. patent application number 11/465242 was filed with the patent office on 2008-02-21 for method and system for indicating a jackpot payout expectancy for a game.
This patent application is currently assigned to WATERLEAF LIMITED. Invention is credited to Terence Igesund, Martin Paul Moshal.
Application Number | 20080045288 11/465242 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38829171 |
Filed Date | 2008-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080045288 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Moshal; Martin Paul ; et
al. |
February 21, 2008 |
Method and System for Indicating a Jackpot Payout Expectancy for a
Game
Abstract
A method and system for indicating a jackpot payout expectancy
for a game is provided for use with live or online gaming. The
system includes a display of jackpot payout information for gaming
participants that may allow participants to rapidly assess a status
of various jackpot casino games to determine which game to play,
based on a likelihood of an imminent jackpot payout. For instance,
a payout statistic (i.e., a jackpot thermometer) is provided to
players to indicate how far a jackpot cycle of a game has run since
the jackpot was last paid out. The statistic can be displayed
graphically as a slider bar or as a thermometer icon, for
example.
Inventors: |
Moshal; Martin Paul;
(Gibraltar, GI) ; Igesund; Terence; (Durban,
ZA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCDONNELL BOEHNEN HULBERT & BERGHOFF LLP
300 S. WACKER DRIVE, 32ND FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
WATERLEAF LIMITED
Douglas, Isle of Man
GB
|
Family ID: |
38829171 |
Appl. No.: |
11/465242 |
Filed: |
August 17, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/16 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3258 20130101; G07F 17/3227 20130101; G07F 17/3262
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/16 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A graphical interface for displaying game data associated with
casino games, the graphical interface comprising: primary data
relating to a casino game; and a jackpot indicator relating to the
casino game that refers to a statistic that may be interpreted to
indicate how soon a jackpot of the casino game is likely to pay
out.
2. The graphical interface of claim 1, further comprising an
arrangement of game category icons each of which represent
categories of games available for play.
3. The graphical interface of claim 2, wherein the game category
icons are displayed as a series of tabbed categories.
4. The graphical interface of claim 1, farther comprising an
arrangement of game icons each of which represent games available
for play, and wherein one of the game icons represents the casino
game, and wherein the primary data relating to the casino game is
listed near the game icon.
5. The graphical interface of claim 4, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game is displayed adjacent the
game icon representing the casino game.
6. The graphical interface of claim 4, wherein the game icons are
active web links invokable to load a corresponding game lobby
page.
7. The graphical interface of claim 1, further comprising icons
that link to web pages that display information including
promotions, news, account information, banking options, help
information, and support contacts.
8. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the primary data
relating to the casino game includes a name of the casino game, a
brief description of a type of the casino game, a set of rules
applicable to the casino game, and a status of the casino game.
9. The graphical interface of claim 8, wherein the status of the
casino game is active when the casino game is ready for play.
10. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the primary data
relating to the casino game is displayed in a webpage window, and
the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is displayed in
an adjacent window.
11. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game indicates an amount of the
jackpot and a jackpot payout statistic.
12. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game is a graphical indicator
represented as a horizontal slide bar.
13. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic computed in
real-time.
14. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic, T, calculated
by: T=Offset+(a number of game plays since last jackpot
payout)/(Jackpot Cycle of the casino game).times.100, where the
Offset refers to an arbitrary bias selected for the casino game and
the Jackpot Cycle refers to a probability of winning a jackpot on
any turn of the casino game.
15. The graphical interface of claim 14, wherein the Jackpot Cycle
is the reciprocal of a number of all possible outcomes of the
casino game.
16. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator can be interpreted to indicate if a jackpot payout is
imminent.
17. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic, T, calculated
by: T=Offset+(Elapsed time since last jackpot
payout)/(A).times.100, where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias
selected for the casino game and where A is an average time between
successive jackpot payouts.
18. The graphical interface of claim 1, wherein the jackpot
indicator relating to the casino game indicates how far a jackpot
cycle of the game has run since a jackpot was previously paid out,
wherein the jackpot cycle of the casino game refers to a
probability of winning a jackpot on any turn of the casino
game.
19. The graphical interface of claim 1, further comprising an
illustration of hot or cold next to the jackpot indicator.
20. A system for indicating the jackpot payout expectancy for a
game comprising: a server to generate one or more random events
upon which an outcome of the game depends; and a gaming device
coupled to the server and presenting to a player a display of
game-play corresponding to the game, the display including a
jackpot indicator that indicates how far a jackpot cycle of the
game has run since a jackpot was previously paid out.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device couples to
the server through a communication network.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device displays to
the player a menu of games offered for play within a graphical
interface.
23. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device displays the
jackpot indicator graphically as a slider bar.
24. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device displays the
jackpot indicator graphically as a thermometer icons.
25. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device enables the
player to place wagers on, and to control the progress of, the
game.
26. The system of claim 20, wherein the gaming device displays to
the player an outcome of the game as a function of the random
events generated by the server.
27. The system of claim 20, wherein the server is operated by an
online casino and the gaming device is located remote from the
server and operated by a player of the online casino.
28. The system of claim 20, wherein the server calculates a value
of the jackpot indicator by: Jackpot Indicator Offset+(a number of
game plays since last jackpot win)/(Jackpot Cycle of the casino
game).times.100, where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias
selected for the game and the Jackpot Cycle refers to a probability
of winning the jackpot on any turn of the game.
29. The system of claim 20, wherein the server calculates a value
of the jackpot indicator by: Jackpot Indicator=Offset+(Elapsed time
since last jackpot payout)/(A).times.100, where the Offset refers
to an arbitrary bias selected for the game and where A is an
average time between successive jackpot payouts.
30. The system of claim 20, further comprising a second server to
generate one or more random events upon which an outcome of a
second game depends, and wherein a single jackpot relates to the
game and the second game, and wherein the gaming device displays a
universal jackpot indicator that indicates how far a
combined,jackpot cycle of the game and the second game has run
since a jackpot of either the game or the second game was
previously paid out.
31. A method of indicating jackpot payout expectancies for games
comprising: selecting an offset value that indicates an arbitrary
bias of a game; calculating a probability of winning a jackpot
relating to the game; calculating a jackpot statistic that
indicates an expectancy of winning the jackpot of the game using
the offset value and the probability of winning the jackpot
relating to the game; and graphically displaying the jackpot
statistic to players of the game.
32. A computer readable medium containing program code for causing
a microprocessor to execute the method of claim 31.
33. The method of claim 31, further comprising graphically
displaying an amount of the jackpot that can be won on the
game.
34. The method of claim 31, wherein the jackpot statistic indicates
how far a jackpot cycle of the game has run since the jackpot was
previously paid out.
35. The method of claim 31, wherein calculating the jackpot
statistic that indicates the expectancy of winning the jackpot of
the game comprises solving the following equation: Jackpot
Indicator=the offset value+(a number of game plays since last
jackpot win)/(the probability of winning the jackpot relating to
the game).times.100.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present disclosure relates to graphic displays for live
or online gaming, and more particularly, to a presentation of
jackpot payout game information to players participating in live or
online casinos, poker rooms, and the like,
[0002] A live casino refers to a typical brick-and-mortar casino
that includes various games providing gambling opportunities to
visitors. A difficult task of a live casino is to enable visitors
to rapidly select a particular game to play. Game selection can
become burdensome as the number of games offered for play
increase.
[0003] An online casino refers to a virtual casino where
participants can join in various games over the Internet. Similar
to a live casino, a difficult task of an online casino is also to
enable players to rapidly select a particular game to play from a
menu of games that are offered by the online casino. Game selection
can become burdensome as the number of games offered for play
increase. For example it is not uncommon for online casinos to
offer players a choice of 250 or more different games from which to
select a desired game to play.
[0004] Many of the games available for play at live or online
casinos are games that include jackpot payouts. A jackpot payout
may refer to accumulated stakes pertaining to one game at an online
casino, or other types of cumulatively pooled winnings possibly
from multiple games at an online casino. The jackpot payout may
also be the top prize or reward for winning a particular game or
portion of a game at an online casino. A player may generally
desire to play a game that has a high jackpot payout compared to
others. In addition, a player would optimally like to select a game
that has an increased chance of giving an imminent payout. However,
it may be difficult for a player to determine such payouts or
chances of winning from game selection menus at live or online
casinos.
[0005] As an example, game selection usually occurs at a lobby or
menu page of an online casino website. Games may be classified into
categories and then presented to online participants. When a player
selects a particular game category, a list (scrollable or paged) of
all the games offered in that category can be displayed. When the
player brings any game in the selected category into focus (for
example, by allowing his mouse to hover over a game icon
corresponding to that game), game data relating to the highlighted
game may be displayed However, without fully selecting the game,
the amount of game data visible to the player may be limited. In
addition, jackpot data may not be present for some or all of the
games. Thus, it would be desirable for a player to be able to view
game data pertaining to jackpot games including information that
would enable a player make a quick decision regarding which jackpot
game to play.
SUMMARY
[0006] Disclosed herein are embodiments of a menu system that
include a display of jackpot payout information for a user,
referred to, for example, as a "Jackpot Thermometer." The jackpot
payout display provides a status of a jackpot payout probability
(i.e., based on probabilities, whether or not a payout is imminent
or overdue) The present disclosure is applicable to conventional
video slot games, video poker games, or any single or multiplayer
game in which a fixed or progressive jackpot can be won. Thus, the
present disclosure is applicable to land-based electronic gaming
machines at a typical live casino, such as slot machines connected
through a network by a central gaming server, or to online gaming
at an online casino.
[0007] In one aspect of the disclosure, a graphical interface for
displaying game data associated with casino games is presented. The
graphical interface includes primary data relating to a casino
game, and a jackpot indicator relating to the casino game that
refers to a statistic that may be interpreted to indicate how soon
a jackpot of the casino game is likely to pay out.
[0008] The graphical display may also contain icons corresponding
to a plurality of game categories, including, for example, "New
Games," "Favorites," "Blackjack," "Roulette," "Tables," "Jackpots,"
"Classic Slots," "Video Slots," "Video Pokers," and "Other Games."
Clicking on any game category icon switches the display to a
corresponding games lobby page that has a number of game icons, one
for each game in the game category When a mouse hovers over any
game icon in the game lobby page, game data corresponding to the
game may be displayed to a player The data (including a description
of the game characteristics) may also be displayed on a separate
sub-window on the display The game data for any particular game can
contain a numerical representation of a current jackpot amount
corresponding to the game.
[0009] In another aspect of the disclosure, a system for indicating
the jackpot payout expectancy for a game is provided The system
includes a server to generate one or, more random events upon which
an outcome of the game depends, and a gaming device coupled to the
server and presenting to a player a display of game-play
corresponding to the game. The display includes a jackpot indicator
that indicates how far a jackpot cycle of the game has run since a
jackpot was previously paid out.
[0010] In yet another aspect of the disclosure, a method of
indicating jackpot payout expectancies for games is provided. The
method includes selecting an offset value that indicates an
arbitrary bias, calculating a probability of winning a jackpot
relating to the game, and calculating a jackpot statistic that
indicates an expectancy of winning the jackpot of the game using
the offset value and the probability of winning the jackpot
relating to the game. In addition, the method includes graphically
displaying the jackpot statistic to players of the game.
[0011] Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent
from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example,
certain principles of described embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating one example of a
system for providing a menu selection of available games to
participants.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an example of a graphical interface display by the
system of FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 3 is another example of a graphical interface display
by the system of FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting one example of a method of
indicating jackpot payout expectancies for a game.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The present disclosure includes a menu system for live or
online gaming that has a display of jackpot payout information for
gaming participants. The jackpot payout information may allow
participants to rapidly assess a status of various jackpot casino
games to determine which game to play, based on a likelihood of an
imminent jackpot payout. For instance, as different games have
different jackpot cycles and a player generally has no knowledge of
when the jackpot of a game paid out, in order to aid game
selection, a payout statistic (ire., a jackpot thermometer) is
provided to players that indicates how far a jackpot cycle of a
game has run since the jackpot was last paid out. The statistic can
be displayed graphically as a slider bar or as a thermometer icon,
for example.
[0017] Referring now to FIG. 1, one example of a system for
providing a menu selection of available games to participants is
illustrated The system includes an electronic gaming device 102
coupled through a communication network 104 to a server 106. The
electronic gaming device 102 allows a participant (or user, more
generally) to play casino games by, for example, presenting the
participant a display of game-play. In addition, the electronic
gaming device 102 may receive user input and transmit the user
input to through the communication network 104 (such as the
Internet) to the server 106 via a wireline or wireless interface,
for example. Thus, the electronic gaming device 102 may be a slot
machine at a live casino, for example, or a personal computer
allowing a user to participate in online gaming.
[0018] In the form of an online casino, within the system
illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic gaming device 102 is a client
workstation and the server 106 is a gaming server remote from the
electronic gaming device 102, but linked thereto by the
communication network 104, such as the Internet. One or more casino
games are then executable by selection of a user of the online
casino. Each game offered by the casino includes a server process,
which is executable in the gaming server, and a client process,
which is executable in the client workstation The server process
generates, upon request of the client process, one or more random
events upon which an outcome of the casino game depends Such random
events can correspond, for example, to the roll of a die, the spin
of a roulette wheel or the deal of a playing card, depending on
which particular casino game is being played by the player. The
client process, on the other hand, presents to the user or player a
simulation of the casino game being played The client process also
enables the player to place wagers on, and to control the progress
of, the casino game, and displays to the player the outcome of the
game as a function of the random events generated by the server
process.
[0019] In order to communicate with the gaming server of the online
casino, the client workstation operates under control of a casino
client interface program 108. The client interface program 108
includes a menu subsystem or menu selection system that displays to
the player a menu of casino games that are offered by the
particular online casino. The electronic gaming device 106 may
present a graphical user interface ("GUI") including the menu
selection system to the player. The player is then able to select
any one of the games that he wishes to play. When selecting a
particular game for the first time, the casino client interface
program 108 causes a software program corresponding to the client
process for the particular casino game to be downloaded from the
gaming server to the electronic gaming device 102, where the
program is stored locally on a storage device, such as a hard disk
drive. Once downloaded, the player can then install the software
program on the electronic gaming device 102. Once the client
process for a particular casino game has been downloaded and
installed in this manner, the casino game can be played without the
necessity for a further download.
[0020] In one particular menu selection system, a list of games
that are available for play at an online casino is displayed to the
player as an unstructured, tiled display of individual game display
windows. Each game display window includes a name of a
corresponding game, as well as salient details and rules associated
with the game. Where a client process associated with a particular
game has not yet been downloaded from the gaming server to the
electronic gaming device 102, the corresponding game display window
in the menu subsystem includes an icon that can be activated by the
player to initiate a download of the corresponding client process
from the gaming server to the electronic gaming device 102.
[0021] The server 106 may also include a categorization facility
110 to categorize each one of the different casino games available
on the server 106 into one or more different categories Examples of
such categories include, for example, progressive jackpot games,
table games, video poker games, slots games, and new games that
have not previously been accessible through the menu system. The
categorization can also include other categories of casino games,
namely favorites, which are games that are preferred by the player,
and recommended games. Any casino game can be categorized into more
than one different category. For example, a particular game may be
classified as a video poker game, as well as being categorized as a
jackpot game.
[0022] The client interface program 106 can then present the menu
selection system including the categorized casino games to the user
FIG. 2 is one example of a GUI home page 200 including a
presentation of a menu selection system that corresponds to an
overview mode, and FIG. 3 is another example of a GUI games lobby
page 300 that corresponds to a detailed mode.
[0023] The home page 200, which is a composite web page, displays
an arrangement of game category icons 202 (such as "New Games" or
"Jackpots"), which represent categories of games available for play
at the online casino. In this example, the game category icons 202
are active web links that can be used to invoke a corresponding
games lobby page. The home page 200 also displays several icons
that link to web pages that display information about other online
casino or gaming information, such as, for example, promotions 204,
news 206, a user's account information 208, banking options 210,
help information 212, support contacts 214, and advanced user
features 216.
[0024] Upon selection of one of the game category icons 202, a
corresponding games lobby page is presented to the user, such as
the games lobby page 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. The games lobby
page 300 displays the games available for play at the casino for
the selected category. The different game categories can be
displayed to the player as a series of tabbed categories 302 on the
GUI, according to a display standard that is well known in the alt.
In this example, four tabs are illustrated, which are labeled All
(including Tables, Video Pokers, and Slots games), Slots (including
Jackpot games), Tables (for table games), and Video Pokers. The
user is able to view game data relating to all the casino games in
any desired category by selecting a corresponding tab for that game
category.
[0025] Primary game data of all the casino games in a selected
tabbed game category is displayed in a scrollable window on the
display screen page 200. Primary game data relating to any casino
game may include a name of the casino game and a brief description
of a type of the casino game, a set of rules applicable to the
casino game, and a status of the casino game. The status of the
casino game is active when the casino game is ready for play by the
user and inactive when the game is not ready for play by the user.
The game status is set to be inactive when a client process of the
casino game has not previously been downloaded from a gaming server
and stored locally on a storage device on the electronic gaming
device 102, or when an updated version of the client process of the
casino game is available on the gaming server and should be
downloaded in order for the game to be played by the player.
[0026] When a particular category tab is highlighted or selected,
all available casino games in that category are displayed as an
arrangement of activatable icons 304 in a scrollable window, for
example. Double clicking on any game icon 304 causes that game to
open and execute.
[0027] In addition, when primary game data, such as the icons 304,
of any particular casino game is displayed in the scrollable
window, secondary game data corresponding to the highlighted or
selected game is displayed in an adjacent non-scrollable game
window 306, for example. Those skilled in the art will appreciate
that the type of detailed information displayed in the game data
window will be dependent of the category in which the particular
game has been classified. (In the illustration shown in FIG. 3, not
all of the categories illustrated in FIG. 2 are shown).
[0028] Also included in the game data window 306 is a "Jackpot
Thermometer" 308 that corresponds to the particular highlighted
game. Referring to FIG. 3, the "All" tab is highlighted and visible
attributes of the Wowpot Classic Slot game are shown in the game
data window 302, including a jackpot payout 310 of $1,255,000,00
and a representative jackpot thermometer reading 312 of "100." In
practice, each game will have its own particular jackpot
thermometer reading that is computed in real-time by a casino
gaming server. The jackpot thermometer in FIG. 3 is represented as
a horizontal slider bar. Of course, the jackpot thermometer may be
illustrated in many other forms as well.
[0029] In a variation of the example shown in FIG. 3, the different
game categories and the different games in each game category can
also be displayed in a conventional fly-out or pop-up window menu
display, of a type that is well known in the Windows operating
system from the Microsoft Corporation.
[0030] The "Jackpot Thermometer" 310 shown in FIG. 3 refers to a
statistic for a game that may be interpreted to indicate how soon a
prize, or jackpot, of the game according to the pay tables is
likely to pay out. The jackpot may be a fixed prize, or may be
progressive in nature, with no upper limit.
[0031] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the probability of
winning a jackpot on any turn of a game is the reciprocal of the
number of all possible outcomes of the game, which is referred to
as the jackpot cycle of the game. For example, the jackpot cycle of
a three-reel slot game, each reel having 30 symbols of which only
one is a jackpot symbol, is 27,000. This means that, on average,
27,000 turns of the game must be played out in order for the
jackpot to be won.
[0032] Using a jackpot cycle theory, the Jackpot Thermometer
statistic or reading 312, T, can be calculated as:
T=Offset+(# of turns since last jackpot win)/(Jackpot Cycle of
Game).times.100
where the Offset refers to the initial payout percentage of the
game.
[0033] The "Offset" is an arbitrarily chosen bias for the
calculated statistic, which can be chosen by a game operator to
establish the number range and sensitivity of the statistic T.
Adjusting the statistic T may assist in attracting players to play
a game. As an example, the Offset can be chosen to be 80%. When the
jackpot pays out, the statistic T will revert to 80%, and increases
steadily until, after a number of turns of the game equal to the
jackpot cycle without the jackpot paying out, the statistic T is
equal to 180%, After a number of turns of the game exceeding the
jackpot cycle without the jackpot paying out, the statistic T will
exceed 180%. Thus, a statistic T of 80% may indicate to the player
that a particular game is "cold" and is unlikely to yield a jackpot
prize, while a statistic T of 170% and above may indicate a "hot"
game where the jackpot payout is imminent or overdue based on
calculated probabilities As another example, the Offset can be
chosen to be 0%, so that when T is 0% the game is "cold" and when T
is 100% the game is "hot," It is expected that games with a high
value of the statistic T will be attractive to players and promote
play of such games.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting one example of a method of
indicating jackpot payout expectancies for a game according to
described embodiments. Initially, as shown at block 402, an offset
value is selected as an arbitrary bias for the game. Next, the
jackpot cycle, or probability of winning the jackpot of the game,
is calculated, as shown at block 404. Following, the jackpot
statistic, T, can be calculated, as shown above and indicated at
block 406, to determine a number relating to an expectancy of
winning the jackpot of the game. The jackpot statistic can then be
graphically displayed to players of the game, as shown at block
408.
[0035] The Jackpot Thermometer reading 312, T, can be calculated in
other manners as well For example, if Jackpot Payout #1 occurred at
time t(1), Jackpot Payout #2 occurred at time t(2), . . . , Jackpot
Payout #(n-1) occurred at time t(n-1); and Jackpot Payout #n
occurred at time t(n), the interval between successive jackpot
payouts would be:
delta(i)=t(i)-t(i-1), where i=2, . . . , n (where n=any number
greater than 2)
Considering, for example, the six most recent jackpot payouts, the
average time between successive jackpot payouts is:
A=sum(delta(i))/5, where i=2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. Thus, T can be
calculated as follows:
T=Offset +(Elapsed time since last jackpot payout/A).times.100,
where A is the average time between payouts and the Offset is
defined as described above.
[0036] When T is calculated in this way and the Offset is
determined, for example, to be 80%, a value T that is close to the
Offset will indicate to a player that the game is "cold" and is
unlikely to yield a jackpot prize, while a statistic T of 170% and
above indicates a "hot" game where the jackpot payout is imminent
or overdue.
[0037] Thus, in one form, the jackpot thermometer 310 indicates a
conceptual amount of time remaining for a jackpot to be won. In
another view, the jackpot thermometer 310 indicates the probability
of winning the jackpot for the particular game. Of course, the
jackpot thermometer 310 is only an indicator calculated using
probability theory. Thus, the chances of winning the jackpot are
independent of the statistic T (reading 312). However, the jackpot
thermometer 310 can be effectively used, for example, as a
promotion device to solicit gaming activity of certain games.
[0038] In certain embodiments, a Jackpot Thermometer can be
displayed next to a game icon 304 to allow a user to immediately
determine which games are "hot" (i.e. the jackpot payout is overdue
based on probability calculations). Alternatively, a display of
"hot" or "cold" corresponding to a Jackpot Thermometer for each
game can be shown next to a game icon 304 rather than the Jackpot
Thermometer illustration, or both the Jackpot Thermometer
illustration and a display of "hot" or "cold" can be shown next to
a game icon 304, "Hot" or "cold" games can also be identified by
highlighting game icons in a particular color (such as red for
"hot" and blue for "cold"), or by any other means of distinguishing
an icon from other icons.
[0039] As mentioned above, the games that appear in "Jackpot" game
categories (such as Jackpots, Classic Slots, Video Slots, Video
Pokers, Table, and Other Games) can be progressive games, i.e.,
games that are networked between a plurality of casinos, each of
which have a single progressive jackpot that any player
participating at any of the networked casinos may win, irrespective
of the casino from which that player plays the progressive game.
There will, therefore, only be a single, universal, network-wide
Jackpot Thermometer reading that is computed by a progressive
gaming server, such as the server 106 shown in FIG. 1. The Jackpot
Thermometer reading displayed in the lobbies of each casino will,
therefore, be the same for all casinos.
[0040] For any non-progressive game, however, each casino gaming
server computes its own local Jackpot Thermometer reading for the
non-progressive game that will be different from one online casino
to another. Thus, a non-progressive game may have a Jackpot
Thermometer reading that indicates that the game is "hot" in the
lobby of online casino X while, at the same time, a different
Jackpot Thermometer reading indicating that the game is "cold" in
the casino lobby of online casino Y. A player who wishes to play a
particular game may, therefore, elect to compare the Jackpot
Thermometer readings of that game at a plurality of different
online casinos and decide to play the game at the online casino at
which the game has the highest Jackpot Thermometer reading.
[0041] While present embodiments have been described as they relate
to online casinos, it should be understood that the jackpot
statistic can also be used to show the status of jackpot payouts
for electronic gaining machines in land-based casinos. The
electronic gaming machines can be connected through a network, and
can display the Jackpot Thermometer corresponding to the status of
jackpot payouts of progressive or non-progressive games.
[0042] Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail
can be made to the described embodiments, it is intended that all
matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying
drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting
sense. Further, it is intended to be understood that the following
clauses further describe aspects of the present application.
[0043] (1) A menu system for live or online gaming that has a
display of jackpot payout information for gaming participants, the
system comprising:
[0044] a gaming server; and
[0045] an electronic gaming device coupled through a communication
network to the server, where the electronic gaming device allows a
participant to play casino games by presenting the participant a
display of game-play, where the electronic gaming device may
receive user input and transmit the user input through the
communication network to the server, where the electronic gaming
device displays jackpot payout information relating to a game that
allows participants to rapidly assess a status of jackpot games to
determine which game to play, based on a likelihood of an imminent
jackpot payout.
[0046] (2) The system of clause (1), wherein the jackpot payout
information includes a payout statistic that indicates how far a
jackpot cycle of a game has run since the jackpot was last paid
out.
[0047] (3) The system of clause (2), wherein the statistic is
displayed graphically as a slider bar or as a thermometer icon.
[0048] (4) The system of clause (1), (2) or (3), wherein the
electronic gaming device is a client workstation and the server is
a gaming server remote from the electronic gaming device, and
linked thereto by the communication network.
[0049] (5) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), or (4), wherein each
game offered for play includes a server process, which is
executable by the gaming server, and a client process, which is
executable by the client workstation.
[0050] (6) The system of clause (5), wherein the server process
generates, upon request of the client process, one or more random
events upon which an outcome of the game depends.
[0051] (7) The system of clause (5) or (6), wherein the client
process presents to the participant a simulation of the game being
played.
[0052] (8) The system of clause (5), (6), or (7), wherein the
client process enables the participant to place wagers on, and to
control the progress of, the casino game, and displays to the
player the outcome of the game as a function of the random events
generated by the server process.
[0053] (9) The system of clause (4), (5), (6), (7), or (8), wherein
the client workstation operates under control of a casino client
interface program that includes a menu selection system that
displays to the participant a menu of casino games that are offered
for play.
[0054] (10) The system of clause (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), or (9),
wherein when a participant selects a particular game for the first
time, the casino client interface program causes a software program
corresponding to the client process for that particular game to be
downloaded from the gaming server to the electronic gaming device,
where the program is stored locally on a storage device.
[0055] (11) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), or (10), wherein the electronic gaming device presents a
graphical user interface (GUI) including the menu selection system
to the participant.
[0056] (12) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), (10) or (11), wherein a list of games available for play
are displayed to the participant as an unstructured, tiled display
of individual game display windows.
[0057] (13) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), (10), (11), or (12) wherein the gaming server includes a
categorization facility to categorize each one of the different
games available on the gaming server into one or more different
categories.
[0058] (14) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), (10), (11), (12) or (13), wherein the game is a
progressive game that is networked between a plurality of casinos,
where each game is tied to a single progressive jackpot that any
player participating at any of the networked casinos may win,
irrespective of the casino from which the player plays the
progressive game.
[0059] (15) The system of clause (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7),
(8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), or (14) wherein the jackpot
payout information includes a single, universal, network-wide
jackpot reading that is computed by the gaming server.
[0060] (16) A graphical interface for displaying jackpot payout
information for gaming participants comprising:
[0061] a statistic for a game that may be interpreted to indicate
how soon a prize, or jackpot, of the game is likely to pay out,
wherein the statistic is calculated by [T=Offset+(# of turns since
last jackpot win)/(Jackpot Cycle of the Game).times.100], where the
Offset refers to the initial payout percentage of the game and the
Jackpot Cycle of the Game is a probability of winning a jackpot on
any turn of the game
[0062] (17) The graphical interface of clause (16), wherein the
Jackpot Cycle of the Game is the reciprocal of a number of possible
outcomes of the game.
[0063] (18) The graphical interface of clause (16) or (17), further
including a display of an arrangement of game category icons that
represent categories of games available for play.
[0064] (19) The graphical interface of clause (18), wherein the
game category icons are active web links that can be used to invoke
a corresponding games lobby page.
[0065] (20) The graphical interface of clause (18) or (19),
wherein, upon selection of one of the game category icons, a
corresponding games lobby page is presented to the user that
displays the games available for play.
[0066] (21) The graphical interface of clause (18), (19) or (20),
wherein game categories are displayed to the player as a series of
tabbed categories
[0067] (22) The graphical interface of clause (16), (17), (18),
(19), (20) or (21), further including a display of primary game
data of games in a selected tabbed game category including a name
of the casino game and a brief description of a type of the casino
game, a set of rules applicable to the casino game, and a status of
the casino game.
[0068] (23) The graphical interface of clause (16), (17), (18),
(19), (20), (21) or (22), further including a display of secondary
game data including a jackpot payout amount and a representative
jackpot thermometer statistic.
[0069] (24) The graphical interface of clause (16), (17), (18),
(19), (20), (21), (22) or (23), wherein the statistic is computed
in real-time
[0070] (25) A method of indicating jackpot payout expectancies for
a game comprising:
[0071] selecting an offset value for the game;
[0072] calculating a jackpot cycle, or probability of winning the
jackpot of the game;
[0073] calculating a jackpot statistic, T, to determine a number
relating to an expectancy of winning the jackpot of the game, using
the offset value and the jackpot cycle; and
[0074] graphically displaying the jackpot statistic to players of
the game.
[0075] (26) The method of clause (25), wherein the jackpot
statistic indicates a conceptual amount of time remaining for a
jackpot to be won.
[0076] (27) The method of clause (25) or (26), wherein the jackpot
statistic indicates the probability of winning the jackpot for the
particular game.
[0077] Various embodiments have been described. Those skilled in
the art will understand, however, that changes and modifications
may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the
true scope and spirit of the present invention, which is defined by
the following claims.
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