Christopher Reddicks

Connie Louise Thome

Richard E Michaelson

James A Vasquez

Anthony J Baerlocher

William Chad Little

Bryan E Bullard

Daniel DeWaal

Daniel J Dewaal

Jeremy J Warner

Gaming systems and methods for providing progressive awards in association with a central determination gaming system.

Gaming system and method for providing a central determination of game outcomes and progressive awards

The present invention provides novel method and devices for implementing progressive systems on networked gaming machines and associated network devices. Some preferred implementations of the invention allow a target progressive pool size to be selected and apply payouts such that the actual progressive pool size is not likely to exceed greatly the target progressive pool size. Some such implementations control the actual progressive pool size by applying a function to control percentages of the current progressive pool size payable to players of a wagering game on the networked gaming machines. The function may be a function of a current progressive pool size, target progressive pool size and bet size. The function may cause relatively higher percentages of the current progressive pool size to be payable to players when the current progressive pool amount is greater than a target progressive pool size and relatively lower percentages of the current progressive pool size to be payable to players when the current progressive pool size is less than or equal to a target progressive pool size.

Flexible determination of progressive awards

The present invention provides methods and devices for implementing progressive systems on networked gaming machines. Some implementations allow a target progressive pool size to be selected and apply payouts such that the actual progressive pool size is not likely to exceed greatly the target progressive pool size. Some implementations control the actual progressive pool size by applying a function to control percentages of the progressive pool size payable to players. The function may be a function of a current progressive pool size, target progressive pool size and bet size. The function may cause relatively higher percentages to be payable to players when the current progressive pool amount is greater than a target progressive pool size and relatively lower percentages to be payable to players when the current progressive pool size is less than or equal to a target progressive pool size.

A gaming system includes a plurality of gaming machines and a continual game sequence including a plurality of symbols and a plurality of sessions. Each session includes a number of games. At the beginning of a game sequence, the gaming system draws all of the symbols. When the number of games of the current session has been played without a winner, the game sequence proceeds to the next session. For each session, the gaming system activates a number of the drawn symbols based on the session number. Upon player activation, a gaming machine generates a symbol subset, marking each symbol in the subset which matches the activated symbols. If the marked symbols match a predetermined pattern, the gaming system provides an award for a player, basing the award on an award pool amount and the session number. As the session number increases, the award provided to the player decreases.

Gaming system and method for providing bingo wins

A gaming system and method of providing a virtual drawing or drawing promotion including a central server, one or more location servers, and a plurality of gaming devices. A player is provided with a drawing account voucher, which is associated with a drawing account. Based on game play, the drawing account is credited with drawing entries or virtual tickets for a drawing promotion. In one embodiment, the gaming system provides a number of drawing entries when a wager placed by a player meets at least a wager threshold amount, wherein the number of drawing entries provided is based on a ticket award amount. The gaming system, upon expiration of a drawing period, selects a winner of the drawing promotion by selecting a drawing entry. In one embodiment, the gaming system progressively increases the drawing prize based on the number of drawing entries provided or wagers placed by the players.

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Reno, NV, United States of America

Christopher Reddicks