Acres Gaming, Inc.

Casino Data Systems Inc.

United Games, Inc.

Miles M Patceg

Scott A Boyd

Perry O Cobb

Kevan Wilkins

Shannon Mason

Reuven Somberg

Chris E Hammond

Richard Jeffrey Jordan

Richard Jay Schneider

Rex R Carlson

Robert James Craig

Rich Schneider

A method of implementing a player tracking system in a gaming network includes receiving a virtual player tracking card identifier and a virtual player tracking card password, authenticating the identifier and the password; receiving a virtual player tracking card PIN, identifying a gaming machine that transmitted the virtual player tracking card PIN, and crediting an account associated with the virtual player tracking card PIN based on game play on the gaming machine.

Virtualized magnetic player card

The present invention integrates the concepts of interactive player based promotions, games, and bonusing that utilize a touch screen display on a gaming system associated with a remote player tracking system. The promotions are configured at a remote configuration workstation by selecting system criteria defining the particular bonus promotion to thereby create a 'bonus rule'. Promotions have four primary criteria. The first is the 'Trigger' which is the criterion that determines when the bonus screen is activated to display a promotion. The second is the &#x201c;Interface&#x201d; that determines what will be displayed on the bonus screen. The third is the &#x201c;Award&#x201d; in which the nature of the bonus payment, including the method of choosing the value to award and the required player interaction to receive the promotion, is determined. And finally, the &#x201c;Currency&#x201d; system determines the method of payment to the player for earning or receiving the promotion.

System controlled player-related bonuses in gaming machines

A patron registered with a player tracking system (loyalty program) of a casino can use an app on a mobile device to log into the player tracking system, receive a virtual player card PIN from the system, and enter the PIN at a gaming machine at the casino to begin player tracked game play with the use of a physical player tracking card. The patron can log into the player tracking system from any location that has cellular data network coverage or Internet access. Once at the casino, the patron retrieves the virtual player card PIN from the app and enters it using a service window interface on the gaming machine to begin game play that credits the patron's loyalty program account. This is done without having to insert a physical card into the card bezel at the machine.

The present invention integrates the concepts of interactive player based promotions, games, and bonusing that utilize a touch screen display on a gaming system associated with a remote player tracking system. The promotions are configured at a remote configuration workstation by selecting system criteria defining the particular bonus promotion to thereby create a 'bonus rule.' Promotions have four primary criteria. The first is the 'Trigger' which is the criterion that determines when the bonus screen is activated to display a promotion. The second is the &#x201c;Interface&#x201d; that determines what will be displayed on the bonus screen. The third is the &#x201c;Award&#x201d; in which the nature of the bonus payment, including the method of choosing the value to award and the required player interaction to receive the promotion, is determined. And finally, the &#x201c;Currency&#x201d; system determines the method of payment to the player for earning or receiving the promotion.

A method and apparatus for operating networked gaming devices to display a calendar image within a promotions display on a gaming machine. The method includes configuring a promotion at a configuration workstation coupled over a network to a plurality of gaming devices. Players are permitted to play one of the gaming devices with each of said gaming device having a touch screen display. A calendar graphic is displayed within the touch screen display having of a plurality of day boxes, with the promotion associated with and displayed within one of the day boxes. Information about the promotion is communicated to the player via the touch screen display associated with the gaming device. The method and apparatus accepts a communication from the player via the touch screen display indicative of a player selection of the promotion displayed in one of the day boxes, and implements the promotion responsive to the selection.

Event calendar at electronic gaming device

A content manager feature includes global controls, e.g., volume and display contrast across the entire floor. The program shows prompts including configuring graphical screens with a system variable laid over the display such as player-preferred name. The content manager, the calendar, and anything else appearing on the touch screen are displayed with key pad, touch screen, or on the game screen with or without touch controls.

Global content management over network for gaming machine

When a special symbol appears during play of the gaming machine game, the secondary game is initiated. At initiation, a bonus prize is determined by the secondary game microcontroller by consulting a bonus game paytable stored therein where each bonus prize corresponds to a bonus spot on the secondary game. A multi-ended pointer of the secondary game spins around the field of bonus spots and the player is prompted to select which end of the pointer is active. Upon selection of the end&#x2014;e.g. blue or green&#x2014;a microcontroller operating the spinner calculates the point at which the spinner will cease to spin so that the selected pointed end is pointing toward the selected bonus prize. The player is given the illusion that he or she controls which bonus prize is won since the green side of the pointer will point to a different bonus prize than the blue side.

Gaming machine having multi-ended pointer for quasi-deterministic play ('pick-a-prize')

A secondary game operable on a gaming machine top box includes visual representations of a plurality of bingo cards formed of five columns, each column corresponding to a letter in B-I-N-G-O. The secondary game also includes peripheral spaces on the top box corresponding to each letter on each card. Qualified players, e.g. those making a maximum bet on the base game, cause the secondary game to operate whereby one of the peripheral spaces is selected. A letter causes the column on the card associated with that letter to be lit; however, the cards must be completed sequentially so that the 'B' column must be lit before 'I' and so forth. Completely filling out one or more of the bingo cards results in a selected award associated with that winning card. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a bonus script is built that predetermines the number of plays made and the bonus amount received. The player then simply plays out the script until the bonus amount is one.

Sequential fast-ball BINGO secondary bonus game for use with an electronic gaming machine

Sequential fast-ball bingo secondary bonus game for use with an electronic gaming machine

A video gaming device in which a first game having a first award structure is influenced by a second game having an award structure enhancement operatively coupled to the first game all of which are integrally found on a video display monitor.

Video gaming machine having first and second chance means displayed on a video monitor with sequencing means

When a special symbol appears during play of the gaming machine game, the secondary game is initiated. At initiation, a bonus prize is determined by the secondary game microcontroller by consulting a bonus game paytable stored therein where each bonus prize corresponds to a bonus spot on the secondary game. A multi-ended pointer of the secondary game spins around the field of bonus spots and the player is prompted to select which end of the pointer is active. Upon selection of the end&mdash;e.g. blue or green&mdash;a microcontroller operating the spinner calculates the point at which the spinner will cease to spin so that the selected pointed end is pointing toward the selected bonus prize. The player is given the illusion that he or she controls which bonus prize is won since the green side of the pointer will point to a different bonus prize than the blue side.

Gaming machine having multi-ended pointer for quasi-deterministic play (&ldquo;pick-a-prize&rdquo;)

A system whereby a plurality of players can play a plurality of different gaming machines. The performance of the plurality of players is recorded through multiple rounds of the game and awards are provided based upon the performance of a player over multiple rounds of the game. In the preferred embodiment, the plurality of gaming machines are video poker machines and the players play these machines in order to obtain the well-known winning combinations. The gaming machines provide signals to a central computer that records in files for each of the players the winning combinations received by the players and the number of rounds played by the players. The central computer also determines whether the player has received a set of winning combinations, e.g., all thirteen possible different four-of-a-kinds, within a pre-selected number of rounds. When the player has received the set of winning combinations, the player receives a large award the value of which is selected so that the overall hold percentage of the gaming system is maintained while taking into consideration large awards dispensed to the players.

Growing community of inventors

Las Vegas, NV, United States of America

Miles M Patceg