Gaming system, gaming device, and method for enabling a player to select volatility using game symbols

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10127762-B2
Application number	US-201615073088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Nov 14, 2008
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Various embodiments of the gaming system, gaming device, and gaming method disclosed herein provide a primary game and a free activation bonus sequence, wherein the gaming system enables the player to select one or more of a plurality of different volatility options for use in the free activation bonus sequence. Each option is associated with a different number of free activations and a different pool of symbols or different symbol functionality. The gaming system provides this variation in the pool of symbols or symbol functionality in various embodiments by enabling the player to replace one or more symbols of a pool or set of symbols of the primary game (i.e., the primary set of symbols) with the symbol associated with a player selected option. The symbols of this modified set of symbols (i.e., the secondary set of symbols) are used in the free activation bonus sequence).

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A dedicated electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
a payment acceptor supported by the housing;
at least one input device supported by the housing;
at least one processor; and
at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
establish a credit balance based at least in part on a monetary value associated with a physical item following receipt of the physical item by the payment acceptor, wherein the physical item is selected from the group consisting of: a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency;
responsive to a determination that an amount of the credit balance is at least a minimum wager amount, enable a placement of a wager for a play of a primary game following receipt of an actuation of a wager button, the primary game associated with a primary symbol set including at least one instance of each of a plurality of symbols, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;
for the play of the primary game:
randomly determine, utilizing a random number generator, a plurality of instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set,
cause the at least one display device to display the randomly determined plurality of instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set,
determine any primary awards based on the displayed instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set, and
cause the at least one display device to display any determined primary awards, the credit balance being increasable by any determined primary awards;

responsive to a triggering event occurring:
cause the at least one display device to display a plurality of different selectable options including:
a first option associated with a first quantity of plays of a secondary game; and
a second option associated with a second quantity of plays of a secondary game, the second quantity of plays of the secondary game being different from the first quantity of plays of the secondary game; and

receive a player input to customize a volatility of the secondary game by:
responsive to a selection of the first option being received via the at least one input device, form a first secondary symbol set by replacing at least one instance of a first symbol of the primary symbol set with an instance of a designated symbol and, for at least one of the first quantity of plays of the secondary game:
 randomly determine, utilizing the random number generator, a plurality of instances of the symbols of the first secondary symbol set,
 cause the at least one display device to display the randomly determined plurality of instances of the symbols of the first secondary symbol set,
 determine any secondary awards associated with the displayed instances of the symbols of the first secondary symbol set, and
 cause the at least one display device to display any determined secondary awards, the credit balance being increasable by any determined secondary awards; and
responsive to a selection of the second option being received via the at least one input device, form a second secondary symbol set by replacing at least one instance of a second symbol of the primary symbol set with an instance of the designated symbol, the second symbol being different from the first symbol, and, for at least one of the second quantity of plays of the secondary game:
 randomly determine, utilizing the random number generator, a plurality of instances of the symbols of the second secondary symbol set,
 cause the at least one display device to display the randomly determined plurality of instances of the symbols of the second secondary symbol set,
 determine any secondary awards associated with the displayed instances of the symbols of the second secondary symbol set, and
 cause the at least one display device to display any determined secondary awards, the credit balance being increasable by any determined secondary awards; and

initiate a payout associated with the credit balance following receipt of an actuation of a cashout button.

2. The dedicated electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first secondary symbol set includes an instance of a symbol not included in the second secondary symbol set.

3. The dedicated electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to:
(i) responsive to the selection of the first option being received, form the first secondary symbol set by replacing each instance of the first symbol of the primary symbol set with an instance of the designated symbol; and
(ii) responsive to the selection of the second option being received, form the second secondary symbol set by replacing each instance of the second symbol of the primary symbol set with an instance of the designated symbol.

4. The dedicated electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein when executed by the at least one processor, the plurality of instructions cause the at least one processor to, responsive to the selection of the second option being received, form the second secondary symbol set by replacing at least one instance of the second symbol of the primary symbol set and at least one instance of the first symbol of the primary symbol set with an instance of the designated symbol, and wherein the second quantity of plays of the secondary game is less than the first quantity of plays of the secondary game.

5. The dedicated electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the designated symbol is a wild symbol.

6. The dedicated electronic gaming machine of claim 1 , which includes: (1) a player tracking device including a player tracking card reader configured to receive and read a player tracking card to facilitate storing tracked game play data with a player associated with that player tracking card, and (2) a ticket printer configured to print a ticket associated with a value representative of the credit balance following receipt of the actuation of the cashout button.

7. A dedicated electronic gaming machine comprising:
a housing;
at least one display device supported by the housing;
a payment acceptor supported by the housing;
at least one input device supported by the housing;
at least one processor; and
at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
establish a credit balance based at least in part on a monetary value associated with a physical item following receipt of the physical item by the payment acceptor, wherein the physical item is selected from the group consisting of: a ticket associated with the monetary value and a unit of currency;
responsive to a determination that an amount of the credit balance is at least a minimum wager amount, enable a placement of a wager for a play of a primary game following receipt of an actuation of a wager button, the primary game associated with a primary symbol set including at least one instance of each of a plurality of symbols, the credit balance being decreasable by the wager;
for the play of the primary game:
randomly determine, utilizing a random number generator, a plurality of instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set,
cause the at least one display device to display the randomly determined plurality of instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set,
determine any primary awards based on the displayed instances of the symbols of the primary symbol set, and
cause the at least one display device to display any determined primary awards, the credit balance being increasable by any determined primary awards

Assignees

• Igt Reno Nev

Inventors

• Hughes William K
• Boese Eric S

Classifications

• G07F17/3267

  Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games · CPC title

• G07F17/3262

  Player actions which determine the course of the game, e.g. selecting a prize to be won, outcome to be achieved, game to be played · CPC title

• G07F17/34

  depending on the stopping of moving members {in a mechanical slot machine}, e.g. "fruit" machines · CPC title

• G07F17/3213 Primary

  Details of moving display elements, e.g. spinning reels, tumbling members · CPC title

• G07F17/3265

  Influencing the position of stopped moving members to achieve a winning arrangement, e.g. nudging, shuffling, holding · CPC title