Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-12
2003-10-21
Layno, Benjamin H. (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Credit/debit monitoring or manipulation
C463S026000, C463S027000, C463S013000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06634946
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND—DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART
Our invention is a new method and apparatus for player pools in a gaming environment. It is an innovative Pari-Mutuel slot machine, which requires no seed money. This method is especially suitable for those casinos and lotteries, that cannot have games with house backed prizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,400 “Pari-Mutuel Electronic Gaming,” combines the Nevada style banked progressive with a Pari-Mutuel pool. However, it requires seeding by the house or banker, at startup and when the pool goes negative. Once house seeding is used, it is a banked game. Thus, the referenced patent allowed banking, since the house used its own money to seed the pool. The Keno game in the state of California, was declared illegal on Jun. 24, 1996, because it was a banked game. The California Keno game used guaranteed, preset prizes that were banked by the State (the house). It was deemed not a legal lottery, which can pay winnings only from player money.
Each legal jurisdiction has its own definition for skill games and games of chance. Some prohibit games of chance, while allowing games of skill. In certain cases, some skill games are legal, but others are not. States, like California, specifically do not allow banked games, where the house guarantees any part of a bonus. At the present time, the only popular slot machines are banked games that pay preset prizes. There are no known Pari-Mutuel video slots or poker gaming machines operating successfully today, in any legal jurisdiction.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, we have provided a new method and apparatus with the following objects and advantages. Pari-Mutuel gaming machines haven't competed successfully in the marketplace alongside slots, Draw Poker, or other gaming devices. Our unique method presents these gaming machines in a Pari-Mutuel format, while retaining their most popular and successful features.
Any game, can be made into a viable player pool, game. This includes: table games, card games, slot games, draw poker games, Bingo, Keno and other gambling games.
Electronic skill game machines, using Pari-Mutuel payoff methods, can now be used in jurisdictions where only non-banked skill games are allowed. In fact, any table game with or without electronic assistance, combined with our method might now be legal.
There are jurisdictions, where no gaming machines have been allowed, which do allow Pari-Mutuel gaming. Electronic slot game machines, using Pari-Mutuel payoff methods, may now be used.
A rapid build-up of a player pool is possible without being banked (seeded) by the house. One hundred percent (100%) of player bets, less player winnings, goes to the player pool, not just a fraction of the bet. This may cause the Jackpots to be astronomically high. Where legal, the sky may be the limit!.
Preset pay schedules are now possible without house backing. Players bet against posted pay-schedules changing dynamically, while racing against other players for maximum wins.
Zero seeding eliminates the banking aspect of any game and makes our invention unique.
Rent (fee for apparatus use) clearly can be kept physically separate from the player's pool. This assumes unequivocally, that the house never, at any time, contributes to the Player's pool.
Our invention is flexible. This is a multi-faceted invention that can operate in a full spectrum of ways, that are quite player friendly. In the beginning, this system operates quite simply; as a single game (stand-alone) video machine played by one player at a time. At the end, most brilliantly, it operates within a whole network; as a multi-game machine with multiple players playing against each other through linked machines.
A casino can choose between local or remote control over their linking system.
Where legal, with more player contributions, this pool can accumulate geometrically larger progressives.
A real time, continuous, non-banked Keno system allows the players to make bets, as fast as the Keno device accepts them and certainly makes this invention commercially feasible.
A top-prize feature insures that the pool won't drop back to the start-up condition of zero.
The house never covers a bet and has no downside, since it is a true player's pool.
Our invention features many player options: players can choose or switch from the different games offered, with dynamically different odds and paytables, including a wide variety of jackpots (which are found in sidepots). The many pots (sub-pools) spread the overall system around for considerable variety. These player options, combined with the potentially huge jackpots, make this invention exciting and commercially feasible.
SUMMARY
Our real time method, presents gaming in a new, dynamic way. It works for table games, skill games, slots, video poker games, real time Keno or Bingo, and other games. It operates by itself as a stand-alone machine or in a network of linked machines. The apparatus operates as a stand alone, or in a network of linked machines. It provides for local or remote control. Centralized pools give large jackpots, but stand-alone machines may operate with part of the central pool with no bank contribution, when the network is disabled. State lotteries, race tracks, card rooms, and casinos can take advantage of this Pari-Mutuel system.
Players compete only against other players for prizes, paid from a player pool accrued from player bets. The house never involves itself in the wager, in any manner.
The preferred embodiment has a rent slot where the player pays a fee, to use the system or video machine. Rent money entered through a coin acceptor, is easily kept separate from the player bet money, entered through a bill acceptor.
Player money increases credits, but does not affect the pool until bet. Each bet decreases credits and increases the pool, including Maxwin. The pool amount and Maxwin are always accessible at video monitors, or LED sign displays. In summary, the pool rises with player bets, and falls with player wins. With one hundred linked machines, the Maxwin of our invention, can grow significantly larger than the top-prize for the average video poker machine.
Popular preset paylines with varying prizes form the paytables. But, these paylines can each be set to a different percentage of the player's pool, rather than preset amounts. The selection is controlled by the system operator.
At system startup, the player's pool has no money. But shortly, the Maxwin may reach five (5) units. Paylines will display five (5) units for those paylines that exceed five (5) units.
The player will develop strategies to cope with pool fluctuations. When the pool is low, the skilled player may emphasize non-Maxwin combinations. Why try for risky hands that don't pay more? Maxwin can be restricted at the upper end by the maximum top-prize value set by the system operator.
It is commercially feasible. The Casino gets rent for games just as they currently do for table games. More excitement builds when the pool goes up 100% of the money bet (less wins).
REFERENCES:
patent: 4836553 (1989-06-01), Suttle et al.
patent: 5275400 (1994-01-01), Weingardt et al.
patent: 5476259 (1995-12-01), Weingardt
patent: 5984779 (1999-11-01), Bridgeman et al.
“Draw Poker”, Scarne's Encyclopedia of Games, John Scarne, Harper & Row Publishers, pp. 6-18. 1973.
Bridgeman James L.
Bridgeman Jerry K.
Bridgeman Lance F.
Bridgeman Nancy L.
Bridgeman Robert J.
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