MXPA06002905A - Multi-player bingo game with slept awards reverting to progressive jackpot pool - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is directed to methods and gaming units for conducting a wagering game and an associated progressive jackpot, wherein each player has a unique game array of game indicia for the occurrence of the wagering game and individual game indicia are sequentially selected from a range of available game indicia. Players may win the wagering game, interim pattern awards and/or progressive jackpot awards by matching predetermined patterns with patterns formed on their unique game array with indicia matching selected indicia. The players may sleep interim pattern awards and progressive jackpot awards by failing to claim the awards by acknowledging the awards at the gaming unit within a finite sleep time period. The slept interim pattern awards and slept progressive jackpot awards may be added to a progressive jackpot pool.

Description

BINGO GAME FOR VARIOUS PLAYERS WITH SLEEPING AWARDS THAT ARE REVERTED TO THE PROGRESSIVE WINKER OF THE MAJOR PRIZE BACKGROUND The present invention relates to game networks and, more particularly, to a game network that provides a multi-player Bingo game where an inactive prize for a game of Bingo can be reverted to a progressive accumulated bag. Indian games in the United States are divided into Class I, Class II, and Class III games. Class I games include social games played at minimum prices or traditional ceremonial games. Class II games include Bingo and games similar to Bingo. Bingo is defined as games played for a prize, including monetary prizes, with cards containing numbers or other designations in which the cardholder covers numbers or designations when objects, equally numbered or designated, are removed or electronically determined, and in which the game is won by the first person who covers a previously designated arrangement of numbers or designations on those cards. Class II games also include play-offs if played in the same place as Bingo games, lottery, perforated boards, capsize containers, Instant Bingo, and other games similar to 'Bingo'. Class III games include any game that is not a Class I or Class II game, such as probability games (video poker, video blackjack, video Keno, and the like) typically offered in non-Indian casinos, regulated by the state. There are two basic forms of Bingo. In traditional Bingo, players buy cards after which a draw takes place. The first player to achieve the designated pattern wins. In a type of Bingo game known as Bingo Bonanza, the draw for the game takes place before the players know the arrangements in their Bingo cards. After the raffle occurs, players can buy the cards or expose the previously purchased cards and compare the arrangements of the cards with the drawn numbers to determine if the predetermined patterns are the same. The game continues in Bonanza Bingo until at least one of the players equals a winning pattern of the designated game. Bingo Bonanza may also include variations of Bingo, where a partial draw of some numbers is conducted (usually less than the number of balls expected to be necessary to win the game) before selling and / or disclosing Bingo cards. After the Bingo cards are sold and / or revealed, additional numbers are drawn until there is a winner.

As indicated above, a Bingo game is played until at least one player covers a winning pattern of the predetermined game on the player's Bingo card. The game may also include interim prize winners based on the matching of predetermined interim patterns on the Bingo card using the same ball drawing. The winners of the interim pattern do not end the Bingo game. To win the interim pattern, players who cover certain interim patterns may receive an additional reward as the game continues. Some exceptional Bingo versions may allow Bingo draws beyond those necessary to win the Bingo game to pay the winners of the interim pattern a desirable bag. The rewards for winning the game can be partially or totally mutual betting. That is, the rewards for winning Bingo are based on the total amount wagered in a given game of Bingo. However, rewards for the interim pattern are typically not mutual bets. For a pattern earned from the given game, the expected number of balls drawn so that at least one Bingo card can match the winning pattern of the game depends on the number of Bingo cards that are in play in the Bingo game. Bingo is typically played with a variable number of Bingo cards, which results in several numbers of players and players playing several Bingo card numbers. Consequently, if the interim patterns are evaluated on the basis of the drawn balls until at least one Bingo card matches the winning pattern of the game, the bets to win interim rewards also vary with the number of Bingo cards with which they are awarded. is playing in the game of Bingo. If the interim rewards are determined based on the ball drawn for Bingo, the Bingo game can be restricted to a fixed number of Bingo cards to achieve a desired payout for the interim pattern rewards. However, it can be difficult to use a fixed number of Bingo cards in each bingo game game in a real-time environment where the expectation of the players may be to play the Bingo game on demand. For example, to achieve a desirable interim reward payment bag, it may be desirable to play each game of the Bingo game with a fixed number of Bingo cards, such as 15. If there are at least two players but less than 15 cards are enrolled in The game of Bingo within a short period of time, to serve the players, the casino may wish to start the game for those players available to play. With the lowest number of Bingo cards you can expect the average number of balls drawn so that at least one of the Bingo cards matches the winning pattern of the game is greater than fifteen Bingo cards. Correspondingly, the number of balls used by the players to equal the interim pattern increases, thus increasing the players' bets to match the interim patterns by increasing the bag paid for the interim reward. Therefore, there is a need for a method to minimize the impact of the players and / or Bingo cards on the structure of rewards for a multi-player Bingo game, including the impact of the bets to win the rewards the interim pattern. . In general, players find games such as slot machines, either electromechanical or video, which are more similar to Bingo games. Typically, the results of a slot machine are based on patterns resulting from symbols displayed on the reels. However, as mentioned above, slot machines and other similar types of games fall into the category of Class III games, which may be subject to stricter approvals and regulations. Therefore, there is a recognized need to provide a system where the Bingo result can be presented to players with the screen simulating the appearance of traditional Class III games, such as with electromechanical or video slot reels, but with the result of the Bingo game determining the result to be displayed instead of the gaming machine typically used for the selected Class III game. For example, a Bingo result can be used to determine the position of the reels of a display device that has the appearance and feel of a slot machine. In this way, the position of the slot reels is based on the Bingo patterns matched by the player during the Bingo game. In addition, the rewarded amounts described by the display device may correspond to the amounts of the rewards, plus any distributed and paid rewards, represented by 'the Bingo patterns. The display device, therefore, serves as an alternative display of the results of the Bingo game. The Bingo card, which can also be displayed, is the last entity that determines the result, with that result determining the result that is displayed on the display device. For slot machines and other games of chance that have a single payment line (ie, a single sequence or grouping of game symbols that is evaluated to determine if a winning combination occurs) the line between the winning results of the game of chance and the patterns in a Bingo game may not be difficult to achieve. Those games of chance typically comprise a couple of dozens of possible winning combinations and associated payment amounts. Selecting Bingo patterns with bet of occurrence similar to those of each desired winning outcome of the game of chance can be easily achieved by one skilled in the art. The current tendency in slot machines, for example, is to provide reel games that rotate in multiple lines (i.e., multiple sequences or groupings of game symbols that are evaluated to determine if one or more winning combinations occur). The reward resulting from the final position of the reels can be the sum of the rewards of all the selected payment lines, plus any rewards distributed or paid. In this way, the number of possible reward amounts for a given game, the game increases dramatically and can easily reach several hundred. In order to provide a display device for a Bingo game and offer the appearance and feel of a multi-line slot machine, there is a need for a method for mapping the Bingo patterns to each of a desired large number of reward quantities. Trying to define patterns for all or almost all reward amounts can be analytically challenging and potentially confusing for a Bingo player. An example of a method for plotting the results of the Bingo game that exceeds the rewards of slot machine is described in US Pat. No. 6,537,150 to Luciano. Luciano describes a method where a limited number of reward amounts of Bingo results are provided while still using a majority of the results displayed on the reel. For each of the winning patterns defined in a set of reasonable sizes, a maximum reward amount is defined. When that winning pattern occurs, the result of the display device that has a reward amount close to the maximum reward amount is chosen. The difference between the maximum reward amount and the amount of reward chosen is added to a separate prize pool that is rewarded to the players by some other means, such as a bonus. Consequently, Luciano's method does not pay the player the exact amount reflected by the Bingo players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the invention is directed to a method for conducting a betting game and a progressive, associated jackpot where the game is a multi-player betting game, where each player has a unique game arrangement. of game symbols per game of betting game and the individual game symbols are selected sequentially from a range of available game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of the game of bets by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of symbols of game in the player's unique arrangement with the game symbols selected sequentially and where the outcome of the game of the betting game is the winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot if a pattern of the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the unique game arrangement that matches the selected game symbols sequentially equals a patron n predetermined winning progressive jackpot. The method may include receiving a deposit of a quantity of a currency means by a player in a game unit, receiving the entry of a player's bet in a game of a game of bets in an input device of the unit of game and display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player for the game of betting game on a display device of the game unit. The method also includes receiving the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, comparing the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, and determining that the player has won an interim pattern game reward for the game. of the betting game if a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by the symbols of the game on the single game arrangement equals the selected symbols sequentially if it keeps a predetermined interim pattern. The method may further include determining a reward amount of the interim pattern for the player corresponding to the interim pattern matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, providing a period of inactivity time to the player to make a claim entry selection. of the price on the game unit's entry device to claim the amount of the interim skipper's reward and add the interim skipper's reward amount to the progressive jackpot bag if the player did not feed the prize's claim ticket within the period of inactivity time. In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method for driving a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot, where the betting game is a multiplayer betting game, where each player has a unique game arrangement of betting symbols. Game by game play of bets and individual game symbols are selected sequentially from a range of available game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of betting by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of game symbols on the arrangement of the player's unique game with the game symbols selected sequentially, and where the outcome of the game of the game of betting is a winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot if a pattern in the arrangement of the player's unique game formed by game symbols in the unique game arrangement, sequentially matching the selected game symbols sequentially, is ig ual to the winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot. The method may include providing a mechanism to accept currencies in a game unit to receive a deposit of a quantity of a currency currency by the player in the game unit, to provide the input device to receive the entry of the bet of a player. player in a game of betting game in the game unit, and providing a display device for displaying the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player in the game of betting game in the game unit. The method may also include configuring the game unit to receive the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, configuring the game unit to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, configuring the game symbol. unit of play to determine that the player has won a reward from the interim pattern for the game of betting game if a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially , is equal to a predetermined interim pattern, and set the game unit to determine a reward amount of the interim pattern for the player corresponding to the interim pattern matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement. The method may further include configuring the game unit to provide a period of inactivity time for the player to make an entry selection of the prize claim on the game unit's input device to claim the amount of reward from the interim pattern. , and set up the game unit to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to add the amount of the interim skipper's reward to a progressive jackpot prize if the player did not feed the prize claim entry within the period of idle time. In a further aspect, the invention is directed to a method for driving a betting game and an associated progressive pocket, where the betting game is a multiplayer betting game where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols per game game of bets and individual game symbols are sequentially selected from a range of available symbols, where one of the players wins the game of betting by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of game symbols in the single game arrangement of the player with the game symbols selected sequentially. The method may include receiving a deposit of an amount of a currency medium by a player in a game unit, receiving the entry of a player's bet in the game of the game of bets and an input device of the game unit and unfold the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player by the game of betting game on the display device of the game unit. The method may also include receiving the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, comparing the selected game symbol sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, determining that the player has won a progressive jackpot reward for the game of betting game if a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by the game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially equals a winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot, and determining a quantity of the progressive jackpot reward for the player corresponding to the winning pattern; the progressive jackpot matched by the patron over the player's unique play arrangement. Moreover, the method may include subtracting the progressive jackpot reward amount from a progressive jackpot prize pool, providing a period of inactivity time for the player to make an entry selection selection of the prize on the entry device of the jackpot. unit of play to claim the amount of progressive jackpot reward, and add the amount of the progressive jackpot reward to the progressive jackpot bag if the player did not enter the prize claim entry within the period of inactivity time . In one more aspect, the invention is directed to a method for driving a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot, where the betting game is a multiplayer betting game where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols per game of betting game and individual game symbols are sequentially selected from a range of available game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of betting and saves a winning pattern from the predetermined game of game symbols on the game arrangement unique player with the game symbols selected sequentially. The method may include providing a mechanism that accepts currencies in a game unit to receive a deposit of a quantity of a currency currency by a player in the game unit, provide an input device to receive the entry of the bet of a player. player in the game of betting game in the game unit, and provide a display device to display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player by the game of betting game in the game unit. The method may also include configuring the game unit to receive the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, configuring the game unit to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single array and configuring the game unit. game to determine that the player has won a progressive jackpot by the game of betting game if a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement by comparing the game symbols sequentially equals a winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot. The method may further include configuring the game unit to determine an adjudicated amount of the progressive jackpot of the player corresponding to the winning pattern of the progressive jackpot matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, setting up the game unit to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to subtract the amount awarded from the progressive jackpot of a progressive jackpot, set the unit, to provide a period of inactivity for the player to make an input selection claim for the prize in the game unit's entry device to claim the amount awarded the progressive jackpot, and configure the game unit to transmit a message to the progressive jackpot network computer to add to the progressive jackpot a amount awarded to the progressive jackpot bag if the player does not ect the claim claim entry within the period of inactivity time. In yet another aspect, the invention is directed to a game unit for conducting a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot in a game network having a network computer and a plurality of game units, where the betting game is a multi-player betting game, where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols for the game of betting game and individual game symbols are selected from a range of available game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of betting by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of game symbols on the arrangement of the player's unique game with the game symbols selected sequentially, and where the result of the game of the game of betting is a winning result of the game default progressive major prize if a pattern on the arrangement of the player's unique game formed by game symbols on the arrangement d The unique game, by comparing selected game symbols sequentially, equals a winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot. The game unit may include an input device for feeding a plurality of input selections, a display device, a memory device of the game unit, a mechanism for accepting currency that is capable of allowing a player to deposit a currency, a value distributor mechanism that is capable of distributing value to the player and a controller of the game unit operatively coupled to the input device, the display device, the memory device of the game unit, the currency acceptance mechanism, and the value distribution mechanism. The controller of the game unit may be programmed to allow the currency accepting mechanism to accept a deposit of a quantity of currency means by a player in the game unit, in order to allow the input device to receive the ticket entry. bet of a player in the game of betting game on the input device, and cause the display device to display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player for the game of betting game on the display device in the game unit. The controller of the game unit may also be programmed to receive the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, and to determine that the player has won a reward for the interim pattern by the game of bets game in response to the determination of a pattern on the arrangement of the player's unique game consisting of game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially, it is equal to a predetermined interim pattern. The controller of the game unit may also be programmed to determine an amount allocated by the interim pattern to the player corresponding to the interim pattern matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, to provide a period of inactivity time for the player make an entry selection of the prize claim on the game unit's entry device to claim the amount of the award awarded by the interim employer; and to transmit a message to a computer of the progressive jackpot network to add the amount allocated from the interim pattern to a progressive jackpot prize in response to the absence of entry detection by the player within the period of inactivity. In a further aspect, the invention is directed to a game unit for conducting a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot in a game network having a network computer and a plurality of game units, where the betting game is a multi-player betting game where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols for the game of betting game and are sequentially selected individual game symbols from a range of available game cards, where one of the players wins the game of bets by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of game symbols on the player's unique game arrangement with sequentially selected game symbols, and where the result of the game of betting is a winning result of the prize default progressive major if a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on The unique game arrangement, by comparing the selected game symbols sequentially, is equal to a winning pattern of the predetermined major progressive game. The game unit may include an input device for feeding a plurality of input selections, a display device, a memory device of the game unit, and a mechanism for accepting foreign exchange that is capable of allowing a player to deposit a game. means of currency, a mechanism for distributing value that is capable of distributing value to the player, and a controller of the game unit operatively coupled to the input device, the display device, the memory device of the game unit, and a mechanism to accept currencies and the mechanism to distribute value. The controller of the game unit may be programmed to allow the currency accepting mechanism to accept a deposit of a quantity of a currency currency for a player in the game unit, to allow the input device to receive the ticket entry. bet of a player in the game of betting game on the input device, and to make the display device display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player by the game of betting game on the display device of the game unit. The controller of the game unit may also be programmed to receive the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, and to determine that the player has won a progressive jackpot reward for the game of bets game in response to the determination of a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by the game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially , is equal to a winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot. Moreover, the controller of the game unit may be programmed to determine an adjudicated amount of the progressive jackpot by the player corresponding to the winning pattern of the progressive jackpot matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, to transmit a message to a network computer the progressive jackpot to subtract the amount awarded from the progressive jackpot of a progressive jackpot to provide a period of inactivity for the player to make an entry selection of prize claim on the device of entry of the game unit to claim the amount awarded by the interim skipper, and to transmit a message to the progressive jackpot network computer to add the amount awarded by the interim skipper to the progressive jackpot prize so as not to detect entry by the player within the period of inactivity time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 'Figure 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a game system according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of one of the game units shown schematically in Figure 1; Figure 2A illustrates a mode of a control panel for a game unit; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the electronic components of the game unit of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a block diagram of the electronic components of a network computer of Figure 1; Figures 5A and B are a flow diagram of a modality of a multiplayer bingo game routine that can be executed by the game network; Figures 6-15 are illustrations of visual displays that can be displayed during the execution of the multiplayer Bingo game routine of Figures 5A and 5B; Figures 16A and 16B are a flow chart of another embodiment of a multiplayer bingo game routine that can be executed by a game network; Figures 17A and 17B are a flowchart of a further embodiment of a multiplayer bingo game routine that can be executed by the game network; Figures 18A and 18B are a flow chart of yet another embodiment of a multiplayer bingo game routine that can be executed by the game network; Figures 19-23 are illustrations of visual displays that can be displayed during a determination of a reward amount earned in Bingo; Figures 24-27 are illustrations of visual displays that can be displayed during an alternative determination of a reward amount earned in Bingo; Figure 28 is an illustration of a set of interim patterns for interim pattern rewards that were awarded for the multiplayer Bingo game; Figures 29-31 are illustrations of visual displays that can be displayed after awarding rewards for winning the interim pattern in a multiplayer Bingo game; Figure 32 is a flow chart of a method for tracing a multilevel pattern; Figure 33 is a table of payment groups for a plurality of amount of reward or adjudicated; Figure 34 is an illustration of a set of primary Bingo patterns for a multiplayer Bingo game with the multilevel pattern tracing of allocated quantities; Figure 35 is an illustration of visual displays that can be displayed during the determination of an allocated amount of the interim pattern; Figure 36 is an illustration of sets of secondary patterns by a multiplayer bingo game with tracing of the multilevel pattern of quantities adjudicated; Figure 37 is an illustration of a modality of a video slot display that can be displayed as an alternative result screen; Figures 38 and 39 illustrate the modality of the table or multi-line payment corresponding to the display of video slots of Figure 37, together with illustrations of the individual payment lines; Figure 40 is a table of game groups for the plurality of allocated quantities; Figure 41 is an illustration of a set of primary Bingo patterns for a multiplayer bingo game with multi-level pattern tracing of the amounts awarded from a slot payment table; Figure 42 is an illustration of sets of secondary patterns of a multi-player bingo game with multilevel pattern tracing of allocated quantities; Figure 43 is an illustration of the possible end positions of the reel of the slot machine corresponding to various quantities allocated; Figure 44 is an illustration of sets of winning game patterns to achieve uniform probability distributions for variable numbers of Bingo cards; and Figures 45 and 46 are letters of probability distributions of balls thrown to match the winning patterns of the game of Figure 44. Figure 47 is a flowchart of a modality of an enrollment routine for a multi-game Bingo game. players who have prize bets in the optional progressive network; Figure 48 is a flowchart of an alternative modality of an enrollment routine for a multiplayer bingo game that has optional progressive jackpot bets. Figure 49 is a flow chart of a modality of a multiplayer bingo game routine that has inactive rewards added to the progressive jackpot. Figure 50 is a flowchart of an alternative modality of a modality of a multiplayer bingo game routine that has inactive rewards added to the progressive jackpot. Figure 51 is a flow chart of a modality of a routine for adding funds to the progressive jackpot for a progressive jackpot that has a main bag and a reserve bag. Figure 52 is a chart that depicts a strategy for adding funds to a main purse and a reserve pocket for a progressive jackpot that can be implemented in a progressive jackpot network computer. Figure 53 is a chart that depicts an alternative strategy for adding funds to a main pool and a progressive jackpot pool that can be implemented in a progressive jackpot network computer. Figure 54 is a chart that depicts a further alternative strategy for adding funds to a main pool and a progressive jackpot pool that can be implemented in a progressive jackpot network computer. Figure 55 is a chart that depicts another alternative strategy for adding funds to a main pool and a progressive jackpot pool that can be implemented in a progressive jackpot network computer. Figure 56 is a flowchart of an even more alternative strategy for adding funds to a main pool and a progressive jackpot pool that can be implemented in a progressive jackpot network computer. Figure 57 is a flow chart of a progressive jackpot mode that restates the routine for a progressive jackpot that has a main bag and a reserve bag.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS MODALITIES Although the following text discloses a detailed description of numerous different embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that the legal scope of the invention is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description will be exemplary only and does not describe each possible embodiment of the invention since describing each possible modality would not be practical, but impossible. Many alternative modalities could be implemented, using the current technology or technology developed after the date of presentation of this patent, which would fall within the scope of the claims defining the invention. It should also be understood that, unless a term is expressly defined in this patent using the phrase "as used herein, the term" or a similar phrase, is not intended to limit the meaning of that term, expressly or by implication, beyond of its bare or ordinary meaning, and that term shall not be construed as limited in its scope on the basis of any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term set forth in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to in this patent in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is, it was made with the purpose of being clear only to not confuse the reader, and not it is intended that the term of the claim be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning. Finally, unless an element of a claim is defined by enunciating the word "means" and a function without enunciating in a structure, it is not intended that the scope of any element of the claim be interpreted on the basis of the application of the U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph. Figure 1 illustrates a possible embodiment of a Bingo game system 10 according to the invention. Referring to Figure 1, the Bingo game system 10 may include a first group or network 12 of casino game units 20 operatively coupled to a network computer 22 via a link or network data channel 24. The system of Bingo game 10 may include a second group or network 26 of casino game units 30 operatively coupled to a network computer 32 via a link or network data channel 34. The first and second game networks 12, 26 may be operatively coupled together via network 40 which comprises, for example, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a local area network (LAN) via a first network link 42 and a second network link 44. The first network 12 of game units 20 can be provided in a first casino and the second network 26 of game units 30 can be provided in a second casino located in a geographical location separate from the first casino. For example, the two casinos can be located in different areas of the same city, or they can be located in different states. The network 40 may include a plurality of network computers or server computers (not shown), each of which may be operatively interconnected. If the network 40 comprises the Internet, the data communication can take place on the communication links 42, 44 via an Internet communication protocol. The network computer 22 can be a server computer and can be configured to control the execution of a multiplayer bingo game played in a plurality of game units 20, and to accumulate and analyze data related to the operation of the units of game 20. For example, the network computer 22 can continuously receive data from each of the game units 20 indicative of the amount in dollars and number of bets made in each of the game units 20, data indicative of how much is paying each of the game units 20 to the winners, data regarding the identity and playing habits of the players playing in each of the 20 game units, etc. The computer network 32 can be a server computer and can be used to perform the same or different functions in relation to the game units 30 as the network computer 22 described above. Although each network 12, 26 is shown including a network computer 22, 32 and four game units 20, 30, it should be understood that different numbers of computers and game units may be used. For example, the network 12 may include a plurality of network computers 22 and ten or hundreds of game units 20, all of which may be interconnected via the data link 24. The data link 24 may be provided as a wired link. or a dedicated wireless link. Although the data link 24 is shown as a single data link 24, the data link 24 may comprise multiple data links. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a possible embodiment of one or more game units 20. Although the following description deals with the design of the game units 20, it should be understood that the game units 30 should have the same design as the game units. game units 20 described later. It should be understood that the design of one or more of the game units 20 may be different from the design of other game units 20, and that the design of one or more game units 30 may be different from the design of other game units 30. Each game unit 20 may be any type of casino game unit and may have several different structures and methods of operation. For exemplary purposes, various designs of game units 20 are described below, but it should be understood that numerous other designs may be used. Referring to Figure 2, the casino game unit 20 may include a housing or cabinet 50 and one or more input devices, which may include a slot or coin receiver 52, paper currency receiver 54, a reader / ticket printer 56 and a card reader 58, which can be used to supply value to the game unit 20. A value input device can include any device that can accept value from a customer. As used herein, the term "value" may encompass game tokens, coins, paper money, payment vouchers, credit or debit cards, smart cards, and any other object representative of the value. If provided in a gaming unit 20, the ticket reader / printer 56 may be used to read and / or print or otherwise code payment vouchers 60. Payment vouchers 60 may be composed of paper or other printable material. or codifiable and may have one or more of the following information elements printed or encoded on them: the name of the casino, the type of proof of payment, a validation number with a barcode with control and / or security data, the date and time of issuance of the payment voucher, expiration instructions and restrictions as a description of a reward or award, and any other information that may be necessary or desirable. Different types of payment vouchers can be used 60, such as voucher payment vouchers, cash expiration payment vouchers, casino chip payment vouchers, payment vouchers to play extra games, merchandise payment vouchers, voucher receipts payment of restaurants, proof of payment of shows, etc. The payment vouchers 60 could be printed by an optically readable material such as ink, or the data on the vouchers 60 could be magnetically encoded. The reader / ticket printer 56 may be provided with the amount to read and print payment vouchers 60, or it may be provided with the ability to only read or only print or code vouchers for payment 60. In the latter case, for example, some game units 20 may have ticket printers 56 that can be used to print payment vouchers 60, which could then be used by a player in other gaming units 20 that have 56 ticket readers. provided, the card reader 58 may include any type of card reader device, such as a magnetic card reader or an optical card reader, and may be used to read data from a card offered by a player, such as a credit card or a player tracking card. If provided for purposes of tracking the player, the card reader 58 may be used to read data from, and / or write data to, player tracking cards that are capable of storing data representative of the player's identity, identity of a casino, the gambling habits of the player, etc. The game unit 20 may include one or more audio speakers 62, a coin return tray 64, an input control panel 66, upper and lower color video display units 68, 70 for displaying images related to the game or games provided by the game unit 20, a status screen 71 for providing information to the player, such as the number of credits remaining, and a lighting device, such as illuminated light bevels 84, illuminated upper case 88, an overcoat 90, and an illuminated play light 92, as is known in the art. The display units 68, 70 may be video screens capable of displaying graphic images associated with the game or games offered in the game unit 20. For example, the display unit 68 may display images associated with the various Bingo game. players, while the display unit 70 may display an alternative presentation of the result of the Bingo game in the form of another casino game, such as slots. Alternatively, one or both of the display units 68, 70 may be mechanical or electromechanical devices configured to display game results or other graphics associated with the games, such as reels of slots or wheels controlled by stepper motors as is well known in the art. the technique, or any other desired mechanism. In addition, the display units 68, 70 can be combined into a single video display device, such as a CRT or LCD. The audio loudspeakers 62 can generate audio that represents sounds such as the noise of reels of spinning slot machines, the voice of a carver, music, advertisements or any audio related to a casino game. The input control panel 66 may be provided with a plurality of squeeze buttons as shown or as touch sensitive areas of the cabinet 50 or the display units 68, 70 where they are implemented as video views with touch-sensitive screens or other input devices that can be oppressed or otherwise operated with a player to select games, make bets, make game decisions, etc. The state display 71 may provide game information to the player, such as the number of credits remaining, the result of the current game, the payment program or the like. The light bevels 84 can be coupled to the front face of the cabinet 50 and can enclose a plurality of lights, and furthermore can have an aperture, which allows the color video display unit 70 to be visible therethrough. The illuminated top box 88, the cover 90, the illuminated fire candle 92 can be stylizing elements added to the game unit 20 to attract the player's attention, to provide visual views of the state of play. Figure 2A illustrates a possible mode of the control panel 66, which can be used where the game unit 20 is a slot machine having a plurality of mechanical or "virtual" reels. Referring to Figure 2A, the control panel 66 may include a "See Payments" button 72 which, when activated, causes the display unit 70 to generate one or more display screens that display the betting or payment information of the game or games provided by the game unit 20. As used herein, the term "button" is intended to encompass any device that allows a player to make an input, such as an input device that can be depressed to make an input selection or display or display area that a player can simply touch. The control panel 66 can include a "Cash Out" button 74 that can be activated when a player decides to finish playing in the game unit 20, in which case the game unit 20 can return value to the player, as returning a number of coins to the player via a coin return tray 64. For the multiplayer bingo game, the control panel of the game unit 20 may be provided with a plurality of selection nozzles 76, each of which may allow the player to select a different number of Bingo cards to play before enrolling in the Bingo game. For example, five buttons 76 may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine Bingo cards. Alternatively, where multiple sets of interim patterns are provided as described in more detail below, the buttons 76 may allow a player to select one of the sets of interim patterns available for use in the Bingo game, each of which which may correspond to a different bet amount. The control panel 66 may further be provided with a plurality of selection buttons 78 each of which allows a player to specify a bet amount for each selected Bingo card, or for each interim pattern within a set of selected patterns. . For example, if the smallest bet accepted by the game unit 20 is a quarter ($ 0.25), the game unit 20 may be provided with five selection buttons 78, each of which may allow a player to select one , two, three, quarter or five quarters to bet for each selected Bingo card, or for each interim pattern in the set of selected patterns. In that case, if a player activated the "5" 76 button (which means that five Bingo cards would be played in the Bingo game, or that a set of interim patterns was selected that requires the betting of a five credit) and then activate the "3" button 78 (which means that three coins would be wagered per Bingo card or interim pattern), the total bet would be $ 3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $ 0.25). If the game unit 20 provides, for example, a slot screen having a plurality of reels and a plurality of pay lines defining winning combinations of reel symbols, the plurality of selected buttons 76 on the control panel 66 can Allow the player to select a different number of pay lines before spinning the reels. For example, five buttons 76 may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine pay lines. In addition, the plurality of selection buttons 78 on the control panel 66 may further allow a player to specify a bet amount for each selected payline. The calculation of the amount of the previous total bet can also be applied to slots screens where the player activates the "5" 76 button to bet on five pay lines, and activates the "3" button 78 to bet three coins per line of payment. Finally, however, the selection made by the alternative screen, such as the slot screen, translates this into a Bingo game bet. The control panel 66 may include a "Max Bet" button 80 to allow a player to make the maximum allowable bet for a game. In the previous example, up to nine payment lines were provided and up to five quarters could be wagered for each line of payment selected, the maximum bet would be 45 quarts or $ 11.25. Depending on the implementation, the game unit 20 can be configured so that a player entering the next bingo game game when the "Maximum Bet" button is pressed by the player. The control panel 66 may include a "Play / Cover" button 82 to allow the player to enter or enroll in the next game of the Bingo game and initiate the spin of the reels of a slot game after one has been made. bet, and "cover" or mark the player's Bingo card during the Bingo game, is described more fully below. Alternatively, the game unit 20 can be configured with separate "Play" and "Cover" buttons. In Figure 2A, a rectangle is shown around the buttons 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82. It should be understood that that simple rectangle designates, by reference ease, an area in which the buttons 72, 74, 76 , 78, 80, 82 can be located. Accordingly, the term "control panel" should not imply that a panel or plate separate from the housing 50 of the game unit 20 is required, and the term "control panel" may encompass a plurality of groupings of buttons operable by the player. . Although a possible control panel 66 was described above, it should be understood that different buttons may be used in the control panel 66, and that the particular buttons used may depend on the game or games that could be played in the game unit 20. Although the control panel 66 is shown separately from the game unit 70, it should be understood that the control panel 66 could be generated by the display unit 70. In that case, each of the control panel buttons 66 could be a colored area generated by the display unit 70, and some type of mechanism may be associated with the display unit 70 to detect when each of the buttons was touched, such as a touch-sensitive screen.

Game Unit Electronics Figure 3 is a block diagram of a number of components that can be incorporated into the game unit 20 or, alternatively, the network computer 22. Referring to Figure 3, the unit of game 20 may include a controller 100 which may comprise a program memory 102, a microcontroller or microprocessor (MP) 104, a random access memory (RAM) 106 and an input / output (I / O) circuit 108, all the which may be interconnected via an address / data channel 110. It should be appreciated that although only one microprocessor 104 is shown, the controller 100 may include multiple microprocessors 104. Similarly, the memory of the controller 100 may include multiple RAMs 106 and memory memories. multiple program 102. Although the I / O circuit 108 is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I / O circuit 108 may include a number of different types of I / O circuits. The RAM 104 and the program memories 102 can be implemented as semiconductor memories, magnetically-selectable memories, and / or optically readable memories, for example. Although the program memory 102 is shown in Figure 3 as read-only memory (ROM) 102, the program memory of the controller 100 may be a read / write or alterable memory, such as a hard disk. In the case where a hard disk is used as a program memory, the address / data channel 110 shown schematically in Figure 3 may comprise multiple address / data channels, which may be of different types, and there may be a I / O circuit placed between the address / data channels. Figure 3 illustrates that the control panel 66, the coin receiver 52, the bill acceptor 54, the card reader 58 and the ticket reader / printer 56 may be operatively coupled to the I / O circuit 108, each being of those components coupled in this way by a unidirectional or bidirectional data link, of a single line or multiple lines, which may depend on the design of the component that is used. The loudspeakers 62 may be operatively coupled to a sound circuit 112, which may comprise a speech and sound synthesis circuit or which may comprise a controller circuit. The sound generating circuit 112 can be coupled to the 1/0 circuit 108. As shown in Figure 3, the components 52, 54, 56, 58, 66, 68, 70, 84, and 112 can be connected to the circuit 1 / O 108 via a respective direct line or driver. Different connection schemes could be used. For example, one or more of the components shown in Figure 3 can be connected to the I / O circuit 108 via a common channel or other data link that is shared by a number of components. In addition, some of the components can be connected directly to the microprocessor 104 without passing through the I / O circuit 108. Furthermore, although not illustrated in the Figures, the components 71, 88, 90 and 92 can also be operatively coupled to the controller. 100. For example, the components 71, 86, 88, 90 and 92 can be connected to the I / O circuit 108 via a respective direct line or other similar connection scheme.

Total Operation of the Game Unit One way in which one or more of the game units 20 (and one or more of the game units 30) can operate is described below in connection with the number of flowcharts which they represent a number of portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may be stored in one or more of the memories of the controller 100. Computer programs or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outside the unit. game 20, or can control the operation of the game unit 20 from a remote location. That remote control can be facilitated with the use of a wireless connection, or by an Internet interface or interconnection that connects the game unit 20 with a remote computer (such as one of the network computers)., 32) that have a memory in which portions of the computer program are stored. The portions of the computer program can be written in any high level language such as C, C ++, C #, Java or similar or any low level machine or assembly language. By storing the portions of the computer program there, several portions of the memories 102, 106 are physically and / or structurally configured according to the instructions of the computer program.

Computer Electronics / Network Server The network 40, and consequently the individual game units 20, 30, can be communicatively connected to computers or network servers 22, 32.

Using the network computer 22 as an example, the network computer 22 can be a single interconnected computer, or a series of interconnected computers that have access to the network 10 via a gate or other known interconnection system. Referring to Figure 4, generally, the network computer 22 may include the central game controller 136 configured to administer, execute and control the game units 20, 30 and the routines used to play the multiplayer Bingo games. . The network computer 22 may include a memory 138 for storing programs and routines, a microprocessor 140 (MP) for executing the stored programs as a random access memory 142 (RAM) and an input / output channel 144 (I / O) . The memory 138, the microprocessor 140, the RAM 142 and the channel (I / O) 144 can be multiplexed together via a common channel, as shown, or each can be connected directly via dedicated communications lines, depending on the needs In addition, the network computer 22 can be connected directly, wired or indirectly connected through the I / O channel 144 to external components such as the screen 146, a control panel 148, an interface device or network interconnect 150 and other peripheral I / O devices 152. Examples of other peripheral devices include, but are not limited to, storage devices, wireless adapters, printers and the like. In addition, a database 154 can be communicatively connected to the central game controller 136 and provide a data warehouse for the storage and correlation of information collected from the individual game units 20, 30. The information stored within the base Data 154 may be information related to individual game units 20, 30, such as specific information of the game unit, such as an identification code and / or location of the game unit. The database 154 may also include information specific to the casino game, such as the total amounts adjusted and paid, game results, player selection history information and the like.

Multiplayer Bingo Figures 5A and 5B are a flowchart of a routine that operates the multiplayer Bingo game 700 that can have portions stored in the memories of a plurality of game units 20 in the network computer 22 for Allow a plurality of players to play a Bingo game with each other. Referring to Figure 5A, the multiplayer Bingo routine 700 may be operating in block 702 in which a first player enrolls in the multiplayer Bingo game in one of the game units 20. To enroll in the Multiplayer Bingo game, a player may initially deposit value in game unit 20 via coin slot 52, currency receiver 54, (ticket reader 56, card reader 58, or by any other means by which a player can obtain credits in the game unit 20. Once the value is deposited and credits are registered in the game unit 20, a player can make specific selections of the game for the game of Bingo game via one or more buttons of selection in the input control panel 66, or by touching designated portions of the video display units 68, 70. Figure 6 illustrates the deployment of a first exemplary player 800 that can be displayed in, by example, the display unit 68 during the execution of the multiplayer Bingo routine 700 in a first game unit 20, and the deployment of a second exemplary player 802 that can be displayed, for example, in the display unit 68 during the execution of the multiplayer Bingo routine 700 in a second game unit 20. The deployment of the first player 800 may include video images 802 of a Bingo card which may represent the entry of the first player in the multiplayer Bingo game. In the illustrated embodiment, the image of the Bingo card 802 may be in the form of a traditional Bingo card as is known in the art and may consist of a 5 x 5 number matrix, with the first column having five numbers selected of the interval from 1 to 15 without repeated numbers, the second column having five numbers selected from the range of 16 to 30 without repeating numbers, with the third column having four numbers selected from the range of 31 to 45 without repeating numbers and having a point "Free Space" "placed in the middle position, the fourth column having five numbers selected from the range of 46 to 60 without repeating numbers, and the fifth column having five numbers selected from the range of 61 to 75 without repeating numbers. The deployment of the first player 800 may include video images 804-810 corresponding to information related to the game that is being executed by the network computer 22 and the game unit 20. Those images may include an image of a game number 804 for the Bingo game being played by the player in game unit 20, an image of the amount of the 806 Bingo winner displaying the amount awarded to the first player or players that matched the winning pattern of the card game. Bingo 802, an image of the amount won by pattern 808 that displays the amount awarded for matching predefined interim winning patterns which will be discussed better here later, and an image of a total winning amount 810 that displays the total amount allotted to the player of the Bingo game indicated in the game number 804, and an area 812 that can be used to display the numbers on the ball thrown by r the Bingo game in a way described more fully later. In addition, the deployment of the first player 800 may include images of buttons which, when played by the player, may cause information related to the additional game to be displayed, or may control the execution of the 700 multi-player Bingo routine. example, the deployment of the first player 800 may include a "See Payments" button 814 which, when activated, may cause the display unit 68 to generate one or more display screens showing the pattern or patterns to be matched, the bets by matching the different patterns or winning the available rewards, or other payment information for the 'Bingo game and winning the interim pattern. The deployment of the first player 800 may also display a "Play" button 816 which when touched may cause the game unit 20 to enlist the player in the next game of the Bingo game and a "Cover" button 818 which may touch the player to mark even numbers on the Bingo card after throwing the ball. The term "Cover" in Bingo refers to marking or covering by the player, or possibly by an electronic Bingo device, the symbol numbers on the Bingo cards. With respect to the multiplayer Bingo game, "Cover" refers to the player acting by marking or covering the number 'either individually or initiating a process where the game unit 20 marks or covers the matched numbers on the Bingo card 802. Although not shown, those skilled in the art will understand that a plurality of user-selectable buttons may also be displayed on the deployment of the first player 800 of the control panel 66 to allow the player to control the game of the Bingo game. The deployment of the second player 820 may be similar to the deployment of the first player 800 and display 'similar images, such as the Bingo card 822, the image of the game number 824, the image of the amount won in Bingo 826, the image of the amount won in pattern 828, the image of the total amount won 830, the area for throw the 832 ball, the "See Payments" button 834, the "Play" button 836, the "Cover" button 838, and other control buttons if necessary. Although the Bingo game shown here uses a traditional 5 x 5 number matrix with a free space in the center, those skilled in the art will understand that the Bingo game can be configured to use other configurations of numbers, characters or other symbols. Game rules arranged in any way where numbers, characters or other symbols can be taken out and compared with the configuration, with a first player or players matching a predetermined pattern of numbers, characters or other symbols being declared the winner. When the first player enrolls in the Bingo game, the Bingo card 802 may be selected at random by the controller 100 of the game unit 20. The player may be required to play the Bingo card generated by the 802 controller, Alternatively, the player may be allowed to read other 802 Bingo cards and select an 802 Bingo card to use in the Bingo game. For example, once the Bingo card is selected by the controller 802 is presented to the Player in the video display unit 68, the player can cycle through other 802 Bingo cards by touching the area of the unit. video display 68 where the Bingo card 802 is displayed, or by touching other appropriate buttons either displayed on the video display unit 68 or located on the control panel 66. In addition to being assigned / or selecting a video card. Bingo 802, the player can also enter a bet amount for the Bingo game by pressing the appropriate selection buttons on the deployment of the first player 800 or the control panel 66. The selection of the adjusted ndnfi is better discussed here later . Once the Bingo card is selected by the first player, and the player enters a set for the Bingo game, the player can enroll in a Bingo game by pressing the "Play" button 816. When the controller 100 detects that the first player has touched the "Play" button 816, the controller 100 can transmit a message to the network computer 22 indicating that the first player has enrolled in the Bingo game. In the illustrated embodiment, the game unit 20 may also transmit information to the network computer 22 with respect to the content of the first player Bingo card to be used by the network computer 22 in a better discussed form later on. Because each Bingo game is played by several players, the network computer 22 may be required to trigger the enrollment of additional players before releasing numbers for the Bingo game game. Referring again to Figure 5A, the network computer 22 can determine whether a second player has enrolled in the Bingo game and another game unit 20 in the block 704. If the network computer 22 has not received a message from another game unit 20 indicating that a second player has enrolled in the Bingo game, network computer 22 will continue to wait until it receives that message. At the same time, the game unit 20 can display a message about the deployment of the first player 800 informing the first player that the system is waiting for additional players to join the Bingo game before starting to throw balls. At some point, a second player in a second game unit 20 can select a Bingo card and the amount of the desired bet, and touch the activate button 836 of the second player's deployment 820 to enroll in the Bingo game. The second game unit 20 can detect the touch on the play button 836 by the second player and transmit the necessary enrollment message to the network computer 22 to enlist the second player. When the network computer 22 detects the enrollment message of the second game unit 20, the control can pass to block 706 where the network computer 22 can initiate the enrollment timer for a predetermined period of time within which additional players can be enrolled in the Bingo game. The enrollment period can be a fixed amount of time for all the games of the Bingo game, or it can be changed to a desired period of time by a casino employee on the network computer 22. In addition, the network computer 22 can be programmed to adjust the period of time dynamically while the Bingo game is being played to maintain a desired average number of players. For example, the network computer 22 can reduce the period of time during heavy periods of time to prevent too many players from enrolling, and increase the period of time during light play periods to give more players the opportunity to enroll in a game. of Bingo game. During the enrollment time period, the network computer 22 and other game units 20 can enroll additional players in the Bingo game in block 708. The process of joining additional players may be similar to the process for the first two players. , with each additional player selecting a Bingo card, selecting a bet amount, tapping the Play button of the game unit 20 and thereby causing an enrollment message from the game unit 20 to be transmitted to the computer. network 22. If the game units 20 include alternative result screens to display the Bingo game game in an alternative format, such as a slot screen as discussed below, animated graphics or other display, such as spinning reels of video or electromechanical, a game unit 20 may be started once the second player enrolls in the Bingo game. In block 710, the network computer 22 evaluates the enrollment timer to determine if the tempo to enroll additional players in the Bingo game has expired. If the enrollment timer has not expired, the network computer 22 continues to wait for additional players to enroll in the Bingo game. Once the enrollment timer expires, the network computer 22 proceeds to conduct the Bingo game for players who are enrolled in that game of Bingo game. Any players that enroll after the expiration of the enrollment timer can be enrolled in the next game of the Bingo game in the same way. Consequently, the network computer 22 can conduct multiple occurrences of the Bingo game simultaneously. A pattern or winning patterns of the game can be predetermined and used for each game of Bingo. Alternatively, in block 712 of the network computer 22 it can determine a winning pattern of the game to be used by the game of Bingo game. The network computer 22 may store a plurality of predetermined game winning patterns and randomly or serially select one or more of the winning game patterns stored for each game of the Bingo game. The winning patterns of the predetermined Bingo game may include winning game patterns used in traditional Bingo games, such as rows, columns or diagonals of numbers on the Bingo card 802, four equal corners, picture frames, covers and the like. The predetermined patterns may also include non-traditional winning game patterns, such as patterns forming letters, numbers or other symbols, or any other desired pattern that may be formed by one or more of the numbers, characters or other game symbols used to form the 802 Bingo card for a player. Alternatively, the winning pattern of the game for a given game of the Bingo game can be determined at least in part on the number of players who entered the game of Bingo to approach a desired distribution of the number of balls thrown by the Bingo game. the first player to match the winning game pattern in a better described way later. Whether based on the number of players or Bingo cards enrolled by the game of Bingo and other criteria, the winning patterns of the game can be generated randomly but in a consistent manner with predesigned parameters, such as a number of points in the winning pattern of the game, number of points shared between two or more game patterns, and the like. Once the winning pattern of the game is determined, the network computer 22 can transmit the winning pattern of the game in the game units 20 which in turn can present the winning pattern of the game to the players in the "800" Bingo screens. 820, with a shaded area 840 over the 802, 822 Bingo cards corresponding to the winning pattern of the game In some implementations of the multiplayer Bingo game, the first player or players matching a winning pattern of the game can be rewarded with a Fixed amount of prize, or an amount appropriate to the amount wagered by the player or players of the game of Bingo In this modality, a portion of each bet of the players of each game of Bingo can be accumulated in a bag of prize from which players can be compensated with an additional amount by matching the winning pattern or another pattern in less than a predetermined number of balls given by the game of Bingo. For example, a player may be rewarded with an additional prize from the prize bag for matching a pattern of number five when ten or fewer balls have been thrown, or by covering the entire Bingo card when less than 30 balls have been thrown. The amount of the additional prize of the prize pool may be determined in a manner described more fully below. In this mode, the control can pass to block 714, where a percentage or other predetermined portion can be added in each bet of the player in the game of Bingo to the prize pool. The portion of each bet of the players for the prize pool can be determined in each game unit 20 and transmitted to the network computer 22 or another device in the game network 10 where the prize pool is accumulated and stored. Alternatively, the network computer 22 may induce the portion of the prize pool of each of the bets of the players enrolling in the Bingo game. Although block 714 is illustrated as occurring before the ball is thrown, additions to the prize pool may occur at any appropriate or desired time during the Bingo game. In this mode, the control of the Bingo 700 game routine can pass to block 716 where the network computer 22 jumps numbers in the range of 1 to 75 until one or more Bingo cards match the winning pattern of the game. The network computer 22 can be configured to randomly select the number from the range of 1 to 75 without repeating numbers, and to compare the number drawn with the numbers on each players' Bingo card to find equal numbers. Since each number is selected and compared to the game cards of the players, the network computer 22 can also compare the patterns formed by the same numbers on each game card by the winning pattern of the game by the game of Bingo game. . Once the network computer 22 determines that a card has a pattern of equal numbers that match the winning pattern of the game, the network computer 22 can select numbers by a thrown ball and transmit the numbers by the thrown ball to the units of game 20 corresponding to each number that entered the game of Bingo game in block 718. The game units 20 receive the numbers by the balls thrown from the network computer 22, and compare the numbers drawn with the Bingo cards of the corresponding players in block 720 of Figure 5B in a form, similar to that of the network computer 22 identifies similarities between the numbers on the thrown ball and the numbers on the players' Bingo card. After comparing the numbers of the thrown ball with the numbers on the player's card, the game unit 20 can further determine if the patterns formed on the player's Bingo card are equal to the winning pattern of the game by the game of Bingo game. In block 722, each game unit 20 can display the result of the ball thrown by the Bingo game in the viewing unit 68. In the illustrated mode, the numbers of the rolled ball can be displayed on the screens of Bingo 800 , 820 in the ball shooting areas 812, 832, respectively, with the numbers being displayed in the order in which the numbers were selected by the network computer 22. The rolling display of the ball can be further improved to compare the Bingo theme circulating each number, or graphically displaying each number as if it were printed on the surface of a ball, and also adding the letter associated with the word "Bingo" corresponding to the column of the Bingo card in which the number. In addition, where rewards may be available for interim patterns and interim patterns may be evaluated using a predetermined maximum number of ball-throwing balls as discussed below, the numbers used for interim pattern rewards may be displayed with marks. distinctive, coloration or other distinguishing indications to facilitate identification Additionally, the numbers on the Bingo cards 802, 822 that match the numbers selected by the network computer 22 in the ball shot may be highlighted on the 802 Bingo cards , 822, as by displaying shaded marks 842 to help players identify which numbers on the 802, 822 Bingo cards have been matched.The multiplayer Bingo game can be implemented so that at least once a player equals the winning pattern of the game, the game ends and the player or players equals the winning pattern of the game. game and receive the corresponding Bingo prize reward. If the game units 20 include alternative results screens to display the result of the Bingo game in an alternative format, the alternative results screen may also show the player's result by the Bingo game, such as stopping the screen of reels and slots. in positions corresponding to the result of the Bingo game. However, the multiplayer Bingo game can be implemented so that it can refer to players performing a physical act to make the matched numbers are marked on the players' Bingo cards. In effect, that physical act may be a regulatory requirement in the jurisdiction in which the multi-player Bingo game is implemented. In the modality in the Bingo game routine 700 is illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B, players may be required to cover to have the number equal to the one marked on their Bingo cards, and winning players may be required to cover their cards. Bingo to claim the reward for the game of Bingo. In this mode, in block 722, each game unit 20 can be configured to display suggestions to players, such as suggestions 844, 846 on the Bingo screens 800, 820, respectively, of Figure 8, which give instructions to Players to cover to complete the Bingo game. The same suggestion can be displayed for all players, or different suggestions can be displayed to players who may have a winning Bingo card. For example, as illustrated in Figure 8, the first player with the 802 Bingo card can be one of the first players to match the winning pattern of the game. In this case, suggestion 844 presented to the first player can instruct the player to cover the Bingo card to claim the prize of the Bingo game. The prize of the Bingo game may be claimed by the winning player by touching the "Cover" button 818 to acknowledge the suggestion. To the remaining players, co or the second player, who have not matched the winning pattern of the game can be shown a suggestion 846 that can simply instruct the players to cover to complete the Bingo game, which can be achieved by tapping the " Cover "838. Once the initial ball shot of the network computer 22 is transmitted to the game units 20, and the ball shot and the shaded marks 842 if any, are presented to the players in their units of respective game 20, control passes to block 724 where inactivity time can be initiated with a predetermined amount of time within which the winning player or players must cover their Bingo cards to claim the reward of the Bingo game. The inactivity timer may be placed in each game unit 20 in which the player equals the winning pattern of the game, or a single timer may be placed in the network computer 22. During the period of inactivity, the units of game 20 can mark the matched numbers on the players' Bingo cards when the players touch the corresponding "Cover" buttons 812, 838. Shown in Figure 9, the shaded marks 842 on the 802, 822 Bingo cards can be changed to markings to cover 848 by the game units 20 detect that the players are touching the "Cover" buttons 818, 838. Also during the period of the inactivity timer, the network computer 22 and / or the game units 20 may evaluate if one or more players that will match the winning game pattern have covered the players' Bingo card in block 728. If the winner or winners of the Bing game match or have covered their Bingo cards, control passes to block 730 where the winning Bingo reward can be determined by the winning player or players in any of the corresponding game units 20, or in the network computer 22. As discussed previously, the winning Bingo reward may be a fixed reward amount, an amount proportional to the players' wager, a portion OR the entire accumulated prize pool, or a combination of various reward amounts.

After the reward or rewards of the Bingo game is determined, the control can pass to block 732 where an image of the reward 850 illustrated in Figure 10 can be displayed to the winning players in the corresponding game units 20. The image Reward 850 can include a summary of the amount of the reward, a message of congratulations to the player or winning players, and other images that can improve the winning experience of the player or players. The reward image 850 can be displayed for a predetermined amount of time or until the player touches the display unit 68 to recognize the presentation that the game answers. At this time, an alternative results screen to the game unit 20 may also display the result of the player in the Bingo game, such as stopping the reel screens or slots in positions corresponding to the result of the Bingo game. After the prize graph is displayed, the control can go to block 734 where the credits in the game units 20 to the winning players are increased by the amount awarded. As illustrated in Figure 11, rewarding the Bingo game can also be reflected on the Bingo 800 screen by updating the image of the winning amount of Bingo 806 and the image of the total winning amount 810 to reflect the amount won by the player. for the corresponding Bingo game. If the network computer 22 and game units 20 do not detect that the winner or winners of the Bingo game have covered their Bingo cards in block 728, control passes to block 736 which determines whether the inactivity timer has expired. If the inactivity timer has not expired, the control goes back to block 726 where the game units 20 continue to mark the Bingo cards of the corresponding units when the players touch the "Cover" button 818, 838. If the timer is inactivity expires without a winner or winners of the Bingo game cover their Bingo cards, the control goes to block 738 where the network computer 22 can determine if all the players have missed their chance to win the Bingo game. If the other remaining players have not missed their chance to win Bingo, that is, the players whose Bingo cards have not yet matched the winning pattern of the game, control goes to block 740 where the winner or winners who have not covered their Bingo cards are eliminated from being able to claim the prize for the Bingo game. For example, after the potential winner passes up the player's chance to win the Bingo game, the network computer 22 may mark or eliminate or otherwise the player has missed the player's opportunity to win the game of the game. Bingo game. Additionally, players who pass the period to cover the winning Bingo cards of the players can be notified that they have waived the right to claim a reward for the Bingo game by displaying an image on the video display unit 68 of the corresponding game unit 20, as image 852 on the Bingo 800 screen shown in Figure 12. However, where multiple game winning patterns are used in the Bingo game, a player who passes the match of a pattern The winner of the game may be eliminated from the claim to win the Bingo, but he may be allowed to win the Bingo game if the player matches another winning pattern of the game later in the game of the ball and successfully covers his Bingo card. After eliminating the player or players who fell asleep, the control can return to block 716 where the network computer 22 can draw additional numbers until at least one Bingo card of the remaining players equals the winning pattern of the game. The Bingo 700 game routine continues in the manner described above, with the game computer 22 transmitting the numbers to the game units 200 of the block 718, and the game units evaluating the players' Bingo cards in block 720. In block 722, the game results screen of Bingo displayed in the video display unit 68 in the game units 20 can be updated to reflect the continuation of the game of the ball. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the Bingo screen 820 can be updated to display the additional numbers in the ball heading area 832, display additional shaded marks 842 in the numbers on the 822 Bingo card that match newly drawn Bingo numbers, and display suggestion 844 that instructs the player to cover to claim the Bingo prize for the players. The inactivity timer can be reset in block 724, and game units 20 can mark players' Bingo cards when players touch the "Cover" button 818, 838 in block 726 (see cover marks). additional 848 in Figure 13) until all winners cover (block 728) or the inactivity timer expires (block 736). If the remaining player or players matching the winning pattern of the game have covered their Bingo cards, the winning Bingo rewards are determined in block 730 and the reward image 850 can be displayed in the video display unit 86 of the game units 20 corresponding to the winning players in block 732 (see, for example, the image of the reward 815 displayed on the Bingo screen 820 in Figure 14) and the Bingo reward amounts can be credited to the winning players in block 734 (see, for example, the winning amount of Bingo 826 and the total winning amount 830 on the Bingo 820 screen in Figure 15). Returning to block 738, if the network computer 22 determines that the last remaining player has missed the opportunity to cover the players' Bingo card, several alternatives are possible to finish the Bingo game. In the illustrated embodiment, control passes to a block 742 where the game units 20 involved in the game of Bingo game may remain inactive indefinitely until one of the game units 20 detects that a player covered his Bingo card by touching the "Cover" button 838. Once the last remaining player covers, the control can go to blog 730 to conclude the game of Bingo. During this time, the casino staff can be alerted by the suspended Bingo game by displaying messages in the game units 20, the network computer 22, or any other component of the Bingo game system 10 used to verify the activity that occurs in the game system of Bingo 10, illuminating the sails 92 mounted on the game units 20, or by any other mechanism available within the system to alert the casino staff of abnormal conditions within the Bingo game system 10. In a manner Alternatively, the game of Bingo game can be terminated after a predetermined period of time, with bets on the finished game being retained by the Bingo game system 10. During the time that the last remaining player goes into inactivity, Players who initially missed the opportunity to win Bingo can be allowed to cover their Bingo cards, collect pattern rewards interim if any, and continue playing later Bingo games without waiting for the last remaining player to claim Bingo winner. Although routine 700 illustrates the network computer By drawing numbers and comparing the numbers drawn with the Bingo cards until a player or players equals the winning pattern of the g other methods were contemplated to conduct the gof the ball and the comparison of the Bingo cards. Figures 16A and 16B illustrate an alternate multi-player Bingo groutine 750, where the network computer 22 can cast the 75 balls before any balls are compared to the Bingo cards. The routine 750 may have the sgeneral flow as the routine 700 of Figures 5A and 5B, with similar process steps in the flowcharts being identified by the sreference numbers. The enrollment of players in a Bingo ggin blocks 702, 706 and 708 may proceed as discussed above. However, the gunits 20 may not be required to transmit information related to the players' Bingo cards to the network computer 22 since the Bingo cards may be compared to the ball shot in the gunits 20 only. The routine 750 may continue as discussed above for the routine 700 until the control goes to block 752 where the network computer 22 can randomly draw the seventy-five numbers to determine the order for all ball shots. After taking out the seventy-five numbers, the network computer 22 can transmit the numbers to the gunits 20 in block 718, and the gunits 20 can evaluate the corresponding Bingo cards in block 720 to determine how many numbers Ball tosses are required for the Bingo cards to match the winning Bingo pattern. After the gunits 20 evaluate the Bingo cards, the control can pass to the block 754 where the gunits 24 can transmit the number of balls required for the corresponding Bingo cards to match the winning pattern of the gto the computer 22. After receiving the numbers of the gunits 20, in block 756, the network computer 22 may declare a winner or winners of the Bingo gby comparing the number of balls with Bingo transmitted by the gunits. .

After determining the winner or winners, the network computer may transmit the number of balls for Bingo to the winner or winners to the 20 gunits, each of which may determine whether the corresponding winner is a winner by comparing the number of balls for Bingo transmitted by the network computer with the number of balls for Bingo for the player. The control can then proceed to block 722 and routine 750 can conclude the gof Bingo in a similar manner as described above for routine 700. In the event that a player passes up the opportunity to win, once the player who fell asleep is eliminated in block 740, the control goes back to step 756 where the network computer 22 can declare that the player or players then requires fewer balls to match the pattern of the winning gto be the new winner of the Bingo g By pulling the 75 balls at a time and transmitting all the ball shots to the gunits 20 in a single network communication, the routine 750 can reduce the amount of network traffic in the Bingo gsystem 10. In an alternative plus the method for driving the ball gand the comparison of the ball gwith the Bingo cards which can be mirror images very similar to the gstream of a traditional Bingo g the network computer 22 can draw a number to the time and transmit each number taken to the gunits 20 for comparison of the corresponding Bingo cards. Figures 17A and 17B illustrate an alternative multiplayer Bingo groutine 760 where the network computer 22 can output a single number and transmit the number to the gunits 20 for comparison with the Bingo cards. The routine 760 may have the sgeneral flow as the routine 700 of Figures 5A and 5B, with the similar process steps of the flow diagrams being identified by the same reference numbers. The enrollment of players in a Bingo game game and blocks 702, 706 and 708 may proceed as discussed above. However, the game units 20 may not be required to transmit information related to the players' Bingo cards to the network computer 22 since the Bingo cards may be compared with the ball game in the game units 20 only. . The routine 760 may continue as discussed above for the routine 700 until the control goes to block 762 where the network computer 22 may randomly draw a number from the range of 1 to 75. After pulling the number, the network computer 22 can transmit the number to game units 20 in block 764, and game units 20 can evaluate the corresponding Bingo cards in block 720 to determine if the number equals a number in the Bingo card. After the game units 20 evaluate the Bingo cards, the control can pass to block 722 to update the display in the game units with the number removed and shaded marks in the same numbers on the Bingo cards. The control can then go to block 766 where each game unit 20 can determine if the winning game pattern is matched by a pattern on the corresponding Bingo card. If at least one Bingo card equals the winning pattern of the game, the control can pass to a block 768 where the game units 20 that have a Bingo card equal to the winning pattern of the game and can transmit a corresponding message to the network computer. 22 and the network computer 22 can declare a winner or winners of the Bingo game based on the message transmitted by the game units 20 and transmit a corresponding message to the game units 20. The control can then go to block 724 and the routine 760 may conclude the game of Bingo in a manner similar to that described above by the routine 700. If none of the Bingo cards equals the winning pattern of the game, the control may pass back to block 762 where the computer Network 22 can randomly draw another number, and can continue in this manner until one of the Bingo cards matches the winning pattern of the game.

In an even more alternative method for driving the ball shot and comparing the shot of the ball with the Bingo cards, the network computer 22 usually outputs a batch of numbers, such as five, ten, fifteen or another batch of size desired, and transmit the extracted batch of numbers to the game units 20 for comparison of the corresponding Bingo cards. Figures 18A and 18B illustrate an alternative multiplayer bingo game routine, 770, where the network computer 22 can take out a batch of numbers and transmit the batch of numbers to the game units 20 for comparison with the cards of Bingo. The routine 770 may have the same general flow as the routine 700 of Figures 5A and 5B, with similar process steps in the flowcharts being identified by the same reference numbers. The enrollment of players in a Bingo game game in blocks 702, 706 and 708 may proceed as discussed above. However, it may not be required that the game units 20 transmit the information related to the players' Bingo cards in the network computer 22 since the Bingo cards can be compared with the ball shot in the game units. 20 only. Rule 770 may continue as discussed above for routine 700 until control passes to block 772, where network computer 22 may randomly draw a batch of numbers in the range of 1 to 75. After removing the batch of numbers , the network computer 22 can transmit the batch of numbers to the game units 20 in block 718, and the game units 20 can evaluate the corresponding Bingo cards in block 720 to determine whether the numbers in the number batch They are equal to the numbers on the Bingo card. The control can then go to block 774 where each game unit 20 can determine if the winning pattern of the game is matched by a pattern on the corresponding Bingo card, and on which number of the number batch the winning pattern of the game is matched. If at least one Bingo card equals the winning pattern of the game, the control can pass to a block 776 where the game units 20 having Bingo cards that match the winning pattern of the game can transmit a corresponding message to the network computer. 22, including the number in which the winning pattern of the game will be activated. The network computer 22 may declare a winner or winners of the Bingo game based on the messages transmitted by the game units 20 and the number upon which the winning pattern of the game was matched, and transmit a corresponding message to the units 20. The control can then pass to block 722 where the result of the Bingo game can be displayed, in routine 770 the Bingo game can be concluded in a similar manner as described above for routine 700. If none of the Bingo cards equals the winning pattern of the game, the control can pass back to block 772, where the network computer 22 can randomly draw another batch of numbers, and can continue in this manner until one of the Bingo cards matches the winning pattern of the game. When a player passes up the opportunity to win Bingo, it may be possible for another player to match the pattern with the last number drawn within the same block of numbers. In this situation, the other player must be given the opportunity to win the winning Bingo reward before another batch of numbers is taken out by the network computer 22. After the winner or winners who fell asleep are eliminated in the block 740, the control goes to block 778 to determine if other matching of winning patterns of the game occurred with numbers in the same batch of numbers. If another player equals the winning pattern of the game, the control can pass to block 780 where the network computer 22 can declare to the other player or players the new winner or winners of the Bingo game. After the new winner or winners are declared, control passes back to block 722 to update the Bingo game result displays in game units 20. If other players match the game's winning pattern against the base of the current number batch in block 778, the control may go back to block 772 where network computer 22 can select the next batch of numbers. In routines 760 and 770, the display of the result of the Bingo game in block 722 is illustrated as if it occurred before (routine 760) or after (routine 770) to determine if the winning pattern of the game was matched. In any of the 760 or 770 routines, the display of results may occur based on the desired configuration of the system. If the multiplayer Bingo game is set so that the delay between the extraction of a number or lot of numbers is discernible by the players, it may occur before determining whether the winning role was matched, so that the players can wait the numbers when they are taken out and the shaded mark of the numbers on the Bingo cards when the ball is shot. However, if the system is configured to drive the ball quickly so that the delay between the numbers may not be discernible by the players, it may be desirable to update the result after the winning pattern of the game is matched by one of the players. Although the general flows for the different routines of the multiplayer Bingo game are discussed, the way to play the multiplayer Bingo game can be modified when necessary on the basis of system design and / or regulatory requirements, preferences of design and the like. For example, where two or more players can stay in a Bingo game, and where each of the remaining players may require the same number of balls to match the winning pattern of the game, the winning Bingo reward may be awarded to the players. remaining on the basis that if any or all players covered their Bingo cards. If all the remaining players covered their Bingo cards, the winning Bingo reward can be divided among the remaining players. If less than all the remaining players covered their Bingo cards before the expiration of the downtime, the routine can be configured to divide the winning Bingo reward among the remaining players who have covered their Bingo cards, or divide the winning reward of Bingo among all remaining players if any of the remaining players covered their Bingo card before the expiration of the inactivity time. Similarly, if all remaining players pass their Bingos, the Bingo game remains inactive indefinitely until one of the remaining players covers their Bingo card. Once one of the remaining players covers your Bingo card, the routine can be set up to pay the entire reward for winning Bingo to the remaining player first to cover his Bingo card, or divide the reward by winning Bingo among all the players. Remaining players if any of the remaining players covered their Bingo card before the expiration of the inactivity timer. Routines may also be modified in implementations where a player may not be required to cover their Bingo cards in order to receive the winning Bingo reward. In those implementations, the portions of the routines related to the inactivity timer and cover, and to eliminate players who fall asleep and declare additional winners may be omitted. Even in implementations where players may miss the opportunity to win Bingo, the consequences of missing the opportunity to win Bingo may vary when desired. For example, as illustrated, the player who passes up the opportunity to win the Bingo can avoid collecting the Bingo win even if the player covers the Bingo card after the inactivity timer expires and the player is eliminated. Alternatively, the player who initially waives the chance to win Bingo may be provided with the opportunity to claim the winning Bingo reward if the player covers the Bingo card before it is subsequently declared a winning player covering his Bingo card.

Determination of the Amount Won in Bingo with the Winning Pattern of the Game As illustrated above, once the winner or winners of the Bingo game are determined, and if necessary, the winner or winners cover their Bingo cards, the amount of the winning Bingo reward can be determined in block 730. Many different and varied methods can be implemented to determine the amount of the Bingo game reward for the multiplayer Bingo game. In part, particular methods can be implemented to allow several players who bet different amounts in the Bingo game to participate in the same game of the Bingo game and / or compete for the same progressive jackpots. In the simplest method, perhaps, the winning Bingo reward may be a fixed amount, such as a predetermined number of credits, awarded to each of the winners, or a percentage of the winning player's bet in the Bingo game. These methods can minimize the complexity and processing required to determine the winning Bingo reward. To improve the player's gaming experience, or other methods to determine the winning Bingo reward may provide the reward of the winning Bingo reward amounts that vary from game to game, and perhaps from winner to winner within a game game. of Bingo. In one modality, the reward of the Bingo game can be determined on the basis, in part of the number of balls needed for the winning player to match the winning pattern of the game. Players who match the winning pattern of the game in fewer numbers may receive a reward for the larger Bingo game than players who match the winning pattern of the game in more numbers. For example, in a determination modality of the Bingo generating reward, the player who equals the winning pattern of the game within a predetermined maximum number of balls, such as 35 balls, may be rewarded with a progressive jackpot or a portion of a accumulated prize pool. A player who equals the winning pattern of the game by more than a maximum number of balls can be rewarded with a smaller winning Bingo reward, such as a nominal fixed amount or percentage of the player's bet as described above, which can be deducted from the bag of the winning Bingo prize. The prize pool for the winning Bingo reward can be fed into funds by the players' bets, with the prize pool increasing with a predetermined percentage of each player's bet in each game of the Bingo game. As mentioned above, the winning player can be rewarded with the entire prize pool as a progressive jackpot, or a percentage of the prize pool. The amount of the winning Bingo reward can also be determined in part from the amount of the player's bet, so that players who place the largest bets in the Bingo game can receive a larger proportional portion of. the prize pool after winning the Bingo game. For example, a player who matches the winning pattern of the game for the Bingo game in less than 35 balls may be entitled to receive ninety percent of the prize pool. The amount of the prize pool that the winning player actually receives from the prize pool can be adjusted to the size of the winning player's bet compared to the maximum bet that can be made in the Bingo game. For a given game of Bingo, the winning player can bet $ 5.00 on the Bingo game and the maximum bet allowed can be $ 90.00. The winning Bingo reward for the player can be determined by multiplying the amount in the prize pool by ninety percent, and then multiplying the result by the ratio of the player's bet ($ 5.00) to the maximum bet ($ 90.00). If the prize pool accumulated by the Bingo game is $ 1000 when the player wins the Bingo game, the winning reward of the player's Bingo = ($ 1000 X 0.9) X ($ 5.00 / $ 90.00) = $ 50.00. When the winning Bingo reward is provided to the winning player, the winning Bingo reward is deducted from the prize pool. As a result, the accumulated prize pool can be reduced to $ 950 after the winning player receives a winning Bingo reward of $ 50.00. Of course, other methods were contemplated to adjudge all or a portion of the prize pool. Multiple levels of winning Bingo rewards that provide different percentages of the prize bag to the winning players based on the number of balls required to match the winning pattern of the game. For example, matching the winning pattern of the game in less than 15 numbers can provide the opportunity to receive ninety percent of the prize pool, while matching the winning pattern of the game in less than 30 numbers can provide the opportunity to receive seventy percent of the prize pool, and matching the winning pattern of the game in less than forty-five balls can provide the opportunity to receive 50% of the prize pool. However, the predetermined maximum number of balls to match the winning pattern of the game may vary based on the complexity of the winning pattern of the game. For more complex game winning patterns, the maximum number of balls can be greater than the maximum number of balls to match less complex patterns that are more likely to be matched in fewer numbers. Similarly, the percentage of the prize pool that can be awarded may be greater for more complex winning game patterns than for less complex winning patterns of the game for the same predetermined maximum number of balls for the same reason. A progressive prize pool for the winners of the Bingo game may receive funds directly from the players' bets, as in the form described above, or, alternatively may receive funds based on the occurrence of certain interim pattern results. in the primary Bingo game. The specific interim winning amounts based on the predetermined interim patterns can be added to a progressive prize pool instead of, or in addition to, providing a direct reward to the player. The progressive prize pool can be private for each player (ie, game unit 20) or it can be linked and available to be won by any of the players. In a further aspect of the present invention, the expected return to a player to win the Bingo can be adjusted so that it is consistent with the amount wagered by the player in the Bingo game where the game bets that match the winning pattern of the game. game are the same regardless of the amount wagered in the Bingo game. One method to adjust the expected return can be to multiply any amount of winning Bingo reward by the amount of the player's bet. Alternatively, bets to win a particular reward amount may vary based on the player's bet. For example, after matching the winning pattern of the Bingo game, the winning pattern can win the opportunity to win a progressive jackpot, with the player's bets to win the jackpot being related to the amount wagered by the player. The progressive bag can receive funds by percentage of the amount wagered by each player for each game. When a player equals the winning pattern of the Bingo game, a characteristic event takes place, such as the spin of a wheel. The player's bets to win the future event can be based on the player's bet (for example, two times the bet can give the player twice the chance to win the characteristic event). If the player wins the characteristic event, the player can receive the progressive jackpot. If the player loses the characteristic event, the progressive jackpot can be taken to the following games of the Bingo game. The characteristic event may take place immediately after each game of Bingo, or may occur at a predetermined, scheduled time after a sufficient number of rating entities of the winner of the Bingo game occurs. The rating agencies can be determined, for example, by the accumulation of points by the players of the Bingo game. The progressive jackpot may be a multi-line progressive jackpot. For example, the progressive jackpot may have a smaller progressive reward as often as a winning Bingo reward. In addition, the progressive jackpot may have a much larger progress that can be rewarded infrequently. The largest progressive may still be a wide area progressive where the game units 20 of the Bingo game system 10 may be distributed in a plurality of casino gaming locations. The largest progressive can cover all the casino gaming locations, while the smaller progressive can receive funds for and reward players at one of the casino gaming venues. The characteristic event of the previous modality can be a secondary Bingo game. Players who win the primary Bingo game can be rewarded with the probability of participating in the secondary Bingo game that can provide progressive jackpots. Each opportunity in the secondary Bingo game may consist of a Bingo card for the secondary Bingo game, and a player may receive multiple Bingo cards based on the amount bet. The secondary Bingo game can be played with a fixed number of ball shots, and can be played until one or more players match a winning pattern of the secondary Bingo. Some results of the secondary Bingo game may result in the reward of the small progressive, while other more difficult outcomes (eg, more difficult patterns or fewer balls for Bingo) may result in the granting of larger progressive ones. In another modality, the fixed reward amount instead of or in addition to the large progressive may be awarded to the Bingo winners. The rewards set may or may not impact the funds of the large progressive. Progressive jackpot funds may be based on the entire game played in the Bingo game, regardless of when the player qualifies for a progressive jackpot probability, or may receive funds in conjunction with the players who qualify for probability in the prize. progressive major. As an alternative to determine the winning amount of Bingo based on the winning pattern of the matched game and the number of ball shots, matching the winning pattern of the game can provide the player the opportunity to receive a winning amount of Bingo based on the less in part of the choices made by the player. The opportunity to make the election to determine the winning amount of the Bingo may be provided at the conclusion of each game of the Bingo game, or may be provided as bonuses to the winning players by matching the winning pattern of the game within a predetermined number of balls. In one embodiment, the player may select one or more of a plurality of potential reward amounts presented to the player in the video display unit 68. The network computer 22 or the game units 20 may store a bag of available rewards for the game of Bingo. When a player equals a winning pattern of the game, the network computer 22, for example, may randomly or sequentially select a plurality of rewards available from the bag and send the selected rewards to the corresponding game units 20. The game units 20 they can then display graphics to the players to select one or more of the available rewards to determine the winning amount of the Bingo rewarded or awarded to the player. After one or more of the available rewards are awarded to the players, if each available reward in the bag is to be awarded once, the available prize pool can be updated to indicate that the rewards have been awarded to the players, and as a result, are not available to be awarded to subsequent winning players. It was contemplated that graphic displays allow winning players to be selections that can take many forms. In a modality illustrated in Figures 19-23, available rewards can be selected from the bag, and graphic display 800 can include five symbols, such as coin bags or treasure chests 854-858, each corresponding to one of the available rewards as illustrated in Figure 19. The player can be suggested to choose an 860 image to select one of the rewards by touching one of symbols 854-858. When the player touches one of the symbols, such as the treasure chest 854, an image of the amount of reward 862 corresponding to the selected treasure chest 854 may be presented to the player instead of covering the treasure chest 854 as illustrated in FIG. Figure 20. The player may be allowed to select only one 854-858 symbol to determine the winning Bingo reward, or as indicated by the suggested 860 image, the player may be allowed to select additional symbols 854-858 to increase the reward. winner of the player's Bingo. Each of the reward amounts can be a predetermined number of credits, or it can be in the form of a multiplier, as illustrated by the reward image 864 in Figure 21, or another operand that can change the amount of the winning reward of accumulated Bingo. The accumulation of the winning Bingo reward may continue until the player has selected a predetermined number of symbols 854-858. Alternatively, one of symbols 854-858 may be associated with a terminal symbol, such as a skull and crossbones 866 presented in Figure 22, that when selected by the player ends the process of selecting the winning Bingo reward and return the player to the Bingo 800 game screen. After the winning Bingo reward is determined, the winning amount of Bingo 806 and the total winning amount of 810 can be updated to present the amount won by the player as shown in Figure 23, and the credits for the player in the game unit can be increased accordingly. As a further alternative to selecting a plurality of available rewards illustrated in Figures 24-27, the subject of Bingo can be perpetuated by displaying a plurality of symbols, such as 868-870 coin bags in the 800 video display unit, each corresponding to an additional Bingo card to be used to determine the amount of the player's reward. Additional Bingo cards can be related to the player's additional Bingo card so that none of the numbers on the original Bingo card appear on the additional Bingo cards, or additional Bingo cards can be generated independently of the Bingo card. Original Bingo In addition, additional Bingo cards may be determined at any time during the Bingo game, including at the time the player is rolled and selected on the original Bingo card or after the winning player or players are declared. Additional Bingo cards may vary from game to game, or may be a fixed set of additional Bingo cards with specific characteristics one in relation to the other or the winning game pattern that activates the feature, which may be shuffled with respect to the symbols 868-870 with which they are associated with matching game. Once the symbols 868-870 are displayed, a suggested image 872 can instruct the player to touch one or more of the 868-870 symbols to reveal the corresponding additional Bingo card. When the player touches one of the displayed symbols 868-870, the corresponding additional Bingo card 874 can be presented to the player, and the Bingo card 874 can be marked by the game unit ) 0 20 with markings to cover 848 based on the numbers in the 812 ball throw area of the Bingo game as shown in Figure 25. The additional 874 Bingo card can be highlighted with a winning Bingo reward pattern 876 which can be matched to win a Bingo game reward. The winning reward pattern of Bingo 876 is illustrated as "X", but can be any desired pattern or patterns defined using any number of points. The player may be provided with multiple Bingo winning reward patterns to match, each of which may be highlighted on the additional Bingo card 874 and may result in the same or a different Bingo game reward amount when equal. Alternatively, the pattern or patterns of the winning Bingo reward can be presented anywhere on the 800 screen, or can be seen by tapping or by clicking on a "See Payments" button. If the selected additional Bingo card 874 equals a predetermined winning Bingo reward pattern 876, the player can receive the amount of the corresponding winning Bingo reward that can be presented to the player with a reward image 878. If patterns are not matched , the additional Bingo card may not produce the amount of the reward. As with the previous mode, the player may be allowed to select only one 868-870 symbol to determine the winning Bingo reward or, as indicated by the 872 suggestion image, the player may be allowed to select additional symbols 868-870 to increase the winning reward of the player's Bingo. The accumulation of the winning Bingo reward may continue until the player has selected a predetermined number of symbols 868-870. Alternatively, one of the symbols 868-870 may be associated with a terminal symbol, such as a bank robber 880 displayed in Figure 26, which when selected by the player ends the Bingo winning reward selection process and returns the player to the Bingo 800 game screen. After the winning Bingo reward is determined, the winning amount of Bingo 806 and the total winning amount 810 can be updated to present the amount won by the player as shown in Figure 27, and the credits for the player in the game unit can be increased accordingly. It may be desirable to provide winning Bingo rewards by other methods than paying a fixed amount or performing a calculation. For example, matching the winning pattern of the game can entitle players to an opportunity to win the prize through another game or bonus mechanism. The opportunity to win the prize can be any of a wide range of characteristic bonuses known in the art. The opportunity may entitle the player to spin a prize wheel having a plurality of positions corresponding to credit or cash reward amounts, or possibly positions that allow the player to enter a lottery. Those opportunities to win a prize may or may not involve the player's interaction to determine the prize awarded to the player. In addition, the reward for the opportunity to win a prize or characteristic bonus can be. a fixed reward, a progressive reward, a non-monetary prize, play a free game, play in another event, or any combination of those other types of rewards, and the player may or may not be provided with the ability to select the nature of the winning reward of Bingo. Alternatively, the winning Bingo reward may be in the form of points,. stamps, coupons, or other non-monetary reward that can be redeemable to prizes such as cash or other monetary reward, non-effective prizes, play a game, products and / or casino services, donation certificates, opportunities to win prizes or additional or similar rewards. These rewards can be accumulated until the player accumulates enough points, stamps, coupons or other similar rewards to amortize one or more particular prizes available. Reaching a point threshold can be enough to activate the reward or qualified feature. A modality may include a programmed characteristic event, such as the Turning of a Bingo Wheel that occurs every hour or half an hour. Any player who accumulates enough points may qualify to potentially win in the characteristic event, with the bets to win the characteristic event or the amount of the reward in the characteristic event being possibly related to the number of points the player accumulated before the occurrence of the characteristic event. In a further mode, the multiplayer Bingo game can incorporate methods to combine players who bet different amounts in the Bingo game to play the Bingo game together so that the probability that the players who bet larger amounts of the prize of Bingo Bingo game is increased. In one method, players who place larger bets in the Bingo game may be provided with additional Bingo cards for the game of Bingo. Additionally, when the network computer 22 determines the winning pattern or patterns of the game for the game of Bingo, the players can be assigned winning game patterns that have relative probabilities proportional to their bet amounts. For example, a player who bets twice more than another player can be assigned a pattern or set of patterns game players that have approximately twice the bets of the winner of the Bingo game as a winning game pattern or a set of patterns assigned to the other player, such as providing the player with fewer points to match, or more winning game patterns to match. Implemented, in this way, in a given Bingo game, that the player who bets the most in the game of Bingo is provided with better probabilities of winning the reward for the Bingo game.

Interim Pattern Bingo Rewards To enhance the player's gaming experience while playing the multiplayer Bingo game, the Bingo game can be configured with alternative methods to provide additional reward payments to players, including players who do not match by first time the winning pattern of the game. In one modality, players may be awarded prizes for matching predefined interim patterns on their Bingo cards that have associated reward amounts during the course of the Bingo game. The patterns can be called "interim" because the patterns can be matched during the course of the game, and the patterns do not result in the completion of the game when they are matched. The Bingo game ends only when one or more of the players equals the winning pattern of the game. When a player equals an interim winning pattern, the player can be rewarded with a matching amount corresponding to the interim tied pattern regardless of whether the player matched the winning pattern of the game. Figure 28 illustrates an example of a set of interim patterns 920-938 that can be applied to the Bingo game. As with two winning patterns of the game, interim patterns are defined by one or more points on the Bingo card that can be matched during the Bingo game to receive the corresponding interim winner amount. The probability of matching a given interim pattern depends on the number of points to be matched in the interim pattern, and the value of the interim equalized amounts can be selected so that the larger interim reward amounts generally correspond to the interim patterns with lower probabilities. of what happens. For example, equaling the first interim pattern 920, which may consist of a single point and, consequently, a relatively high probability of being matched by a player during an occurrence of a Bingo game, may result in a reward amount. of the interim pattern of two credits, while matching the tenth interim pattern 938 consisting of ten points and having a relatively high probability of being matched, can result in a much larger interim pattern reward amount of 1,024 credits. However, it is not necessary that a larger interim pattern reward be associated with one or more complex interim patterns than a reward for the minor interim pattern. Each interim pattern can be associated with any amount of reward for the interim pattern to achieve a desirable rate of pay for winning the interim pattern. After one or more players are declared the winner of a game of Bingo and, if necessary, at least one winning player covers their Bingo card, the Bingo card of each of the players can be evaluated by the corresponding game unit 20 to determine whether the player has matched any of the interim patterns. Referring again to Figure 11, the first player may have been declared the winner of the Bingo game and may have covered the 802 Bingo card to claim the amount of the winning Bingo reward of 17 credits. The second player may not have matched a winning pattern of the game in the same number of balls as the first player and, as a result, did not receive a winning Bingo reward. In Bingo games where a cap may be required to claim the winning Bingo reward, players may also be required to cover the Bingo cards to receive any reward for the interim skipper. Under the normal course of the game, players can cover their Bingo cards when they are suggested to receive any rewards from the interim skipper. Where potentially winning players miss their chance, the winning Bingo reward may be prevented from claiming the winning Bingo reward later, those players, those players can still be rewarded for rewards by the interim skipper if their Bingo cards are covered before the conclusion of the Bingo game. In one mode, all ball-throw numbers can be used to determine if a player has matched one or more interim patterns. Accordingly, the Bingo cards 802, 822 can be evaluated on the numbers dialed during the course of the ball shot. The Bingo card 802, the number marked "27" corresponds to the first interim pattern 920 of Figure 28 and entitles the first player to two credits as a winning reward of the interim employer in addition to the 17 credits with the winning Bingo reward. The winning reward of the interim skipper can be reflected on the first screen of Bingo 800 by updating the winning amount of the 808 pattern to show that two credits were awarded, and updating the total winning amount of 810 to nineteen credits for the Bingo game. In the Bingo card 822, the numbers marked "26" and "54" correspond to the second interim pattern 922 of Figure 28 and entitle the second player to four credits as a winning reward of the interim pattern. The second player can win the interim pattern's winning reward even though the 822 Bingo card may not match the winning pattern of the 840 game. As with the first Bingo 800 screen, the second Bingo 820 screen can be updated to display four credits of the winning amount of the interim pattern 828 and four credits in the total winning amount 830. In some implementations of multiplayer Bingo games that provide rewards for interim patterns, it may be desirable to regulate the rate of payment of the reward for the interim pattern. limiting the number of ball balls that can be used to evaluate the Bingo card by matching the interim pattern. By truncating the shots of balls to a predetermined maximum number of balls, the frequency of equalization of the interim patterns and, consequently, the rate of payment of the reward for the interim pattern can be reduced. For example, Figure 29 illustrates the result of the Bingo game game of Figures 6-9 with ball shots truncated to the first 35 balls thrown for purposes of evaluating the 802, 822 Bingo cards by matching the patterns. interim After removing the 848 marks corresponding to the numbers removed after the number thirty-five, the number "27" corresponding to the number drawn within the first 35 numbers can still be marked and equal to the first interim pattern 920. The first Bingo screen 800 can be updated to illustrate two credits for the winning amount of the interim employer 808 and seventeen credits for the total winning amount 810. On the second Bingo card 822, after removing the 848 marks corresponding to the numbers removed after the number 35, the number "26" corresponding to a number taken after the number 35 can be discovered. As a result, the Bingo card 822 may no longer equal the second interim pattern 922 as has been the case when the entire ball shot was considered in Figure 11. Because neither the second interim pattern 922 nor any of the other patterns interim 920, 924-938 are matched on the Bingo card 822, the second player can not receive any reward for the interim pattern and the winning amount of the interim pattern 828 and the total winning amount 830 may reflect that the second player has not received winning Bingo amounts or the internal pattern for that Bingo game link. In multiplayer Bingo games, where a predetermined maximum number of balls is used to evaluate the winners of the interim pattern, there is an alternative to evaluate the winners of the interim pattern when a player or players equals the winning pattern of the game in less than the number predetermined maximum of balls. The winners of the interim pattern can be evaluated either by using the numbers given to determine the winner of the Bingo game., thus using less than the predetermined maximum number of balls, or drawing additional numbers in the network computer 22 up to the predetermined maximum number of balls. The first alternative is illustrated in Figure 30. In this game of Bingo, the first player could have matched the winning pattern of the game on the 25 ball of the ball. The number "27" marked on the Bingo card 802 can equal the first interim pattern 920 resulting in a reward of the interim pattern of two credits which is reflected by the screens in the winning amount of the interim pattern 808 and the total winning amount 810 as It was discussed earlier. On the Bingo card 822, the numbers marked "11", "34", and "74" equal the third interim pattern 924 resulting in a reward for the interim pattern of eight credits that reflected by the screens in the winning amounts of the Interim pattern 828 and the total winning amount 820. The last alternative to evaluate the winners of the interim pattern is illustrated in Figure 31. Depending on one of the implemented routines 700, 750, 760, 770 or other routine to drive the Bingo game , after declaring to the first player the winner of the Bingo game at number 25, additional numbers up to the predetermined maximum number of balls (thirty-five - in this example) may be removed by the network computer 22 if they were not withdrawn or previously removed by the network computer during the game of Bingo game, and displayed in the ball shooting areas 812, 832. The game units 20 can evaluate the Bingo cards 802, 8 22, with additional numbers and add 848 marks on any additional matched numbers. After marking the Bingo cards 802, 822, the game units 20 can evaluate the Bingo cards 802, 822 by interim pattern matching. With the additional 848 marks, both the first and second players can equal multiples of the interim 920-938 patterns. On the 802 Bingo card, the number "27" equals the first interim pattern 920 and the numbers "2", "9", "17", "49", "66" and "67" equals the sixth interim pattern 930 , while the Bingo card 822, the numbers "26" and "54" equal the second interim pattern 922 and the numbers "11", "34" and "74" equate the third interim pattern 924. Depending on the configuration of the Bingo game, players can be awarded the sum of the rewards of the interim pattern, or more of the winning rewards of the interim pattern. Consequently, the first player can receive a reward for the interim pattern of 66 credits or a reward for the interim pattern of 64 credits (shown in Figure 31), and the second player can receive a reward of 12 credits or a reward of 8 credits (shown in Figure 31). The alternative chosen to determine the reward of the interim pattern where multiple interim patterns are matched can have an impact on the Bingo game in several ways. Assuming that the same interim patterns and reward amounts are used, rewarding the higher interim pattern reward instead of totalizing interim pattern rewards can reduce both the amount and the interim pattern rewards earned by the players and the rate of pay. for the total interim employer's rewards. Additionally, the probability that a player can claim a given interim pattern reward can be reduced compared to the totalization of the interim pattern's reward amounts by the probability that the player can also match an interim pattern with a reward amount of Interim major pattern in the same Bingo game. For example, the probability of matching the first interim pattern 920 in thirty-five or smaller numbers is approximately 2.14 to 1, while the probability of matching the second interim pattern in 35 or fewer numbers is approximately 4.66 to 1. There are also odds of earning corresponding interim pattern rewards when the amounts of the interim rewards are totaled. Nevertheless, the probability of winning the reward of the interim pattern for the first interim pattern 920 can be reduced by the probability of also matching the second interim pattern 922, which in this example is approximately 10.31 to 1 (ie, the odds of equaling three numbers of 35 taken from the field of 75 numbers). The resulting probability is approximately 2.70 to 1 to equal the first interim pattern 920 and also not equal the second interim pattern 922. Of course, the probability of winning the first reward of the interim pattern can be further reduced by probabilities of also matching the patterns Interim Remaining 924-938 in a given game of Bingo. Those skilled in the art will understand that the interim patterns may be configured to achieve probabilities for the payment of the interim pattern's reward amounts according to the specified payment rates. Although only the amount of the highest interim employer reward can be paid, the odds of paying the rewards associated with the interim patterns can be altered by adjusting the level of interaction between the interim patterns (ie the amount of overlap between interim patterns). ) to achieve the desired probabilities. For example, the first interim pattern 920 and the second interim pattern 922 do not overlap, and therefore, do not have any points or positions in common. As noted above, the probabilities that both interim patterns are equalized is approximately 10.31 to 1. However, if the patterns overlap so that one of the points of the second interim pattern 922 is located in the same box as the point of the first interim pattern 920, the odds of matching both the first and second interim patterns 920, 922 increases from approximately 4.66 to 1, and the odds of paying the first reward of the interim pattern increases approximately 3.95 to 1. The other patterns Interim ones can also be manipulated to adjust the probabilities that the interim patterns reach a payment rate of the desired interim pattern. Although a single set of interim patterns is illustrated in Figure 28, it was contemplated that multiple sets of interim patterns may be provided for the Bingo game. The sets of interim patterns may vary in terms of the number of interim patterns in the sets, the configuration of the interim patterns in the sets, the complexity of the interim patterns in the sets, the interim pattern reward amounts available to match the patterns interim in those sets and the like. The game units 20 may be configured to randomly or sequentially select one of a plurality of sets of interim patterns available for use in a given game of the Bingo game. Alternatively, players can be provided with the ability to select one of the sets of interim patterns available based on their preferences. For example, several sets of interim patterns may be provided that have approximately the same total interim payment reward rates, but, with the sets of interim patterns paying interim pattern rewards with varying frequencies. Some sets of interim patterns may result in relatively small interim pattern rewards being paid relatively frequently, some sets of interim patterns may result in relatively large interim pattern rewards being paid relatively infrequently, and some sets of interim patterns may result in a combination of large and small interim pattern rewards being paid. The game units 20 can present the sets and interim patterns and allow the players to select the sets of interim patterns corresponding to their preferences in their gaming experience. Alternatively, the sets of interim patterns used for a game of Bingo can be determined on the basis of the amount wagered by the players. In slots, the number of winning combinations and the maximum amount that can be won by the player depends on the number of pay lines played and the amount wagered per payline. The maximum prizes may only be available for where the player bets the maximum amount on the maximum number of pay lines available. Similarly in the multi-player Bingo game, players may select one of a plurality of interim game sets available and select a bet amount to be applied to each interim pattern within the sets of interim patterns. Where nine sets of interim patterns are available, the player can play the first set of interim patterns for a credit, play the second set of interim patterns for two credits, and so on up to nine credits for the ninth set of interim patterns. The first set of interim patterns costs the player only one credit bet and may have the lowest probability of paying a reward for the interim pattern and having lower interim pattern reward amounts available, while the ninth set of interim patterns may have the highest probability of payment of an interim pattern reward and have the highest interim pattern reward amounts available. Additionally, the player can bet one to five times the credits required for a given set of interim patterns. Accordingly, in this example, the player can bet between one and forty-five credits per game to vary the odds of receiving an interim pattern reward and earn a larger interim pattern reward based on his preferences for his experience. of game.

Plotting the Multilevel Reward Amount Pattern When relatively few winning Bingo amounts and / or interim pattern reward can be offered to players of the multiplayer Bingo game, it can be relatively simple to select a set of patterns to achieve a desired probability of payment of each reward amount and a desired total Bingo reward payment rate. In addition, with relatively few Bingo patterns to evaluate, players can easily identify if any of the Bingo patterns are matched on Bingo cards. As the reward amounts increase, it may become more difficult to trace the reward amounts for the Bingo patterns on a standard Bingo card. As the number of reward amounts increases, the amount of interaction between the Bingo patterns, and the corresponding impact on the odds of matching Bingo patterns where only the largest amount of reward is paid, can increase the difficulty. to equalize the odds of matching the Bingo patterns with the desired odds of paying the reward amounts. In addition, players may have more difficulty identifying the similarities of Bingo patterns in their Bingo cards as the number of Bingo patterns increases. The difficulty in matching Bingo patterns to a large number of reward amounts can be reduced by applying a multilevel strategy where most of the desired reward amounts can be provided without the need to assign different Bingo patterns to each amount of reward. reward. In one embodiment of a multilevel tracing strategy, the desired reward amounts can be divided into a plurality of subsets or payment groups, with each subset or payment group containing one or more of the reward amounts, and then allocating primary standards. to each of the payment groups and secondary employers to each of the reward amounts within the payment groups. Figure 32 is a flow chart of a 950 multilevel Bingo pattern tracing routine that can be implemented to plot the desired reward quantities to the Bingo patterns. The strategy of the stroke can be applied equally to the amounts of reward for winners of the Bingo game and for similarities of interim patterns. Referring to Figure 32, the multilevel trace routine 950 may begin in block 952 in which the reward amounts for the Bingo game and associated probabilities are determined. The reward amounts and the associated probabilities are determined in any known way to calculate the payment tables to achieve a desired reward payment rate. In addition, as an alternative to determining reward amounts and scratching probabilities, rewards and probabilities can be derived from known pay tables used in other gaming devices to achieve a desired gaming rate. After the reward amounts and associated probabilities are determined, the reward amounts can be divided into a plurality of payment groups in block 954. The reward amounts can be divided into any desired number of payment groups, each containing any desired number of reward amounts. In addition, the payment groups may each have the same number of reward amounts, or the number of reward amounts may vary from payment group to payment group. In implementations of multiplayer Bingo games where only the highest reward amount can be rewarded or awarded, the reward amounts can be divided into multiple groups so that there is no overlap in the reward amounts between the groups. For example, the first group may consist of the ten highest reward amounts, the second group may consist of the following seven higher reward amounts, the third group may consist of the following fourteen higher reward amounts, and so on. Consequently, groups can be ordered by amount of reward. This can be seen by taking the entire list of possible reward quantities, sorted by value, and dividing the list into groups of adjacent values. This may be preferred, although not required, for each group to contain reward amounts that have magnitudes similar to other reward amounts in the group. An example of a grouping of reward amounts is illustrated in Figure 33. The reward amounts consist of all numbers between 1 and 100. In the payment group tab 956, the reward amounts can be separated into 'ten groups of ten reward amounts without overlapping the reward amounts between groups. Each reward amount may have an associated probability of being awarded. The reward amounts can be assigned any desired probability, and the higher value reward amounts need not have a lower probability of being awarded than the lower value reward amounts. Briefly, the reward amounts can be assigned any probabilities necessary to achieve the payment rate of the desired reward amount. Once the reward amounts are divided into payment groups, the odds of paying one of the reward amounts of each group can be calculated in block 958. The probabilities for the group can be calculated based on the cumulative probabilities for the reward amounts within the group. For example, the reward amounts in payment group 1 of the payment group table 956 can be assigned the probabilities shown in Table 1: Table 1 Number of Odds Number of Odds Game Reward Game Reward 1 15 a 1. 6 700 a 1 2 5 a 1 • 7 700 a 1 3 150 a 1 8 700 a 1 4 150 a 1 9 750 a 1 5 10 a 1 10 25 a 1 The probabilities for the payment group are calculated by adding the probabilities of the individual reward amounts in the group. In the above example, the probabilities calculated for payment group 1 are approximately 2.35 to 1, one of the reward amounts in group 1 can be paid. Similar calculations can be made for each of the payment groups. After calculating the probability of the payment group, the probability of paying a particular reward amount from your payment group can be calculated in block 960. The odds of paying a payment amount are the probabilities that once it is determined that a reward from a given payment group can be paid, the particular reward amount will be the amount of reward paid from the payment group. Using the example in Table 1, the approximate probabilities of paying the rewards of payment group 1 is shown in Table 2: Table 2 Amount of Probability of Quantity of Probability of Commitment Group of Payment Re > compensates Payment Group 1 6. 4 to 1 6 297. 9 a 1 2 2. 1 to 1 7 297. 9 a 1 3 63. 8 to 1 8 297. 9 a 1 4 63. 8 to 1 9 319. 2 to 1 5 4. 3 to 1 10 10. 6 to 1 Based on those group pay probabilities for the reward amounts in payment group 1, the odds of rewarding 10 credits will be paid once it is determined that a reward to be paid from payment group 1 is from approximately 10.6 to 1. After calculating the probabilities for the payment groups, and for the reward amounts within the payment groups, primary Bingo patterns can be assigned to the payment groups in block 962. In a modality, a each of the payment groups can be assigned a primary Bingo pattern to be matched over the Bingo cards of players 802, 822. An example of primary Bingo patterns 964-982 corresponding to the pay groups in the table of payout groups 956 is illustrated in Figure 34. The primary Bingo patterns assigned to the pay groups can be configured so that the odds of matching the primary Bingo pattern during the Bingo go be approximately equal to the calculated odds of paying a reward amount from the corresponding payment group. Where the reward amounts and payment groups are related to winning Bingo game rewards, or interim pattern rewards where the reward amounts for equal multiple interim patterns can be added, the odds for each of the Bingo patterns primary can be considered independently of the other primary Bingo patterns. Consequently, where the reward amounts and payment groups are related to the rewards of interim patterns where only the highest reward amount can be paid, the probabilities of the primary Bingo patterns can be adjusted based on the probabilities that The primary Bingo patterns corresponding to the highest value payment groups can be matched during the same Bingo game in a similar way as previously described. Returning to Figure 32, before, concurrently with or after assigning the primary Bingo patterns to the payment groups, the secondary patterns can be assigned to the reward amounts within the groups in block 984. Secondary patterns can be related with the Bingo cards 802, 822 used by the Bingo players during the Bingo game, or they can be related to a separate Bingo card that may or may not have the same configuration as the Bingo cards 802, 822. In addition, the secondary patterns can be related to any other configuration or group of numbers, symbols or other indications where the patterns can be defined and matched using the numbers selected by the ball shot of the Bingo game. In one embodiment, the secondary patterns can be related to the 802, 822 Bingo cards used by the players, and represent additional patterns that can be matched on the 802, 822 Bingo cards to determine a reward amount if the primary Bingo pattern corresponding to the payment group is matched on the Bingo card 802, 822. In one method, the first four columns of the Bingo card can be used by the primary Bingo patterns for the payment groups, and the last column can be used for secondary patterns for those reward amounts within groups. In another embodiment, each player may be provided with a secondary card in addition to the Bingo card 802, 822 used to play the Bingo game and to match the primary Bingo patterns. In an alternative, each player can receive an additional card that has two rows and five columns, with each of the columns corresponding to one of the columns of the player's Bingo card 802, 822. Figure 35 corresponds to the game of the game. Bingo game previously illustrated in Figure 29, and showing the first and second screens of Bingo 800, 820 including the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988, respectively, received by each player to evaluate the secondary pattern if one or more of the secondary patterns are matched on Bingo cards 802, 822. As discussed the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 include a two-row number arrangement by five columns. The numbers of the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 can be taken from the same number ranges as the primary Bingo cards 802, 822 (ie, B = 1 to 15, I = 16 to 30, N = 31 to 45 , G = 46 to 60 and O-61 to 75), and may be selected so that the numbers of the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 may not repeat numbers on the primary Bingo cards 802, 822, respectively. However, the numbers may be repeated between the primary Bingo cards 802, 822 and the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 if desired, and the numbers in the columns of the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 need not be restricted to being selected from any particular intervals as is the case with the primary Bingo cards 802, 822, although the Bingo cards are illustrated here as 5x5 cards and a separate 2x5 card, they can be considered as a single 7x5 card with the first five rows being used to play the Bingo game and the last two rows being evaluated in case certain predefined patterns are matched in the first five rows. In the modality where the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 are used to evaluate the secondary patterns, it follows that the secondary patterns can be defined equally within two rows and five columns. Figure 36 illustrates a set of secondary patterns 1000 containing secondary patterns 1002-1018 corresponding to reward amounts of two credits up to ten credits of payment group 1 of Figure 33, and a set of secondary patterns 1020 containing the patterns secondary 1022-1038 corresponding to the reward amounts of 12 credits up to 20 credits of payment group 1 of Figure 33. Secondary pattern sets similar to the remaining payment groups 3-10 can be assigned. The different sets of secondary patterns may or may not use the same secondary patterns. Even where the same secondary patterns are used for all payment groups, the probabilities within the groups can still vary based on the particular patterns and the number of patterns assigned to each reward amount within a given group. In this modality, when one of the primary Bingo patterns 964-982 is matched over the primary Bingo cards 802-822, the player may pay the lowest reward amount in the payout group in the event that none of the secondary patterns for The payout group is matched on the secondary Bingo card 802, 822. Consequently, it may be necessary to trigger a secondary pattern to the lowest value reward amounts. However, a secondary pattern can be assigned to the lowest value reward amounts, and the player may not receive the reward if it is not matched to a secondary pattern after matching the primary Bingo pattern. Referring again to Figure 35, the reward amounts in the 956 payment group table may represent interim pattern reward amounts, the primary and secondary Bingo cards 802, 822, 986, 988 may be used to determine the amount of compensation. reward for any winner of the interim employer. Of course, the reward amounts can be related, in an alternative way, to the winning rewards of the Bingo game, and the primary and secondary patterns can be calculated to determine the amounts of the winning Bingo rewards. The secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 may be evaluated and marked by the network computer 22 and / or the game units 20 in a manner similar to that discussed for the primary Bingo cards 802, 822. Because one of the Primary Bingo patterns must be matched to receive an interim pattern reward, the game units 20 can be configured to display the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 only after at least one of the Bingo patterns can be matched over the primary Bingo cards 802, 822. Alternatively, secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 may be displayed at any time. As discussed above, a player may be required to cover their Bingo cards to claim any interim triumph. Depending on the configuration to determine the rewards of the interim pattern (all ball shots, maximum number of balls, predetermined number of balls), secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 may be marked on the basis of the same ball or serving shot. of the same as are used in the primary Bingo cards 802, 822. For the first player, on the primary Bingo card 802, the number marked "27" corresponds to the first primary Bingo pattern 964 of Figure 34 for the group of payment 1, and the numbers marked "6" and "10" correspond to the second primary Bingo pattern 966 of Figure 34 for payment group 2. As discussed above, players may be awarded the sum of the pattern rewards interim when multiple interim patterns are matched, and only the highest amount of reward depending on the configuration of the Bingo game. Where only the highest reward amount can be rewarded or awarded, the first player can receive one of the reward amounts in payment group 2 since all reward amounts in payment group 2 are higher than the amounts of reward in the payment group 1. In the secondary Bingo card 986, the numbers marked are not equal to any of the secondary patterns 1022-1030 of the set of secondary patterns 1020. Consequently, the first player may receive eleven credits as a winning reward of the interim pattern as the predetermined amount of reward for the payment group 2, in addition to the seventeen credits with the winning Bingo reward. In the primary Bingo card 822, the numbers marked "H" and "12" correspond to the second primary Bingo pattern 966 of Figure 34 for the payment group 2. On the secondary Bingo card 988, the numbers marked "5"and" 8"correspond to the second secondary pattern 1024 of Figure 36 and entitle the second player to thirteen credits as a triumph of the interim pattern.

The multilevel pattern trace is not limited to two levels as illustrated here. Any number of levels can be used here depending on the number of potential reward amounts available in a payment table to which the patterns are drawn. Therefore, groups may also include subgroups, each of which may include additional groups or multiple reward amounts. For example, in addition to a 5x5 primary Bingo card and a 2x5 secondary Bingo card, the Bingo game may also include an interim 2x2 or 3x3 pattern, with patterns in the 5x5 Bingo game corresponding to groups of amounts of reward, matching the patterns on the 2x5 card to subgroups of reward amounts under the groups, and the 2x2 or 3x3 cards corresponding to the particular reward amounts within the subgroups. Those skilled in the art will understand that any configuration and number of cards can be used to implement interim pattern wins in a Bingo game. In addition, there are alternatives to assign multiple patterns to each level. In an alternative mode, the elements of a level can be distinguished on the basis of the number of balls thrown before a particular pattern can be matched on a Bingo card. For example, instead of assigning different primary Bingo patterns to each payment group, a single primary Bingo pattern can be assigned that applies to all payment groups. When the Bingo pattern is matched on the primary Bingo card, the payout group from which to select the reward amount can be determined based on the number of balls required to match the primary Bingo pattern. Depending on the pattern of primary Bingo assigned, matching the primary Bingo pattern in ten or fewer balls may correspond to the tenth payment group, matching in fifteen or fewer balls may correspond to the ninth payment group, and so on. The numbers of balls can be selected so that the probabilities of matching the primary Bingo pattern within the particular number of balls can be approximately equal to the probabilities that a reward of a given payment group can be paid. Once the payment group is determined based on the number of balls thrown, the secondary patterns for the payment group can be evaluated in the manner described above. Alternatively, the primary Bingo patterns can be assigned to each payout group as described above, with the amount of reward within the payout group being determined by the number of balls required to match the primary Bingo pattern for the group. of payment. Another method may have the amount of reward within a payment group selected based on the number of additional numbers matched on the primary Bingo card in addition to the primary Bingo pattern. In addition, if a single set of primary Bingo patterns (ie one or more patterns) is used and the amount of reward is based on the number of balls thrown equal in one of the primary Bingo patterns, the primary Bingo patterns are also they can be the winning patterns of the game. Additional modalities were contemplated to trace amounts of reward to patrons in a Bingo game. In one embodiment, a reward amount within a payment group can be selected by another random selection mechanism, such as the spin of a simulated wheel where the wheel stops at positions corresponding to the reward amounts within the payment group. The turn of the wheel can animate concurrently with the presentation of the mark of the numbers on the cards of Bingo of the players. In another modality, which may be implemented in a Bingo Bonanza game, a reward amount may be determined based on the secondary condition associated with the Bingo card received by the player. That method can use the occurrence of a pseudorandom condition associated with the Bingo card to determine a reward amount within a payment group. For example, a player who receives a blue card may receive the highest reward amount or group, a red card may receive the next highest reward amount or group, and a white card may receive the amount of reward or group of payment lower. If the player matches a primary Bingo pattern from one of the payment groups, the color of the card can determine what amount of reward can be selected from the matched payment group. In addition to, or instead of, the color card, or other predefined conditions may determine the selection of the reward amount, such as having certain numbers or types of numbers that appear on the player's Bingo card. In a further alternative, a specific payment structure can be associated with each Bingo card. Each primary pattern may have a reward amount, but the reward amounts may be different for different players. The game can include several predefined sets of rewards, with each having a reward associated with each winning Bingo pattern. When the player receives the Bingo card, the player can also receive a selection of which set of rewards will apply to any Bingo or interim skipper win for the Bingo game. As a further modality, the sets of reward quantities may contain a reward amount for each of the payment groups, so that the first set contains the highest reward amounts for each payment group, and the second set contains the next highest reward amounts for each payment group, and so on. If one of the primary Bingo patterns is matched with a certain number of balls, the reward amount of the first set can be awarded. Since they require additional numbers to match the primary Bingo pattern, the set selection can be progressively diverted to those sets that contain the lowest reward quantities. In another modality more, states can be assigned, like colors, to the thrown balls or to the points on the cards of Bingo. The selection of the reward amount can be based on the combination of states of the covered numbers. For example, matched patterns where all the matched balls or points are of the same color may correspond to the higher reward quantities - than the matched patterns consisting of multiple colors.

Alternative Deployments of Bingo Game Results As discussed above, players can find other games, such as slot machines, video poker, video blackjack, video Keno and similar, more attractive than the deployment of Bingo games. . In addition as the number of reward amounts, and correspondingly the number of Bingo patterns, offered in a Bingo game is increased, it may become more difficult for the results to discern the winning results (ie matched patterns) in a game of Bingo that, for example, a slot machine that offers a comparable number of reward amounts based on identical reel symbols along with a plurality of pay lines. The game experience of Bingo players can be improved by providing an alternative display of the result of the Bingo game determined on the basis of a ball shot and the player's Bingo card in a format that may be preferred by the player to allow The player can more easily identify the winning results of the Bingo game. In an alternative, the result determined by the game of Bingo can be presented to the players with the display or screen simulating the appearance of a traditional class III game, such as electromechanical or video slots, video poker, video blackjack, video Keno and similar . It can be emphasized that the slot reels or other displays of alternative results used to display the result determined by the Bingo game may not determine the outcome of the Bingo game by themselves. The Bingo game system is to drive a Bingo game that can still be played without providing the display of the supplementary result offered by those alternative results displays. The ball shot leads to numbers, characters or other game symbols covered on the Bingo card. Achieving coverage of the winning pattern of the predetermined game leads to a winning Bingo reward. The winning patterns of the game and / or interim patterns can be chosen to achieve the dynamics of the desired Bingo game. However, the directed dynamics (ie, the winning reward values of Bingo, the relative frequency of the occurrence of the rewards, the triumph of Bingo and the interim pattern payment rates, and the like) can be selected so that Speculatively, it is very similar to the dynamics of the desired alternative outcome display, such as that produced by a particular slot machine or other casino game. The correspondence between the dynamics of the Bingo game and the dynamics of the casino game may allow the designer to plot Bingo game rewards to the display or casino game via the alternative display of results, thus providing an alternative and potentially a further deployment. nice to the user of Bingo results. In one modality, an existing casino game may be used for the alternate display of results, with the reward amounts and the pay table for the casino game being used to configure the dynamics of the Bingo game. For example, the multiplayer Bingo game may include an alternative display of results that simulates the appearance of a traditional slot machine, with interim patterns being plotted to the reward amounts of the slot machine's pay table. Achieve approximately the same rate of payment for the interim pattern rewards that is the slot machine. Where relatively few reward amounts are offered in a payment table by the slot machine, a set of interim patterns can be drawn, such as, for example, the patterns 920-938 of Figure 28, towards the reward amounts, with the Interim patterns having approximately the same probability of being matched on a player's Bingo card as the chances of the slot machine paying the corresponding amount of reward. The alternative display of results may be provided in the game units 20 in addition to the Bingo game display discussed above. For the previous example, the result of the Bingo game can be displayed on a first display device 68 of the game unit 20, and the alternate display of results can be provided on the second display device 70, perhaps as an electromechanical or video display of a set of slot reels. Figure 37 is an exemplary display 450 that can be displayed in the display unit 70 as an alternative display of results. Referring to Figure 37, the display 450 may include video images 452 of a plurality of slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality of reel symbols 454 associated therewith. Although the display 450 shows five spool images 452, each of which may have three reel symbols 454 that are visible at a time, other spool configurations may be used. To allow the player to control the game of the Bingo game, a plurality of selectable buttons can be displayed by the player who can draw selections of bets for a slot machine to make bets with the players in the Bingo game. The buttons may include a "Cash Out" button 456, a "See Payments" button 458, a plurality of pay line selection buttons 460 each of which allows the player to select a different number of pay lines beforehand. of "spinning" the reels, a plurality of betting selection buttons 462, each of which allows a player to specify a bet amount for each selected payline, a "Rotate" button 464 and a button to "Maximum Bet" 466 to allow a player to make the maximum allowable bet. If the player requests payment information, such as by activating the "See Payments" button 458, the game unit 20 may cause one or more payment tables to be displayed in the display unit 70. An example of a 510 payment table for a slot machine with multiple pay lines is illustrated in Figure 38. The pay table 510 may correspond to a five-reel slot machine having three high positions per reel so that fifteen symbols are displayed as shown in Figure 37. The payment table 510 includes nine payment lines that can be played by the player based on selections using the 460 buttons. Figure 39 illustrates each of the individual game lines 511-519 that constitute the 510 payment table for clarity purposes. When the reels turn and stop, each of the pay lines 511-519 in which the player's bets are evaluated to determine whether the symbols on the reels are equal to any predetermined combination of reel symbols for which they are rewarded a prize. More than one payline may include a winning combination of reel symbols, or reward amounts may be added for multiple pay lines to determine the total reward amount for the reel spin. Each reward amount in the slot machine's payout table may correspond to one or more reel high positions which when hit by the slot machine results in the payment of the associated reward amount. The stroke of the interim patterns for the query table of the slot magnet may also include the drawing of interim patterns for the combination or combinations of high positions of the reel corresponding to the amount of reward. For each interim pattern and the corresponding reward amount, the game unit 20 can store the combination or available combinations of high positions of the reel to be displayed in the display of alternative results to present the result of the Bingo game. When a given interim pattern is matched on the Bingo card, the game unit 20 may select randomly or sequentially one of the aable combinations of the high positions of the reel corresponding to the amount of reward and to make the display of alternative results display the slot reels in the appropriate positions to display the result of a slot machine that If it is determined by an engine or slot machine it would result in payment of the amount of the reward. During the execution of the multiplayer Bingo game routines 700, 750, 760, 770 of Figures 5A and 5B, 16A and 16B, 17A and 17B and 18A and 18B, respectively, or other routines for driving the Bingo game, the game unit 20 can control the display of alternative results for • Realize a realistic simulation of the casino game used to display the result of the Bingo game. In blocks 704 and 706, once two or more players are enrolled in the game of Bingo game, thus ensuring that the Bingo game can be played, game unit 20 can make the display device 70 display an animated graphic or other display that simulates the start of the casino game. For example, if a slot machine is being simulated, the game unit 20 can cause the display device 70 to start the rotation of the electromechanical or video reels as if a player had pressed the "Rotate" button or pulled the arm of a slot machine. For video card games, the display device 70 may display a graphic of a set of cards that are shuffled or hands that are turned down by a carver. Moreover, for Keno video games, the display device 70 can display a graph of a bellows-type ball throw mechanism that drums the Keno balls. The animated display may continue until the winner or winners of the Bingo game are determined and the Bingo cards are evaluated by corresponding interim patterns and amount of reward. After the rewards in block 730 are determined, in addition to displaying the result of the Bingo game and reward graphics on the display device 68 in block 732, the game device 20 can also determine and display in the device. display 70 an alternative display of results corresponding to the result of the Bingo game. Using the result of the Bingo game and the corresponding reward amount, the game unit 20 can select one of the alternative result displays available for reward result and amount, and have the display device 70 present the selected result display. . For a slot machine, the game unit 20 can cause the display device 70 to stop the reels in the corresponding combination of static spool positions. Similarly, for video card games, the display device 70 may present the hands of the player and / or carver, which will result in payment of the amount of reward for the corresponding video card game. Although a single level of Bingo patterns may be appropriate for plotting a pay table for the casino game that has a relatively small number of reward amounts, the strategy of the multi-level pattern tracing discussed above may be necessary to configure the dynamics of the game. Bingo game to match a desired casino game that is used as an alternative display of results that has a large number of reward amounts available. In an example of a slot machine that has five reels with three symbols per reel being displayed, players are able to bet up to nine pay lines, the pay table can contain hundreds of reward amounts available. In this example, thirty-four different reward amounts may be available when a single payment line is played while 351 different reward amounts may be available when the nine game lines are played with the reward amounts fluctuating from two to 4727 credits In one embodiment, the Bingo patterns for the Bingo game can be traced to the pay machine by the slot machine using three stroke levels. In the first level, the payment table can be divided into groups of reward amounts corresponding to the number of payment lines that are being played by a player. In the previous example, the group of one line can include thirty-four different reward amounts, the group of nine lines can include 351 different reward amounts, the groups corresponding to playing two up to eight lines can each include the different corresponding reward amounts available in the payment table. Once the reward amounts are divided into groups based on the number of lines played, primary or secondary patterns can be assigned to the reward amounts in each group according to the multilevel pattern strategy discussed above. It should be noted that in this multilevel pattern trace example, the groups in the first level can not have corresponding pattern paths in them to select between the groups. Instead, the first level groups will be selected by the players based on the number of pay lines that the players choose to play in the Bingo game. Using the group of nine payment lines as one more example, the available reward amounts can be divided into payment groups that do not overlap as shown in the payment group table 1050 of Figure 40. With extremely large numbers of For reward amounts, it may be desirable to select the subset of the most prevalent reward amounts, or select a subset based on other criteria. In this example, the 149 most prevalent reward amounts could have been selected and divided into sixteen non-overlapping groups of the 1050 payment group table. Once the groups are determined, the probabilities of the payment groups and the probabilities of the amounts Rewards within the payment groups can be calculated in the manner described above. After the probabilities for the payment groups and the rewards have been calculated, primary patterns can be assigned to the payment groups and secondary patterns can be assigned to the reward amounts within the payment groups corresponding to the probabilities calculated in the form described above. An example of a set of primary patterns 1052-1082 for payment groups 1-16 is shown in Figure 41. Where only the highest reward amount for multiple pattern matching can be paid, the odds of paying a reward for Each of the payment groups are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 Table 3 (Continued) The primary standards can be configured so that the probabilities of matching the primary standards are approximately equal to the calculated probabilities of paying a reward amount from the corresponding payment groups. As with the previous example, the secondary patterns for the reward amounts may correspond to the secondary Bingo cards 986, 988 discussed above. Figure 42 illustrates a first set of secondary patterns 1100 of secondary patterns 1102-1116 that can be assigned to the reward quantities in. the payment group 1, and the second set of secondary patterns 1120 of secondary patterns 1122-1138 that can be assigned to the reward amounts in the payment group 1. Secondary pattern sets similar to the remaining payment groups can be assigned 3-16.

The odds of matching the secondary patterns may be approximately equal to the calculated odds of paying a particular reward amount of the payout group when the corresponding primary pattern is matched on a player's Bingo card. In each payment group, a secondary pattern may or may not be assigned in the lowest reward amount in a payment group where the lowest reward amount can be paid if none of the secondary patterns of the payment group is matched. As discussed above, each reward amount of the pay table may correspond to one or more results of the casino game being simulated in the alternative display of results. Various exemplary reel high positions 1150-1156 corresponding to the reward amounts of the pay group 1 are illustrated in Figure 43, and can be stored in the game units 20 to be presented in the display of alternative results. As discussed above, the exemplary slot machine can include five reels with three symbols per reel that would be generated by the slot machine's motor if the slot machine were paying. In addition, up to nine payment lines can be used to evaluate combinations of symbols. The 1150 reel high positions, in which five "7's" are matched on the payline 2 and the payline 3, correspond to a reward amount of 900 credits of the payout group 1. When a player equals .the primary pattern 1052 of Figure -41 on the primary Bingo card, and does not match any of the secondary patterns 1102-1116 of the set of secondary patterns 1100 of Figure 42 on the secondary Bingo card, players can be rewarded with 900 credits. The game unit 20 selects the high positions of the reel 1150 of the reel machine result set, and causes the second display device 70 to stop the reels of reel in the reel high positions 1150 to simulate the appearance of the reel machine. a slot machine, and to display the determined result in the Bingo game. The reel height positions 1152, 1154 may both correspond to a reward amount of 902 credits, and both may be stored in the game units 20 in the set of available slot machine results. The cherry can be a random letter symbol combined with another symbol to match the default symbol combination, or it can pay a reward of two credits even if combinations are not matched. Consequently, the cherry in the top row can complete the five "7" for payline 2, and result in rewards of two additional credits in pay lines 5 and 4, respectively, giving a total reward of 902 credits . When a player matches the primary pattern 1052 of Figure 41 on the primary Bingo card, and also matches the secondary pattern 1116 of the set of secondary patterns 1100 of Figure 42 on the secondary Bingo card, the player can be rewarded with 902 credits, and the game unit 20 can randomly or sequentially select one of the reel high positions 1152, 1154 to display them on the second display device 70. The reel high positions 1156 may correspond to a reward amount of 906 credits, with the cherry on the card randomly resulting in a reward of two credits on each of the game lines 1, 4 and 5. When a player equals the primary pattern 1052 of Figure 41 on the primary Bingo card, and also matches the secondary pattern 1114 of the set of secondary patterns 1100 of Figure 42 on the secondary Bingo card, the player can be rewarded with 906, and the game unit 20 can select the spool height positions 1156 to display them on the second display device 70. If none of the primary patterns 1052-1080 are matched on the Bing card or primary, regardless of whether any secondary patterns for any payment groups are matched to the secondary Bingo card, no credits are awarded to the player and the game unit 20 can randomly or sequentially select the result of a set of positions of Non-winning reel highs for deploying them in the device for display in the second display device 70. Although the modality of an alternative display of results illustrated and discussed herein may simulate the appearance of the slot machine, those skilled in the art will understand that Other casino games can be simulated in an alternative display of results, with the reward amounts for the pay table of the casino game being traced to a single or multiple levels of Bingo patterns. For example, the alternative display of results can simulate the appearance of a video poker machine. The reward amounts for video poker machines may correspond to one or more poker hands. When particular Bingo patterns are matched by a player in the game of a Bingo game resulting in the payment of a reward amount, the game unit 20 may select an available poker hand corresponding to the reward amount to be displayed in the display device 70. Other casino games can be traced and simulated in a similar way by the display of alternative results in a similar way. In addition, the game units 20 can be programmed with a plurality of display of alternative results corresponding to a plurality of casino games, with the player being provided with the opportunity to select one of the available alternate results displays.

Determination of Game Winning Patterns In the simplest mode, the network computer 22 can use the same pattern or winning patterns of the game for each game of Bingo, or randomly or sequentially select a set of winning patterns of the game. , with each player playing to match the same pattern or winning patterns of the game. In an alternative mode, players can be assigned a winning game pattern corresponding to the amount of the player's bet. For the same bet, the winning pattern of a game may have the same probability of occurrence. For different bet amounts, the higher the bet, the more likely the winning game pattern assigned to the player to be matched in numbers lower than the winning patterns of the game assigned to players placing smaller bets. In some Bingo game configurations, the number of Bingo cards being played in a Bingo game game, due to larger numbers of players, variable numbers of Bingo cards being played by the players, or both the rate of payment for interim employer rewards. For a winning pattern of the given game, the more Bingo cards are being played in the Bingo game, the average number of balls required for a player to equal the winning pattern will decrease. Where interim pattern rewards are evaluated on the basis of a predetermined maximum number of balls of the shot, and less if the winning pattern of the game is matched by less than the predetermined maximum number, this may result in truncating the triumph of the pattern. interim so they are paid less interim pattern rewards due to the increase in the number of Bingo games that end with less than the predetermined maximum number of balls that have been thrown. To ensure that the desired interim pattern reward pay rate is achieved, the winning pattern or patterns of the game can be adjusted based on the number of Bingo cards enrolled in the Bingo game to ensure the distribution of game wins. of Bingo and less than the predetermined number of balls is approximately the same regardless of the number of Bingo cards. In one embodiment, the multiplayer Bingo game can minimize the impact of different numbers of Bingo cards on the interim pattern rewards pay rate by using different winning patterns of the game depending on the number of Bingo cards enrolled in the game. of the Bingo game to achieve a consistent distribution to the number of balls for Bingo. As discussed above, after the players are enrolled in the game of Bingo game, the network computer 22 can determine the winning pattern of the game by the Bingo game game in block 712 of routine 700. To achieve a consistent distribution, for each number of Bingo cards that can be enrolled in a bingo game game, the parameters can be established to randomly determine the pattern or winning patterns of the game that can guarantee a consistent distribution of the number of balls for Bingo. The parameters may include, among other criteria, the number of points to be covered in one or more winning patterns of the game and the number of points that may be shared between multiple winning game patterns. An example of the parameters for determining the winning patterns of the game to achieve a uniform number of balls for the distribution of Bingo is illustrated in Table 4, where the predetermined maximum number of balls used to evaluate the wins of the interim pattern is thirty and five: Table 4 Number of First Points Seconds Points Number of Bingo Cards of the Pattern Winner of the Winning Pattern Points of the Game of Shared Game 2 7 7 5 3 7 8 6 4 8 8 5 5 8 9 0 6 8 11 0 7 8 0 0 9 9 6 9 9 10 0 10 9 10 0 11 9 10 8 12 9 11 6 13 9 11 8 14 9 12 9 15 9 0 0 As illustrated in Table 4, this method may include the use of one or more patterns for a given number of Bingo cards, as well as patterns having different specified numbers of points to be covered. In addition, given a specific number of game winning patterns, the number of points per pattern and the number of points shared among the patterns for a given number of Bingo cards, a plurality of pattern combinations that conform to the criteria may be available for use in a given game of Bingo. Figure 44 illustrates an example of sets of winning patterns of game 1160-1186 that can be generated by network computer 22 that satisfy the parameters of table 4. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many others can be generated. sets of winning patterns of the game that satisfy the parameters of Table 4. However, for a given number of Bingo cards, each set of patterns generated that satisfy the designated parameters, such as the parameters in Table 4, will result in the same distribution of the number of balls for Bingo. As can be seen in diagram 1188 of Figure 45 and diagram 1190 of Figure 46, the probability distributions for the number of balls for Bingo for each number of Bingo cards listed in table 4 using the winning patterns of the game which conform the parameters specified in Table 4 is essentially uniform for the winning patterns of the game that are matched in less than 35 balls. Because the probability distributions to match the winning patterns of the game in less than 35 numbers is uniform, the interim pattern's payout rate will be approximately the same regardless of the number of Bingo cards being played in the game. Bingo game. The network computer 22 can be configured to select any of a plurality of available combinations of game winning patterns that meet the criteria of the number of Bingo cards enrolled, by running an algorithm to randomly determine a set of patterns that meet the criteria , randomly or sequentially select sets of patterns and a stored set of predetermined patterns that satisfy the criteria, from any other method to select a set of patterns that match the criteria for the corresponding number of players. In addition, it was contemplated that the location of the points in the winning patterns of the game can also be selected, either during the Bingo game or when the sets of winning patterns of the game are determined before the Bingo game, so that any interaction of the winning patterns of the game and the interim winning patterns may not significantly alter the rate of payment of interim pattern rewards. Although the illustrated example relates to the achievement of a uniform distribution of less than 35 numbers, those skilled in the art will understand that the parameters can be varied to achieve uniform probability distributions for predetermined maximum numbers of balls greater than or less than 35. In addition, a similar methodology can be used to manipulate probability distributions in other ways, such as achieving a uniform average number of balls for Bingo regardless of the number of Bingo cards being played. In another modality, the winning patterns of the game may be selected based on the number of Bingo cards enrolled in the game so that the average number of balls that match the winning pattern or patterns of the game is approximately equal regardless of the number of Bingo cards enrolled in the Bingo game. Consequently, the smaller the number of Bingo cards enrolled in the Bingo game, the simpler the winning pattern of the game (ie fewer balls have to be matched), the greater the number of Bingo cards, the more complex the pattern winner of the game (that is, you have to match more balls). As with the variation of the winning patterns of the game to equal a desired distribution of balls for Bingo less than or equal to the maximum number of balls used to determine the rewards of the interim pattern, the winning patterns of the game may vary in terms of the number of balls or symbols in the pattern, the number of game winning patterns used for a given number of Bingo cards, the number of points shared among multiple game winning patterns, and the like may be necessary to achieve the desired distribution of the number of balls for Bingo.

Multi-Player Bingo with Progressive Major Awards As discussed above, the multiplayer Bingo game can be implemented with an additional progressive jackpot that can be awarded in whole or in part to a player based on the matching of an employer's player predetermined on the player's Bingo card, perhaps within a predetermined maximum number of numbers removed. In current implementations, progressive jackpots can receive funds by diverting a portion of each player's bet based on the betting game, such as 2% of each bet, to the progressive jackpot prize pool. In addition, in some implementations, only the player making the maximum bet in the game of the base betting game may be eligible to win the progressive jackpot, while all the players in the base betting game, including the oddsmakers who do not qualify so that the player is eligible to win the progressive pocket and, they have a portion diverted to the progressive jackpot. However, it may be desirable to place funds in the progressive jackpot pocket using only bets from players who qualify or are chosen to have the opportunity to win the progressive jackpot. Figure 47 is a flowchart of a players' enrollment routine 1200 for a multiplayer bingo game, where a bet or charge for an opportunity to win the progressive jackpot of the player's credits can be automatically deducted when the Player wager at least a minimum bet amount in the Bingo game game. The player enrollment routine 1200 may begin in block 1202 where a player may deposit a currency means in a currency accepting mechanism of one of the gaming units 20, such as a coin receiver 52, a ticket receiver 54, a ticket reader 56, a card reader 58, or other means having a representative value that can be converted into credits to play a betting game such as a multiplayer bingo game. When the currency receiving mechanism detects the deposit of the currency medium therein, the controller 100 may, in response to detecting the currency medium in the currency receiving mechanism, convert the currency medium into a corresponding amount of available credits. for the player to bet on the game unit 20, store the amount of credit available to the memory 102, and present the amount of credit available to the player, as one or both of the screens 68, 70. It should be noted that if the player previously deposited currencies in game unit 20 and has credits remaining after betting on one or more games of the multiplayer Bingo game, the player enrollment routine 1200 can proceed without the need for the player to deposit additional currencies in the game. block 1202. Once the currencies are deposited by the player in game unit 20 and converted into credits to play the multi-player Bingo game is, the control can pass to a block 1202 where the player can feed a bet for the game of Bingo game in the control panel 66 or another input device of the game unit 20. The player can be given the opportunity of betting several amounts of credit in a game of Bingo. For example, the player can be allowed to bet any amount of credits from a minimum of one credit up to a predetermined maximum number of credits. As discussed above, the amount of credits wagered in a Bingo game may, in a corresponding manner, have an impact on the player's probability of winning and / or the amount of any prize awarded to the player during the Bingo game. Consequently, a player who bets twice the number of credits as another player has twice the probability of winning the Bingo and / or can receive double the amount of the prize for winning the game of Bingo. In addition, depending on the implementation of the Bingo game and the alternate display of results associated with which the Bingo game can be drawn, the interim patterns available for the player to match to win the interim pattern's reward may vary based on the amount wagered in the game of Bingo. For example, for the deployment of slot reels 450 illustrated in Figures 37-39 and discussed in the accompanying text, the associated slot payment table may be plotted to the interim patterns as discussed above, so that a first set of interim patterns may correspond to the reward amounts that can be earned by betting on payline 1, a second set of interim patterns may correspond to the rewarded amounts that can be earned by betting on paylines 1 and 2, and so on successively. When betting on the game of Bingo, the player can bet a credit to be eligible to receive rewards for matching interim patterns associated with reward amounts from payline 1, to bet two credits to be eligible to receive rewards for equalize interim patterns associated with reward amounts from pay lines 1 and 2, and so on until betting nine credits to be eligible to receive rewards for matching the interim patterns associated with reward amounts from pay lines 1 through 9. Additionally, players can bet several amounts per payline, which can, based on the interim pattern trace, also be deterministic of the set of interim patterns that player may be eligible to match. Consequently, if the Bingo game is set up to allow the player to bet from 1 to 5 credits per line, and the alternate display of results includes nine pay lines, then the player can bet of 1 credit (one payline and one credit by line of payment) up to 45 credits (nine lines of payment and five credits per line of payment) to be eligible to equal from 1 to 45 sets of interim patterns corresponding to the rewards of the interim employers. Those skilled in the art will understand that both the maximum number of credits that can be wagered on the game of a Bingo game and the value of a credit can vary as desired to implement a desired amount of bet and the payment for a given implementation. of the game of Bingo. In the example above, the value of a credit can be equal to $ .01 which results in a minimum bet of $ .01 and the maximum bet (45 credits) of $ .45 or, if a game with a limit is desired above, the value of a credit can be equal to $ .50 which results in a minimum bet of $ .50 and a maximum bet of $ 22.50 for a game of Bingo. In alternative implementations of the Bingo game, the value of a credit can vary by any desired amount and the maximum number of credits that can be wagered can vary to achieve any desired betting and payment structure. The player can be provided with the opportunity to change the bet for the game of Bingo until the moment when the player confirms his entry in the next game of the Bingo game. After the player feeds the amount of the desired bet, the player can confirm the entry in the next bingo game by pressing the "Play / Cover" button 82 or otherwise confirming the entry in block 1206. Once the player confirms the entry into the game, the The player's bet in the next game of Bingo can not be altered by the player. After the "Play / Cover" button 82 is pressed, the control can pass to block 1208 where the amount of credits wagered by the player can be deducted from the amount of credits available to the player stored in unit memory 102. 20. The controller 100 may update the amount of available credits in the memory 102, and may cause the screens 68, 70 to update the display of the player's credits to reflect the updated amount of available credit. Additionally, the controller 100 may transmit a message reflecting the bet of the player to the network computer 22 or another host computer of the Bingo game system 10 responsible for tracking the bets in the Bingo game and maintaining any bag of bingo. winning prize associated with the Bingo game. As discussed above, the modality illustrated in the routine of Figure 47, e-l player may have the opportunity to win a progressive jackpot when the player bets at least a minimum bet amount in the Bingo game game. The minimum bet amount may be any predetermined amount of credits that is required to bet in order to qualify to win the progressive jackpot, and may be the maximum bet allowed by the Bingo game in game unit 20. In addition, the Bingo game system 10 can be configured so that the minimum bet amount can be changed automatically or manually to any desired amount, and can be applied evenly to all game units 20, can be set in desired amounts in units of game 20 individual or groups of game units 20. In block 1210, if the player bets less than the minimum bet amount to enter the progressive jackpot, the control may pass to block 1212 where the game unit 20 may transmit an enrollment message to the host computer 22 indicating that the player has enrolled in the next occurrence of the Bingo game. If the player bets at least the minimum bet amount to enter the progressive jackpot, control may pass to block 1214 where a bet or charge of the progressive jackpot can be deducted from the player's available amount of credits stored in the memory 102 of the game unit 20. The controller 100 can update the amount of credits available in the memory 102, and can cause the screens 68, 70 to update the display of the player's credits to reflect the updated amount of credit available . Alternatively, the bet or progressive jackpot charge may be derived from the credits deducted from the player's bet to add funds to the progressive jackpot. Depending on the implementation, the progressive jackpot bet or charge may be a fixed amount, or it may be a predetermined portion or percentage of the player's bet in the Bingo game game. Whether it is an amount or a portion or a fixed percentage of the bet in the Bingo game, the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot can be any desired amount, and can be set at an amount to allow the progressive jackpot prize pool Increase at an acceptable rate as long as it is low enough to motivate players to make the additional bet for the probability of winning a larger progressive jackpot. In addition to deducting the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot from the player's credits, the control can pass to a block 1216 where the game unit 20 transmits a message to the network computer 22, or another computer in which the progressive jackpot is maintained and administered, to add the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot of the player to the progressive jackpot. Upon receiving the message from the game unit 20, the network computer 22 or another computer may add the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot to the available funds of the progressive jackpot and update any displays of the current progressive jackpot displayed in the game units or other display devices. The control can then proceed to block 1212 where the game unit 20 can transmit a enrollment message to the host computer 22 as discussed above. Once the player is enrolled, the execution of the occurrence of the Bingo game may proceed according to the implementation, as per one of the routines 700, 750, 760 or 770 as described above.

In current implementations of progressive jackpots with betting games, a portion of each player's bet may be used to place funds in the progressive jackpot even where the player does not qualify to win all or a portion of the progressive jackpot. On the contrary, as illustrated in the present modality of routine 1200, the bet and / or available credits of a player can be used only to add funds to the progressive jackpot where the player bets a sufficient amount of credits to qualify to enter to win the progressive jackpot. Figure 48 is a flow chart of an alternative player enrollment routine 1220 for a multiplayer bingo game, where the player can enter a bet or charge for the opportunity to win a progressive jackpot at the time the player Enter a bet in the game of Bingo. The player enrollment routine 1220 may begin in a manner similar to that of routine 1200 in block 1202, where the player deposits a currency means in a mechanism that accepts currency in game unit 20, and in block 1202 where the player feeds a bet in the game of Bingo. In addition to betting on the Bingo game, the player may choose to have the opportunity to win the progressive jackpot. In block 1222, if the player has chosen to participate and have the opportunity to win the progressive jackpot, the control can pass to a block 1224 where the player can enter a bet or charge for the progressive jackpot. The game unit 20 may provide a suggestion on the screens 68, 70 to participate in the progressive jackpot, and the control panel 66 may be configured to allow the player to indicate the choice to participate in the progressive jackpot, as by entering an amount of bet or charge. Alternatively, the player may be asked to provide an affirmative answer regarding participation in the progressive jackpot or other indication that the player wishes to participate in the progressive jackpot. If the player does not choose to participate in the progressive jackpot, or after the player enters a bet or charge or chooses to participate in another way, the control may move to block 1206 where the player can press the "Play / Cover" button 82, and to block 1208 where the player's bet can be deducted from the player's available credits as discussed above. In block 1226, if the player enters a bet or charge for the progressive jackpot or otherwise indicates the election to enter the progressive jackpot, the control may pass to block 1214 to deduct the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot. of the available credits of the player, and to block 1216 where the game unit 20 transmits a message to the network computer 22 or another computer that manages the progressive jackpot to add the bet or charge for the progressive jackpot to the stock market. progressive jackpot as described above. If the player does not choose to participate in the progressive jackpot, or after adjusting the player's available credit and the jackpot bag as described, the control may pass to block 1212 where game unit 20 transmits the enrollment message to Host computer 22 as discussed above. In any of the routines 1200 and 1220 or any other optional enrollment routine, the game unit 20 may be configured to display graphics related to the progressive jackpot on screens 68, 70 when the player is eligible to win the progressive jackpot. , and may not display progressive jackpot graphics when the player is not eligible to win the progressive jackpot. Although the 1200 and 1220 routines are described as being implemented with a multiplayer bingo game like the base betting gameThose skilled in the art will understand that other base betting games may incorporate progressive jackpot prizes where progressive jackpots are fed into betting funds or charges from players who are eligible to win the progressive jackpot. In addition, the progressive jackpots that have optional bets can be implemented in gaming networks that connect multiple casinos, including casinos located in different gambling jurisdictions. In multi-location gaming networks, progressive prize betting may be offered in some but not all casino locations. The casino operator may choose not to offer bets for the progressive jackpot, or bets for the progressive jackpot may be prohibited within particular jurisdictions. In addition, the bet for the progressive jackpot can only be offered in some game units within the location of a particular casino. In those cases, the game units may be configured to avoid displaying any information related to progressive jackpot bets, such as suppressing a suggestion to bet on the progressive jackpot, and may not display graphics related to progressive jackpots when the results of the games of the bet game are displayed. In those implementations, gaming units, gaming network computers and / or the progressive jackpot network computer may be configurable to deactivate progressive jackpot bets on gaming units, network computers, network sites, casinos or particular jurisdictions. Generally, when offered in conjunction with a multiplayer Bingo game, the progressive jackpot or a portion thereof may be awarded to a player who matches a predetermined pattern on the Bingo card on the game of Bingo game. . As discussed above, the progressive jackpot may be awarded at any time to a player that equals the predetermined pattern or patterns, or may be awarded or awarded when the player matches the pattern within a predetermined maximum number or after a minimum number default of numbers that are removed. For example, the progressive jackpot may be awarded to a player who matches the numbers in the four corners of the Bingo card with the first four numbers drawn in the game of Bingo, while the players match the four corners after more than four shots may not win the progressive jackpot, but may still be eligible to receive a reward if the pattern of the four corners in the winning pattern of the game or the interim winning pattern. As described above, the multiplayer Bingo game can be implemented so that a player who does not cover to claim a reward from the winning pattern of the game or a reward from the interim pattern may lose the reward. For the rewards of the winning pattern of the game, the Bingo game may continue until one of the players covers to claim the reward as discussed above. For inactive interim pattern rewards, game units 20 may simply indicate that the rewards have been 'inactivated and the player's reward will not be given, adding credits to the player, or otherwise paying the reward. Alternatively, the amounts of inactive interim pattern rewards can be used as additional funds for the progressive jackpot. Add the idle interim pattern rewards to the progressive jackpot instead of retaining the rewards for the establishment of the game, the multiplayer Bingo game can achieve the projected payout rate for the Bingo game by finally paying the rewards for winning the pattern interim through the progressive jackpot, the progressive jackpot can accumulate more quickly, thus potentially increasing the player's participation with the anticipation of winning rewards for the larger progressive jackpot. Figure 49 is a flow diagram of a Bingo 1300 game execution routine for game units 20 where inactive rewards can be added to the progressive jackpot so that inactive rewards can finally be delivered in reward of the progressive jackpot. In the illustrated mode, any progressive jackpot reward won by a player may be calculated and deducted from the progressive jackpot after the player draws to claim the progressive jackpot reward. The routine 1300 may begin in block 1302 where the game unit 20 may receive a batch of numbers removed for a game of Bingo game. As described above, depending on the implementation of the Bingo game, the batch may include a single retired number, all numbers removed for the purpose of a bingo game game, or any desired subset of the numbers. After receiving the batch of numbers in the game unit 20, the control can pass to block 1304 where the game unit 20 evaluates the player's Bingo card by comparing the numbers in the batch received with the numbers on the Bingo card, and determining if any predetermined game winning patterns, interim patterns or progressive jackpot patterns are matched on the Bingo card. After the game unit 20 evaluates the Bingo card, the control can pass to a block 1306 where the game unit 20 can present the result of the ball shot for the Bingo game for the display unit 68 as shown in FIG. discussed and illustrated above, and a block 1308 where the inactivity timer can start to provide the player with a period of time in which to cover and claim any reward in the game of Bingo game. In block 1310, if the player covers before a period of inactivity expires, the control may pass to block 1312 to determine whether a player or players matching the winning pattern of the game have covered to claim the reward of the winning game pattern. for the game of Bingo. If the player has not yet covered his Bingo card, the control can pass to block 1314 to determine if the inactivity timer expired without the player covering. If the inactivity timer has not expired, the control can return to block 1310 to continue waiting for the player to cover. If the inactivity timer has expired without the player covering, the game unit 20 may determine whether the player in any reward of the interim pattern or reward of the progressive jackpot. If the game unit determines that the player matched and missed the opportunity for a reward for the interim pattern of block 1316, the control may pass to block 1318 where the game unit 20 may signal or otherwise indicate that the interim pattern equalized by the player has been allowed to pass and consequently, can not be awarded to the player. The indication may be in the form of an indicator or code stored in the memory 102 of the game unit 20 which may be updated to a value which means that the player can not receive the amount of the reward associated with the interim pattern. Interim patterns marked as dropped by the player may vary based on implementations of the multiplayer Bingo game. In implementations where the player is paid a reward for each interim matched pattern, each of the patterns matched with the numbers released to the current block may be marked as inactive. However, the player may still receive the reward for the interim pattern by matched patterns when batches of preceding and covered numbers are received., correspondingly, by the player. For example, a first interim pattern can be matched on the player's Bingo card after a first block of numbers is received, and a second interim pattern can be matched after a second block of numbers is received. If the player covered within the inactivity time limit after the first block was received, but did not cover within the inactivity time limit after the second lot was received, the reward for the second interim pattern was not claimed due that the player did not cover, may be marked as having been allowed to pass, while the reward of the first interim pattern previously claimed may still be awarded to the player. In implementations where a player is paid only the highest interim pattern reward matched on the Bingo card, the game unit 20 may only mark the highest value interim pattern as inactive. As with the previous example, the player can still receive any rewards for the interim pattern previously claimed. Where the player matches lower-value interim patterns within the same batch of balls, the player may still be allowed to claim rewards for the lower-valued interim pattern if a subsequent number of batches is received (ie, no player has matched). the winning pattern of the game and covered to claim the prize) and the player covers within the limit of inactivity time. In any implementation, the player may still be eligible to claim the newly matched interim patterns when batches of subsequent numbers are received in the game unit 20. In addition to marking the interim pattern as inactive, in block 1320, the game unit 20 it may transmit a message to the network computer 22 or another network computer that administers the progressive jackpot to add the value of the reward amounts of the inactive interim pattern to the progressive jackpot bag. Depending on the implementation of the multi-player Bingo game, the game unit 20 may transmit a separate message for each inactive interim pattern with the corresponding reward amount, or may transmit a single message including the total amount of the reward amount per game. inactive interim patterns. When the message is received on the network computer 22 or another computer, the amount of the reward may be added to the progressive jackpot bag awarded to a subsequent winner or winners of the progressive jackpot. In addition to determining if any interim patterns were inactive and, if so, adding the corresponding rewards amounts to the progressive jackpot bag, in block 1322, game unit 20 can determine whether a progressive jackpot pattern was matched. and, consequently, he was let go by the player. If the player matched the progressive jackpot pattern and would have won the progressive jackpot reward, control can pass to block 1324 where the game unit 20 can signal or otherwise indicate that the progressive jackpot pattern matched by the The player has entered a state of inactivity and, consequently, the corresponding progressive jackpot can not be awarded to the player. The indicator may be in the form of a signal or code stored in the memory 102 of the game unit 20 which may be updated to a value which means that the player can not receive the amount of reward associated with the progressive jackpot. In the illustrated mode, the reward associated with the progressive jackpot can not be calculated until the player draws to claim the progressive jackpot reward. Accordingly, after determining whether the player will pass the progressive jackpot reward and, if so, indicating that the progressive jackpot can not be awarded to the player for the current game of Bingo., the control can pass to block 1312 to determine if a player or players that match the winning pattern of the game have covered to claim the reward of the winning pattern of the game for the game of Bingo game. If the player or players matching the winning pattern of the game have missed their chance to win, the control may pass back to block 1302 where the game unit 20 may receive an additional batch of numbers removed and continue the game of Bingo game. . If one or more players covered to claim their win in Bingo, the control can move to a block 1326 where the game unit 20 can determine if it deploys and / or provides any reward won by the player during the game of Bingo. If the player does not win any reward for the game of Bingo game, the control can pass from the block 1328 where the game unit 20 can display an endgame graph on screens 68, 70. If the player has won a pattern game winner, interim and / or a progressive jackpot reward, the control may pass to a block 1330 where the game unit 20 determines whether the player shall receive credits for a winning reward from the Bingo game and / or a reward from the interim pattern. If the player must receive credits for one or more of those rewards, the control goes to a block 1332 where the game unit 20 can increase the available credits of the player by adding to the amount credits corresponding to the triumph of the Bingo game and / or rewards of the interim employer. The game unit 20 can update the amount of available credits stored in the memory 102, and again display the updated amount of credits available to the player, as in one or both of the screens 68, 70. In addition, evaluate any game win of Bingo and interim pattern rewards, in block 1334, game unit 20 can determine whether the player should receive a progressive jackpot reward. If the player has won a progressive jackpot reward for the game of Bingo game, the control can pass to a block 1336 where the game unit 20 and / or the network computer administering the progressive jackpot can calculate an amount of progressive jackpot reward for the player, and in block 1338 where the amount of reward can be deducted from the progressive jackpot prize. Depending on the implementation of the Bingo game, the calculation of the progressive jackpot reward may occur in either the game unit 20 or the computer administering the progressive jackpot, or the processing of the progressive jackpot win may be divided. between the two computers. For example, game unit 20 may receive from the progressive jackpot network computer and / or store the information necessary to calculate the progressive jackpot reward. When the game unit determines that a player has won and covered to claim the progressive jackpot, the game unit 20 may use the information to calculate the amount of the progressive jackpot reward and transmit a message to the network computer of the progressive jackpot. progressive jackpot with the information necessary for the progressive jackpot network computer to deduct the amount of the jackpot reward from the progressive jackpot. Alternatively, the progressive jackpot network computer can calculate the reward amount. The game unit 20 may transmit a message containing the information necessary for the administering computer to calculate the amount of the reward, such as the amount wagered by the player, the pattern matched by the player, and the like. Upon receipt of the message, the progressive jackpot network computer may calculate the amount of the reward based on the information in the message and stored in the progressive jackpot network computer., deduct the amount of the reward from the progressive jackpot prize pool, and transmit a response message to the game unit 20 containing the amount of the progressive jackpot reward. Those skilled in the art will understand that the calculation of the amount of the progressive jackpot reward may be effected on any other desired components or components of the Bingo game system 10 and in any desired form based on the particular implementation of the system. of game number 10. Once the amount of reward of the progressive jackpot has been calculated and the game unit 20 communicated, the control can pass to block 1340 where a winning graphic of the progressive jackpot can be displayed to the player in the game unit 20, as in screens 68, 70. The graphic may include the amount of the progressive jackpot reward and other displays that signify the awarding of a substantial jackpot reward. The gaming unit 20 can also be programmed to activate other output devices to draw attention to the unit game-winning progressive jackpot 20 as generate music or sounds from the speakers 62, illuminate the lights on the bezel 84, the top 90 and candle 92, and the like. In addition, to draw attention to the game unit 20 through graphics, lighting and sound, the game unit 20 may also transmit a message to inform casino operators of the awarding of the progressive jackpot reward. During the course of a Bingo game game, a player can match more than one interim pattern with patterns on the player's Bingo card. In an implementation where the interim rewards were allowed to pass is lost, it can be considered that the player has covered and claimed any interim patterns matched by a batch of numbers when the player covers within the time limit, and has let pass any interim patterns matched by the lot if the player did not cover. As discussed above, the reward of the resulting interim pattern of the player may be the total of the reward amounts corresponding to the interim patterns claimed, or the highest reward amount corresponding to any pattern claimed. In cases where a player has missed a reward for the interim pattern and has missed a reward for the interim pattern, to more closely achieve the pay rate projected by the Bingo game, it may be desirable to add the amount the player lost. for letting the interim skipper reward the progressive jackpot prize bag. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the difference between reward interim pattern that was missed and reward interim pattern claimed may be added to the bag progressive jackpot if the reward interim pattern that was missed was greater than reward of the interim employer claimed. In a scenario, a player can match a first interim pattern when a first batch of numbers is received in the game unit and equals a second interim pattern when a second batch of numbers is received. If the player successfully covers within the period of inactivity associated with the first batch of numbers, the player who will receive at least a reward amount associated with the first interim pattern claimed can be guaranteed. When the second batch of numbers is received, if the player does not cover within the time period of an activity associated with the second batch, and consequently passes the second interim pattern, the player may still be entitled to receive the reward of the first interim pattern. At the conclusion of the game of Bingo, the player may receive a payment for the first amount of reward from the interim employer that was successfully claimed. If the amount of reward for the second interim pattern reward was greater than the amount of reward for the first reward of the interim employer, the failure of the player not to claim the second interim pattern reward resulted in a net loss of the difference between the reward amounts. In this case, the game unit 20 may transmit a message to the progressive jackpot -red computer to add up the difference between the reward amounts to the progressive jackpot pocket. If the amount of reward that was allowed to pass is less than the amount of reward claimed, the player does not worsen his position that if the player had claimed the second reward from the interim employer, and as a result, no amount may be required to be added to the progressive jackpot pouch to compensate for the player's failure to claim the second reward of the interim skipper. In a further scenario, a player can match the first and second interim patterns in the second batch of numbers. As in the previous example, a player can receive the highest reward amount, where multiple interim patterns are matched and claimed. In addition, the player can only be considered eligible to claim the interim pattern that has the highest amount of reward when multiple interim patterns are matched in the same batch of numbers. Furthermore, where a player equals multiple interim patterns in a batch of balls and passes the interim pattern that has the highest reward amount, the player may be eligible to claim the interim pattern that has the next highest reward amount when the next batch of balls is received in the game unit 20. Accordingly, when the player equals the first and second interim patterns in the first batch of numbers, if the player covers within the associated inactivity period, the player may have left Pass the interim pattern that has the greatest amount of reward, but may not have claimed the other interim pattern. If the game of Bingo game ends in that batch of numbers, the player may not receive a reward for the interim pattern, and the game unit 20 may transmit a message to the progressive jackpot network computer to add the amount of the prize. reward that was let go to the progressive jackpot prize. If a batch of numbers is received subsequent to the game unit 20, the player may claim the other interim match pattern and the corresponding minor reward amount during the associated idle time period. At the conclusion of the Bingo game game, the game unit 20 may award the least amount of reward to the player, and may transmit a message * to the progressive jackpot network computer to add up the difference between the amount of reward greater than was allowed to pass and the amount of minor reward claimed to the progressive jackpot prize pool. The configuration of the game units 20 to drive the Bingo game in this manner, it may be necessary to modify a routine, such as routine 1300, to transmit messages to the progressive jackpot network computer to sum the reward amounts that are They let go to the progressive jackpot until the conclusion of the game of Bingo after a player has covered to claim the winning pattern of the game. In the modality detailed above, the amount of the progressive jackpot reward may be calculated only after the player covers to claim the progressive jackpot reward. Waiting until the progressive jackpot purse is claimed, the progressive jackpot prize may be updated only after confirming that the progressive jackpot reward will be paid to the player. In other implementations, it may be desirable to calculate and display the amount of the actual progressive jackpot reward to the player after evaluating the card and before the player draws to provide the player with the reward he expects to win., and to update the progressive jackpot to reflect the current progressive jackpot bag available to other players. FIG. 50 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a flow chart of a Bingo game execution routine 1350 for game units 20, where the amount of the progressive jackpot reward is calculated before the player draws to claim a progressive jackpot win, so the rewards of the progressive jackpot, in addition to the rewards for winning the interim pattern that were allowed to pass, can be added back to the progressive jackpot prize pool and made available to the players to be adjudicated in later progressive jackpot rewards. The routine 1350 may follow the same general flow as the routine 1300 illustrated in Figure 49 as discussed above. In routine 1350, after the game unit 20 evaluates the Bingo card in block 1304, and before displaying the result in block 1306, control can pass to block 1352 to determine whether the player has won a prize. progressive major. If the player did not win the progressive jackpot, the control can go to block 1306 to display the result. If the player won the progressive jackpot, the control can pass to block 1336 to calculate the amount of the progressive jackpot reward and block 1338 to transmit the message to the administering computer that the player has won the progressive jackpot in a form similar to that described above. At this time, the amount of the progressive jackpot reward may be available to the player after successful coverage within the period of inactivity, while the progressive jackpot bag is reduced to reflect the amount of the jackpot available to other players. . If the player covers within the period of inactivity, the routine 1350 proceeds in a general manner, as described above, with the amount of the progressive jackpot reward calculated previously being presented to the player in game unit 20 in the block. 1340. If the player does not cover and claim the progressive jackpot reward, then the game unit 20 determines that the player missed the progressive jackpot reward, the control goes to block 1354 where the game unit 20 can transmit a message to the administering computer indicating that the player missed the progressive jackpot reward and to add the amount of the progressive jackpot reward -calculated back to the progressive jackpot prize pool. Because the progressive jackpot reward amount was not actually paid to the player, the reward may still be available for other players to win. After receiving the message, the administering computer can add the amount of the reward to the progressive jackpot prize pool and display the updated progressive jackpot amount again. In the simplest implementation of a progressive jackpot in relation to a Bingo game or other betting game, the player may receive the entire progressive jackpot prize as a reward, and the progressive jackpot prize may be reduced to zero or one enough planted amount enough to encourage players to bet on the progressive jackpot. However, as an incentive to players to increase the amount wagered on the underlying betting game, it may be desirable to determine and pay a prorated portion of the progressive jackpot based on the amount wagered by the player in the game. of the Bingo game against the maximum amount that could have been wagered. Players can be encouraged to contribute more in each game of Bingo if they expect to receive a larger portion of the progressive jackpot prize pool. In a modality, the amount of prorated reward can be calculated by determining the ratio of the player's bet to the maximum bet that can be made by a player, and multiplying the amount of the progressive jackpot by the ratio. For example if the player bets $ 1.00 on the game of the betting game, and the maximum amount that can be wagered is $ 2.00, the ratio of the player's bet to the maximum bet is .5 or 50%, and the player can be entitled to 50% of the market by winning the progressive jackpot. The actual calculation may vary based on the game or underlying betting games with which the progressive jackpot is associated. In one type of implementation, the progressive jackpot may be offered with a single -play of bets played on multiple machines, each of which has the same betting structure. As an example, the progressive jackpot may be offered in conjunction with a Bingo game as described above that has an alternative display of a slot machine with five reels each of which has three visible reel symbols, and allowing a player to bet from 1 to 45 credits in each game of Bingo. Each credit can be in the worst case $ .01 so that each player can bet from a minimum of $ .01 to a maximum of $ .45 in each game of Bingo. For that system, the reward of the prorated progressive jackpot can be calculated according to the following formula: bet hr (i, Re compensates? Ml "= Bag x bet ^ Where: Prize = Prize = Progressive Jackpot Prize = Progressive Jackpot Quantity Progressive Jackpot Jackpot - Player's bet on the game's game bet Max = Maximum bet on the betting game In the current example, the bet max is equal to the maximum bet of $ .45 for the game of Bingo game in any of the game units 20. Applying the formula, if the amount of the progressive jackpot is currently $ 9,000,000, a player who bets a credit ($. 01) in the game of Bingo game can receive a pro-rated reward of 1/45 of the progressive jackpot ($ 200,000), while a player who bets fifteen credits ($ .15) can receive a prorated reward of 1 / 3 of the progressive jackpot prize pool ($ 3,000,000), and a player making a maximum bet may receive the progressive jackpot total of $ 9,000,000. In other implementations, the progressive jackpot may be offered with betting games that have different betting structures. In one example, the Bingo game system 10 having game units 20 with Bingo games of $ .01 as described in the previous example may also include game units 30 with $ 1.00 Bingo games where a player may bet. from one to fifteen credits, with each credit being in the worst case $ 1.00 resulting in a range of bets of $ 1.00 to $ 15.00 in the bingo game game. For systems that have betting games with multiple game structures, the reward of the prorated progressive jackpot can be calculated according to the following formula: bet (2) Reward wl = Bag x - c? Iiestam? dd c Where: Prize-raffled ~ Progressive Jackpot Prize Reward Proportion = Progressive Jackpot Quantity Amount Bets JUgad0i: = Player's bet on the game's game bet Max? sístem = maximum bet available in the system The max bet of the system is equal to the largest bet that can be made in a betting game associated with the progressive jackpot. In the present example, the bet of the system can be a bet of $ 15.00 in the Bingo game of $ 1.00. Accordingly, for the same bowl of the $ 9,000,000 progressive jackpot, a player who bets fifteen credits on the game of a $ .01 Bingo game. ($ .15) can receive a prorated reward of 1/100 (.15 / 15) of the progressive jackpot prize pool ($ 90,000), while a player who wager a credit in the $ 1.00 Bingo game ($ 1.00) can receive a prorated reward of 1/15 that of the prize. progressive major ($ 600,000). In addition, a player making a maximum bet in the $ .01 ($ .45) Bingo game may receive $ 270,000, as a reward for the prorated progressive jackpot, while a player making a maximum bet in the Bingo game of $ 1.00 ($ 1.00) can receive the entire progressive jackpot of $ 9,000,000. The reward of the prorated progressive jackpot can be calculated in a system that has multiple bet structures using the following alternative formula: denomJHegf, credits m hr Reward pm? laa? = Bag pmgx __ - x _, ^ _ (3) deno ™ mmM mlem credits maXffe, m (ß, where: prized reward = reward of the pro rata progressive jackpot Bolsap?: og = amount of the progressive jackpot amount deno? tijUeg0 = denomination of the game of bets credits jUga or - credits bet on the game game denomma? of the seismic = maximum denomination available in the credit system > : of the system - maximum credits to bet on the system. Unlike formula (2), formula (3) deals with the maximum denomination and the maximum credits to be wagered in the system separately in the determination of the reward of the prorated progressive jackpot. In consecuense, in the previous example, denommax de? The system can be equal to $ 1.00 / denomination of the Bingo game credit of $ 1.00, and credits of the system can be equal to the forty-five credits of the Bingo game of $ .01. Applying formula (3), the four players in the immediately preceding example can earn progressive jackpot prizes prorated at $ 30,000, $ 200,000, $ 90,000 and $ 3,000,000, respectively. Those skilled in the art will understand that the progressive jackpot rewards apportioned as discussed herein may be implemented with combinations of betting games having various betting structures with which progressive jackpots may be associated in addition to the Bingo games as described. here, like mechanical and video slot machines, video poker games, blackjack video games, keno video games, and gaming networks that have various betting game combinations. In addition, prorated rewards can be implemented with progressive jackpots associated with gaming networks where interconnected gaming machines can be placed in multiple gaming locations, such as progressive wide-area networks. In a given implementation, one of the appropriate formulas (l) - (3), or another formula related to the actual bets of the players with the betting structures available in the gaming network, can be used to calculate the reward of the prize. pro-rated progressive major to achieve the desired pay rates and reward levels for players to bet on the betting games with which the progressive jackpot may be associated.

Progressive Senior Prizes with Major Bags and Reserve Bags In many implementations of the progressive jackpot, a progressive jackpot prize pool can be accumulated by adding a fixed percentage or percentage of each player's bet to the progressive jackpot pocket, and can be paid Totally or down to a predetermined minimum seeded amount when the player wins the progressive jackpot. Those progressive jackpots can range from an extremely large progressive jackpot payout to a relatively poor jackpot progressive jackpot that offers players a minimal incentive to play the associated betting game and to bet enough amounts on the game's game. of bet to qualify to win the next progressive jackpot. As a result, the progressive jackpot prize pool may increase at a relatively low speed until it reaches sufficient amounts to induce players to play the games of. bets In alternative implementations, a progressive jackpot pouch can be subdivided into a main purse from which progressive jackpot rewards can be paid, and a reserve bag that can be used to replenish the main purse after a reward is paid to a winning player When the betting games are played by the players, the percentage of each bet of the player, or a fixed amount of the bet or other charge as described above, may be separated from the bet and added to the progressive jackpot prize. In current implementations, the money obtained from the bets can be totally added to either the main bag or the reserve bag, or it can be divided among the bags in proportions that can be adjusted manually by a system operator based on guidelines predetermined or other criteria to achieve a desired rate of increase of the main bag and the reserve bag. When a player wins the progressive jackpot, the money in the main pool can be paid, and an amount equal to the minimum paid amount can be transferred from the reserve pool to the main pool to set the progressive jackpot at a level that can motivate players to play betting games and make bets big enough to qualify for the progressive jackpot. . It may be desirable to further improve the gaming network by simply introducing the progressive jackpot having a main bag and a reserve bag so that when the main bag contains a relatively low balance, such as when a progressive jackpot is initially introduced, or after paying a progressive jackpot reward from the main pool, the gaming network can be configured to automatically replenish the main bag at a faster rate so that players play the betting game at a desired minimum pay rate that can induce the additional game and increase the amounts of bets in the betting game. In one embodiment, the gaming network can be configured to add a relatively large portion of the money obtained from players' bets to the main bag when the amount of the main bag is relatively small, such as zero or a minimum sown amount, with the portion of the money obtained added to the main stock market decreases as the amount of the principal stock increases. Correspondingly, the portion diverted to the reserve bag can be relatively small when the main bag is small, and increase when the main bag is increased. At the introduction of the progressive main prize, the main bag can be set at a desired minimum sowed amount (MSA) and the reserve bag can have the minimum sowed amount MSA subtracted from it, resulting in a negative balance equal to the minimum amount sown MSA. From the perspective of casino accounting, before the player bets, the balance of the progressive jackpot is $ 0 and the casino or other progressive jackpot sponsor may not necessarily confirm the funds of the progressive jackpot at the beginning. Due to the statistically low frequency with which progressive jackpot rewards can be paid, in many cases the funds raised from the players' bets and added to the progressive jackpot bag can fully support the progressive jackpot funds at the time in which a player wins the first progressive jackpot reward. In less common cases where the player wins the progressive jackpot before the progressive jackpot has funds from the player's contributions, the casino or other sponsor may have to provide funds to cover any short-term falls between the amount of the progressive jackpot reward and the net amount in the progressive jackpot. Once the progressive jackpot pocket reaches a sufficient balance to cover the amount of the main pool (ie the progressive jackpot won maximum at a given point in time), and the minimum seeded amount MSA and anticipated funds per the sponsor (that is, the balance of the reserve pool is greater than the minimum seed amount MSA and the anticipated funds), the sponsor can deduct the anticipated funds from the reserve pool. As discussed above, when players play betting games associated with progressive jackpots, portions of all bets are diverted to the main and / or reserve pool to add funds to the progressive jackpot. Figure 51 is a flowchart of a routine for adding funds to the 1400 progressive jackpot to add the money obtained from the players' bets to the main pool and the progressive jackpot reserve pool. The routine 1400 may begin at block 1402, where the network computer administering the progressive jackpot receives a message from a game unit or other network computer with a contribution to the progressive jackpot of one or more players bets. The contribution to the progressive jackpot of a player's bet may be determined in any way as described above or otherwise known to those skilled in the art, and in the game unit where the bet is placed or on a network computer that manages the particular betting game. After determining the progressive jackpot contribution, the game unit or network computer may transmit a message to the progressive jackpot network computer with information related to the progressive jackpot contributions of one or more individual player bets. - After the progressive jackpot network computer receives the progressive jackpot contribution message, control can pass to a block 1404 where the progressive jackpot network computer can determine the percentage P of the contribution to add to the main bag of the progressive jackpot. The progressive jackpot can be programmed to calculate or otherwise determine the percentage P based on a predetermined formula, the amounts in the main pool and the reserve pool in relation to predetermined threshold amounts, or other criteria established by the sponsors of the jackpot, so that the main bag and the reserve bag increase at the desired speeds. The modalities of the methods for calculating or otherwise determining the percentage P are illustrated and discussed more fully below. Once the P percentage is determined by the progressive jackpot network computer in block 1404, control can pass to block 1406 where the progressive jackpot network computer can add P% of the progressive jackpot contribution to the main bag, and to block 1408 where the progressive jackpot network computer can add up to the remainder (100-P)% to the reserve bag. After the main bag and the reserve bag are updated with the progressive jackpot contribution, the progressive jackpot network computer may transmit a message about the gaming network containing the amount of the main bag updated in the block. 1410. The message with the updated main bag quantity can be received by the gaming units and network computers, and displayed on the appropriate display devices as maximum winnable progressive quantities in block 1412. The maximum progressive windage amounts displayed they may vary on the basis of the particular betting game, and may also vary on the basis of the game unit, with the maximum winnable progressive amount displayed being determined in a manner described more fully below. As discussed above in a general manner and with respect to block 1404 of 1st routine 1400, the progressive jackpot network computer may be programmed to determine the P percentage of contributions to the progressive jackpot by the main pool to achieve a fee. of desired growth of the main stock market or the stock market, perhaps on the basis of current stock market balances. In some implementations, it may be desirable to increase the main bag from zero or from a minimum quantity to a minimum desired minimum quantity, relatively quickly, and increase the main bag more slowly when The main bag exceeds the amount of the minimum jackpot desired. This strategy can be achieved by programming the progressive jackpot network computer to apply a relatively high, constant P percentage to the contribution of the progressive jackpot, when the amount in the main bag is less than the amount of the desired minimum principal jackpot, and apply the relatively low, constant P percentage when the amount in the main bag exceeds the amount of the minimum desired jackpot. The graph in Figure 52 illustrates an example of an implementation of this strategy. In this example, the minimum seed amount MSA for the main bag can be set at $ 200,000 and the amount of the minimum desired maximum jackpot DMJA can be set at $ 1,000,000. When the amount of the main pool is less than the amount of the desired minimum jackpot amount, the sponsor may wish to add 90% of the progressive jackpot contributions to the main pool until the main pool equals the jackpot amount. minimum desired DMJA, and then 10% later, as indicated by line 1420. Correspondingly, as shown in line 1442, the rest of the contributions are added to the reserve pool, that is, the 10% of contributions are directed to the reserve pool when the main pool is less than the amount of the minimum desired minimum jackpot DMJA, and 90% thereafter. Figure 53 illustrates an alternative strategy that can be programmed into the progressive jackpot network computer where the P percentage of the contributions added to the main bag can decrease linearly as the amount of the main bag increases from the amount sown minimum MSA to the amount of the minimum desired premium of DMJA, and maintains a constant rate later. The percentage P of the contribution added to the main stock exchange for a given amount of the main stock exchange between the minimum seed amount MSA and the amount of the desired minimum wholesale premium DMJA can be calculated using the following formula: P pnrm.n = P mmaaxx p arnm .n (4 Where: Ppx L- percentage of the contribution to the main exchange Pmgx prin = maximum percentage of the contribution to the main exchange P min Prin = minimum percentage of the contribution to the main bag bolsaprin = amount of the main bag MSA = minimum sowed amount DMJA = minimum desired jackpot amount Within the same interval, the percentage of the contribution added to the stock exchange can be calculated using the following formula: P? Reserves ~ i f U ~ r rin ~ > l Where: percentage of the contribution to the stock exchange In the example of Figure 53, Pma? Prín = 80%, Pmin prin = 20%, MSA = $ 200,000 and DMJA = $ 1,000,000. Substituting the values in the formula (4) we obtain: (?! oo / j "£ _p (I- $ M2? 0 ?? 0? 0? 0? \ (bag p" u, "n- $ 200,000) (6) / I; TO = 80% - ( 80% - 20%) I = 80% -60% V $ 1,000,000- $ 200,000, V $ 8OQO00 J When the main stock market is greater than the amount of the desired minimum premium DMJA, the contribution to the main stock market can be a constant 20%. Figures 54-56 are graphs that illustrate additional alternative strategies for placing funds in the main bag and the stock exchange that can be programmed into the progressive jackpot network computer. Referring to Figure 54, the percentage of the contribution to the main stock market may decrease gradually, so that the percentage decreases more and more as the amount of the main stock increases from the minimum amount sown to MSA. In Figures 55 and 56, the progressive jackpot network computer can be programmed with one or more complex functions to determine the percentage of the contribution to the main stock market. In Figure 55, the portion of. line 1420 between the minimum seed quantity MSA and the amount of the minimum desired premium DMJA can be parabolic since the percentage of the contribution to the main stock market decreases slowly when the quantity of the main stock market approaches the minimum quantity sown MSA, and decreases much more quickly when the amount of the main bag approaches the amount of the desired minimum jackpot AMD. Line 1420 in Figure 56 can also be parabolic, but with the percentage of the contribution to the main stock market decreasing rapidly when the amount of the main stock market is close to the minimum seeded amount MSA, and leveling out and decreasing more slowly as the amount of the main bag approximates the amount of the desired minimum jackpot DMJA. Figure 56 further illustrates that the line 1420 can maintain continuity beyond the amount of the desired minimum desired jackpot DMJA so that a single function can define the percentage of the contribution to the main bag by any amount of the given main bag. In addition, where different portions of line 1420 are defined by different functions, each of the functions can define a constant percentage, a percentage that varies linearly, or any other more complex function to achieve the desired rate and increase of the main bag and the reserve bag. Those skilled in the art will further understand that percentage contributions to the stock exchanges can be defined in terms of the amount of the stock exchange or in terms of the amount of the main stock and the amount of the stock exchange. In routine 1400, the amount of the winnable maximum progressive jackpot may be presented to players in block 1412. The amount of the winnable maximum progressive jackpot may be displayed in the individual game units in the game network and / or in separate display devices located at central locations within the casino, such as near the banks of the gaming units associated with the progressive jackpot. In the simplest and most common way, the maximum winnable progressive jackpot presented to players may be the current amount in the main pool. Nevertheless, as discussed above, progressive major prizes may be implemented where the reward of the maximum progressive jackpot for which a player may be eligible may vary based on the betting structure of the betting game and the amount wagered by the player in the game of betting game. To manage the player's expectations regarding the size of a progressive jackpot for which the player qualifies, it may be desirable for the casino or other sponsor to present the player or group of players with the actual amount they can receive by winning the progressive jackpot. . The amount of the maximum winning progressive jackpot may be calculated in a manner similar to that described above in connection with block 1336 of Figures 49 and 50 to determine the amount of the actual progressive jackpot reward of the player apportioning the amount of the prize. Total progressive total. Consequently, in implementations where the progressive jackpot can be offered with a single game of bets played on multiple machines, each of which has the same betting structure, the amount of the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by a player can be calculated using a formula similar to formula (1) where Bolsaprog equals the current amount 'in the main stock market. Similarly, in implementations where the progressive jackpot can be offered with betting games that have different betting structures, the amount of the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by a player can be calculated using a formula similar to formulas (2) or (3) . The calculation of the maximum winnable progressive jackpot can be made on any appropriate or desired component or combination of components within the game network. For example, each game unit may store information related to the maximum bet for the betting game, the maximum bet for the system, or the corresponding denominations and credits that constitute the maximum bets. When the progressive jackpot network computer transmits the message containing the updated main bag amount, the game units may, after receiving the message, calculate the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by the game unit by multiplying the amount of the payout. Main bag for the ratio of the maximum bet for the betting game for the maximum bet for the system, and display the maximum winnable progressive jackpot on an appropriate screen. The game units may also update the maximum winnable progressive jackpot per game of the player's game by multiplying the current maximum winning progressive jackpot for the unit of play by the ratio of the player's bet to the maximum bet per game of bets, with the updated maximum progressive jackpot being displayed on the player screens of the betting game. In other implementations, the calculation of the maximum winning maximum progressive jackpot may occur in stages in the active network computers as game servers for the betting games, and the associated game units. For example, a network computer for a betting game may receive the updated main bag amount and calculate the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by the betting game in a manner similar to that discussed above. The network computer may then display the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by the betting game on a screen or central screens, or transmit a message containing the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by the game of bets to the associated game units. Upon receipt of the message, the game units may display the maximum progressive jackpot winnable by the betting game, and calculate and display the maximum winnable progressive jackpot by the game of the betting game when the player makes a bet. Although the calculation and deployment of the maximum winnable progressive jackpots are discussed here with the progressive jackpots having a main bag and a reserve bag, those skilled in the art will understand that the maximum winnable progressive jackpots can be calculated and deployed in conjunction with other progressive jackpot configurations. In the progressive jackpots that use a single bag, the rewards are paid from the progressive jackpot prize pool and the players' betting contributions are added to the only progressive jackpot prize in its entirety. In a progressive jackpot that has a main pool and a reserve pool as described above, money can be transferred from the reserve pool to the main pool after a progressive jackpot reward is paid from the main pool to reseed the main purse, and consequently, the reward of the potential progressive jackpot at relatively higher initial amounts, and in many cases without the need to put up funds on the part of the grand prize sponsor. As discussed above, the main bag and the reserve bag can be increased simultaneously, so that the reserve bag can grow to a substantial amount, and can still exceed the main bag. After a reward is paid from the main bag, it may be desirable to reseed the main bag to at least a minimum stocked amount, and up to a greater amount to the extent that additional money is available in the stock market. However, it may also be desirable to limit the amount to which the main bag is reseeded up to the amount in the main bag before awarding the progressive jackpot, so that the winning player does not feel cheated if the jackpot progressive is readjusted immediately to a larger amount. In addition, in implementations where the player can be paid a maximum winnable progressive jackpot based on the ratio of the player's bet to a maximum bet of the system, it may be desirable to determine the amount reseeded on the basis of at least partially the relationship used in determining the progressive jackpot reward. Figure 57 is a flow diagram of a routine mode for reseeding the progressive jackpot 1500 to reseed a main progressive jackpot stock transferring money from a stock exchange to the main stock exchange. The routine may be performed on all or part of the progressive jackpot network computer, or it may be distributed among other components of the gaming network when desired. In addition, the routine can be implemented regardless of whether the progressive jackpot rewards are paid in full each time, or are prorated based on the player's bet in the game of the betting game. In implementations where a player is rewarded with a prorated amount of the progressive jackpot, routine 1500 may begin at block 1502 where the apportionment ratio (R) used to calculate the progressive jackpot reward may be stored to be used to determine the transfer amount (TA) to move from the reserve bag to the main exchange. The ratio R may be, for example, the number of the formulas (l) - (3) by which the amount of the progressive jackpot amount is multiplied to determine the reward of the progressive jackpot prorated for the player. The ratio R may be transmitted to the progressive jackpot network computer by the game unit or network computer that determines the pro rata progressive jackpot reward, or may be calculated on the progressive jackpot network computer, and subsequently stored in an appropriate place in the memory of the progressive jackpot network computer. After the ratio R is stored, if necessary, the control can pass to block 1504, where the progressive jackpot network computer can store the progressive reward amount (PAA) in the progressive jackpot network computer. . The amount of the PAA progressive reward may be used to ensure that the transfer amount to AT does not exceed the previously awarded progressive jackpot., so that the new maximum winning progressive jackpot exceeds the amount available to the player who has just won the progressive jackpot. For example, if a player receives a progressive jackpot reward of $ 400,000 from a main purse of $ 500,000, the player may be disappointed to see that the progressive jackpot was adjusted to $ 1,000,000 if there are sufficient funds in the reserve pool. In block 1506, the progressive jackpot network computer may calculate a preliminary TA transfer amount by multiplying the reserve bag amount (RPA) by the ratio R. The preliminary TA transfer amount resulting from the calculation may represent the funds maximum, or the prorated amount of the maximum funds, available to transfer from the stock exchange to the main stock exchange. If the preliminary TA transfer amount is negative in block 1508, the control can pass to block 1510 where the preliminary TA transfer amount can be adjusted to TA $ 0 to prevent the main bag from being further reduced after payment is made. reward of the main jackpot. After determining if the preliminary TA transfer amount is negative and if so, readjusting the value to $ 0, the control can pass to block 1512 where the progressive jackpot network computer can purchase the principal bag amount (MPA) with the minimum sown quantity (MSA). If the amount of the main MPA bag still exceeds the minimum seed amount MSA after the progressive jackpot reward is paid, the routine 1500 may proceed to determine the final TA transfer amount. If the amount of the main bag MPA is less than the minimum seeded amount MSA, the control can pass to a block 1514 to calculate the minimum transfer amount (MTA) needed to raise the main bag to the minimum seeded amount MSA subtracting the amount of the MPA main bag of the minimum quantity sown MSA. If the current value of the transfer amount is less than the minimum transfer amount MTA in block 1516, the control can pass to block 1518, where the transfer amount TA can be reset to the minimum transfer amount MTA to ensure that the main bag can be sown again to at least the minimum amount sown MSA. It should be noted, if necessary, the TA transfer amount can be set at an amount that can result in a negative balance in the reserve bag after the TA transfer amount is transferred to the main exchange. After comparing the amount of the MPA master pouch with the minimum sowed quantity MSA and if necessary, readjusting the transfer amount TA to the minimum transfer amount MTA, the control can pass to a block 1520 where the current value of the quantity TA transfer may be compared to the PAA progressive reward amount previously stored in the progressive jackpot network computer in block 1502. If the TA transfer amount is less than the PAA progressive transfer amount, routine 1500 may proceed to transfer the TA transfer amount from the reserve bag to the main exchange. If the transfer amount TA is greater than the PAA progressive reward amount, the control can pass to block 1522 to set the transfer amount TA in the amount of PAA progressive reward, thus ensuring that the new balance in the main exchange can not exceed the previous balance. Once the value of the transfer amount TA is determined, the control can pass to block 1524 to subtract the transfer amount TA from the amount of the reserve bag RPA, and to block 1526 to add the transfer amount TA to the amount of the main MPA bag. Once the transfer of the stock exchange to the main exchange concludes, the control can pass to block 1528 where the progressive jackpot network computer can transmit the updated MPA main bag amount to the game units and network computers in the game network to present to the players. v The following examples illustrate reseeding the main bag using the process of routine 1500 of Figure 57. In each example, the minimum seeded amount MSA for the main bag is $ 200,000. The first example is shown in the following Table 5: Table 5 The initial balances may reflect the balance of the progressive jackpot when the progressive jackpot is initially offered, with the amount of the main bag MPA being equal to the minimum seed amount MSA and the amount of the reserve bag RPA being equal to the amount sown minimum MSA negative. In this example, the first player to place a bet in the associated betting game can place a bet equal to 50% of the maximum system bet on the game of the betting game, and can hit a winning combination of the progressive jackpot . On the basis of the player's bet, the player may receive a pro rata progressive jackpot reward equal to the MPA main bag amount multiplied by the 50% P prorate rate for a progressive PAA reward amount of $ 100,000, with the amount of the MPA main bag being reduced by the amount of the PAA progressive reward to $ 100,000. The preliminary TA transfer amount can be calculated as - $ 100,000 (RPA * R) in block 1506, and since the preliminary transfer amount TA is less than $ 0, it is readjusted to $ 0 in block 1510. Because the amount of the MPA main bag is less than the minimum seed amount MSA, the progressive jackpot network computer can calculate a minimum MTA transfer amount of $ 100.00 in block 1514 to raise the amount of the MPA main bag to the amount MSA minimum planting of $ 200,000. The transfer amount TA, previously set at $ 0, is less than the minimum transfer amount MSA. Accordingly, in block 1518, the TA transfer amount can be set equal to the minimum MTA transfer amount of $ 100,000, which is also equal to the PAA progressive reward amount. As a result, $ 100,000 is equal to the TA transfer amount and the PAA progressive reward amount, can be subtracted from the amount of the RPA reserve bag in block 1524 and added to the amount of the MPA reserve bag in the block 1526, thereby producing the balances after reseeding shown in Table 5. A second example of the execution of routine 1500 is shown in the following Table 6: Table 6 In this example, the player may have won the progressive jackpot with a bet of 75% of the maximum system bet, resulting in a PAA progressive reward amount of $ 750,000. Based on the 75% apportionment rate R, the preliminary TA transfer amount calculated in block 1506 (RPA * R) may be $ 1,500,000. The amount of the main MPA bag exceeds the minimum seed amount MSA, so it may not be necessary for the progressive jackpot network computer to determine a minimum MTA transfer amount. However, the amount of preliminary TA transfer is greater than the amount of PAA progressive reward. As a result, the transfer amount TA can be set at the PAA progressive reward amount in block 1522, resulting in the MPA main bag amount being set back in the pre-jackpot reward balance of $ 1,000,000 in block 1526 and the amount of the reserve bag RPA are reduced accordingly. A further example of the execution of routine 1500 is shown in the following Table 7: Table 7 In this example, the player may have won the progressive jackpot with a bet of 80% of the maximum system bet, resulting in a PAA progressive reward amount of $ 400,000. Based on the 80% Rrate Rate, the preliminary TA transfer amount calculated in block 1506 (RPA * R) can be $ 200,000. As in the first example, the amount of the MPA main bag is less than the minimum seed amount MSA, and the progressive jackpot network computer can calculate the minimum MTA transfer amount needed of $ 100,000 in block 1514. In the present example, however, the preliminary TA transfer amount is greater than the minimum transfer amount MTA, and an amount of the primary bag can be obtained as a result! 12 MPA that exceeds the minimum amount sown MSA. However, the preliminary transfer amount TA is less than the amount of the PAA progressive reward, so that the balance of the reseeding of the MPA main bag amount may be less than the reward balance before the jackpot. As a result, the calculated preliminary TA transfer amount can be added to the amount of the main bag MPA in block 1526 and subtracted from the amount of the reserve bag RPA in block 1524, resulting in the balances shown in the Table 7

Claims (14)

1. A game unit for driving a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot in a game network having a network computer and a plurality of game units, where the betting game is a multi-player betting game, where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols per game of betting game and - individual game symbols are sequentially selected from an available range of game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of the game of bets by matching a winner pattern of the game predetermined game symbols on the player's unique game arrangement with the game symbols selected sequentially, and where the result of the game of betting game. is the winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot if a pattern in the player's unique game arrangement consisting of game symbols on the single game arrangement, by comparing the selected game symbols sequentially, is equal to a winning pattern of the progressive jackpot predetermined, the game unit is characterized in that it comprises: an input device for feeding a plurality of input selections; a display device; a memory device of the game unit; a mechanism to accept currencies that is capable of allowing a player to deposit a currency or currency means; a mechanism to distribute value that is capable of distributing value to the player; a controller of the game unit operatively coupled to the input device, the display device, the memory device of the game unit, the mechanism for accepting foreign currency, and the value distribution mechanism, the controller of the unit being game programmed to allow the currency accepting mechanism to accept a deposit of a quantity of a currency currency by a player in the game unit, with the controller of the game unit being programmed to allow the input device to receive the ticket entry. bet of a player in the game of betting game on the input device, the controller of the game unit being programmed to cause the display device to display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player per game game of bets in the display device of the game unit, the controller of the game unit being programmed to receiving the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, the controller of the game unit being programmed to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a reward from an interim pattern for the game of bets game in response to the determination of a pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing symbols selected sequentially, is equal to a predetermined interim pattern; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine an amount of reward for the interim pattern for the player corresponding to the interim pattern matched by the pattern on the player's unique game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to provide a period of inactivity time to the player to make an entry selection of prize claim on the input device of the game unit to claim the amount of the reward of the interim pattern; and the controller of the game unit being programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to add the amount of the interim pattern reward to a progressive jackpot pocket in response to the absence of input detection by the player within the period of inactivity time.

2. A game unit for conducting a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the outcome of the game of betting game is a predetermined progressive jackpot winning result if the player equals the winning result of the prize - predetermined major progressive within a predetermined number of selected game symbols sequentially.

3. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of the reward for the interim pattern is a predetermined amount of reward corresponding to the interim pattern matched by the pattern about the player's unique game arrangement.

4. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that the betting game has a plurality of predetermined interim patterns, each of which has a reward amount of corresponding interim pattern, with the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won at least one reward for the interim pattern for the game of the game of bets in response to the determination that at least one pattern over the arrangement of The unique game of the player formed by the game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequence 1 moni e-, cs equal to one of the predetermined interim patterns, the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine a amount of reward for the total interim pattern for the player equal to the sum of the reward amounts a of the interim pattern corresponding to the predetermined interim patterns, determined as matched over the player's unique game arrangement, and the controller of the game unit being programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to sum the amount of the reward of the total interim pattern to the progressive jackpot prize in response to the absence of detection by the player within the period of inactivity time.

5. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that the game of bets have a plurality of predetermined interim patterns, each of which has a reward amount of the corresponding interim pattern, with the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won at least one reward from the pattern interim for the game of bets game in response to the determination that at least one pattern on the arrangement of the player's unique game formed by game symbols about the single game arrangement, comparing selected symbols sequentially, is equal to one of the predetermined interim patterns; I being the controller of the game unit programmed to determine a reward amount of total interim pattern by the player equal to the largest of the reward amounts of the interim employer corresponding to predetermined interim patterns determined as matched over the player's unique game arrangement; and being the controller of the game unit programmed to transmit a message to the network computer of the progressive jackpot to add the amount of the total interim pattern reward to the progressive jackpot prize in response to non-detection of entry by the player within the period of inactivity time.

6. The game unit for driving a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that: the game unit controller is programmed to receive a first batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit being programmed to compare the first batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a first reward for the interim pattern for the game of bets game in response to the determination that a first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing selected symbols sequentially in the first batch is equal to one of the plurality of predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine a first reward amount of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the first interim pattern matched by the first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to provide a first period of inactivity time to the player to make the entry selection of the prize in the game unit input device to claim the first amount of the reward of the pattern inter- stating the controller of the game unit programmed to cause the memory device of the game unit to store the first reward amount of the interim pattern in response to the detection of entry by the player within the first period of inactivity time; the controller of the game unit being programmed to receive a second batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit being programmed to compare the second batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a second reward for the interim pattern by the game of bets in response to the determination that a second pattern over the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols in the single game arrangement, comparing selected symbols sequentially in the first and second lots is equal to one second of the predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine a second amount of reward of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the second interim pattern matched by the second pattern on the arrangement of the player's unique game; the controller of the game unit being programmed to provide a second period of inactivity time for the player to make the selection to feed the prize claim into the game unit's input device to claim the second amount of reward from the pattern interim; the controller of the game unit being programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to add the second amount of reward of the interim pattern to the progressive jackpot pocket in response to the absence of input detection by the player within the second period of inactivity time; and the controller of the game unit being programmed to cause the value distribution mechanism to distribute the first reward amount of the interim pattern to the player in response to the absence of entry detection by the player within the second period of inactivity time. .

7. The game unit for driving a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that: the game unit controller is programmed to receive a first batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit being programmed to compare the first batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a first reward for the interim pattern for the game of bets game in response to the determination that a first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing selected symbols sequentially in the first batch is equal to one of the plurality of predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine a first reward amount of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the first interim pattern matched by the first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to provide a first period of inactivity time to the player to make the entry selection of the prize in the game unit input device to claim the first amount of the reward of the pattern interim; the controller of the game unit being programmed to cause the memory device of the game unit to store the first reward amount of the interim pattern in response to the detection of the entry per player within the first period of inactivity time; the controller of the game unit being programmed to receive a second batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; being the driver of. the game unit programmed to compare the second batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a second reward for the interim pattern by the game of bets game in response to the determination that a second pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols in the single game arrangement, comparing selected symbols sequentially in the first and second lots is equal to one second of the predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine a second amount of reward of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the second interim pattern matched by the second pattern on the arrangement of the player's unique game; the controller of the game unit being programmed to provide a second period of inactivity time for the player to make the selection to feed the prize claim into the game unit's input device to claim the second amount of reward from the pattern interim; the controller of the game unit is programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to_ add a contribution to the progressive jackpot equal to the second amount of reward of the interim skipper minus the first amount of reward of the interim skipper to the progressive jackpot prize in response to the absence of entry detection by the player within the second period of downtime and the determination that the second amount of reward of the interim pattern is greater than the first amount of the employer's reward interim; and the controller of the game unit being programmed to cause the value distribution mechanism to distribute the first reward amount of the interim pattern to the player in response to the absence of entry detection by the player within the second period of inactivity time. .

8. The game unit for driving a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 1, characterized in that: the game unit controller is programmed to receive a first batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit is programmed to compare the first batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player has won a first reward of the interim pattern by the game of bets game in response to the determination of a first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by symbols of game over the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially in the first batch is equal to one of the plurality of predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine a first amount of reward of the interim pattern for the player corresponding to the first interim pattern matched by the first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player has won a second interim pattern reward for the game of bets game in response to the determination of a second pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by symbols of game over the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially in the first batch is equal to one second of the predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine a second amount of reward of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the second interim pattern matched by the second pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, where the second amount of reward of the interim pattern is less than or equal to the first amount of reward of the interim employer; the game unit control unit is programmed to provide a first period of inactivity time for the player to make an award claim entry selection in the game unit's input device to claim the first amount of time. reward of the interim employer; the controller of the game unit is programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to add the first amount of reward from the interim pattern to the progressive jackpot bag in response to the lack of input detection by the player within the first period of inactivity time; the controller of the game unit is programmed to receive a second batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit is programmed to compare the second batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player 'has won the second reward of the interim skipper by the game of betting game; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine the second amount of reward of the interim pattern for the player; the controller of the game unit is programmed to provide a second period of inactivity time for the player to make an entry selection of the prize claim on the game unit's input device to claim the second amount of reward from the player interim; and the controller of the game unit is programmed to cause the value distributor mechanism to distribute the second amount of reward of the interim pattern to the player in response to the detection of the entry by the player within the second period of inactivity time.

9. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated "progressive jackpot" according to claim 1, characterized in that: the game unit controller is programmed to receive a first batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit: the controller of the game unit is programmed to compare the first batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player has won a first interim pattern reward for the game of bets game in response to the determination that a first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement formed by game symbols on the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially in the first batch it is equal to one of the plurality of predetermined interim patterns; The controller of the game unit is programmed to determine a first amount of reward of the interim pattern for the player corresponding to the first interim pattern matched by the first pattern on the player's unique game arrangement; The controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player has won a second interim pattern reward for the game of bets in response to the determination that a second pattern over the player's unique game arrangement consists of symbols of game over the single game arrangement, comparing the selected symbols sequentially in the first batch is equal to one second of the predetermined interim patterns; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine a second amount of reward of the interim pattern by the player corresponding to the second interim pattern matched by the second pattern on the player's unique game arrangement, where the second amount of reward of the interim pattern is less than or equal to the first amount of reward of the interim employer; the game control unit is programmed to provide a first period of inactivity time for the player to make an award claim entry selection in the game unit's input device to claim the first amount of reward from the interim pattern; the controller of the game unit is programmed to receive a second batch of game symbols selected sequentially in the game unit; the controller of the game unit is programmed to compare the second batch of game symbols selected sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine that the player has won the second reward of the interim skipper by the game of betting game; the controller of the game unit is programmed to determine the second amount of reward of the interim pattern for the player; the controller of the game unit is programmed to provide a second period of inactivity time for the player to make an entry selection of the prize claim on the game unit's input device to claim the second amount of reward from the player interim; the controller of the game unit is programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to add a progressive jackpot contribution equal to the first reward amount of the interim skipper-less the second reward amount of the interim skipper to the progressive jackpot prize in response to the absence of entry detection by the player within the second period of inactivity and the determination that the first reward amount of the interim pattern is greater than the second reward amount of the interim pattern; and the controller of the game unit is programmed to cause the value distribution mechanism to distribute a second amount of reward of the interim pattern of the player in response to the detection of entry by the player within the second period of inactivity time.

10. A game unit for driving a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot in a game network having a network computer and a plurality of game units, where the betting game is a multi-player betting game , where each player has a unique game arrangement of game symbols per game game of bets and individual game symbols are selected sequentially from a range of available game symbols, where one of the players wins the game of the game of bets by matching a winning pattern of the predetermined game of game symbols in the player's unique game arrangement with the game symbols selected sequentially, and where the outcome of the game of betting game is a winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot if a pattern on the unique game arrangement - of the player formed by game symbols in the single game arrangement, comparing the symbols The game units selected sequentially, is equal to a winning pattern of the predetermined progressive jackpot, the game unit is characterized in that it comprises: an input device for feeding a plurality of input selections; a display device; a memory device of the game unit; a mechanism to accept currencies that can allow a player to deposit a currency means; a value distribution mechanism that can distribute value to the player; a controller of the game unit operatively coupled to the input device, the display device with the memory device of the game unit, the currency accepting mechanism, and the value distribution mechanism, the controller of the unit being game programmed to allow the currency accepting mechanism to accept a deposit of a quantity of a currency currency by a player in the game unit, with the controller of the game unit being programmed to allow the input device to receive input from a bet of the player in a game of betting game on the input device, the controller of the game unit being programmed to cause the display device to display the unique game arrangement of game symbols for the player for the departure of the game. betting game on the display device of the game unit, the controller of the game unit being programmed to receive the selected game symbols sequentially in the game unit, the controller of the game unit being programmed to compare the selected game symbols sequentially with the game symbols of the single game arrangement, the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine that the player has won a jackpot reward , progressive by the game of bets game in response to the determination that a pattern in the player's unique game arrangement formed by the game symbols on the single game arrangement by comparing the selected symbols sequentially is equal to a winning pattern of the game. default progressive major prize; the controller of the game unit being programmed to determine an amount of progressive jackpot reward by the player, corresponding to the winning pattern of the progressive jackpot matched by the pattern in the player's single game arrangement; the controller of the game unit being programmed to transmit a message to a progressive jackpot network computer to subtract the progressive jackpot reward amount from a progressive jackpot prize being the controller of the game unit programmed to be providing a period of inactivity time for the player to make an entry selection selection of the prize in the entry device of the game unit to claim the amount of reward from the interim employer; and the controller of the game unit being programmed to transmit a message to the progressive jackpot network computer to add the amount of the interim pattern reward to the progressive jackpot in response to the absence of input detection by player within the period of inactivity time.

11. The game unit for driving a betting game and an associated progressive jackpot according to claim 10, characterized in that the outcome of the betting game is a winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot if the player equals a winning result of the predetermined progressive jackpot within a predetermined number of game symbols selected sequentially.

12. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 10, characterized in that the amount of the progressive jackpot bet is equal to the amount of the jackpot jackpot progressive.

13. The game unit for conducting a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 10, characterized in that the amount of the progressive jackpot bet is equal to the amount of the progressive jackpot multiplied by the ratio of the amount of the bet of the player in the game of the game of bets to a maximum amount of bet that can be wagered in the game of bets.

14. The game unit for driving a betting game and the associated progressive jackpot according to claim 10, characterized in that the progressive jackpot is associated with a plurality of betting games, and where the amount of the progressive jackpot bet is equal to the amount of the progressive jackpot multiplied by the ratio of the bet amount of the player in the game of the betting game to a maximum bet amount. which can be wagered in the betting game associated with the progressive jackpot.