Abstract: After the main ball drop of a bingo game, a player may be given a free extra bingo number. A probability of awarding a free ball may be determined, at least in part, according to a desired paytable percentage for the bingo game. In some implementations providing multi-card bingo games, a player is required to hit a predetermined pattern on more than one bingo card in order to obtain a progressive award. The number of hits in the pattern(s) and/or the number of bingo cards involved may be determined according to a desired progressive award size and/or a desired probability of obtaining the progressive award. Players may have an opportunity to purchase an additional bingo number or a block of a plurality of additional bingo numbers after the main ball drop. The block may be offered at a discount compared to the price of an individual additional bingo number.

Abstract: An electronic gaming system includes a server and a plurality of electronic gaming machines, each machine including a logic system configured for communication with the server, a memory and a theoretical coin-out meter. The memory includes instructions executable by the logic system for running on the gaming machine a persistence game having one or more recordable persistence states leading to a redeemable persistence award. Each persistence state has a persistence value representing a portion of the persistence award. The persistence game is interruptible at a first machine and resumable at a second machine at a recorded persistence state. The theoretical coin-out meter stores unawarded persistence values accumulated by the machine from advancing the persistence game during game play among the one or more persistence states. A persistence award redeemed at one of the machines is reconciled with unawarded persistence values accumulated at another one or more of the machines.

Abstract: A gaming system and method which displays a plurality of symbol displays having symbol sets distributed about circumferential paths thereof. The gaming system enables the player to select one or more directions of spin or circumferential paths for the symbol displays, and then spins the symbol displays in the selected direction(s) or along the selected circumferential paths. After the gaming system stops the spinning, each symbol display displays at least one randomly generated symbol of the symbol set extending along the circumferential path of that symbol display which corresponds to the direction of spin of that symbol display. The gaming system evaluates the displayed symbols for any winning combinations. The gaming system provides the player any awards associated with the displayed winning combinations.

Abstract: A gaming system and method that enables the odds of obtaining a winning outcome or a designated outcome for a play of a game to change without modifying the paytable of the game. The gaming system makes a first determination using a first processor based on a paytable of a game. The gaming system makes a second determination using a second processor, where the second determination may be based, at least in part, on the wager amount. The gaming system displays a single game outcome to the player and either provides the player with the highest award resulting from the determinations or any awards resulting from the determinations.

Abstract: Methods and gaming units for conducting a wagering game and an associated progressive jackpot in a gaming network having a plurality of operatively coupled gaming units are described. A progressive jackpot award amount may be determined in part based on the amount of the player's wager for the occurrence of the wagering game in relation to a maximum wager amount that may be made on one of the gaming units in the gaming network. The progressive jackpot pool may include a main pool and a reserve pool. Portions of players' wagers being added to the progressive jackpot pool may be apportioned between the main pool and the reserve pool based on calculation performed at the gaming network, with the apportionment being at least partially determined by the amount in the main pool.

Abstract: In various embodiments, the gaming system, gaming device, and method disclosed herein maintains a designated award which is associated with a variable score for a skill-based game. In one such embodiment, the gaming system enables a player to play a game, wherein the gaming system forms a score for the player. The player's formed score is based on zero, one or more inputs made by the player during the play of the skill-based game (i.e., which tends to measure one or more aspects of that player's skills). If the player's score does not reach the variable score associated with the designated award, the gaming system modifies the variable score associated with the designated award of that skill-based game. If the player's score reaches or exceeds the variable score associated with the designated award, the gaming system provides the player a designated quantity of opportunities to win the maintained designated award.

Abstract: A gaming apparatus and method is provided that is capable of rewarding a distributed jackpot to players using gaming units that are electronically linked to one another. The distributed jackpot may be shared among non-winning players when a winning result is achieved by a winning player.

Abstract: A gaming system which provides the player a plurality of playing cards to form an initial primary card hand and also displays one or more other card hands. The player selects one or more of the initially dealt cards in the primary card hand to hold or to discard. The held cards are also held in one, more or each of the other simultaneously displayed hands. The gaming device evaluates the held cards and determines which card game outcomes are possible based on the held cards and the remaining cards in the deck. The gaming device utilizes a stored table of different distributions of card game outcomes which would result in each payout amount and a table regarding which card game outcomes are possible based on the player's held cards to determine a distribution of outcomes that provides a total payout equal to the payout of the predetermined game outcome.

Abstract: Various gaming-related services are provided, including but not limited to security services, harm minimization services, player identification services, bonusing/progressive services, accounting services, financial/banking services, network tunneling services, cheating detection services, etc. Such services may be provided, at least in part, by software agents that can be configured for different platforms and/or operating systems. Some software-based player tracking methods of the invention can aggregate data from multiple devices used by a player for gaming.

Abstract: Games may be divided into different portions having differing preservation needs. These different portions may be saved to set locations for set periods of time when a downloaded game that was available on a given gaming terminal must be disabled, removed or otherwise made unavailable on the gaming terminal. The removal process may be automated or controlled remotely, although this is not strictly required. Further, preservation of games may be implemented using directories of the various game components for multiple downloaded games available to a gaming terminal.

Abstract: Systems and methods enabling parallel processing of hash functions are provided. A data string including a plurality of pieces arranged in an order is hashed using a hash function to determine a plurality of authentication checkpoint hashes associated with the pieces. To authenticate the data string, the pieces are grouped into sets, and the authentication checkpoint hash associated with the piece following all other pieces of that set in the order is associated with that set. The system simultaneously performs a separate hash process on each set. That is, the system hashes the pieces of that set using the hash function to determine a result hash, and compares that result hash with the authentication checkpoint hash associated with that set. The initial input to the hash function for the hash process for each set includes one of the pieces and either a default seed or an authentication checkpoint hash.

Abstract: A gaming system including a multiple player game, such as a community game associated with a plurality of gaming devices. This community game includes a community game area or matrix, such as a redemption area or redemption environment which is displayed to at least the players of the gaming devices. The community game matrix includes a plurality of displayed positions, spots or spaces. At least each of the players playing the primary games of the gaming devices of the gaming system are associated with a displayed participant or avatar that occupies or is otherwise positioned at one of the displayed positions, spots or spaces of the community game matrix.

Abstract: The gaming system receives a wager from a player for a play of a game including a plurality of multi-component symbols. Each of the multi-component symbols includes a plurality of symbol component locations. A plurality of the multi-component symbols include at least one of the symbol components in at least one of the symbol component locations. The gaming system randomly generates and displays a plurality of the multi-component symbols. The gaming system determines, for a first one of a designated number of the displayed multi-component symbols, a quantity of symbol component locations of the first one of the displayed multi-component symbols that display one of the symbol components and that correspond to a symbol component location of each of the other displayed multi-component symbols of the designated number of the displayed multi-component symbols that each display one of the symbol components. Any awards are determined based on the determined quantity.

Abstract: Gaming machines and systems having a universal interface layer linking a gaming platform to a hardware platform are disclosed. In particular, the universal interface layer is configured such that the gaming platform is hardware platform independent and such that the hardware platform is gaming platform independent. Platform independence can facilitate the interchangeability of one platform without a corresponding need to modify the other platform. The gaming platform can include various gaming modules and an operating system, while the universal interface layer can include firmware, various additional gaming modules, hardware specific drivers and various APIs to facilitate communication between the gaming platform and other universal interface layer components. A safe storage manager can be included to utilize a non-volatile storage component to store data regarding a gaming machine state, with the state being recoverable after a substantial interruption to the machine.

Abstract: The gaming system, gaming device and method disclosed herein determines whether to provide at least one of the plurality of progressive awards to the player based on that player's measured level of skill in: (i) a plurality of plays of a partial skill-based game, (ii) a skill-based progressive award sequence, or (iii) a plurality of plays of a partial skill-based game and a skill-based progressive award sequence. The determination is based on zero, one or more inputs made by the player which tend to measure that player's level of skill in at least one of a partial skill-based game and a skill-based progressive award sequence.

Abstract: A gaming machine includes a display device and a processor coupled to the display device. The processor is configured to monitor at least one display property of a media display on the display device, detect that the at least one display property is equal or greater than a preselected threshold, and generate an alert in response to the detection.

Abstract: One aspect is directed to a system whereby a live gaming table system is provided with one or more handheld user input devices which, for example, may allow multiple different players to simultaneously or concurrently provide wager input data and/or other data to the gaming table system. In at least one embodiment, the handheld user input devices may form part of a multi-player touch input interface system which is operable to identify or determine where, who, and what transactions are taking place at a multi-player gaming table and/or multi-player gaming system.

Abstract: After the main ball drop of a bingo game, a player may be given a free extra bingo number. A probability of awarding a free ball may be determined, at least in part, according to a desired paytable percentage for the bingo game (or vice versa). Some implementations of the invention provide multi-card bingo games. A player may be required to hit a predetermined pattern on more than one bingo card in order to obtain a progressive award. The number of hits in the pattern(s) and/or the number of bingo cards involved may be determined according to a desired progressive award size and/or a desired probability of obtaining the progressive award. Players may have an opportunity to purchase one or more additional bingo numbers after the main ball drop of a bingo game. A player may be provided the option of purchasing a block of more than one additional bingo number after the main ball drop.

Abstract: A gaming machine connected in a gaming network or operating as a stand-alone machine, is capable of accepting two or more currencies for wager game play. The machine operates internally using a native monetary type and converts non-monetary bills to native amounts in the form of restricted or cashable credits. The multiple currency capability of the machine is utilized to encourage the use of restricted credits by adjusting conversion rates, payback tables, and the like. These features, combined with the use of restricted credits, also enable ways to monitor abuse and illegal activity on the gaming machine and implement ways to limit losses by a player. Certain post-conversion processes are used to ensure that the player is returned non-converted amounts. The gaming machine has additional hard and soft meters to process multiple monetary types.

Abstract: Methods and devices are provided for detecting and/or preventing cheating in online gaming. Some implementations provide gaming information in formats that are difficult for a bot to interpret, but which are preferably easy for humans to interpret. Some implementations of the invention involve the tracking and analysis of players' gaming activities. Some implementations of the invention provide a multi-tier approach to data analysis. Some analyses may be performed, for example, by a centralized computing device such as a server, whereas other analyses may be performed by a host device. In some implementations, “challenge and response” measures will be employed. Some implementations of the invention involve detection and prevention of collaboration between players.