Abstract: Methods and apparatus for a gaming system are provided. The gaming system receives a request for a wager for a player of an entertainment game, the request being triggered by a player action taken by the player while playing the entertainment game. The gaming system establishes a result for the wager and generates, based on the result of the wager, a controlled sequence of a portion of the entertainment game, the controlled sequence changing the state of the entertainment game as the entertainment game is being played by the player.

Abstract: A gaming system is provided. The gaming system provides players a rich (i.e. akin to leading home- and arcade-based video games) single-player, multi-player cooperative and/or head to head environment in which the participant(s) win cash and credits as a result of their play activity within the environment, based on the wagers which they make entering and playing a game of the gaming system.

Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with embodiments of the invention operate a skill normalized hybrid game. One embodiment includes a skill normalized hybrid game, including: a gambling game; an entertainment game; a game world engine constructed to manage the entertainment game and communicate gameplay gambling event occurrences based upon a player's skillful execution of the entertainment game that trigger randomly generated payouts for the gambling game to the gambling game; and a skill normalization module constructed to: receive player performance measurements for at least one player from the game world engine; assign a handicap to the at least one player based at least in part upon the performance measurements for the at least one player from the game world engine; and send information concerning handicaps to the game world engine that configures the game world engine to implement each assigned handicap within the skill normalized hybrid game.

Abstract: A gaming system is provided. The gaming system provides players a rich (i.e. akin to leading home- and arcade-based video games) single-player, multi-player cooperative and/or head to head environment in which the participant(s) win cash and credits as a result of their play activity within the environment, based on the wagers which they make entering and playing a game of the gaming system.