Abstract: A method for casino operators and/or players to instantly “create” new games without requiring recertification by a gaming laboratory. New games are created on the fly by making combinations of game attributes including but not limited to theme, denomination, volatility, RTP. Game attributes are associated to pre-certified software components that are then dynamically linked to instantly offer a new game. Having players dynamically create games according to their preference totally removes the game operator's risk to compose menus of available games that players will not play.

Abstract: A service-oriented bus for distributed gaming systems allowing gaming machines, servers, workstations, mobile PCs, handheld devices and automatic telling machines to talk together over a network. The game service bus provides a publish-and-subscribe message bus over a private network within a gaming property and/or over the public Internet across several properties. The service bus framework allows participating communicating end points to publish services or subscribe to services in a simple and standardized high level fashion, thereby enabling the devices to understand one-another, thus “talk” together. The “talking together” paradigm is rather appropriate, as it emphasizes the value that the service bus brings to a complex distributed casino gaming system that may include thousands of devices manufactured by dozens of vendors. Gaming machines may talk together in a peer-fashion over the service bus, which is well suited for multiplayer gaming.

Abstract: A method for casino operators and/or players to instantly “create” new games without requiring recertification by a gaming laboratory. New games are created on the fly by making combinations of game attributes including but not limited to theme, denomination, volatility, RTP. Game attributes are associated to pre-certified software components that are then dynamically linked to instantly offer a new game. Having players dynamically create games according to their preference totally removes the game operator's risk to compose menus of available games that players will not play.

Abstract: Trusted Energy Saving (TES) methods applied to server based distributed downloadable gaming for allowing casino operators to significantly reduce their energy bills by placing the main controller of selected unused gaining machines into low-power mode while retaining total control and trust.

Abstract: A regulated gaming system includes a plurality of computer nodes communicating over a network. At least one of the computer nodes includes a gaming machine, which may include a game controller and an interactivity apparatus to accept wagers from a player and to provide random outcomes while playing a game. The interactivity apparatus may include one or more video displays; a menu of available player-selectable games and one or more option buttons, the function of which changes depending upon which of the player-selectable games is selected by the player. A non-video display is associated with each option button, and is configured to indicate the status and/or the function thereof. The gaming machine includes a non-video services subscriber configured to receive, over the network, selected non-video display services to which the non-video services subscriber has subscribed from a non-video display services provider executing in one or more of the computer nodes.

Abstract: A trusted disaster tolerant system architecture supporting concurrently a number of distributed online gaming operations such as slip-scan lottery, video lottery, fixed odd betting terminals, internet gaming, and interactive TV. A personality front end resolves the peculiarities of the various client systems before submitting the relevant transactional payload to a trusted transactional cache. A universal game random generator may be used either at the central game server or at each individual gaming machine, thus conferring a significant trust to the entire estate of gaming machines fitted with the game random generator. An auditable trusted log allows to rapidly resolve any dispute. The instant-draw model and the differed-draw model are supported. The system may advantageously be used in casino environments.

Abstract: A method to enable dynamic configuration of gaming terminals installed in one or a plurality of gaming premises whereby certified games, certified data files and certified support software components are activated in accordance with a predetermined schedule or automatically in response to the observed gaming activity. The method may include allocating an individual PKI certificate to each executable software component and each of its versions, binding the PKI certificate to the executable software, associating a distinctive policy for each certificate and then enforcing the software execution policies in accordance with the desired authorized game configuration and schedule. The PKI certificate's “Subject Name” (or “Issued to” field or “CommonName” field) may be a concatenation of the software component identification, its version number and optionally other identification characters. The method applies equally to other network connected gaming subsystems.

Abstract: Tournament-Style casino games bring players all of the advantages of gaming tournaments such as rapid play, building excitement, and player vs. player competition in a manner that addresses limitations of existing games by: a) generating revenue for tire casino in all featured embodiments; b) being available on-demand; c) paying winners instantaneously; and d) featuring a casino hold that is stable enough to meet regulator requirements. In one embodiment of tournament style gaming, a high score progressive jackpot is provided such that players are playing against both the game's built in pay table and against the daily performances of other players. Inefficient game play results in increasing the progressive jackpot by a value of the time wasted by such inefficient game play.

Abstract: A dispute resolution model for next generation action/skill casino games comprising a variety of friendly onscreen methods to demonstrate the fairness of a disputed game or simply to allow the player to eliminate confusion created by fast action wagering. Such methods may include running on-demand instant replays of segments of wagered games to allow both players and operators to verify those games' fairness and providing the player with historical information regarding the operation of the casino game and/or the gaming machine. The historical information includes historical win information to demonstrate the distribution of previous wins; Skill vs. luck historical information to demonstrate the exact role both luck and skill played in a player's game outcome; and peer comparison historical information to enable the player to compare the recent payback history of a given game to identical games on the casino floor, and to show the player which machines have been the luckiest over a given period of time.

Abstract: Creative multi-act games for the younger generation of casino players accustomed to creative simulation games such as “The Sims®” and familiar TV characters such as the cast of “Friends.” Stories unfold through acts that have been staged by the player by selecting and placing acting objects. A palette of betting opportunities may be provided in each act in accordance with the staged act to allow the player(s) to place bets. A typical storyboard may include three acts: (a) a construction act, (b) a testing act and (c) a destruction or resolution act. The unfolding of acts may be non-linear and several players may participate simultaneously, sharing the opportunity to affect a storyboard's direction through decision-making.

Abstract: A dispute resolution model for next generation action/skill casino games comprising a variety of friendly onscreen methods to demonstrate the fairness of a disputed game or simply to allow the player to eliminate confusion created by fast action wagering. Such methods may include running on-demand instant replays of segments of wagered games to allow both players and operators to verify those games' fairness and providing the player with historical information regarding the operation of the casino game and/or the gaming machine. The historical information includes historical win information to demonstrate the distribution of previous wins; Skill vs. luck historical information to demonstrate the exact role both luck and skill played in a player's game outcome; and peer comparison historical information to enable the player to compare the recent payback history of a given game to identical games on the casino floor, and to show the player which machines have been the luckiest over a given period of time.

Abstract: Chip-Based Gaming includes methods for playing electronic games of chance or skill that provide players with a greater number of options and greater wagering flexibility than previous methods have afforded them. In the present Chip-Based gaming model, players may select virtual betting chips from an onscreen palette and apply those chips to various wagering opportunities throughout a game. Using this model, players are able to make individual bets on each of a slot machine's paylines or wager on making specific hands in Video Poker. Players are also able to buy and/or wager on symbol “nudges” and to buy symbol “re-spins” within a multi-line slot machine, options which provide the player with a much richer, more flexible gaming experience than he or she had heretofore enjoyed.

Abstract: Creative multi-act games for the younger generation of casino players accustomed to creative simulation games such as “The Sims®” and familiar TV characters such as the cast of “Friends”. Stories unfold through acts that have been staged by the player by selecting and placing acting objects. A palette of betting opportunities may be provided in each act in accordance with the staged act to allow the player(s) to place bets. A typical storyboard may include three acts: (a) a construction act, (b) a testing act and (c) a destruction or resolution act. The unfolding of acts may be non-linear and several players may participate simultaneously, sharing the opportunity to affect a storyboard's direction through decision-making.

Abstract: Chip-Based Gaming includes methods for playing electronic games of chance or skill that provide players with a greater number of options and greater wagering flexibility than previous methods have afforded them. In the present Chip-Based gaming model, players may select virtual betting chips from an onscreen palette and apply those chips to various wagering opportunities throughout a game. Using this model, players are able to make individual bets on each of a slot machine's paylines or wager on making specific hands in Video Poker. Players are also able to buy and/or wager on symbol “nudges” and to buy symbol “re-spins” within a multi-line slot machine, options which provide the player with a much richer, more flexible gaming experience than he or she had heretofore enjoyed.

Abstract: System architecture and methods for enabling (a) freelance game developers gather intelligence data such as to offer dazzling electronic games to the regulated casino gaming marketplace and receive compensation based on the success of their games, and (b) game operators gather intelligence data to enables them to tailor their regulated game offerings. Intelligence data for both the freelance game developers and the game operators are based on demand/popularity of identical trial games available to the public over a predetermined computer site, the trial games using simulated money only. In addition, players are provided with the location of the casinos offering their favorite game(s) for playing with real money, together with the promotions offered if any. Operators are provided with the contacts of the players and their list of favorite games such as to offer incentives to attract them to their casino.

Abstract: The disclosed embodiments of the present Hierarchical-Five Wheel model of gaming include systems in which every wager made on an electronic game of chance may trigger two games: 1) standard play on the machine's primary display and 2) the display of one or more numbers or symbols on the machine's secondary display. The numbers and/or symbols on each machine's secondary display may combine with the numbers or symbols on other player's secondary displays to create a shared game in which certain predetermined symbol combinations equate to jackpots awarded to participating players. Banks of Hierarchical-Five Wheel machines may have two levels of play, as is described above, or may have three, four, five or more levels of game play. Hierarchical Five-Wheel gaming machines are capable of awarding large, life-changing jackpots to players who are not necessarily winners within their primary game, giving the player multiple ways to win.

Abstract: A gaming machine includes a processor adapted to execute a program of a game; a biometric reader configured to capture first biometric data from the player, and a trusted cache. The trusted cache includes a nonvolatile memory that is configured to store the first biometric data; a context data save engine configured to save the context of the program to the nonvolatile memory and to associate the stored first biometric data with the saved context of the program upon the processor receiving a request from the player to suspend game play, and a context data recovery engine configured to recover the saved context from the nonvolatile memory and to cause continued execution of the program from the recovered saved context upon the biometric reader capturing second biometric data from the player that matches the stored first biometric data and receiving a request from the player to resume game play.

Abstract: System architecture and methods for enabling (a) freelance game developers gather intelligence data such as to offer dazzling electronic games to the regulated casino gaming marketplace and receive compensation based on the success of their games, and (b) game operators gather intelligence data to enables them to tailor their regulated game offerings. Intelligence data for both the freelance game developers and the game operators are based on demand/popularity of identical trial games available to the public over a predetermined computer site, the trial games using simulated money only. In addition, players are provided with the location of the casinos offering their favorite game(s) for playing with real money, together with the promotions offered if any. Operators are provided with the contacts of the players and their list of favorite games such as to offer incentives to attract them to their casino.

Abstract: A universal method and computer system for downloading game software to legacy gaming machines. A gaming machine includes a locked enclosure; a first computing device disposed within the locked enclosure, the first computing device being programmed to enable game play of the gaming machine; a second computing device disposed within the locked enclosure of the gaming machine, the second computing device being configured for network access, and an interface between the first and the second computing devices. The second computing device is configured to receive game software components over the network that are compatible with (e.g., executable by) the first computing device but not compatible with (e.g., not executable by) the second computing device and to transfer the received game software components to the first computing device over the interface. The second computing device may include, for example, a PC.

Abstract: A universal method and system for downloading game software to ROM based legacy gaming machines, activating selected games and providing new services. The method includes a ROM emulator for replacing the game program image and an NVRAM emulator for swapping the game context and critical meters accordingly. The method includes detection of the state of the current game activity such as to activate a new game only at an authorized time, when no player is playing a game or is carded-in for example. The system includes emulation of the original peripherals fitted to the legacy gaming machine such as to offer extended functionality and services. The universal method and system therefore prolongs the useful life of legacy machines which otherwise would be prematurely retired.