Wagering Game System with Bistable Lcd Display

Abstract

A computerized wagering game system includes a gaming module comprising gaming code which is operable when executed on to conduct a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered, and a display. In one embodiment, the display comprises a printed bistable liquid crystal display assembly, including a plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a substrate. In another embodiment, the display comprises an emissive carbon nanotube display assembly, including a plurality of carbon nanotube elements operable to selectively emit electrons such that they strike a phosphor and cause it to emit light.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/715,518, filed Sep. 9, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material to which the claim of copyright protection is made. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any person of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but reserves all other rights whatsoever. Copyright 2005, 2006 WMS Gaming, Inc.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to computerized wagering game machines, and more specifically to computerized wagering game machines employing bistable liquid crystal displays.

BACKGROUND

Computerized wagering games have largely replaced traditional mechanical wagering game machines such as slot machines, and are rapidly being adopted to implement computerized versions of games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.

The elements of computerized wagering game systems are in many ways the same as the elements in the mechanical and table game counterparts in that they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback to the game player to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game. Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.

Computerized wagering games do not rely on the dealer or other game players to facilitate game play and to provide an entertaining game playing environment, but rely upon the presentation of the game and environment generated by the wagering game machine itself. Incorporation of audio and video features into wagering games to present the wagering game, to provide help, and to enhance the environment presented are therefore important elements in the attractiveness and commercial success of a computerized wagering game system. It is not uncommon for audio voices to provide instruction and help, and to provide commentary on the wagering game being played. Music and environmental effects are also played through speakers in some wagering game systems to enhance or complement a theme of the wagering game. These sounds typically accompany video presentation of the wagering game on a screen, which itself often includes animation, video, and three-dimensional graphics as part of presentation of the wagering game.

The displays were traditionally cathode ray tubes, or CRTs much like those used in standard televisions. But recently, CRT displays have given way to liquid crystal displays as the most common type of display used in new wagering game machines. While CRTs provided very good brightness and color fidelity, they were relatively large, heavy, fragile, and consumed a relatively large amount of power. LCD displays have limited brightness and contrast capabilities, and backlighting a large LCD display evenly and achieving accurate color fidelity are difficult. Other options include plasma displays, which have the color fidelity of CRTs and a small size similar to LCDs, but the contrast ratio, power consumed, and production cost are all inferior to other display technologies. These traditional display technologies are also not easily integrated with mechanical elements such as reels on a mechanical reel slot machine, limiting practical application to traditional rectangular opaque displays. Further, the complicated processes used to produce these displays results in a display cost such that a 40-inch display using any of these technologies costs thousands of dollars to produce.

It is therefore desired to incorporate display technology into a wagering game system addressing the shortcomings of existing displays.

SUMMARY

One example embodiment of the invention comprises a computerized wagering game system including a gaming module comprising gaming code which is operable when executed on to conduct a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered, and a display. In one embodiment, the display comprises a printed bistable liquid crystal display assembly, including a plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a substrate. In another embodiment, the display comprises an emissive carbon nanotube display assembly, including a plurality of carbon nanotube elements operable to selectively emit electrons such that they strike a phosphor and cause it to emit light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a computerized wagering game machine, as may be used to practice some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a printed bistable liquid crystal display, consistent with some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 is top view of a printed bistable liquid crystal display substrate, consistent with some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is an 8-bit RGB color pixel made from a grid of 28×28 subpixels, consistent with some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross section of a carbon nanotube field emission display, consistent with some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows a variety of carbon nanotubes, as may be used to practice some example embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows a matrix-addressable carbon nanotubes field emission display, consistent with some example embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of example embodiments of the invention, reference is made to specific examples by way of drawings and illustrations. These examples are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and serve to illustrate how the invention may be applied to various purposes or embodiments. Other embodiments of the invention exist and are within the scope of the invention, and logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be made without departing from the subject or scope of the present invention. Features or limitations of various embodiments of the invention described herein, however essential to the example embodiments in which they are incorporated, do not limit the invention as a whole, and any reference to the invention, its elements, operation, and application do not limit the invention as a whole but serve only to define these example embodiments. The following detailed description does not, therefore, limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims.

The invention in one example embodiment comprises a computerized wagering game system including a gaming module comprising gaming code which is operable when executed on to conduct a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered, and a display. In one embodiment, the display comprises a printed bistable liquid crystal display assembly, including a plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a substrate. In another embodiment, the display comprises an emissive carbon nanotube display assembly, including a plurality of carbon nanotube elements operable to selectively emit electrons such that they strike a phosphor and cause it to emit light.

FIG. 1 illustrates a computerized wagering game machine system, as may be used to practice various embodiments of the present invention. The computerized gaming system shown generally at 100 is a video wagering game system, which displays information for at least one wagering game upon which monetary value can be wagered on video display 101. Video display 101 is in various embodiments a CRT display, a plasma display, an LCD display, a field emission display, or any other type of display suitable for displaying electronically provided display information. Further embodiments include alternate or additional displays, such as a second display located above the primary display, or other displays coupled to the wagering game system. Alternate embodiments of the invention will have other game indicators, such as mechanical reels instead of the video graphics reels shown at 102 that comprise a part of a video slot machine wagering game.

A wagering game is implemented using software within the system, such as through instructions stored on a machine-readable medium such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile memory. In some further example embodiments, some or all of the software stored in the wagering game machine is encrypted or is verified using a hash algorithm or encryption algorithm to ensure its authenticity and to verify that it has not been altered. For example, in one embodiment the wagering game software is loaded from nonvolatile memory in a compact flash card, and a hash value is calculated or a digital signature is derived to confirm that the data stored on the compact flash card has not been altered. The game of chance implemented via the loaded software takes various forms in different wagering game machines, including such well-known wagering games as reel slots, video poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, or hold'em games. The wagering game is played and controlled with inputs such as various buttons 103 or via a touchscreen overlay to video screen 101. In some alternate examples, other devices such as pull arm 104 used to initiate reel spin in this reel slot machine example are employed to provide other input interfaces to the game player.

Monetary value is typically wagered on the outcome of the games, such as with tokens, coins, bills, or cards that hold monetary value. The wagered value is conveyed to the machine through a changer 105 or a secure user identification module interface 106, and winnings are returned via the returned value card or through the coin tray 107. Sound is also provided through speakers 108, typically including audio indicators of game play, such as reel spins, credit bang-ups, and environmental or other sound effects or music to provide entertainment consistent with a theme of the computerized wagering game. In some further embodiments, the wagering game machine is coupled to a network, and is operable to use its network connection to receive wagering game data, track players and monetary value associated with a player, and to perform other such functions. In some such embodiments, the wagering game machine serves to present a wagering game implemented or conducted on another computer, such as where the wagering game system is a handheld terminal or is a device such as a PDA or cell phone provided by the game player. In other examples the wagering game system is operable to download wagering games from the wagering game system, or the wagering game system is operable to coordinate community gaming among multiple wagering game machines.

The display 101 is desirably high in resolution so that photo-realistic images and graphics can be presented, is desirably bright and high in contrast so that images can be clearly seen, is desirably low in weight so that it does not add significant weight to the wagering game system, is desirably durable so that it does not become damaged in shipping or after installation in a wagering game facility, and is desirably efficient to operate so that installation of hundreds of machines in a wagering game facility results in a reduced level of power consumption and heat generation. Unfortunately, these criteria conflict with one another in utilizing most present display technologies, and can result in a prohibitive increase in cost. Reducing weight by using thinner display panel glass reduces durability, reducing power consumption typically reduces brightness, and an increase in resolution typically results in a significantly higher cost.

New display technologies addressing these concerns while keeping manufacturing cost at a low level are therefore desired, particularly when the new display technologies address several of the performance and design criteria discussed above. One such example is shown in FIG. 2, which illustrates how a bistable liquid crystal display can be formed using printing methods and a plastic substrate, greatly reducing the cost and weight of traditional LCD displays. The display of FIG. 2 has a plastic substrate 201, a light diffusion layer 202, and a rear opaque reflective layer 203. In some embodiments, the plastic substrate and light diffusion layers are combined, and the rear opaque reflective layer also serves as a protective layer such as a metal case. The plastic substrate 201 has a number of post structures 204 that are printed onto the plastic substrate 201, such as by deposition of additional plastic or by imprinting and removing a material to form wells 205 in the plastic substrate.

The wells 205 contain a liquid crystal material that is bistable due to the nature of the liquid crystal material and the physical size and geometry of the well. In one example, the wells are approximately a micrometer wide and a micrometer deep, and contain a nematic liquid crystal material. The liquid crystal material is contained by color filter layer 206 and by front panel 207, which in some embodiments are formed using normal printing methods. The printed color filter layer 208 in some embodiments also contains printed electrodes 208, while other embodiments contain electrodes in other locations such as in the plastic substrate layer as shown at 209.

Some layers of the liquid crystal display panel shown in FIG. 2 are flat, such as the front layer 207, the rear reflective layer 203, and the light diffusion layer 202, while others contain various topographic features, varying color filters, electrodes, and the like. These varying features are printed in various embodiments using printing methods as are used today in printing technologies such as inkjet printing, dye sublimation printing, and using other printing technologies to reduce the cost of producing these layers.

A more detailed view of the posts 204 and wells 205 is shown in FIG. 3, which illustrates a top view of the plastic substrate layer 201. The posts 301 are formed approximately a micrometer apart in this example, resulting in formation of wells 302. Each well becomes an individually actuatable pixel or sub-pixel within a liquid crystal display in some embodiments.

Typical liquid crystal displays used on personal computers and in wagering games today have a pixel width on the order of a few tenths of a millimeter, while he display shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 features subpixels that are only a micrometer wide. This provides greatly increased display resolution, and enables presentation of images in photorealistic quality.

Typical liquid crystal displays work by suspending a liquid crystal material between two polarizing filters with axes that are perpendicular to each other. In the absence of the liquid crystal presence, light passing through one polarized filter would not be able to pass through the other due to the difference in polarization direction. The liquid crystal element selectively changes the polarization of light that has passed through the first polarizing filter so that its polarization has rotated and it can pass through the second polarizing filter.

When an electrical charge is applied to a liquid crystal element in a liquid crystal display pixel, the natural twist of the liquid crystal is undone to a degree dependent on the charge applied as the liquid crystals align themselves parallel to the electric field, thereby reducing the change in polarization by a varying amount and blocking light from passing through both the first and second polarizing filters to a variable degree.

While some LCD displays such as those used in pocket calculators and wristwatches are simply reflective, and use ambient light reflected off a reflective backplane such as back reflective layer 203, most are transmissive panels that are lit via one or more backlights. The backlighting is usually distributed across the face of the liquid crystal display panel by a light carrying layer called a diffusion layer, as isn shown at 202 of FIG. 2, and which carries and diffuses light injected from the sides of the panel to ensure uniform illumination of the transmissive LCD panel.

This principle can be used to create a color display by using a red, green, and blue subpixel for each pixel location, so that a full color spectrum can be displayed for each pixel by varying the amount of these three light primary colors that is visible. This is done by varying the voltages applied to each of the three colored subpixels, thereby varying the amount of colored light from the backlight diffuser layer of the display panel that reaches the viewer. The back side of the liquid crystal display panel is therefore almost always an opaque surface designed to reflect light, to illuminate the display panel.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the liquid crystal display is bistable, meaning that a constant electric charge is not needed to maintain the state of the bistable liquid crystal element. When the well 205 is filled with a nematic liquid crystal material, the rod-like molecules making up the material tend to align themselves in the same direction. When posts 204 are shorter than a micrometer or so, the rod-like molecules tend to align themselves parallel to the bottom of the wells 205, while the rod-like molecules tend to stand up parallel to the posts to reduce deformation when the posts are taller than a micrometer. With post structures 204 that are approximately a micron high, the liquid crystal material tends to develop two different but stable tilts away from the well bases of plastic substrate 201, resulting in two distinct crystal orientations that can be maintained with electric stimulus removed. Application of electricity to an individual well can therefore turn the individual pixel or subpixel on or off by tilting the nematic liquid crystal material to a tilted configuration or a configuration more substantially parallel to the plastic substrate 201.

In some embodiments, each individual pixel is made up of a number of smaller pixels or subpixels. In some embodiments, such as a “virtual paper” display, only black and white are needed and each well 205 is its own individually addressable pixel. Such a display provides very high resolution, but lacks the ability to display color images. Other embodiments include at least one red, one green, and one blue subpixel for each pixel location, so that a pixel of different colors can be rendered by the three subpixels. Because the bistable liquid crystal display has only two stable states, some further embodiments will use several wells 205 or subpixels for each color to render a pixel having a greater degree of color variability so that photo-like images can be rendered. For example, if an individual pixel of a picture is displayed using 768 subpixels, 256 each of the colors red, blue, and green, an image containing 8 bits of information for each of the three colors red, green, and blue can be displayed using all the color information available using only bistable liquid crystal display elements having only on or off states.

FIG. 4 shows an example of such a pixel formed by a 28×28 grid of subpixels, for a total of 784 subpixels or 261.3 pixels per color. In some embodiments, only 256 pixels are used and the remaining pixels remain off, while in other embodiments the extra 16 pixels serve another purpose such as selectively transmitting white to enhance brightness and contrast. In alternate embodiments, the color information provided is mapped into 261 pixels, whether provided as an eight-bit per color or other color fidelity pixel.

The subpixels 401 that make up a single pixel 400 are therefore of three different colors in this example color display. In some embodiments, all the subpixels of a certain color are grouped together, while in other embodiments the subpixels of a single color are scattered throughout the pixel 400 to provide a more even and realistic display of color within the pixel. In one such example, an image pixel using 8 bits per color having a red value of 36, a blue value of 192, and a green value of 128 is rendered as a pixel 400 by illuminating 36 of the 256 subpixel locations that have red color filters printed over the pixels, 192 of the 256 subpixel locations that are colored blue, and 128 of the 256 subpixel locations that are colored green. If the subpixel locations for each color that are illuminated are evenly scattered across the pixel 400, the pixel itself will appear to be of a single color rather than comprised of three distinct color regions having various brightness as it would if the subpixels of each color were grouped together. This distinction may be less important for small pixels where the three distinct color regions would blend together, but can provide a smoother image of higher apparent quality when the highest quality display is desired.

The bistable liquid crystal display shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is not only less expensive, of higher resolution, and more durable than traditional liquid crystal displays, but the bistable nature of the subpixels 401 results in a significant decrease in power consumed to display an image. Each subpixel of a typical LCD display must remain energized for any light to be transmitted, while the subpixels of the bistable liquid crystal display presented here only need be energized to change from one stable state to the other. The only power consumed by the bistable display when displaying a static image is therefore the power consumed by the backlight. Because power is consumed in each subpixel only when the image is changed, a bistable liquid crystal display such as that described here can consume less than half the power of a traditional liquid crystal display.

This example display illustrates how printing technology can be used to create a liquid crystal display for a much lower cost than traditional liquid crystal displays, and how bistable pixel or subpixel elements can be used to provide very high resolution while saving power relative to traditional liquid crystal displays.

FIG. 5 shows another type of display technology, addressing the desire for an inexpensive, high-quality display by using carbon nanotubes to emit electrons in a field emission display. One or more carbon nanotubes 501 are coupled to a conductor 502 in proximity to a phosphor 503, such that when a sufficiently high voltage is applied to the carbon nanotubes via the conductor 502 the carbon nanotubes emit electrons that strike the phosphors 503. In some further embodiments, other conductors such as a conductive screen or grid 504 are used to generate the electric field of approximately 4 MV/mm needed to cause electrons to fly from the carbon nanotubes toward the phosphor 503. In some embodiments, hundreds or thousands of carbon nanotubes are used as electron emitters at each pixel or subpixel, resulting in a large array of grown carbon nanotubes that are able to evenly and efficiently emit sufficient electrons to illuminate a relatively large phosphor region 503, of a size on the order of pixels presently used in plasma displays.

In the example of FIG. 5, separators 505 are used to suspend the electrode 504, and to isolate one pixel or subpixel from neighboring pixels. Different phosphors are used to produce the primary light colors red, green, and blue in some embodiments, and are supplemented by color filters printed into top layer 506 in some embodiments to further refine or purify the color of the light emitted from phosphors 503 when bombarded with electrons.

The carbon nanotubes 501 are in some embodiments grown or printed on the conductor 502 or on a back substrate 507 by using printing processes, such as those developed by Motorola in which a catalyst is used to cause carbon nanotubes to form perpendicular to a substrate in selected areas, or by the more traditional printing process described and used by companies such as Applied Nanotech, Inc.

Carbon nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules, as shown in FIG. 6, which can take different forms such as an armchair lattice structure 601, a zig-zag lattice structure 602, or a chiral lattice structure as shown at 603. Carbon nanotubes have a very high tensile strength, and are typically on the order of several nanometers in diameter but can reach several centimeters in length using current growth methods. The nanotubes are similar to graphite in that the chemical bond is the same as is found in graphite, but physically are a single layer of graphite-type material called grapheme wrapped to form a hollow tube rather than the amorphous graphite commonly found in pencil lead and other commercial products.

Carbon nanotubes can be single or multiple-walled, where multiple-walled carbon nanotubes physically appear to be several hollow carbon nanotubes nested inside one another. Carbon nanotubes are approximately 50 times stronger than steel in tension, but are less remarkable in bending, torsion, or compressional stress due to the hollow nature of the molecule. Some nanotubes structures such as the armchair structure 601 are conducting and considered to be metallic, and have been shown to theoretically withstand current densities over a thousand times higher than common electrically conductive metals such as silver or copper. Other carbon nanotubes structures are semiconducting, including many chiral lattice structures as shown at 603.

Application of carbon nanotubes as field emitting elements includes in one embodiment subjecting the carbon nanotubes to a voltage gradient sufficient that the Fermi function or work function of the material is overcome and an electron is released from a bound state into a vacuum. Carbon nanotubes possess the low threshold emission field level and stability at high current levels desired in an electron field emission element, and the structural integrity and chemical stability of carbon nanotubes result in a durable and lasting field emission device. The required electric field is formed by application of a large voltage gradient between the carbon nanotubes cathode and a closely spaced anode, such as carbon nanotubes 501 on the cathode conductive electrode 502 and anode wire 504. In some further embodiments, a control grid is located near the carbon nanotubes such as is shown at 504 of FIG. 5, and a positive voltage is further supplied near the phosphor, such as via indium tin oxide coating applied to the glass 506.

While conventional cathode ray tube displays use essentially the same phosphors and use electron guns to excite the phosphors, they rely on sweeping a beam of electrons across the face of a cathode ray tube to excite the pixels one at a time. Color cathode ray tubes typically have three separate electron guns, and use a mask or aperture grill such that each electron gun's electron beam can strike only phosphors of one of the three light primary colors red, green, and blue.

The sweeping electron beams result in each phosphor being excited by electrons for only a short time, and requires that the electron beams be continuously varied to excite pixels to an appropriate level as the electron beams scans across the face of the cathode ray tube. Images on cathode ray tube televisions or displays can therefore be seen to exhibit noticeable flicker as the electron beam sweeps across the tube from side to side, and as the side-to-side sweeps progress from top to bottom on the cathode ray tube's phosphors. Brightness and uniformity of traditional cathode ray tube displays also suffers, as the phosphors are bombarded with electrons very hard for a very short period of time as the electron gun beam sweeps across each pixel rather than being directly driven with a continuous electron beam.

The electrode beams of ordinary cathode ray tubes are swept across the phosphor pixel locations by using electric or magnetic fields, which makes cathode ray tube subject to distortion when used near other electronics or magnetic fields such as those produced by speakers or other electronic or magnetic components. The carbon nanotubes field emission display of FIG. 5 is not affected by such magnetic or electric fields, as the proximity of the carbon nanotubes 501 to the phosphor 503, and in some embodiments the pixel separators 505, ensure that the carbon nanotubes' emitted electrons strike the proper phosphor, and the electric field produced to cause the carbon nanotubes to emit electrons are significantly greater than any fields likely to be present in the environment of a carbon nanotubes display.

Another type of carbon nanotubes field emission display is shown in FIG. 7, which illustrates how carbon nanotubes can be used in a matrix-addressable flat panel display as an electron emission source. The example of FIG. 7 comprises a bottom layer 701 having several stripes of carbon nanotubes material 702, such as carbon nanotubes grown on a metal conductor or a carbon nanotubes epoxy material. The upper glass 703 and bottom layer 701 contain a vacuum, and the upper layer 703 has a number of stripes of phosphor-coated indium tin oxide. The indium tin oxide serves as a transparent conductor, and the phosphor coating glows when struck with electrons. Application of a negative potential to a specific carbon nanotubes line 702 and a positive potential to a specific phosphor-coated indium tin oxide line 704 results in bombarding the phosphor in the region where the stripes are nearest with electrons, creating a matrix-addressable display. Use of red, green, and blue phosphors in phosphor-coated indium tin oxide stripes 704 allows the display to generate color images at high brightness and resolution in a very thin display.

These technologies enable a carbon nanotubes display that is only a few millimeters thick to have a picture quality that is superior to cathode ray tubes, but without the high weight or very large size of traditional cathode ray tube televisions. Carbon nanotubes displays such as that of FIGS. 5 and 7 are not only less bulky and more uniform than cathode ray tube displays, but also consume less power, as electromagnetic deflection of an electron beam to extreme angles is not required.

Other examples of carbon nanotubes use in displays include using the nanotubes structures to backlight a liquid crystal display panel, such as by using an array of carbon nanotubes behind a phosphor-coated layer such that the carbon nanotubes are driven with a voltage to emit electrons that excite the phosphor layer, causing a bright and even backlight behind the LCD. Such a technology is incorporated into the bistable liquid crystal display of FIG. 2 in some embodiments, so that the backlight is also a printable part of the display assembly.

The examples presented here illustrate how displays can be produced using new technologies to create wagering game displays that are superior in many ways to those presently commercially available. Manufacturing is also simplified by use of traditional printing processes in many examples, including printing color filters, electrodes, phosphors, and structural elements. Power is further conserved in many of the examples presented here, such as by using bistable liquid crystal display elements as described in conjunction with FIG. 2 or by using field emission instead of electron guns to excite phosphors in the carbon nanotubes field emission display of FIG. 5.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement which is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the example embodiments of the invention described herein. It is intended that this invention be limited only by the claims, and the full scope of equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A computerized wagering game system, comprising:

a gaming module comprising gaming code which is operable to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered; and

a printed bistable liquid crystal display assembly, comprising a plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a substrate, the plurality of bistable elements comprising a uniform array of posts that form a uniform array of wells which hold a bistable liquid crystal material.

2. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements comprise bistable liquid crystal posts each under two micrometers in width between adjacent posts when viewed from a viewing surface of the display.

3. The computerized wagering game of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a plastic substrate.

4. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more color filters.

5. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more electrodes.

6. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises at least one bistable liquid crystal post.

7. The computerized wagering game system of claim 1, wherein the printing comprises imprinting a shape onto the bistable liquid crystal display assembly, and using the imprinted shape as a template to form one or more features of the bistable liquid crystal display assembly.

8. A method of operating a computerized wagering game system, comprising:

presenting a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered; and

displaying an image on a printed bistable liquid crystal display assembly, the bistable liquid crystal display assembly comprising a plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a substrate, the plurality of bistable elements comprising a uniform array of posts that form a uniform array of wells which hold a bistable liquid crystal material.

9. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein displaying an image on a printed bistable liquid crystal display comprises changing the state of at least one bistable liquid crystal display post by electrically changing the crystal orientation of the bistable liquid crystal display post.

10. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of bistable liquid crystal display elements comprise bistable liquid crystal posts each under two micrometers in width between adjacent posts when viewed from a viewing surface of the display.

11. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the substrate comprises a plastic substrate.

12. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more color filters.

13. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more electrodes.

14. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises at least one bistable liquid crystal post.

15. The method of operating a computerized wagering game system of claim 8, wherein the printing comprises imprinting a shape onto the bistable liquid crystal display assembly, and using the imprinted shape as a template to form one or more features of the bistable liquid crystal display assembly.

16. A computerized wagering game system, comprising:

a gaming module comprising gaming code which is operable to present a wagering game on which monetary value can be wagered; and

a plastic printed liquid crystal display assembly, comprising a plurality of liquid crystal display elements formed by printing at least a portion of each element onto a plastic substrate, the plurality of liquid crystal display elements comprising a uniform array of posts that form a uniform array of wells which hold a liquid crystal material.

17. The computerized wagering game system of claim 16, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more color filters.

18. The computerized wagering game system of claim 16, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises one or more electrodes.

19. The computerized wagering game system of claim 16, wherein the portion of each element printed onto a substrate comprises at least one bistable liquid crystal post.

20. The computerized wagering game system of claim 16, wherein the printing comprises imprinting a shape onto the bistable liquid crystal display assembly, and using the imprinted shape as a template to form one or more features of the bistable liquid crystal display assembly.

21-40. (canceled)