Patent ID: 9514615
Filing Date: 2016-12-06
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A method of controlling a secondary game event in a game on a gaming machine operable to award at least one of a plurality of prizes, the gaming machine comprising a credit input mechanism comprising at least one of a coin input mechanism, a bill collector, a card reader, and a ticket reader, receiving a credit input via the credit input mechanism to establish a credit balance, the credit balance being increasable and decreasable based at least on wagering activity; a gaming controller and a memory having containing data indicative of a predefined hit rate that is independent of a wagered amount, the method comprising: causing, via the gaming controller, a secondary event trigger using the predefined hit rate; receiving, via a user interface, a wager; determining, via the gaming controller, an amount wagered for a play of the game from the credit balance; decreasing the credit balance by the determined amount wagered; sorting, via the gaming controller, the determined amount wagered into one of a plurality of ranges of amounts wagered; detecting, via the gaming controller, an occurrence of the secondary event trigger during the game; in response to detecting the occurrence of the secondary event trigger during the game, initiating, via the gaming controller, a secondary game event having the plurality of prizes available to be awarded; and restricting, via the gaming controller, the plurality of prizes available to be awarded in connection with the secondary game event based on the determined amount wagered, said restricting including awarding a particular one of the plurality of prizes based on a probability that depends on the one of the plurality of ranges into which the determined amount wagered is sorted, such that for a lowest of the plurality of ranges, the lowest of the plurality of prizes is more probable to be awarded, and for a highest of the plurality of ranges, the highest of the plurality of prizes is more probable to be awarded, wherein the probability of awarding the plurality of prizes is set such that an average return of the secondary game event is the same independent of the determined amount wagered.