Patent ID: 9269233
Filing Date: 2016-02-23
CPC Classification: G07F

Claim Text:
1. A method of operating a gaming system primarily dedicated to conducting at least one casino wagering game, the gaming system including a gaming cabinet, one or more controllers, an electronic display device, and one or more electronic input devices, the electronic display device and the one or more electronic input devices being coupled to the gaming cabinet, the method comprising: detecting, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a physical item associated with a monetary value, the monetary value establishing a credit balance that changes based on play of the casino wagering game; receiving, via a physical input to at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, an input indicative of a basic wager to play the at least one casino wagering game, the casino wagering game including a plurality of winning outcomes, the plurality of winning outcomes being ranked according to predetermined non-monetary criteria; determining, by the one or more controllers, a randomly determined outcome of the casino wagering game; displaying the outcome on the electronic display device; awarding, by the one or more controllers, an award in response to the outcome meeting one of the plurality of winning outcomes; providing the opportunity to earn a bonus feature with an expected value, the probability of earning the bonus feature being greater than 0% for each of the plurality of winning outcomes and the probability of earning the bonus feature increasing from the lowest ranking of the winning outcome to the highest ranking of the winning outcome; and receiving, via at least one of the one or more electronic input devices, a cashout input that initiates a payout from the credit balance.