Patent ID: 7674182
Filing Date: 2010-03-09
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
1. A gaming system comprising: a plurality of gaming machines connected within a network, the gaming machines receiving wagers from players for playing a game, certain outcomes of the game granting awards to the players, each of the gaming machines including a player identification card reader that reads a player identification code on a player identification card used by a player, the player identification code on each player identification card being a unique code that is associated with a player upon issuance of the card to the player that uniquely identifies the particular player or card, a player identification card inserted into the reader being monitored by a casino to track players' activities; a display device connected to said network that displays a jackpot common to all of said plurality of gaming machines; a random selector that randomly selects a player identification code from a pool of player identification codes on player identification cards, the pool of player identification codes including player identification codes of players who do not have their player identification card inserted into any gaming machine; and a controller configured to determine whether the jackpot is to be paid to a player of one of said gaming machines based on certain criteria, said certain criteria comprising a matching of a randomly selected player identification code by the random selector with a player identification code on a player identification card inserted by a player into one of said gaming machines, a randomly selected player identification code on the player identification card being different from player identification codes on other player identification cards, the random selector being controlled to select a different player identification code after a certain period of time, the randomly selected player identification code being active for a certain period of time and thereafter being inactive and replaced by the randomly selected different player identification code, wherein when a first player identification code of a first player's player identification card is randomly selected by the random selector for a certain period of time and the first player does not have the first player's player identification card inserted in a gaming machine, the controller is configured to determine that the first player qualifies to win the jackpot, as part of the certain criteria, when the first player inserts the first player's player identification card into a gaming machine within the certain period of time and plays the gaming machine while the random selection of the first player's identification code is still active, prior to a next player identification code being randomly selected by the random selector.