Abstract:
A networked gaming system and method for use in one or more casino establishments for offering games with a payback to the player exceeding 100% of the amount wagered over time by awarding the player with non-cash awards such as merchandise and services sold in bulk by third parties offering the merchandise and services. The gaming machine and method are offered on electronic gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines, but may also be deployed in other forms such as on a general purpose computing device or mobile telephone in stand-alone form or connected to a network, such as the Internet.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    Electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”) offer a variety of games such as slot games, video poker games, roulette games, keno games and other types of wagering games that are commonly deployed at a casino for use by players. Play on the EGMs typically requires the player to place a wager on the outcome of game. From the player&#39;s perspective, the most unappealing feature of the games is that mathematically, over time, the EGMs are programmed to pay out a theoretical percentage of the amount wagered (referred to as “coin-in”) that is less than one hundred percent (100%). In fact, in many jurisdictions where wagering games are legal, a maximum theoretical “payout” or “payback” percentage is set by law or regulation to be less than 100%. Players know that the EGMs are programmed to provide the house with an edge. In fact, there is a general understanding among players that in order for a casino or other gaming establishment to continue to operate, the games must give the house an edge to win over time. Nevertheless, players also understand that they may get lucky over the short-term, or on any individual spin and be able to walk out of the casino a winner. 
         [0002]    An example of a theoretical payback percentage is ninety-five percent (95%). In the case of a 95% theoretical payback slot machine game, the EGM is programmed to return 95 cents of every dollar wagered to the player. In mathematical terms, this means that the EGM is designed so that the combined value of each of the possible winning and losing outcomes, multiplied by the corresponding probability of each of the possible winning and losing outcomes respectively, when added together is 0.95. For the player, this is a losing proposition over the long-term and this is well understood by experienced casino patrons. However, the prospect of getting ahead in the short-term is what brings players to the casino in the hope that they will be a winner on any given spin, or on any given sequence of spins over a short period of time where the sample size and the true statistical probabilities may not always equate to the longer term reality that the player will lose 5 cents of every dollar wagered. 
         [0003]    It is noted that there have been certain casino wagering games where the payback percentage exceeds 100%. Among such games have been video poker games. However, for the player to receive a payout exceeding 100% over the long-term on such games, the player must play optimal strategy on each and every hand. While experienced poker players tend to be well informed about the mathematical probabilities on any given hand, it is difficult even for them to resist going for a high payout hand when optimal strategy would dictate that they do something different. As a result, even in circumstances where a game with a theoretical payout percentage exceeds 100%, the actual payout percentage for such games is usually below 100%. 
         [0004]    The present invention defines a system and method that overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the play of wagering games by casino patrons. In particular, the present invention recognizes that the casino business model requires that the casino set the EGMs to generate revenue for the casino but it also overcomes the need to generate revenue at the expense of the player. The present invention accomplishes this “win-win” arrangement by setting the theoretical payback percentage above 100%. The invention utilizes bulk, wholesale purchases of goods and/or services, to compensate for the differential between a typical payback percentage below 100% and a player-friendly payback percentage above 100%. These goods and/or services are acquired from third party vendors and are designed to be desirable prizes so that the player is willing to play the game in order to win both cash and non-cash prizes. At the same time, the vendor and the casino operator also receive benefits from the arrangement in the form of a new sales channel for the vendor, and a product that is more appealing to customers for the casino without a reduction in profits. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show more clearly how it functions, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show embodiments of the present invention in which: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1A  shows an electronic gaming machine for playing a game; 
           [0007]      FIGS. 1B-1F  show computing devices for playing a game; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  shows an electronic gaming machine for playing a game and connected to a network controlled by a server based system; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3A  shows a group of electronic gaming machines on a network connected to a server based system and an external system; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3B  shows a group of computing devices on a network connected to a server based system; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  shows a sample merchandise voucher awarded to a player and subsidized by a third party; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5A  shows a sample probability table for a poker game with merchandise awards; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5B  shows a sample probability table for a slot game with merchandise awards; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  shows a flow chart of game play with an opportunity for a player to win merchandise awards; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  shows a flow chart of game play with an opportunity for a player to win merchandise awards and having an advertising component. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Throughout  FIGS. 1-7 , like elements of the invention are referred to by the same reference numerals for consistency purposes. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1A  shows an electronic gaming machine (“EGM”)  101  with a number of components. A display  105  is used to show game play and resulting outcomes, and may be in the form of a video display (shown), or alternatively, physical reels. Touch screen displays are included on most EGMs and provide a flexible interface for operation of EGM  101 , including displaying symbols  106  during play. Other components include a bill validator (see  FIG. 2 ) and a coin acceptor that are both housed inside EGM  101  into which bills may be inserted through bill slot  107  and coins may be inserted through coin head  108 , respectively. Buttons  109  on the exterior of EGM  101  are used to control certain EGM operations in conjunction with touch screen display  105 . A handle  111  may be used to initiate play of a game and speakers  113  are used to provide sounds in conjunction with game play and other EGM operations. EGMs further include a top box  115  for displaying pay tables, artwork, advertising or other types of information either on fixed glass or on other displays such as an integrated video panel. Top box  115  may be fitted with a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) screen to permit aspects of game play from either a base game or a secondary game to be shown in top box  115 . Meters  117  for tracking credits available for play, amount won on a particular play, number of coins bet and other amounts are positioned near the bottom of screen  105 . A coin tray  119  at the bottom of EGM  101  is used to catch coins as they are dispensed to a player. It is also common for EGM  101  to include a ticket-in, ticket-out (“TITO”) component that may be part of the bill validator housed inside of EGM  101  that may accept bar coded credits through slot  107  and for which the value of the credits is displayed on meters  117  upon a ticket being inserted. 
         [0018]      FIGS. 1B-1F  show a number of general computing devices which may be used to play a game. These figures show a smartphone  171  in  FIG. 1B  which may be an Apple iPhone 4S® as pictured, or any other mobile phone type device. A tablet computer  173  is shown in  FIG. 1C  which may be an Apple iPad 3® as pictured, or any other tablet computing device. A desktop computer  175  is shown in  FIG. 1D  which may be a Lenovo® machine as pictured, or any other desktop computer. A laptop computer  177  is shown in  FIG. 1E  which may be a Lenovo® computer or any other laptop computer. And, a home video gaming device  179  is shown in  FIG. 1F  which may be a Microsoft Xbox® system or any other home video system. Other types of network connected devices could also be used to play games including portable video gaming devices such as a Sony PSP®, a Nintendo GameBoy®, or an internet connected television with a browser or app capabilities. Any of these devices is capable of playing a game, including a wagering game, through an app loaded onto the device or through a website accessible using a browser on the device. In the case of the networked game, payment may be made by credit card, Paypal® or another payment service, and the RNG is run securely on server based system  201  and then delivering outcomes over the internet to be displayed on the general purpose computing device. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of EGM  101  connected to a server based system  201  and showing certain internal components of EGM  101 . All operational functions of EGM  101  are controlled by a controller  131  such as a microprocessor housed inside EGM  101  that is resident on a game board  133 . The controller executes instructions that include operation of a random number generator  135  (“RNG”) that is usually implemented in software and stored in a memory  137 . The internal components of EGM  101  are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Game outcomes are determined based on the results corresponding to the numbers selected by RNG  135 . A bill validator  139  also has ticket printing capabilities. Bill validator  139  accepts currency in the form of bills, or tickets from a player and adds credit to meters  117  on EGM  101 . 
         [0020]    An external system  203  such as a player tracking system, a slot accounting system or a bonusing system may also be connected to EGM  101 . These types of systems are typically connected to EGM  101  either through a separate interface board (not shown) or directly to different components of EGM  101  including but not limited to game board  133 . A player tracking system may also include other components installed on EGM  101  such as a player tracking display  205 , a keypad  207  and a card reader  209 . These components allow for direct interaction between external system  203  and the player to receive information from the player on keypad  207  or through information on a card inserted into card reader  209 , and to display information to the player on display  205 . A network is established between external system  203  and EGM  101  by network connection  213 . The network may be connected to all EGMs  101  in a casino or any smaller subset of EGMs  101 . 
         [0021]    Server based system  201  is also connected to EGMs  101  by a network connection  215  which may be a separate connection or the same connection as external system  203 . Server based system  201  may have one or more individual servers tasked with different functions. As shown, server based system  201  has an award server  217  and an advertising server  219 . Award server  217  is tasked with maintaining a database of different awards available to be offered to a player and making those awards available to the player at an appropriate time during game play. Advertising server  219  is tasked with maintaining a database of different advertisements to be displayed to a player at an appropriate time and may be based on the awards that a player chooses to play for. A third server  221  is also shown and may be used for overflow operation of either of award server  217  or advertising server  219 , or for any other purpose required. Servers  217 - 221  are shown for illustrative purposes only. Different server configurations may be used with more or fewer servers, or a single server may be employed to handle all functions simultaneously. 
         [0022]    Databases  223   a - c  storing different types of information are available to servers  217 - 221 . In one embodiment, a database  223   a  may be used to store award information that is available to award server  217 . Similarly, database  223   b  may be used to store advertising information that is available to advertising server  219 . While databases  223   a - c  are shown as separate databases, different configurations may be used with more or fewer databases, or a single database may be employed to store all information. 
         [0023]    In  FIG. 2 , EGM  101  is shown as a casino gaming device of the type depicted in  FIG. 1A . It should be understood that any one or more of the general purpose computing devices—smartphone  131 , tablet computer  133 , desktop computer  135 , laptop computer  137 , or home video gaming system  139  shown in FIGS.  1 B- 1 F—could be placed on a network connected to server based system  201 . For purposes of this specification, reference to one or more EGMs  101  in an environment using a limited access intranet of the type typically found in a casino would also apply to one or more general purpose computing devices with a secure connection to a server over the internet. 
         [0024]    It will be understood that the type of network over which data is communicated can be one of several different types of networks. The includes a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), an intranet or the Internet. Other proprietary networks could also be used without departing from the principles of the invention. This would include such networks as a Windows network or an Ethernet network. 
         [0025]      FIG. 3A  is a block diagram showing a group of EGMs  101  1-x on a network connection  215  between server based system  201  and each of EGMs  101  1-x. It should be understood that the network may be set up with any number of EGMs that may number into the thousands of machines. Each of EGMs  101  1-x is also connected to external system  203  that may be a player tracking, slot accounting, bonusing or other type of system. Information is communicated between EGMs  101  and server based system  201  so that a player at any one of EGMs  101  may be offered a different set of award options that are appealing to that player. For example, one player at EGM  101 - 1  may enjoy travel. For that player, it may be appealing to play for travel related awards such as airline tickets, hotel stays or rental car uses, or a package of all three. Another play may be excited to win a shopping spree at a local department store, while a third player may enjoy tickets to a sporting event. For any of these awards, a voucher may be printed by ticket printer  139  of EGM  101  and dispensed to the player upon achieving a winning outcome for the selected award. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3B  shows server based system  201  connected to a network with multiple computing devices for playing games. It should be understood that the network shown in  FIG. 3B  operates in the same manner as the network of  FIG. 3A , except that the computing devices on the network of  FIG. 3B  are connected over the internet  301  with each device  171 - 179  connected over a secure connection  303   a - e  to server based system  201  which connects to the internet over network connection  215 . Payments can be made securely over internet  301  using connections  303   a - e , and then delivered to an operator over connection  215 . Similarly, the game is executed on server based system  201  using a secure RNG with the outcomes being delivered to the individual devices  171 - 179  over internet  301 . Payments to players may be made using accounts set up with an operator of a website on which the games are run. 
         [0027]    An award in the form of a printed voucher  401  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The particular voucher shown is for South Best Airlines and is in the amount of $150. The voucher may include various information such as a congratulatory note  403 , the sponsor  405 , the amount of the voucher  407 , the date it was won  409 , the name of the casino  411 , and a bar code  413  to identify and authenticate the ticket for a particular player, and where it was won. The bar code may be a 2-dimensional type or the older one dimensional type (not shown). To use voucher  401 , the player need only present the voucher to the sponsor with a personal identification to receive the value of the award. The bar code is maintained on the server in a database and provided to the sponsor so that voucher  401  may be authenticated upon presentation by the winning player. 
         [0028]    Alternatively, printed voucher  401  may be in electronic form and sent to a player via email, text message, Twitter, or accessible through a social media site such as Facebook®, Google+®, Twitter®, etc., or on a loyalty award site. In electronic form, voucher  401  may be printed out by the player for presentation to the vendor, or simply presented to a vendor on a mobile device such as mobile phone  171  or tablet computer  173 . The voucher may also be made available on a loyalty award site or sent to another individual chosen by the player as a gift. 
         [0029]      FIG. 5A  is a sample probability table  501  for a game with merchandise awards. The probability table is for a poker game referred to as “Shop &#39;N Fly Video Poker.” The table is similar to a standard video poker table for a “Jacks or Better” video poker game with a $1 denomination. Table  501  shows a financial analysis for the casino on the left side and a financial analysis for the player on the right side for “hand,” “1 dollar pay,” “5 dollar pay,” “probability” and “contribution at 5 dollars bet” in the columns for each of the casino and player column groupings respectively. A similar calculation for “contribution at 1 dollar bet” is not included in the figure because in the sample, a $5 bet is required to win the vouchers. 
         [0030]    As can be seen in table  501 , three of the awards for a 5 dollar bet have been replaced with third party sponsored awards. These awards are for a 4-of-a-kind  503 , a full house  505  and a flush  507 . For each of these awards, the usual cash prize amount to the player has been substituted with a voucher from a third party entity offering the casino operating the Shop &#39;N Fly game a non-cash prize in the form of a voucher for products or services. In this case, the 4-of-a-kind that is usually worth a $125 cash prize to the player is replaced with a voucher award having a retail value of $150. The casino buys the $150 award for $125 ( 503 casino) and is able to offer it to the player at a $150 value ( 503 player) because the third party sponsor has discounted the purchase price to the casino based on volume sales or other marketing value. Since the value to the player is $150, the overall payout percentage is increased over the normal $125 payout for 4-of-a-kind 
         [0031]    Similarly, the casino may offer the player a $50 voucher at Mall-Mart department stores for a full house. A full house is usually paid at $40 and Mall-Mart has sold the voucher to the casino for $40. The player may also get a $30 voucher at Acme Supermarkets for getting a flush which is normally paid at $25. As with the other two sponsored awards described, the $30 Acme voucher cost the casino $25. With these substitutions in the paytable, the overall payback percentage for the casino is about 97% while the overall payback percentage including the retail value of the voucher awards to the player is about 102%. The Shop &#39;N Fly poker game is therefore more appealing to everyone involved—the player because s/he gets the benefits of playing a game with a higher payback percentage which will pay out more over time, the casino, because it can maintain the same profitability on the game while paying more out to the player and making that player a happier and more loyal customer, and the award sponsor who makes a sale of its products or services and taps into a sales channel that it had not previously enjoyed while doing so at a reasonable cost. 
         [0032]    In the particular sample table of  FIG. 5A , the voucher and higher probability payout percentage is only offered on a 5 dollar wager. However, it is possible to offer vouchers for play on a 1 dollar wager as well. This is a design choice to be made by the game designer. 
         [0033]      FIG. 5B  shows a sample probability table for a slot game with merchandise awards. The probability table is for a slot game referred to as “Freedom of Choice Slot Game.” The table is similar to a standard slot game table for a three reel, 1 line, 3 coin multiplier in a $1 denomination. However, if the player hits 3 red 7s across the payline, the player is given a special merchandise award, which in the example of table  511  is a $200 award voucher that may be selected by the player between: 1) a Mall-Mart gift card; 2) a South Best Airlines card; or 3) 2 free nights at Casino Resort. 
         [0034]    As can be seen in table  511 , one of the awards for has been replaced with the special award selected by the player. This award is provided to the player when s/he lines up three red 7s across the payline. For this symbol combination, the usual cash prize amount to the player of $150 has been substituted with a voucher from a third party entity offering the casino operating the Freedom of Choice slot game a non-cash prize in the form of a voucher for products or services. In this case, the three red 7s combination that is usually worth a $150 cash prize to the player is replaced with a voucher award having a retail value of $200. The casino buys the $200 award for $150 as can be seen at table entry  513  (three times multiplier applied to a value of 50) and is able to offer it to the player at a $200 value as can be seen at table entry  515  (three times multiplier applied to a value of 66.666) because the third party sponsor has discounted the purchase price to the casino based on volume sales or other marketing value. Since the value to the player is $200, the overall payout percentage is increased over the normal $150 payout for three red 7s. 
         [0035]    With this substitution in the paytable, the overall payback percentage for the casino is about 93% while the overall payback percentage to the player is about 103%. The Freedom of Choice slot game is therefore more appealing to everyone involved—the player because s/he gets the benefits of playing a game with a higher pay percentage, which will pay out more over time, the casino, because it can maintain the same profitability on the game while paying more out to the player and making that player a happier and more loyal customer, and the award sponsor who makes a sale of its products or services and taps into a sales channel that it had not previously enjoyed while doing so at a reasonable cost. 
         [0036]    In the particular sample table of  FIG. 5B , the voucher and higher probability payout percentage is only offered on a 3 coin multiplier wager. However, it is possible to offer vouchers for play on a 1 dollar wager as well. This is a design choice to be made by the game designer. 
         [0037]      FIG. 6  shows a flow chart of game play with an opportunity for a player to win merchandise awards in the form of products and services. Start  601  represents the point at which a player sits down at EGM  101  to begin play. The player initially inserts a bill into bill slot  107  or coins into coin head  108  to put credits on the machine. These credits may be displayed to the player on a credit meter  117 . The player then selects a wager amount and places a wager using buttons  109  to initiate game play at step  603 . Before the game actually begins, a player is offered an award selection at step  605 . The award selection may be a single step where the player is given a simple choice among 2 or more pre-determined awards at a given prize level. For the $150 prize, the player may choose a $150 voucher for: 1) an airline flight; 2) a shopping spree at a department store; or 3) a pair of tickets to a sporting event. The choices are made available to EGM  101  by server based system  201 , and more particular by award server  217  from awards that are available in award database  223   a . The awards are entered into system  201  by the casino operator based on agreements reached between the casino operator and third party sponsors seeking to sell merchandise through EGM  101 . Award choices are updated on a continuous basis as new awards are added to database  223   a  by the casino operator. 
         [0038]    To give the player greater control over award selections, an additional step may be added where the awards to be offered are broken out into different award categories. Before choosing a particular award, the player may first choose an award category such as “Travel,” “Merchandise,” or “Tickets,” although it should be understood that there may be many categories from which a player may choose. The categories are maintained on database  223   a  in server based system  201 . Once a player has selected a category, the player is given an opportunity to select from a group of awards in the category for which to play. If a player has chosen the travel category, the player will be offered the choice of different travel awards such as a flight voucher on an airline, a hotel stay voucher or a car rental voucher. If the player chooses the Merchandise category, s/he may play for a gift voucher of the specified amount at a department store or a shopping spree worth a particular amount at a grocery store. Similarly, for the Ticket category, the player may choose between concert tickets, a sporting event or a play, among many other potential choices. 
         [0039]    Selection of the award category and/or the particular award is done on EGM  101  by presenting selection on display  105  of EGM  101  and offering the player an opportunity to make a selection through buttons  109  on touch screen game display  105  or through the use of buttons  109  on EGM  101 . Once the player has selected the award for which s/he wants to play at step  607 , the game is played at step  609  including appropriate game graphics shown on display  105  and game sounds from speakers  113 . In this step, RNG  135  is also executed on controller  131  and a game outcome is chosen. Once the outcome is reached, the outcome is displayed on game display  105  for the player to see at step  611 . It is determined whether the outcome is a winner or loser at step  613 . If it is a losing outcome, the player is returned to step  603  to start the process over again. If it is a winning outcome, the player is notified that s/he has won at step  615 . 
         [0040]    Once it has been established that the player has won at step  613  and s/he has been notified at step  615 , the award must be provided to the player. It must be determined whether the player was eligible for a merchandise award at step  617 . If not, the player is paid out by incrementing credit meter  117  for the appropriate amount of cash or by dispensing cash or a ticket voucher cash equivalent from ticket printer  139  at step  619 , or alternatively the player may be provided with the voucher electronically by sending it in an email message, a text message or a twitter message, or by making the voucher electronically available in the player&#39;s online loyalty account, or through a social media site such as Facebook, or though any other form. The voucher may also be sent as a gift to an individual of the player&#39;s choosing, either electronically or in printed form. If the player is eligible for a merchandise award, a voucher for the merchandise is printed from ticket printer  139 , or otherwise provided to the player as described with respect to the award information at step  621  and including a bar code or some other form of data security to ensure that the voucher has a unique identification that can be confirmed when presented by the player. The bar code is provided by award server  217  and that same bar code is delivered to the sponsor so that it can be authenticated by the sponsor when presented for use by the player. The printing or transmission of the voucher is also confirmed to award server  217  which removes the award from the available inventory of awards on database  223   a.    
         [0041]    Once the award has been provided to the player either at step  619  or  621 , the player is returned to step  603  to play the next game. It should be understood that a player preference setting may be established to allow the player to play multiple games in sequence for the same awards without making award selections each time through the sequence of the flow chart of  FIG. 6 . In that case, the player may be prompted on display  105  to indicate that s/he would like to continue to play for the same awards until a cash out or other event occurs. 
         [0042]    While  FIG. 6  describes a process in which a player makes a choice of an award type and a particular award (see description of steps  605 ,  607 ), it should be understood that these steps may be eliminated and server  201  may offer a predetermined award set by the operator without the player&#39;s involvement in the selection. In that case, the player would be informed of the award s/he is playing for at the start of the game. The award may also be a mystery award offered from a group of awards and chosen at random by server  201 . 
         [0043]    An option that may be implemented is to offer the player the ability to exchange an award. This includes exchanging a cash award for a non-cash award, exchanging a non-cash award for a cash award or exchanging a non-cash award for another non-cash award. This option may be implemented as part of game play on EGM  101  where award server  201  makes such offers available at any time after an award has been provided to the player and the player can elect to make an exchange using buttons  109  on touch screen  105  or on the panel of EGM  101 . Or, a voucher exchange may be made available to a player at another location in the casino establishment. 
         [0044]    Another option that may be implemented in the invention is an advertising element. By adding advertising to various steps of the game, a fee from the advertiser(s) can be collected and the advertising may be used by the casino operator to further increase the payback percentage to the player. This may be done either by applying the full amount collected by the casino for the advertising to the payout amounts in the pay table, or where the casino takes an advertising fee from the advertising revenue but contributes some portion of the advertising revenue to the awards for payout thereby increasing the theoretical payback percentage. Alternatively, the advertising revenue may be given to the player, either in whole or in part to enhance the player&#39;s experience. 
         [0045]    The advertising element is described with respect to  FIG. 7  which shows a flow chart of game play with an opportunity for a player to win merchandise awards and having advertising elements. Start  701  represents the point at which a player sits down at EGM  101  to begin play. The player initially inserts a bill into bill slot  107  or coins into coin head  108  to put credits on the machine. These credits may be displayed to the player on a credit meter  117 . The player then selects a wager amount and places a wager using buttons  109  to initiate game play at step  703 . Before the game actually begins, a player is offered an award selection at step  705 . The award selection may be a single step where the player is given a simple choice among 2 or more pre-determined awards at a given prize level. For the $150 prize, the player may choose a $150 voucher for: 1) an airline flight; 2) a shopping spree at a department store; or 3) a pair of tickets to a sporting event. The choices are made available to EGM  101  by server based system  201  and more particular by award server  217  from awards that are available in award database  223   a . The awards are entered into system  201  by the casino operator based on agreements reached between the casino operator and third party sponsors seeking to sell merchandise through EGM  101 . Award choices are updated on a continuous basis as new awards are added to database  223   a  by the casino operator. 
         [0046]    To give the player greater control over award selections, an additional step may be added where the awards to be offered are broken out into different award categories. Before choosing a particular award, the player may first choose an award category such as “Travel,” “Merchandise,” or “Tickets,” although it should be understood that there may be many categories from which a player may choose. The categories are maintained on database  223   a  in server based system  201 . Once a player has selected a category, the player is given an opportunity to select from a group of awards in the category for which to play. If a player has chosen the travel category, the player will be offered the choice of different travel awards such as a flight voucher on an airline, a hotel stay voucher or a car rental voucher. If the player chooses the Merchandise category, s/he may play for a gift voucher of the specified amount at a department store or a shopping spree worth a particular amount at a grocery store. Similarly, for the Ticket category, the player may choose between concert tickets, a sporting event or a play, among many other potential choices. 
         [0047]    Selection of the award category and/or the particular award is done on EGM  101  by presenting selection on display  105  of EGM  101  and offering the player an opportunity to make a selection through buttons  109  on touch screen game display  105  or through the use of buttons  109  on EGM  101 . When the player makes the award selections including either or both of the category choice and/or particular award choice, that information is captured and delivered to award server  217  where it is stored on database  223   a  for reference about the player&#39;s choices. The choices, as well as other information about the player from sources such as the player tracking system, hotel database and any other accessible sources that provide data about a player are gathered over time and used to build a player profile. The player profile will allow the advertising server to target particular ads that are of interest to a particular player and will be effective in selling particular vouchers or other merchandise either inside or outside the casino. The player profile information may also be used to prioritize award selections offered to the player. 
         [0048]    Once the player has selected the award for which s/he wants to play at step  707 , the game is played at step  709 , including appropriate game graphics shown on display  105  and game sounds from speakers  113 . During play, advertising server  219  may deliver particular play symbols or other advertising graphics to display  105  that incorporate advertisements based on the player&#39;s preferences that are gleaned from the player profile. In a manner similar to how sponsored awards are purchased by a casino operator to be available to a player for delivery by award server  217  from award database  223   a  upon achieving a certain game outcome, the advertising content is sold by the casino operator to advertisers. The particular advertisements, including how and when they are presented is up to the casino, the game manufacturer and/or the advertiser. Once finalized, the advertising content is stored on database  223   b  for delivery to EGM  101  by advertising server  219 . An example of a particular advertisement would be to place a company logo on the card backs of a poker game. Alternatively, the advertiser could have their logo appear as a symbol in a spinning reel slot or video slot game. 
         [0049]    Returning to step  709 , RNG  135  is executed on controller  131  and a game outcome is chosen. Once the outcome is reached, the outcome is displayed on game display  105  for the player to see at step  711  which outcome and the screen on which it is displayed may incorporate advertising content including within the play symbols. The advertising content is delivered by advertising server  221  from database  223   b . It is then determined whether the outcome is a winner or loser at step  713 . If it is a losing outcome, the player is returned to step  703  to start the process over again. If it is a winning outcome, the player is notified that s/he has won at step  715  possibly accompanied by other targeted advertising content delivered by advertising server  221  from database  223   b.    
         [0050]    Once it has been established that the player has won at step  713  and s/he has been notified at step  715 , the award must be provided to the player. It must be determined whether the player was eligible for a merchandise award at step  717 . If not, the player is paid out by incrementing credit meter  117  for the appropriate amount of cash or by dispensing cash or a ticket voucher cash equivalent from ticket printer  139  at step  719  which also may include advertising content. Alternatively the player may be provided with the voucher electronically by sending it in an email message, a text message or a twitter message, or by making the voucher electronically available in the player&#39;s online loyalty account, or through a social media site such as Facebook, or though any other form. If the player is eligible for a merchandise award, a voucher for the merchandise is printed from ticket printer  139 , or otherwise provided to the player as described with respect to the award information at step  721 , including a bar code or some other form of data security to ensure that the voucher has a unique identification that can be confirmed when presented by the player. The bar code is provided by award server  217  and that same bar code is delivered to the sponsor so that it can be authenticated by the sponsor when presented for use by the player. The printing or transmission of the voucher is also confirmed to award server  217  which removes the award from the available inventory of awards on database  223   a . When printing or transmitting the award voucher at step  721 , such award voucher may include advertising content delivered by advertising server  221 . 
         [0051]    Once the award has been provided to the player either at step  719  or  721 , the player is returned to step  703  to play the next game. It should be understood that a player preference setting may be established to allow the player to play multiple games in sequence for the same awards without making award selections each time through the sequence of the flow chart of  FIG. 7 . In that case, the player may be prompted on display  105  to indicate that s/he would like to continue to play for the same awards until a cash out or other event occurs. 
         [0052]    While  FIG. 7  describes a process in which a player makes a choice of an award type and a particular award (see description of steps  705 ,  707 ), it should be understood that these steps may be eliminated and server  201  may offer a predetermined award set by the operator without the player&#39;s involvement in the selection. In that case, the player would be informed of the award s/he is playing for at the start of the game. The award may also be a mystery award offered from a group of awards and chosen at random by server  201 . 
         [0053]    An option that may be implemented is to offer the player the ability to exchange an award. This includes exchanging a cash award for a non-cash award, exchanging a non-cash award for a cash award or exchanging a non-cash award for another non-cash award. This option may be implemented as part of game play on EGM  101  where award server  201  makes such offers available at any time after an award has been provided to the player and the player can elect to make an exchange using buttons  109  on touch screen  105  or on the panel of EGM  101 . Or, a voucher exchange may be made available to a player at another location in the casino establishment. 
         [0054]    While the invention has been described with respect to the figures, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, any particular game incorporating the invention may have a set paytable where the player is not given a choice of awards. Instead, the awards for any given outcome are set and may not be changed by the player. It&#39;s also possible to implement the invention where any given outcome may be eligible for any one of a group of different awards where the award provided to the player is selected at random from the group. Any variation and derivation from the above description and drawings are included in the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.