Patent Publication Number: US-2003236115-A1

Title: Gaming apparatus with a consecutive wins multiplier

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] The present invention is directed to a gaming apparatus that is capable of providing a consecutive wins multiplier, the gaming apparatus allowing customers to play casino games such as poker, blackjack, slot, keno, and bingo.  
       [0002] Casino gaming units that provide a bonus based on a bonus game or round are generally known in the art. In particular, the bonus game or round may be provided if certain conditions are met. A player may be provided with a listing of certain conditions to reach the bonus game or round. For example, a bonus game may be played if a player achieves a certain configuration of symbols in a slot game. In another example, a bonus round may be played during a casino game if a player accumulates a particular number of credits. As a result, players may be accustomed to the typical ways of achieving additional payout of value or credits.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003] In one aspect, the invention is directed to a casino gaming apparatus that may include a display unit capable of generating video images, a value input device, and a controller operatively coupled to the display unit. The controller may comprise a processor and a memory and may be programmed to allow a person to make a wager, to cause a video image to be generated on the display unit, to determine if a person has won a given number of consecutive games and to determine a bonus value payout if a person has won a subsequent game after winning the given number of consecutive winning games without an intervening losing game, the bonus value payout being one of a non-whole number multiple and a whole-number multiple of a normal value payout that would have been paid out for winning the subsequent game without previously winning the given number of consecutive winning games.  
       [0004] The video image may represent a video casino game selected from the group of video casino games consisting of video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno and video bingo, in which case the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of playing cards if the video casino game comprises video poker; the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of simulated slot machine reels if the video casino game comprises video slots; the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of playing cards if the video casino game comprises video blackjack; the video image may comprise an image of a plurality of keno numbers if the video casino game comprises video keno; and the video image may comprise an image of a bingo grid if the video casino game comprises video bingo.  
       [0005] The controller may be programmed with a software counter that is reset in response to a loss of a game. The controller may be programmed to generate one or more video images in response to the given number of consecutive winning games. The controller may be programmed to generate one or more audio segments in response to the given number of consecutive winning games.  
       [0006] The invention is also directed to a casino gaming method that may comprise causing a video game image to be generated, determining if a player has won a given number of consecutive winning games that is being non-selectable by a player, and determining a bonus value payout if a player has won a subsequent game after winning the given number of consecutive winning games without an intervening losing game such that the bonus value payout being based on a normal value payout that would have been paid out for winning the subsequent game without previously winning the given number of consecutive winning games.  
       [0007] In another aspect, the invention is directed to a memory having a computer program being capable of being used in connection with a gaming apparatus. The memory may comprise a first memory portion physically configured in accordance with computer program instructions that would cause the gaming apparatus to allow a person to make a wager, a second memory portion physically configured in accordance with computer program instructions that would cause the gaming apparatus to cause a video image to be generated on a display unit, a third memory portion physically configured in accordance with computer program instructions that would cause the gaming apparatus to determine if a player has won a given number of consecutive winning games that is non-selectable by a player, and a fourth memory portion physically configured in accordance with computer program instructions that would cause the gaming apparatus to determine a bonus value payout if a player has won a subsequent game after winning the given number of consecutive winning games without an intervening losing game such that the bonus value payout is based on a normal value payout that would have been paid out for winning the subsequent game without previously winning the given number of consecutive winning games.  
       [0008] The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of various embodiments, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0009]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a gaming system in accordance with the invention;  
     [0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of one of the gaming units shown schematically in FIG. 1;  
     [0011]FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of a control panel for a gaming unit;  
     [0012]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the electronic components of the gaming unit of FIG. 2;  
     [0013]FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0014]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an alternative embodiment of a main routine that may be performed during operation of one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0015]FIG. 6 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video poker routine of FIG. 8;  
     [0016]FIG. 7 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video blackjack routine of FIG. 9;  
     [0017]FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video poker routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0018]FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video blackjack routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0019]FIG. 10 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the slots routine of FIG. 12;  
     [0020]FIG. 11 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video keno routine of FIG. 13;  
     [0021]FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a slots routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0022]FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video keno routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units;  
     [0023]FIG. 14 is an illustration of an embodiment of a visual display that may be displayed during performance of the video bingo routine of FIG. 15;  
     [0024]FIG. 15 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a video bingo routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units; and  
     [0025]FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a payout multiplier routine that may be performed by one or more of the gaming units. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS  
     [0026]FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a casino gaming system  10  in accordance with the invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the casino gaming system  10  may include a first group or network  12  of casino gaming units  20  operatively coupled to a network computer  22  via a network data link or bus  24 . The casino gaming system  10  may include a second group or network  26  of casino gaming units  30  operatively coupled to a network computer  32  via a network data link or bus  34 . The first and second gaming networks  12 ,  26  may be operatively coupled to each other via a network  40 , which may comprise, for example, the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), or a local area network (LAN) via a first network link  42  and a second network link  44 .  
     [0027] The first network  12  of gaming units  20  may be provided in a first casino, and the second network  26  of gaming units  30  may be provided in a second casino located in a separate geographic location than the first casino. For example, the two casinos may be located in different areas of the same city, or they may be located in different states. The network  40  may include a plurality of network computers or server computers (not shown), each of which may be operatively interconnected. Where the network  40  comprises the Internet, data communication may take place over the communication links  42 ,  44  via an Internet communication protocol.  
     [0028] The network computer  22  may be a server computer and may be used to accumulate and analyze data relating to the operation of the gaming units  20 . For example, the network computer  22  may continuously receive data from each of the gaming units  20  indicative of the dollar amount and number of wagers being made on each of the gaming units  20 , data indicative of how much each of the gaming units  20  is paying out in winnings, etc. The network computer  32  may be a server computer and may be used to perform the same or different functions in relation to the gaming units  30  as the network computer  22  described above.  
     [0029] Although each network  12 ,  26  is shown to include one network computer  22 ,  32  and four gaming units  20 ,  30 , it should be understood that different numbers of computers and gaming units may be utilized. For example, the network  12  may include a plurality of network computers  22  and tens or hundreds of gaming units  20 , all of which may be interconnected via the data link  24 . The data link  24  may provided as a dedicated hardwired link or a wireless link. Although the data link  24  is shown as a single data link  24 , the data link  24  may comprise multiple data links.  
     [0030]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one possible embodiment of one or more of the gaming units  20 . Although the following description addresses the design of the gaming units  20 , it should be understood that the gaming units  30  may have the same or different design as the gaming units  20  described below. It should be understood that the design of one or more of the gaming units  20  may be different than the design of other gaming units  20 , and that the design of one or more of the gaming units  30  may be different than the design of other gaming units  30 . Each gaming unit  20  may be any type of casino gaming unit and may have various different structures and methods of operation. For exemplary purposes, various designs of the gaming units  20  are described below, but it should be understood that numerous other designs may be utilized.  
     [0031] Referring to FIG. 2, the casino gaming unit  20  may include a housing or cabinet  50  and one or more input devices, which may include a coin slot or acceptor  52 , a paper currency acceptor  54 , a ticket reader/printer  56  and a card reader  58 , which may be used to input value to the gaming unit  20 . A value input device may include any device that can accept value from a customer. As used herein, the term “value” may encompass gaming tokens, coins, paper currency, ticket vouchers, credit or debit cards, and any other object representative of value.  
     [0032] If provided on the gaming unit  20 , the ticket reader/printer  56  may be used to read and/or print or otherwise encode ticket vouchers  60 . The ticket vouchers  60  may be composed of paper or another printable or encodable material and may have one or more of the following informational items printed or encoded thereon: the casino name, the type of ticket voucher, a validation number, a bar code with control and/or security data, the date and time of issuance of the ticket voucher, redemption instructions and restrictions, a description of an award, and any other information that may be necessary or desirable. Different types of ticket vouchers  60  could be used, such as bonus ticket vouchers, cash-redemption ticket vouchers, casino chip ticket vouchers, extra game play ticket vouchers, merchandise ticket vouchers, restaurant ticket vouchers, show ticket vouchers, etc. The ticket vouchers  60  could be printed with an optically readable material such as ink, or data on the ticket vouchers  60  could be magnetically encoded. The ticket reader/printer  56  may be provided with the ability to both read and print ticket vouchers  60 , or it may be provided with the ability to only read or only print or encode ticket vouchers  60 . In the latter case, for example, some of the gaming units  20  may have ticket printers  56  that may be used to print ticket vouchers  60 , which could then be used by a player in other gaming units  20  that have ticket readers  56 .  
     [0033] If provided, the card reader  58  may include any type of card reading device, such as a magnetic card reader or an optical card reader, and may be used to read data from a card offered by a player, such as a credit card or a player tracking card. If provided for player tracking purposes, the card reader  58  may be used to read data from, and/or write data to, player tracking cards that are capable of storing data representing the identity of a player, the identity of a casino, the player&#39;s gaming habits, etc.  
     [0034] The gaming unit  20  may include one or more audio speakers  62 , a coin payout tray  64 , an input control panel  66 , and a color video display unit  70  for displaying images relating to the game or games provided by the gaming unit  20 . The audio speakers  62  may generate audio representing sounds such as the noise of spinning slot machine reels, a dealer&#39;s voice, music, announcements or any other audio related to a casino game. The input control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of pushbuttons or touch-sensitive areas that may be pressed by a player to select games, make wagers, make gaming decisions, etc.  
     [0035]FIG. 2A illustrates one possible embodiment of the control panel  66 , which may be used where the gaming unit  20  is a slot machine having a plurality of mechanical or “virtual” reels. Referring to FIG. 2A, the control panel  66  may include a “See Pays” button  72  that, when activated, causes the display unit  70  to generate one or more display screens showing the odds or payout information for the game or games provided by the gaming unit  20 . As used herein, the term “button” is intended to encompass any device that allows a player to make an input, such as an input device that must be depressed to make an input selection or a display area that a player may simply touch. The control panel  66  may include a “Cash Out” button  74  that may be activated when a player decides to terminate play on the gaming unit  20 , in which case the gaming unit  20  may return value to the player, such as by returning a number of coins to the player via the payout tray  64 .  
     [0036] If the gaming unit  20  provides a slots game having a plurality of reels and a plurality of paylines which define winning combinations of reel symbols, the control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons  76 , each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to spinning the reels. For example, five buttons  76  may be provided, each of which may allow a player to select one, three, five, seven or nine paylines.  
     [0037] If the gaming unit  20  provides a slots game having a plurality of reels, the control panel  66  may be provided with a plurality of selection buttons  78  each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected. For example, if the smallest wager accepted by the gaming unit  20  is a quarter ($0.25), the gaming unit  20  may be provided with five selection buttons  78 , each of which may allow a player to select one, two, three, four or five quarters to wager for each payline selected. In that case, if a player were to activate the “5” button  76  (meaning that five paylines were to be played on the next spin of the reels) and then activate the “3” button  78  (meaning that three coins per payline were to be wagered), the total wager would be $3.75 (assuming the minimum bet was $0.25).  
     [0038] The control panel  66  may include a “Max Bet” button  80  to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable for a game. In the above example, where up to nine paylines were provided and up to five quarters could be wagered for each payline selected, the maximum wager would be 45 quarters, or $11.25. The control panel  66  may include a spin button  82  to allow the player to initiate spinning of the reels of a slots game after a wager has been made.  
     [0039] In FIG. 2A, a rectangle is shown around the buttons  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 . It should be understood that that rectangle simply designates, for ease of reference, an area in which the buttons  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82  may be located. Consequently, the term “control panel” should not be construed to imply that a panel or plate separate from the housing  50  of the gaming unit  20  is required, and the term “control panel” may encompass a plurality or grouping of player activatable buttons.  
     [0040] Although one possible control panel  66  is described above, it should be understood that different buttons could be utilized in the control panel  66 , and that the particular buttons used may depend on the game or games that could be played on the gaming unit  20 . Although the control panel  66  is shown to be separate from the display unit  70 , it should be understood that the control panel  66  could be generated by the display unit  70 . In that case, each of the buttons of the control panel  66  could be a colored area generated by the display unit  70 , and some type of mechanism may be associated with the display unit  70  to detect when each of the buttons was touched, such as a touch-sensitive screen.  
     Gaming Unit Electronics  
     [0041]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a number of components that may be incorporated in the gaming unit  20 . Referring to FIG. 3, the gaming unit  20  may include a controller  100  that may comprise a program memory  102 , a microcontroller or microprocessor (MP)  104 , a random-access memory (RAM)  106  and an input/output (I/O) circuit  108 , all of which may be interconnected via an address/data bus  110 . It should be appreciated that although only one microprocessor  104  is shown, the controller  100  may include multiple microprocessors  104 . Similarly, the memory of the controller  100  may include multiple RAMs  106  and multiple program memories  102 . Although the I/O circuit  108  is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit  108  may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. The RAM(s)  104  and program memories  102  may be implemented as semiconductor memories, magnetically readable memories, and/or optically readable memories, for example.  
     [0042]FIG. 3 illustrates that the control panel  66 , the coin acceptor  52 , the bill acceptor  54 , the card reader  58  and the ticket reader/printer  56  may be operatively coupled to the I/O circuit  108 , each of those components being so coupled by either a unidirectional or bidirectional, single-line or multiple-line data link, which may depend on the design of the component that is used. The speaker(s)  62  may be operatively coupled to a sound circuit  112 , that may comprise a voice- and sound-synthesis circuit or that may comprise a driver circuit. The sound-generating circuit  112  may be coupled to the I/O circuit  108 .  
     [0043] As shown in FIG. 3, the components  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58 ,  66 ,  112  may be connected to the I/O circuit  108  via a respective direct line or conductor. Different connection schemes could be used. For example, one or more of the components shown in FIG. 3 may be connected to the I/O circuit  108  via a common bus or other data link that is shared by a number of components. Furthermore, some of the components may be directly connected to the microprocessor  104  without passing through the I/O circuit  108 .  
     Overall Operation of Gaming Unit  
     [0044] One manner in which one or more of the gaming units  20  (and one or more of the gaming units  30 ) may operate is described below in connection with a number of flowcharts which represent a number of portions or routines of one or more computer programs, which may be stored in one or more of the memories of the controller  100 . The computer program(s) or portions thereof may be stored remotely, outside of the gaming unit  20 , and may control the operation of the gaming unit  20  from a remote location. Such remote control may be facilitated with the use of a wireless connection, or by an Internet interface that connects the gaming unit  20  with a remote computer (such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 ) having a memory in which the computer program portions are stored. The computer program portions may be written in any high level language such as C, C+, C++ or the like or any low-level, assembly or machine language. By storing the computer program portions therein, various portions of the memories  102 ,  106  are physically and/or structurally configured in accordance with computer program instructions.  
     [0045]FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a main operating routine  200  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . Referring to FIG. 4, the main routine  200  may begin operation at block  202  during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play the gaming unit  20 . The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the display unit  70  and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via the speakers  62 . The attraction sequence may include a scrolling list of games that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or video images of various games being played, such as video poker, video blackjack, video slots, video keno, video bingo, etc.  
     [0046] During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit  20  as determined at block  204 , the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game-selection display may be generated on the display unit  70  at block  206  to allow the player to select a game available on the gaming unit  20 . The gaming unit  20  may detect an input at block  204  in various ways. For example, the gaming unit  20  could detect if the player presses any button on the gaming unit  20 ; the gaming unit  20  could determine if the player deposited one or more coins into the gaming unit  20 ; the gaming unit  20  could determine if player deposited paper currency into the gaming unit; etc.  
     [0047] The game-selection display generated at block  206  may include, for example, a list of video games that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit  20 . While the game-selection display is generated, the gaming unit  20  may wait for the player to make a game selection. Upon selection of one of the games by the player as determined at block  208 , the controller  100  may cause one of a number of game routines to be performed to allow the selected game to be played. For example, the game routines could include a video poker routine  210 , a video blackjack routine  220 , a slot routine  230 , a video keno routine  240 , and a video bingo routine  250 . At block  208 , if no game selection is made within a given period of time, the operation may branch back to block  202 .  
     [0048] After one of the routines  210 ,  220 ,  230 ,  240 ,  250  has been performed to allow the player to play one of the games, block  260  may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit  20  or to select another game. If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit  20 , which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller  100  may dispense value to the player at block  262  based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block  202 . If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block  260 , the routine may return to block  208  where the game-selection display may again be generated to allow the player to select another game.  
     [0049] It should be noted that although five gaming routines are shown in FIG. 4, a different number of routines could be included to allow play of a different number of games. The gaming unit  20  may also be programmed to allow play of different games.  
     [0050]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an alternative main operating routine  300  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . The main routine  300  may be utilized for gaming units  20  that are designed to allow play of only a single game or single type of game. Referring to FIG. 5, the main routine  300  may begin operation at block  302  during which an attraction sequence may be performed in an attempt to induce a potential player in a casino to play the gaming unit  20 . The attraction sequence may be performed by displaying one or more video images on the display unit  70  and/or causing one or more sound segments, such as voice or music, to be generated via the speakers  62 .  
     [0051] During performance of the attraction sequence, if a potential player makes any input to the gaming unit  20  as determined at block  304 , the attraction sequence may be terminated and a game display may be generated on the display unit  70  at block  306 . The game display generated at block  306  may include, for example, an image of the casino game that may be played on the gaming unit  20  and/or a visual message to prompt the player to deposit value into the gaming unit  20 . At block  308 , the gaming unit  20  may determine if the player requested information concerning the game, in which case the requested information may be displayed at block  310 . Block  312  may be used to determine if the player requested initiation of a game, in which case a game routine  320  may be performed. The game routine  320  could be any one of the game routines disclosed herein, such as one of the five game routines  210 ,  220 ,  230 ,  240 ,  250 , or another game routine.  
     [0052] After the routine  320  has been performed to allow the player to play the game, block  322  may be utilized to determine whether the player wishes to terminate play on the gaming unit  20 . If the player wishes to stop playing the gaming unit  20 , which wish may be expressed, for example, by selecting a “Cash Out” button, the controller  100  may dispense value to the player at block  324  based on the outcome of the game(s) played by the player. The operation may then return to block  302 . If the player did not wish to quit as determined at block  322 , the program may branch back to block  308 .  
     Video Poker  
     [0053]FIG. 6 is an exemplary display  350  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video poker routine  210  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 6, the display  350  may include video images  352  of a plurality of playing cards representing the player&#39;s hand, such as five cards. To allow the player to control the play of the video poker game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Hold” button  354  disposed directly below each of the playing card images  352 , a “Cash Out” button  356 , a “See Pays” button  358 , a “Bet One Credit” button  360 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  362 , and a “Deal/Draw” button  364 . The display  350  may also include an area  366  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons  354 ,  356 ,  358 ,  360 ,  362 ,  364  may form part of the video display  350 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 .  
     [0054]FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the video poker routine  210  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 8, at block  370 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  358 , in which case at block  372  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  374 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by pressing the “Bet One Credit” button  360 , in which case at block  376  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  378 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Bet Max Credits” button  362 , in which case at block  380  bet data corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 .  
     [0055] At block  382 , the routine may determine if the player desires a new hand to be dealt, which may be determined by detecting if the “Deal/Draw” button  364  was activated after a wager was made. In that case, at block  384  a video poker hand may be “dealt” by causing the display unit  70  to generate the playing card images  352 . After the hand is dealt, at block  386  the routine may determine if any of the “Hold” buttons  354  have been activated by the player, in which case data regarding which of the playing card images  352  are to be “held” may be stored in the controller  100  at block  388 . If the “Deal/Draw” button  364  is activated again as determined at block  390 , each of the playing card images  352  that was not “held” may be caused to disappear from the video display  350  and to be replaced by a new, randomly selected, playing card image  352  at block  392 .  
     [0056] The poker routine  210  may determine whether the poker hand represented by the playing card images  352  currently displayed is a winner during a payout routine  396  as described in detail below. That determination may be made by comparing data representing the currently displayed poker hand with data representing all possible winning hands, which may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . If there is a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined by the payout routine  396 . At block  398 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the hand was a winner, the payout value determined by the payout routine  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  366  (FIG. 6).  
     [0057] Although the video poker routine  210  is described above in connection with a single poker hand of five cards, the routine  210  may be modified to allow other versions of poker to be played. For example, seven card poker may be played, or stud poker may be played. Alternatively, multiple poker hands may be simultaneously played. In that case, the game may begin by dealing a single poker hand, and the player may be allowed to hold certain cards. After deciding which cards to hold, the held cards may be duplicated in a plurality of different poker hands, with the remaining cards for each of those poker hands being randomly determined.  
     Video Blackjack  
     [0058]FIG. 7 is an exemplary display  400  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video blackjack routine  220  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 7, the display  400  may include video images  402  of a pair of playing cards representing a dealer&#39;s hand, with one of the cards shown face up and the other card being shown face down, and video images  404  of a pair of playing cards representing a player&#39;s hand, with both the cards shown face up. The “dealer” may be the gaming unit  20 .  
     [0059] To allow the player to control the play of the video blackjack game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  406 , a “See Pays” button  408 , a “Stay” button  410 , a “Hit” button  412 , a “Bet One Credit” button  414 , and a “Bet Max Credits” button  416 . The display  400  may also include an area  418  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons  406 ,  408 ,  410 ,  412 ,  414 ,  416  may form part of the video display  400 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 .  
     [0060]FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the video blackjack routine  220  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 9, the video blackjack routine  220  may begin at block  420  where it may determine whether a bet has been made by the player. That may be determined, for example, by detecting the activation of either the “Bet One Credit” button  414  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  416 . At block  422 , bet data corresponding to the bet made at block  420  may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  424 , a dealer&#39;s hand and a player&#39;s hand may be “dealt” by making the playing card images  402 ,  404  appear on the display unit  70 .  
     [0061] At block  426 , the player may be allowed to be “hit,” in which case at block  428  another card will be dealt to the player&#39;s hand by making another playing card image  404  appear in the display  400 . If the player has hit, block  430  may determine if the player has “bust,” or exceeded 21. If the player has not bust, blocks  426  and  428  may be performed again to allow the player to be hit again.  
     [0062] If the player decides not to hit (i.e., to stand), at block  432  the routine may determine whether the dealer should be hit. Whether the dealer hits may be determined in accordance with predetermined rules, such as the dealer always hit if the dealer&#39;s hand totals 15 or less. If the dealer hits, at block  434  the dealer&#39;s hand may be dealt another card by making another playing card image  402  appear in the display  400 . At block  436  the routine may determine whether the dealer has bust. If the dealer has not bust, blocks  432 ,  434  may be performed again to allow the dealer to be hit again.  
     [0063] If the dealer does not hit (i.e., stands), the payout routine  396  as described in detail below may determine the outcome of the blackjack game and a corresponding payout based on, for example, whether the player or the dealer has the higher hand that does not exceed 21. If the player has a winning hand, a payout value corresponding to the winning hand may be determined by the payout routine  396 . At block  442 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the player won, the payout value determined by the payout routine  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  418  (FIG. 7).  
     Slot  
     [0064]FIG. 10 is an exemplary display  450  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the slot routine  230  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 10, the display  450  may include video images  452  of a plurality of slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality of reel symbols  454  associated therewith. Although the display  450  shows five reel images  452 , each of which may have three reel symbols  454  that are visible at a time, other reel configurations could be utilized. In an alternate embodiment, the gaming unit  20  may include a plurality of rotatable slot machine reels, each of the reels having a plurality of reel symbols disposed thereon. The gaming unit  20 , for example, may include five rotatable slot machine reels, each of which may have three reel symbols that are visible at a time.  
     [0065] To allow the player to control the play of the slot game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  456 , a “See Pays” button  458 , a plurality of payline-selection buttons  460  each of which allows the player to select a different number of paylines prior to “spinning” the reels, a plurality of bet-selection buttons  462  each of which allows a player to specify a wager amount for each payline selected, a “Spin” button  464 , and a “Max Bet” button  466  to allow a player to make the maximum wager allowable.  
     [0066]FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the slots routine  230  shown schematically in FIG. 10. Referring to FIG. 12, at block  470 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  458 , in which case at block  472  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  474 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the payline-selection buttons  460 , in which case at block  476  data corresponding to the number of paylines selected by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  478 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed one of the bet-selection buttons  462 , in which case at block  480  data corresponding to the amount bet per payline may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . At block  482 , the routine may determine whether the player has pressed the “Max Bet” button  466 , in which case at block  484  bet data (which may include both payline data and bet-per-payline data) corresponding to the maximum allowable bet may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 .  
     [0067] If the “Spin” button  464  has been activated by the player as determined at block  486 , at block  488  the routine may cause the slot machine reel images  452  to begin “spinning” so as to simulate the appearance of a plurality of spinning mechanical slot machine reels. At block  490 , the routine may determine the positions at which the slot machine reel images will stop, or the particular symbol images  454  that will be displayed when the reel images  452  stop spinning. At block  492 , the routine may stop the reel images  452  from spinning by displaying stationary reel images  452  and images of three symbols  454  for each stopped reel image  452 . The virtual reels may be stopped from left to right, from the perspective of the player, or in any other manner or sequence.  
     [0068] The routine may provide for the possibility of a bonus game or round if certain conditions are met, such as the display in the stopped reel images  452  of a particular symbol  454 . If there is such a bonus condition as determined at block  494 , the routine may proceed to block  496  where a bonus round may be played. The bonus round may be a different game than slots, and many other types of bonus games could be provided. If the player wins the bonus round, or receives additional credits or points in the bonus round, a bonus value may be determined at block  498 . A payout value corresponding to outcome of the slots game and/or the bonus round may be determined by the payout routine  396  as described in detail below. At block  502 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the slot game and/or bonus round was a winner, the payout value determined by the payout routine  396 .  
     [0069] Although the above routine has been described as a virtual slot machine routine in which slot machine reels are represented as images on the display unit  70 , actual slot machine reels that are capable of being spun may be utilized instead.  
     Video Keno  
     [0070]FIG. 11 is an exemplary display  520  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video keno routine  240  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 11, the display  520  may include a video image  522  of a plurality of numbers that were selected by the player prior to the start of a keno game and a video image  524  of a plurality of numbers randomly selected during the keno game. The randomly selected numbers may be displayed in a grid pattern.  
     [0071] To allow the player to control the play of the keno game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  526 , a “See Pays” button  528 , a “Bet One Credit” button  530 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  532 , a “Select Ticket” button  534 , a “Select Number” button  536 , and a “Play” button  538 . The display  520  may also include an area  540  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display  520 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 .  
     [0072]FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the video keno routine  240  shown schematically in FIG. 4. The keno routine  240  may be utilized in connection with a single gaming unit  20  where a single player is playing a keno game, or the keno routine  340  may be utilized in connection with multiple gaming units  20  where multiple players are playing a single keno game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by the controller  100  in each gaming unit or by one of the network computer  22 ,  32  to which multiple gaming units  20  are operatively connected.  
     [0073] Referring to FIG. 13, at block  550 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  528 , in which case at block  552  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  554 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit” button  530  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  532 , in which case at block  556  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . After the player has made a wager, at block  558  the player may select a keno ticket, and at block  560  the ticket may be displayed on the display  520 . At block  562 , the player may select one or more game numbers, which may be within a range set by the casino. After being selected, the player&#39;s game numbers may be stored in the memory of the controller  100  at block  564  and may be included in the image  522  on the display  520  at block  566 . After a certain amount of time, the keno game may be closed to additional players (where a number of players are playing a single keno game using multiple gambling units  20 ).  
     [0074] If play of the keno game is to begin as determined at block  568 , at block  570  a game number within a range set by the casino may be randomly selected either by the controller  100  or a central computer operatively connected to the controller, such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 . At block  572 , the randomly selected game number may be displayed on the display unit  70  and the display units  70  of other gaming units  20  (if any) which are involved in the same keno game. At block  574 , the controller  100  (or the central computer noted above) may increment a count which keeps track of how many game numbers have been selected at block  570 .  
     [0075] At block  576 , the controller  100  (or one of the network computers  22 ,  32 ) may determine whether a maximum number of game numbers within the range have been randomly selected. If not, another game number may be randomly selected at block  570 . If the maximum number of game numbers has been selected, the controller  100  (or a central computer) may perform the payout routine  396  as described below to determine whether there are a sufficient number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers selected at block  570  to cause the player to win. The number of matches may depend on how many numbers the player selected and the particular keno rules being used.  
     [0076] If there are a sufficient number of matches, a payout may be determined by the payout routine  396  as described in detail below to compensate the player for winning the game. The payout may depend on the number of matches between the game numbers selected by the player and the game numbers randomly selected at block  570 . At block  582 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the keno game was won, the payout value determined by the payout routine  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  540  (FIG. 11).  
     Video Bingo  
     [0077]FIG. 14 is an exemplary display  600  that may be shown on the display unit  70  during performance of the video bingo routine  250  shown schematically in FIG. 4. Referring to FIG. 14, the display  600  may include one or more video images  602  of a bingo card and images of the bingo numbers selected during the game. The bingo card images  602  may have a grid pattern.  
     [0078] To allow the player to control the play of the bingo game, a plurality of player-selectable buttons may be displayed. The buttons may include a “Cash Out” button  604 , a “See Pays” button  606 , a “Bet One Credit” button  608 , a “Bet Max Credits” button  610 , a “Select Card” button  612 , and a “Play” button  614 . The display  600  may also include an area  616  in which the number of remaining credits or value is displayed. If the display unit  70  is provided with a touch-sensitive screen, the buttons may form part of the video display  600 . Alternatively, one or more of those buttons may be provided as part of a control panel that is provided separately from the display unit  70 .  
     [0079]FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the video bingo routine  250  shown schematically in FIG. 4. The bingo routine  250  may be utilized in connection with a single gaming unit  20  where a single player is playing a bingo game, or the bingo routine  250  may be utilized in connection with multiple gaming units  20  where multiple players are playing a single bingo game. In the latter case, one or more of the acts described below may be performed either by the controller  100  in each gaming unit  20  or by one of the network computers  22 ,  32  to which multiple gaming units  20  are operatively connected.  
     [0080] Referring to FIG. 15, at block  620 , the routine may determine whether the player has requested payout information, such as by activating the “See Pays” button  606 , in which case at block  622  the routine may cause one or more pay tables to be displayed on the display unit  70 . At block  624 , the routine may determine whether the player has made a bet, such as by having pressed the “Bet One Credit” button  608  or the “Bet Max Credits” button  610 , in which case at block  626  bet data corresponding to the bet made by the player may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 .  
     [0081] After the player has made a wager, at block  628  the player may select a bingo card, which may be generated randomly. The player may select more than one bingo card, and there may be a maximum number of bingo cards that a player may select. After play is to commence as determined at block  632 , at block  634  a bingo number may be randomly generated by the controller  100  or a central computer such as one of the network computers  22 ,  32 . At block  636 , the bingo number may be displayed on the display unit  70  and the display units  70  of any other gaming units  20  involved in the bingo game.  
     [0082] At block  638 , the controller  100  (or a central computer) may determine whether any player has won the bingo game. If no player has won, another bingo number may be randomly selected at block  634 . If any player has bingo as determined at block  638 , the payout routine  396  as described in detail below may determine whether the player playing that gaming unit  20  was the winner. If so, a payout for the player may be determined by the payout routine  396 . The payout may depend on the number of random numbers that were drawn before there was a winner, the total number of winners (if there was more than one player), and the amount of money that was wagered on the game. At block  644 , the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits may be updated by subtracting the bet made by the player and adding, if the bingo game was won, the payout value determined by the payout routine  396 . The cumulative value or number of credits may also be displayed in the display area  616  (FIG. 14).  
     Payout Routine  
     [0083] As mentioned above, a payout routine  396  may be utilized for any one of the game routines (i.e., the video poker routine  210 , the blackjack routine  220 , the slots routine  230 , the video keno routine  240 , and the video bingo routine  250 ). FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the payout routine  396  that may be stored in the memory of the controller  100 . Referring to FIG. 16, the payout routine  396  may begin operation at block  702  to determine an outcome of a game. If the outcome of the current game is a win as determined at block  702 , the controller  100  may determine at block  704  whether a multiplier flag is turned on. If the multiplier flag is turned off as determined at block  704 , the controller  100  may increment at block  706  a count that keeps track of the number of consecutive wins by a player. The controller  100  may be programmed with a software counter to keep track of the number of consecutive wins by the player. Block  708  may be used to determine whether the count is equal to a given number of consecutive wins, i.e., whether the player won a given number of times. If the count is equal to the given number of consecutive wins as determined at block  708 , the controller  100  may turn on at block  710  the multiplier flag that may activate a multiplier used to determine a bonus value payout for the subsequent game (i.e., next game) as described in detail below. At block  712 , the controller  100  may determine a normal value payout associated with the outcome of the current game. At block  713 , the payout routine  396  may terminate and the controller  100  may return to the game routine to update the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits.  
     [0084] Returning to block  704 , if the multiplier flag is turned on as determined at block  704 , the controller  100  may provide at block  714  a multiplier to determine a bonus value payout, which may be a whole-number multiple of the normal value payout that would have been paid out for winning the subsequent game without previously winning the given number of consecutive winning games. At block  716 , the controller  100  may generate one or more video images and/or one or more audio segments to indicate the number of consecutive wins by the player. Block  722  may be used to reset by turning off the multiplier flag, and returns to block  706  to keep track of the number of consecutive wins by a player. As noted above, block  708  may be used to determine whether the count is equal to a given number of consecutive wins, i.e., whether the player won a given number of times. If the count is equal to the given number of consecutive wins as determined at block  708 , the controller  100  may turn on at block  710  the multiplier flag that may activate a multiplier used to determine a bonus value payout for the subsequent game (i.e., next game). In an alternate embodiment, block  708  may be used to determine whether the count is equal to or greater than a given number of consecutive wins so that a player may be awarded a bonus even after winning the given number of consecutive wins. Block  712  may be used to determine the bonus value payout associated with the outcome of the game based upon the multiplier. For example, multiply fixed or variable bonus as used herein, the term “multiply” is used in its broadest sense to mean an increased or enhancement of an award value. At block  713 , the payout routine  396  may terminate and the controller  100  may return to the game routine to update the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits.  
     [0085] If the player lost the current game as determined at block  702 , the controller  100  at block  718  may clear the count that keeps track the number of consecutive wins by the player and block  720  may be used to turn off the multiplier flag in response to the player losing the current game. At block  713 , the payout routine  396  may terminate, and the controller  100  may return to the game routine to update the player&#39;s cumulative value or number of credits.  
     [0086] In an example of a performance of the payout routine  396 , the given number of consecutive wins may be eight and the current game is an eighth game for a player, who may have won his seven previous games (i.e., the consecutive win count is at seven). The controller  100  may determine at block  702  that the player won the current game (i.e., the eighth game). At block  704 , the controller  100  may determine that the multiplier flag is not turned on by the outcome of the previous game (i.e., the seventh game). Accordingly, the controller  100  may increment at block  706  the count to eight in response to the player winning the current game (i.e., the eighth game). At block  708 , the controller  100  may determine that the count is equal to the given number of consecutive wins. As a result, the controller  100  may turn on at block  710  the multiplier flag that may provide a multiplier used to determine the bonus value payout associated with the outcome of the subsequent game (i.e., the ninth game). Block  712  may be used to determine the normal value payout associated with the outcome of the current game (i.e., the eighth game).  
     [0087] If the player decides to play the ninth game (i.e., the subsequent game) with the multiplier flag turned on at block  710  in response to winning of the eighth game, the controller  100  may determine at block  702  the outcome of the ninth game. If the player won the ninth game as determined at block  702 , the controller  100  may determine at block  704  whether the multiplier flag is turned on based on the outcome of the eighth game. As noted above, the multiplier flag may be turned on at block  710  based on whether the count is equal to the given number of consecutive wins (i.e., the count is equal to the given number of consecutive wins of eight). Accordingly, the controller  100  may provide at block  714  a multiplier in response to the ninth game being a win, and may turn off the multiplier flag at block  722 . The controller  100  may increment at block  706  the count to nine in response to the player winning the current game (i.e., the ninth game). At block  708 , the controller  100  may determine that the count is not equal to the given number of consecutive wins. As a result, the controller  100  may determine at block  712  the bonus value payout associated with the ninth game based upon then normal value payout associated with the outcome of the ninth game and the multiplier provided by block  714 . For example, if the multiplier is nine, the controller  100  may multiple the normal value payout associated with the ninth game by nine. In an alternate embodiment as noted above, the controller  100  at block  708  may determine whether the count is equal to or greater than the given number of consecutive wins. Accordingly, at block  708 , the controller  100  may determine that the count is equal to or greater than the given number of consecutive wins (i.e., nine is greater than eight). The controller  100  may turn on at block  710  the multiplier flag for the next game (i.e., the tenth game) and may determine at block  712  the bonus value payout associated with the ninth game based upon then normal value payout associated with the outcome of the ninth game and the multiplier provided by block  714 (e.g., the multiplier is ten). As a result, if the player wins the tenth game then the payout routine  396  may operate as described above.  
     [0088] If the player lost the ninth game in the above example, the controller  100  may reset at block  718  the consecutive win count (i.e., the count is reset to zero from eight) and turn off at block  720  the multiplier flag. Accordingly, a bonus value payout may not be determined.  
     [0089] Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention will be apparent to thos skilled in the art in view of the foregoing description. This description is to be construed as illustrative only, and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled in the art the best mode of carrying out the invention. The details of the structure and method may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all modifications which come within the scope of the appended claims is reserved.