Patent Publication Number: US-2010124989-A1

Title: Gaming System Having Multiple Wager Levels Eligible For Progressive Jackpots

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is related to and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/199,347 filed Nov. 14, 2008, titled “Gaming System Having Multiple Wager Levels Eligible For Progressive Jackpots,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     COPYRIGHT 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to gaming apparatus, and methods for playing wagering games, and more particularly, to a gaming system having multiple wager levels eligible for progressive awards. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Therefore, there is a continuing need for gaming machine manufacturers to continuously develop new games and improved gaming enhancements that will attract frequent play through enhanced entertainment value to the player. 
     One way to enhance the entertainment value of game is to provide a gaming system having progressive awards which may be funded by a portion of wagers received into the system for play of wagering games. To ensure perceived equality and fairness, a gaming system, as described herein, may include accounting and funding mechanisms which permit players wagering different amounts on primary wagering games to be eligible for progressive awards. Thus, the present invention is directed to a gaming system having multiple wager levels eligible for progressive awards. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of conducting a wagering game having a scaled progressive award comprises receiving a first wager from a player, displaying a first play of a primary wagering game, and calculating an increment of the first wager in accordance with an increment rate. If the first wager is equal to a minimum wager, the increment is deposited into a first bin. If the first wager is greater than a minimum wager, a first portion of the increment is deposited into the first bin and a second portion of the increment is deposited into a second bin. Upon the occurrence of a triggering event, a scaled progressive award is awarded, comprising a sum of a reset value, the first bin, and any additional bins for which the player qualifies. 
     According to another aspect of the invention, a method of conducting a wagering game having a scaled progressive award comprises receiving a first wager from a player, the first wager selected from a group of N available wager amounts, displaying a first play of a primary wagering game, and calculating an increment of the first wager in accordance with an increment rate. If the first wager is equal to a minimum wager, the increment is deposited into a first bin of N bins. If the first wager is greater than a minimum wager, a first portion of the increment is deposited into the first bin and a remainder of the increment is deposited into at least one of the remaining N bins. The method further comprises, upon the occurrence of a triggering event, (i) determining a size of a second wager placed on a subsequent play of the wagering game during which the triggering event occurred, and (ii) awarding a scaled progressive award, the scaled progressive award dependent upon the size of the second wager. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, a gaming system comprises a wager input device, at least one display for displaying a primary wagering game and value of a progressive jackpot, and at least one controller. The controller is operative to (i) detect receipt of a first wager from a first player, (ii) cause the at least one display to display a first play of the primary wagering game, (iii) calculate an increment of the first wager in accordance with an increment rate, (iv) if the first wager is equal to a minimum wager, deposit the increment into a first bin, (v) if the first wager is greater than a minimum wager, deposit a first portion of the increment into the first bin and a second portion of the increment into a second bin, and (vi) upon the occurrence of a triggering event, award a scaled progressive award comprising a sum of a reset value, the first bin, and any additional bins for which the player qualifies. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, a gaming system comprises a plurality of gaming terminals, each gaming terminal comprising a display for displaying a primary wagering game, at least one wager input device for receiving wagers from players at the plurality of gaming terminals, at least one community display from displaying a value of a progressive jackpot, and at least one controller. The controller is operative to (i) detect receipt of wagers from the players, each such wager selected from a group of N available wager amounts, (ii) calculate an increment of each wager received in accordance with an increment rate, (iii) if a received wager is equal to a minimum wager, deposit the increment into a first bin of N bins, (iv) if a received wager is greater than a minimum wager, deposit a first portion of the increment into the first bin and a remainder of the increment into at least one of the remaining N bins, (v) upon the occurrence of a triggering event, determine a size of a final wager placed on a subsequent play of the wagering game during which the triggering event occurred, and award a scaled progressive award, the scaled progressive award dependent upon the size of the final wager. 
     According to yet another aspect of the invention, a computer readable storage medium is encoded with instructions for directing a gaming system to perform the above methods. 
     Additional aspects of the 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 
         FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a free-standing gaming terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1   b  is a perspective view of a handheld gaming terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic view of a gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an image of a basic-game screen of a wagering game that may be displayed on a gaming terminal, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an image of a bonus-game screen of a wagering game that may be displayed on a gaming terminal, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a depiction of a gaming system including a plurality of gaming terminals and a community display displaying at least one progressive jackpot. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram of an example gaming system including a progressive jackpot controller server for administering system at least one progressive jackpot for which multiple wager levels are eligible. 
         FIG. 7  is an image of a primary display of a gaming terminal of a gaming system including a plurality of player input devices comprising a plurality of wager buttons. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1   a , there is shown a gaming terminal  10  similar to those used in gaming establishments, such as casinos. With regard to the present invention, the gaming terminal  10  may be any type of gaming terminal and may have varying structures and methods of operation. For example, the gaming terminal  10  may be an electromechanical gaming terminal configured to play mechanical slots, or it may be an electronic gaming terminal configured to play a video casino game, such as slots, keno, poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, etc. It should be understood that although the gaming terminal  10  is shown as a free-standing terminal of the upright type, it may take on a wide variety of other forms such as a free-standing terminal of the slant-top type, a portable or handheld device primarily used for gaming as shown in  FIG. 1   b , a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobile telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), a counter-top or bar-top gaming terminal, or other personal electronic device such as a portable television, MP3 player, entertainment device, etc. 
     The illustrated gaming terminal  10  comprises a cabinet or housing  12 . For output devices, the gaming terminal  10  may include a primary display area  14 , a secondary display area  16 , and one or more audio speakers  18 . The primary display area  14  and/or secondary display area  16  may display information associated with wagering games, non-wagering games, community games, progressives, advertisements, services, premium entertainment, text messaging, emails, alerts or announcements, broadcast information, subscription information, etc. For input devices, the gaming terminal  10  may include a bill validator  20 , a coin acceptor  22 , one or more information readers  24 , one or more player-input devices  26 , and one or more player-accessible ports  28  (e.g., an audio output jack for headphones, a video headset jack, a wireless transmitter/receiver, etc.). While these typical components found in the gaming terminal  10  are described below, it should be understood that numerous other peripheral devices and other elements may exist and may be used in any number of combinations to create various forms of a gaming terminal. 
     The primary display area  14  may include a mechanical-reel display, a video display, or a combination thereof in which a transmissive video display in front of the mechanical-reel display portrays a video image superimposed over the mechanical-reel display. Further information concerning the latter construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,433 to Loose et al. entitled “Reel Spinning Slot Machine With Superimposed Video Image,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The video display may be a cathode ray tube (CRT), a high-resolution liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a light emitting diode (LED), a DLP projection display, an electroluminescent (EL) panel, or any other type of display suitable for use in the gaming terminal  10 . The primary display area  14  may include one or more paylines  30  (see  FIG. 3 ) extending along a portion thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the primary display area  14  comprises a plurality of mechanical reels  32  and a video display  34  such as a transmissive display (or a reflected image arrangement in other embodiments) in front of the mechanical reels  32 . If the wagering game conducted via the gaming terminal  10  relies upon the video display  34  only and not the mechanical reels  32 , the mechanical reels  32  may be removed from the interior of the terminal and the video display  34  may be of a non-transmissive type. Similarly, if the wagering game conducted via the gaming terminal  10  relies upon the mechanical reels  32  but not the video display  34 , the video display  34  may be replaced with a conventional glass panel. Further, the underlying mechanical-reel display may be replaced with a video display such that the primary display area  14  includes layered video displays, or may be replaced with another mechanical or physical member such as a mechanical wheel (e.g., a roulette game), dice, a pachinko board, or a diorama presenting a three-dimensional model of a game environment. 
     Video images in the primary display area  14  and/or the secondary display area  16  may be rendered in two-dimensional (e.g., using Flash Macromedia™) or three-dimensional graphics (e.g., using Renderware™). The images may be played back (e.g., from a recording stored on the gaming terminal  10 ), streamed (e.g., from a gaming network), or received as a TV signal (e.g., either broadcast or via cable). The images may be animated or they may be real-life images, either prerecorded (e.g., in the case of marketing/promotional material) or as live footage, and the format of the video images may be an analog format, a standard digital format, or a high-definition (HD) digital format. 
     The player-input devices  26  may include a plurality of buttons  36  on a button panel and/or a touch screen  38  mounted over the primary display area  14  and/or the secondary display area  16  and having one or more soft touch keys  40 . The player-input devices  26  may further comprise technologies that do not rely upon touching the gaming terminal, such as speech-recognition technology, gesture-sensing technology, eye-tracking technology, etc. 
     The information reader  24  is preferably located on the front of the housing  12  and may take on many forms such as a ticket reader, card reader, bar code scanner, wireless transceiver (e.g., RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), biometric reader, or computer-readable-storage-medium interface. Information may be transmitted between a portable medium (e.g., ticket, voucher, coupon, casino card, smart card, debit card, credit card, etc.) and the information reader  24  for accessing an account associated with cashless gaming, player tracking, game customization, saved-game state, data transfer, and casino services as more fully disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0045354 entitled “Portable Data Unit for Communicating With Gaming Machine Over Wireless Link,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The account may be stored at an external system  46  (see  FIG. 2 ) as more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,328 to Holch et al. entitled “Cashless Computerized Video Game System and Method,” which is incorporated herein by referenced in its entirety, or directly on the portable medium. To enhance security, the individual carrying the portable medium may be required to enter a secondary independent authenticator (e.g., password, PIN number, biometric, etc.) to access their account. 
       FIG. 1   b  illustrates a portable or handheld device primarily used to display and/or conduct wagering games. The handheld device may incorporate the same features as the gaming terminal  10  or variations thereof. A more detailed description of a handheld device that may be utilized with the present invention can be found in PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US2007/000792 filed Jan. 26, 2007, entitled “Handheld Device for Wagering Games,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 2 , the various components of the gaming terminal  10  are controlled by a central processing unit (CPU)  42 , also referred to herein as a controller or processor (such as a microcontroller or microprocessor). The CPU  42  can include any suitable processor, such as an Intel® Pentium processor, Intel® Core 2 Duo processor, AMD Opteron™ processor, or UltraSPARC® processor. To provide gaming functions, the controller  42  executes one or more game programs stored in one or more computer readable storage media in the form of memory  44  or other suitable storage device. The controller  42  uses a random number generator (RNG) to randomly generate a wagering game outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes. Alternatively, the outcome may be centrally determined using either an RNG or pooling scheme at a remote controller included, for example, within the external system  46 . It should be appreciated that the controller  42  may include one or more microprocessors, including but not limited to a master processor, a slave processor, and a secondary or parallel processor. 
     The controller  42  is coupled to the system memory  44  and also to a money/credit detector  48 . The system memory  44  may comprise a volatile memory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory (e.g., an EEPROM). The system memory  44  may include multiple RAM and multiple program memories. The money/credit detector  48  signals the processor that money and/or credits have been input via a value-input device, such as the bill validator  20 , coin acceptor  22 , or via other sources, such as a cashless gaming account, etc. These components may be located internal or external to the housing  12  of the gaming terminal  10  and connected to the remainder of the components of the gaming terminal  10  via a variety of different wired or wireless connection methods. The money/credit detector  48  detects the input of funds into the gaming terminal  10  (e.g., via currency, electronic funds, ticket, card, etc.) that are generally converted into a credit balance available to the player for wagering on the gaming terminal  10 . The credit detector  48  detects when a player places a wager (e.g., via a player-input device  26 ) to play the wagering game, the wager then generally being deducted from the credit balance. The money/credit detector  48  sends a communication to the controller  42  that a wager has been detected and also communicates the amount of the wager. 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the controller  42  is also connected to, and controls, the primary display area  14 , the player-input device  26 , and a payoff mechanism  50 . The payoff mechanism  50  is operable in response to instructions from the controller  42  to award a payoff to the player in response to certain winning outcomes that might occur in the base game, the bonus game(s), or via an external game or event. The payoff may be provided in the form of money, redeemable points, services or any combination thereof. Such payoff may be associated with a ticket (from a ticket printer  52 ), portable data unit (e.g., a card), coins, currency bills, accounts, and the like. The payoff amounts distributed by the payoff mechanism  50  are determined by one or more pay tables stored in the system memory  44 . 
     Communications between the controller  42  and both the peripheral components of the gaming terminal  10  and the external system  46  occur through input/output (I/O) circuit  56 , which can include any suitable bus technologies, such as an AGTL+ frontside bus and a PCI backside bus. Although the I/O circuit  56  is shown as a single block, it should be appreciated that the I/O circuit  56  may include a number of different types of I/O circuits. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the components of the gaming terminal  10  can be interconnected according to any suitable interconnection architecture (e.g., directly connected, hypercube, etc.). 
     The I/O circuit  56  is connected to an external system interface  58 , which is connected to the external system  46 . The controller  42  communicates with the external system  46  via the external system interface  58  and a communication path (e.g., serial, parallel, IR, RC, 10bT, etc.). The external system  46  may include a gaming network, other gaming terminals, a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or a variety of other interfaced systems or components. 
     Controller  42 , as used herein, comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware that may be disposed or resident inside and/or outside of the gaming terminal  10  and may communicate with and/or control the transfer of data between the gaming terminal  10  and a bus, another computer, processor, or device and/or a service and/or a network. The controller  42  may comprise one or more controllers or processors. In  FIG. 2 , the controller  42  in the gaming terminal  10  is depicted as comprising a CPU, but the controller  42  may alternatively comprise a CPU in combination with other components, such as the I/O circuit  56  and the system memory  44 . The controller  42  is operable to execute all of the various gaming methods and other processes disclosed herein. 
     The gaming terminal  10  may communicate with external system  46  (in a wired or wireless manner) such that each terminal operates as a “thin client” having relatively less functionality, a “thick client” having relatively more functionality, or with any range of functionality therebetween (e.g., a “rich client”). In general, a wagering game includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and game assets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome to a player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assets may be contained within the gaming terminal  10  (“thick client” gaming terminal), the external systems  46  (“thin client” gaming terminal), or distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“rich client” gaming terminal). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an image of a basic-game screen  60  adapted to be displayed on the primary display area  14  is illustrated, according to one embodiment of the present invention. A player begins play of a basic wagering game by providing a wager. A player can operate or interact with the wagering game using the one or more player-input devices  26 . The controller  42 , the external system  46 , or both, in alternative embodiments, operate(s) to execute a wagering game program causing the primary display area  14  to display the wagering game that includes a plurality of visual elements. 
     The basic-game screen  60  may be displayed on the primary display area  14  or a portion thereof. In  FIG. 3 , the basic-game screen  60  portrays a plurality of simulated movable reels  62   a - e . Alternatively or additionally, the basic-game screen  60  may portray a plurality of mechanical reels. The basic-game screen  60  may also display a plurality of game-session meters and various buttons adapted to be actuated by a player. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the game-session meters include a “credit” meter  64  for displaying a number of credits available for play on the terminal; a “lines” meter  66  for displaying a number of paylines to be played by a player on the terminal; a “line bet” meter  68  for displaying a number of credits wagered (e.g., from 1 to 5 or more credits) for each of the number of paylines played; a “total bet” meter  70  for displaying a total number of credits wagered for the particular round of wagering; and a “paid” meter  72  for displaying an amount to be awarded based on the results of the particular round&#39;s wager. The user-selectable buttons may include a “collect” button  74  to collect the credits remaining in the credits meter  64 ; a “help” button  76  for viewing instructions on how to play the wagering game; a “pay table” button  78  for viewing a pay table associated with the basic wagering game; a “select lines” button  80  for changing the number of paylines (displayed in the lines meter  66 ) a player wishes to play; a “bet per line” button  82  for changing the amount of the wager which is displayed in the line-bet meter  68 ; a “spin reels” button  84  for moving the reels  62   a - e ; and a “max bet spin” button  86  for wagering a maximum number of credits and moving the reels  62   a - e  of the basic wagering game. While the gaming terminal  10  allows for these types of player inputs, the present invention does not require them and can be used on gaming terminals having more, less, or different player inputs. 
     Paylines  30  may extend from one of the payline indicators  88   a - i  on the left side of the basic-game screen  60  to a corresponding one of the payline indicators  88   a - i  on the right side of the screen  60 . A plurality of symbols  90  is displayed on the plurality of reels  62   a - e  to indicate possible outcomes of the basic wagering game. A winning combination occurs when the displayed symbols  90  correspond to one of the winning symbol combinations listed in a pay table stored in the memory  44  of the terminal  10  or in the external system  46 . The symbols  90  may include any appropriate graphical representation or animation, and may further include a “blank” symbol. 
     Symbol combinations may be evaluated as line pays or scatter pays. Line pays may be evaluated left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, or any combination thereof by evaluating the number, type, or order of symbols  90  appearing along an activated payline  30 . Scatter pays are evaluated without regard to position or paylines and only require that such combination appears anywhere on the reels  62   a - e . While an embodiment with nine paylines is shown, a wagering game with no paylines, a single payline, or any plurality of paylines will also work with the present invention. Additionally, though an embodiment with five reels is shown, a gaming terminal with any plurality of reels may also be used in accordance with the present invention. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , a bonus game that may be included with a basic wagering game is illustrated, according to one embodiment. A bonus-game screen  92  includes an array of markers  94  located in a plurality of columns and rows. The bonus game may be entered upon the occurrence of a special start-bonus game outcome (e.g., symbol trigger, mystery trigger, time-based trigger, etc.) in or during the basic wagering game. Alternatively, the illustrated game may be a stand-alone wagering game. 
     In the illustrated bonus game, a player selects, one at a time, from the array of markers  94  to reveal an associated bonus-game outcome. According to one embodiment, each marker  94  in the array is associated with an award outcome 96 (e.g., credits or other non-negative outcomes) or an end-game outcome 98. In the illustrated example, a player has selected an award outcome 96 with the player&#39;s first two selections (25 credits and 100 credits, respectively). When one or more end-game outcome 98 is selected (as illustrated by the player&#39;s third pick), the bonus game is terminated and the accumulated award outcomes 96 are provided to the player. 
     Turning to  FIG. 5 , a gaming system  500  having multiple wager levels eligible for progressive jackpots is displayed. The system  500  includes a plurality of gaming devices  510   a,b,c , each of which include at least a primary display  514   a,b,c  for displaying game events thereon. Each of the primary displays  514   a,b,c  may be any form of display such as those described herein with reference to the free standing and handheld gaming devices of  FIGS. 1   a  and  1   b . The primary displays  514   a,b,c  may include a display of a primary wagering game  560   a,b,c , which in this embodiment are slot games as shown in  FIG. 5 . The primary wagering games  560   a,b,c  may include a plurality of reels, which may be either electro-mechanical reels or simulations thereof on the primary display  514   a,b,c . The reels may include a plurality of symbols thereon which vary as the reels are spun and stopped. The symbols may include any variety of graphical symbols, elements, or representations, including symbols which are associated with one or more themes of the gaming machines  510   a,b,c  or system  500 . The symbols may also include a blank symbol, or empty space. The primary wagering games  560   a,b,c  shown on the various primary displays  514   a,b,c  of the system  500  may be the same, similar, or different in nature, game play, theme, denomination, formation, eligibility, etc. 
     As described herein, in some embodiments, symbols landing on the active pay lines (the pay lines for which a wager has been received) are evaluated for winning combinations. A combination of symbols that lands on an active pay line is a winning outcome for which an award may be paid in accordance with a payable of the gaming device  510   a,b,c  or system  500 . The symbols on the reels form an array or matrix of symbols, having a number of rows and columns, which in the embodiment shown is three rows and five columns. In alternate embodiments, the array may have greater or fewer symbols, and may take on a variety of different forms having greater or fewer rows and/or columns. The array may even comprise other non-rectangular forms or arrangements of symbols. In alternative embodiments, other criteria may be used for winning combinations, such as symbol arrangement or configuration without regard to paylines. 
     The system  500  further includes a community display  580 , which in this embodiment is an LCD, plasma, or other flat-screen display mounted and positioned above the plurality of gaming devices  510   a,b,c . The community display  580  displays a community award in the form of at least one progressive award or progressive jackpot  582 , and thus includes prize and award information related to the progressive jackpot  582 . In the embodiment shown, the progressive jackpot  582  comprises an award which increments in response a plurality of players participating underlying primary wagering games  560   a - c , and placing primary wagers thereon. As described herein, a portion of each primary wager received into the gaming system  500  contributes to a progressive jackpot increment amount, which causes the progressive jackpot  582  to increase in value, as displayed on the community display  580 . In an embodiment, the progressive jackpot  582  continues to receive increment amounts, thereby increasing in value, until a triggering event occurs and the jackpot  582  is awarded to a player. When awarded, the progressive jackpot  582  is reset to a reset value, in an embodiment. 
     The display  580 , in this example, communicates information concerning results and status of the progressive award  582 . In an embodiment, the community display  580  displays a name of the progressive award, the current progressive award amount, and further announces the occurrence of a triggering event by displaying indicia indicating that the progressive award  582  has been awarded to a player. Alternatively, or additionally, information relevant to the progressive jackpot  582  may be displayed on the primary displays  514   a - c , or on any other appropriate display. 
     The community display  580  may be placed in any appropriate place within a casino or operator&#39;s facility, for example, a gaming room in a casino, the entry area of a casino, elevators of a casino, or any other public place inside or outside of a casino. Publicly displaying progressive award information creates a community environment for gaming participants so as to incentive players to play games eligible for such progressive awards  582 . Players may discuss their results or the results of others. Seeing and discussing the results of others may create an environment of friendly competition. This competition may spur some players to participate in more wagering game play in an effort to win the progressive award  582 . This environment of community and competition may also create player loyalty. It should be noted that the information provided on the community display may be limited or delayed as desired by a casino or operator. For example, players&#39; names, identifiers, and other information may be withheld from the community display so as to protect player anonymity. 
     Turning to  FIG. 6 , a diagram of an example gaming system  600  having multiple wager levels eligible for progressive awards is depicted. Shown in  FIG. 6 , is an exemplary gaming system  610  which includes a central gaming facility  612  connected by communication link  616  to a local gaming facility  618  (e.g., a casino) and by link  620  with the internet  622 . End-user computing devices including a gaming machine or terminal GM-M  624  (e.g., a laptop computer) and wireless gaming machine or terminal WGM-M  626  (e.g., a personal digital assistant (PDA)) function as clients of the central gaming facility  612 . Laptop  624  is coupled via internet service provider  628  and the internet  622  with the central gaming facility  612 . The PDA  626  is connected with a wireless link by the wireless access point  629  and internet  622  to the central gaming facility  612 . As used herein, “gaming” refers to the use of various games that support the placing of wagers on the outcome of the games (e.g., a video poker machine). 
     The central gaming facility  612  may represent a control location of a gaming business operator that supports individual gaming users (e.g., users of PDA  626  and laptop  624 ) as well as other gaming facilities of the operator such as casino  618 . The central gaming facility  612  in this illustrative example may be geographically separated from the casino  618  and the individual users. The central gaming facility  612  includes a workstation  630  supported by data storage element  632  and a server  634  that serves as a communication host for casino  618  and the individual users via a firewall  636 . Requests for information and/or data received from the individual users are processed by the server  634 . The requested information and/or data may be obtained from support resources (e.g., workstation  630 ) and data residing in storage element  632 . The requested information is sent from the server  634  to the requesting user&#39;s device(s). 
     The local gaming facility  618  represents a casino and includes a server  640  supported by a workstation  642 , data storage element  644 , and a router  646 . The router  646  supports communications with different gaming machines or terminals GM( 1 )-GM(N)  650  by wired links  648 . A wireless access point  652  is connected by a wired link  648  to router  646  and by wireless communication links to wireless gaming machines or terminals WGM( 1 )-WGM(N)  654 . 
     At least some of the gaming machines  650  and some of the wireless gaming machines  654  support the play of wagering games in which the user&#39;s gaming machine functions in the client/server communication model with the user&#39;s gaming machine being a client of server  640 . The user&#39;s gaming machine contains software which is responsible for the ongoing play of the wagering game. However, some information or data associated with the play of the game may be obtained during the ongoing play of the game from server  640 . Thus, the gaming system  610  displayed and described may be configured to execute and display a variety of primary wagering games and community or progressive wagering games on the terminals [GM( 1 )-GM(N)  650 , WGM( 1 )-WGM (N)  654 , GM-M  624 , and WM-M  626 ], as explained further herein. 
     As seen in  FIG. 6 , the central gaming facility  614  may also include a dedicated progressive jackpot controller  638 . The progressive jackpot controller  638  may be separate from or integrated with the server  634 , or other servers of the facility  612 . Moreover, the progressive jackpot controller  638  may be located in the local gaming facility  618 , for example in communication with the local server  640 . The progressive jackpot controller  638  and/or workstation  630  include software which operates to control, manage, execute, and operate the available progressive jackpots as described herein. For example, such software may log in users to the system, detect and catalog their play of primary wagering games, monitor their wager amounts and history, detect occurrences of jackpot triggering events, and award triggered jackpots to players. The progressive jackpot controller  638 , for example, may permit players to access a player history file or profile to see past awards won, past results, etc. The progressive jackpot controller  638  may provide access to players within a casino or gaming facility over link  616 , or may otherwise provide access to players remote from the gaming facility, for example over a home or mobile computer via link  620 . It should further be understood that any of the functions described herein as relating to the central gaming facility  612  may alternatively or additionally be performed at the local gaming facility  618 , or by any computer or server in communication therewith. 
     Turning to  FIG. 7 , a primary display  714  of a gaming terminal  710  of a gaming system  700  is displayed in which players may place different sized wagers which are eligible for participation in a progressive jackpot award. Displayed on the primary display  714  is a primary wagering game  760 . The primary wagering game  760  is a slot reel game, such as those depicted and described with reference to  FIGS. 1   a ,  1   b , and  5 . In this embodiment, two input devices are provided to a player: a control panel  770  along a bottom of the display  714 , and a plurality of buttons  790   a - e  housed on a button panel  792 . The button panel  792  may be mounted on any appropriate place on the gaming device  710 , such as below the primary display  714 . 
     The control panel  770  includes a win meter  772 , a bet meter  774 , bet adjustment controls  775   a,b , a credit meter  776 , a denom button  778  and a menu/help button  779 . The win meter  772  displays to the player an amount of credits won on a previous play of the wagering game  760 . Thus, as seen in  FIG. 7 , on losing plays the wagering game  760 , the win meter  772  displays zero. The credit meter  776  displays a balance of remaining credits available to a player of the gaming terminal  710 . Wins received and displayed in the win meter  772  are transferred or credited to the credit meter  776  while wagers placed on subsequent plays of the wagering game  760  are debited from the credit meter  776 . The denom button  778  allows a player to chance the base denomination that he is playing, and displays the value of one credit (which in this instance is one cent). Thus, for each credit wagered, one penny ($0.01) is being wagered. The menu/help button  779  provides access to further help and menu screens for a variety of other functions, including learning more about the play of the wagering game  760 , and selecting various preferences related thereto. 
     The bet meter  774  and adjustment controls  775   a,b  permit a player to see his current wager level and adjust the amount of credits that he is wagering on each play of the wagering game  760 . The bet meter displays the current wager amount, which in this instance is 30 credits (one credit wagered on each activated payline). As seen by the payline markers  732  on the left and right edges of the display, this wagering game  760  includes a total of thirty (30) paylines  732  which the player may activate. In an embodiment, the player must activate all available paylines  732  in order to be eligible for participation in bonus or secondary events, such as the progressive jackpots described herein. The adjustment controls  775   a,b  may be used by a player to either increase his wager (using the up arrow control  775   b ) or decrease his wager (using the down arrow control  775   a ). In an embodiment, the available wager amounts are discrete predefined wager amounts. In an alternative embodiment, the player may select any wager amount within a range of available wager amounts. 
     The button panel  792  further provides an alternative method by which a player can adjust his wager amounts. In one embodiment, a plurality of wager buttons  790   a - e  may be provided which correspond with a plurality of discrete permissible wagers. Thus, as seen in  FIG. 7 , the five buttons  790   a - e  are labeled with wager amounts which they represent. The first button  790   a  corresponds to a wager of 30 credits (1 credit per activated payline). The second button  790   b  corresponds to a wager of 60 credits (2 credits per activated payline). The third button  790   c  corresponds to a wager of 90 credits (3 credits per activated payline). The fourth button  790   d  corresponds to a wager of 150 credits (5 credits per activated payline). The fifth button  790   e  corresponds to a wager of 300 credits (10 credits per activated payline). In an embodiment, pressing one of the buttons  790   a - e  causes the corresponding wager to be placed on the next play of the wagering game  760 , and is reflected in the bet meter  774 . In an alternative embodiment, pressing one of the buttons  790   a - e  both adjusts the wager amount and acts as a “spin” button so as to initiate the next play of the wagering game  760 , for example causing the reels to commence spinning. 
     In operation, a progressive jackpot controller (such as the one described in reference to  FIG. 6 ) in communication with each eligible gaming terminal controls and administers available progressive jackpots. The progressive controller receives wager information from each gaming terminal and uses such information to calculate an increment amount to be added to the current progressive award. The increment comprises a percentage of each wager received for play of a primary wagering game on a gaming terminal which is used to increase, or increment the progressive jackpot. In addition, the progressive controller monitors the occurrence of jackpot triggering events. In one embodiment, a jackpot triggering event comprises four or more like “Jackpot” symbols aligning on an activated payline in a primary wagering game  760 . For example, in  FIG. 7 , the “Lightning in Fist” symbol  764  (third symbol in second row) is a jackpot symbol, and four or more such symbols  764  landing on an activated payline trigger an award of the progressive jackpot. In an alternative embodiment, the Jackpot Symbols may be evaluated on a scatter pay basis, which is without regard to their position relative to activated paylines. In such an embodiment, four or more “Lightning in Fist” symbols  764  landing anywhere in the array of symbols trigger the progressive jackpot. 
     Once triggered, the progressive jackpot award is awarded to the player at the gaming terminal who caused the triggered event. Thus, a player who achieved the four Jackpot Symbol pay, as described above, would receive the then-current balance of the progressive jackpot, as displayed on the jackpot meter. The progressive jackpot would then be reset to a reset value (R) by the progressive controller. Once reset, future wagers received would continue to build up the progressive jackpot again, in the same fashion, by deducting an increment amount from each wager and contributing such increment to a total collected increment causing the progressive award to grow. 
     Following is a description of how the gaming system performs accounting functions related to the progressive jackpot to ensure fairness amongst players placing different sized wagers. In an embodiment, the progressive controller receives wager information, and deposits increment amounts therefrom into various virtual accounts (referred to herein as “bins”) to account for various sizes of wagers received. Such a method is used to ensure consistent expected value for all wager levels. Thus, assume that each gaming terminal in the gaming system provides the same available wagering levels. In an embodiment, assume the gaming system has available N wagering levels, where each successive wagering level is greater than the one before it: W&lt;W 2 &lt; . . . &lt;W N . In such a configuration, the system utilizes N virtual depositories or “bins” which store received increment. The bins correspond to the available wager levels, and thus are referred to as: B 1 , . . . , B N . The bins are stored in appropriate memory accessible by the progressive jackpot controller for easy recall. The progressive award, as discussed, has a reset value (“R”), which in an embodiment is associated with the lowest, or minimum wagering level W 1 . The progressive control utilizes an increment rate (“r”) which is a percentage applied to received wagers and dedicated toward incrementing or advancing the size of the progressive award. As discussed, a player may wager any amount on any play of the wagering game, and thus may select from any of the available wager amounts: W 1 &lt;W 2 &lt; . . . &lt;W N . 
     In general terms, if a player bets at a wager level W j , then the first j bins will receive increment contributions. That is, the total increment deducted from such wager W j  is divided and deposited into various bins, depending upon a size of the wager W j . The amount added to B 1  is 
       r*W 1    
     For 1&lt;i≦j, the amount added to the bin B i  is given by: 
       r*(W i −W i-1 ) 
     Thus, a portion of the wager is deposited into each bin up to and including the bin B j  associated with the size of the wager W j . By dividing increment received into the various bins, the accounting function of the gaming system is able to track the amount of increment received from each sized wager. Once a triggering event occurs, the progressive jackpot is awarded to a player of the gaming terminal upon which the triggering combination occurred. However, the amount awarded to the player depends upon a size of the wager that the player placed on the play of the game triggering the progressive award. Thus, described generally, a player betting at level W j  who triggers wins the progressive award on such play, is awarded a scaled progressive award based on the size of his wager. In an embodiment, the scaled progressive award comprises a scaled reset value plus the amounts contained in the first j bins, for a player placing a wager W j . 
     Thus, the formula for the scaled progressive award provided to a player making a wager of W j  on the play of the wagering game triggering the progressive award is given by: 
       Scaled Progressive Award=└( W   j   /W   1 )× R┘+B   1   + . . . +B   j   Equation 1 
     In this formula, B 1  represents the balance of increment collected and stored in the first bin, and B j  represents the balance of increment collected and stored in the jth bin. 
     In such an embodiment, a player making a minimum wager W 1  receives an amount equal to the reset value (R) plus all increment collected and stored in the first bin B 1 . Similarly, a player making a maximum wager W N  receives a higher scaled amount which is equal to a multiple 
     
       
         
           
             ( 
             
               
                 W 
                 N 
               
               
                 W 
                 1 
               
             
             ) 
           
         
       
     
     of the reset value (R), plus all increment collected and stored in all of the bins B 1  . . . B N . Players wagering more than the minimum but less than the maximum receive scaled progressive awards in accordance with the formula, and the amounts from some of the bins (the first bin through the jth bin). If a less than maximum wager triggers the jackpot, then bins which are not awarded (B j+1  through B N ) are held over and maintain their balances for a subsequent jackpot award. Similarly, bins which are awarded (B 1  through B j ) are zeroed out, or cleared, and begin collecting increment again with the subsequent jackpot award. 
     Thus, as can be seen, in such a system, when a player makes a wager on a play of the wagering game, a percentage of his wager is dedicated to funding the progressive award, in the form of an increment rate (r). The entire amount of such increment received from any particular wager is deposited in at least the first bin (for a minimum wager), and in a plurality of the bins (for a greater than minimum wager). Thus, since the bins (other than the first bin) are funded by wagers greater than the minimum, those bins contain additional funds with which to pay the scaled progressive award when triggered. In this way, the described gaming system provides the desirable result that the probability of triggering the jackpot award and the expected value of a jackpot award are not dependent upon wager level. Additionally, the gaming system described includes an increment amount that depends on wager levels, which means that the amount of increment amount collected with each wager increases with increasing wager levels (the more wagered by a player, the more increment collected). 
     An example configuration of such a gaming system is given below, and corresponds with the system and terminals depicted and described in  FIGS. 5-7 . In this example embodiment, gaming terminals in the system include five discrete wagering levels. A player may wager 30, 60, 90, 150, or 300 credits (corresponding to wager levels W z , W 2 , W 3 , W 4  and W 5 , respectively) as depicted on the button panel of  FIG. 7 . Thus, five bins (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 , and B 5 ) are used in which increment amounts are collected and stored. A reset value (R) is configured into the system, which in this embodiment is four hundred times the minimum wager (400×W 1 ), which in this embodiment is 12,000 credits (400×30 credits). In this embodiment, a one-cent denomination (such as that shown in  FIG. 7 ) is used. This corresponds to the wager amounts being 30, 60, 90, 150, and 300 cents respectively, and a reset value of 12,000 cents, or $120.00. In other embodiments, other denominations may be employed. 
     The bins are filled as described above. For a minimum wager of 30 credits, the entire increment amount is deposited into the first bin B 1 . For a second level wager of 60 credits, in accordance with the formulas herein, a first portion of the increment is deposited into the first bin B 1  while a second portion is deposited into the second bin B 2 . This depositing of increment amount distributed amongst various bins continues in a similar fashion for increasingly larger wagers. For a player wagering a maximum wager of 300 credits, the bins (B 1 , B 2 , B 3 , B 4 , and B 5 ) would be incremented according to the following formulas: 
         B   1new   =B   1old   +r* 30 
         B   2new   =B   2old   +r* 30 
         B   3new   =B   3old   +r* 30 
         B   4new   =B   4old   +r* 60 
         B   5new   =B   5old   +r* 150 
     Thus, assuming in this example an increment rate of one percent (1%), for a player making a maximum wager of 300 credits, the total increment would be 3.00 credits, which would be deposited into the bins as follows: B 1  would receive 0.30 credits, B 2  would receive 0.30 credits, B 3  would receive 0.30 credits, B 4  would receive 0.60 credits, and B 5  would receive 1.50 credits. For a player making a minimum wager of 30 credits, the entire increment amount of 0.03 credits would be deposited in the first bin B 1 . Thus, as can be seen, larger wagers generate larger increment amounts which are added to more bins, while smaller wagers generate smaller increment amounts which are added to fewer bins. This assists the gaming system in providing larger awards to larger wagering players (using the Scaled Progressive Award formula) while still maintaining sizeable awards for lower wagering players. 
     Additionally, a portion of the Scaled Progressive Award, as seen in the in Equation 1, is dependent upon the reset value (R) and the size of the wager when the jackpot was triggered relative to the minimum wager. In this embodiment, if a player triggers the jackpot with a minimum wager, he receives the reset value R (plus appropriate bin amounts as described). If he triggers the jackpot with a greater-than-minimum wager, he receives a multiple of the reset value R (plus appropriate bin amounts). The multiples are ratios of the triggering wager amounts to the minimum wager amount. In this example, such scaled resets are R, 2×R, 3×R, 5×R and 10×R, for the five wager levels 30, 60, 90, 150, and 300 credits, respectively. 
     Thus, the system distributes increment amounts received from wagers into a variety of bins based upon a size of the wager from which the increment was received. Additionally, the system awards a scaled progressive award based upon a size of a wager played on a primary wagering game during which the progressive award is triggered. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the gaming system may employ a plurality of jackpots, such as a multi-level progressive game. In such an embodiment, the various progressive jackpots may have different reset values and different increment amounts assigned to them, such that generally the plurality of awards are different in magnitude. For example, the awards may comprise a “Gold” level jackpot, a “Silver” level jackpot, and a “Bronze” level jackpot, having reset values of $10,000, $1,000, and $100, respectively. The progressive controller may be configured so as to apportion increment received amongst the various available progressive jackpots in a similar manner as described herein. Thus, each of the plurality of jackpots may be configured with a reset value and a plurality of bins which collect relative portions of increment from wagers received. The various jackpots may increase in value as increment is received, and may be displayed on the primary display of a gaming terminal, or on a community display such as the one depicted in  FIG. 5 . The various progressive jackpots may be awarded in response to different triggering events (independent of each other). Alternatively, the progressive jackpots may be awarded in response to a single triggering event, as described herein, followed by a secondary decision as to which jackpot is awarded (e.g., a random selection from a weighted probability table, once the award is triggered). Other configurations are possible as well. 
     In an embodiment, the progressive jackpot displayed to a player is the scaled progressive award for a maximum wager. Thus, for example, the community display of  FIG. 5  may display a progressive award amount which corresponds to the then current total of the reset value (R) and the amount stored in the all of the bins (B 1  through B N ). Such a representation would depict a maximum progressive award which would be won by any player, and thus may add excitement and further incentivize players to participate in wagering games eligible to win such progressive award. In an alternative embodiment, the progressive jackpot displayed to a player may be the scaled progressive award for a minimum wager, corresponding to the then current total of the reset value (R) and the amount stored in the first bin (B 1 ). In yet another alternative embodiment, a scaled progressive award could be displayed to a player, for example, on the primary display of the gaming terminal at which he is playing. Thus, such a terminal could adjust and display a scaled progressive award based upon the then-current wager being played by the player. Since the scaled progressive award equation (Equation 1) dictates that the scaled progressive award is dependent upon wager size, by knowing the size of the wager being played, the system may display to the player a customized scaled progressive award based upon their then-current play. For example, a player making a maximum wager could see a running incrementing jackpot meter which includes a scaled reset value and the sum of all of the bins. Similarly, a player making a level three wager, for example, could see a scaled reset value and the sum of the first three bins. Other configurations are possible. 
     In an embodiment, certain eligibility requirements may be required to be met before a player is eligible to participate in winning the progressive awards. For example, a player may be required to place a bet on all available paylines (i.e., activation of all paylines requirement) in order to be eligible for the progressive award. Therefore, although the player may place any sized wager on each payline, he or she may be required to place at least a minimum wager (e.g., 1 credit) on each payline. In one embodiment, preset wager levels account for this “all paylines activated” eligibility requirement. For example, all of the preset wager buttons  790   a - e  in  FIG. 7  place at least one credit on each payline, thereby satisfying the eligibility requirements. Therefore, in an embodiment, the preset wager buttons may facilitate a player&#39;s ability to easily meet such eligibility requirements. 
     The gaming system and methods of the present invention offer a number of benefits to players and operators. Players playing wagering games are eligible to participate in one or more progressive awards regardless of their wager level. This instills a sense of fairness and equality amongst players. Additionally, higher wagering players are able to earn enhanced awards to compensate for their higher wagers, again ensuring fairness. Thus, such a system simultaneously provides exciting and entertaining game play to players of all wager levels. Other benefits are provided as well. 
     Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.