EP2141669A1

EP2141669A1 - Gambling machine, method and computer program

Info

Publication number: EP2141669A1
Application number: EP09160991A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pasi Liikanen
Original assignee: Raha Automaattiyhdistys
Current assignee: Raha Automaattiyhdistys
Priority date: 2008-05-26
Filing date: 2009-05-25
Publication date: 2010-01-06
Also published as: FI20085494A0

Abstract

This invention relates to a gambling machine (1) comprising a controller (6), a display (8) for illustrating the progression of the game to a user, and a user interface (7) via which the user is able to start the game and make selections during the game. For achieving a user friendly gambling machine, the controller (6) is arranged to transmit information over a communication connection (3, 4) about the progression of the game to at least one other gambling machine (2) and to receive information over said communication connection (3, 4) about the progression of the game of said at least one other gambling machine (2). The controller (6) analyzes the information received about the progression of the game of said at least one other gambling machine (6) for identifying a predetermined game event, and controls the progression of the game of the gambling machine (1) for increasing the chance of winning of the user of the gambling machine when a predetermined game event is identified.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a gambling machine and particularly to a gambling machine enabling a group game to be plaid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

A gambling machine is previously known that comprises a payment device for receiving a payment and for crediting any winnings, a controller for controlling the progression of the game, a display for displaying the progression of the game, and a user interface. It is known to interconnect a plurality of such gambling machines for enabling group playing. In this case, in practice, group playing is implemented by placing the gambling machines belonging to the set physically side by side, and users of the different gambling machines have all a chance of winning a group-specific winning. In other words, the difference in playing alone compared with group playing is practically a larger winning sum composed of game stakes paid by more players, which sum one of the players may win.
A weakness in the above known solution is poor user friendliness. If a sufficient number of players interested in a group game are not gathered physically in the same place, no actual group game is accomplished. In addition, the advantage attainable in group playing, i.e. the chance for a larger winning sum is not sufficiently lucrative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of this invention is to solve the above-described problem and to provide a user friendlier solution. This object is achieved with a gambling machine according to independent claim 1, a method according to independent claim 5, and a computer program according to independent claim 8.
The invention utilizes the possibility of offering a user of a gambling machine the chance to use the gambling machine for playing a game wherein the controller of the gambling machine controls the progression of the game by raffling the following game event. The users playing the same game with different gambling machines constitute a group, the progressions of whose gambling machine-specific games affect each other owing to information transmitted over a communication connection between the gambling machines. If a predetermined event occurs in the progression of a game of some gambling machine belonging to the group, information about this is transmitted to the other gambling machines belonging to the group. In this case, said other gambling machines belonging to the group utilize the information by controlling the progression of the game for increasing the chance of winning of the users of said other gambling machines. Accordingly, the solution according to the invention improves user friendliness by offering users of gambling machines located physically at a distance from each other the chance to play a group game with gambling machines, and by offering actual benefit of group playing, since the game events of a person belonging to the group improve the winning chances of the other group members.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the game progression of the gambling machines belonging to a group is intertwined in such a manner that each gambling machine belonging to the group produces a random number that is transmitted to the use of the other gambling machines belonging to the group. This being so, each gambling machine utilizes, not only the random number produced by itself, but also random numbers received from the other gambling machines, should such have been received when the next game event is being raffled. Thanks to this solution, the breakdown of a communication connection from a gambling machine during the game by mistake or due to measures intentionally taken by a user does not cause the game significant harm. In a gambling machine whose connection broke down, the game may continue as a single game, whereas the other gambling machines belonging to the group may continue the game as a group smaller by one gambling machine. Accordingly, a solution well protected from communication interferences is provided, wherein a user does not either benefit from trying to affect the operability of the communication connection in hopes of a better chance of winning.
Preferred embodiments of the gambling machine, method and computer program of the invention are described in the attached dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of a gambling machine according to the invention,
Figure 2 illustrates the use of the gambling machine of Figure 1,
Figure 3 shows a flow diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention, and
Figure 4 shows a flow diagram of a second preferred embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a first preferred embodiment of a gambling machine according to the invention, and Figure 2 illustrates the use of the gambling machine during a group game. Figure 1 shows two similar gambling machines 1 and 2, which are in communication with one another over a communication connection 3 and a server 4 belonging thereto. In this embodiment, the server 4 is composed of a server of the administrator of the gambling machines 1 and 2, the server transferring information transmitted by the gambling machines 1 and 2 belonging to the group, i.e. participating in the same group game, to all other gambling machines belonging to the group.
The gambling machine 1 and 2 comprises a payment device 5 for debiting the user for the payment to be charged for using the gambling machine and for crediting the user with the sum won by the user of the gambling machine. The type of the payment device 5 is irrelevant to the invention; it may be any known type of payment device. Accordingly, the payment device may comprise a device for receiving coins and, correspondingly, a device for delivering coins to the user, for example. Alternatively, a payment card reader may be concerned, which attends to at least the charging of the payment from a card. This being so, winnings may be credited to the user for instance to a payment card, as cash or to the user's game account. Furthermore, it is feasible that both debiting and winnings crediting take place by utilizing a special user-specific game account, in which case the payment device comprises means for identifying the user's game account.
Once the payment device 5 has debited the user for the charge to be debited for the use of the gambling machine, it transmits information thereof to the controller 6. The controller may be implemented with electrical circuits or, alternatively, as a combination of electrical circuits and a computer program. An alternative is to implement the controller with a processor executing a computer program stored in a memory.
Having received information about the payment, the controller activates a user interface 7, which may comprise, depending on the implementation, one or more buttons and/or game controllers, and a display 8, which may be an LCD display (Liquid Crystal Display), for example. The user is then able to start the game.
In the following, the invention will be described by referring specifically to a dice game, although it is to be understood that the invention may be utilized also in other games played in gambling machines, wherein other symbols to be tossed are in use instead of dices, for example. In the case of dices, the next symbol is known to be tossed by tossing a dice having a number of spots between 1 and 6 as the following symbol.
In the dice game used as example, the controller 6 of the gambling machine raffles the following game event by utilizing the random number produced by the random number generator 9, i.e. in practice, a new dice whose number of spots depends on the result of the toss. Once a new dice 9 is tossed, the user is able to use the user interface 7 to transfer the dice to his/her place of choice on a game field 10 shown on the display 8, the game field being empty at the start of the game and including a place for nine dices altogether. The user may have at his/her disposal a given time for consideration, during which the user has to shift the new dice 9 to his/her place of choice. The object is to achieve a given pattern of game symbols, i.e. dices, on the game field, for instance a straight composed of three successive (horizontal, vertical or diagonal) dices having the same number of spots. If the time is exceeded, the controller 6 places the dice at a determined or a random place on the game field. In more detail, the progression of the game may be as follows, for example:
The player begins the game from a starting page by selecting the stake with the user interface and the length of the time to consider (e.g. 3 to 6 seconds). Having paid for the game with the payment device 5, the game starts as an initial game, which the player plays without a group. In order to gain access to a group, the player has to accomplish a straight. If no straight is obtained, the game ends.
Once the first straight is formed, the player is paid a winning with the payment device 5 in accordance with the stake he/she selected, and the player is transferred to a group to play. From straights generated in the group game, the player gains points, according to which the player's winning is determined. In addition, the points participate in a contest of rankings on a Hall of Fame list. The player's other, already placed dices remain on the game board. If the player later succeeds in generating a straight including a dice or dices from the single game, he/she obtains one additional point from each straight wherein said dices participate. Accordingly, in a group game, the dices of the single game are more valuable than the others. The dices obtained in the single game are distinguished from the dices of the group game on the basis of a colour shown on the display 8.
The player is connected to a group having space. The game does not start at the same time for all players belonging to the group, instead, players may join or exit the group whenever although the game of the other players belonging to the group is not completed. The players of a group do not either have to wait for other players in order to start a group game. If there are no groups or there is no space in the groups, a new group is generated for the player. Always when a player plays alone in a group, dices of a single game are tossed for him/her. In a group, the players play their own game, with common dices. The player sees the others' game fields 11 on the display 8 on top of his/her own grid 10, and is able to follow their game at all times. When one of the players of the group manages to generate a straight of the dices, the dices of the straight are removed both from the grid of the player who got the straight and from all other players of the group. In addition, from the other players, dices obtained in the single game and corresponding to the number of spots of the dice of the straight are removed. If more players obtain a straight of the same dices at the same time, all players gain points.
The player has a set time to consider for placing each dice. If the time expires, the controller 6 places a new dice 13 in the following free square starting from the upper left corner to the right, proceeding one row at the time. A game winning is divided in a group game partition if a player has gathered a given number of points.
The game continues until the game field 10 is full and no more new dices 13 can be placed. When the game ends, the player is removed from the group and the place is free for other players. The player is returned to a single game, wherein he/she may start a new game. The player's winnings are calculated in accordance with the winning table of the stake he/she determined. If the number of points obtained by the player has placed him/her on the Hall of Fame List, the player obtains an additional winning of the accomplishment according to his/her ranking.
As one part of the game, the side of the game board may include a Hall of Fame, i.e. a best points table (not shown in the figures), showing the five players who gathered the most points in one game. If a player gathers points that entitle to a ranking on the list, the result is updated during the game in the list in such a manner that it rises stepwise to the level entitled by the points. Access to the Hall of Fame list entitles the player to an additional winning.
The player may play the above-described game as a single game for instance with the gambling machine 1, whereby the gambling machine independently attends to the implementation of the game in its entirety irrespective of external factors. In contrast, when the player games a group game with the gambling machine 1, the controller 6 of the gambling machine starts to transmit information descriptive of the progression of the game to the server 4 over the communication connection 3. The server 4 generates a group consisting of gambling machines, wherein the same dice game is going on and independently controlled by the controller 6 of each gambling machine belonging to the group. The players of the different gambling machines 1 and 2 may have started the game at different times, and thus be in different stages in their games.
In a group game, at least one predetermined game event is defined, which by way of example may be that the game in a gambling machine belonging to a group ends in a user's winning. At least of such an event, said gambling machine transmits information over the communication connection 3 and via the server 4 to all other gambling machines belonging to the group. The controllers 6 of the other gambling machines belonging to the group analyze the information received from other gambling machines and identify said game event. In response to the identification of such a game event, the controllers 6 of the others are configured to change the progression of the game in order to increase the user's chance of winning. For example, when gambling machines 1 and 2 belong to the same group, the user of gambling machine 2 benefits from the winning of a user of gambling machine 1, since the controller 6 of gambling machine 2 then increases the chance of winning of the user of gambling machine 2.
A manner of increasing the chance of winning of a user of gambling machine 2 is presented by way of example in Figure 2. Let us assume by way of example that the display 8 is the display of gambling machine 1, wherein the game situation of said gambling machine is shown as a large grid 10, and upper on the left, as a small grid 11, the game situation of gambling machine 2 belonging to the same group. In the situation shown in Figure 2, the controller 6 of gambling machine 1 has just tossed a new dice 13 as the following game event, the dice having two spots. This being so, the user of gambling machine 1 shifts it into the place indicated by arrow 12 over the user interface 7. As a result, a straight is generated, and the game of gambling machine 1 ends in a winning of its user. Information about this predetermined game event is transmitted from gambling machine 1 over the communication network 3 and the server to the controller 6 of gambling machine 2, which then improves the chance of winning of the user of gambling machine 2 by removing the previously raffled game event from the game. In this case, the controller 6 removes the dice having the same number of spots as the dices that led to a winning in gambling machine 1. From the small grid 11 in Figure 2, it may be seen that such a dice having a spot number two is found below on the right. Once it is removed and a new dice is tossed next instead thereof by the controller of gambling machine 2, the number of spots of the new dice may be five, i.e. in such a case, the user of gambling machine 2 may shift it down to the right and win. Consequently, the chance of winning of the player of the second gaming machine has improved, since one dice is removed and a chance for a new tossing has been offered, which may lead to a better final result.
Figure 3 shows a flow diagram of a first preferred embodiment of the invention, applicable for utilization in connection with the gambling machine described in connection with Figures 1 and 2, or in a computer program controlling such a gambling machine.
In block A, the game of the gambling machine is controlled gambling machine-specifically, i.e. independently, whereby the game of each gambling machine belonging to a group may independently from each other lead to the user's win or loss. When the following game event is raffled, it is checked in block B if the game is ended in the user's winning. If the user has won, the winning sum is paid to the user in block C.
In block D, information associated with the progression of the game is transmitted between the gambling machines belonging to the group. Each machine transmits said information in its turn and receives it from gambling machines belonging to the same group. A server may be utilized for transmitting this information, such as in the example of Figure 1, or, alternatively, the gambling machines may transmit said information directly to each other. In the latter case, for example, the gambling machine that has stayed the longest in the group game may see to it that all gambling machines have information about the destination whereto they should transmit information.
In block E, a gambling machine-specific check is made to see if information indicative of a predetermined event has been received from a gambling machine belonging to the group. If so, said information is utilized in block F for instance in the manner described in connection with Figures 1 and 2 for controlling the game in a manner increasing the user's chance of winning.
Figure 4 shows a flow diagram of a second preferred embodiment of the invention. The embodiment of Figure 4 may be applied in connection with the embodiment of Figure 3 for instance for controlling the gambling machines 1 and 2 described in connection with Figures 1 and 2. Applied in connection with the embodiment of Figure 3, block A of Figure 3 is replaced with blocks A1 to A4 of Figure 4.
In block A1, a random number RND1 is generated with the random number generator of the gambling machine. The random number generated in block A2 is transmitted for use by all gambling machines belonging to the group. Thus, all gambling machines belonging to the same group obtain, not only the random number generated by them, but also the random numbers generated by all the other gambling machines, i.e. RND2 and RND3, for example. The random numbers of the other gambling machines are transmitted to a given gambling machine only after said gambling machine has transmitted its own random number. A server may attend to this.
In block A3, the progression of the game is raffled by utilizing random number RND1 generated and random numbers RND2 and RND3 received. When the intention is to accomplish a dice spot number (between 1 and 6), this may take place for instance by calculating the sum of the random numbers, by dividing the sum by six, and by taking the remainder from the result, to which one is added, i.e.: ((RND1+RND2+RND3) mod (6)) +1.
In the above example, if RND1=234, RND2=745 and RND3=92, the sum of these is 1071. 1071 divided by six gives 178 as the integer result and 3 as the remainder. 1071 mod 6 is thus 3. When one is added to the remainder, the result is 4, which is the dice spot number in this example.
The game raffling in block A3 is performed independently and separately in each gambling machine belonging to the group. Since the random numbers and the arithmetic operation are the same in all, all gambling machines belonging to the same group end up in the same end result, and all players in the group thus get a new dice having the same number of spots into their disposal.
In block A4, the gambling machine activates the user interface in a manner allowing the user of the gambling machine to control his/her game in the desired manner. Accordingly, in this example, the symbol generated by the dice of a given number of spots may be shifted to the desired position. Each player belonging to the group may select independently with their gambling machine the location on the game field where said symbol, i.e. dice, is placed.
The embodiment of Figure 4 achieves the advantage that during a group game, an individual gambling machine or an individual server does not have to generate the random number defining the progression of the game, which would make it susceptible to risk in view of misuse. In contrast, all gambling machines may bring their own random number into the raffle and thus affect the end result with an equal contribution. Accordingly, an individual user of a gambling machine does not benefit from trying to sabotage the random number generator in the gambling machine he/she uses in a group game. Breaking down the communication connection does not either improve the user's chance of winning, since in this case the individual, isolated gambling machine is able to independently raffle the following game event by utilizing its own random number generator. The elimination of an individual gambling machine from a group does not affect the continuity of the game, since if the other gambling machines have been able to receive the random number, they are able to utilize it. Otherwise, if the gambling machine was eliminated before it succeeded in transmitting the random number for the others' use, it is considered to have left the group, and the other gambling machines continue the group game without it.
It is to be understood that the above specification and the related figures are only intended to illustrate the present invention. Different variations and modifications of the invention are apparent to those skilled in the art, without deviating from the scope of the invention.

Claims

A gambling machine (1) comprising:
a payment device (5) for debiting a user for a stake to be debited for using the gambling machine and for crediting the user with a sum won by the user with the gambling machine (1),

a controller (6) for controlling the progression of a game by raffling a following game event,

a display (8) for illustrating the progression of the game to the user, and

a user interface (7) via which the user is able to start the game and make selections during the game, characterized in that

the controller (6) is arranged to transmit information over a communication connection (3, 4) about the progression of the game to at least one other gambling machine (2) and to receive information over said communication connection (3, 4) about the progression of the game of said at least one other gambling machine (2),

the controller (6) is arranged to analyze said information received about the progression of the game of said at least one other gambling machine (6) for identifying a predetermined game event, and

in response to the identification of said predetermined game event, the controller (6) is arranged to control the progression of the game of the gambling machine (1) for increasing the chance of winning of the user of the gambling machine.
A gambling machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the controller (6) controls the progression of the game of the gambling machine (1) for increasing the user's chance of winning by eliminating, from the game, a previously raffled game event for enabling the raffling of a new, replacing game event.
A gambling machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that
the gambling machine (1) comprises a random number generator (9) for generating a random number for utilization in the raffling of the following game event,
the controller (6) is arranged to transmit said random number generated with the random number generator (9) over the communication connection (3, 4) to at least one other gambling machine (2), and to receive a random number transmitted from at least one other gambling machine (2), and to also utilize a random number received from at least one other gambling machine (2) in the raffling of a following game event if a random number has been received from at least one other gambling machine (2).
A gambling machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that
the game event raffled by the controller (6) is composed of the tossing of a following game symbol (13) among predetermined available game symbols,
after the raffling of the following game symbol (13), the controller (6) offers the user a chance over the user interface (7) to place the next game symbol (13) displayed on the display to a position selected by the user on a game field (10) shown by the display (8),
the controller (6) controls the payment device (5) to credit the user with the winning sum if the placement of the following game symbol (13) by the user over the user interface (7) onto the game field (10) shown on the display (8) leads to a predetermined combination of game symbols on the game field (10), and
the controller (6) is arranged to implement an increase in the chance of winning of said user by removing a game symbol from the game field shown on the display (8) for enabling the tossing of a new, replacing game symbol.
A method of implementing a group game with gambling machines, the method being characterized by:
controlling (A) each gambling machine gambling machine-specifically to implement an independent gambling machine-specific game that leads to a win or a loss of the user of said gambling machine, and crediting (B, C) the user gambling machine-specifically with the winning sum, if the game has ended in the user's winning,

transmitting (D) information between the gambling machines belonging to the group about the progression of the game over a communication connection, and

perceiving (E, F) information transmitted from the other gambling machines in the gambling machine-specific game control for increasing the user's chance of winning, if the information transmitted from the other gambling machines indicates that a predetermined game event has occurred in some gambling machine belonging to the group.
A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized by controlling the progression of the game of the gambling machine for increasing (F) the user's chance of winning by eliminating a previously raffled game event from the game, and by performing a new raffling for raffling a replacing game event.
A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized by comprising, for controlling (A) the progression of the game of the gambling machine:
generating (A1) a random number with the gambling machine,

transmitting (A2) the random number for utilization by the other gambling machines belonging to the group, and receiving random numbers generated by the other gambling machines belonging to the group, and

raffling (A3) the following event in the progression of the game by utilizing the random number generated with the gambling machine and also the random numbers received from the other gambling machines, if random numbers have been received from the other gambling machines.
A computer program for controlling a gambling machine, characterized in that the program is configured to control the gambling machine to:
implement (A, B) an independent gambling machine-specific game, which ends in the winning or loss of a user of said gambling machine, and to credit (C) the user with a winning sum if the game ended in the user's winning,

transmit (D) information about the progression of the game between the gambling machine and the other gambling machines belonging to the group over a communication connection, and

perceiving (E, F) information transmitted from the other gambling machines in the gambling machine-specific game control for increasing the user's chance of winning, if the information transmitted from the other gambling machines indicates that a predetermined game event has occurred in some gambling machine belonging to the group.
A computer program as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that for increasing (F) the user's chance of winning, the computer program controls the progression of the game of the gambling machine by eliminating a previously raffled game event from the game and by performing a new raffle for raffling a replacing game event.
A computer program as claimed in claim 8 or 9, characterized in that for controlling (A) the progression of the game of the gambling machine, the program controls the gambling machine to:
generate (A1) a random number with the gambling machine,

transmit (A2) the random number for utilization by the other gambling machines belonging to the group, and receiving random numbers generated by the other gambling machines belonging to the group, and

raffle (A3) the following event in the progression of the game by utilizing the random number generated with the gambling machine and also the random numbers received from the other gambling machines, if random numbers have been received from the other gambling machines.