WO2010037990A1

WO2010037990A1 - Prediction game

Info

Publication number: WO2010037990A1
Application number: PCT/GB2008/003374
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Incledon Veith Colin
Original assignee: John Incledon Veith Colin
Priority date: 2008-10-04
Filing date: 2008-10-04
Publication date: 2010-04-08
Also published as: GB201105262D0; WO2010037990A8; GB2476600A

Abstract

A gaming apparatus and system comprising a player-operable game machine (10) arranged to present to the player a plurality of arms (32, 34, 36) extending radially from a common point (38), said arms being rotatable about said common point, and a plurality of marks (40) circumferentially spaced about said common point (38), the machine comprising a controller arranged to control rotation of the arms (32, 34, 36) and to prompt the player to select one or more marks (40), wherein the controller ceases rotation of said arms after determining selection of one or more marks by the player such that each arm points towards a randomly selected mark. The controller may be arranged to compare the one or more marks selected by the user against the one or more marks aligned with the arms once at rest to determine whether a win condition has occurred.

Description

Prediction Game

The present invention relates to a new game in which the user attempts to predict the outcome or result of one or more sets of variables.

A significant number of prediction games have been devised in the past with a view to attracting players. The commercial success or failure of such games can be attributed to a combination of factors, which contribute to the game's ability to engage players. One such factor is the simplicity of the game, such that the game is easy to learn for new players. Another factor is the game's 'replayability'. That is to say the game must be exciting to play or else must have sufficient depth or subtleties to maintain a user's interest over time.

Whilst the behaviour of gamers has been widely studied, it remains difficult to predict with certainty the combination of factors that will result in a game with widespread appeal for the gaming community. For this reason, a number of traditional games are often provided in the hope that those games will be well understood and thus appealing to individuals. In the context of organised gaming in Europe and the US, for example in casinos or online, the popularity of games such as slot machines and Roulette is self evident.

However such games are not without their drawbacks. For example, the conventional slot machine arrangement of three or four reels which rotate to allow alignment of shapes or symbols thereon is very simple to understand but soon becomes tedious to play in its most basic form. For this reason, the basic slot machine concept has been evolved over time to include additional game elements such as board game features and other embellishments to enhance a player's interest in the game.

In the case of Roulette, the basic principle is simply to predict where a ball will land within slots in a spinning wheel. However the game becomes complicated for new players by virtue of the myriad of different types of bet which are presented to the player. The odds of winning varies between different types of bet and there is a likelihood that a new player could lose a significant number of games before attaining an appreciation of the available options and possibilities of success. This factor alone can be sufficient to dissuade a significant proportion of new players from persisting with the game.

In other countries, such as for example Japan, different types of games have found widespread success. One example of such a game is Pachinko, in which a player is challenged to predict where a ball will come to rest after being dropped through an array of obstacles. In this regard, at least part of the success of the game can be derived from the fact that a user is presented with a limited number of options from which to choose. In addition, users can see the random nature in which the balls fall through the machine, which heightens the tension when playing.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide an alternative format of game which is simple to appreciate and entertaining to play.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided gaming apparatus arranged to display to a user a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point, said arms being rotatable about said common point, the gaming apparatus further comprising a plurality of marks located about said common point and circumferentially spaced, and a controller arranged to control rotation of the arms such that upon cessation of said rotation each of said arms points towards a randomly selected mark.

In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a selector such that a user can select one or more marks from said plurality of marks. The apparatus may prompt the user to select one or more marks by way of a visual or aural indication. The controller may rotate the arms after one or more marks have been selected. The controller may determine whether one or more marks have been selected and may only rotate or allow rotation of the arms after a mark selection has been determined. Alternatively the controller may allow the arms to rotate prior to determination of a mark selection but may only cease rotation of the arms after a mark selection has been determined.

In one embodiment, the display of the apparatus may take the format of a clock face having first and second arms and a series of twelve marks equally spaced about the centre of the clock face. The apparatus may display three arms, which may be of different lengths in a manner similar to the hour, minute and second hands of a clock. The present invention allows for a novel game which may be played by one or more players, whereby the or each player selects at least one mark and subsequently waits for rotation of the arms to cease in order to determine whether the or each selected mark is aligned with an arm once at rest.

A win condition may be determined when one or more arms points towards a mark previously selected by a player. A first win condition may be determined when one arm points to a selected mark. One or more alternative win conditions may be determined when two or more arms point towards the same selected marker.

Whilst the present invention is considered to find a particular application in the field of gambling games, the invention is not to be considered to be limited to such applications and may be employed as a determination means in any other games in which one or more outcomes are to be selected from a predetermined number of options. For example the invention may be used in place of dice or conventional pointers as part of a board game or the like.

The controller may be electronic or mechanical or an electro/mechanical device.

The apparatus may comprise a display screen upon which the display of the arms is controlled by said controller. The use of an electronic display is considered advantageous in a number of respects since it allows the display of said arms along with other information which can be selectively displayed to a player at different points of the game. For example, context-sensitive information can be displayed to indicate a win condition, a lose condition or else to prompt the player to take action, such as to select a mark or else enter a stake.

In one embodiment, the rotation of the arms may be controlled mechanically. A motor may drive the rotation of one or more arms via a gearing arrangement. One motor may drive a plurality of arms or else a plurality of motors may be provided, each arm being driven by a separate motor. The duration of operation or else the number of rotations or part-rotations of a motor may be randomly selected in order to randomly select the orientation of the arms when rotation ceases. The apparatus may comprise a plurality of controllers. The apparatus may comprise a plurality of processors which may collectively be considered to be the controller.

The controller may allow for a plurality of different modes of operation of said arms. In one mode of operation, the controller may allow the arms to rotate at the same or different angular speeds. The controller may also allow for rotation of the arms in the same or opposing directions. In another mode of operation, the controller may control angular rotation of a first arm at a fixed ratio to the angular rotation of a second arm. For example, in one embodiment, the fixed ratio may be 1 :1 , whilst in another embodiment, the fixed ratio may be 1:12.

The varying ratios of rotation between the arms may allow for different modes of play.

The apparatus may comprise wager or stake entry means by a player. The apparatus may associate the stake with one or more selected marks. The apparatus may prompt a player to place a stake in respect of the or each selected marks. In determining a win condition, the controller may determine the return to a player based on the value of the stake placed by the player. The value of the return may be calculated based upon a mathematical function or else by using a tabular system.

The apparatus may take the form of a game machine and may be provided within a housing such as a cabinet. The controller may be provided with machine-readable instructions for controlling operation of the game. In one embodiment, the game machine may comprise a computing device such as a PC, notebook, laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile or cell phone. Such computing devices may be provided with machine- readable instructions to allow use thereof in a manner according to the present invention.

The apparatus will typically be connected to a managing controller via a network connection, such as, for example, over a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or else over the internet at large. The apparatus will typically communicate with a management server so as to allow monitoring of the operation of the apparatus. In one embodiment, the game may be played remotely over the internet or another network, whereby the player apparatus accesses the machine instructions to play the game from the management server. The player may be required to create an account prior to playing the game. For example, the player may be required to submit personal information to establish a player profile before the managing controller will allow the player to participate in the game. Such steps may be required in particular for networked gambling games.

In one embodiment, the apparatus may take the form of a slot machine such that a player can enter money into the machine in order to play the game. Additionally or alternatively, the apparatus may be able to accept credit from a player by way of a credit or debit card reader such that a player can play regardless of whether they have first created a player profile.

The apparatus typically comprises a user input which may take the form of, for example, a keypad, buttons, touch screen, mouse, trackball or other conventional input means for allowing interaction with a user interface.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a gaming system comprising a player-operable game machine arranged to present to the player a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point, said arms being rotatable about said common point, and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point, the machine comprising a controller arranged to control rotation of the arms and to prompt the player to select one or more marks, wherein the controller ceases rotation of said arms after determining selection of one or more marks by the player such that each arm points towards a randomly selected mark.

The controller may be arranged to compare the one or more marks selected by the user against the one or more marks aligned with the arms once at rest to determine whether a win condition has occurred. The controller may determine a win condition when the one or more marks selected by the user matches a mark aligned with one or more arms.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data carrier comprising machine readable instructions for operation of a gaming apparatus controller, said gaming apparatus arranged to present to a user a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point, and said machine readable instructions arranged to log selection of one or more of said marks by a player and to control rotation of the arms about said common point such that upon cessation of said rotation each of said arms points towards a randomly selected mark, wherein the gaming apparatus compares the player selected mark against the one or more marks pointed to by said arms in order to determine whether or not a win condition has occurred.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of operating a gaming machine comprising: presenting to a player a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point; prompting a player to select one or more marks from said plurality of marks; controlling rotation of the arms about said common point; and, after determining selection of one or more marks by the player, ceasing rotation of said arms such that each arm points towards a randomly selected mark.

The method may compare the player selected mark against the randomly selected mark in order to determine whether a win condition has occurred. The method may comprise the step of allowing the player to enter a stake value in respect of the player-selected mark. The method may comprise the step of determining a return to the player in dependence on the value of the stake entered in the event that a win condition is determined.

Any of the second, third and fourth aspects of the invention may optionally allow for control of the gaming apparatus in a manner described in relation to the optional features of the first aspect of the invention. All such features are to be considered applicable to any aspect of the invention unless explicitly suggested otherwise within the following description.

Working embodiments of the invention are described in further detail below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 shows a three dimensional view of a game machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic of the basic components for use in a networked gaming system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 shows a flow diagram of the steps involved in initiating a game according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 shows a flow diagram of the steps involved in processing results for a game according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a flow diagram of the steps involved in carrying out additional game features for a game according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6 shows a flow diagram of the steps involved in conducting an additional mode of gameplay according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 7 shows a user interface for a game according to one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 8 shows the user interface of figure 7 during a first optional gamble scenario;

Figure 9 shows the user interface of figure 7 during a second optional gamble scenario;

Figure 10 shows the user interface of figure 7 during a third optional gamble scenario;

Figure 11 shows the user interface of figure 7 during a fourth optional gamble scenario; and,

Figure 12 shows a user interface for an additional or alternative mode of gameplay according to one embodiment of the present invention.

In figure 1, there is shown a game apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention in the form of a games machine 10. The games machine 10 generally comprises a display screen 12 mounted in a housing, typically referred to as a cabinet

14, such that the display screen is oriented for viewing by one or more individuals standing or seated in front of the cabinet 14.

The machine 10 has a money insert mechanism 16 and a money output formation 18. The money insert mechanism 16 shown in figure 1 is arranged to receive coins in a conventional manner such that the coins fall or pass through a coin recognition mechanism within the machine (not shown) and are collated within an internal store. Such recognition and retaining mechanisms are well known in the art and will not be described in detail herein for conciseness.

In addition to, or else as an alternative to, the coin receipt mechanism 16, the games machine may comprise a mechanism for receiving bank notes and/or a bank/credit card reader device. All such devices are also well known in the art and offer alternative means for receiving player credit in order to play the game to be described herein.

The machine 10 also comprises a controller in the form of one or more processors. The processors are typically provided as part of a circuit board and are provided with machine readable instructions for control of the operation of the games machine. The processors may take the form of one or more programmable chips.

The money receipt mechanism 16 and the screen 12 comprise sensors, the output of which is fed as an input to the controller and upon which the controller determines steps to be taken for playing the game. The controller controls generation of a user interface on the screen 12. The screen typically takes the form of a touch screen such that a user can input information, commands and/or select options by touching the relevant parts of the display screen. In other embodiments, the games machine 10 may comprise further user input means such as keys, buttons or the like in order to allow input of commands and/or information by a user.

The machine 10 also comprises audio output means 20 in the form of a speaker for the output of sound effects, music and/or speech to a user under the control of the machine processor.

The machine controller is provided with machine-readable instructions comprising one or more modules of code using a data carrier for subsequent operation of the games machine in accordance with the operational steps described below in relation to figures 3 to 12. The data carrier for transfer of the machine-readable instructions to the machine may comprise one or more data signals or else a machine-readable storage media such as Compact Discs, Digital Versatile Disks, portable memory devices including memory cards or memory sticks, hard disk drives or the like.

Turning now to figure 2, there is shown the basic hardware components which allow the present invention to be administered by a service provider for a plurality of machines. The machine 10 is connected to the service provider hardware over a network. In this embodiment, the connection is made via the internet 22 although any network capable of transmission of data signals could be used.

The service provider hardware comprises means for establishing connection with the network (the internet 22) and administering the transmission and receipt of data signals with gaming machines or user-owned computing devices 24 over the internet. In this regard the service provider hardware typically comprises one or more servers 26 for communication with other networked machines. In one embodiment, the server 26 may host one or more web sites which are accessible over the internet.

The server machine 26 is provided with machine readable instructions in the form of proprietary software to allow the communication of data and the establishment of bespoke web pages in accordance with the present invention as will be described below. The server comprises a processor; a memory such as a hard disc or other suitable nonvolatile memory; and network adapter to allow connection to a network such as a local area network, a wide area network and/or the world wide web. Such technology and the associated RAM and ROM requirements are well know to the skilled person and will not be described in detail here.

The service provider hardware also comprises a non-volatile data store 28. The data store 28 typically comprises conventional storage media comprising a file system for storing and retrieving machine-readable data for administration by the service provider. The service provider hardware may facilitate the provision of a membership system such that individual users can register profile details with the service provider over the internet and thereby establish a user account. A user will typically access the service provider's web site using conventional computing means 24 such as a PC, laptop, notebook, PDA or other portable or static electronic device capable of establishing a wired or wireless connection with the internet for communication of data signals. It will be appreciated that more recent developments in communication technology allow for the use of a variety of electronic device for this purpose such as mobile/cell phones, set top boxes, satellite navigation devices, portable media players and the like, as well as electronics embedded in other data processing equipment.

Machine-readable instructions in the form of a software plug-in may be installed on user's computing device 24 for administration of a user account and/or playing the game according to the present invention. Additionally or alternatively, the user device may access the necessary software from the service provider hardware 26 over the network. Dependent on the details of the system to be implemented, the user device 24 or games machine 10 may access the user interface and associated data for playing the game over the network every time a game is initiated by a player.

Alternatively the machine or user device may have stored thereon executable code to allow playing of the game such that only certain game data need be communicated with the service provider during play. Such game data may comprise player account and credit data.

The operation of the game will now be described with reference to figures 3 to 12. The basic premise of the game is that a player must attempt to predict the position of a plurality of rotating arm indicators which may stop at random angular orientations. The following description proceeds in relation to one particular embodiment, in which the rotating arms form part of a clock face.

However it is to be understood that various different forms of user interface are possible in which the arms may point to any type of marker which need not represent the delineations used on a conventional clock. In such embodiments the interface or display may comprise a variety of different markers, which may be based upon a theme such as, for example, vehicles, jewels, characters, money, geographical locations or the like. In addition, the angular spacing of such markers may be greater than or less than the hour or minute delineations on a clock face. Thus any such embodiment may not have twelve delineations located about the interface but may have greater or fewer than twelve, dependent on the desired operation of the game. All functional features described below in relation to the embodiment of a clock face and hands may equally be applied to an embodiment in which the arms and markers do not form a clock-like display.

Turning now to figure 3, upon initiation of a game at step 100, a graphical user interface is presented to a user on display screen 12 of the machine or else on the screen 25 of a user-owned computing device 24, dependent on the hardware being used to operate the game.

A clock-themed embodiment of the user interface is shown in figure 7 and comprises a representation of a clock 30 towards the centre of the display. The clock 30 comprises a first arm 32, a second arm 34 and a third arm 36 which represent the respective hour, minute and second hands of the clock 30. The first , second and third arms will be referred to hereinafter by reference to the corresponding hands of the clock 30.

The hour 32, minute 34 and second 36 hands all meet at a central hub or point of rotation 38 at the centre of the clock 30. A plurality of markers or delineations 40 are circumferentially spaced about the point of rotation 38. A total of twelve such markers 40 are provided, each marker having a numeral associated therewith, the numeral being numbered from one to twelve in a clockwise fashion.

Each marker 40 also has associated therewith a value indicator 42 in which numeric values can be displayed in association with an individual marker as will be described in further detail below.

In addition to the clock 30, the display comprises a number of additional components including user control buttons 44 to 53. Buttons 44 to 53 respectively represent 'spin', 'repeat', 'cancel', 'collect', 'gamble' and 'bank' user controls. A further set of user control buttons 54 are provided as value selectors in order to allow a user to assign numerical values to markers of the display. Each value selector is provided with a corresponding numerical value thereon. Whilst the user controls 44-54 are referred to as buttons, it will be appreciated that in this embodiment, they do not take the form of depressible buttons, but in fact are formed by identifiable areas of a touch-screen display. In an alternative embodiment, corresponding function may be assigned to actual buttons, keys or other electromechanical user controls.

The display further comprises a plurality of information and message display sections, including message bar 56, an instruction/information section 58, a credit indicator section 60, a jackpot indicator section 62 and game results display 64.

In this embodiment, the message bar 56 is used to display context-sensitive messages to a player dependent on the status of the game; the information section 58 displays the payouts or multipliers assigned to each of the hour, minute and second hands as well as indicators to show which options may create a gamble option; the credit indicator section 62 displays a player's current credit along with the cumulative value which has been bet or gambled by the player during the current session and the value won by the player during the current session; the jackpot indicator displays the current rolling maximum jackpot available to be won in a single game on the machine; and, the results section displays the results of a plurality of previous spins by the player during the current session.

The results indicator in this embodiment takes the form of a results table. The table has three columns, one for each hand, and seven rows, for display of results for the previous seven spins. However different table configuration are possible dependent on game characteristics. Each of the other information and message display sections 56-62 may take the form of text boxes and/or tables or grids for display of alphanumeric strings.

As shown in figure 7, the clock displays the current local time in the relevant locality whilst the clock hands are not being used for the game. Weekday and date windows are also provided on the clock at 63 an 65 respectively.

Returning to figure 3, once the basic user interface has been generated, the controller waits to receive credit data at 102, either as a result of sensors determining that money has been inserted into the machine 10 by a player or else, in the case of the game running on a user device 24, by checking player credit data stored by the service provider in memory 28. The credit indicator section 60 may then be populated by the controller.

The player is then required to enter one or more predictions as to the final resting place of the clock hands 32-36 and to apply a weighting to the prediction at step 104.

In this embodiment, the weighting is entered in the form of a stake or bet by selecting one of the predetermined value selectors 54. This is achieved by a player touching the relevant value selectors 54 on screen. In this embodiment, a total of seven different values of bet are made available to the player, consisting of £1 , £2, £3, £5, £10, £15 or

£20. However the number of options and the associated bet values and/or currency may be altered as required. In an alternative embodiment, the bet may be entered by a player by keying in the proposed value of the bet.

Once a player has selected a stake value, they are then required to assign the stake to one or more markers by way of a prediction of the resting place of one or more hands during the game. This is achieved by a player touching a value indicator 42 associated with the marker. Thus the value indicator may be considered to be a touch sensitive user control for marker selection in a manner similar to the other user controls 44-54.

The controller determines when a bet or weighting has been assigned to a marker location and displays the corresponding numerical value in the value indicator 42 corresponding to the selected marker.

At step 106, the controller determines whether the entered bet is valid by comparing the value entered by the player against the player's current credit. In the event that the entered bet is lower than or equal to the player's current credit, then the controller proceeds to step 108. If the entered bet is greater than the player's credit (i.e. if the player has insufficient credit) then the controller enters a loop 110 to request that the player enters additional credit by displaying a corresponding message in message bar 56. If no credit or insufficient credit is received then the controller prompts the player to enter a lower bet or else returns to the initial display screen at step 100. At step 108, a message is displayed in message bar 56 asking the player to either start the game by touching the 'spin' control 44, to add another bet, or else to cancel the game. If a player adds a bet by selecting another value indicator 42 then the controller returns to step 104. A player may adjust bets or else add a bet to another blank value indicator until all markers have been assigned a bet. Thus in this embodiment, the player may enter anywhere between one and twelve predictions per game. The controller adds up the current value of the bets and displays this value in the credit indicator window 60.

In addition the controller may verify the bet data and/or store the value and location of each bet at step 114 either prior to or else once a player has commenced the game.

Once a player has entered the desired number of bets, they must select 'spin' in order to commence the rotation of the clock hands 32-36. The rotation of the hands is displayed on screen at step 112 by an animation sequence by the controller. The hands are typically controlled to spin in a 'non-clock-like' fashion during the animation, such that the hour minute and second hands may spin independently. The hands may spin in either direction and at the same or different rotational speeds.

Whilst the hands are spinning, the controller randomly selects at step 116 a first marker location at which the hour hand will stop, a second marker location at which the minute hand will stop and a third marker location at which the second hand will stop. Random selection routines of this kind are well known and any conventional random selection process may be implemented according to the present invention in the form of a Random Number Generator (RNG).

In this particular embodiment, the RNG within the software generates a random number indicative of a location within a results table, database or other form of array. The values which populate the results table determine the resting positions of the clock hands and the payout multiplier to be used in determining the winnings due to the player.

However it will be appreciated that other systems are possible in place of a tabular system for calculating returns to the user, such as by way of mathematical formulae or functions to be applied once the RNG has determined where the clock hands will stop.

Once the resting positions of each of the clock hands have been determined, the controller then stores the locations output by the RNG and halts rotation of the hands one by one, preferably in the order of hour hand, then minute hand, then second hand.

The first, second and third selected marker locations may be the same or different values dependent on the outcome of the RNG. In this embodiment each marker location is prescribed simultaneously by virtue of a single generated random number. This has the effect that each marker location is selected entirely at random. However it is possible in an alternative embodiment that each of the hour, minute and second hand locations may be selected independently at random.

The final resting place of the clock hands is displayed to the player at 118.

Turning now to figure 4, the controller determines whether a win condition has occurred at step 120 by comparing the resting locations of the clock hands against the stored player predictions. If a stored marker location predicted by a player for that game matches the marker indicated by any one of the clock hands, then a win condition is determined. If none of the clock hands come to rest at the marker locations predicted by the player, then a 'no win' or lose condition is determined by the controller. For a no win condition, a corresponding message is displayed in message bar 56 and the player credit data is updated by subtracting the player stake from the player's current credit at step 122.

However if a win condition is determined by the controller, then the controller determines the type of win which has occurred by determining whether the hour, the minute or the second hand or any combination thereof landed on a marker location which was predicted by the player. The information window 58 displays the different types of win which can be achieved and the value of the return to the player as a multiple of the player stake.

In this embodiment, the return to the player 'A' is determined based on the player stake Υ based on a clock hand matching the player prediction as follows: 1. Second hand: A = I x Y 2. Minute hand: A = 3 x Y

3. Hour hand: A = 5 x Y

4. Minute & Second hands: A = 2 x Y

5. Hour and second hands: A = 4 x Y 6. Hour & minute hands: A = 15 x Y

7. Hour & minute & second hands: A = 50 x Y

In addition to the multiplier applied to the player's stake, the options 3 and 5-7 above provide the player with a gamble option. Thus if a win according to options 1 , 2 or 4 is determined by the controller, where no gamble option is made available, the controller displays a win message in message bar 56 and updates the player credit and the results table 64 accordingly at step 124.

If a win is determined for which there is a player option to gamble, the controller displays a corresponding message in message bar 56 to explain the player's gamble options at step 126. The player's temporary win value or 'holding credit' is stored whilst the user is given the option of gambling or collecting the winnings at step 128. The player can select to gamble or collect the winnings by selecting either of the player control buttons 50 or 52 respectively.

If a user collects at 128, then the game data and player credit is updated by adding the value of the win to the existing player credit value at 130. If a player elects to gamble then one of a plurality of further routines is selected by the controller dependent on the type of win achieved by the player. Which ever gamble routine is selected, the player winnings may be either increased, decreased or else unaffected by the result of the gamble and the modified winnings is added to the player credit in place of the player 's holding credit.

Regardless of whether the player wins, loses or wins with a gamble option, the player credit is updated accordingly and the updated credit value is displayed in credit window 60 at 132.

A number of different gambling routines are described below in relation to figures 8 to 11 based upon the win options 3 and 5-7 listed above. For all of the gambling game options, the information window 58 is amended to display information relating to the gamble options presented to the player.

In figure 8, the hour hand 32 has stopped on a marker which was predicted by the player according to Option 3 listed above. In this routine, a fourth arm or clock hand 66 is presented to the player. If the player selects the gamble option then the fourth hand 66 spins and is stopped at one of the marker locations, selected randomly by the controller.

The player is rewarded with a stake multiplier which is equal to the value of the marker on which the fourth hand stops. Thus if the fourth hand falls on marker number three, then the player is awarded his stake multiplied by three by way of winnings in place of his holding credit.

In figure 9, both the hour hand and the second hand 36 have stopped on the same marker location which was predicted by the player according to Option 5 listed above. In this routine the weekday window 63 is used. If the player selects the gamble option then the weekday indicator displays the days of the week one at a time in quick succession in a time dependant manner and is stopped by the controller to display one of the days of the week, selected randomly by the controller. The player is rewarded with a stake multiplier which is equal to the value of the day of the week displayed in the weekday indicator window 63, where Monday=1 and Sunday=7. Thus if the weekday indicator window stops on Wednesday, then the player is awarded his stake multiplied by three in place of his holding credit.

In figure 10, both the hour hand 32 and the minute hand 34 have stopped on the same marker location which was predicted by the player according to Option 6 listed above. In this routine the date window 65 is used. If the player selects the gamble option then the weekday indicator displays the dates of the month one at a time in quick succession in a time dependant manner and is stopped by the controller to display one of the days of the month, selected randomly by the controller. The player is rewarded with a stake multiplier which is equal to the value of the day of the month displayed in the date indicator window 65, which may vary from 1 to 31. Thus if the date indicator window stops on day twenty-six, then the player is awarded his stake multiplied by twenty-six in place of his holding credit. In figure 11, all three of the hour 32, minute 34 and the second 36 hands have stopped on the same marker location which was predicted by the player according to Option 7 listed above. In this routine, the fourth arm or clock hand 66 is presented to the player. If the player selects the gamble option then the fourth hand 66 spins and is stopped at one of the marker locations, selected randomly by the controller. The player is rewarded by double his holding credit if the fourth hand stops on the same marker location as the hour, minute and second hands. Otherwise the marker value on which the fourth hand stops is deducted from the original stake multiplier determined for that game.

In one embodiment, once the updated player credit has been displayed at 132, the player may be given the option to repeat the game using the same bet(s), to cancel the bets and re-enter new bets, or else to end the game and have the remaining player credit returned.

However in this embodiment, the controller first determines whether a bet back indicator has been previously assigned at step 134. If so, then the controller runs a bet back routine at 136.

In an additional or alternative embodiment, the controller may be programmed to determine whether a further game indicator has occurred at step 138. The further game indicator may take the form of a variable parameter which is set at value '0' as default.

At certain selected combinations of the hand orientations, the value of the variable may be altered to '1 ' in order to initiate a further game in the form of a jackpot game. In such instances the controller replaces the interface shown in figure 1 with a further game interface shown in figure 12 and selects the interface in figure 12 as the active interface at step 140.

The interface of figure 12 comprises two clock faces 70 and 72, each of which has an hour, minute and second hand as well as a weekday indicator window 74 and date indicator 76. Otherwise the jackpot game interface is similar to the layout to the layout of the interface shown in figure 1. The purpose of the jackpot game is for a player to match exactly the player controlled clock 70 with that display settings of the clock 74 which may display the current time, weekday and date. In this embodiment, the hour minute and second hands spin at relative rotational speeds which match the relative angular movements of the hour, minute and second hands of a real clock. However the rotational speeds are all increased by a constant factor such that the hour hand completes one or more revolutions in only a few seconds. In one embodiment the hour hand completes a plurality of revolutions per second. The weekday and date indicators also alter in a time dependant manner once the clock 70 is initiated.

The player starts the clock 70 at spinning in the predetermined pattern by touching the 'spin' button 78 at step 142. This causes the clock spinning animation to be initiated by the controller. The player must then attempt to stop the player clock 70 at the same time, weekday and date as that displayed by the further clock 72. The player controlled clock 70 stops the instant the controller determines that the player touches the 'stop' button 80. The time, weekday and date at which the clock 72 is stopped is then displayed to the player at step 144.

In an alternative embodiment, the rotation of the player controlled clock may merely provide an animated representation of spinning hands and the resting positions of the hands may be selected at random using a randomly generated number to identify an address in a look-up table in a manner similar to that described above in relation to the main game. In such an embodiment, the odds of winning the jackpot game can be preset by defining the number of possible addresses in the look-up table. For example, the odds may be set to 10,000:1 by providing a look-up table or combination of look-up tables which allow for 10,000 different possible results.

In the event that a match is determined between the clocks 70 once stopped and the clock 72 at the time which the stop commend is initiated by the player, then the jackpot value is added to the player credit value at 146 and a winning message is displayed to the player along with the player's new credit. Otherwise the controller displays a lose message in message bar 56 and returns to the player interface shown in figure 1.

The controller then proceeds from box 150 by allowing the player the option to repeat the game using the same bet(s) at step 152, to cancel the bets at step 154 and re-enter new bets for a subsequent game, or else to end the game at step 156 and have the remaining player credit returned. An option to cancel either of selections 152, 154 or 156 may be provided such that a player has the possibility of changing his mind before the decision is processed.

As soon as each play cycle is completed, the players account and/or credit details will be updated before any new bets are placed or else a player exits the system.

The clock face is returned to display the current time and date in between games.

In order to implement the above described game, a tabular or array-based system has been devised in order to determine the outcome of the finite number of spin results of the clock. In such an embodiment, the controller is programmed to obtain a random number from the RNG sequence and to interpret that number as an indicator of an address or location within the array:

An example of the format of table which could be used according to one embodiment is shown below:

Table 1

In a table of this type, a column is assigned to each of the arms or hands of the clock and possible stopping position for each hand are listed in those columns. Thus each row of the table represents possible combinations of stopping positions for all of the hands. Each row of the table is prescribed a row number and the RNG is set to select a number between one and the final row number within the array. Thus the number generated by the RNG represents an address in the form of a location within the table. Upon receipt of the number generated by the RNG, the controller refers to the relevant address within the table to retrieve the results and/or winnings data. In this regard the table comprises a plurality of further columns containing values to be read by the controller for a given result.

In this embodiment, variables are assigned to determine whether certain conditions are met. A Gamble Indicator variable is defined having the values '0' or '1 ' to indicate whether or not a gamble condition has resulted. The controller will thus offer the player the opportunity to gamble only if a value of '1' is entered in the selected row under the 'Gamble Indicator' column. This represents a simplified embodiment of the actual game and in fact a separate gamble indicator variable would be assigned to each of the different gamble options described in relation to figures 8 to 11. Each such variable would be assigned a column within the table.

A column is also assigned to the result of the gamble option, indicative of the multiplier applied to the player stake by way of winnings. The final two columns are assigned to the payout in the event of a non-gamble condition and a gamble condition respectively.

This type of look-up table format is preferred since it allows features of the game to be simply added and or removed by adding or removing columns associated with the variables and/or outcomes of those features to the table. For example, to add in the option of a Bet Back Bonus which is triggered under certain conditions, the variable of a Bet Back Indicator, a Bet Back Result and a Bet Back Payout can simply be defined and columns for those variable inserted into the table.

As with the gamble option, the Bet Back Indicator may be a variable set as either O' or '1 ' to control initiation of the bet Back feature. The Bet Back Result is a variable identifying the multiplier that can be applied to the player's stake by way of winnings.

Similarly this type of system can be used to determine whether a Jackpot gamble condition was achieved by adding in corresponding columns for the Jackpot Indicator, Jackpot Result and Jackpot Payout. This represents only one way of operating the engine which controls the outcome of the game and it is to be noted that a number of other alternatives are available in which a series of logic statements can be used in place of an array or database of results. However it is felt that an array system offers ease of modification of the system to suit different modes of play which is more difficult to achieve using lines of code.

In a further embodiment, the display screen shown in figures 1 and 2 may be replaced by a mechanical clock face having hands that are driven by a drive mechanism under the control of an electronic controller. Thus the hands are preferably driven by one or more electric motors which are operated and stopped by the controller in accordance with the invention.

In a further embodiment, the apparatus according to the invention may take the form of a board or table-top game in which the playing board has a clock face with three hands which can move independently of each other. In place of the value indicators 42 shown in figure 3, the board game may comprise betting positions, in which players can place tokens or betting chips. Tokens or chips placed in betting locations which are not aligned with the clock hands once they come to rest are deemed to have lost.

Payouts, winnings and rules of the game are in accordance with the game operation described above. However it is envisaged that, whilst the clock hands may be electronically controlled, the betting, payouts and other aspects of the game may be controlled and administered by a human. Additionally or alternatively, a player may manually spin or initiate spinning of the clock hands using a handle or the like and the hands may come to rest under the action of friction within the clock hands mechanism.

Claims

Claims:

1. Gaming apparatus arranged to present to a user: a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point, said arms being rotatable about said common point, the gaming apparatus further comprising a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point, and a controller arranged to control rotation of the arms such that upon cessation of said rotation each of said arms points towards a randomly selected mark from said plurality of marks.

2. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller randomly selects a mark for each of said arms.

3. Gaming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a selector such that a user can select one or more marks from said plurality of marks.

4. Gaming apparatus according to claim 3, comprising a sensor for detecting whether or not at least one of said marks has been selected by a player wherein the controller is arranged to receive an output from said sensor so as to determine whether one or more marks have been selected.

5. Gaming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is arranged to either initiate or cease rotation of said arms only after the selection of one or more of said marks has been determined.

6. Gaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a win condition is determined by said controller when upon cessation of said rotation, one or more arms points towards a mark selected by a player.

7. Gaming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller determines a first win condition when one of said arms points to a selected mark, and one or more alternative win conditions when two or more arms point towards the selected mark.

8. Gaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a clock face having first and second arms and a series of twelve marks equally spaced about the centre of the clock face.

9. Gaming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus comprises a third and/or fourth arm.

10. Gaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein each of said arms are independently rotatable by said controller.

11. Gaming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the controller allows for a plurality of different modes of operation of said arms, wherein in a first mode of operation, the controller controls the arms to rotate independently of each other, and in a second mode of operation the controller controls angular rotation of a first arm dependent on the rotation of the second arm.

12. Gaming apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein one mode of operation is activated based upon the results of a game played under the other mode of operation.

13. Gaming apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus further comprises a memory on which is stored an array of possible outcomes of said rotation of said arms, the array comprising one or more variables listed against each possible outcome and said controller accesses said array in order to determine the value of said variables for a given outcome.

14. Gaming apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the controller administers a player credit fund value dependent upon the variable values retrieved from the array.

15. Gaming apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising wager entry means in order to allow a player to assign a wager to one or more selected marks and the controller administers a player credit fund in dependence on the wagers placed by the player.

16. Gaming apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of arms and marks are displayed as part of a user interface on an electronic display screen.

17. Gaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the arms are mounted on a display portion of the apparatus and the rotation of the arms is driven by an electric drive mechanism.

18. Gaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the apparatus comprises a network connector for communication of data signals with a managing controller machine over a network.

19. A gaming system comprising a player-operable game machine arranged to present to the player a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point, said arms being rotatable about said common point, and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point, the machine comprising a controller arranged to control rotation of the arms and to prompt the player to select one or more marks, wherein the controller ceases rotation of said arms after determining selection of one or more marks by the player such that each arm points towards a randomly selected mark.

20. A gaming system according to claim 19, wherein the controller is arranged to compare the one or more marks selected by the user against the one or more marks aligned with the arms once at rest to determine whether a win condition has occurred and to determine a win condition when the one or more marks selected by the user matches a mark aligned with one or more arms.

21. A data carrier comprising machine readable instructions for operation of a gaming apparatus controller, said gaming apparatus arranged to present to a user a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point, and said machine readable instructions arranged to log selection of one or more of said marks by a player and to control rotation of the arms about said common point such that upon cessation of said rotation each of said arms points towards a randomly selected mark, wherein the gaming apparatus compares the player selected mark against the one or more marks pointed to by said arms in order to determine whether or not a win condition has occurred.

22. A method of operating a gaming machine comprising: presenting to a player a plurality of arms extending radially from a common point and a plurality of marks circumferentially spaced about said common point; prompting a player to select one or more marks from said plurality of marks; controlling rotation of the arms about said common point; and, after determining selection of one or more marks by the player, ceasing rotation of said arms such that each arm points towards a randomly selected mark.

23. A method according to claim 22 further comprising comparing the player selected mark against the randomly selected mark in order to determine whether a win condition has occurred.

24. A method according to claim 22 or claim 23, further comprising allowing the player to enter a stake value in respect of the player-selected mark.

25. A method according to any one of claims 22 to 24 further comprising determining a return to the player in dependence on the value of the stake entered in the event that a win condition is determined.