Variable payout wager games
A central gaming server communicates with a gaining workstation over a network, such as a local area network or wide area computer network. The gaming server makes an initial determination of payout percentage for an instance of a game engaged in by the workstation, and generates results of turns of the game in accordance with the initial payout percentage. In one embodiment, the payout percentage is dynamically changed by the gaming server, and it generates additional results of turns of the game using the new payout percentage. Triggers for determining a new payout percentage could be that a predetermined number of turns of play at the initial payout percentage have occurred, the elapsing of a certain amount of time, or the player logging off the game and then logging back on. In further embodiments, the gaming workstation includes a processor and instructions for locally determining an initial payout percentage, the results of play, and dynamically changing the payout percentage without requiring communication with a central gaming server.
1. A gaming workstation for playing a variable payout game featuring a pay table, comprising:
1) a display;
2) a processing unit; and
3) a memory storing a gaming application for execution by the processing unit, wherein the gaming application:
a) communicates with a central gaming server to receive datagrams containing outcomes of play of the variable payout game, the outcomes of play in accordance with an initial, randomly selected, payout percentage for the variable payout game;
b) presents the outcomes of play on the display; and
c) provides data to the central gaming server for purposes of enabling the central gaming server to trigger an automatically and randomly selected redetermination of the payout percentage for the game; and
wherein the pay table for the game does not change for further iterations of the game after the redetermination of the payout percentage for the game.
2. The gaming workstation of claim 1 , wherein the data provided in aspect c) of the application to trigger the random redetermination of the payout percentage comprises at least one of: i) an elapsed time of play of the variable payout game, ii) a number of consecutive instances of play of the variable payout game occurring using the workstation, iii) a length of time elapsed since an instance of play last occurred on the workstation, and iv) a log-on or log-off event occurring on the workstation.
3. The gaming workstation of claim 1 , wherein the gaming workstation comprises an electronic gaming terminal and wherein the electronic gaming terminal is connected to the central gaming server over a computer network.
4. The gaming workstation of claim 1 , wherein the variable payout game is selected from the group of games consisting of a slots game and an electronic scratch ticket game.
5. A gaming workstation for playing a variable payout game featuring a pay table comprising:
1) a display;
2) a processing unit; and
3) a memory storing a gaming application for execution by the processing unit, wherein the application:
a) determines outcomes of play of the variable payout game in accordance with an initial, randomly selected, determination of a payout percentage for the variable payout game;
b) presents the outcomes of play on the display; and
c) automatically and randomly redetermines the payout percentage for the variable payout game while keeping the pay table unchanged, the automatically and randomly redetermination of the payout percentage based on a triggering event comprising at least one of: i) an elapsed time of play of the variable payout game, ii) a number of consecutive instances of play of the variable payout game occurring using the workstation, iii) a length of time elapsed since an instance of play occurred on the workstation, and iv) an event occurring on the workstation either terminating an instance of the variable payout game or selecting a new instance of the variable payout game.
6. The gaming workstation of claim 5 , wherein the variable payout game is selected from the group of games consisting of a slots game and an electronic scratch ticket game.
7. The gaming workstation of claim 5 ,
wherein the application redetermines the payout percentage after N turns of play, and
wherein N is a configurable integer parameter greater than or equal to 1.
8. The gaming workstation of claim 7 , where N is between 1 and 1000, inclusive.
9. The gaming workstation of claim 5 ,
wherein the application redetermines the payout percentage after elapsing of a period of time T when consecutive turns of game by the workstation are occurring, and
wherein T is a configurable parameter.
10. The gaming workstation of claim 5 ,
wherein there are M predetermined available payout percentages for an instance of the game,
wherein the determining in processes (a) and (c) comprises a random selection of one of the M predetermined available payout percentages, and
wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.
11. The gaming workstation of claim 10 ,
wherein each of the M predetermined available payout percentages for an instance of the game are associated with a weighting factor, and
wherein the random selection of one of the M predetermined available payout percentages in processes (a) and (c) occurs with reference to the weighting factors.
12. The gaming workstation of claim 11 ,
wherein the redetermination in process (c) is performed after N turns of play,
wherein N is a configurable integer parameter greater than or equal 1, and
wherein N is not the same for each of the M predetermined available payout percentages.