Apportionment of pay out of casino game with escrow
View Patent ↗A gaming apparatus which, for each of a plurality of plays of a primary game: randomly generates one of a plurality of different primary game outcomes, displays the generated primary game outcome, and displays any award associated with the displayed primary game outcome. If a bonus triggering event occurs, the gaming apparatus: determines a first part of a constant value, causes the determined first part of the constant value to be provided to a first player, determines a second part of the constant value, wherein the determined first part of the constant value and the determined second part of the constant value form the constant value, and causes the determined second part of the constant value to fund a designated award.
1. A gaming apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including an acceptor, and a cashout device;
a display device supported by the housing;
a processor; and
a memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
responsive to a physical item being received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
after establishing the credit balance based, at least in part, on the monetary value associated with the received physical item, for a first play of a skill game:
determine one of a plurality of different skill game outcomes, the determination based, at least in part, on at least one skill input made by a first player in association with the play of the skill game,
cause the display device to display said determined skill game outcome,
cause the display device to display an award amount associated with said displayed skill game outcome, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the displayed award amount associated with the displayed skill game outcome, and
responsive to the displayed award amount being less than a designated award amount, cause a value to be stored in an escrow, wherein said stored value is available in association with a second, subsequent play of the skill game, and
responsive to a cashout input being received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
2. The gaming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the designated award amount is a static award amount.
3. The gaming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the value to be stored in the escrow is a difference between the displayed award amount associated with the displayed skill game outcome and the designated award amount.
4. The gaming apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second play of the skill game is played by a second, different player.
5. A method of operating a gaming apparatus, said method comprising:
responsive to a physical item being received via an acceptor, establishing a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,
after establishing the credit balance based, at least in part, on the monetary value associated with the received physical item, for a first play of a skill game:
determining, by a processor, one of a plurality of different skill game outcomes, the determination based, at least in part, on at least one skill input made by a first player in association with the play of the skill game,
causing a display device to display said determined skill game outcome,
causing the display device to display an award amount associated with said displayed skill game outcome, wherein the credit balance is increasable based on the displayed award amount associated with the displayed skill game outcome, and
responsive to the displayed award amount being less than a designated award amount, causing, by the processor, a value to be stored in an escrow, wherein said stored value is available in association with a second, subsequent play of the skill game, and
responsive to a cashout input being received via a cashout device, causing an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the designated award amount is a static award amount.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the value to be stored in the escrow is a difference between the displayed award amount associated with the displayed skill game outcome and the designated award amount.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second play of the skill game is played by a second, different player.