Gaming terminals, such as slot machines, video poker machines and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options.
Gaming terminals employ various types of event eligibility-based equity or credits. Some wagering games, for example, grant blocks of time during which the player is eligible for a bonus game. The player is granted these blocks of time based on various play characteristics, such as amount of wager, the amount of wager in a predetermined time period, and the like. One such wagering game is disclosed in PCT Published Application WO/2006/121663 to Anderson et al, entitled “Wagering Game with Time-Based Bonus” and assigned to WMS Gaming Inc., which is hereby incorporated in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.
Another type of event eligibility-based equity employed in gaming terminals are granting of entries or tickets in a lottery type game. In a general, a player is provided a number of entries in a lottery type game based on various play characteristics, such as maintaining a certain amount of time of play, wagering a certain amount and the like.
While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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