MX2008007953A - Using multiple bingo cards to represent multiple slot paylines and other class iii game options - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, devices and systems are described for mapping a variety of Class III game outcomes to a common set of bingo patterns. Each game theme may have a different entertaining display, based upon a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme will offer game play and paytable percentages closely matchingthose of the original Class III game. In order to more closely match Class III game play, some implementations provide a system wherein the hit frequency of a bingo game will be modulated according to Class III game options selected by a player. The options may be, for example, paylines of a simulated slot game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is accomplished by varying the number of bingo cards provided in the underlying bingo game according to the options (e.g., the number of paylines) selected. Methods, devices and systems are described for mapping a variety of Class III game outcomes to a common set of bingo patterns. Each game theme may have a different entertaining display, based upon a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme will offer game play and paytable percentages closely matching those of the original Class III game. In order to more closely match Class III game play, some implementations provide a system wherein the hit frequency of a bingo game will be modulated according to Class III game options selected by a player. The options may be, for example, paylines of a simulated slot game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is accomplished by varying the number of bingo cards provided in the underlying bingo game according to the options (e.g., the number of paylines) selected. The present invention is directed to a novel metal-promoted zeolite catalyst, a method of producing the catalyst and a method of using the catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with improved hydrothermal durability. The novel metal- promoted zeolite is formed from a low sodium zeolite and is hydrothermally treated after metal ion-exchange.

Description

USE OF MULTIPLE BINGO CARDS TO REPRESENT LINES OF PAYMENT OF MULTIPLE SLOTS AND OTHER GAME OPTIONS OF THE CLASS III FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to game networks, and more particularly, to game networks for providing multiplayer bingo games.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The game in the United States is divided into Class I, Class II and Class III games. Class I games include social games played for minimal prizes, or traditional ceremonial games. Class II games include bingo games and bingo-like games. Bingo includes games played for prizes, including monetary prizes, with cards containing numbers or other designations in which the cardholder covers those numbers or designations when objects, numbered or similarly designated, are extracted or electronically determined, and in which the game is won by the first person covering a previously designated arrangement of numbers or designations on those cards. That arrangement will sometimes be referred to here as a "winning game pattern" or "game ending pattern". The games of the Class II may also include card-tossing games and are played in the same place as bingo games, lottery, punch cards, tilt-up jars, instant bingo, and other bingo-like games. Class III games include any game that is not a Class · I or Class II game, such as a gambling game of the type typically offered in non-Indian casinos, regulated by the state. There are two basic forms of bingo. In traditional bingo, players buy cards after which a raffle or lottery takes place. The first player to achieve a designated pattern wins. In a type of bingo game known as Bingo Bonanza, the draw or lottery for play takes place before players know the arrangements on their bingo cards. After the raffle or lottery occurs, players can buy cards and compare the arrangements on the cards with the numbers drawn to determine if the predetermined patterns were matched. The game continues at Bonanza Bingo until at least one of the players equals a winning pattern of the designated game. Bonanza Bingo can also cover variations of bingo where a partial sqrteo is driven by some numbers (usually less than the number of balls expected to be necessary to win the game) before selling the bingo cards. After the bingo cards are sold, Additional numbers are drawn until there is a winner. In a typical bingo game, a "ball caller" display indicates randomly drawn numbers to be used to play the bingo game. Accordingly, the term "ball drop" or the like will be used here with the meaning of randomly selecting the numbers used in the bingo game, consequently, the numbers themselves will often be referred to as "balls." Those skilled in the art will understand that the numbers used in the electronic bingo game can be presented in any convenient way and that a simulated "ball drop" is simply an example. The number of balls at the time the balls fall may vary according to the type of bingo game. As indicated above, the bingo game is played until at least one player covers a predetermined winning game pattern on the player's bingo card. The game also includes interim prize winners based on the matching of predetermined interim patterns on the bingo card using the same ball draw. The triumphs of interim employers do not end the bingo game. To 'reward interim patterns, players who cover certain interim patterns may receive an additional reward when the game continues. Some exceptional bingo versions may allow bingo raffles beyond those necessary to achieve the triumph of the bingo game to pay interim pattern wins at a given rate. The winning prizes of the game are generally of a parimutuous nature. That is, the winning bingo reward is based on the total amount wagered on an occurrence given in the bingo game. However, the rewards of interim patterns are typically not parimutual. Gaming machines such as slot machines and video poker machines have proven to be very popular. However, many games of chance that are played on gaming machines fall into the category of Class III games, which can be subject to stricter approval and regulation. Many gaming establishments have a limited number of gaming machines to play Class III games and a greater number of gaming machines to play Class II games, such as bingo. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a game system, where the Class II game can be played on a gaming machine with at least some of the "appearance and feel" of a Class III game. For example, prior art systems have not provided a game of bingo in a network of gaming machines that satisfies the regulatory requirements for the Class II game while stimulating aspects of the game. of a Class III game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Novel methods, devices and systems are described for mapping a variety of results from Class III games to a common set of bingo patterns. Each game theme can have a different entertainment presentation, based on a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme will offer a game and pay table percentages that closely resemble those of the original Class III game. To get closer to playing a Class III game, some implementations provide a system where the frequency of hitting a bingo game will be modulated according to the Class III game options selected by a player. The options can be, payment lines of a simulated slot game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is achieved by varying the number of bingo cards provided in an underlying bingo game according to the number of Class III bingo options (e.g., the number of payment lines) selected. Some embodiments of the invention provide a gaming machine. The game machine includes components to provide a bingo game that simulates a game of Class III that has from 1 to P possible options to change the hit frequency. The gaming machine also includes components to provide 1 to B bingo cards to play the bingo game, where the number of bingo cards depends on the option selected by a player. In alternative modes, the number of options depends on the number of bingo cards selected by a player. The Class III game can be, for example, a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game or a poker game. The option can be, for example, a number of pay lines for a simulated slot game, the number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of points served for a simulated keno game or a number of bets placed on a simulated roulette game. Alternative embodiments of the invention also provide a gaming machine. The game machine is configured to provide a bingo game that simulates a slot game. The gaming machine includes the following components: a network interface; a first display device for presenting the bingo game; a second display device for presenting a simulated slot game; a payment device to accept credit indications; at least one user input device. The gaming machine also includes at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps: receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game of the payment device; receive an indication of the user input device to play P payment lines in the simulated slot game; determine a B number of bingo cards for the bingo game, where B is determined according to P; controlling the first display device to present the B bingo cards; controlling the first display device to indicate the successes in the B bingo cards, according to the bingo game data received via a network interface, - ', determine a first result of the bingo game; controlling the first display device to present the first result; determine a second result of the slot game; and controlling the second display device to present the second result. The determination step may involve referencing a data structure where B = P or refers to a data structure where B = P. Some implementations of the gaming machine are configured as sigile: each payment line of the slot game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each bingo card according to the slot corresponds to a bingo hit frequency; the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency is equal to D; and the determination step comprises referring to a data structure where the payment lines are associated with bingo cards so that D is minimized. Other implementations of the gaming machine are configured as follows: each slot of the slot game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each slot game bingo card corresponds to a bingo hit frequency; the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency equal to Ds; and the determination step comprises referring to a data structure where the payment lines are associated with bingo cards so that D, is minimized. The selected slot payment line can, for example, be selected according to the player's historical preference data, it can be a maximum slot payment line, etc. The determination step may involve determining that P is an odd number or an even number and setting B equal to P / 2 when P is an even number. The determination may involve: determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and, when P is an odd number, determine if P = 1. 14. The determination step can involve setting B equal to P when P = 1 and / or setting B equal to (P + l) / 2 when P? 1.

The determination step may involve determining if P is a multiple of 3. The determination step may also involve setting B equal to P / 3 when P is a multiple of 3 and / or setting B to N / 3 when P is not a multiple. of 3, where N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P + 3. Some implementations of the invention provide a game method that includes the following steps: providing a bingo game that simulates a slot game that has 1 to P possible payment lines; and providing from 1 to B bingo cards to play the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on the number of pay lines selected by a player and where B = P. The alternative game methods of the invention include the following steps: determining numbers of bingo cards B to assign each of the plurality of game options of Class III P to modulate the frequency of hits in a Class III game; and forming a data structure that indicates a correspondence between the numbers of bingo cards and each of the game options of Class III. The Class III game can, for example, be a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game or a poker game. Class III game options can, for example, involve a number of pay lines for a simulated slot game, a number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of points obtained for a simulated keno game and a number of bets placed on a simulated roulette game. The determination step may involve determining how much a first hit frequency of the bingo game will increase when a second Class III game frequency is increased. The determination step may involve setting B = P or setting B = P. The game method may include the following steps: providing the data structure to the plurality of gaming machines; provide a bingo game that simulates a Class III game, where the player is provided with P game options of Class III and plays the bingo game with B corresponding bingo cards; and simulate the game outcome of Class III according to a result of the bingo game. In some implementations of the method, the following is true: each payment line of the anura game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each slot game bingo card corresponds to a bingo hit frequency;, the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency is equal to D; and the determination step comprises associating payment lines with bingo cards, so that D is minimized.

In alternative implementations of the method, the following is true: each payline of the slot game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each slot game bingo card corresponds to a bingo hit frequency; the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency equal to Ds; and the determination step comprises associating payment lines with bingo cards so that Ds is minimized. The selected slot payment line can, for example, be selected according to the player's historical preference data. Alternatively, the selected slot payment line may be a maximum slot payment line. The determination step can involve determining if P is an odd number or an even number and setting B equal to P / 2 when P is an even number. When P is an odd number, the determination step can involve determining if P = 1. The determination step can further comprise setting B equal to P when P = 1. The determination step can involve setting B equal to (P + l ) / 2 when P? 1. The determination step may involve determining if P is a multiple of 3. The method may also involve setting B equal to P / 3 when P is a multiple of 3. The method may involve setting B equal to N / 3 when P does not is a multiple of 3, where N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P + 3. Alternative embodiments of the invention provide a gaming machine that includes the following components: a network interface; a first v-visualization device for presenting the bingo game; a second display device for presenting a simulated slot game; a payment device to accept credit indications; at least one user input device. The gaming machine also includes at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps: receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game of the payment device; receive an indication of a user input device that a player has selected a number of B bingo cards for a bingo game; determine a P-number of payment lines for the simulated game, where P is determined according to B; control of the first display device to present the B bingo cards; control of the first display device to indicate hits on the B bingo cards according to the bingo game data received via the network interface; determine a first bingo game result; controlling the first display device to present the first result; determine a second result of the slot game; and control the second display device for present the second result. The present invention provides physical computing or hardware components (such as gaming machines, network devices and components of these devices) that are configured to perform the methods of the invention, as well as programs and programming systems or software to control the devices for effect those and other methods. • Those and other features of the present invention will be presented in greater detail in the following detailed description of the invention and the associated figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates an example of a network topology to implement some aspects of the present invention. Figure 1A is a block diagram illustrating a simplified network topology illustrating some implementations of an Arbitrator. Figure 2A is a flowchart outlining a method of the invention. Figure 2B is a flow chart outlining another method of the invention. Figure 3 is a table of game options of the Class III, numbers of bingo cards and hit frequencies illustrating an aspect of the invention. Figure 4 is a table of Class III game options, numbers of bingo cards and hit frequencies illustrating another aspect of the invention. Figure 5 is a table indicating betting distributions between the bingo cards of Figure 4 according to some aspects of the invention. Figure 6 is a table of Class III game options, numbers of bingo cards and frequency frequencies illustrating yet another aspect of the invention. Figure 7 is a table indicating betting distributions between the bingo cards of Figure 6 according to some aspects of the invention. Figure 8 is a table of Class III game options, numbers of bingo cards and hit frequencies illustrating further aspects of the invention. Figure 9 is a table indicating betting distributions between the bingo cards of Figure 8 according to some aspects of the invention. Figure 10 is a table of Class III game options, the number of bingo cards and hit frequencies illustrating additional aspects of the invention. Figure 11 is a table indicating betting distributions between the bingo cards of Figure 10 of a-cued to some aspects of the invention. Figure 12 illustrates a gaming machine that can be configured according to some aspects of the invention. Figure 13 illustrates a game machine and a game network, which can be configured according to some aspects of the invention. Figure 14 illustrates a network device that can be configured according to some aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In this application, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a complete understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention can be practiced without some or all of those specific details. In other cases, well-known process steps have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

Overview to Provide Class II Games That Simulate Class III Games Several methods and devices to present Class II games (mainly bingo games) with entertainment display devices that simulate Class III games will be described here. From According to some implementations, bingo players can choose from a variety of Class III game themes, each theme having a different entertainment display device adapted from a corresponding Class III game. Preferably, each game theme of Class III will offer game and win dynamics and pay table percentages very similar to those according to the original Class III game. The following applications describe the pertinent material and therefore are incorporated herein by reference: U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 925,710, entitled "Draw Bingo" and filed on August 24, 2004; U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 937,227, entitled "Bingo Game Transformed to Present Results Other than Bingo" and filed on September 8, 2004; U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 149,828, entitled "Perrius Poker and Other Variations of Bingo Game" and filed on June 10, 2005; This application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 312,966, entitled "Bingo System with Downloadable Common Patterns" (Proxy File Number IGT1P251 / P-1062) and filed December-19, 2005; and U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 312,948, entitled "Bingo Game Machine Capable of Selecting Different Bingo Funds" (Proxy File Number IGT1P269 / P-1086) and filed on December 19, 2005; (the "Request for Bingo Funds"), collectively, the Applications for "Class II / Class III". As described in the previous applications, providing Class II games that simulate Class III games present a number of challenges. One of those challenges is to implement systems that comply with an evolving regulatory structure. It is expected, for example, that Class II regulations soon require that all gaming machines participating in a single bingo game have the same bingo payment table (the same patterns with the same odds and corresponding payments). This would mean, for example, that a bingo pattern (X) that pays 10 credits and has a 5% probability of occurrence in a game, the employer must pay 10 credits and have a 5% chance of occurrence for all games participants in the same bingo group. As described in the Bingo Group Request, those requirements introduce additional challenges for Class II games that simulate Class III games that have a number of player options that have sometimes been referred to here as "game options". of Class III "or similar. Class III game options can be, for example, '- the number of pay lines in a simulated slot game, a number of hands in a game of simulated video poker, a number of points achieved for a simulated keno game or 'a number of bets placed in a simulated roulette game. However, in part due to the popularity of slot games, the most commonly preferred Class III game options here are pay lines, for simulated slot games. In the typical Class III slot game, the pay table changes based on the number of pay lines played. A player who plays in a line expects all wins to be a multiple of his bet. Increasing the number of lines played increases the "hit frequency" but reduces the average payment size. As a result, players can play longer but are less likely to have substantial payments when they win. For example; a player who plays 10 pay lines expects some wins that are less than his bet (sometimes referred to as "bargaining payments" or "cherry cleaners"), but which will allow the player to continue playing more than if only one had been played 1 line of payment. Playing a large number of pay lines attracts players who want a game of low volatility, uniform and can play for a relatively long time. On the other hand, playing a small number of pay lines attracts players who prefer a more volatile game with less frequent but larger payouts.

In order to comply with anticipated Class II regulations and even more closely match the Class III game, some implementations described in the Bingo Group Request provide a system where separate pay tables and bingo funds are formed according to the number of game options of Class III. For example, to inform of payment tables and groups or separate bingo funds according to the number of lines of payment played in game topics of the slot type and / or the number of hands played in poker game topics. In some of these implementations, players are limited to predetermined numbers of lines (or hands) played, for example, only 1, 3, 5 or 9 lines. In alternative implementations, an option, of the player with respect to the number of lines played will depend, at least in part, on how many other players are playing any given number of lines in a slot game. . To involve as many machines as possible in the same bingo game, it may be desirable to allow the hit frequency of the game to change when a player selects options from a simulated Class III game (for example, select play more lines of payment) without changing to a group or 'different bingo payment table. Accordingly, the present invention provides methods and game devices where the frequency of game success of bingo will be modulated by assigning the different numbers of bingo cards according to the game options of the C-lase III selected by a player. For example, some implementations of the invention cause the hit frequency of the simulated game slot to change according to the number of pay lines played without changing to a different group or bingo fund. Instead, a multi-card bingo game is provided where different numbers of bingo cards are assigned, depending on the number of payment lines selected by a player. In addition to the number of payment lines for a simulated slot game, the Class III game options selected by the player may involve, for example, a number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of points earned for a game. simulated keno game and / or a number of bets placed in a simulated roulette game that is provided according to the same payment table of a bingo game. However, the examples described in greater detail here involve bingo games that provide various types of simulated slot games. As more players play more pay lines, they are assigned more bingo cards. In some of those implementations, the wins for all bingo cards are added up to form the total bingo game win, which is then represented about the slot game using some or all of the available pga lines.Depending on the implementation, there may or may not be a one-to-one correspondence between triumphs on a single card and wins on a single payline. of bingo cards correspond with Class III game options are described in more detail below, following the Exemplary System Architecture section Some implementations provide a system where a plurality of electronic gaming machines, each of which is set up to make entertaining presentations of various Class III game topics, they are linked to a single bingo server, linking many participating electronic gaming machines to a single server, some implementations of the invention will allow the progressive contributions of all the participating electronic gaming machines come together in a single progressive bag. embodiments of the invention involve game machines that are configured with a graphical user interface ("GUI") or the like that allows the player to select a Class III game theme from a plurality of Class III game themes. In some of these modalities, the game machine is configured to present any of the game themes Preferred Class III Alternatively, or additionally, the game theme of a particular interconnected gaming machine (or a group of interconnected gaming machines) can be changed according to instructions received from a central system: some Game networks described herein include a central system that is configured to download programs and programming systems or software and game data, including but not limited to underlying bingo patterns, payouts and gaming results, to interconnected gaming machines. games allow for the convenient provisioning of interconnected gaming machines, in addition, these gaming networks allow for additional game themes to be added easily and conveniently, if desired.If a new game theme requires new bingo patterns to adjust to new payment quantities, the preferred implementations of the invention allow a new conjunct to be downloaded or from patterns (or updates to a set of old patterns) to all interconnected gaming machines. Programs and programming systems -or related software, including but not limited to programs and programming systems or game software, can be downloaded to interconnected gaming machines. The relevant information is exposed in the U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 225,407 (Proxy File No. IGT1P237 / P-1051), by Wolf et al., Entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR MANAGING GAME NETWORKS" and filed on September 12, 2005, In the US Patent Application No. 10 / 757,609 to Nelson et al., Entitled "METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DOWNLOADING GAME DATA" (Proxy File Number IGT1P213 / P-657) and filed on January 14, 2004, in the Application US Patent No. 10 / 938,293 to Benbrahim et al, entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR THE COMMUNICATION OF DATA IN A GAMING SYSTEM" (Proxy File Number IGT1P199 / P-909) and filed on September 10, 2004, in the U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 225,337 (Proxy File Number IGT1P185 / P-1017) of Nguyen et al., Filed on September 12, 2005, entitled "DISTRIBUTED GAMING SERVICES" and US Patent Application No. · 11 / 173,442 (Proxy File Number IGT1P 153 / P-991) of Kinsley et al., Filed on July 1, 2005 and entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DOWNLOADING GAMES OF CHANCE", all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety and for all purposes. Some exemplary game networks and devices are as follows.

Exemplary System Architecture An example of a network topology to implement some aspects of the present invention are shown in Figure 1. Those skilled in the art will understand that this exemplary architecture and related functionality are merely examples and that the present invention encompasses many other such modalities and methods. Here, for example, a single game establishment 105 is illustrated, which is almost "not" in this example. However, it should be understood that some implementations. 'of the present invention involve multiple gambling establishment. The game establishment 105 includes 16 game machines 2, each of which is part of a bank 110 of the game machines 2. It will be appreciated that many game establishments include hundreds or even thousands of game machines 2, not all which are included in a bank 110. However, the present invention can be implemented in gaming establishments having any number of gaming machines. Various alternative network topologies may be used to implement different aspects of the invention and / or to accommodate varying numbers of interconnected devices. For example, gaming establishments with very large numbers of gaming machines 2 may require multiple instances of some network devices (e.g., from the main network device 125, which combines the functionality, switching and routing in this example) and / or the inclusion of other network devices not shown in Figure 1. For example, some implementations of the invention include one or more intermediate support servers placed between the game machines 2 and the server 130. Those Intermediate support servers can provide various useful functions, including but not limited to filtering and / or aggregation of data received from switches of banks 115, from individual gaming machines and from other player terminals. Some implementations of the invention include load balancing methods and devices for managing network traffic. Each bank 110 has a corresponding bank switch 115, which may be a conventional bank switch. Each bank switch is connected to the game server based on the server ("SBG") 130 via a main network device 125, which combines the switching and routing functionality in this example. Although several floor communication protocols may be used, some preferred implementations use IGT's open, IGT-based SuperSAS® protocol, which becomes available for download at no charge. However, other protocols such as the Best of Breed ("BOB" best in class) can be used to implement various aspects of the SBG. IGT has also developed a layer gaming industry specific transport called CASH that mounts on top of TCP / IP and offers additional functionality and security. The SBG server 130, the License Manager 131, the Arbiter 133 and the main network device 125 are placed within the computer room 120 of the gambling establishment, 105. The license manager 131 can be implemented, at least in part , via a server or similar device. Some exemplary operations of the License Manager 131 are described in detail in U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 225,408 (Proxy File Number IGT1P253), entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR THE AUTHENTICATION AND GRANTING OF LICENSES IN A GAME NETWORK" by Kinsley et al., which is therefore incorporated by reference. The SBG server 130 can be configured to implement, at least in part, various aspects of the present invention. Some preferred embodiments of the SBG 130 server include (or are at least in communication with) clustered CPUs. redundant storage devices, including backup storage devices, switches, etc. Those storage devices can include redundant arrays of cheap disks ("RAID"), hard disk drives and / or backup disk drives, etc. Preferably, a Radio server and a DHCP are also configured to communicate with the gaming network. Some implementations of the invention provide one or more of those servers in the form of blade servers. In some implementations of the invention, many of those devices (including but not limited to the License Manager 131 and the main network device 125) are mounted on a single support with the SBG 130 server. Consequently, many or all of those devices will be sometimes referred to in the aggregate as an "SBG server". However, in alternative implementations, one or more of those devices are in communication with the SBG 130 server but located elsewhere. For example, some of those devices could be mounted on separate stands within computer room 120 or located elsewhere in the network. For example, it may be advantageous to store large volumes of data elsewhere via a storage area network ("SAN"). In some embodiments, those components are the SBG 130 server which preferably has an uninterrupted power supply ("UPS"). The UPS can be, for example, a UPS module mounted on the support. The computer room 120 may include one or more operator consoles or other host devices that are configured to communicate with the SBG 130 server.

These host devices may be provided with programming and software programs or systems, physical computing components or hardware and / or fixed instructions or firmware to implement various aspects of the invention; many of those aspects involve controlling the SBG 130 server. However, those host devices do not need to be located within the computer room 120. The wired host device 160 (which is a portable computer in this example) and the wireless host device ( which is a PDA in this example) can be located elsewhere, in gambling establishment 105 or in a remote location. The referee 133 can be implemented, for example, via programs and software or programming systems, which are being executed < on a server or other interconnected device. The referee 133 serves as an intermediary between the different devices in the network. Some implementations of the referee 133 are described in U.S. Patent Application No. 10 / 948,387, entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR NEGOTIATING COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN A GAME NETWORK" and filed on September 23, 2004 (and the Arbitrator Application), which is incorporated herein by reference and for all purposes.In some preferred implementations, Arbiter 133 is a repository for the configuration information required for the communication between the devices in the game network (and, in some implementations, devices outside the game network). Although referee 133 can be implemented in several ways, an exemplary implementation is discussed in the following paragraphs. Fig. 1A is a block diagram of a simplified communication topology between a game unit 21, the network computer 23 and the Arbiter 133. Although only the game unit 21, a network computer 23 and an Arbiter 133 are shown in Figure 1A, it should be understood that the following examples may be applicable to different types of network gaming devices within the gaming network 12 beyond the gaming unit 21 and the network computer 23, and may include different numbers of network computers, game security referees and game units. For example, a single Arbiter 133 can be used for secure communications between a plurality of network computers 23 and tens, hundreds or thousands of game units 21. Likewise, multiple game security referees 46 can be used for a better performance and other scalability factors. Referring to Figure 1A, an Arbiter 133 may include an arbiter controller 121 which may comprise a program memory 122, a microcontroller or a microprocessor (MP) 124, a random access memory (RAM) 126 and an input / output circuit (1/0) 128, all of which can be interconnected via a routing / data channel 128. The network computer 23 may also include a controller 131 which may comprise a memory of program 132, a microcontroller or a microprocessor (MP) 134, a random access memory (RAM) 136 and an input / output circuit (1/0) 138, all of which can be interconnected via a routing / data channel 139. It should be appreciated that although the referee 133 and the network computer 23 are each displayed only with a microprocessor 124, 134, the controllers 121, 131 can each include multiple microprocessors 124, 134. Similarly, the memory of the controllers 121, 131 may affect multiple RAM 126, 136 and multiple program memories 122, 132. Although the c-ircuits of 1/0 128, 138 are each shown with a single block, it should be noted that the circuits 1/0 128, 138 may include a number of different types of 1/0 circuits. RAM 124, 134 and programming memories 122, 132 can be implemented, in semiconductor memories, memories. magnetically readable, and / or optically readable memories, for example. Although the programming memories 122, 132 are shown in Figure 1A as read only memories (ROM) 122, 132, program memories of controllers 121, 131 may be a read / write or alterable memory, such as a hard drive. In case a hard disk, program memory, is used, the routing / data channels 129, 139 shown schematically in Figure 1A may each comprise multiple routing / data channels, which may be of different types, and there may be a 1/0 circuit placed between the addressing / data channels. As shown (in Figure 1A, the game unit 21 can be operatively coupled to the network computer 23 via the data link 25. The game unit 21 can also be operatively coupled to the Referee 133 via the data link 47. , and network computer 23 can likewise be operatively coupled to Arbiter 133 via data link 47. Communications between game unit 21 and network computer 23 can involve different types of information of various sensitivity levels giving as a result several levels of coding techniques depending on the sensitivity of the information, for example, communications such as drink orders and statistical information may be considered less sensitive, a drink order or statistical information may remain coded, although with moderately coding techniques safe, like RC4, resulting in lower processing power and less coding time n. On the other hand, financial information (for example, account information, triumphs, etc.), game download information (for example, programs and programming systems or gaming software and game license information) and personal information (for example, the Social security number, personal preferences, etc.) can be encoded with stronger coding techniques such as DES or 3DES to provide greater security. As described in more detail in the Referee's Request, Referee 133 can verify the authenticity of each network game device. Referee 133 may receive a request for a communication session of a network device. To facilitate the explanation, the requesting network device can be referred to as a client, and the requested network device can be referred to as the host. The client can be any device in the network 12 and the request can be a communication session with any other network device. The client can specify the host, or the game security referee can select the host based on the request in the requested information about the client and potential hosts. Arbitrator 133 may provide coding keys (session keys) for the customer communication session via a secure communication channel. The key of the host and / or the session It may be provided in response to the request, or it may have been previously provided. The client can contact the host to initiate the communication session. The host can then contact the Arbiter 133 to determine the authenticity of the client. Arbitrator 133 can provide the assertion (or lack thereof) of the client's authenticity to the host and provide a corresponding session key, in response to which the network devices can initiate the communication session directly to each other using the keys session to encode and decode messages. Alternatively, upon receipt of a request for a communication session, Arbitrator 133 may contact the host regarding the request and provide corresponding session keys to both the client and the host. Arbitrator 133 may then initiate the communication session with the client or the host. In turn, the client and the host can start the communication session directly with each other using the session keys to encode and decode messages. An additional explanation of the communication request, communication response and the distribution of the key is provided in the Referee Request. Wireless devices are particularly useful for managing a gaming network. Those devices Wireless may include, but are not limited to, laptops, PDAs or even cell phones. Referring once again to Figure 1, one or more network devices in the game establishment 105 can be configured as wireless access points. For example, a casino manager can use a wireless handheld device to review and / or program game machine configurations while roaming the casino floor. Similarly, a representative of a regulatory body could use a PDA to check game machine configurations, generate reports, view activity logs, etc., while on the floor of a casino. If a host device is located in a remote location, security methods and devices (such as fire walls, authentication and / or encryption) must be employed to prevent unauthorized access to the gaming network. Similarly, any other connection between the game network 105 and the outside world should be made only with reliable devices via a secure link, for example, via a virtual private network ("VPN") tunnel. illustrated between the SBG 130, the entry 150 and the central system 163 (here, IGT.com) that can be used for game downloads, etc., is advantageously done via a VPN tunnel. the Internet uses a Distributed, open infrastructure of the Internet to transmit data between sites. A VPN can emulate a private IP network over public or shared infrastructures. A VPN that supports only IP traffic is known as IP-VPN. VPNs provide benefits to both the service provider and its customers. For its clients, a VPN can extend the IP capabilities of a corporate site to offices and / or remote users with Intranet, extranet and dialing services. This connectivity can be achieved at a lower cost in the gaming entity with savings in equipment, operations and capital services. The details of the VPN methods that may be used with the present invention are described in the reference, "Virtual Prívate Networks-Technologies and Solutions," by R. Yueh and T. Strayer, Addison-Wesley, 2001, ISBN # 0-201 -70209-6, which is incorporated here as a reference for all purposes. There are many ways in which IP VPN services can be implemented, such as Virtual Leased Lines, Private Virtual Routed Networks, Virtual Private Dialing Networks, Virtual Private LAN Segments, etc. Additionally, VPNs can be implemented using a variety of protocols, such as, for example, IP Security Protocol (IPSec), Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol, Multiprotocol Label Switching Protocol (MPLS), etc. The details of those Protocols, including RFC reports, can be obtained from the VPN consortium, an industrial trade group (http: // www. vpnc.com, VPNC, Santa Cruz, California). For security purposes, any information transmitted to or from a gambling establishment over a public network may be encoded. In one implementation, the information can be symmetrically encoded using a symmetric encoding key, and where the symmetric encoding key is encoded asymmetrically using a private key. The public key can be obtained from a public, remote key server. The coding algorithm can reside in the logic of the processor stored in the gaming machine. When a remote server receives a message containing the encoded data, the symmetric encryption key is decoded with a private key residing on the remote server and the information encoded symmetrically sent from. the game machine is decoded using the symmetric encoding key. A different symmetric encoding key is used for each transaction, where the key is generated randomly. The symmetric encoding and decoding is preferably applied to most of the information because the symmetric coding algorithm tends to be 100-10,000 times faster than the asymmetric encoding algorithms.

As mentioned elsewhere herein, U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 225,408 (Proxy File No. IGT1P253), entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR THE AUTHENTICATION AND GRANTING OF LICENSES IN A GAME NETWORK" by Kinsley et al. ., describes novel methods and devices for the authentication, downloading of games and administration of game licenses. This application has been incorporated herein as a reference. Providing a secure connection between the local devices of the SBG system and the central IGT system allows the deployment of many advantageous features. For example, a customer (for example, an employee of a gaming establishment) can register a central system account 163 (in this example, IGT.com) to obtain account information such as the client's current and previous account status. . In addition, that secure connection can be used by the central system 163 to collect information with respect to a client system. That information includes, but is not limited to, er'ror records for use in the diagnosis and resolution of problems. Some implementations of the invention allow a central system to collect other types of information, for example, information about the use of certain types of programs and systems of programming or game software, information of benefits or profits with with respect to certain types of games and / or gaming machines, etc. That information includes, but is not limited to, information regarding the profits attributable to particular games at specific times of the day, days of the week, etc. That information may be obtained, at least in part, by reference to a gaming network accounting system, as described in U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 225,407 (Proxy File No. IGT1P237 / P-1051), by Wolf et al, entitled "METHODS AND DEVICES FOR MANAGING GAME NETWORKS" which has been incorporated herein by reference. Automatic updates of a client SBG server can also be allowed. For example, the central system 163 may notify a local SBG server with respect to new products and / or product updates. For example, the central system 163 may notify a local SBG server with respect to updates of new programs and programming systems or game software, program updates and programming systems or game software, updates of peripherals, the status of the licenses of the current programs or software systems or software, etc. In some implementations of the invention, the central system 163 may notify a local SBG server (or other device associated with an establishment of game) that a set of specific data for an additional item and / or updates for a previously downloaded global payment set are available. Alternatively, these updates could be automatically provided to the local SBG server and downloaded to the interconnected gaming machines. After the local SBG server receives this information, it can identify the relevant products of interest. For example, the local SBG server can identify programs and programming systems or gaming software that are currently in use (or at least authorized) by the relevant gaming entity and send a notification to one or more host devices, for example, via email. If an update or a product of programming programs and systems or new software is desired, it can be downloaded from the central system. Some relevant discharge methods are described elsewhere herein, and in applications that have been incorporated herein by reference, and for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 078,966. Similarly, a customer may choose to renew a license of programs and programming systems or game software via a secure connection to the central system 163 in response to that notification. The secure communication links allow the notifications are sent securely from a local SBG server to host devices outside of a gaming establishment. For example, a local SBG server can be configured to automatically transmit generated email reports, text messages, etc., based on predetermined events that will sometimes be referred to here as "triggers". These triggers may include, but are not limited to, the condition of a gaming machine that the door is open, a full box, a machine does not respond, a verification failure, etc. In addition, providing secure connections between different gaming establishments may allow alternative implementations of the invention. For example, a number of gaming establishments, each with a relatively small number of gaming machines, may be used and / or controlled by the same entity. In such situations, having secure communications between the gaming establishments makes it possible for a gaming entity to use a single SBG server as an interface between the central system 163 and the gaming establishment.

Examples of Use of Bingo Cards Corresponding to Class III Game Options The present invention provides further techniques Novelty even to plot bingo games to simulated Class III games, assigning appropriate payments and odds, etc. According to preferred implementations of the present invention, the hit frequency of a bingo game can be modulated according to the Class III game options selected by a player for the simulated Class III game. In preferred implementations, this modulation is achieved by varying the number of bingo cards provided in the underlying bingo game, so that a variable number of bingo cards are assigned to a player according to a number of game options. of Class III selected by the player. However, in alternative implementations, the number of Class III options in the simulated Class III game depends on the number of bingo cards selected by a player. The flow diagram of Figure 2A outlines the broad contours of the method 200 of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps of the methods described herein, including but not limited to method 200, are not necessarily effected (and in some implementations are not effected) in the order shown. In addition, some implementations of the methods described herein, including but not limited to method 200, may include more or fewer steps than those shown and / or described. This is true partly because the 200 method it covers more than one set of novel steps. For example, step 205 can only involve those steps and can be done in any of several different ways, some examples of which are discussed in more detail later. In total, step 205 involves determining numbers of bingo cards B to assign to each of the plurality of game options of Class III P. However, the numbers of bingo cards B that can be assigned to each of Game options of Class III 'P may vary according to the implementation of the invention. As noted above, the Class III game options can be, for example, the number of pay lines in a simulated slot game, a number of hands in a simulated video poker game, a number of points earned in a simulated keno game or a number of bets placed in a simulated roulette number. However, in part due to the popularity of slot games, the Class III gaming options most commonly referred to here are pay lines for simulated slot games. Although it may be possible to achieve the same win with any bingo card, it is not possible to achieve the same win in each payline of a slot game. Therefore, the frequency of success of bingo cards Multiple will generally be greater than the hit frequency for the same number of pay lines in a slot game. To adjust this higher frequency of success, in some implementations of the invention the ratio of bingo card to payline is not 1 to 1. For example, the game may assign a bingo card for every 2 or 3 payment lines, depending on the desired hit frequency. According to some implementations of the invention, B is set equal to P. For example, if a player will play 10 lines in a simulated slot game, 10 bingo cards would be allocated for an underlying bingo game. These implementations are advantageous because they are simple to implement and are simple to explain to regulators and players. One of those implementations is illustrated in the table of Figure 3. Here, column 305 of table 300 indicates pay lines 1 through 20 of a slot game and column 310 illustrates the hit frequency corresponding to each line of payment. Column 315 indicates the number of bingo cards that will be assigned to each payline and column 320 illustrates the hit frequency that corresponds to each number of bingo cards. In the examples described here, the hit frequency of the bingo game of a bingo card is set to the same as the slot game of a corresponding payment line. The frequencies of success for the game of a bingo card until the game of 20 bingo cards was calculated using the following formula: Hf (S) = l- (1-Hf (1)) B Equation (1) In Equation (1), Hf (l) is the hit frequency of a bingo game of 1 bingo card. Hf (B) is the hit frequency of a bingo game using B bingo cards. It can be seen from the difference column 325 that the difference between the hit frequency of the bingo card and the hit frequency of the slot game continues to increase as the number of pay lines increases. Consequently, the maximum difference 330 is achieved when 20 bingo cards are used to simulate a slot game of 20 pay lines. The maximum difference of 33.180% and the average difference 335 are both relatively high. This illustrates a disadvantage of this particular implementation. The differences indicated in the difference column 325 were calculated by subtracting the hit frequency by the number of bingo cards of the hit frequency from a corresponding number of pay lines.

The average and maximum differences are absolute values; This is a distinction without a difference in this example, but it does not matter in the following examples. In this example, step 210 may be carried out according to at least two general methods. In one of these methods, a data structure is formed that has a one-to-one correspondence between the payment lines (or other Class III game options) and bingo cards. According to another method, a methodology can be created to indicate this correspondence. For example, a routine of programs and programming systems or simple software could be created that indicates the one-to-one correspondence between payment lines (or other Class III game options) and bingo cards. Alternatively, the method could be performed with physical computing or hardware components or fixed instructions or firmware. An alternative method to perform step 205 will be described with reference to table 400 of Figure 4. In this example, step 205 comprises assigning 1 bingo card for up to 2 pay lines. For example, a bingo card is used to play 1 or 2 pay lines, two bingo cards are used to play 3 or 4 pay lines, etc. * For each numbered payment line, you can see from table 400 that P = 2B. For odd payment lines, it can be observed that P = 2B-1 and, therefore B = (P + l) / 2.

-In consequence, step 210 can be performed once again according to at least two general methods. According to a first of these methods, a data structure is created that associates numbers of payment lines and corresponding numbers of bingo cards. According to another method, a methodology can be created to indicate this correspondence. For example, a routine of programs and programming systems or simple software could be created that indicates the correspondence described above between the payment lines (or other Class III game options) and bingo cards. Alternatively, the method could be performed on physical computer or hardware components or fixed instructions or firmware. Comparing Figures 3 and 4, it will be easily seen that adding a bit of complexity to the process of tracing the payline / bingo card has substantially improved the frequency difference of success between the game, the simulated Class III and the game of underlying bingo. According to the difference column 425 of table 400, the maximum difference 413 has decreased to 9,187%, compared to 33,180% in table 300. In addition, the average difference 435 has decreased only to 3,683%, compared to 15,500 % in table 300. This means that the simulated Class III game will have a volatility that is more similar to that of the real Class III game.

Table 500 of Figure 5 indicates a method for distributing a bet through multiple bingo cards when a method such as that described with reference to Figure 4 is used. Column 505 indicates the credit bet, which corresponds to the number of Class III options indicated in column 510. Area 515 indicates the number of credits bets for bingo cards. The columns 520 indicate the amount of the bet on each corresponding bingo card. For example, table 500 indicates that when a player is playing 5 lines of payment, two credits will be wagered on bingo cards 1 and 2, while a credit 1 will be wagered on the bingo card 3. If a player is playing 6 lines of payment, two credits will be adjusted on bingo cards 1, 2 and 3. In this example, a maximum of 2 credits is bet on each bingo card. The information regarding how to shorten a bet according to the different methods described here would be provided according to a data structure such as that of table 500 or according to a method carried out according to programs and programming or software systems, etc., as described above. Referring once again to Figure 4, an inspection of the 425 difference column also reveals that the equal bet on hit frequency for this method It happens when 6 or 7 BMG cards are played. In this range, the absolute difference between the hit frequency of the bingo card and the underlying Class III game success card is less than 1.5%. Only if a player plays more than 16 lines of payment this difference exceeds 6%. For a game theme where players will play 16 or fewer pay lines, this implementation provides a volatility that is reasonably close to that of the underlying Class III game, even on the basis of a method that is relatively simple and easy to implement . However, it will also be noted that when 9 or more bingo cards are played, the difference between the frequency of bingo game hits and the game hit frequency of the underlying Class III increases significantly. It seems that if the underlying Class III offered higher numbers of payment lines (for example, up to 25 or 30 payment lines), the difference would continue to increase. Accordingly, some implementations of the invention provide methods for tracing bingo cards to pay lines where D, the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo frequency, is minimized. Alternative implementations of the invention they provide methods for tracing bingo cards to pay lines where a maximum difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency is minimized. Other implementations of the invention provide methods for tracing bingo cards to pay lines where Ds, the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency of a slot payment line s-ele.ccionada and a hit frequency of corresponding bingo, is minimized. Ds, it may correspond to a popular number of payment lines to be played for one or more game themes, as evidenced by the game story. Similar implementations seek to minimize the difference in the frequency of hits for predetermined intervals of payment lines. The implementations will now be described with reference to Figure 6. Table 600 has been constructed by assigning up to 3 bingo cards per payline. A bingo card is assigned when playing 1, 2 or 3 lines of payment, while two bingo cards are assigned when playing 4, 5 or 6 lines of payment and so on. It can be seen that this implementation is much more similar to the volatilities of the bingo game and the underlying Class III game when playing a relatively small number of lines (for example, 1 to 4 lines) or a number relatively large line (for example, from 16 to 20 lines). This implementation is more closely related to the volatilities of the bingo game and the underlying Class III game when 19 or 20 lines are played. It is evident from, the table 600 that B is equal to P / 3 when P is a multiple of 3. When P is not a multiple of 3, B is equal to 1/3 of the multiple of 3 that follows B. In other words, when P is not a multiple of 3, B is equal to N / 3, where N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P + 3. As with the other methods, described here, the relationships between Class III options and bingo cards may be indicated in a data structure and / or via an algorithm expressed via programs and software or programming systems, physical or computer hardware components, fixed instructions or firmware, or the like. Table 700 of Figure 7 indicates a method for distributing a bet through multiple bingo cards when a method such as that described with reference to Figure 6 is used. Column 705 indicates a credit bet, which corresponds to the number of Class III options (here, lines of payment) indicated in column 710. Area 715 indicates the number of credit bets on each bingo card. Columns 720 indicate the amount bet on each corresponding bingo card. - For example, table 700 indicates that when a player is playing 5 paylines, three credits will be bet on the bingo card 1 and two credits will be bet on the bingo card 2. If a player is playing 6 paylines, 3 credits will be wagered on the bingo cards 1 and two. In this example, a maximum of 3 credits is bet on each bingo card. The information regarding how to make a bet according to the different methods described here, will be provided according to a data structure similar to that of table 700 or according to a method carried out according to programs and programming systems or software, etc. Another implementation of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 8. Table 800 has been constructed by assigning bingo cards to the pay lines to minimize the maximum and average differences between the pay line hit frequencies and the pay frequencies. Success of corresponding numbers of bingo cards. This is achieved by minimizing the difference in each row of the table. For each number of pay lines played, the number of bingo cards is selected to minimize the difference between the hit frequency of the Class III and the frequency of success of the bingo cards. The number of bingo cards was not allowed to decrease when the number of pay lines increased. Minimizing each individual difference, both the average difference and The maximum difference is minimized. As noted in the difference column 825 of table 800, this difference exceeded 2% only when 3 payment lines were played: as noted in field 830, this maximum difference is 2.229%. Field 835 indicates the average difference of .889%. Accordingly, this implementation provides a bingo game that has a range of volatilities corresponding closely to those of the underlying Class III game. However, this implementation is more complicated to express in terms of the relationship between B and P. Consequently, this method is preferably implemented with reference to a data structure (Step 210). Table 900 of Figure 9 indicates a possible method for distributing a bet through multiple bingo cards when a method such as that described with reference to Figure 8 is used. Column 905 indicates the credit bet, which corresponds to the number of Class III options (here, payment lines) indicated in column 910. Area 915 indicates the number of credits in the bet on each bingo card. Column 920 indicates the amount wagered on each corresponding bingo card. In this example, a maximum of 3 credits is bet on each bingo card, but this maximum is not achieved until 15 or more credits are bet. For example, table 900 indicates that when a player is playing 14 pay lines, 2 credits will be wagered on bingo cards 1 through 7. However, if a player is playing 16 pay lines, 3 credits will be wagered on bingo cards 1 and 2 , and two credits will be bet on bingo cards 3 to 7. The information regarding how to make a bet according to the different methods described here, would be provided according to a data structure such as that of table 900 or according to a method carried out according to programs and programming or software systems, etc. Another implementation of the invention will now be described with reference to Figures 9 and 10. According to this method, the same X payment lines are associated with a bingo card, but only multiples of X payment lines can be played. In this example, 2 payment lines were assigned to a bingo card, but only even numbers of pay lines can be played. Referring first to Figure 10, table 1000 has been constructed by assigning 2 pay lines 1005 for each 1010 bingo card. Here, a player is limited to playing even numbers of pay lines. In this example there is a maximum of 20 payment lines, so that a player can play 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18 or 20 payment lines. As in all the methods described here, playing the game would involve selecting a number of bingo cards to play or select a number of Class III game options (here, slot payment lines). For example, the bingo interface, the player could select from 1 to 10 cards. In preferred implementations, all bingo cards played will have the same number of credits in them, if the player makes his choice of entertainment slot display or bingo display. Referring now to table 1100 of Figure 11, in this example, each bingo card 1115 has two credits played on them (see column 1120). Each 2-credit 1105 loan is associated with two 1110-payment lines played in the entertainment slot display. The triumph multiplier of card 1125 is 2 in all cases. Preferred implementations of this method involve games with a number of Class III game options (for example pay lines) that are evenly divisible by X. For example, a slot game of 9 pay lines would use 1-line ratios. : 1, 3: 1 or 9: 1 of lines of payment to bingo cards, but not 2: 1. A slot game of 20 pay lines could be used in ratios of 1: 1, 2: 1, 4: 1, 5: 1, 10: 1, or 20: 1 of pay lines to bingo cards. Returning now to Figure 2A, the remaining steps of method 200 will now be described. In step 215, one or more data structures and / or methods are provided to a plurality of gaming machines. The data structures and / or methods can also be provided to one or more servers, depending on the implementation. In step 220, a bingo game simulating a 'Class III' game will be provided, where a player is provided with P Class III game options (for example, a selection of pay lines that could be played) ). A bingo game will be provided with a corresponding number of B bingo cards. For example, individual gaming machines may receive an indication that a player wishes to play P lines in a slot game and provide a bingo game with a corresponding number of B bingo cards. B can be determined with reference to a data structure and / or by applying one or more algorithms, for example, as described above. The distribution of bets on the B bingo cards can also be determined. In step 225, a bingo result is determined and traced to a Class III game result. For example, Class III game results may be treated to bingo results as described in the Class II / Class III Applications that have been incorporated herein by reference. In some implementations, only the first card played by each player is eligible to win the final pattern of the game ("Bingo"). When the player triumphs, his win will be multiplied preferably by his total bet for all the bingo cards, not just the bet for a single bingo card. In those implementations, all players have the same probability of bingo, but each player's b-riujifo bingo is proportional to his total bet. In step 235, the method ends. Further details of a particular implementation of the invention will now be described with reference to Figure 2B. Method 240 begins with step 245, where a player is suggested to insert an indication of credits as currency, an E-Z payment ticket or other indication other than currency, etc. Here, step 245 is part of a sequence of attraction of a gaming machine. When a player inserts a credit signature (step 250) it is determined if there is enough credit to start a game (Step 255). In step 260, a player selects a number of Class III game options. In this example, the player selects a desired number of lines to play in a simulated slot game. In some implementations, it may be desirable to determine whether the player has sufficient credit after the player has selected a number of Class III game options.

Then, a number of bingo cards B corresponding to the selected number of payment lines are determined (in this example, by means of the gaming machine) (step 265). The bingo cards are presented in step 270. In some implementations, bingo cards can be presented in a bingo card carousel, as described in the provisional application. In step 275, random bingo numbers are selected and hits are displayed on at least some of the B bingo cards. When large numbers of bingo cards are being played, the hits on all cards can not be shown in some implementations. In step 280, a bingo result and a corresponding Class III result is determined. In step 285, those results are presented. In this example, the results are presented in separate display devices of the gaming machine, but in alternative implementations they are presented in the same display device. In step 290, the player's credit is adjusted according to the outcome of the game. Then the player is suggested to continue. If the player wishes to continue, the process returns to step 255, where it is determined whether the player has sufficient credit to proceed. If the player does not wish to continue, the player leaves and ends the process (Step 299). The "abandonment" process may involve providing a ticket to the player (or similar) instead of cash. Turning next to Figure 12, a video game machine 2 of the present invention is shown. The machine 2 includes a main cabinet 4, which generally surrounds the inside of the machine (not shown) and is visible to the users. The main cabinet includes a main door 8 on the front of the machine, which opens to provide access to the interior of the machine. Attached to the main door are switches or entry buttons of the player 32, the coin receiver 28, and a bill validator 30, a coin tray 38 and a curved glass 40. Visible through the main door is a video display monitor 34 and an information panel 36. The display monitor 34 will typically be a cathode ray tube, high resolution LCD flat panel, or other conventional electronically controlled video monitor. The information panel 36 can be a screen-printed glass panel, removed from the rear with signs to indicate general information of the game, including, for example, a game name (for example $ .25 or $ 1). The bill validator 3 ?, the input switches of the player 32, the video display monitor 34 and the information panel are devices used to play a game on the machine game 2. The devices are controlled by circuits (for example, master game controller) housed within the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2. Many different types of games, including slot machine games, video slot games, video poker, blackjack video, pachinko video and lottery, can be provided with the gaming machines of this invention. In particular, the gaming machine 2 can be operated to provide a set of many different gaming cases. The cases can be differentiated according to the themes, sounds, graphics, type of game (for example, slot game versus card game), denomination, number of pay lines, maximum bag, progressive and non-progressive bonus games, etc. The game machine 2 can be operated to allow the player to select a game of chance to play from a plurality of cases available in the gaming machine. For example, the gaming machine may provide a menu with 'a list of cases of games that are available to play on the gaming machine and a player may be able to select from the list a first case of a game of chance if he wishes to play. The different cases of games available to play in the game machine 2 can be stored as programs and programming systems or game software in a mass storage device in the machine. game or can be generated in a remote game device, but then presented in the game machine. The game machine 2 can execute programs and programming systems or game software, such as but not limited to programs and programming systems or online video software, which allow the game to be presented in the gaming machine. When a case is stored in the gaming machine 2, it can be loaded from the mass storage device into a RAM for execution. In some cases, after the selection of a case, the programs and programming systems or game software allow that the selected case to be generated can be downloaded from a remote gaming device, like another gaming machine. The game machine 2 includes a "top box" decoder 6, which sits on top of the main cabinet 4. The top box 6 houses a number of devices, which can be used to add features to a game that is being played on the gaming machine 2, including speakers 10, 12, 14, a ticket printer 18, which prints tickets with bar codes 20, a numeric keypad 22 for entering player tracking information, a fluorescent screen 16 for present player tracking information, a card reader 24 for entering a card a magnetic stripe containing tracking information of the player, and a video display screen 42. The ticket printer 18 can be used to print tickets for a cashless ticket system, and the top box or decoder 6 can accommodate different or additional devices shown in Figure 13. For example, the top box may contain a bonus wheel or a panel of a silkscreened screen illuminated from behind which may be used to add bonus features to a game that is being played. played on the gaming machine As another example, the top box may contain a display device for a progressive bag offered on the gaming machine During a game, those devices are controlled and fed, in part, by circuits (e.g. , a master game controller) housed within the main cabinet 4 of the machine 2. It should be understood that the game machine 2 is only an example of a wide range of game machine designs in which the present invention can be implemented. For example, not all suitable gaming machines have decoders or top boxes or tracking characteristics of the player. In addition, some gaming machines have only one gaming-mechanical or video display device, while others are designed for bar graphs and have display devices oriented up. As another example, a game can be generated in a host computer and can be presented in a remote terminal or a remote gaming device. The remote gaming device can be connected to the host computer via a network of some kind such as a local area network, a wide area network, an intranet or the Internet. The remote gaming device may be a portable gaming device, but not limited to a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, and a wireless gaming player. The transformed images of 3-D game environments can be presented in portable gaming devices that are used to play a game of chance. In addition, a game machine or server can include a game logic for ordering a remote game device to transform an image of a virtual camera into 3-D game environments stored in the game device (remote and present the transformed image). In a display device located in the remote gaming device, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention, as described below, can be displayed on most of any gaming machine now available or subsequently developed. Some preferred gaming machines of the present invention are implemented with special features and / or additional circuits that differentiate them from computers for general purposes (for example, desktop PCs and laptops). Gaming machines are highly regulated to ensure cleanliness and in many cases, gaming machines are operated to distribute multi-million dollar monetary rewards. Therefore, to meet security and regulatory requirements in a gaming environment, architectures of physical computing components or hardware and software and programming systems or software in gaming machines that differ significantly from those of computers can be implemented. general purposes A description of gaming machines in relation to general purpose computing machines and some examples of additional (or different) components and features found in gaming machines will be discussed below. First, it can be thought that adapting PC technologies to the gaming industry would be a simple proposition because both PC and gaming machines employ microprocessors that control a variety of devices. However, due to reasons such as 1) the regulatory requirements that are placed on the gaming machines, 2) the harsh environment in which the gaming machines operate, 3) the safety requirements and 4) the fault tolerance requirements , adapt PC technologies to a machine of play can be very difficult. In addition, the techniques and methods to solve a problem in the PC industry, such as device compatibility and connectivity problems, may not be appropriate in the gaming environment. For example, a fault or a weakness tolerated in a PC, such as security gaps in programs or programming or software systems or frequent crashes, may not be tolerated in a gaming machine because a gaming machine of those faults can lead to a direct loss of funds from the gaming machine, such as stolen cash or loss of profits when the gaming machine is not operating properly. For purposes of illustration, a few differences between PC systems and game systems will be described. A first difference between common gaming machines and computer systems is that gaming machines are designed to be state-based systems. In a state-based system, the system stores and maintains its current state in a non-volatile memory, so that, in the event of a power failure or other malfunction, the gaming machine will return to its current state when re-establish the energy. For example, if a player was shown a reward or prize for a game of chance and, before the reward could be provided to the player 'energy failed, the machine game, after the reestablishment of the energy, will return to the state where the reward was indicated. As anyone who has used a PC knows, PCs are not state machines and most data is usually lost when a malfunction occurs. This requirement affects the design of programs and programming systems or software and physical components of computing or hardware in a gaming machine. A second important difference between common gaming machines and PC-based computer systems is that for regulation purposes, the programming and programming systems or software in the gaming machine used to generate the game of chance and operate the game. Gaming machine have been designed to be static and monolithic to avoid the intrusion by the operator of the gaming machine. For example, a solution that has been employed in the gaming industry to prevent intrusion and satisfy regulatory requirements has been to manufacture a gaming machine that can use patented processor operating instructions to generate the gambling of an EPROM or other form of non-volatile memory. The coding instructions in the EPROM are static (do not change) and must be approved by gambling regulators in a particular jurisdiction and installed in the presence of a person representing the gambling jurisdiction. Any changes to any part of the programs and programming or software systems required to generate the game of chance, such as; adding a new device driver used by the master game controller to operate a device during the generation of the game of chance may require burning a new EPROM, approved by the gaming jurisdiction and reinstalled in the gaming machine in the presence of a Game controller. Regardless of whether the EPROM solution is used, to obtain approval in most gaming jurisdictions, a gaming machine must demonstrate sufficient security to prevent an operator or player of a gaming machine from tampering with the hardware or computer components. and software programs and systems in such a way that it gives you a dirty and in some cases illegal advantage. The gaming machine must have means to determine if the code it will execute is valid. If the code is not valid, the gaming machine must have means to prevent the code from being executed. Code validation requirements in the gaming industry affect both designs of physical computing components or hardware and software programs and systems or software in gaming machines. A third important difference between common PC-based gaming machines and computer systems is the number and 'types of peripheral devices used in a gaming machine is not greater than in the computer systems based on PC. Traditionally, in the gaming industry, gaming machines have been relatively simple in the sense that the number of peripheral devices and the number of functions of the gaming machine has been limited. Furthermore, in operation, the functionality of the gaming machines was relatively constant once the gaming machine was deployed, that is, it was not frequent to add new peripheral devices and new programs and programming systems or gaming software to the game machine. This differs from a PC where users will go out and compare different combinations of devices and software programs and systems from different manufacturers and connect them to a PC to suit their needs depending on the desired application. Therefore, the types of devices connected to a PC can vary greatly from user to user depending on their individual requirements and can vary significantly. over time. Although the variety of devices available for a PC may be greater than for a gaming machine, the gaming machines will still have requirements for unique devices that differ from a PC, since the security requirements of the devices are usually not solved by the PC For example, monetary devices, such as coin dealers, ticket validators and ticket printers and computing devices that are used to govern the entry and exit of cash to a gaming machine have security requirements that are typically not addressed in PCs. Therefore, many PC techniques and methods developed to facilitate device connectivity and device compatibility do not address the emphasis on security in the gaming industry. To solve some of those problems described above, numerous components and architectures of physical computing components or hardware / programs and programming or software systems are used in gaming machines that are typically not found in computing devices for general purposes, such as PC Those components and architectures of physical computing components or hardware / software and programming or software systems, as described in more detail below, include, but are not limited to, guardian timers, voltage verification systems, program and system architecture. Programming or software based on the state and physical components of computing or hardware support, specialized communication interfaces, security verification, and reliable memory. A guardian timer is normally used in IGT gaming machines to provide a mechanism for fault detection of programs and programming or software systems. In a normal operating system, programs and programming systems or operating software periodically have access to control registers in the guardian timer subsystem to "reactivate" the guardian. If the operation of the programs and programming or software systems fails to have access to the control registers within a pre-established time interval, the guardian timer will stop and will generate a system reset. Typical guardian timer circuits contain a loadable interruption counter register to allow programs and programming systems or operating software to set the entry interval within a certain time interval. A distinguishing feature of some preferred circuits is that programs and programming systems or operating software can not completely disable the watchdog function. In other words, the guardian timer always works from the moment power is applied to the card. IGT game computer platforms preferably use several power supply voltages to operate portions of the computer circuit. Those can be generated in a central power supply or locally on the computer card. If any of those If voltages fall outside the tolerance limits of the circuit they are feeding, an unpredictable operation of the computer can be obtained as a result. Although most modern general purpose computers include voltage verification circuits, those types of circuits only report the voltage status to programs and programming s-systems or operating software. Out-of-tolerance voltages can cause malfunctioning programs and programming systems or software, creating a potential uncontrolled condition of the game computer. The gaming machines of the present application typically have power supplies with more stringent voltage ranges than those required by the operating circuit. In addition, the voltage verification circuit implemented in IGT game computers typically has two control thresholds. The first threshold generates an event of programs and programming or software systems that can be addressed by programs and programming systems or operating software and a generated error condition. This threshold is activated when a power supply voltage falls outside the tolerance range of the power supply but is still within the operating range of the circuit. The second threshold is set when an energy supply voltage drops out of. the operating tolerance of the circuit. In this case, the circuit generates a reset, stopping the operation of the computer. The standard method of operation for programs or programming systems or slot machine software IGT is to use a state machine. The different functions of the game (bet, game, result, points in the graphic presentation, etc.) can be defined as a state. When a game moves from one state to another, critical data with respect to programs or programming systems or game software are stored in a custom non-volatile memory subsystem. This is critical to ensure that the player's bet and credits are preserved to minimize potential disputes in the event of a malfunction of the gaming machine. In general, the gaming machine does not advance from a first state to a second state until the critical information that allows the first state to be reconstructed is stored. This feature allows the game to recover the operation to the current state of the game in the passage of a malfunction, loss of energy, etc., which occurs just before the malfunction. After the state of the game machine is re-established during the game of a random game, the game can be summarized and the game can be completed in a way that is no different than if the malfunction had not occurred. Typically, they are used RAM devices backed by batteries to preserve this critical data although other types of non-volatile memory devices have been employed. Those memory devices are not used | in computers for typical general purposes. As described in the preceding paragraph, when a malfunction occurs during a game of chance, the gaming machine can be re-established to a state in the game of chance just before the malfunction occurred. The stored state may include measurement information and graphic information that was presented in the gaming machine in the state before the malfunction. For example, when the malfunction occurs during the game of a card game after the cards have been dealt, the game machine can be re-established with the cards that were previously presented as a part of the card game. As another example, a bonus game can be activated during the game of a game of chance where the player is required to make a number of selections on a video display screen. When a malfunction has occurred after * the player has made one or more selections, the gaming machine can be reset to a state that shows the graphical presentation just before the malfunction including an indication of the selection that has already been made by the player. In general, the gaming machine can be re-established to any state in a plurality of states that occur in the game of chance that occur while the game of chance is being played or to states that occur between the game of a game of chance. The game history information regarding previous games played as a wagered amount, the outcome of the game and so on may also be stored to a non-volatile memory device. The information stored in the non-volatile memory can be detailed enough to reconstruct a portion of the graphical representation that was previously presented in the gaming machine and the state of the gaming machine (e.g., credits) at the time. that a game of chance was played. The game history information may be used in the case of a dispute. For example, a player may decide that in a previous random game he did not receive credit for any reward he believed he won. The game history information may be used to reconstruct the state of the game machine before, during and / or after the game played to demonstrate whether the player was correct or not in his assertion. Another feature of gaming machines, such as IGT gaming computers, is that they often contain unique interfaces, including serial interfaces, to connect to specific subsystems internal and external to * the slot machine. Serial devices may have electrical interface requirements that differ from the "standard" EIA 232 serial interfaces provided by computers for general purposes. These interfaces can include EIA 485, EIA 422, Fiber Optic Series, optically coupled serial interfaces, serial interfaces, current circuit type, etc. In addition, to preserve the serial interfaces internally in the slot machine, serial devices can be connected in a shared, rosary way, where multiple peripheral devices are connected to a single channel in series. Serial interfaces can be used to transmit information using communication protocols that are unique to the gaming industry. For example, the IGT Netplex is a patented communication protocol used for serial communication between gaming devices. As another example, the SAS is a communication protocol used to transmit information, such as measurement information, "from a gaming machine to a remote device." Often, the SAS is used in conjunction with a player tracking system. IGT game machines can be treated alternatively as peripheral devices for a casino communication co-controller and connected in a of rosario, shared, to a single serial interface. In both cases, peripheral devices are preferably assigned device addresses. If so, the serial controller circuit must implement a method to generate or detect unique device addresses. Serial computer ports for general purposes can not do this. The security verification circuits detect the intrusion in an IGT gaming machine by checking the security switches connected to the access doors in the slot machine cabinet. Preferably, access violations result in game suspension and may activate additional security operations to preserve the current state of the game. These circuits also work when the power is interrupted by the use of a backup battery. In the interruption operation, those circuits continue to verify the access doors of the slot machine. When the power is restored, the gaming machine can determine if security breaches have occurred while the power was interrupted, for example, via programs and programming systems or software to read status registers. This can activate event registration entries and additional data authentication operations by programs and systems programming or slot machine software. Preferably, reliable memory devices are included in an IGT gaming machine computer to ensure the authenticity of programs and programming or software systems that can be stored in less secure memory subsystems, such as mass storage devices. Memory devices and reliable control circuits are typically designed to not allow modification of the code and data stored in the memory device while the memory device. 'is installed in the slot machine. The code and data stored in those devices can include authentication algorithms, random number generators, authentication keys, operating system cores, etc. The purpose of those reliable memory devices is to provide the game regulatory authorities with a reliable authority at root within the computing environment of the slot machine that can be tracked and verified, as an original. This can be accomplished via the removal of the reliable memory device from the slot machine computer and the verification of the contents of a secure memory device is a separate third party verification device. Once the reliable memory device is verified as authentic, and based on the approval of the algorithms of verification contained in the reliable device, allows the gaming machine to verify the authenticity of the code and additional data that may be located in the assembly of the gaming computer, such as the code and the data stored in hard disk drives. A few details related to reliable memory devices that can be used in the present invention are described in US Patent No. 6,685,567 of U.S. patent application no. 09 / 925,098, presented on August 8, 2001, and entitled "Process of Verification ", which is incorporated here fully and for all purposes, Mass storage devices used in a general purpose computer typically allow code and data to be read from and written to the mass storage device. of game machine, the modification of the game code stored in the mass storage device is strictly controlled *, and would only be allowed under specific maintenance type events with the required electronic and physical triggers, although this level of security could be provided For software and programming programs or systems, IGT gaming computers that include mass storage devices preferably include data protection circuits. massive storage at the level of physical components of computing or hardware that operates at the circuit level to verify attempts to modify data in the mass storage device and will generate errors of programs and programming systems or software and physical components of computation or hardware if it is tried a modification of the data without the appropriate electronic and physical triggers present. Returning to the example of Figure 12, when a user wishes to play ea (the gaming machine 2, insert cash through the coin receiver 28, or the bill validator 30. In addition, the bill validator must accept a printed voucher that can be accepted by the bill validator 30 as a credit indication when using a cashless ticket system At the start of the game, the player can enter tracking information of the game using the card reader 24, the numeric keypad 22, and the fluorescent display device 16. In addition, other game preferences of the player playing the game can be read from the card inserted in the card reader During the game, the player sees the game information using the video screen 34. Other game and prize information could also be presented on the video display screen 42 located in the top box.

During the course of a game, a player may be required to make a number of decisions, which affect the outcome of the game. For example, a player may vary his bet in a particular game, select a prize for a particular game selected from the prize server, or make game decisions that affect the outcome of a particular game. The player can make those selections using the input switches of the player 32, the video display screen 34 or using some other device that allows a player to enter information into the gaming machine. In some embodiments, the player may have access to various gaming services, such as concierge services and entertainment content services using the video display screen 34 and one or more input devices. During certain game events, the game machine 2 may present visual and auditory effects that may be perceived by the player. These effects add to the excitement of a game, which makes it more likely that a player will continue playing. The hearing effects include several sounds that are projected by the speakers 10, 12, 14. "The visual effects include flashing lights, strobe lights, or other patterns presented from the lights of the game machine 2 or from the lights behind the curved glass 40. After a player has completed a game, the player can receive game bonuses from coin tray 38 or ticket 20 from printer 18, which can be used for additional games or to claim a prize. In addition, the player may receive a ticket 20 for food, merchandise, or games from the printer 18. A gaming network that can be used to implement additional methods performed in accordance with embodiments of the invention is described in Figure 13. The establishment 1301 game could be any type of gambling establishment, such as a casino, a card room, an airport, a store, etc. In this example, gaming network 1377 includes more than one gaming establishment, all of which are interconnected to gaming server 1322. Here, gaming machine 1302, and the other gaming machines 1330, 1332, 1334 and 1336 include a main cabinet 1306 and a top box 1304. The main cabinet 1406 houses the main game elements and can also accommodate peripheral systems, such as those using dedicated gaming networks. The top box 1304 can also be used to house those peripheral systems. The master game controller 1308 controls the game machine game 1302 according to instructions and / or game data of the game server 1322 or stored inside the game machine 1302 and receives or sends data to various input devices / 1311 output on the machine game 1302. In one embodiment, the master game controller 1408 includes processors and other apparatus of the game machines described above in Figures 6 and 7. The master game controller 1308 may also communicate with a visualization device 1310. An entity of particular gaming may wish to provide network gaming services that provide some operational advantage. In this way, dedicated networks can connect machines, game servers to host servers that follow the performance of gaming machines under the control of the entity, such as for the administration of accounting, transfer of electronic funds (EFT) tickets without cash, as EZPayMR, commercial management and data tracking, as a player tracking. Therefore, the master game controller 1308 can also communicate with the EFT 1312 system, the EZPayMR 1316 system (a patented cashless ticket system of the present beneficiary), and the player tracking system 1320. The system of the gaming machine 1302 communicates data over the network 1422 via a communication board 1318. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in a network with more or fewer elements that are described in Figure 13 For example, the player tracking system 1320 is not a feature necessary in some implementations of the present invention. However, player tracking programs can help sustain a player's interest in the game by playing an additional game during a visit to a gambling establishment to participate in various gaming activities. Player tracking programs provide rewards to players that typically correspond to the player's level of (for example, the player's game frequency and / or the total number of games played in a given casino). The reward of player tracking can be free food, free accommodation and / or free entertainment. In addition, player tracking information can be combined with other information that is now easily obtainable by an SBG system. In addition, the DCU 1324 and the 1325 translator are not required for all gaming establishments 1301. However, due to the sensitive nature of much of the information in a gaming network (e.g. player tracking) the manufacturer of a host system usually employs a particular connection language that has proprietary protocols. For example, 10-20 companies of different products in player tracking host systems where each game system can use different protocols.

These patented protocols are usually considered highly confidential and not publicly disclosed. In addition, in the gaming industry, gaming machines are made by many different manufacturers. The communication protocols in the gaming machine are typically included in the gaming machine and each gaming machine manufacturer can use a different patented communication protocol. A · · manufacturer of gaming machines can also produce host systems, in which case their gaming machines are compatible with their own host systems. However, in a heterogeneous game environment, the game machines of. Different manufacturers, each with their own communication protocol, can be connected to host systems of other manufacturers, with another communication protocol. Therefore, communication compatibility problems with respect to the protocols used by the gaming machines in the system and protocols used by the host systems should be considered. A network device linking a game establishment to another game establishment and / or a central system will sometimes be referred to herein as a "site controller". Here, site controller 1342 provides this function for game establishment 1301. Site controller 1342 is connected to a central system and / or other gambling establishments via one or more networks, which may be public or private networks. Among other things, the site controller 1342 communicates with the game server 1322 to obtain game data, such as ball data, bingo card data, etc. In the illustration herein, the gaming machines 1302, 1330, 1332, 1334 and 1336 are connected to a dedicated gaming network 1322. In general, the DCU 1324 functions as an intermediary between the different gaming machines of the network 1322 and the site controller 1342. In general, the DCU 1324 receives the transmitted data from the gaming machines and sends the data to the site controller 1342 over a 1326 transmission path. In some cases, when the physical computing components interface or hardware used by the gaming machine no., is compatible with the site controller 1342, a 1325 translator can be used to convert serial data from the DCU 1324 to a format accepted by the site controller 1342. The translator can provide this conversion service to a plurality of DCU. In addition, in some dedicated gaming networks, the DCU 1324 can receive data transmitted from the site controller 1342 to communicate to the gaming machines in the "gaming network." The received data can be, for example, also communicated in a synchronized manner to the gaming network. the machines of game in the game network. Here, the CVT 1352 provides cashless and moneyless gaming services to the gaming machines in game establishment 1301. Broadly speaking, the CVT 1352 authorizes and validates gaming machine instruments without cash (also referred to here as "tickets" or "vouchers"), including but not limited to tickets to make a gaming machine present a game result and tickets without money. In addition, CVT 1352 authorizes the exchange of the ticket without money for cash. These processes will be described in detail later. In one example, when a player attempts to claim a non-cash ticket at a payout kiosk 1344, the payout kiosk 1344 reads the ticket validation data without money and transmits the validation data to the CVT 1352 for validation . Tickets can be printed by gaming machines, by payment kiosks 1344, by a stand-alone printer, by CVT 1352, etc. Some gambling establishments will not have a 'pay 1344' kiosk. Instead, a similar ticket could be claimed for cash by an ATM (for example, from a convenient store), by a gaming machine or by a specially configured CVT. Figure 14 illustrates an example of a network device that can be configured to implement some methods of the present invention. The network device 1460 it includes a central processing unit (CPU) master 1462, interfaces 1468 and a channel 1467 (for example, a PCI channel). Generally, interfaces 1468 include ports 1469 suitable for communication with appropriate means. In some embodiments, one or more of the 1468 interfaces includes at least one independent processor and, in some cases, a volatile RAM. The independent processors can be, for example, ASIC or any other appropriate processor. According to some of these modalities, these independent processors perform at least some of the logical functions described here. In some embodiments, one or more of the 1468 interfaces control intensive communication tasks such as encoding, decoding, compression, decompression, packaging, control and media management. By providing separate processors for intensive communication tasks, the 1468 interfaces allow the 1462 master microprocessor to efficiently perform other functions such as routing calculations, network diagnostics, security functions, etc. The ', 1468 interfaces are typically provided as interface cards (sometimes referred to as "line cards"). Generally, interfaces 1468 control the sending and receiving of data packets on the network and sometimes support other peripherals used with the network device 1460. Among the interfaces that can be provided are FC interfaces, Ethernet interfaces, interfaces, frame relay, -cable interfaces, DSL interfaces, call ring interfaces, and the like. In addition, several very high-speed interfaces can be provided, such as fast ethernet interfaces, ethernet interfaces of the order of gigabit, ATM interfaces, HSSI interfaces, POS interfaces, FDDI interfaces, ASI interfaces, DHEI interfaces and the like. When acting under the control of the appropriate programming or software programs or systems or fixed instructions or firmware, in some implementations of the invention the CPU 1462 can respond to the implementation of specific functions associated with the functions of a desired network device. . According to some modalities, the CPU 1462 performs all these functions under the control of programs and programming or software systems, including an operating system and any appropriate programming programs and software systems. The CPU 1462 may include one or more 1463 processors such as a processor from the Motorola microprocessor family or from the MIPS family of microprocessors. In an alternative embodiment, the processor 1463 is physical computing or hardware components specially designed to control the operations of the network device 1460. In a specific mode, a memory 1461 (such as a RAM). and / or non-volatile ROM) is also part of the CPU 1462. However, there are many different ways in which "the memory could be coupled to the system." The memory block 1461 can be used for a variety of purposes, such as example, temporarily storing and / or storing data, programming instructions, etc. Regardless of the configuration of the network device, it may employ one or more memory or memory modules (such as, for example, memory block 1465) configured for store data, program instructions for network operations for general purposes and / or other information related to the functionality of the techniques described herein Program instructions can control the operation of an operating system and / or one or more applications, For example, since this information and program instructions can be used to implement the systems / methods described herein, the present invention is Laciona with machine-readable media that include programming instructions, status information, etc. to perform various operations described here. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are not limited to, magnetic media, hard drives, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROM discs, magneto-optical media; and devices of physical components ofcomputer or hardware that is specially configured to store and perform program instructions, read-only memory (ROM) devices, and random access memory (RAM). The invention can also be incorporated into a carrier wave that travels on an appropriate medium such as aerial waves, optical lines, electric lines, etc. Examples of program instructions include machine code, such as that produced by a compiler, and files that contain higher-level code that can be executed by the computer using an interpreter. Although the system shown in Figure 14 illustrates a specific network device of the present invention, it does not mean that it is the only architecture of the network device in which the present invention can be implemented. For example, an architecture that has a single processor that handles communications as well as routing calculations, etc. is often used. In addition, other types of interfaces and media could also be used with the network device. The communication path between the interfaces can be based on the channel (as shown in Figure 14) or based on the switching network (like a crossbar). The devices and materials described above will be familiar to those experts in the techniques of physical components of computer or hardware and software programs and systems or computer software. Although many of the components and processes are described above in the singular for convenience, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that multiple components and repeated processes may also be used to practice the techniques of the present invention. Although illustrative embodiments and embodiments of this invention are shown and described herein, many variations and modifications are possible which remain within the concept, scope, and spirit of the invention, and those variations will become clear to those skilled in the art after this. request. Accordingly, the embodiments herein are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention should not be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. CLAIMS 1. A gaming machine, characterized in that it comprises: means for providing a bingo game simulating a Class III game having from 1 to P possible options for changing the hit frequency; and means to provide from 1 to B bingo cards to play the bingo game, where the number of bingo cards depends on the option selected by a player. The gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the Class III game is one of a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game and a poker game. The gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the options are one of a number of payment lines for a simulated slot game, a number of hands for a simulated poker game, a number of points obtained by a simulated keno game and a number of bets placed in a simulated roulette game. 4. A gaming machine configured to provide a bingo game simulating a slot game, the gaming machine is characterized in that it comprises: a network interface; a first display device for presenting the bingo game; a second display device for presenting a simulated slot game; a payment device to accept credit indications; at least one user input device; and at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps: receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game of the payment device; receive an indication of a user input device to play P payment lines in the simulated slot game; determine a B number of bingo cards for the bingo game, where B is determined according to P; control the first display device to present the B bingo cards; controlling the first display device to indicate the successes in the B bingo cards, according to the bingo game data received via a network interface; determine a first result of the bingo game; controlling the first display device to present the first result; determine a 'second result of the slot game; and controlling the second display device to present the second result. 5. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination step comprises referring to a data structure where B = P. 6. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the step of determination comprises referring to a data structure where B = P. 7. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: each payment line of the slot game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each slot game bingo card corresponds to a bingo hit frequency; the absolute value of an average difference between each slot hit frequency and each corresponding bingo hit frequency is equal to D; and the determination step comprises referring to a data structure where the payment lines are associated with bingo cards so that D is minimized. 8. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: each slot of the slot game corresponds to a slot hit frequency; each slot game bingo card corresponds to a bingo hit frequency; the absolute value of a difference between a slot hit frequency and a selected slot payline and a corresponding bingo hit frequency is equal to Ds; and the step of '< Determination includes referring to a data structure where the payment lines are associated with bingo cards so that Ds is minimized. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination step comprises: determining whether P is an odd number or an even number; and set B equal to 'P / 2 when P is an even number. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination step comprises: determining if ·, P is an odd number or a number when P is an odd number, determine if P = 1. 11. The gaming machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the determination step comprises determining whether P is a multiple of 3. 12. The gaming machine in accordance with claim 8, characterized in that the selected slot payment line is selected according to the historical player preference data. 13. The gaming machine according to claim 8, characterized in that the selected slot payment line is a maximum slot payment line. 14. The gaming machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the step of The determination further comprises setting B equal to P when P = 1. 15. The gaming machine according to claim 10, characterized in that the determination step further comprises setting B equal to (P + l) / 2 when P? 1. The gaming machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the determination step comprises setting B equal to P / 3 when P is a multiple of 3. 17. The gaming machine according to claim 11, characterized because the step of determination comprises fixing B equal to N / 3 when P is not a multiple of 3, where N is a multiple of 3 greater than P and less than P + 3. 18. A game method, characterized in that it comprises: providing a game of bingo that simulates a slot game that has from 1 to P possible payment lines; and providing from 1 to B bingo cards to play the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on the number of pay lines selected by a player and where B = P. 19. A gaming machine, characterized in that it comprises means for providing a bingo game simulating a slot game 'having from 1 to P possible payment lines; means for providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing the bingo game, a number of bingo cards provided depending on the number of pay lines selected by a player and where B = P. 20. A gaming machine configured to provide a bingo game simulating a slot game, comprising the game machine: a network interface; a first display device for present the bingo game; a second display device for presenting a simulated slot game; a payment device to accept credit indications; at least one user input device; and at least one logic device configured to perform the following steps: receive an indication of sufficient credit for the bingo game of the payment device; receiving an indication of a user input device from which a player has selected a B number of bingo cards for the bingo game, a B number of bingo cards for the bingo game; determine a P-number of payment lines for the simulated game, where P is determined according to B; control the first display device to present the B bingo cards; controlling the first display device to indicate the successes in the B bingo cards, according to the bingo game data received via a network interface; determine a first result of the bingo game; controlling the first display device to present the first result; determine a second result of the slot game; and controlling the second display device to present the second result. 21. A gaming machine, characterized in that it comprises: means for providing a bingo game that simulates a Class III game having from 1 to P possible options of changing the hit frequency; and means for providing from 1 to B bingo cards for playing a bingo game, where the number of options depends on the number of bingo cards selected by a player. 22. The gaming machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the Class III game is one of a slot game, a roulette game, a keno game and a poker game.