Gaming Apparatus With a Wheel Game

Abstract

A gaming apparatus ( 10 ) and a game controller ( 36 ) for a gaming apparatus is provided. A game provided on the gaming apparatus ( 10 ) under the control of the game controller ( 36 ) selects an outcome indicating part ( 60 ) and allocates an award based on the selection. A subset of the possible awards have a low probability of occurring and may result in a substantially larger allocated award than the other outcome indicating parts ( 60 ), while retaining an expected probability of winning based on a visual evaluation of the secondary game. A game controller and method of providing a game is also described and claimed.

1 . A gaming apparatus comprising a game controller and at least one display, the gaming apparatus operable to allow a player to play a game, wherein the game controller controls play of the game and controls the at least one display to display representations of play of the game, 
 the representations of the game comprising a selector having at least one marker and a plurality of outcome indicating parts, each presenting to a player of the gaming machine a visually appreciable area that is available to be selected by the selector,    the game controller causing display on the at least one display a representation of a selection of at least one outcome indicating part by the selector, and allocate an award to a player of the gaming machine, the allocated award being dependent on the selected at least one outcome indicating part,    wherein a subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts have a substantially lower probability of being selected in comparison to each of the other outcome indicating parts, and wherein the visually appreciable area that is available to be selected by the selector of the outcome indicating parts in the subset is substantially less than the visually appreciable area that is available to be selected by the selector for the other outcome indicating parts.    
     
     
         2 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts result in a substantially larger allocated award, either in terms of value received by a player or in terms of cost to an operator of the gaming apparatus, than the other outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         3 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the outcome indicating parts together present an annular or circular shape to the player, and wherein the at least one marker one of moves and appears to move about the outcome indicating parts and then stops to show the representation of a selection of at least one outcome indicating part.  
     
     
         4 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the selector comprises a plurality of illuminable areas located in a path extending about the outcome indicating parts, each of the illuminable areas being illuminated and darkened in a sequential pattern and wherein an illuminable area represents said at least one marker only when it is illuminated.  
     
     
         5 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the outcome indicating parts are each displayed as a stationary area and the at least one marker is displayed as one of moving and appearing to move relative to the outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         6 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the outcome indicating parts are each displayed as a stationary area and the at least one marker is displayed as one of moving and appearing to move relative to the outcome indicating parts progressively along a path that extends past every one of the plurality of outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         7 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each outcome indicating part includes indicia on it that indicates an award to a player.  
     
     
         8 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the outcome indicating parts in the subset of the plurality of the outcome indicating parts is displayed so as to be visually distinctive despite presenting a lesser visually appreciable area than the other outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         9 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , including a further game, wherein the controller causes the game to be able to be played by a player of the gaming machine only on the eventuation of at least one event that is related to play of the further game.  
     
     
         10 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the probability of a member of the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts being selected by the selector is no higher than approximately 1 in 40 for each selection.  
     
     
         11 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the probability of a member of the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts being selected by the selector is no higher than approximately 1 in 70 for each selection.  
     
     
         12 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the probability of a member of the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts being selected by the selector is no higher than approximately 1 in 20 for each selection.  
     
     
         13 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts consists of two outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         14 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the subset of the plurality of outcome indicating parts is a single outcome indicating part.  
     
     
         15 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the allocated award that results when an outcome indicating part from the subset is selected is at least ten times the allocated award that results when any one of the other outcome indicating parts is selected.  
     
     
         16 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the allocated award that results when an outcome indicating part from the subset is selected is at least twenty times the allocated award that results when any one of the other outcome indicating parts is selected.  
     
     
         17 . A gaming apparatus having a game controller and at least one display, the gaming apparatus operable to allow a player to play a game, wherein the game controller controls play of the game and controls the at least one display to display representations of play of the game, 
 the representations of the game comprising:    i) a plurality of outcome indicating parts and at least one marker that is locatable in a plurality of visually distinct positions that each indicate the selection of an outcome indicating part in said plurality of outcome indicating parts, the number of said visually distinct positions being greater than the number of the plurality of outcome indicating parts, and    ii) a visual representation of the selection of an outcome indicating part by the at least one marker,    wherein the probability of the marker being in any one of the plurality of visually distinct positions is substantially the same as the probability that would be expected upon a visual inspection of the representations of the game, and    the gaming apparatus allocates an award to a player of the gaming apparatus dependent on play of the game, the award specified by the particular position in said plurality of positions that the marker is located in when the selected outcome indicating part was selected, at least two distinct awards being awardable when at least one of said outcome indicating parts is selected.    
     
     
         18 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the outcome indicating parts together present an annular or circular shape to the player, and wherein the at least one marker one of moves and appears to move relative to the outcome indicating parts and then stops to select one or more of said outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         19 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the allocated award is substantially larger, either in terms of value received by a player or in terms of cost to an operator of the gaming apparatus than all other awardable awards when the marker is in a subset of said visually distinct positions.  
     
     
         20 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the allocated award is at least ten times larger than all other awardable awards of the game when the at least one marker is in the subset of said visually distinct positions when the selected outcome indicating part was selected.  
     
     
         21 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the allocated award is at least twenty times larger than all other awardable awards of the game when the at least one marker is in the subset of said visually distinct positions when the selected outcome indicating part was selected.  
     
     
         22 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the probability of the marker selecting a member of the subset of visually distinct positions is no higher than approximately 1 in 20 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         23 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the probability of the marker selecting a member of the subset of visually distinct positions is no higher than approximately 1 in 40 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         24 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the probability of the marker selecting a member of the subset of visually distinct positions is no higher than approximately 1 in 70 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         25 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the gaming apparatus includes a further game and the game is a bonus or feature game of said further game.  
     
     
         26 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the bonus or feature game is only playable on the occurrence of at least one predetermined trigger event occurring in the further game.  
     
     
         27 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the award that is allocated when the marker is in the subset of said visually distinct positions has a magnitude dependent on awards awarded during a plurality of free games on the further game.  
     
     
         28 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 27 , wherein the award that is allocated when the marker is in the subset of said visually distinct positions is predetermined so that the award is substantially larger, within statistical bounds, than all other awardable awards of the game.  
     
     
         29 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein at least one outcome indicating part in said plurality of outcome indicating parts indicates an award of a number of free games for the further game and the at least one marker is locatable in at least two of said visually distinct positions while selecting said at least one outcome indicating part, and wherein the award substantially larger than all other awardable awards is awarded only when the marker is one position of said at least two of said visually distinct positions.  
     
     
         30 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein at least two outcome indicating parts in said plurality of outcome indicating parts each indicate an award of a number of free games for the further game, the number differing between outcome indicating parts, wherein the award substantially larger than all other awardable awards is awarded when an outcome indicating part with the highest number of free games is selected by the at least one marker.  
     
     
         31 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein each outcome indicating part occupies substantially the same visually appreciable area.  
     
     
         32 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein each of the plurality of outcome indicating parts has indicia on it.  
     
     
         33 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein there are at least five times as many said visually distinct positions as said outcome indicating parts.  
     
     
         34 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein when the at least one marker is in at least one of the visually distinct positions, the award corresponds to a combination of a result indicated by the selected outcome indicating part and indicia on the at least one marker.  
     
     
         35 . A game controller and associated computer memory for a gaming machine, the game controller operable to control play of a game that is played on a gaming machine and to generate control signals for at least one display, wherein when the control signals are received by a display, the display displays images of the game comprising 
 images of a plurality of outcome indicating parts, wherein the representations of the outcome indicating parts are configured so that a plurality of possible outcomes are visually identifiable, and    a representation of a selection process comprising a representation of the selection of at least one of said outcome indicating parts,    wherein the probability any one of said outcome indicating parts being shown as selected in said representation of a selection process is substantially the same as the probability that would be expected upon a visual inspection of the images of the plurality of outcome indicating parts and wherein for a subset of the plurality of possible outcomes the probability that a member of the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes is selected is less than the probability that any one of the plurality of outcome indicating parts is selected, excluding any outcome indicating part that when selected by the selector only results in an outcome that is a member of the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes.    
     
     
         36 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein at least one outcome in the subset of plurality of outcomes is associated with an award that has a substantially greater value than each of the other outcomes of the plurality of possible outcomes.  
     
     
         37 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes comprises a single possible outcome.  
     
     
         38 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes are associated with an award having a magnitude that is at least ten times greater than the award associated with any other possible outcome.  
     
     
         39 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes are associated with an award having a magnitude that is at least twenty times greater than the award associated with any other possible outcome.  
     
     
         40 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the probability of the a member of the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes being selected is no higher than approximately 1 in 20 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         41 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the probability of the a member of the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes being selected is no higher than approximately 1 in 40 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         42 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the probability of the a member of the subset of the plurality of possible outcomes being selected is no higher than approximately 1 in 70 for each play of the game.  
     
     
         43 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein indicia are provided on each outcome indicating part, the indicia one of indicating or relating to the award that is awarded if that outcome indicating part is selected.  
     
     
         44 . The game controller of  claim 35 , wherein the outcome indicating parts together present an annular or circular shape to the player.  
     
     
         45 . A gaming apparatus comprising the game controller and associated computer memory of  claim 35 , at least one display to receive the control signals and display to a player of the gaming machine representations of the game and an award allocator to allocate to a player of the gaming machine any award associated with the outcome of said plurality of possible outcomes that results from play of the game.  
     
     
         46 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 45 , wherein the game is a feature or bonus game of a further game provided on the gaming apparatus.  
     
     
         47 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 45 , wherein only a single outcome indicating part is selected per game play of the game.  
     
     
         48 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 45 , wherein there are either eight or nine outcome indicating parts arranged to form a circle.  
     
     
         49 . A computerized method of providing a game of chance on a gaming apparatus, the method comprising: 
 a) controlling play of a game on the gaming apparatus;    b) causing play of the game to be displayed on at least one display of the gaming apparatus; and    c) causing an award to be awarded to a player of the gaming apparatus dependent on play of the game;    wherein controlling play of the game involves:    i) causing a plurality of possible outcomes to be shown on the at least one display so that each said possible outcome occupies a predetermined space on the at least one display,    ii) selecting one of said plurality of possible outcomes, with each possible outcome selected on average across all plays of the game with a probability commensurate with the size of the predetermined space that that possible outcome occupies on the at least one display relative to the area occupied by all of said plurality of possible outcomes;    and wherein at least one possible outcome occupies a visually appreciable smaller space on the at least one display than the other possible outcomes.    
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein when said at least one possible outcome is selected, step c) comprises awarding a larger award, either in terms of value received by a player or in terms of cost to an operator of the gaming apparatus, than otherwise.  
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 49 , wherein a single possible outcome occupies a substantially smaller space on the at least one display and wherein when said single possible outcome is selected, step c) comprises awarding a substantially larger award than otherwise.  
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 49  to  51 , wherein the plurality of possible outcomes together form an annular or circular shape.  
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 49  including only playing the game upon the occurrence of a trigger event related to the play of a distinct further game.  
     
     
         54 . (canceled)  
     
     
         55 . A game controller and associated computer memory as claimed in  claim 35 , the game controller operable to execute instructions in the computer and control play of a secondary game substantially according to any one of the embodiments herein described.  
     
     
         56 . (canceled)  
     
     
         57 . (canceled)  
     
     
         58 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein only a single outcome indicating part is selected per game play of the game.  
     
     
         59 . The gaming apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein there are either eight or nine outcome indicating parts arranged to form a circle.