Method and System for Indicating a Jackpot Payout Expectancy for a Game

Abstract

A method and system for indicating a jackpot payout expectancy for a game is provided for use with live or online gaming. The system includes a display of jackpot payout information for gaming participants that may allow participants to rapidly assess a status of various jackpot casino games to determine which game to play, based on a likelihood of an imminent jackpot payout. For instance, a payout statistic (i.e., a jackpot thermometer) is provided to players to indicate how far a jackpot cycle of a game has run since the jackpot was last paid out. The statistic can be displayed graphically as a slider bar or as a thermometer icon, for example.

1 . A graphical interface for displaying game data associated with casino games, the graphical interface comprising:
 primary data relating to a casino game; and   a jackpot indicator relating to the casino game that refers to a statistic that may be interpreted to indicate how soon a jackpot of the casino game is likely to pay out.   
   
   
       2 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , further comprising an arrangement of game category icons each of which represent categories of games available for play. 
   
   
       3 . The graphical interface of  claim 2 , wherein the game category icons are displayed as a series of tabbed categories. 
   
   
       4 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , farther comprising an arrangement of game icons each of which represent games available for play, and wherein one of the game icons represents the casino game, and wherein the primary data relating to the casino game is listed near the game icon. 
   
   
       5 . The graphical interface of  claim 4 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is displayed adjacent the game icon representing the casino game. 
   
   
       6 . The graphical interface of  claim 4 , wherein the game icons are active web links invokable to load a corresponding game lobby page. 
   
   
       7 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , further comprising icons that link to web pages that display information including promotions, news, account information, banking options, help information, and support contacts. 
   
   
       8 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the primary data relating to the casino game includes a name of the casino game, a brief description of a type of the casino game, a set of rules applicable to the casino game, and a status of the casino game. 
   
   
       9 . The graphical interface of  claim 8 , wherein the status of the casino game is active when the casino game is ready for play. 
   
   
       10 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the primary data relating to the casino game is displayed in a webpage window, and the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is displayed in an adjacent window. 
   
   
       11 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game indicates an amount of the jackpot and a jackpot payout statistic. 
   
   
       12 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is a graphical indicator represented as a horizontal slide bar. 
   
   
       13 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic computed in real-time. 
   
   
       14 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic, T, calculated by:
     T =Offset+(a number of game plays since last jackpot payout)/(Jackpot Cycle of the casino game)×100,   
     where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias selected for the casino game and the Jackpot Cycle refers to a probability of winning a jackpot on any turn of the casino game. 
   
   
       15 . The graphical interface of  claim 14 , wherein the Jackpot Cycle is the reciprocal of a number of all possible outcomes of the casino game. 
   
   
       16 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator can be interpreted to indicate if a jackpot payout is imminent. 
   
   
       17 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game is a statistic, T, calculated by:
     T =Offset+(Elapsed time since last jackpot payout)/( A )×100,   
     where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias selected for the casino game and where A is an average time between successive jackpot payouts. 
   
   
       18 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , wherein the jackpot indicator relating to the casino game indicates how far a jackpot cycle of the game has run since a jackpot was previously paid out, wherein the jackpot cycle of the casino game refers to a probability of winning a jackpot on any turn of the casino game. 
   
   
       19 . The graphical interface of  claim 1 , further comprising an illustration of hot or cold next to the jackpot indicator. 
   
   
       20 . A system for indicating the jackpot payout expectancy for a game comprising:
 a server to generate one or more random events upon which an outcome of the game depends; and   a gaming device coupled to the server and presenting to a player a display of game-play corresponding to the game, the display including a jackpot indicator that indicates how far a jackpot cycle of the game has run since a jackpot was previously paid out.   
   
   
       21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device couples to the server through a communication network. 
   
   
       22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device displays to the player a menu of games offered for play within a graphical interface. 
   
   
       23 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device displays the jackpot indicator graphically as a slider bar. 
   
   
       24 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device displays the jackpot indicator graphically as a thermometer icons. 
   
   
       25 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device enables the player to place wagers on, and to control the progress of, the game. 
   
   
       26 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the gaming device displays to the player an outcome of the game as a function of the random events generated by the server. 
   
   
       27 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the server is operated by an online casino and the gaming device is located remote from the server and operated by a player of the online casino. 
   
   
       28 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the server calculates a value of the jackpot indicator by:
   Jackpot Indicator Offset+(a number of game plays since last jackpot win)/(Jackpot Cycle of the casino game)×100,   
     where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias selected for the game and the Jackpot Cycle refers to a probability of winning the jackpot on any turn of the game. 
   
   
       29 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the server calculates a value of the jackpot indicator by:
   Jackpot Indicator=Offset+(Elapsed time since last jackpot payout)/( A )×100,   
     where the Offset refers to an arbitrary bias selected for the game and where A is an average time between successive jackpot payouts. 
   
   
       30 . The system of  claim 20 , further comprising a second server to generate one or more random events upon which an outcome of a second game depends, and wherein a single jackpot relates to the game and the second game, and wherein the gaming device displays a universal jackpot indicator that indicates how far a combined,jackpot cycle of the game and the second game has run since a jackpot of either the game or the second game was previously paid out. 
   
   
       31 . A method of indicating jackpot payout expectancies for games comprising:
 selecting an offset value that indicates an arbitrary bias of a game;   calculating a probability of winning a jackpot relating to the game;   calculating a jackpot statistic that indicates an expectancy of winning the jackpot of the game using the offset value and the probability of winning the jackpot relating to the game; and   graphically displaying the jackpot statistic to players of the game.   
   
   
       32 . A computer readable medium containing program code for causing a microprocessor to execute the method of  claim 31 . 
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 31 , further comprising graphically displaying an amount of the jackpot that can be won on the game. 
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the jackpot statistic indicates how far a jackpot cycle of the game has run since the jackpot was previously paid out. 
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein calculating the jackpot statistic that indicates the expectancy of winning the jackpot of the game comprises solving the following equation:
   Jackpot Indicator=the offset value+(a number of game plays since last jackpot win)/(the probability of winning the jackpot relating to the game)×100.