Wagering game, gaming machine, networked gaming system and method with a simultaneous secondary scratch-off-style game

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method are disclosed in which a gaining machine provides both a base game and a scratch-off-style side game which may be played and wagered upon concurrently or according to some play sequence. The base game may be one type of game displayed on a portion of a primary display of the gaming machine and the side game may be a ticket or number-based type of game, such as a lottery or sweepstakes style game, displayed on a remaining portion of the primary display wherein a player may be able to directly purchase chances to win one or more prizes in the ticket/number-based side game and/or be awarded a selected number of tickets/numbers/win-opportunities based on the amount of the player's wager in the primary game. The potential prizes may be stand-alone as with a prize table or networked as with a prize pool, such as in the case of a lottery or sweepstakes style game.

1 . A method for operating a dual wagering game, the method including: displaying a base game and a scratch-off style side game together at a gaming machine, the base game and side game being operable simultaneously through a game processor; accepting a wager by a player to initiate the base game and the side game; responsive to the wager, providing the player one or more covered prize opportunities in the side game from a set of prize opportunities; determining the base game outcome from a set of base game outcomes, wherein the base game outcome is determined randomly or pseudo-randomly by the game processor: uncovering the prize opportunities; and awarding any prize or award associated with the base game outcome and awarding any prize associated with one or more side game outcomes and the prize opportunities. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the base game and side game outcomes and the prize opportunities are determined independently. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each of the prize opportunities comprise a set of numbers and the side game outcomes comprise a set of winning numbers; matching the set of numbers of each prize opportunity with the set of winning numbers to determine the respective number of matching numbers; displaying a paytable associating one or more numbers of matching numbers with respective prizes or awards; and the awarding step including paying awards on each of the prize opportunities in accordance with the paytable. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  including the steps providing one or more prize opportunities including: responsive to a player save request, storing one or more of the covered prize opportunities provided following a first wager; and responsive to a player play request, activating one or more of the stored prize opportunities for play subsequent to the first wager. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  including the steps providing one or more prize opportunities including:
 responsive to a player save request, storing one or more of the covered prize opportunities provided following a first wager; 
 responsive to a player play request, activating one or more of the stored prize opportunities for play following a second wager. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  the step providing one or more prize opportunities including providing a predetermined number of the prize opportunities according to the amount wagered. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  the step providing one or more prize opportunities including providing a random or pseudo-random number of the prize opportunities according to the amount wagered. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5  the step providing one or more prize opportunities including providing a first predetermined number of the prize opportunities according to the first wager and providing a second predetermined number of the prize opportunities according the second wager; and
 the awarding step including awarding any prize associated with one or more side game outcomes and the first and second predetermined number of prize opportunities 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the base game and the side game are activated by a single wager. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the base game and the side game are activated by separate wagers. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the side set of possible side game outcomes includes one or more high reward winning outcomes and Further including producing a celebratory presentation at one or more display devices at the gaming machine when the selected side game outcome comprises one of the high reward winning outcomes. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  further including displaying side game information in a display area for displaying the side game while continuing to display the base game in a display area for displaying the base game. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the side game comprises a lottery game distinct from the base game. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the side game comprises a sweepstakes game distinct from the base game. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the side game prize opportunities are randomly or pseudo-randomly generated from a network server communicatively connected to the game processor. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the covered prize opportunities are determined randomly or pseudo-randomly by the game processor. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the stored prize opportunities when activated are determined randomly or pseudo-randomly by the game processor. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  wherein each of the uncovered prize opportunities comprise a set of reels displaying a game outcome; and the awarding step includes paying one or more awards on the prize opportunities in accordance with a side game paytable and the respective game outcomes. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the uncovering step is responsive to a player action.