Gaming system and method for providing team play benefits

摘要

A gaming system and method which forms, tracks and maintains one or more groups, teams or pools of players. Each group, team or pool includes one or more players (i.e., team members). A player's participation or involvement with the group or team enables the player to access one or more benefits otherwise not available to players unaffiliated with the group or team. That is, based on a player's association with a formed group or team, the gaming system provides the player with one or more benefits, such as an award, an opportunity to win an award, or a modified probability of winning an award.

主权项

1. A gaming system comprising:
a housing; a plurality of input devices supported by the housing, said plurality of input devices including:
(i) an acceptor, and(ii) a cashout device; at least one display device supported by the housing; at least one processor; and at least one memory device which stores a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to operate with the plurality of input devices and the at least one display device to:
(a) if a physical item is received via the acceptor, establish a credit balance based, at least in part, on a monetary value associated with the received physical item,(b) during a first period of time when a player is not associated with any teams:
(i) enable the player to place a first wager amount on a first play of a game, said first play of the game being associated with a first paytable having a first average expected payback percentage,(ii) generate a game outcome,(iii) display the generated game outcome,(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and(v) display any determined award,(c) during a second, different period of time when the player is associated with a team:
(i) enable the player to place the first wager amount on a second play of the game, wherein independent of any player input, said second play of the game is associated, with a second, different paytable having a second, different average expected payback percentage, said second average expected payback percentage being greater than the first average expected payback percentage,(ii) generate a game outcome,(iii) display the generated game outcome,(iv) determine any award associated with the generated game outcome, and(v) display any determined award, and(d) if a cashout input is received via the cashout device, cause an initiation of any payout associated with the credit balance.