Skillful casino multi-level games and regulated gaming machines in which progressively higher game levels enable progressively higher returns to player (RTP)

An electronic, wager-based gaming device, comprising:

• a memory;
• at least one processor;
• a display;
• a user interface;
• and
• a plurality of processes spawned by the processor, the plurality of processes comprising processing logic to enable a multi-level wager-based game, the game comprising a plurality of wagering opportunities, and processing logic to:
• accept, by the gaming machine, funds from a player and enabling the player to play the multi-level wager-based game in which at least some transitions from one level to a next-higher level during game play cause a return to player (RTP) to incrementally increase, each of the plurality of wagering opportunities being associated with a predetermined number of points, at least some of the plurality of wagering opportunities being associated with higher numbers of points than others of the plurality of wagering opportunities, a successful player interaction with any of the plurality of wagering opportunities generating a wager and awarding a predetermined number of points;
• establish a current RTP percentage for wagers placed;
• enable game play at a current level of the game and receive player input from a user interface of the gaming machine to cause player interactions with the wagering opportunities;
• for at least some of the wagering opportunities with which the player interacted, place a wager at the current RTP and collect the predetermined number of points associated with the wagering opportunity;
• when the number of points collected reaches one of plurality of predetermined number of points, transition game play to a next level in the multi-level game, the next level becoming the current level;
• when the current level reaches one of a plurality of predetermined levels in the multi-level game, implementing a next RTP becomes the current RTP, the next RTP then becoming the current RTP for wagers at the current level, and
• returning to enabling game play at the current level.

A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having data stored thereon representing sequences of instructions which, when executed by a gaming device, cause the gaming machine to carry out a computer-implemented method comprising:

• accepting, by the gaming machine, funds from a player and enabling the player to play a multi-level wager-based game in which at least some transitions from one level to a next-higher level during game play cause a return to player (RTP) to incrementally increase, the game comprising a plurality of wagering opportunities that are each associated with a predetermined number of points, at least some of the plurality of wagering opportunities being associated with higher numbers of points than others of the plurality of wagering opportunities, a successful player interaction with any of the plurality of wagering opportunities generating a wager and awarding a predetermined number of points;
• establishing a current RTP percentage for wagers placed;
• enabling game play at a current level of the game and receiving player input from a user interface of the gaming machine to cause player interactions with the wagering opportunities;
• for at least some of the wagering opportunities with which the player interacted, placing a wager at the current RTP and collecting the predetermined number of points associated with the wagering opportunity;
• when the number of points collected reaches one of plurality of predetermined number of points, transitioning game play to a next level in the multi-level game, the next level becoming the current level;
• when the current level reaches one of a plurality of predetermined levels in the multi-level game, implementing a next RTP, the next RTP then becoming the current RTP for wagers at the current level, and
• returning to enabling game play at the current level.

A method of providing a game for a gaming machine, comprising:

• providing an existing a multi-level, console or arcade-type game;
• modifying the provided game to operate on the gaming machine such that at least some in-game assets in at least some of the levels of the multi-level game are configured as wagering opportunities that are each associated with a predetermined number of points, at least some of the plurality of wagering opportunities being associated with higher numbers of points than others of the plurality of wagering opportunities, a successful player interaction with any of the plurality of wagering opportunities generating a wager and awarding a predetermined number of points;
• and in which at least some transitions from one level of the game to a next-higher level during game play cause a return to player (RTP) to incrementally increase;
• configuring the gamine machine to accept funds from a player and enable the player to play the modified game;
• and
• configuring the game to:
• establish a current RTP percentage for wagers placed;
• enable game play at a current level of the game and receiving player input from a user interface of the gaming machine to cause player interactions with the wagering opportunities;
• for at least some of the wagering opportunities with which the player interacted, place a wager at the current RTP and collect the predetermined number of points associated with the wagering opportunity;
• when the number of points collected reaches one of plurality of predetermined number of points, transition game play to a next level in the multi-level game, the next level becoming the current level;
• when the current level reaches one of a plurality of predetermined levels in the multi-level game, implement a next RTP, the next RTP then becoming the current RTP for wagers at the current level;
• and
• return to game play at the current level.