Gaming layout arrangements having jackpot areas

#This invention relates to a gaming layout having jackpot areas and more particularly to a gaming layout arrangement which permits conventional games employing dice or other well known forms of markers to be played in a traditional manner while introducing a jackpot concept thereto.

#The magical allure of being able to "Hit The Jackpot" has always held special fascination for the populous as a whole. This fascination has been employed by government to impose painless taxes in the form of lotteries and by legalized gambling establishments to attract clientele from their competitors by providing special gaming devices such as slot machines with the capability of providing a win which is disproportionately large with respect to the amount ventured.

#The same allure is employed by sales organizations to develop consumer interest by providing sweepstakes, or lottery prizes. Here entry in the sweepstakes or lottery is relied upon to attract those solicited to the products, such as magazines, being offered for sale. Typically, an extremely large payoff or jackpot is available at no charge but instead the mere possibility of the jackpot is relied upon as a lodestone to attract consumer interest.

#The invention will more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment thereof in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

#The FIGURE is a top plan view of a conventional Craps gaming layout arrangement having exemplary jackpot areas according to the instant invention imposed thereon.

#The exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described below in connection with application to a conventional Craps gaming layout. In fact, the portions of the Craps layout arrangement illustrated in the FIGURE is the Craps layout employed in Atlantic City and approved by the New Jersey Gaming Commission. However, those of ordinary skill in the art shall appreciate from the disclosure set forth herein that the concepts of the instant invention may be utilized with any gaming arrangement wherein markers are thrown on a gaming layout mat or board game.

#This invention has the unique capability of allowing gaming arrangements to be played in the traditional manner without affecting the style of play, rate of play, odds of play or rules thereof in any manner while the ability to win a jackpot is determined independently of the play of the game and results merely as a function of the ending location of one or more thrown markers. Furthermore, while the markers primarily discussed herein shall be dice, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any marker could in fact be employed. Thus, if dice are used the concepts of the instant invention may be applied to any game layout associated therewith from Craps to the game MONOPOLY while in other forms of board games the defined jackpot areas may be accessed through other forms of markers.

#For example, in a board game such as the game SCRABBLE, jackpot areas may be defined on the board per se and accessed by lettered squares which are tossed on the board at the initial portion of the game. Furthermore, while, as shall be seen below, the jackpot areas illustrated in the FIGURE have been shown as squares to resemble the face of a die any geometric shape such as a rectangle, circle, triangle, parallelogram, or the like may be employed as well.