Electronic gaming apparatus and method

An electronic gaming apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of electronic primary gaming devices, each having primary user-actuatable input means for play of a primary game;
• and
• an electronic secondary gaming device for play of a secondary game;
• wherein, each primary gaming device being electrically connected to said secondary gaming device, each being formed for independent play of said primary game, and each being responsive to the occurrence of at least one predetermined event in the play of said primary game to communicate an input signal to said secondary gaming device, each of said input signals to said secondary gaming device effecting play of said secondary gaming device;
• and
• said secondary gaming device being responsive to the occurrence of a predetermined event in any one of the primary gaming devices to input said secondary gaming device for play of said secondary game simultaneously by each user of said primary gaming devices.

An electronic gaming apparatus comprising:

• an electronic primary gaming device including display means and user-actuatable input means for play of a primary game;
• and
• an electronic bingo-type gaming device including bingo display means having a plurality of spaces in a bingo matrix for play of a bingo-type game;
• and
• said primary gaming device being electrically connected to said bingo-type gaming device, and said primary gaming device communicating a signal to said bingo-type gaming device for input to said bingo matrix upon the occurrence of selected, winning events in said primary gaming device.

An electronic gaming apparatus comprising:

• an electronic primary gaming device including display means and user-actuable input means for play of a primary game;
• and
• an electronic bingo-type gaming device including bingo display means having a plurality of spaces in a bingo matrix for play of a bingo-type game, said primary gaming device being electrically connected to said bingo-type gaming device, and said primary gaming device communicating a signal to said bingo-type gaming device for input to said bingo matrix upon the occurrence of selected events in said primary gaming device wherein,
• said primary gaming device is an electronic slot machine which communicates said signal to said bingo-type gaming device upon the occurrence of selected reel combinations in said slot machine, said bingo-type gaming device includes bingo indicia generating means producing a distribution of bingo indicia related to said selected reel combinations in said plurality of spaces in said bingo matrix at a time prior to receipt of said signal from said slot machine, and wherein said bingo indicia generating means substantially fills all of said spaces in said bingo matrix with said bingo indicia and randomly distributes said bingo indicia in said spaces.

An electronic gaming apparatus comprising:

• an electronic primary gaming device including display means and user-actuable input means for play of a primary game;
• and
• an electronic bingo-type gaming device including bingo display means having a plurality of spaces in a bingo matrix for play of a bingo-type game said primary gaming device being electrically connected to said bingo-type gaming device, and said primary gaming device communicating a signal to said bingo-type gaming device for input to said bingo matrix upon the occurrence of selected events in said primary gaming device, and further comprising:
• a plurality of additional primary gaming devices each having display means, user-actuable primary input means for play of a primary game, and criteria means responsive to the occurrence of selected events to produce an input signal;
• said additional electronic primary gaming devices each being electrically connected to said bingo-type gaming apparatus for communication of input signals to said bingo-type gaming device on the occurrence of said selected events;
• said bingo-type gaming apparatus being responsive to receipt of an input signal from said additional electronic primary gaming devices to input said bingo matrix;
• and
• identification means electrically connected for correlating the identity of ones of said primary gaming device communicating input signals to said bingo-type gaming device during play of said bingo-type game.

An electronic gaming assembly comprising:

• a plurality of electronic poker gaming devices each formed for independent play of a simulated poker game and each having user-actuatable poker input means electrically connected to enable users to play said poker game;
• an electronic bingo-type gaming device formed for play of a simulated bingo-type game and including bingo display means having a bingo matrix of a plurality of spaces;
• and
• each of said plurality of electronic poker gaming devices further being electrically connected to said bingo-type gaming apparatus, each of said poker gaming devices producing a selection of previously unselected bingo spaces corresponding to and upon the occurrence of selected poker hands in said poker gaming devices to permit the user of the poker gaming device to play said bingo-type gaming device.

A method of playing an electronic game comprising the steps of:

• playing a primary game on a primary electronic gaming device by user input through primary input means;
• and
• upon the occurrence of predetermined events in said primary electronic game device, playing a secondary game on a secondary electronic gaming device electrically connected to said primary electronic gaming device by making an input to said secondary electronic gaming device upon said occurrence of predetermined events in primary electronic game device, wherein there are a plurality of independent primary gaming devices each electrically connected to a common secondary gaming device, and
• during said playing step, a plurality of players each play a primary game on said plurality of independent primary gaming devices;
• and
• upon occurrence of a selected events at any one of said independent primary gaming devices, playing said secondary game by inputting into said secondary gaming device from the one of a predetermined number of primary gaming devices at which one of said selected events occurred.