Method and apparatus for optimizing the rate of play of a gaming device

#The present invention relates to gaming devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for adjusting play parameters, such as rate of play, of gaming devices.

#There are currently over 500,000 slot machines in operation that together generate more than $15 billion in annual revenue for United States casinos. Most casinos generate more than half of their gaming revenues from slot machines and some individual casinos offer three or four thousand slot machines at a single location. In fact, two different casinos in Connecticut each provide over six thousand gaming devices for players.

#Many players grow impatient and frustrated waiting for a slot machine outcome to resolve once they have pressed the “spin” button or made a handle pull. Further, casinos typically expect to earn an average amount of money, called the gaming device's “hold,” on a given number of spins. Therefore, the higher the rate at which spins are made, the more money a casino earns.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example system 100 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the details of a casino server 102 as depicted in FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the details of a gaming device 104 as depicted in FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present invention.

#The disclosed invention overcomes the above and other drawbacks of the prior art by allowing a gaming device, under certain conditions, to increase or decrease the rate at which reels resolve to an outcome. When reels resolve more quickly, a player has the opportunity to make a larger number of handle pulls in a given period of time, thereby increasing the maximum rate at which the gaming device can make profits. Players may enjoy a rate of play that is more suited to their preferences. Players also benefit from the opportunity to increase the number of outcomes viewed, and thereby to increase their entertainment within a given period of time.

#In some embodiments, a gaming device monitors player actions during play. If the player performs actions or exhibits behaviors that indicate a desire to play faster, then the gaming device may increase the speed at which reels resolve. Such actions may include excess pressing of a “Spin” button, excess force applied to the spin button, patterns of increasing bet sizes, and so on. In some embodiments, the gaming device simply increases the speed at which reels resolve over the course of a playing session. The gaming device may stop increasing the rate at which reels resolve when player actions indicate that reels are resolving too fast, or when a certain minimum resolution time has been met.

#With these and other advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several drawings included herein.