WO2013110933A1

WO2013110933A1 - Enhanced roulette games

Info

Publication number: WO2013110933A1
Application number: PCT/GB2013/050143
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Crichton INGLIS
Original assignee: Out Of The Box Concepts (2011) Ltd; CHURCHILL, Anton
Priority date: 2012-01-23
Filing date: 2013-01-23
Publication date: 2013-08-01
Also published as: GB201201070D0

Abstract

A roulette apparatus is described consisting of a standard roulette wheel (1) and table with the top of the table having the standard markings on it for placing bets with chips. In accordance with the invention, a colour selected from a group of three, four, six or nine colours is associated with each of the 36 potential winning numbers (A-F), and the apparatus includes a bet acceptor device (8) which can be actuated by a player between turns of the wheel. The actuator device places a bet on the sequence of colours associated with the sequence of numbers generated by the wheel for the next turns. In one way of playing the game, a sequence of numbers which corresponds to the same colour for each member of the sequence can generate a win for the player. The system may be adapted to a real roulette table in a casino or operated via an online roulette gaming system.

Description

ENHANCED ROULETTE GAMES

The game of roulette has been played for a considerable time. Originally before the development of online gaming systems, this was restricted to playing at a roulette table with play controlled by a croupier, The table has a roulette wheel into which the croupier deposits a ball in a fashion that the ball spins round the outside in a circular path, eventually coming to rest in one of the pockets of a rotating central section. The pockets are numbered 0 to 36 and some wheels have an extra pocket labelled 00. Adjacent the wheel on the table is an area bearing markings generally in the form of a grid containing the numbers 1 to 36 and one or two adjacent areas marked 0 and 00. Players place gaming chips on particular positions on the grid or an 0 or 00 before the wheel is spun. If the number of the pocket in which the ball comes to rest corresponds to a position on which a player has placed one or more chips, then that player has "won" and the croupier will pay out on the winning bet depending upon the particular odds corresponding to the position of the chip on the grid.

The game of roulette has commanded widespread popularity for many decades and is nowadays played not merely by players physically adjacent a croupier-controlled table in a gaming club, casino or the like, or on a terminal linked to a table, or a gaming machine. The game can also be played online according to the same rules. The programming of the online system takes care of noting what bets are placed by the players and paying out or taking the amount staked by the player depending upon the result of each spin of the wheel. The wheel in question may be a physical roulette wheel operated under supervision in a casino, club or like environment, or it may be a "virtual" wheel, i.e. the winning numbers are generated electronically by a suitable random number generator program.

In either case, the system has means to indicate the sequence of winning numbers successively generated by the sequence of spins of the wheel. It is known to enhance the game of roulette by providing additional betting possibilities dependent on colour, usually dependent upon whether a colour from a modest palette of three, four, six or nine colours is associated with the rest position of the ball in the pocket of the rotary portion of the roulette wheel. Community Design Registrations 001869645 and 00191 1017-0001 , - 0002, and -0003 disclose designs in which the rotating portion of the wheel is segmented into three, four, six and nine colours respectively, for example by coloured sectors on the conical portion between the centre of the wheel and the pockets, and possibly extending to the pockets themselves, or by a series of coloured dots adjacent the pockets. In Community registered design 00191 1017-0003 each of the nine differently coloured sectors extends over an angle corresponding to four numbered pockets on the periphery of the rotating portion of the roulette wheel. Community Design 001856931 shows a modified design for a grid on the table which has a bar with six coloured sections of colours corresponding to the colours on the wheel itself. Community registered designs 001925314-0001 to -0004 and 001964362-0001 show alternatives with colour bars with four, six, eight or nine sections.

In accordance with one feature of the present invention, the table is additionally provided with a plurality of bet acceptor devices corresponding to the number of playing positions, usually eight around a standard roulette wheel table in a gaming club, casino or the like, each of which can be actuated by a player to lay a bet relating to the sequence of colours associated with successive spins of the wheel. The bet acceptor devices may be push buttons, or, for example, detectors which can detect when a chip is placed on them. In such a case, the table preferably additionally includes means for visually indicating that a chip has been placed on the detector corresponding to one of the players. The system for displaying the winning number sequence may have associated with it means for detecting, storing and displaying the sequence of colours resulting from consecutive plays. In tables with bet acceptor devices with an indicator, the system may be programmed to deactivate the indicator as soon as the sequence of colours does not correspond to a winning sequence.

According to the present invention, there is provided roulette apparatus including a roulette wheel, a roulette table carrying a representation of the numbers 0 to 36, and wherein each of the numbers 1 to 36 is associated with a colour other than black and red, these colours being selected from a group of 3, 4, 6 or 9 colours and, for each player, a bet acceptor device which can be actuated at will by a player prior to a given valid turn of the wheel and which is configured to indicate, once actuated, that a bet on a colour sequence has been placed, and means for displaying a win if the desired colour sequence matches the colour sequence associated with the next sequence of valid turns of the wheel.

A roulette table constructed in this way enables players to make an additional bet essentially independent of the sequence of numbers which arises during the course of normal play with the wheel, with the club, casino or online operator deciding what colour sequences generate wins for the player. The choice of winning sequences is very much up to the operator, but, for example, the operator could decide to pay out a substantial multiple of the single chip value {i.e. the player stake) if the sequence of colours which arose following the placing of the chip on the detector was six identical colours, or if the sequence included all six colours of the six possible colours indicated on the wheel. Since the chances of the same colour arising six times in succession are very small, the potential payout can be quite large. The chance of the next six colours in the sequence following the placing of a chip ( the player's stake) all being different is larger, but still not very large.

If the ball on the roulette wheel falls into the 0 or 00 pocket, that may automatically remove all existing bets made by activating one of the sensors.

It is found that with an active table, or, indeed, an active online game, players are willing to hazard a chip on the likelihood of a winning sequence of colours occurring and, because as soon as the winning sequences are ruled out by the actual sequence of colours, the bet is lost, any indicator is turned off and the stake or a proportion of the stake goes to the operator, this prompts the player to make a further colour sequence bet, e.g. by placing a chip on a detector or actuating a bet acceptor such as a push button. If the player's stake is logged by the system by placing a chip on a chip detector, the chips may be cleared from the detectors at the same time as the other chips are removed from the grid at the end of each play. An indicator associated with a chip detector may remain lit as long as the stake placed on it has a chance of winning, and can then be controlled to flash (if the winning sequence arises) or be turned off once the bet is lost. Alternatively, the standard indicator which displays the sequence of winning numbers may include fields displaying the sequence of colours corresponding to them and the state of any bets placed on colour sequence by those at the table.

!f desired, the software which detects and stores the sequence of colours and normally the sequence of numbers of the pockets into which the ball falls may be programmed to identify a jackpot amount which, for example, may be calculated as 70 percent of the chip value on losing bets placed on the sensors. The jackpot could be won, for example, if a specific sequence of colours occurs, such as blue, red, pink, green, green, purple. The value of the jackpot at any one time may be indicated on a suitable display unit associated with the table, The jackpot value may depend on the bets placed on more than one table, for example all of the tables in a particular casino, or casino group. The display may also show the sequence of colours associated with the most recent plays, usually at least the most recent eight plays.

The possibility of other colour based bets may be allowed for if the marked area on which players place their stakes has coloured sections, for example as shown in Community design 001856931 , or other colour markings. The colour of each one of the thirty-six number areas may correspond to the colours on the wheel adjacent the correspondingly numbered pocket.

Colour-based bets may also be catered for in association with the game of roulette if the colours are indicated exclusively on the playing grid and the rotating portion of the roulette wheel is wholly standard or conventional. This enables progressive colour bet play without the need to modify the wheel itself.

Thus, according to a second feature of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for playing roulette including a roulette wheel and a table bearing a bet placement area including an array of numbers, wherein the number array is itself colour coded into a plurality of colours other than black and red. Preferably the number of colours is six and they are preferably arranged in blocks, for example the numbers 1 to 6 being on a ground of one colour, the numbers 7 to 12 on a ground of a second colour, and so on.

If the roulette wheel bears colours corresponding to the colours on the grid, these may be positioned adjacent the respective pockets, or the floor of each pocket may be coloured.

While colours are a simple and easily effected way of introducing further bets into roulette play, in place of colouring the sections of the grid, a sidebar may be provided divided into sections with those sections being identified by a distinctive marking such as a card suit symbol, a square or a circle.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic drawing showing an aerial view of a roulette table; Figure 2 is a diagram of a possible screen display;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of the colour distribution on a modified playing grid for use with a roulette wheel having nine different colour sectors on the rotating portion;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic illustration corresponding to Figure 3 but where the roulette wheel has six different colour sectors on the rotating portion;

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of a playing grid where the 36- numbered bet areas are coloured;

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5, but for use with a wheel with a 00 marking;

Figure 7 is a diagram of a playing grid having a symbol bar down one side carrying six different identifying symbols;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic representation of a roulette wheel showing the pockets into which a ball can fall; Figure 9 is a diagrammatic representation of a bet acceptor and indicator device such as may be incorporated into a playing position at a roulette table; and Figure 10 is a diagrammatic view of a monitor display for use with roulette apparatus according to the present invention. Referring first to Figure 1 , the table includes a roulette wheel generally indicated at 1 and to the right of it a standard array of square areas in a 3 x 12 array with the conventional indications around two sides of the area for placing bets where the odds are 2 to 1 or 1 to 1 . Player positions 2 are identified by numbers 1 to 8 and additionally the table is provided with a row of eight sensors 8, each of which is slightly larger than a standard gaming chip and which is arranged to light up when a chip is placed on it. Such sensors are known on other gaming tables. The sensors may be located anywhere convenient, and they do not have to be located as shown (in a standard layout design area 9 used for the marking of a player's neighbour bets by the dealer/croupier).

As can be seen, the central portion of the roulette wheel between the pockets and the vertical axis about which the wheel rotates is divided into six sectors {plus a very narrow sector corresponding to the 0 pocket). These six sectors are identified as A to F on the drawing and each is a different colour.

In play, each time a player wants to place a bet on the sequence of colours coming up, he or she indicates to the croupier that they wish that to occur and the croupier takes one of their chips and places it on the corresponding sensor, which then, on detecting the presence of a chip, lights up. if, for example, the payouts occur when the ball lands in each of six consecutive plays in pockets associated with the same one of the colours A to F, or into a sequence of six pockets each associated with a different one of the colours A to F, then a win is declared and this may be signalled to the player, for example, by the illumination around the sensor flashing. As soon as the sequence of colours is no longer a winning sequence, however, the indicator associated with the relevant sensor ceases to be illuminated and, at that point, the player can, if desired, place a new stake on the sensor 8.

The system can be easily adapted for online players and for use with terminals located in a casino or gaming club which are linked to the operation on a particular table. For such players who interact via a screen with the system, for example a touch screen on a fixed terminal or using a mouse and cursor if playing remotely online, a further option may be offered, viz. the selection of a specific colour sequence chosen by the player or automatically randomly generated by the system.

One possible screen layout is shown in Figure 2, with a representation of a roulette wheel 20, the standard array of locations on which bets may be placed, denoted 21 , a palette of colours 22 from which a sequence may be set, and which is reflected in a colour display bar 23, a "LUCKY DIP" button

24 to cause the generation of a random colour sequence, a rotating display

25 to show the sequence of colours generated by the real or virtual wheel, and an indicator 26 displaying the value of the jackpot. This value may differ from that displayed at the real table whose wheel is generating the sequence of winning numbers, enabling remote players to win a jackpot differently derived from that shown at the real table.

Other conventionally displayed information may also be presented on the screen layout as shown in Figure 2, for example a scrolling display showing the most recent winning numbers.

The array of locations on which players place their chips as shown in Figure 1 is a standard one, but since the wheel has differently coloured sectors A to F, the array may be enhanced by the addition of a colour bar on which players may place chips to bet on which colour will be adjacent the numbered pocket in which the ball comes to rest. Such a bar is denoted 30 in Figures 3 and 4. Also, the thirty-six rectangular areas numbered 1 to 36 on the array can have differently coloured backgrounds corresponding to the colour of the wheel sector adjacent the correspondingly numbered pocket. As can be seen, in Figure 4 there are six groups of colours, each group including all six of the colours A to F on the wheel. The groups are denoted 1 ,2,3,4, 5 and 6 and the colour of each of the six areas in the group matches the colour of the sector adjacent the number of the pocket.

In Figure 3, an arrangement is shown for use with a wheel with nine coloured sectors, each extending over only four adjacent pockets on the periphery of the rotating part of the roulette wheel; the colour bar 30 accordingly has nine differently coloured sections.

Figure 5 shows a coloured array for use with a standard roulette wheel, but where a colour bet may be laid, either a simple bet or a progressive one where winning depends on a sequence of colours arising after the bet has been placed, The backgrounds in the array of thirty-six numbers against which the individual Arabic numerals are legible are coloured differently depending on their position, The colours should be chosen so that they are easily distinguished from one another. As illustrated, the number bearing squares in area 50 are coloured orange, those in area 51 pink, those in areas 52, 53 and 54 yellow, purple and blue respectively, and those in area 55 grey. Figure 6 shows a similar arrangement but for a grid to be used with a wheel having a double-zero pocket, see the two positions for placing bets on "0" and "00" at the top. Finally, Figure 7 shows a grid where instead of a colour bar analogous to bar 30 on Figure 4, there is a sidebar divided into six sections each of which is identified by a simple distinct geometrical symbol, in the specific illustration shown a crescent 46, star 47, diamond 48, heart 49, oblong 50 and circle 51 . As noted above, although the colours which are associated with the 36 numbers on the roulette wheel do not need to be reflected on the wheel itself, and in some casinos there may be resistance to that, it is convenient to do so by colouring the bases of the pockets into which the ball can fall, and since the concentration of those playing roulette is focussed on the wheel as it turns and the ball finally drops into one of the pockets, there is a constant visual reminder as a sequence of colours circulates that a colour sequence bet is a possibility for the players.

Figure 8 shows diagrammatically a standard roulette wheel where the pockets have been identified with a letter representative of a colour. In the specific example illustrated, four colours are used, green, blue, orange and purple, and these are chosen because they can easily be distinguished from one another visually. They are identified by the letters G, B, O and P on the drawing, but the normal presentation of the colours would be effected by colouring the base of each pocket. As shown in Figure 8, the four colours are distributed about the ring of pockets in groups of three, and accordingly there are twelve groups of three colours around the ring of pockets.

The size of the groups of the same colour may be different and will depend on how many colours are used overall. If three colours are used, the number of pockets in each group may be one, four, six or twelve, while if four colours are used, the number in each group may be one, three (as illustrated in Figure 8) or nine. With six colours, there may be one, two, three or six adjacent pockets in each group while, with nine colours, there may be one, two or four adjacent pockets in each group.

Figure 9 shows the appearance from above of one possible configuration of a bet acceptor which may be set into the surface of a roulette table or placed on top of the table. It may be permanently wired into position, or, for example, may be a self-contained unit which communicates via standard technology widely known from the computer accessory field with the remainder of the system. As can be seen, the device is circular and is decorated at its periphery with the standard set of numbers 0 to 36 and the numbers may be set against a coloured ground, the colours corresponding to the colours on a wheel on the table. The bet acceptor unit is identified by a player number 90, in this case player 2, and carries two displays of standard construction, one of which identified as 91 indicates a player credit, while the other denoted 92 indicates when a bet on a colour sequence has been placed. The unit shown in Figure 9 incorporates a card reader slot 93 into which a player's credit card or debit card may be inserted to top up the player's credit when desired. Finally, the unit incorporates a push-button 93 which, when actuated, acts to lay a colour sequence bet.

Turning now to Figure 10, this shows one form of a possible an enhanced display unit which may form part of roulette apparatus in accordance with the present invention. As can be seen, it includes a standard form of display denoted 100 which shows the sequence of winning numbers for the wheel in question in well-known fashion. In addition to this, however, the display shows the colour sequence bet position of the eight player positions around the standard table by eight roundels 101 , each of which is divided into six sectors which may be successively illuminated as, for example, the sequence run of the same colour builds up. The centre of each roundel 101 carries a number identifying the player position. The number 5, unlit in the drawing, shows that player 5 has not placed a colour sequence bet.

On the indicator shown in Figure 10, a second roundef 102 shows the sequence of colours associated with the most recent winning numbers on the wheel in a convenient graphic form. Above that in an area 103 is an indication of the payouts which are set by the operator and which can be expected to be paid out to the players if the colour sequence is 5, 6 or 7 occurrences of the same colour and they have placed a bet. If one of the colours comes up for five successive turns, then someone who has placed their bet just before the first of the five wins £50. If the next colour in sequence is also the same, they win 10 percent of a jackpot and if the next colour is the seventh occurrence of the same colour, the successful better takes 100 percent of the jackpot. A display 104 at the top of the screen indicates the size the jackpot has built up. At the base of the indicator is a "rolling banner" message 105.

The indicator shown at Figure 10 may be placed on a post located clearly visible above the particular table so that all the players can clearly see what the position is at any time.

Claims

1. Roulette apparatus including a roulette wheel, a roulette table carrying a representation of the numbers 0 to 36, and wherein each of the numbers 1 to 36 is associated with a colour other than black and red, these colours being selected from a group of 3, 4, 6 or 9 colours and, for each player, a bet acceptor device which can be actuated at will by a player prior to a given valid turn of the wheel and which is configured to indicate, once actuated, that a bet on a colour sequence has been placed, and the apparatus including means for displaying a win if the desired colour sequence matches the colour sequence associated with the next sequence of valid turns of the wheel.

2, Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the roulette table is a physical table and each bet acceptor device is located adjacent a player position located around the table, including a touch-actuated means to place a bet on a colour sequence and means to indicate whether the desired sequence is achieved in the next sequence of turns of the wheel following the actuation.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2 wherein the bet acceptor device includes a card-reader mechanism and is connectable to a system for taking a card payment to build up a credit for the player which can be used to place bets.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the wheel, table and bet acceptor device are virtual and the player interacts with the apparatus via wide area communications network connection, and where the player can input a particular colour sequence which he or she hopes will occur, and the apparatus is programmed to detect when such sequence selected by the player does then occur.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding Claims where the floor of the roulette wheel pockets is coloured, the colouring being selected to correspond with the colour associated with the number adjacent the pocket.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding Claims where the numbers on the surface of the table are set on a ground coloured

correspondingly to the colour associated with each number.

7. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding Claims and including a display indicator adapted to display, in addition to the normal sequence of winning numbers generated by successive spins of the roulette wheel, the sequence of colours associated with each of the winning numbers.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7 wherein the display additionally shows the colour sequence bets placed by the players at the playing positions around the table.