ROULETTE GAME Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a gaming system and, in particular, to a roulette game being played on a gaming system. Background

Games played both on land-based gaming machines and online, are extremely popular. Every year substantial amounts of money are gambled on such games. However, technological advances in the delivery of content for games, means that players of such games are becoming increasingly discerning as to the presentation of the games. Players expect to be excited by new features and by more appealing presentations of traditional features in games.

As a result, developers of games for gaming systems are forced to develop new and innovative features for games being played on the gaming systems, in order to keep existing players interested in the games and in order to attract new players to the games. Roulette is a casino table game. In roulette, a croupier spins a wheel in one direction and a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular surface running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually falls on to the wheel and into one of thirty- seven (in European Roulette) or thirty-eight (in American Roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. The main pockets of the roulette wheel are numbered from one to thirty-six alternating in color between red and black. The pockets are not numbered in numerical order around the wheel and there are instances of consecutive numbers being the same color. The roulette wheel also comprises a green pocket numbered zero ("0"). hi American Roulette there is also a second green pocket marked double zero ("00").

Roulette players can place two types of bets. The first type of bet is known as an 'inside' bet. Inside bets may be placed by selecting the number of the pocket that the ball will land in or the range of pockets that the ball will land in based on the position of the pocket. Players may also place 'outside' bets including bets on various positional groupings of pockets, pocket colors, or whether the number of the pocket that the ball lands in is odd or even. The payout odds for each type of bet are based on the probability of the results of the bet happening. Table 1 shows the "Bet Odds Table" for American Roulette.

Table 1

As seen in Table 1 , the expected value is the amount that the player loses relative to any bet made, on average, for one game of roulette. For example, if a player bets on a single number in American Roulette game there is a probability of only 1/38 that the player wins thirty-five times the bet, and a 37/38 chance that the player loses their bet. hi this instance, the expected value is -0.0526.

Accordingly, the chances of a player winning in the traditional roulette game for some bets are low. Further, the traditional roulette game is relatively slow moving which reduces player interest. hi recent times, a number of roulette games have been developed in an attempt to provide more interesting variations on traditional roulette.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,440 to Sher discloses an apparatus used to play roulette using multiple balls. The apparatus includes a single roulette wheel that has multiple tracks, thereby permitting two or more balls to be propelled into the wheel simultaneously. U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,869 to Mathews discloses an apparatus for playing a roulette- type game. The apparatus comprises a conventional roulette wheel with four tables. Each table has a lower playing field and an upper playing field. The fields are used for placing bets. In any one game, four balls are utilized on the one wheel with each ball corresponding to one of the tables, U.S. Pat No. 6,890,255 to Jarvis et al discloses a roulette game comprising multiple wheels having multiple numbers for providing an outcome. The multiple roulette wheels are traditional roulette wheels which are laid out adjacent to each other. Wagering is placed on the multiple roulette wheels. The player chooses the wager amount and the

number of wheels to play. In play, each of the wheels is spun and, when the winning number is decided for each wheel, the wagers are settled between the house and player.

Casinos typically measure profitability based on revenue per square meter. One disadvantage of conventional roulette games comprising multiple mechanical-type roulette wheels, as discussed above, is the floor space required to play the games. The multiple wheels require a lot of floor space. Accordingly, the area required by the multiple mechanical-type roulette wheels reduces the revenue per square meter.

Summary

It is an object of the- present invention to substantially overcome, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of existing arrangements.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer implemented method of gaming using a gaming system comprising a processor for controlling the play of a roulette-type game, one or more display devices connected to said processor for displaying one or more screens of the game, and input means for enabling a player to control one or more aspects of the game, said method comprising the steps of: spinning a first roulette wheel and a ball displayed on one of said display devices, upon receiving a signal via the input means; and moving the ball of the roulette game to a second spinning roulette wheel displayed on one of said display devices, if the ball falls into a predetermined pocket of the first roulette wheel.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a gaming system for playing a roulette-type game, said gaming system comprising: a processor for controlling the play of the game;

one or more display devices connected to the processor for displaying one or more screens of the game; and input means connected to the processor and the display devices, for use by a player in controlling one or more aspects of the game, wherein the processor controls the game such that if a ball of the roulette game spinning on a first roulette wheel falls into a predetermined pocket of the first roulette wheel, the ball moves to a second spinning roulette wheel.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for playing a roulette-type game, said apparatus comprising: a processor for controlling the play of the game; one or more display devices connected to the processor for displaying one or more screens of the game; and input means connected to the processor and the display devices, for use by a player in controlling one or more aspects of the game, wherein the processor controls the game such that if a ball of the roulette game spinning on a first roulette wheel falls into a predetermined pocket of the first roulette wheel, the ball moves to a second spinning roulette wheel.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium, having a computer program recorded thereon, where the computer program is configured to make a computer execute a gaming procedure for controlling the play of a roulette game, said computer program comprising: code for spinning a first roulette wheel and ball displayed on a display device; and

code for moving the ball of the roulette game to a second spinning roulette wheel displayed on a display device, if the ball falls into a predetermined pocket of the first roulette wheel.

According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for playing a roulette type game, said apparatus comprising: a first roulette wheel; a second roulette wheel arranged above the first roulette wheel, the second roulette wheel comprising a hole in one or more predetermined pockets of the second roulette wheel, wherein if a ball spinning on the second roulette wheel falls into one of the predetermined pockets of the second roulette wheel, the ball falls onto the second roulette wheel.

Other aspects of the invention are also disclosed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Some aspects of the prior art and one or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings and appendices, in which:

Fig. IA is a schematic block diagram of a gaming system upon which the arrangements described can be practiced;

Fig. IB is a schematic block diagram of another gaming system upon which the arrangements described can be practiced; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a gaming apparatus used in the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB;

Fig. 3 is a representation of the software architecture of the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB;

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method of performing a roulette type game in the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB;

Fig. 5 shows a display screen presentation of the roulette type game being implemented on the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB; Fig. 6 shows another display screen presentation of the roulette type game being implemented on the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB;

Fig. 7 shows another display screen presentation of the roulette type game being implemented on the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB; and

Fig. 8 shows another display screen presentation of the roulette type game being implemented on the gaming systems of Figs. IA and IB.

Detailed Description including Best Mode

Where reference is made in any one or more of the accompanying drawings to steps and/or features, which have the same reference numerals, those steps and/or features have for the purposes of this description the same function(s) or operation(s), unless the contrary intention appears.

It is to be noted that the discussions contained in the "Background" section and that above relating to prior art arrangements relate to discussions of documents or devices which form public knowledge through their respective publication and/or use. Such should not be interpreted as a representation by the present inventor(s) or patent applicant that such documents or devices in any way form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Fig. IA shows a gaming system IOOA including a gaming machine 101A for use by a player in playing a game. The gaming machine 101 A comprises an enclosure 20 IA

having display means in the form of a video display device 214A for displaying to the player one or more graphics screens (e.g., 105) for the game being played on the gaming machine 101 A. The enclosure 20 IA also has an input device in the form of a keypad 202 A comprising one or more buttons for use by the player in controlling one or more aspects of the game.

Credit input means in the form of a coin input device 106 A and a note input device 107 A, are also included in the enclosure 20 IA, to allow the player to input credit in order to play the game. A coin tray 108 A is also typically incorporated in the enclosure 201 A in order to allow cash payouts to be payed to the player. In the gaming system 10OA, the gaming machine 101 A is connected to a communications network 222A, known as a Local Area Network (LAN), via a connection 223A. Alternatively, the gaming machine 101 A may be standalone. As shown in Fig. IA, the LAN 222A is coupled to a wide-area network (WAN) 220A, such as the Internet or a private WAN, via a connection 224A. The gaming machine 101 A may also be coupled directly to the WAN 220 A via a connection 221 A.

The network 222A comprises one or more further gaming machines 102A and 103 A connected thereto. The further gaming machines are generally similar to the gaming machine 101A but may be configured to implement the same or different games. The further gaming machines may also be connected to the network 220A. A server computer 104 A, used for monitoring the gaming machine 101 A, is also connected to the network 222A. The server 104A may be used for monitoring the amount of money wagered (or bet) on the gaming machine 101 A over a period of time, the amount of money payed out on the gaming machine 101 A over a period of time and any fault

conditions on the gamine machine 101 A. The server 104A may also be configured to disable or enable the gaming machine 101 A.

The gaming machine 101 A will be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. IB shows another gaming system 10OB. The gaming system IOOB comprises a stand-alone "personal" computer 101B for use by a player for playing a game. The personal computer 101 B may be an IBM-PC or compatible, a Sun Sparcstation, an Apple Mac™, or one of a like computer system evolved therefrom including desktop, laptop, notebook or handheld variations thereof. As seen in Fig. IB, the computer 101 B comprises an enclosure 20 IB and a display means in the form of a video display device 214B for displaying screens, such as the screen 105 of the game being played. The computer 101B also comprises an input device in the form of a keyboard 202B comprising one or more buttons for use by the player in playing the game. The input means for the computer 101B also comprises a mouse pointer device 203B. The computer 101B may be connected to a local area network (LAN) 222B, via a connection 223B. The LAN 222B may couple to a wide area network (WAN) 220B ₅ such as the Internet or a private WAN, via a connection 224B. The computer 101 B is also shown coupled directly to the WAN 220B, via a connection 221B. In the system IOOB, the WAN 220B typically comprises one or more further computers 102B and 103B, similar to the computer 101B, connected thereto, and which may be used by other persons for game playing. Further such computers may also be connected to the LAN 222A.

A remote server 104B is also connected to the WAN 220B. However, in contrast to the server 104A of the system 10OA, the server 104B of the system IOOB may be used to control the execution of one or more games being played on the gaming system IOOB. For

example, the server 104B may download one or more graphic objects to the computer 101B for the game being played by the corresponding player, together with a display list for displaying the downloaded graphic objects for one or more screens (e.g., 105) of the game being played on the computer 101 B. In this instance, the server 104B then controls the game by downloading further display lists to the computer 10 IB as the game is being played by the player and being executed by the computer 101B.

In the system 10OB, rather than credit input means in the form of the coin input device 106 A and the note collector 107 A, the player inputs credit in order to play the game by creating an account with a provider of the game, who may or may not be the administrator of the server 104B. For example, the player may provide their credit card and contact details to the game provider via the computer 101 B and the network 220B. In this instance, as the player plays the game on the computer 101B, the player's account is debited and credited according to how the player bets and wins, respectively.

The computer 101 B will now be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 2.

The gaming machine 101 A and the computer 101B have similar computer hardware architecture. Accordingly, unless referred to specifically, the gaming machine 101 A and the computer 101B will be hereinafter genetically referred to as the "gaming device" 100. Similarly, components of the gaming machine 101 A and the computer 101 B, such as the enclosures 201A and 201B, and the displays 214A and 214B, respectively, will be hereinafter generically referred to as the enclosure 201 and the display 214, respectively, of the gaming device 100, unless such components are referred to specifically. Further, other components, such as the WANs 220A, 220B, and the LANs 222A and 222B, for example, will be hereinafter generically referred to as the WAN 220 and the LAN 222. Finally,

unless referred to specifically, the gaming systems IOOA and IOOB will be hereinafter generically referred to as the gaming system 100.

The game played on either of the gaming systems IOOA or IOOB may be implemented as software, such as one or more application programs being executable by the gaming system 100. In particular, the game may be effected by instructions in the software that are carried out by the gaming system 100. The instructions may be formed as one or more code modules, each for performing one or more particular tasks. As will be described in detail below, the software may also be divided into separate parts, in which a one or more parts and the corresponding code modules performs the game and one or more other parts and the corresponding code modules manage a user interface between the first part and the player of the game. For example, as seen in Figs. IA and IB, the user interface may be formed by one or more screens such as the screen 105.

The software may be stored in a computer readable medium, including the storage devices described below, for example. The software may be loaded into the gaming system 100 from the computer readable medium, and may then be executed by the gaming system 100. A computer readable medium having such software or computer program recorded on it is a computer program product. The use of the computer program product in the gaming system 100 preferably effects an advantageous apparatus for implementing the game described herein. As seen in Fig. 2, the gaming device 101 comprises an input device 202. The input device 202 is formed by the keypad 202 A when the gaming device 101 is the gaming machine 101 A or by the keyboard 202B when the gaming device 101 is the computer 101B. The computer 101B also comprises the mouse pointer device 203. The gaming

device 101 also comprises output devices including the display device 214 and loudspeakers 217. In one configuration, the display device 214 may be a touch screen.

When the gaming device 101 is the gaming machine 101 A, the gaming apparatus 100 also comprises the coin input device 106 A and the note input device 107 A, as well as a coin output device 218, as seen in Fig. 2.

An external Modulator-Demodulator (Modem) transceiver device 216 may be used by the gaming device 101 for communicating to and from the communications network 220 via the connection 221. Where the connection 221 is a telephone line, the modem 216 may be a traditional "dial-up" modem. Alternatively, where the connection 221 is a high capacity (eg: cable) connection, the modem 216 may be a broadband modem. A wireless modem may also be used for wireless connection to the network 220.

The gaming device 101 typically comprises at least one processor unit 205 for controlling at least partial execution of the game on the gaming system 100. The processor unit 205 may be formed by a micro-controller, micro-processor, programmable logic device or the like. The gaming device 101 also comprises a memory unit 206, for example, formed from semiconductor random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM). A number of input/output (I/O) interfaces including an audio-video interface 207 that couples to the video display 214 and loudspeakers 217, are typically also included. The gaming device 101 also comprises an I/O interface 213 for the input device 202, and when the gaming device 100 is the gaming machine 101 A ₅ the coin input device 106A and the note input device 107 A, as seen in Fig. 2. The interface 213 is also used for the mouse 203 when the gaming device 101 is the computer 101 B.

The gaming device 101 may also comprise or be connected to an interface 208 used for the external modem 216. The interface 208 may be used for a coin output device 218,

when the gaming device 101 is the gaming machines 101A. In some implementations, the modem 216 may be incorporated within the gaming device 101, for example within the interface 208. The gaming device 101 also has a local network interface 211 which, via the connection 223, permits coupling of the gaming device 101 to the LAN 222. As also shown in Fig. 2, the LAN 222 couples to the wide network 220 via the connection 224 and would typically include a so-called "firewall" device or similar functionality. The interface 211 may be formed by an Ethernet™ circuit card, a wireless Bluetooth™ or an IEEE 802.11 wireless arrangement.

The interfaces 208 and 213 may afford both serial and parallel connectivity, the former typically being implemented according to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards and having corresponding USB connectors (not illustrated). Storage devices 209 are provided and typically include a hard disk drive (HDD) 210. Other devices such as a floppy disk drive and a magnetic tape drive (not illustrated) may also be used. An optical disk drive 212 is typically provided to act as a non- volatile source of data. Portable memory devices, such optical disks (eg: CD-ROM, DVD) ₃ USB-RAM, and floppy disks for example may then be used as appropriate sources of data to the gaming system 100.

The gaming device 101 may also comprise one or more hard meters 215, which are required by some regulatory authorities. These hard meters 215 determine a cumulative number of credits input by a player of the gaming device 101 and output by the gaming device 101 throughout the life of the gaming device 101. The meters 215 are typically set to "zero" when the gaming device 101 is first configured.

The components 205 to 213 of the gaming device 101 typically communicate via an interconnected bus 204 and in a manner which results in a conventional mode of operation of the gaming device 101 known to those in the relevant art.

Fig. 3 is a representation of the software architecture 300 of the gaming system 100. The software architecture 300 comprises a base game application program 301, which controls the game being played on the gaming system 100. This game will be hereinafter referred to as the "base game". Another of the application programs of the software architecture 300 is a random number generator 303, as known to those in the relevant art, which determine the outcomes of the base game being played on the gaming system 100. A display controller application program 305 is included to implement one or more of the screens (e.g., 105) to be rendered or otherwise represented upon the display 214 for the base game and any other games, such as features games 313 being played on the gaming device 101.

The software architecture 300 may also comprise an input device monitor application program 307 for monitoring signals from the input device 202 (and possibly the mouse 203) of the gaming device 101. For example, the input device monitor application program 307 monitors the manipulation of the input device 202 or the mouse 203 by the player of the base game in order to provide controlling commands to the base game application program 301 and any other games being played on the gaming device 101.

A credit control application program 309 is also included in the software architecture 300 for crediting or deducting any winning or losing amount from the credits of a player depending on the outcomes of the base game and any other game being played by the player. This winning or losing amount is determined by a win calculator application program 311 using a pay table. This pay table may be stored on the hard disk drive 210, for example. For the base game described below, the pay table would correspond to the "Bet Odds Table" for American Roulette as shown in Table 1 above.

For land-based gaming machines such as the gaming machine 101 A, the amount of money that each credit is worth is typically dictated by the gaming machine 101 A. For example, each credit may be worth one cent (lø), five cents (50) or one dollar ($1) depending on the gaming machine. The amount of money that each credit is worth may be referred to as the "denomination". The denomination will determine the amount that can be bet on each the game, as will be described below. The input device 202A of the gaming machine 101 A may include buttons for use in increasing the amount that can be bet on each game. .

For online gaming using the gaming system 10OB, for example, the player may select a denomination (e.g., one cent (lø), five cents (50), one dollar ($1) etc) using the input device 202B and the mouse 203B, for example. In one example, the player may use the mouse 203B to select a denomination by selecting a denomination symbol displayed in a screen of the base game on the display 214B. Again, this selected denomination will determine the amount that can be bet on each game, as will be described below. The software architecture 300 of the gaming system 100 may also include a feature game application program 313 implementing a feature game of the base game. Such a feature game may include a double-up feature. The double-up feature typically involves a player choosing between different symbols (e.g., red and black symbols) upon winning a particular game of the base game. If the player's choice matches that of the gaming system, then the number of credits won by the player for the game is doubled.

Typically, the application programs 301 to 313 discussed above are resident on the hard disk drive 210 and are read and controlled in their execution by the processor 205, and in the following description, this will be assumed to be the case. However, in the gaming system 10OB, the application programs 301 to 313 may be resident on a hard disk

drive of the server 104B and be controlled in their execution by a processor of that server 104B, with the processor of the server 104B being configured to download one or more graphic objects for the game to the computer 101 B together with one or more display lists for displaying the downloaded graphic objects as one or more screens (e.g., 105) of the base game and any other game being played on the gaming system 100B.

Intermediate storage of the application programs 301 to 313 and any data fetched from the networks 220 and 222 may be accomplished using the semiconductor memory 206, possibly in concert with the hard disk drive 210. In some instances, the application programs may be supplied to a game provider (e.g., an operator of the gaming machine 101 or administrator of the server 104B) encoded on one or more CD-ROMs and be read via the corresponding drive 212, or alternatively may be read by the user from the networks 220 or 222. Still further, the software may also be loaded into the gaming system 100 from other computer readable media. Computer readable media refers to any storage medium that participates in providing instructions and/or data to the gaming system 100 for execution and/or processing. Examples of such media include floppy disks, magnetic tape, CD-ROM, a hard disk drive, a ROM or integrated circuit, a magneto-optical disk, or a computer readable card such as a PCMCIA card and the like, whether or not such devices are internal or external of the enclosure 101. Examples of computer readable transmission media that may also participate in the provision of instructions and/or data include radio or infra-red transmission channels as well as a network connection to another computer or networked device, and the Internet or Intranets including e-mail transmissions and information recorded on Websites and the like.

In the described arrangements, the base game is a roulette type game comprising two wheels. The roulette wheels are arranged so that an upper roulette wheel sits above a

lower roulette wheel. In the roulette game, the upper and lower roulette wheels are spun substantially simultaneously with each spin of the roulette wheels will be referred to hereinafter as a 'game'.

A screen 500 of the base game, as represented on the display device 214 by the display control application program 305, is shown in Fig. 5. The screen 500 comprises a representation of two roulette wheels, being an upper roulette wheel 501 and a lower roulette wheel 502. In Fig. 5, the lower roulette wheel 502 is substantially hidden under the upper roulette wheel 501. As such, for the screen 50O ₃ the lower roulette wheel 502 is shown slightly offset to the upper roulette wheel 501 and in phantom lines so that the player can see that the bottom roulette 502. However, each of the roulette wheels 501 and 502 may be arranged on the screen 500 in any suitable manner to allow the player to play the game.

As seen in Fig. 5, the main pockets (e.g., 503) of the upper roulette wheel 501 are numbered from one "1" to thirty-six "36". The pockets alternate in color between red and black. For example, the pocket 512 is numbered three "3". The roulette wheel 501 has an American roulette layout and thus comprises a green pocket 504 numbered zero "0" and also a second green pocket 506 numbered double zero "00". Alternatively, the roulette wheel 501 may have a European roulette wheel layout without the second green pocket 506 numbered double zero "00". The main pockets of the lower roulette wheel 502 are similarly numbered from one

"1" to thirty-six "36" alternating in color between red and black and the bottom roulette wheel 502 also includes a green pocket numbered zero "0" and a second green pocket marked double zero "00".

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As seen in Fig. 5, the second green pocket 506 of the upper roulette wheel 501 comprises a hole 507. Accordingly, if a ball 519 spun on the upper roulette wheel 501 falls into the pocket "00" 506, the ball 519 falls through the hole 507 onto the lower roulette wheel 502. The player therefore has a second chance at winning. The screen 500 also comprises a table 508 with a typical American roulette table layout comprising number squares (e.g., 509) and boxes (e.g, 513) to allow the player to place their bets. In one implementation, the screen 500 may comprise a representation one or more piles of chips 510 and 511 with each of the chips having a corresponding denomination. For example, each of the chips in the pile 510 may have a one dollar ($1) denomination and each of the chips in the pile 511 may have a five dollar ($5) denomination.

In order to place a one dollar ($1) bet on the pocket numbered three "3" 512, the player may select one of the chips from the pile 510 using the input device 202 (or the mouse 203B in the case of the system 100B) and drag the chip to the "3" square 509 on the table 508 so that the chip sits in the middle of the square 509. The player may similarly make other types of American roulette bets. For example, in order to place an even money bet, the player may place a chip in the "blk" box 521 representing the black attribute. The details of the bet including the amount of the bet may be temporarily stored in memory 206. A method 400 of performing a particular game (i.e., one spin of the upper roulette wheels 501 and the lower roulette wheel 502) of the base game, will be described below by way of example, with reference to Fig. 4. The method 400 may be implemented as one or more modules of the application programs 301 to 311 described above.

The method 400 begins at step 401, where an initial screen of the base game is displayed. In the present example, the initial screen is the screen 500 of Fig. 5. The screen 500 is typically displayed by the display controller application program 305 in conjunction with the base game application program 301. At the next step 402, the amount of a bet placed by the player on the game to be played is determined. This amount is typically determined by the credit control application program 309 being controlled in its execution by the processor 205 typically examining player input via the input device 202 and by examining the memory 206. For example, the player may use the input device 202, as described above, to bet one dollar ($1) on each of the following:

(i) RED by placing a one dollar ($1) chip from the pile 510 on the "red" box

513, (ii) ODD by placing a one dollar ($1) chip from the pile 510 on the "odd" box

514; (iii) TWENTY-SIX (26) black by placing a one dollar ($ 1 ) chip from the pile 510 on the twenty-six "26" box 515, and (iv) THIRD TWELVE (12) numbers by placing a one dollar ($1) chip from the pile 510 on the "3 ^rd 12" box 517.

The screen 500 also comprises a 'CREDIT ⁵ meter 516 indicating a monetary amount for the player including the amount originally input (or available on the player's account) by the player and the amount won by the player during a particular playing session. Upon the bet being placed by the player, the credit control application program 309 updates the

CREDIT meter 516 to reflect the amount of the bet.

The method 400 continues at the next step 403 with the spinning of the upper wheel 501 and the lower wheel 502. The spinning of the wheels 501 and 502 is controlled by the base game application program 301 being executed by the processor 205 and is representative of the processing or actual performance of the game. Also at step 403, the base game application program 301 generates a representation of the ball 519 spinning in the opposite direction around a tilted circular surface running around the circumference of the wheel 501.

At the next step 404, the ball 519 falls on to the wheel 501 and into one of the thirty- eight pockets (e.g., 503, 504) on the wheel 501. The pocket into which the ball 519 falls is typically determined by the base game application program 301 depending on an output of the random number generator application program 303.

Then at the next step 405, if the ball 519 has fallen into the ' ^" '0O" pocket 506, then the method 400 continues to the next step 407. Otherwise, the method 400 proceeds to step 406. At step 406, a result screen 600, as seen in Fig. 6, of the base game is displayed on the screen 214. In the example of Fig. 6, the screen 600 shows the ball 519 sitting in the three "3" pocket 512. The screen 600 is typically displayed by the display controller application program 305.

Any ball that falls into the "00" pocket 506 will fall through the hole 507 onto the lower wheel 502. Accordingly, at step 407, a screen 700 representing the spinning bottom wheel 502, as seen in Fig. 7, is displayed on the display screen 214 with the ball 519 spinning in the opposite direction on the wheel 502.

Following step 407, at the next step 408, the ball 519 falls on to the wheel 502 and into one of the thirty-eight pockets on the wheel 502. Again, the pocket into which the ball

519 falls is typically determined by the base game application program 301 depending on an output of the random number generator application program 303.

At the next step 409, a result screen 800, as seen in Fig. 8, of the base game is displayed on the screen 214. In the present example, the screen 800 shows the ball 519 sitting in the twenty six "26" black pocket 512. The screen 600 is typically displayed by the display controller application program 305.

Following either of steps 406 or 409, the method 400 continues at the next step 410, where an amount of credits payed for the position of the ball 519 on the screen 600 or the screen 800, is determined. This amount is typically determined by the win calculator application program 311 based on the pay table described above for the base game. The screen 600 and the screen 800 includes a 'WIN' meter 615 that indicates the monetary amount that the player has won from the particular game.

In the example of Fig. 6, two dollars ($2.00) is payed for the bet on red, as indicated by the WIN meter 615, since the ball 519 landed in the three "3" red pocket 512. However, in the example of Fig. 8, thirty-five dollars ($35) is paid for the bet on twenty six

"26" black, two dollars ($2.00) is payed for the bet on odd and two dollars ($2.00) is payed for the bet on third twelve, as indicated by the WIN meter 615 in Fig. 8.

Also at step 410, the CREDIT meter 516 is updated to reflect the amount won by the player on the game. The arrangements described above, allow a roulette type game and, in fact, a multiple roulette wheel game, to be played in the form of a gaming device, including the gaming machine 101 A. Such an arrangement is also much more likely to be lower in cost and maintenance when compared with roulette games that depend on mechanical wheels.

The arrangement of the upper wheel 501 and the lower wheel 502 may also be implemented in mechanical form, for use in casinos and the like. For such an arrangement, a conventional mechanical type roulette wheel and board, corresponding to the lower wheel 502, may be implemented with another mechanical type roulette wheel, corresponding to the roulette wheel 501, being fixed above the conventional mechanical type roulette wheel. The mechanical type roulette wheel 501 comprises the hole 507 in the "00" pocket 506.

The mechanical upper wheel 501 may also be mechanically coupled to the mechanical lower wheel 502, so that the wheels spin simultaneously. Unlike conventional multiple wheel mechanical type roulette games, the described mechanical arrangement allows roulette to be played in a much smaller space. Moreover, with the described mechanical arrangement, the player can play many wheels at once — unlike conventional roulette games where at most it is feasible to play one or two roulette wheels at the same time. Industrial Applicability

It is apparent from the above that the arrangements described are applicable to the gaming, computer and data processing industries.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

For example, for the method 400, the hole 507 was located in the double zero "00" pocket 506 of the upper wheel 501. However, the hole 507 may be located in any one of the pockets on the wheel 501.

The number of holes in the pockets of the wheel 501 may also be increased. This means that the player will be given even more chances of winning.

In one implementation, each of the numbered pockets may contain a hole, so that the player may win on each of the upper and lower wheels 501 and 502 separately. In this instance, the payout on the lower wheel 502 or on each of the wheels 501 and 502 may be decreased to allow for the increased number of wins.

In one implementation, an additional pocket may be added to the upper wheel 501 so that the wheel 501 has thirty nine pockets. In this instance, the "00" pocket 506 may be left without the hole 507 and the hole positioned in the additional pocket. In one implementation, the player may be allowed to place a bet on the upper wheel

501 and a further bet separate bet on the lower wheel 502. The player may also be allowed to elect that the bets are for the second wheel 502 only. In this instance, the payout for the ^" second wheel 502 may be increased.

The arrangements described above included an upper wheel 501 and a lower wheel 502. However, in alternative implementations, any number of wheels may be arranged one on top of another, with each of the upper wheels having one or more holes, so as to increase the player's chance of winning. Again, in this instance, the payout for the lower wheels may be decreased.

In the context of this specification, the word "comprising" means "including principally but not necessarily solely" or "having" or "including", and not "consisting only of. Variations of the word "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises" have correspondingly varied meanings.