US-20260127941-A1 - DIGIT-BASED ELECTRONIC GAMING SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH EXPANDING SYMBOL POSITIONS

US20260127941A1US 20260127941 A1US20260127941 A1US 20260127941A1US-20260127941-A1

Abstract

An electronic gaming device that includes a memory device and a processor is described. The electronic gaming device is configured to cause display of a first symbol position, a second symbol position, and a third symbol position for an electronic game wherein the electronic game includes a plurality of plays and determine that at least four symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays. The electronic gaming device is also configured to, in response to determining that the at least four symbols will be displayed, cause display of a fourth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, and cause display of a respective symbol for the play at the first symbol position, the second symbol position, the third symbol position, and the fourth symbol position.

Inventors

Kevin Walsh
Daniel Marston

Assignees

ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260105

Claims (20)

1 . An electronic gaming device comprising: at least one memory device with instructions stored thereon; and at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory device, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause display of first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions for an electronic game, wherein the electronic game comprises a plurality of plays; determine that at least five symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays; based upon determining that the at least five symbols will be displayed, cause display of a fifth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions defining a plurality of symbol positions; cause display of a respective symbol for the play at each symbol position of the plurality of symbol positions, wherein the respective symbol displayed at the third symbol position is a blank symbol and other respective symbols are numerical digits displayed at the first, second, fourth, and fifth symbol positions; concatenate the numerical digits displayed at the first and second symbol positions to generate a first concatenated number; concatenate the numerical digits displayed at the fourth and fifth symbol positions to generate a second concatenated number; and add the first concatenated number to the second concatenated number to generate an output amount for the play.
2 . The electronic gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to, prior to display of the fourth symbol position, cause display of the first, second, and third symbol positions.
3 . The electronic gaming device of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to determine that four symbols will be displayed in a prior outcome for a prior play of the plurality of plays.
4 . The electronic gaming device of claim 3 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to cause display of the fourth symbol position based upon determining that four symbols will be displayed in the prior outcome, wherein the fourth symbol position was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays.
5 . The electronic gaming device of claim 4 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to: cause display of a prior respective symbol for the prior play at the first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions, wherein the prior respective symbol at at least one of the second symbol position or the third symbol position is the blank symbol and other prior respective symbols are numerical digits including at least two side-by-side numerical digits; concatenate the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a concatenated number; and add the concatenated number to a numerical digit on an opposite side of the blank symbol from the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a prior output amount for the prior play.
6 . The electronic gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to: cause display of a plurality of display areas for a base game different from the electronic game; randomly determine whether to add an unlock symbol to a display area of the plurality of display areas upon each non-winning outcome of the base game; and upon each display area of the plurality of display areas including the unlock symbol, cause the electronic game to be initiated, wherein the electronic game comprises a bonus game.
7 . The electronic gaming device of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions are arranged in a side-by-side arrangement.
8 . At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause display of first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions for an electronic game, wherein the electronic game comprises a plurality of plays; determine that at least five symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays; based upon determining that the at least five symbols will be displayed, cause display of a fifth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions defining a plurality of symbol positions; cause display of a respective symbol for the play at each symbol position of the plurality of symbol positions, wherein the respective symbol displayed at the third symbol position is a blank symbol and other respective symbols are numerical digits displayed at the first, second, fourth, and fifth symbol positions; concatenate the numerical digits displayed at the first and second symbol positions to generate a first concatenated number; concatenate the numerical digits displayed at the fourth and fifth symbol positions to generate a second concatenated number; and add the first concatenated number to the second concatenated number to generate an output amount for the play.
9 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to, prior to display of the fourth symbol position, cause display of the first, second, and third symbol positions.
10 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to determine that four symbols will be displayed in a prior outcome for a prior play of the plurality of plays.
11 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to cause display of the fourth symbol position based upon determining that four symbols will be displayed in the prior outcome, wherein the fourth symbol position was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays.
12 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to: cause display of a prior respective symbol for the prior play at the first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions, wherein the prior respective symbol at at least one of the second symbol position or the third symbol position is the blank symbol and other prior respective symbols are numerical digits including at least two side-by-side numerical digits; concatenate the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a concatenated number; and add the concatenated number to a numerical digit on an opposite side of the blank symbol from the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a prior output amount for the prior play.
13 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to: cause display of a plurality of display areas for a base game different from the electronic game; randomly determine whether to add an unlock symbol to a display area of the plurality of display areas upon each non-winning outcome of the base game; and upon each display area of the plurality of display areas including the unlock symbol, cause the electronic game to be initiated, wherein the electronic game comprises a bonus game.
14 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions are arranged in a side-by-side arrangement.
15 . A method of electronic gaming implemented by at least one processor in communication with at least one memory, the method comprising: causing display of first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions for an electronic game, wherein the electronic game comprises a plurality of plays; determining that at least five symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays; based upon determining that the at least five symbols will be displayed, causing display of a fifth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions defining a plurality of symbol positions; causing display of a respective symbol for the play at each symbol position of the plurality of symbol positions, wherein the respective symbol displayed at the third symbol position is a blank symbol and other respective symbols are numerical digits displayed at the first, second, fourth, and fifth symbol positions; concatenating the numerical digits displayed at the first and second symbol positions to generate a first concatenated number; concatenating the numerical digits displayed at the fourth and fifth symbol positions to generate a second concatenated number; and adding the first concatenated number to the second concatenated number to generate an output amount for the play.
16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising, prior to display of the fourth symbol position, causing display of the first, second, and third symbol positions.
17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: determining that four symbols will be displayed in a prior outcome for a prior play of the plurality of plays; and causing display of the fourth symbol position based upon determining that four symbols will be displayed in the prior outcome, wherein the fourth symbol position was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays.
18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising: causing display of a prior respective symbol for the prior play at the first, second, third, and fourth symbol positions, wherein the prior respective symbol at at least one of the second symbol position or the third symbol position is the blank symbol and other prior respective symbols are numerical digits including at least two side-by-side numerical digits; concatenating the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a concatenated number; and adding the concatenated number to a numerical digit on an opposite side of the blank symbol from the at least two side-by-side numerical digits to generate a prior output amount for the prior play.
19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising: causing display of a plurality of display areas for a base game different from the electronic game; randomly determining whether to add an unlock symbol to a display area of the plurality of display areas upon each non-winning outcome of the base game; and upon each display area of the plurality of display areas including the unlock symbol, causing the electronic game to be initiated, wherein the electronic game comprises a bonus game.
20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth symbol positions are arranged in a side-by-side arrangement.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/237,650, filed Aug. 24, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The field of disclosure relates generally to electronic gaming, and more specifically, to digit-based electronic gaming systems and methods with expanding symbol positions. BACKGROUND Electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”) or gaming devices provide a variety of wagering games such as slot games, video poker games, video blackjack games, roulette games, video bingo games, keno games and other types of games that are frequently offered at casinos and other locations. Play on EGMs typically involves a player establishing a credit balance by inputting money, or another form of monetary credit, and placing a monetary wager (from the credit balance) on one or more outcomes of an instance (or single play) of a primary or base game. In some cases, a player may qualify for a special mode of the base game, a secondary game, or a bonus round of the base game by attaining a certain winning combination or triggering event in, or related to, the base game, or after the player is randomly awarded the special mode, secondary game, or bonus round. In the special mode, secondary game, or bonus round, the player is given an opportunity to win extra game credits, game tokens or other forms of payout. In the case of “game credits” that are awarded during play, the game credits are typically added to a credit meter total on the EGM and can be provided to the player upon completion of a gaming session or when the player wants to “cash out.” “Slot” type games are often displayed to the player in the form of various symbols arrayed in a row-by-column grid or matrix. Specific matching combinations of symbols along predetermined paths (or paylines) through the matrix indicate the outcome of the game. The display typically highlights winning combinations/outcomes for identification by the player. Matching combinations and their corresponding awards are usually shown in a “pay-table” which is available to the player for reference. Often, the player may vary his/her wager to include differing numbers of paylines and/or the amount bet on each line. By varying the wager, the player may sometimes alter the frequency or number of winning combinations, frequency or number of secondary games, and/or the amount awarded. Typical games use a random number generator (RNG) to randomly determine the outcome of each game. The game is designed to return a certain percentage of the amount wagered back to the player over the course of many plays or instances of the game, which is generally referred to as return to player (RTP). The RTP and randomness of the RNG ensure the fairness of the games and are highly regulated. Upon initiation of play, the RNG randomly determines a game outcome and symbols are then selected which correspond to that outcome. Notably, some games may include an element of skill on the part of the player and are therefore not entirely random. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In one aspect, an electronic gaming device that includes at least one memory device with instructions stored thereon and at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory device is described. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to cause display of a first symbol position, a second symbol position, and a third symbol position for an electronic game wherein the electronic game includes a plurality of plays and determine that at least four symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays. The instructions also cause the at least one processor to, in response to determining that the at least four symbols will be displayed, cause display of a fourth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, and cause display of a respective symbol for the play at the first symbol position, the second symbol position, the third symbol position, and the fourth symbol position. In another aspect, at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with instructions stored thereon is described. The instructions, in response to execution by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to cause display of a first symbol position, a second symbol position, and a third symbol position for an electronic game wherein the electronic game includes a plurality of plays and determine that at least four symbols will be displayed in an outcome for a play of the plurality of plays. The instructions also cause the at least one processor to, in response to determining that the at least four symbols will be displayed, cause display of a fourth symbol position that was not previously displayed for the plurality of plays, and cause display of a respective symbol for the play at the first symbol position,