The present invention relates to slot machines which can pay out coins when a predetermined number of consecutive lost games take place.
As is well known in this art, slot machines have a plurality of rotatable reels each of which is provided with an annular row of various symbols thereon. During a game, each reel is caused to rotate, and is stopped at one of the possible stop positions in each of which it displays a corresponding symbol to a player through a window. When all the reels stop, a win decision is made based on the combination of symbols stopping on the winning line or lines.
In these slot machines, the probability of the occurrence of winning combinations of symbols generally depends on the numbers of different kinds of symbols, the numbers of symbols on each reel, and the numbers of reels. For economic reasons, such slot machines keep the probability of the occurrence of winning combinations of symbols relatively low. As a result, the slot machine gives reduced chances of winning to average players, compared to skilled players who can discriminate, to some degree, symbols from each other on a rotating reel. This causes average players to lose their interest in playing games because too many consecutive lost games will be apt to take place.
This problem of consecutive lost games is common to slot machines of the type which use a simulated video display of rotating reels on a CRT screen as well as to slot machines of the type having mechanical rotatable reels.