CA2611797A1

CA2611797A1 - Electronic roulette-type betting device

Info

Publication number: CA2611797A1
Application number: CA002611797A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Walter Grubmueller
Original assignee: Scientific Games Holdings Limited; Walter Grubmueller
Current assignee: Scientific Games Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2005-07-01
Filing date: 2006-06-30
Publication date: 2007-01-11
Also published as: WO2007002968A2; US8007355B2; AT9191U1; EP1899029A2; US20090227316A1; NO20080589L; WO2007002968A3

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic roulette-type betting device (1) comprising a display unit (3) and an associated display control unit (5) for the graphic reproduction of a roulette bowl device (32) together with a rotating ball (36), at least one input unit (4) for inputting symbols on which to bet, a time control unit (6) for setting time limits for the betting process, said limits being reproducible on the display unit (3) as ball rotating limits by means of the display control unit (5), a quota determining module (13) that determines different winning quotas for the individual symbols according to the pre-defined time limits supplied by the time control unit (6), a chance generator (14) for producing and transmitting random variables as winning symbols, and a comparison and evaluation unit (22) for comparing the symbols bet on with winning symbols, and for determining and displaying wins in the event of a correlation of the symbols.

Description

Electronic Roulette-Type Betting Device The invention relates to an electronic roulette-type betting device and a method for the computer-aided roulette-type betting on symbols, in particular numbers.
As a rule, roulette is played on a roulette table with play-ers sitting at the table and betting on numbers, sets of num-bers, the color red or the color black. The betting process is controlled by a croupier, who throws a ball into a roulette bowl by hand and announces the end of acceptance of bets. On which number the ball will fall in the course of the playing procedure is not exactly accidental, since both the spinning roulette bowl and the manual throwing-in of the ball by the croupier do have some influence on the result of the game.
It is now the object of the invention to provide a compara-ble roulette game in electronic form, wherein the randomness of the respective results of the game will be ensured, as will the option of participation and betting to virtually any desired number of bettors, in particular, even in a decentralized form, without any limitation in terms of space by the size of a rou-lette table.
To solve this object, the invention provides an electronic roulette-type betting device and a method for the computer-aided roulette-type betting on symbols as defined in the independent claims. Particularly advantageous embodiments and further devel-opments are indicated in the respective dependent claims.
In this "electronic roulette", a roulette bowl is, thus, displayed on a display unit, in particular a screen of a player terminal, for instance in a three-dimensional diagrammatic rep-resentation, with the rotation of the roulette ball in the rou-lette bowl being reproduced in the manner of a video film after having presented the throwing-in of a ball. A first phase of the betting process is limited by a first time limit preset by a time control unit, said first time limit being, for instance, indicated by the display unit as a circle located relatively far outwards in the roulette bowl. When the ball, which follows a relatively well approximated circular path in the beginning, starts getting further inwards with its path following a roughly spiral to elliptical and, in general, non-circular course, the ball will reach said first time limit, i.e. first circle, after

- 2 -a defined period of time, e.g. about 30s or 1 min. Until that time, the symbols, e.g. numbers 1 to 12, set by ball pockets in the roulette bowl can be wagered against fixed (winning) odds, e.g. 11:1. Similarly to a conventional roulette game, aNN0" is also provided in the bowl. The probability of a ball falling on a betted number is, thus, 1:12.
When the ball reaches the first limit, i.e. the first cir-cle, the ball spin is preferably stopped for a predetermined pe-riod of time, e.g. 20s, by the aid of a stop unit in order to enable players to still place bets over that period on the sym-bols or numbers they have selected. The residual time left in each case will be continuously displayed, e.g. in intervals of seconds.
After this, the reproduction of the ball spin is restarted, with the ball continuing to run inwards while following an in-creasingly non-circular course until reaching a second time limit, which is preferably again displayed on the display unit as a circle, namely a second, inner circle, in the roulette bowl. The reproduction is stopped again, and then the reproduc-tion is preferably "rewound" and repeated, wherein said video reproduction (by the aid of a repetition module) may optionally be performed several times.
During this phase of the betting process as the balls is moving from the first circle to the second circle, and during the reproduction repetitions when the ball has reached the sec-ond circle, the individual symbols or numbers are assigned dif-ferent winning odds by the aid of an odds determination module, wherein the assignment is effected as a function of a random variable determined by the aid of a random generator, so as to correspond with the non-circular rotation of the ball - which becomes increasingly noticeable in this phase. On account of the non-circular rotation of the ball, players having roulette ex-perience will in this phase be able to estimate the result of the game, if with slight probability, i.e. estimate in which pocket, on which number, or on which symbol, respectively, the ball will finally land; correspondingly, experienced players will then be able to either bet on the symbols they consider more likely - at lower odds - or bet with high risks on the sym-bols which are probably more unlikely. The display of the win-ning odds in this phase is preferably effected in sectors, each

- 3 -in assignment to the respective ball pockets and the associated symbols or numbers depicted in the interior of the roulette bowl, respectively. Theoretically, it would also be conceivable to display the individual symbols with the associated odds in table form in a separate reproduction area of the display unit.
For a better overview, and also because the players will follow the course of the ball in the roulette bowl, the sectoral repro-duction of the odds will, however, be preferred.
In this phase, as the ball is moving from the first time limit to the second time limit, i.e., according to the reproduc-tion on the screen, from the first circle to the second circle, it may be provided as a function of the objective and equipment of the respective device, to accept no bets in view of the changing winning odds and the efforts involved, and/or to keep the right payout odds as a function of the time a bet is made;
or it may be contemplated, if the system is appropriately equipped, to provide the respective betting information with, for instance, a time stamp, or immediately coordinate it with the respective odds, when placing bets in this phase as the ball is moving between the two limits or circles, so that the amount of the payout odds will be unambiguously assigned, thus enabling the acceptance of bets against varying odds.
However, as pointed out above, the placing of bets is, in particular, possible and intended when the ball has reached the second limit or second circle and while the reproduction repeti-tions are taking place, whereby the different payout odds, which are finally fixed upon reaching of these time limits, will be taken as a basis for the bets on different numbers.
Finally, after the ball has reached the second circle and after the reproduction repetitions have been completed, the course of the ball spin is continued in the video reproduction, yet with no bets being placeable any longer. Finally, the ball in the video simulation will reach a given ball pocket corre-sponding to a given symbol or a given number, said symbol or number having previously been determined by the aid of the ran-dom generator. In an advantageous manner, the random variable determined by the random generator is also adopted as a parame-ter for the computational determination of the ball orbit be-tween the first circle and the second circle, whereby, in this phase of the betting process, variable odds for the individual

- 4 -symbols or numbers to bet on are determined and displayed as mentioned above. In this phase, as the ball is moving from the first to the second circle, the odds can, for instance, be newly calculated and displayed in intervals of 1 second, or even at intervals of 3s or 5s, wherein it is, for instance, feasible in the case of 12 numbers to continuously change the odds from the originally fixed odds of 11:1 to values ranging, for instance, between 3:1 (for the more probable symbols) and 50:1 (for the less probable symbols). Such an odds determination by the use of technical means, as a function of the respective phase of the betting process, will facilitate the placing of bets for the players, and the use of a random generator for the generation of random values (random numbers) to be taken as a basis for the winning symbols as well as the parameter for the calculation of the respective ball spin will prevent individual influence vari-ables, such as the manual setting into rotation of the roulette bowl and the throwing-in of the ball, from entering into the re-sult of the game.
The preferred stop of the ball rotation at at least one time limit or at one circle, preferably at both time limits or both circles, for a set period enables players who have not opted for a symbol by then to place their bets now. They might be encour-aged to do so by the repetition of the video reproduction as ex-plained, after the ball has reached the second circle. Overall, the period for a game course or betting process may range in the order of some few minutes.
The present betting system can be simply installed as a game without actual stakes, yet it may also involve the placing of bets while fixing respective betting pools in order to ensure an accordingly attractive mode of gaming. The betting stakes are preferably input electronically, whereby the respective betting stake amounts are optionally debited from a chip card comprising an originally paid overall amount, and possible wins can also be credited to said chip card. Another option is to create accounts for the respective players in a memory of a computer according to their wishes and pre-payments, with the betting stakes being debited from said accounts and the winnings being credited to said accounts. Such a mode of procedure based on accounts main-tained in a computer, or by using chip cards or similar elec-tronic cards, is known per se from other systems such as elec-

- 5 -tronic lottery systems or sports lotteries and need not be ex-plained in more detail herein.
In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by way of preferred exemplary embodiments, to which it is, however, not to be restricted, and with reference to the ac-companying drawing. Therein:
Fig. 1, in the manner of a block diagram, schematically il-lustrates an electronic roulette-type betting device according to the invention;
Fig 2, by way of a flow diagram, depicts an example of the sequence of a betting process using such a betting device; and Figs. 3 to 10 are schematic illustrations of a roulette bowl device, partially with a spinning ball, as may be reproduced on the display unit according to Fig. 1 in the manner of a video, Figs. 3 to 10 depicting different phases during the course of play according to Fig. 2.
The electronic betting device 1 schematically illustrated in Fig. 1, for performing a roulette-type game or bet comprises a player terminal 2, which is equipped with a display unit 3, in particular a screen corresponding to a computer screen, and a player input unit 4. It goes without saying that, in general, several such player consoles or terminals 2 are provided in par-allel in order to enable a number of players, e.g. 20 players or 50 players, to participate in the roulette game realized by the aid of the device 1. Therefore, as far as only one such player console 2 is shown in Fig. 1, this is to be understood that said console 2 is illustrated in place of a larger number of con-soles.
The display unit 3 is controlled by a display control unit 5 to realize a video reproduction during the performance of a rou-lette betting process as will be explained in more detail below by way of Fig. 1 as well as Figs. 3 to 10. Furthermore, a time control unit 6 is provided, which may, for instance, be com-prised of a central control and management unit 7 associated with a clock or timer 8 as well as a memory 9, wherein a general input unit 10 is provided too. This central computer unit, i.e.
central control and management unit, in the following briefly referred to as central unit 7, controls the display control unit to start a roulette video reproduction and, on the basis of an associated time measurement beginning with the start of the

- 6 -video reproduction, detects the reaching of two time limits -according to defaults entered via the general input unit 10 (cf.
timer 8) - to subsequently trigger the display control unit 5 or a stop unit 11, respectively.
In modification of the above described mode of operation, the stop unit 11 can also act autonomously, in which case it can, for instance, be connected with the timer 8 (cf. broken line in Fig. 1) and comprise its own memory 12 in order to gen-erate, upon reaching of the set time limits deposited in the memory 12, respective stop signals for triggering the display control unit 5 for the purpose of stopping the reproduction on the display unit 3. An essential feature in this respect is that where such a stop unit 11 is available, the latter will be able to block the player input unit 4, upon reaching of the second time limit, to the extent that the input of further bets by the players will be automatically blocked from that point moment on.
In order to enable the determination of different (betting or winning) odds dependent on the respective phase during the betting course, i.e., for instance, from the start until reach-ing the first time limit and, after this, from the restart at said first time limit until a second time limit, a separate odds determination module 13 is provided, to which are supplied the respective control signals from the central unit 7, particularly as regards the time limits. The odds determination module 13 will also receive information on the random variable from the central unit 7 in order to continuously modify the odds accord-ing to the random variable in the second phase of the betting process, from the first time limit to the second time limit, as a function of an algorithm into whose parameter said random variable enters and in correspondence with a non-circular rota-tion of the ball in the roulette bowl, as indicated on the dis-play unit 3.
Said random variable is generated by the aid of a random generator 14 which, as such, might be directly associated with the central unit 7, yet in a preferred manner, where several betting devices 1 on different locations are to be managed via a central computer 15, is installed with its own computation and transmission unit 16 centrally on the site of said central com-puter 15. The random variable or random number can, for in-stance, be transmitted to the individual betting devices 1 via a

- 7 -satellite link 17, with a transceiver interface 18 being, thus, assigned to the respective central unit 7 of the betting device 1 to perform any communication with the central computer or server 15 for the purpose of demanding or receiving said random number.
In the first phase of a betting process, from starting to reaching the first time limit, the odds determination module 13 may determine fixed odds depending on the number of symbols or numbers (e.g. numbers 0 and 1 to 12) to bet on. After this, i.e.
in the second phase, the odds determination module 13 will auto-matically calculate the respective, changing odds, e.g. in in-tervals of ls, 3s or 5s, but it is, however, also conceivable, as a function of the supplied random variable, to read out the respective odds from one of different tables stored in a memory 19 and to supply the same for reproduction via the display con-trol unit 5.
As already mentioned, the set time limits are displayed on the display unit 3, preferably by circular lines in the roulette bowl device, as will be explained in more detail below with ref-erence to Figs. 3 to 10. As likewise mentioned, a repetition of the video reproduction, i.e. of the last phase before the moment the spinning ball reaches the second circle, is preferably also automatically started when the second circle is reached, and to this end the display control unit 5 is preferably assigned its own repetition module 20, wherein a storage module 21 is further provided to receive the respective image data for this phase from the display control unit 5, and from which said image data required for the video repetition will be read out again upon activation by the repetition module 20. The repetition module 20 is preferably designed to enable the desired video reproduction to run both in the rearward and in the forward directions in or-der to reproduce, in particular several times by rewinding and forwarding, this video reproduction phase occurring immediately before reaching the second time limit. The duration of the phase and the number of how often it will be repeated can be set in advance, e.g. to 20 or 30 seconds, using the central unit 7 and the input unit 10.
The device, moreover, comprises a comparison and evaluation unit 22, which is connected with the player input unit 4 (to be precise, with any player input unit 4 belonging to the device

- 8 -1), on the one hand, and with the odds determination module as well as the central unit 7, on the other hand, for the purpose of supplying the winning symbol information. The comparison and evaluation unit 22 is, for instance, associated with a memory 23 for storing the symbols or numbers wagered by the individual players as well as a further memory or memory area 24 for stor-ing the respective winning symbols.
In the event that betting or wagering on the respective sym-bols is to involve true betting stakes, the player input unit 4 may be assigned its own chip-card and storage unit 25, with the appropriate debiting from an account provided on an inserted chip card being effected by the aid of the input unit 4 when betting on symbols and inputting betting stakes for them. Con-versely, if a player has bet on a symbol or number that wins, the respective winnings will be transmitted to the player input unit 4 by the comparison and evaluation unit 22 as a function of the odds fixed by the odds determination module 23, in order to effect the appropriate crediting to the chip card account via the unit 25.
Naturally, it is, however, also possible to install a suit-able account management via the central unit 7 and the memory 9 associated therewith, so as to provide a central account manage-ment for all players in the central unit 7 rather than the aforementioned decentralized account management, the respective player input units 4, thus, having to be connected with the cen-tral unit 7 by a connection 26 entered in broken lines in Fig.
1.
In the following, a concrete betting process will be ex-plained in more detail by way of example with reference to Fig.
2, on the one hand, and Figs. 3 to 10, on the other hand.
According to Fig. 2, a concrete betting process is initiated by a starting step 30 (for instance, by a suitable starting in-put on the part of a tourneur via the general unit 10, or auto-matically via the central unit 7). According to block 31, the playback of information in the form of a video film to introduce the participating players takes place using the display unit 3, which is activated by the display control unit 5. The start of such an introduction video is exemplified in Fig. 3, Fig. 3 de-picting a roulette bowl device 32 which incorporates an inner ring of ball pockets 33 and the associated symbols, i.e. numbers

- 9 -"1" to "12" in the instant case. Furthermore, a zero-sector 34 is also shown in Fig. 3.
According to block 35 in Fig. 2, the betting or gambling procedure proper is then started, with the throwing-in of a ball 36 (cf., e.g., Fig. 5), for instance by the aid of a hand 37 re-corded into the reproduction, cf. Fig. 4, being illustrated in the respective video simulation, i.e. in the reproduction of the game process on the display unit 3. Then follows, according to block 38, the reproduction of a ball spin from said start until a time at which the ball 36 reaches a first circle 39 according to a first time limit. In this first phase of the betting proc-ess, fixed odds, e.g. 11:1, are output by the odds determination module 13 and optionally displayed, and upon reaching the first circle 39 the reproduction of the betting process is stopped us-ing, for instance, stop unit 11. In the flow diagram of Fig. 2 it is, thus, constantly interrogated in an interrogation field 40 whether the first time limit, i.e. the first circle 39, has actually been reached and, if not, the reproduction of the ball spin and the display of the fixed odds are continued. However, when said first time limit has been reached, the reproduction of the ball spin in the roulette bowl 32 is stopped according to block 41 in Fig. 2, as mentioned above, and bets will then be placeable by the players at the fixed odds during a set period LT1 of, for instance, 20s or 30s. In doing so, the residual time of LT1 will be constantly indicated, cf., e.g., the display "Ols" and the odds display "11/1" in Fig. 5. In the diagram ac-cording to Fig. 2, it is meanwhile constantly interrogated in field 42 whether the set period OT1 has already expired or not;
if not, it is returned to block 41, in the opposite case the re-production of the betting process will be continued according to block 43 in Fig. 2.
The ball 36 will then run in the region between the outer circle 39 symbolizing the first time limit and a farther in-wardly located circle 44 indicating a second limit, wherein a non-circular rotation of the ball 36, which is determined by a random variable or parameters derived therefrom, is simulated in said second phase. On account of the "non-circular" rotation of the ball 36 becoming increasingly noticeable in the further course, experienced players will be able to conclude therefrom, with a certain probability, into which pocket 33 the ball 36

- 10 -will finally "fall", thus being able to include this when plac-ing their bets. Conversely, according to the non-circular rota-tion of the ball, i.e., to be more precise, according to the pa-rameters provided by the random variable, different odds will then be determined by the odds determination module 13 for the individual numbers or symbols and indicated on the display unit 3, as is apparent from Fig. 6. This indication of the odds is preferably effected in sectoral assignment to the numbers as il-lustrated, in order to provide an optimum overview to the play-ers.
During the period in which the ball 36 is moving from the first, outer circle 39 to the second, inner circle 44, two game variants may be envisaged. According to the first variant, no more bets are accepted during that time (i.e., while the ball 36 is rotating between the first circle 39 and the second circle 44), and the display of the different, changing odds can be utilized by the players to the extent that they will be able to recognize certain trends in the odds development and implement the same with regard to which of the pockets 33 the ball 36 will finally fall into. During that period, the stop unit 11 and/or the central unit 7 will block any bets players might wish to place with the input unit 4.
According to the second variant, betting on the part of the players may be admitted during that period of time, i.e. as the ball 36 is moving from the outer circle 39 to the inner circle 44, wherein, as a function of the time of placing of a bet (via the input unit 4), the odds of winning (calculated by the odds calculation module 13) associated with each bet are immediately added to each bet in real time and temporarily deposited by the comparison and evaluation unit 22 in the memory 32 in which the betting data are stored, or the betting data are marked with time stamps and deposited in the memory 23; it will then be pos-sible to save in the memory 24, in addition to the respective winning symbols, also the winning odds with the associated time stamps in assignment to the winning symbols in order to enable, by a comparison of the betted symbols (read out from the memory 23) with the winning symbols (read out from the memory 24), also the simultaneous assignment of the respective winning odds, which are a function of the time of placing of the bet.
Fig. 6 concretely depicts the situation in which the ball 36

- 11 -has already reached the second, inner circle 44, i.e. the second time limit, which is interrogated in the field 45 of the diagram according to Fig. 4. At that time, the acceptance of further bets will be permitted at the different odds indicated, and a repetition of the last phase, e.g. the last 10s, 20s or 30s, of the betting process will follow as an additional information for the players and as a further incentive to them, before the ball will have reached the inner circle 44, with rewinding and for-warding being, in particular, also feasible during the reproduc-tion. This repetition of the reproduction may, moreover, be per-formed several times and is controlled by the repetition module 20 of Fig. 1. The number of times, and the time provided there-for, are interrogated according to an interrogation field 48 in Fig. 2.
When this reproduction repetition is completed, a still with the ball 36 being on the inner, second circle 44 can be briefly shown, wherein also the indication that no bets can be made any longer may be included. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 7 and corresponds to block 49 in the illustration of Fig. 2. After this, the "video" with the spinning ball 36 continues to play from the second circle 44 till the end as in correspondence with block 50, no bets being allowed any longer. This situation is illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein also the winning odds for the in-dividual numbers at the end of betting are displayed in a dis-play field 51, e.g. in the manner of a running belt.
The situation at the end of the reproduction of the betting process according to block 52 in Fig. 2 is apparent from Fig. 9, wherein, in an exemplified manner, the ball has landed in one of the two pockets 33 representing the number "6". (As is apparent, this exemplary embodiment comprises two ball pockets 33 each as-signed to a number available for a bet). Subsequently, the win-ning situation is displayed, cf. Fig. 10, indicating the odds while highlighting the actual winning odds (for instance 7/1 ac-cording to Fig. 10) and displaying the final winning symbol, namely 6 in the instant case.
According to an interrogation field 53 in Fig. 2, it may then be interrogated whether a restart is to be effected (which may, for instance, also be provided as a default value), and if so, it will be returned to the start 30 of the flow diagram of Fig. 2. Otherwise, the end of the betting process will be

- 12 -reached in field 54.
It is, of course, also possible to provide more or fewer numbers, or even other symbols like figures etc. as symbols to bet on. Furthermore, it is conceivable to implement the overall control of the betting process in a central station (cf. the server/computer 15 in Fig. 1) and in a decentralized manner, in gambling places, and provide the player consoles 2 as well as the required communication units and interfaces. It is also pos-sible in the second phase of the betting process, as the ball is "rolling" from the first circle 39 to the second circle 44, to calculate changed odds for the individual symbols once and then keep these odds (rather than constantly determining new ones).
In this manner, players will gain a better overview of the proc-ess and, in addition, the assignment of the right odds to the respective bets will also be facilitate, since they will no longer change in said phase.

Claims

Claims:

1. An electronic roulette-type betting device (1), characterized by: a display unit (3) and its associated display control unit (5) for the pictorial reproduction of a roulette bowl device (32) along with a circulating ball (36), at least one input unit (4) for inputting symbols, in particular numbers, to bet on, a time control unit (6) for setting time limits for the betting process, which limits are reproducible on the display unit as ball circulation limits by the aid of the display control unit (5), an odds determination module (13) which fixes different winning odds for the individual symbols as a function of the preset time limits supplied by the time control unit (6), a ran-dom generator (14) for generating and transmitting random vari-ables as winning symbols and, preferably, as parameters for cal-culating a non-circular ball circulation, and a comparison and evaluation unit (22), which is connected with the input device (4) on the input side and with the display control unit (5) on the output side, for comparing the wagered symbols with winning symbols and for determining and displaying winnings for possible matching symbols along with the associated winning odds.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized by a stop unit (11) for automatically stopping the betting process at at least one time limit and activating the display control unit (5) to stop the reproduction of the ball circulation on the display unit (3).

3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that the dis-play control unit (5) is associated with a memory module (21) for temporarily storing reproduction data relating to the bowl device (32) along with the circulating ball (36), and by a repe-tition module (20) for repeating the reproduction of the bowl device and ball as represented in the phase immediately before the stop of said reproduction.

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that the repetition module (20) is adapted to realize an, optionally mul-tiple, rearward-forward reproduction.

5. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the odds calculation module (13) is adapted to deter-mine, and display via the display unit (3), first, fixed odds during the time from the start until a first time limit, and to output and display random odds changing, in particular, in terms of time, and reflecting the non-circular circulation of the ball in the bowl device during the time from the first time limit un-til a second time limit.

6. A device according to claim 5, characterized in that the dis-play control unit (5) is adapted to display on the display unit (3) the odds, each in sectoral assignment to the symbols ar-ranged in the circle and formed, for instance, by numbers 1 to n.

7. A method for the computer-aided roulette-type betting on sym-bols, in particular numbers, characterized in that, during a betting process, a roulette bowl device (32) along with a circu-lating ball (36) are computationally simulated and reproduced on a display unit (3), that, during said simulation and reproduc-tion, time limits (39, 44) are set for the placing of bets, which is done by inputting the symbols to bet on, wherein dif-ferent winning odds are determined and displayed as a function of the time limits (39, 44), and that winning symbols are deter-mined on the basis of random variables produced by the aid of a random generator (14) and reproduced as target symbols during the reproduction of the ball circulation after having been used as parameters for defining a non-circular circulation of the ball.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the re-production of the bowl device (32) along with the circulating ball (36) is stopped at at least one of the time limits (39, 44).

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that, after having stopped said reproduction, the reproduction phase preced-ing said stop is repeated, optionally at a modified speed.

10. A method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, after having stopped said reproduction, the reproduction phase preceding said stop is reproduced several times in rearward and forward directions.

11. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, character-ized in that, from the start of a betting process until a first time limit (39), fixed odds which are equal for all of the sym-bols to bet on are output and displayed, whereas, during the pe-riod from said first time limit (39) to a second time limit (44), random odds which are, in particular, variable in terms of time and reflect the simulated non-circular circulation of the ball (36) in the bowl device (32) are output and displayed.

12. A method according to any one of claims 8 or 11, character-ized in that the respective odds are displayed on the display unit (3) in sectoral assignment to the symbols arranged in a circle and formed, for instance, by numbers 1 to n.