Game system

Abstract

To provide a game system capable of determining whether or not a remotely operated game machine is in an abnormal state without modifying the game machine.SOLUTION: The storage unit of the game system stores, as the abnormality determination information, normal state capacity information that is information on a capacity of the output sound information of the sound output unit in a normal state and abnormal state output sound information that is information on an output sound of the sound output unit in an abnormal state, and the abnormality determination unit acquires operating state capacity information that is information on a capacity of the operating state output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit, As the determination process based on the normal information, the operation-time capacity information is compared with the normal-time capacity information of the storage unit, and when it is determined that the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state, the determination process based on the abnormal information is performed, and as the determination process based on the abnormal information, the operation-time output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit is compared with the abnormal-time output sound information of the storage unit to determine whether or not the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 25

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a gaming system for monitoring a remotely controlled gaming machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been game systems that allow a game machine to be remotely controlled (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-146118 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional game systems have room for improvement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means. For ease of understanding, the following description will be given with reference numerals corresponding to the embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these. Furthermore, the configurations described with reference numerals may be modified as appropriate, and at least a portion of the configurations may be replaced with other components.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a game system (301) comprising: a game machine (1); an operation information acquisition unit (311) that acquires operation information having at least one of output sound information of the game machine while it is operating and image information of the game machine; a memory unit (325) that stores abnormality determination information for determining whether the game machine is in an abnormal state; and an abnormality determination unit (326) that determines whether the game machine while it is operating is in an abnormal state based on the operation information acquired by the operation information acquisition unit and the abnormality determination information of the memory unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to determine whether a remotely controlled game machine is in an abnormal state without modifying the game machine or the like. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a game machine 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the gaming machine 1 of the first embodiment as seen from the top Z2, and is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the lottery device 10, the mass payout device 25, and the six stations St1 to St6. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of an inclined surface 12 in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the inclined surface 12 and the vicinity of the station St1 in the first embodiment as viewed from the upper side Z2. FIG. [Figure 5] 10 is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement of each component in the vicinity of the inclined surface 12 of the first embodiment when viewed from the right side X2. FIG. [Figure 6] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a roulette screen of the display unit 21 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating the movement of the ball 11 during the ball game of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a view of the pusher table 35 and the operation panel 2d and their vicinity in the station St1 of the first embodiment, as seen from the upper side Z2. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram for explaining the main configuration of the external medals M1 and internal medals M2 of the game machine 1 of the first embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the flow of the external medals M1 and internal medals M2. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of a collecting barrel 36 of the first embodiment, as viewed from the rear side Y2. FIG. [Figure 11] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a tube body 55 of a collecting tube 36 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating the configuration of the vicinity of the collecting barrel 36 in the first embodiment when the collecting barrel 36 is arranged in an inwardly rotated state and an outwardly rotated state. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the medal M is moved by the collection tube 36 in the first embodiment. [Figure 14] 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in the vicinity of a pusher table 35 and a ball supply device 70 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of the fixed table 35b and the ball supply device 70 of the first embodiment, as viewed from the upper right. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart of the lottery process accompanying a chucker win in the first embodiment. [Figure 17] 10 is a diagram illustrating a slot screen 80 on the display unit 21 during the slot lottery process of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 18] 10 is a diagram illustrating a slot screen 80 on the display unit 21 during the slot lottery process of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a game machine 201 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the internal configuration of a game machine 201 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the main configuration of the flow path of the internal medal M2 in the second embodiment, and explaining the flow of the internal medal M2. [Figure 22] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the mass release stage of the second embodiment. [Figure 23] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the mass release stage of the second embodiment. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a game system 301 according to a third embodiment. [Figure 25] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the game machine 1 and the imaging unit 311 of the third embodiment. [Figure 26] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing examples of an abnormal state image 325b and a normal state image 325c according to the third embodiment. [Figure 27] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a composite video 351 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an abnormality determination process according to a third embodiment. [Figure 29]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a player terminal 330 of a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the basic configuration of the game machine used in the game system of the first and second embodiments will be described. (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game machine 1 according to the first embodiment. 1 mainly illustrates the main configuration of station St1 among the six stations St1 to St6, and omits the illustration of the other stations St. Furthermore, the support columns 2b, top plate 2c, etc. are illustrated with two-dot chain lines, and the structure hidden by these members is illustrated transparently. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the gaming machine 1 of the first embodiment as seen from the top side Z2, and is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the lottery device 10, the mass payout device 25, and the six stations St1 to St6. In the embodiments and drawings, for convenience of explanation, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system (left-right direction X, depth direction Y, vertical direction Z) is provided. The depth direction Y and left-right direction X are directions on a horizontal plane in a state where the game machines 1 are arranged as shown in Figures 1 and 2 (a state where the station St1 side is arranged on the front side Y1 and the station St4 side is arranged on the back side Y2).

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, a game machine 1 (a medal pusher game machine) is originally a large device that is mainly installed in amusement facilities and the like. The game machine 1 includes a storage unit 95 and a control unit 96 . The storage unit 95 stores various types of information, programs, etc. for operating the game machine 1. The control unit 96 is a device that performs arithmetic processing required for the operation of the game machine 1 and comprehensively controls the game machine 1. The control unit 96 controls each drive unit (motor, etc.) according to the output of each detection unit and performs various arithmetic processing. In the embodiment, an example will be described in which one control unit 96 controls all stations St1 to St6, but this is not limiting. Each station St may have a control unit for performing operations such as a pusher game, and may also have a single center control unit that shares processing related to the release of large amounts of medals. In this case, the control units of each station and the center control unit may communicate as needed.

[0011] In the embodiment, a computer refers to an information processing device equipped with a storage device, a control device, etc., and the game machine 1 includes a storage unit 95 and a control unit 96 and is included in the concept of a computer. The storage unit 95 is a storage device such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory element for storing programs, information, etc. required for the operation of each device. The control unit 96 is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 96 realizes various functions of the embodiment by appropriately reading and executing various programs and various information stored in the storage unit 95.

[0012] [Outline of Game Console 1] An overview of the game machine 1 will now be given. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the gaming machine 1 is a medal pusher gaming machine. The gaming machine 1 has six stations St1 to St6 (play sections). The stations St1 to St6 are arranged so as to surround the lottery device 10 and the mass payout device 25. The mass payout device 25 has a model 25a that resembles a dinosaur, creating the atmosphere of the Mesozoic era when dinosaurs lived. As a result of the game at each station St, when the stage shifts to a mass release of medals (hereinafter also referred to as "mass release"), the lottery device 10 executes a lottery process for the mass release at that station St, and then the mass release device 25 performs a mass release of medals according to the lottery result. As will be described later, the lottery process includes lottery operations, processes, etc. using a ball game, roulette 20a, etc.

[0013] The outer shape of the housing 2 of the game machine 1 is a polygonal prism with its central axis in the vertical direction Z. A transparent window 2a separates the inside and outside of the housing 2 of the game machine 1. A player can view the areas F (F0 to F6) through the window 2a. Area F is an area inside the game machine 1. Area F mainly includes areas F0 to F6. The area F0 is an area where a lottery game is played using the lottery device 10. The areas F1 to F6 correspond to stations St1 to St6, respectively, and are areas where a pusher game is played using medals inserted by the player.

[0014] In the center of the game machine 1, the main part of the lottery device 10 and the main part of the medal mass release device 25 are arranged. Each station St is an independent device for six players to play the medal pusher game independently. In the embodiment, an example is shown in which the game machine 1 includes six stations St1 to St6, but the invention is not limited to this and the game machine 1 may include a number of stations St other than six. In this case, the shape of the game machine 1 may be changed appropriately depending on the number of stations St. In the embodiment, the configuration of station St1 will be mainly described, but the other stations St2 to St6 have the same configuration.

[0015] [Lottery device 10, mass release device 25] The lottery device 10 and the mass release device 25 will now be described. (Configuration of lottery device 10 and mass release device 25) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of the inclined surface 12 of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view of the inclined surface 12 and the configuration in the vicinity of the station St1 according to the first embodiment, as viewed from the upper side Z2. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the arrangement of each component in the vicinity of the inclined surface 12 of the first embodiment as viewed from the right side X2. 3 to 5 show a state in which the direction A1 of the inclined surface 12 is directed toward the station St1. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the roulette screen of the display unit 21 according to the first embodiment.

[0016] In the following description, when viewed from above Z2, the direction along the lower side of the inclination direction of the inclined surface 12 is referred to as direction A1 (first direction), and the direction opposite to direction A1 and along the upper side of the inclination direction is referred to as direction A2 (second direction). The inclination angle of the inclined surface 12 with respect to the horizontal plane (i.e., the angle between the normal direction of the inclined surface 12 and the vertical direction Z) is approximately 5 degrees, which is sufficiently small. For this reason, in the embodiment, the state viewed from above Z2 of the vertical direction Z will be described as the state viewed from the normal direction of the inclined surface 12. Furthermore, direction A (direction A1, direction A2) will also be described as the inclination direction of the inclined surface 12, and will be referred to as direction A1 side (lower side of the inclination direction) and direction A2 side (upper side of the inclination direction) in parentheses as appropriate. For convenience, the left-right direction X of the inclined surface 12 will be described with reference to the state in which the inclined surface 12 is disposed as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 (with the direction A1 facing the station St1 side).

[0017] The lottery device 10 includes a ball 11, an inclined surface 12, a regulating rail 13 (regulating section), a storage section 14 (ball storage section), scattered protrusions 15 (15A to 15D), an obstruction protrusion 16, a first arm 17 (ball moving section), a second arm 18 (ball moving section), a model stand 19 (section for installing the medal release section), and a lottery section 20 (event generation section).

[0018] (Ball 11) The ball 11 is a spherical object used in the lottery. The surface of the ball 11 may be made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge.

[0019] (Slope 12) The inclined surface 12 is the upper surface of an inclined plate 12a (see FIG. 5) fixed to the rotary frame 12b. The inclined plate 12a is a disk-shaped plate member fixed to the rotary frame 12b. The rotary frame 12b is a cylindrical member. The central axis C12 of the rotary frame 12b is concentric with the central axis of the game machine 1 and is in the vertical direction Z. When viewed from above Z2, the central axis C12 coincides with the center of the inclined surface 12. The rotary frame 12b is supported by a plurality of rollers 12e so as to be rotatable about a central axis C12 (see rotation direction θ12). The rotary frame 12b is rotationally driven by a drive unit 12d (see FIG. 5) including a motor or the like. The rotary frame 12b is provided with a detection unit (not shown) such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation position and rotation speed.

[0020] The inclined surface 12 is arranged so that the ball 11 can move. As described above, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 12 is gentle, for example, about 5 degrees. With the above configuration, the inclined surface 12 is rotatable around the central axis C12. The inclined surface 12 is inclined so as to reach the lower side Z1 in the vertical direction Z as it goes in the direction A1.

[0021] (Regulation rail 13) The restriction rail 13 is a fence provided on a circumference that is slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the inclined surface 12. As a result, the restriction rail 13 restricts the movement range of the ball 11 on the inclined surface 12 to within this circumference. A wall 13a (see FIG. 3) is also provided on the outer periphery of the inclined surface 12. This wall 13a is intended to prevent the ball 11 from falling from the inclined surface 12 if the ball 11 unexpectedly climbs over the regulating rail 13 and deviates from the regulating rail 13. During normal operation of the game machine 1, the ball 11 will not deviate from the regulating rail 13. The lowermost portion of the regulating rail 13 is provided with an opening 13b (see FIG. 3) that is slightly wider than the diameter of the ball 11.

[0022] (Storage section 14) The accommodation portion 14 is disposed on the direction A1 side (downward in the inclination direction) of the inclined surface 12, and is disposed in the portion of the opening 13b of the regulation rail 13. Therefore, the ball 11 on the inclined surface 12 is guided to the accommodation portion 14 by the action of gravity. The container 14 includes a first opening / closing arm 14a, a second opening / closing arm 14b, and a ball detector 14c.

[0023] The first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b are rotated by a motor (not shown) between the open position and the closed position about an axis in the vertical direction Z (more precisely, about an axis normal to the inclined surface 12). The rotation axis of the first opening / closing arm 14a is located on the right side X2 of the opening 13b. The rotation axis of the second opening / closing arm 14b is located on the left side X1 of the opening 13b. Two first opening / closing arms 14a are provided at different heights in the vertical direction Z. The second opening / closing arm 14b is disposed midway between the two first opening / closing arms 14a in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the rotation range of the first opening / closing arm 14a and the rotation range of the second opening / closing arm 14b do not overlap in the vertical direction Z. This allows the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b to rotate without interfering with each other.

[0024] When placed in the open position (open state), the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b are arranged in a V-shape that forms the opening 13b on the direction A2 side. As a result, the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b form the walls of the storage section 14, and the storage section 14 is able to store the ball 11.

[0025] 3, when the device is placed in the closed position (closed state), the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b close the opening 13b. When viewed from the upper side Z2, the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b have an arc-like shape that bulges in the direction A1 (downward in the tilt direction) like an extension of the regulating rail 13. Therefore, when the device is placed in the closed position, the ball 11 is stably positioned on the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b due to the action of gravity. The position of the ball 11 shown within the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3 is the position of the ball 11 at the time of launch, as will be described later.

[0026] The ball detection unit 14c is a detection unit that detects the ball 11 contained in the container 14. The ball detection unit 14c is, for example, an optical sensor.

[0027] (15 dotted protrusions (15A~15D)) There are four scattered protrusions 15, all of which have the same shape. The scattered protrusions 15 are fixed to the inclined surface 12 so as to protrude from the inclined surface 12. The scattered protrusions 15 are arranged so as to be scattered on the inclined surface 12. As will be described later, the scattered protrusions 15, for example, randomly change the moving direction of the ball 11 moving on the inclined surface 12. The surface of the interspersed protrusions 15 on the direction A2 side (upper side in the inclination direction) is flat and forms an upright surface 15a that is upright with respect to the inclined surface 12. The normal direction of the upright surface 15a faces the direction A2. The surface of the interspersed protrusions 15 on the direction A1 side (downward in the direction of inclination) is an inclined surface 15b. The inclined surface 15b is a flat surface, and is displaced upward Z2 in the vertical direction Z (i.e., in the direction normal to the inclined surface 12, in a direction away from the inclined surface 12) as it approaches the direction A2 side (upward in the direction of inclination).

[0028] As shown in FIG. 4, when viewed from the top Z2, three scattered protrusions 15A-15C are arranged in the region X2 to the right of the obstructing protrusion 16, and one scattered protrusion 15D is arranged in the region X1 to the left. Also, when viewed from the top Z2, each scattered protrusion 15 has a substantially triangular shape. The scattered protrusions 15 are arranged in a substantially inverted triangular shape, that is, with the apex facing the direction A1 (downward in the direction of inclination) and the base side (the side of the upright surface 15a) facing the direction A2 (upward in the direction of inclination). Therefore, the gap S15 between adjacent scattered protrusions becomes larger as it approaches the direction A1 (downward in the direction of inclination).

[0029] The three scattered protrusions 15A to 15C are arranged on the same line, spaced apart at equal intervals. The size of the gap S15 between adjacent scattered protrusions 15 is slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 11. The gap between the inner scattered protrusion 15C and the obstructing protrusion 16 is also slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 11. The three upright surfaces 15a of these scattered protrusions 15A to 15C are arranged on the same plane. If the three upright surfaces 15a are extended inward, they will intersect with the obstructing protrusion 16 (see the two-dot chain line L15 shown in FIG. 4). The scattered protrusions 15A at the right end are arranged along the regulating rail 13, that is, arranged so as to contact the inner periphery of the regulating rail 13.

[0030] The gap between the scattered protrusion 15D and the obstructing protrusion 16 on the left side X1 is also slightly larger than the diameter of the ball 11. In addition, the distance between the scattered protrusion 15D and the regulating rail 13 is larger than the diameter of the ball 11. In other words, the scattered protrusion 15A is disposed so as to be in contact with the regulating rail 13, whereas the scattered protrusion 15D is disposed sufficiently far away from the regulating rail 13.

[0031] (obstruction protrusion 16) The obstruction protrusion 16 is disposed closer to the receiving portion 14 on the direction A2 side (upper side in the inclined direction). Similar to the scattered protrusions 15, the obstruction protrusions 16 are fixed to the inclined surface 12 so as to protrude from the inclined surface 12. As will be described later, the obstruction protrusions 16, for example, obstruct the movement of the ball 11 moving on the inclined surface 12 toward the accommodation portion 14. When viewed from the upper side Z2, the obstruction projection 16 has an outer shape that is elongated in the left-right direction X and has an arc shape that bulges out in the direction A1. The obstruction protrusion 16 has a slope 16b similar to the scattered protrusions 15. The surface of the obstruction protrusion 16 on the direction A2 side is an upright surface that is perpendicular to the slope 12, and is a curved surface 16a that is recessed in the direction A1 according to the outer shape of the obstruction protrusion 16.

[0032] (First arm 17, second arm 18) The first arm 17 and the second arm 18 are members that come into contact with the ball 11 while rotating, thereby moving the ball 11 as if hitting it. The first arm 17 and the second arm 18 are respectively provided to be rotatable around rotation axes C17 and C18 that are perpendicular to the inclined surface 12. The rotation axes C17 and C18 are located on the direction A1 side (lower in the inclination direction) than the obstruction protrusion 16. The first arm 17 and the second arm 18 are each driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). In addition, the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 are each provided with a detection unit (not shown) such as a rotary encoder that detects the rotation position and rotation speed.

[0033] The first arm 17 is driven to rotate clockwise (see FIG. 4). The rotation range A17 (see FIG. 4) of the first arm 17 overlaps with the obstructing protrusion 16 when viewed from the upper side Z2. However, in the vertical direction Z, the rotation range A17 (see FIG. 5) of the first arm 17 is the space above the obstructing protrusion 16 on the upper side Z2. The position of the first arm 17 from the inclined surface 12 is approximately the radius of the ball 11. This allows the first arm 17 to rotate without interfering with the obstructing protrusion 16. Furthermore, as long as the ball 11 is near the obstructing protrusion 16, the first arm 17 can abut against the ball 11 regardless of whether the ball 11 is located in direction A1 or A2.

[0034] Second arm 18 has a configuration that is approximately symmetrical to first arm 17 in the left-right direction X. Second arm 18 is driven to rotate counterclockwise (see FIG. 4). As a result, second arm 18, like first arm 17, can rotate without interfering with obstruction protrusion 16 and can abut against ball 11 located near obstruction protrusion 16. The rotation range A17 of the first arm 17 and the rotation range A18 of the second arm 18 are sufficiently close to each other in the range on the direction A2 side of the storage section 14 (upper side in the tilt direction).

[0035] (Model stand 19) The model stand 19 is a platform for attaching a model 25a of the mass release device 25 to the inclined surface 12. The model stand 19 is shaped like a low cylinder, with its central axis perpendicular to the inclined surface 12. Because the model stand 19 is fixed to the inclined surface 12, the model stand 19 and the model 25a can rotate integrally with the inclined surface 12 around the central axis C12. When viewed from above Z2, the model stand 19 is disposed within the inclined surface 12 and the regulating rail 13. The center of the model stand 19 is disposed on the direction A2 side of the center of the inclined surface (central axis C12), that is, the model stand 19 is disposed eccentrically on the circular inclined surface 12 in the direction A2 side. With the above configuration, a large exposed area can be secured for the area S12a (first area) of the inclined surface 12 in the direction A1 (downward in the inclined direction) as an area used for ball games. Furthermore, an area S12b (second area) on the direction A2 side of the inclined surface 12 is connected to the model stand 19 on the direction A2 side (upward in the inclined direction) by a narrow passage S12c. Furthermore, the area S12, which is the combination of areas S12a and S12b, is continuous in a circular ring shape so as to surround the model stand 19. This allows the ball 11 to move within the area S12, i.e., the area surrounding the model stand 19.

[0036] (Lottery Section 20) The lottery unit 20 is a device that performs a lottery process in response to the ball 11 being contained in the container 14. As shown in FIG. 6, the lottery unit 20 includes a display unit 21. The display unit 21 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The display unit 21 is provided at each station St (see FIG. 1). The display unit 21 is disposed so that the display screen faces the player playing at each station St. The display unit 21 is mainly used to display various information when a medal pusher game is played at each station St, but in the embodiment, it is also used as a part of the lottery device 10.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6(A), the storage unit 95 of the gaming machine 1 stores information about a roulette 20a for lottery, and the display unit 21 displays the roulette 20a. The roulette 20a has a plurality of symbols, each displaying winning information, arranged on the circumference. The winning information includes the number of medals released when a large number of medals are released, JP (jackpot), NEXT, and other role information.

[0038] The JP role is a role that releases the number of medals obtained by adding the total number of medals inserted at all stations St1 to St6 (or the product of the total number of medals and a coefficient (e.g., 0.8)) and a predetermined number (e.g., 300 medals, the maximum number of medals released for normal symbols) after the JP role was previously won at any station St. This total number of medals is reset every time the JP role is won. The JP role is the role that releases the most medals, and is the role that provides the most profit to the player.

[0039] The NEXT role is a role that increases the number of mass release coins and performs a re-lottery by adding a predetermined number (for example, 50 coins) to the number of mass release coins of all winning roles. When the NEXT role is won, the control unit 96 adds a predetermined number (for example, 50 coins) to the number of mass release coins, for example, 300 coins, and then performs a re-lottery process. Note that the lottery time (described later) is reset. For this reason, the NEXT role is a role that brings great profits to the player. The NEXT combination can be set appropriately according to the specifications of the game, and for example, the number of coins to be released in large quantities for all winning combinations may be doubled.

[0040] As shown in Fig. 6(B), the display unit 21 rotates the roulette 20a and displays only the portion of the roulette 20a located at the top. When the rotating roulette 20a stops, the symbol located at the top is the winning symbol, and the combination displayed on that symbol is the winning combination. When the roulette 20a is rotating and when it stops, the symbol located at the top is enlarged and displayed.

[0041] (Mass release device 25) The mass release device 25 is a device that releases a large amount of medals onto the pusher table of each station St. The mass release device 25 includes a model 25a and a mass release port 25b. The model 25a is placed on the model stand 19. The model 25a is placed so that the head of the dinosaur faces in the direction A2 and the tail faces in the direction A1. The large-volume outlet 25b is the part that actually releases medals. The large-volume outlet 25b is attached to the head. Therefore, the large-volume outlet 25b releases medals in the direction A2. Although detailed explanation is omitted, the medals to be dispensed are stored in a hopper, and are sent from the hopper to the large quantity dispenser 25b via a medal conveying path such as a rail.

[0042] [Mass release stage behavior] The mass release stage is a transition from the normal stage. In the normal stage, the medal pusher game can be played at all stations St1 to St6. The inclined surface 12, the lottery device 10, and the mass release device 25 rotate together around the central axis C12. This causes the model 25a to face each station St in turn. In addition, in the normal stage, the storage section 14 is controlled to an open state (see FIG. 3), and stores the ball 11. The first arm 17 and the second arm 18 are not driven to rotate, but are controlled to a stopped state.

[0043] When any station St transitions to the mass release stage, the control unit 96 performs processing for the mass release stage for that station St. The condition for transitioning to the mass release stage may be set to a predetermined number (e.g., seven) of balls 38 falling into the acquired holes 37 (see FIG. 8, etc.). In this case, the control unit 96 may count the number of balls 38 that have fallen based on the output of an optical sensor or the like (not shown) that detects the balls 38 that have fallen into the acquired holes 37. The mass release stage mainly includes ball launching, ball game, roulette lottery, and mass release processing, which are performed in this order. After the transition to the mass payout stage, the lottery device 10 and the mass payout device 25 are controlled by the control unit 96 as follows. Here, an example will be described in which station St1 transitions to the mass release stage.

[0044] (Ball launch) (1) The inclined surface 12 is rotated so that the direction A1 of the inclined surface 12 faces the station St1 side. This allows the player playing at station St1 to easily see area S12a. Furthermore, station St1 that has transitioned to a ball game can use this easily visible area to play the ball game.

[0045] (2) The ball 11 is placed at the launch position by controlling the container 14 to the closed state (see the area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). In this way, by deforming the container 14, the ball 11 can be placed at the launch position in an interesting manner. The ball launch position is located within the rotation range A17 of the first arm 17 (see FIG. 4).

[0046] (3) The first arm 17 is rotationally driven to launch the ball 11 (upward movement operation). The launch position of the ball 11 is a position where the first arm 17 launches the ball 11 to the left side X1. Therefore, the launched ball 11 moves clockwise while inscribed in the regulation rail 13. As a result, the ball 11 moves on the inclined surface 12 in a range from the direction A1 side (the lower side in the inclination direction) to the direction A2 side (the lower side in the inclination direction). The rotation speed of first arm 17 is faster than that during a ball game. Therefore, when ball 11 is launched, first arm 17 can reliably move ball 11 to the range on direction A2 side (upper side in the inclined direction) of inclined surface 12.

[0047] The ball 11 moves further clockwise while inscribed in the regulating rail 13 or while moving away from the regulating rail 13 due to the action of gravity, and reaches the range of the area S12b. As a result, the ball 11 passes through the narrow passage S12c on the direction A2 side of the model stand 19, and then moves while rolling due to the action of gravity. In this way, the ball 11 can be moved around the model stand 19 when it is launched, so the manner in which the ball 11 moves is interesting.

[0048] (4) When first arm 17 launches ball 11, second arm 18 is positioned at a position removed from the path of travel of ball 11 immediately after launch. This allows ball 11 to move while inscribed in regulating rail 13 without being obstructed by second arm 18. Furthermore, first arm 17 can reliably move ball 11 above inclined surface 12. It should be noted that second arm 18 may be controlled to either a rotationally driven state or a stopped state, as long as it is placed in this retracted position.

[0049] (Ball game) When the shot of the ball 11 is completed, the processing of the ball game starts. The ball game is played by rotating the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 for a limited time (for example, 60 seconds), and ends when the ball 11 is received in the receiving section 14 even if the time limit has not yet been reached. (1) After the ball 11 has been shot, the container 14 is controlled to be in an open state (that is, the first opening / closing arm 14a and the second opening / closing arm 14b are placed in the open position). (2) After the ball is launched, the first arm 17 is driven to rotate at a constant rotational speed during the ball game. As mentioned above, this rotational speed is slower than the rotational speed at the time of launch. Similarly, the second arm 18 is driven to rotate at a constant rotational speed. The rotation speeds of the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 may be the same or different. In the embodiment, the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 rotate synchronously, or rotate irregularly, such as when only one arm stops temporarily (for example, for a few seconds).

[0050] (3) In response to the transition to the ball game, the display unit 21 displays a roulette screen (see FIG. 6).

[0051] (Movement of the ball 11 during the ball game) As described above, the shot ball 11 normally travels around the model stand 19 and moves to the right side X2 of the model stand 19. Since inclined surface 12 is inclined, ball 11 moves on inclined surface 12 in direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction) due to the action of gravity, and moves toward storage section 14. Furthermore, since storage section 14 is provided at the bottom of inclined surface 12, ball 11 moves toward storage section 14 by rolling while abutting against regulation rail 13 due to the action of gravity. However, the inclined surface 12 is provided with a first arm 17 and a second arm 18 that are rotationally driven in addition to the scattered protrusions 15 and the obstructing protrusions 16. Therefore, the ball 11 on the inclined surface 12 does not move simply due to the action of gravity, but moves very irregularly.

[0052] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the movement of the ball 11 during the ball game of the first embodiment. A typical example of the movement of the ball 11 will be described. Movement mode in Figure 7(A) The ball 11 that passes through the passage S12c immediately after being hit moves toward the direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction) in the area on the right side X2 of the inclined surface 12, and then moves toward the direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction) through the gaps S15 between the scattered protrusions 15 and the gaps between the scattered protrusions 15 and the obstruction protrusions 16 (see arrows a1, a2), or remains on the obstruction protrusion 16. For example, a ball 11 that abuts against the upright surface 15a of a dotted protrusion 15 may move from the gap S15 toward the direction A1 without being able to reach the adjacent dotted protrusion 15 or the obstructing protrusion 16. Furthermore, a ball 11 that reaches a dotted protrusion 15 may bounce off the upright surface 15a and reach the adjacent dotted protrusion 15. In this way, the direction of movement of the ball 11 after reaching the interspersed protrusions 15 is irregular. Furthermore, the game machine 1 can make the movement of the ball 11 more interesting by allowing the ball 11 to pass through or not pass through the gaps S15 between the scattered protrusions 15.

[0053] Movement mode in Figure 7(B) In the scene of Figure 7(A), if the ball 11 does not move in direction A1 (downward in the inclined direction), the ball 11 will oscillate in the left-right direction X on the obstruction protrusion 16 (see arrow b1) or will remain on the obstruction protrusion 16. When viewed from the upper side Z2, the rotation range A17 of the first arm 17 and the obstructing protrusion 16 overlap, and similarly, the rotation range A18 of the second arm 18 and the obstructing protrusion 16 overlap. Therefore, the ball 11 swinging on the obstructing protrusion 16 comes into contact with the first arm 17 or the second arm 18. Since the outer shape of the obstruction protrusion 16 is curved so as to bulge in direction A1 (downward in the tilt direction), the ball 11 swinging on the obstruction protrusion 16 is guided to the most bulging position of the obstruction protrusion 16 (the position shown in FIG. 7(B)) and tries to stop. The ball 11 positioned at this position and the rotation range A17 of the first arm 17 overlap. Therefore, the ball 11 guided onto the obstruction protrusion 16 always comes into contact with the first arm 17 or the second arm 18 and is moved in an irregular direction (such as the arrow b2). Therefore, the ball 11 is not left on the obstruction protrusion 16.

[0054] Figures 7(C) to 7(E) show an example in which, when the ball 11 is positioned in direction A1 (downward in the inclined direction) relative to the obstructing protrusions 16 and the scattered protrusions 15 and is moving toward the storage section 14, the ball 11 is again moved in direction A2 (upward in the inclined direction) relative to the obstructing protrusions 16 and the scattered protrusions 15. Movement mode in Figure 7(C) Ball 11 traveling along inclined surface 12 in direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction) may go over obstructing protrusion 16 in direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction) if the moving speed is high. That is, the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 rotate and move in the space Z2 above the obstruction protrusion 16. Furthermore, the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 hit the ball 11 from the lateral direction (the AX plane direction) toward the center of the ball 11. For this reason, the height of the obstruction protrusion 16 from the inclined surface 12 needs to be lower than the installation height of the first arm 17 and the second arm 18, and is set to be equal to or less than the radius of the ball 11. As a result, depending on the speed and direction of movement of the ball 11 when it reaches the obstruction projection 16, the ball 11 may or may not be able to get over the obstruction projection 16. Although not shown in the drawings, the ball 11 may also climb over the scattered protrusions 15 in the same manner. In this way, the obstructing protrusions 16 and the scattered protrusions 15 are set to a height that allows the ball 11 to climb over the obstructing protrusions 16 when the ball 11 is moving at a high speed.

[0055] If ball 11 can get over obstructing protrusion 16, etc., it is more likely to be accommodated in accommodation section 14. On the other hand, if ball 11 cannot get over obstructing protrusion 16 (such as in FIG. 7(B)), ball 11 must first move away from obstructing protrusion 16 by abutting against first arm 17 or second arm 18 in order to be accommodated in accommodation section 14. In this way, obstructing protrusion 16 prevents ball 11 from being accommodated in accommodation section 14, and first arm 17 or second arm 18 can move ball 11, which has been obstructed by obstructing protrusion 16, in a direction away from obstructing protrusion 16. In this case, ball 11 can move in direction A2 (upward in the inclination direction), and then move again in a rolling manner down inclined surface 12 toward direction A1 (downward in the inclination direction).

[0056] When the ball 11 passes over the gap S15 between the scattered protrusions 15 or the obstructing protrusion 16, it rolls down the inclined surface 12 or moves along the regulating rail 13 toward the storage section 14. The first arm 17 or the second arm 18 is provided near the storage portion 14 and on the direction A2 side (upper side in the tilt direction) relative to the storage portion 14. Therefore, first arm 17 or second arm 18 can abut against ball 11 moving toward container 14, thereby preventing ball 11 from entering container 14. The direction of movement of ball 11 after abutting against first arm 17 or second arm 18 is determined by the direction and position of ball 11 just before the abutment, the rotation angle of first arm 17 and second arm 18, the abutment position, etc. Therefore, first arm 17 and second arm 18 can move ball 11 in irregular directions that are difficult for a player to predict.

[0057] In this way, ball 11 abuts against first arm 17 and second arm 18 not only when it is located on the direction A2 side (upper side in the tilt direction) of obstruction protrusion 16, but also when it is located on the direction A1 side (lower side in the tilt direction) of obstruction protrusion 16. This allows first arm 17 and second arm 18 to move ball 11 even when ball 11 is located on the direction A1 side (lower side in the tilt direction) of obstruction protrusion 16.

[0058] When the ball 11 comes into contact with the first arm 17, it is in a state where it is likely to move clockwise along the regulating rail 13 (see arrow c1). Thereafter, depending on the moving speed, the ball 11 may pass through the passage S12c (see arrow c2) as when it is hit (see FIG. 4), or if it cannot reach the passage S12c, it may move from the middle of the inclined surface 12 toward the direction A1 (downward in the inclined direction) (see arrow c3).

[0059] Movement pattern shown in Figure 7(D) When the ball 11 comes into contact with the second arm 18 near the housing portion 14, the ball 11 is in a state where it is likely to move counterclockwise along the regulating rail 13 (see arrow d1), for example. Thereafter, if the ball 11 has a speed sufficient to go over the interspersed protrusions 15A, it can go over the interspersed protrusions 15A (see arrow d2). The interspersed protrusions 15A have slopes 15b, so that the ball 11 moving along the regulating rail 13 can easily go over them. Furthermore, although the ball 11 that has gone over them moves toward direction A2, it is difficult to predict the exact direction. That is, in this embodiment, taking advantage of the property that ball 11 easily moves along regulating rail 13, scattered protrusions 15A are arranged on the movement path of this ball 11. In addition, scattered protrusions 15A are formed in a shape that allows ball 11 moving in direction A2 to easily get over, and can make the moving direction of ball 11 that has gotten over irregular.

[0060] When ball 11 does not move along regulating rail 13, it may move toward other scattered protrusions 15B-15D. Even in such a case, ball 11 can easily get over other scattered protrusions 15B-15D due to slope 15b (see arrow d3, etc.). Furthermore, because obstruction protrusion 16 also has a slope, ball 11 can get over obstruction protrusion 16 in the same way as scattered protrusion 15 (see arrow d4).

[0061] Even if the ball 11 does not climb over the interspersed protrusions 15, it may pass through the gap S15 and move toward the direction A2 side (upward in the inclined direction) of the interspersed protrusions 15 (see arrow d5, etc.). Because the scattered protrusions 15 are arranged in an inverted triangular shape, the opening of the gap S15 is large on the direction A1 side (downward in the direction of inclination). Furthermore, the ball 11 is guided in the direction A2 side (upward in the direction of inclination) by the sides of the scattered protrusions 15. Therefore, the ball 11 can easily move in the direction A2 side (upward in the direction of inclination) through the gap S15. Although not shown in the drawings, the ball 11 also tends to move in the direction A2 through the gaps between the interspersed protrusions 15 and the obstructing protrusions 16 in the same manner.

[0062] Movement mode of Figure 7(E) When ball 11 comes into contact with first arm 17 and second arm 18 while positioned approximately midway between first arm 17 and second arm 18, ball 11 moves so as to be lifted in direction A2 (upward in the inclined direction) by first arm 17 and second arm 18. This allows ball 11 to get over obstructing protrusion 16 in direction A2 (upward in the inclined direction). After that, ball 11 moves away from obstructing protrusion 16 by coming into contact with first arm 17, etc.

[0063] As explained above with reference to Figure 7 etc., the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 perform an operation (irregular movement operation) that changes the movement direction of the ball 11 in an irregular direction by abutting against the ball 11 moving on the inclined surface 12. Furthermore, the rotation speed of the first arm 17 during the ball game is slower than when the ball is launched, so the player can carefully observe how the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 come into contact with the ball 11 and move, and enjoy the ball game.

[0064] (4) When the ball 11 is received in the receiving portion 14 (see FIG. 3, etc.), the ball detecting portion 14c outputs the detection information of the ball 11 to the control portion 96. If the ball 11 is contained within the time limit, the control unit 96 stops the rotation of the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 at that point. If ball 11 is not contained within the time limit, control unit 96 stops the rotation of first arm 17 and second arm 18 as the time limit elapses. This allows ball 11 to move toward and be contained in container 14 without being obstructed by first arm 17 and second arm 18. The control unit 96 may slow down the rotation speed of the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 as the time limit elapses, thereby making it easier for the ball 11 to be received in the receiving unit 14. The control unit 96 may also control the rotation so that the distance between the first arm 17 and the second arm 18 becomes wider, making it easier for the ball 11 to be received in the receiving unit 14. Here, if ball 11 is not accommodated in accommodation portion 14 even after a predetermined time (for example, within 10 seconds) has elapsed since first arm 17 and second arm 18 stopped, ball 11 may remain on obstruction protrusion 16. In such a case, control portion 96 may move ball 11 from on obstruction protrusion 16 by rotating first arm 17 several times. This completes the ball game using the inclined surface 12.

[0065] (Roulette lottery) The control unit 96 stops the rotation of the roulette 20a on the display unit 21 when it receives the output of the detection information of the ball 11. Then, the control unit 96 determines the symbol located at the top of the roulette 20a when the roulette 20a is stopped as the winning symbol. For example, when the roulette 20a is stopped in the scene shown in Figure 6(B), the winning symbol is the 150-coin symbol. In this way, the winning symbol is determined by the ball game at the timing when the ball 11 is received in the receiving portion 14. As described above, the movement of the ball 11 on the inclined surface 12 is irregular, and it is difficult for the player to predict the timing when the ball will be received in the receiving portion 14. This allows the gaming machine 1 to increase the player's excitement in the ball game and the roulette lottery. The control unit 96 may change the time limit, for example, when other stations Sr are waiting for the start of the game in the mass release stage, when it is before the store closes, or the like.

[0066] (Mass release of medals) (1) After determining the winning symbol, the control unit 96 rotates the inclined surface 12 180 degrees around the central axis C12, thereby orienting the head of the model 25a, i.e., the mass release port 25b, toward the station St1 (see FIG. 1, etc.). As a result, the direction A2 side of the inclined surface 12 faces the station St1. As a result, the normal direction of the inclined surface 12 faces away from station St1, and area S12a is positioned on the opposite side from station St1, but since the ball game has already ended, this does not hinder the progress of the game.

[0067] (2) The control unit 96 drives a medal delivery device (not shown) of a hopper storing medals, thereby discharging medals in the number corresponding to the winning symbol onto the pusher table of the station St1.

[0068] In this way, by arranging the model stand 19 eccentrically on the inclined surface 12, the game machine 1 can secure a large area for the main area S12a used in the ball game, and can face this main area S12a toward the station St1 during the ball game. This makes it possible to effectively use the limited space inside the game machine 1. Furthermore, when a large amount of medals are released, the model stand 19 moves closer to the station St, thereby shortening the medal transport path.

[0069] As described above, the gaming machine 1 can make the lottery using the ball 11 more interesting and the timing at which the winning symbol is determined difficult to predict. In addition, the gaming machine 1 can effectively utilize the internal space by installing the mass release device 25 on the inclined surface 12 and rotating this.

[0070] [Configuration of external medals M1 and internal medals M2 at each station St] The configuration regarding the external medals M1 and internal medals M2 at each station St (configuration regarding medal insertion, medal ejection, payout, medal circulation, etc.) will be explained. The medals M inserted by the player into the insertion slots 31L, 31R and paid out from the payout slot 39 and the medals M supplied to the pusher base 35 and used in the play areas F1 to F6 have different flows. In other words, the medals M that the player actually touches and the medals M that are used only inside the game machine are managed separately. In this explanation, in order to clearly distinguish between the two medals M, the former will also be referred to as the external medal M1 and the latter as the internal medal M2. The external medal M1 and the internal medal M2 may be of different types in terms of size, material, shape, etc., or may be of the same type. In the embodiment, an example will be described in which both are of the same type. Furthermore, the act of inserting and supplying the internal medals M2 from the ejection devices 34L, 34R of each station St to the pusher bases 35 of each of the play areas F1 to F6 is also referred to as "ejection" as appropriate.

[0071] FIG. 8 is a view of the pusher base 35 and the operation panel 2d and their vicinity in the station St1 of the first embodiment, as viewed from the upper side Z2. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the main configuration of the external medals M1 and internal medals M2 of the game machine 1 of the first embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the flow of the external medals M1 and internal medals M2. The configuration of station St1 will be mainly described below, but the other stations St2 to St6 also have the same configuration.

[0072] (Station St) Station St1 is equipped with a left insertion port 31L (external medal insertion portion), a right insertion port 31R (external medal insertion portion), a left lever 32L (first lever), a right lever 32R (second lever), a payout button 33, a left ejection device 34L (first medal ejection device, internal medal insertion portion), a right ejection device 34R (second medal ejection device, internal medal insertion portion), a pusher base 35, a left collection tube 36L, a right collection tube 36R, an acquisition hole 37, a payout port 39 (external medal payout portion), a left hopper 40L, a right hopper 40R, an external medal hopper 41 (external medal storage portion), and an internal medal hopper 42 (internal medal storage portion). The left insertion port 31L, left lever 32L, left injection device 34L, and left recovery barrel 36L are symmetrical to the right insertion port 31R, right lever 32R, right injection device 34R, and right recovery barrel 36R in the left-right direction X. The following mainly describes the configuration of the left side X1, and the description of the configuration of the right side X2 will be omitted where appropriate.

[0073] The left insertion slot 31L, the right insertion slot 31R, the left lever 32L, the right lever 32R, and the dispensing button 33 are provided on an operation panel 2d provided on the outer surface of the housing 2 on the front side Y1. The left slot 31L and left lever 32L are a pair of operation units provided on the left side X1 of the operation panel 2d, and the right slot 31R and right lever 32R are a pair of operation units provided on the right side X2 of the operation panel 2d. These two operation units may be operated by one player or two players. The payout button 33 is provided between the two operation units and is shared by the two operation units. In this way, station St1 is configured so that one player can play, or two players can share the play area F1. It should be noted that two payout buttons 33 may be provided on the left and right so that two players can operate each payout button 33.

[0074] The left insertion slot 31L is an insertion slot through which the player inserts the external medal M1. Inside the left insertion slot 31L, there is provided a detection unit 31a (optical sensor or the like) that detects the inserted external medal M1.

[0075] The left lever 32L is an operating part for operating the left injection device 34L and the mass discharge device 25. The left lever 32L is provided so as to protrude from the operation panel 2d. The left lever 32L can be tilted in each of the mutually different directions: left side X1 (first direction), right side X2 (second direction), front side Y1 (third direction), and rear side Y2 (third direction). The payout button 33 is a button that accepts an operation for paying out medals (described later) that the player has acquired to a payout port 39 as external medals M1.

[0076] The left ejection device 34L is a device that ejects the internal medal M2 onto the pusher base 35. The left ejection device 34L ejects the internal medal M2 into the play area F1 in response to the external medal M1 being inserted into the left insertion port 31L, the left lever 32L being operated, or a small win being won in the game. The left injection device 34L includes an injection tube 34a, an injection port 34b, and a motor 34c. The injection tube 34a is provided in the range of the back side Y2 of the side wall 34d that surrounds the play area F1, near the upper side of the reciprocating table 35a of the pusher base 35. The injection tube 34a is supported rotatably around an axis in the vertical direction Z. The ejection port 34b is a portion that actually ejects the internal medal M2. The ejection port 34b is provided at the tip of the ejection tube 34a.

[0077] The motor 34c is a drive unit that rotates the shooting cylinder 34a. When the shooting cylinder 34a is rotated by the motor 34c, the shooting direction of the internal medal M2 that is shot from the shooting opening 34b is changed. In response to tilting operation of the left lever 32L to the left side X1, the motor 34c rotates the injection tube 34a counterclockwise (a direction corresponding to the first direction) to change the injection direction to the rear side Y2. On the other hand, in response to tilting operation of the left lever 32L to the right side X2, the motor 34c rotates the injection tube 34a clockwise (a direction corresponding to the second direction) to change the injection direction to the front side Y1. This allows the player to change the position where the injected internal medal M2 is placed on the pusher base 35.

[0078] The range within which the ejection tube 34a can be rotated is set so that the ejection range A34 of the internal medal M2 ejected from the ejection port 34b (the range within which the ejected internal medal M2 is placed) is approximately the entire top surface of the reciprocating table 35a.

[0079] The pusher base 35 gradually moves the internal medals M2 placed on the reciprocating table 35a and the fixed table 35b toward the front side Y1 by the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating table 35a. The left collection barrel 36L and the right collection barrel 36R are provided on the left and right sides of the front edge of the fixed table 35b, respectively. The pusher base 35, the left collection barrel 36L, and the right collection barrel 36R will be described in detail later. The acquisition hole 37 is an opening in the center of the front edge of the fixed table 35b.

[0080] With this configuration, the internal medal M2 placed on the fixed table 35b moves to the front side Y1 and eventually falls into either the left collection tube 36L, the right collection tube 36R, or the acquisition hole 37. The left collection cylinder 36L and the right collection cylinder 36R are provided with a detection unit 36a (optical sensor or the like) that detects the dropped internal medals M2. Similarly, the acquisition hole 37 is provided with a detection unit 37a that detects the dropped internal medals M2. In the embodiment, the detection unit 36a is used to detect both the internal medals M2 that have fallen into the collection cylinders 36L and 36R, but the collection cylinders 36L and 36R may each be provided with an independent detection unit. The memory unit 95 stores the number of medals that have fallen into the medal holes 37 as the number of medals that have been won by the player. In this way, the medals that have been won and stored in the memory unit 95 are also called credit medals. The memory unit 95 also stores the number of medals that have fallen into the collection tubes 36L and 36R as the number of collected medals.

[0081] Furthermore, balls 38 are supplied onto the fixed table 35b from a ball supply device in accordance with the progress of the game. These balls 38 are game media different from the internal medals M2 and the balls 11 described above. The ball 38 rests directly on the fixed table 35b or rests on the internal medal M2 on the fixed table 35b. Therefore, when the internal medal M2 moves on the fixed table 35b, the ball 38 also moves on the fixed table 35b.

[0082] The payout opening 39 is a payout opening for paying out medals that the player has won in the game to the outside as external medals M1. The payout opening 39 is provided on the front side of the cabinet 2 (see FIG. 1).

[0083] The left hopper 40L is a container that stores the internal medals M2 that are ejected from the left ejection device 34L. The left hopper 40L is equipped with a ejection device 40a that ejects the internal medals M2 to the left ejection device 34L. Similarly, the right hopper 40R stores the internal medals M2 to be ejected from the right ejection device 34R, and includes a ejection device 40a for ejecting the internal medals M2 to the right ejection device 34R.

[0084] The external medal hopper 41 is a container that stores the external medals M1 inserted into the insertion ports 31L, 31R and the external medals M1 to be paid out to the payout port 39. The manager of the game machine 1 (a store clerk, etc.) can replenish or reduce the amount of external medals M1 in the external medal hopper 41 by opening and closing the maintenance opening 2h (see Figure 1). The external medal hopper 41 is provided with a delivery device 41a for delivering the external medals M1 to the payout port 39.

[0085] The internal medal hopper 42 is a container that stores internal medals M2 that have fallen from the fixed table 35b depending on the outcome of the game (i.e., internal medals that have moved outside the play area), and also stores internal medals M2 before they are stored in the left hopper 40L, right hopper 40R, and release hopper 43b. The internal medal hopper 42 is provided with a sending device 42a for sending the internal medals M2 to the left hopper 40L, the right hopper 40R, and the release hopper 43b. The sending device 42a may be configured so that one sending device selects and sends the internal medals M2 from the three hoppers 40L, 40R, and 43b, or may be configured with three devices corresponding to the three hoppers 40L, 40R, and 43b.

[0086] (Mass release device 25) The mass discharge device 25 includes a discharge hopper 43b and a motor 43c. The discharge hopper 43b is a container that stores the internal medals M2 to be discharged from the large-quantity discharge port 25b. Unlike the above-mentioned hoppers, the discharge hopper 43b is not provided for each station St, but only one is provided. In other words, the discharge hopper 43b is shared among all stations St1 to St6. The discharge hopper 43b is provided with a discharge device 43a for discharging the internal medals M2 to the mass discharge port 25b. Motor 43c is a drive device that rotates the head of model 25a around an axis in vertical direction Z. As a result, motor 43c rotates and drives large-volume discharge port 25b so that it reciprocates left and right (see direction X25b shown in FIG. 8).

[0087] When a large amount of internal medals M2 are being released, the large amount release port 25b is located approximately in the center of the pusher base 35 when viewed from the upper side Z2 (see Figure 8), and the height from the large amount release port 25b to the pusher base 35 is sufficiently high, for example, about 1 m. Therefore, the internal medals M2 released from the large-volume release port 25b are released so as to fall across the left-right direction X in a range approximately in the center of the depth direction Y on the pusher base 35. Furthermore, the internal medals M2 released onto the pusher base 35 may bounce on the pusher base 35. Therefore, the release range A25b of the internal medals M2 is approximately the entire top surface of the pusher base 35 (the reciprocating table 35a and the fixed table 35b). On the other hand, as described above, the injection range A34 of the injection units 34L and 34R is only above the reciprocating table 35a.

[0088] Here, the area above the fixed table 35b is the range of movement of the ball 38. Therefore, the area above the pusher base 35 where the release range A25b and the range of movement of the ball 38 overlap is almost the entire area above the fixed table 35b. Furthermore, in principle, there is no area where the injection range A34 and the range of movement of the ball 38 overlap. Therefore, the former range is wider than the latter range.

[0089] [External medal M1, internal medal M2 flow] While explaining how to play the game, the flow of the external medals M1 and internal medals M2 will be explained. (Supply of internal medals M2 to the pusher base 35 in response to medals inserted into the insertion slots 31L and 31R) When a player wants to eject the internal medal M2 onto the pusher base 35, the player tilts the left lever 32L in the left-right direction X (left side X1, right side X2) to determine the direction of the ejection port 34b and direct the external medal M1 to the left insertion port 31L. The control unit 96 controls the left ejection device 34L in response to tilting operation of the left lever 32L in the left-right direction X, thereby rotating the ejection tube 34a in the depth direction Y (front side Y1, back side Y2) and changing the orientation of the ejection port 34b, i.e., the ejection direction of the internal medals M2. In addition, the external medals M1 inserted into the left insertion port 31L are detected by the detection unit 31a and stored in the external medal hopper 41. The control unit 96 drives the ejection device 40a of the left hopper 40L in response to detection by the detection unit 31a. As a result, in response to the insertion of the external medals M1 into the left insertion port 31L, the control unit 96 supplies the internal medals M2 stored in the left hopper 40L from the ejection port 34b to the pusher base 35. In addition, the control unit 96 executes medal ejection without accepting tilting operation of the left lever 32L in the depth direction Y. Although detailed explanation will be omitted, similarly, the control unit 96 supplies the internal medals M2 stored in the right hopper 40R from the right ejection device 34R to the pusher base 35 in response to the insertion of the external medals M1 into the right insertion port 31R.

[0090] (Supplying internal medals M2 to the pusher base 35 by consuming acquired medals) As the game progresses, the internal medals M2 on the pusher base 35 fall into the acquisition holes 37 and the collection tubes 36L and 36R. The internal medals M2 that have fallen into the acquisition hole 37 are detected by the detection unit 37a and stored in the internal medal hopper 42. Each time the detection unit 37a detects an internal medal M2, that is, each time the detection unit 37a detects an internal medal M2, the control unit 96 counts the internal medals M2 that have fallen into the acquisition hole 37, and adds the number of acquired medals to the memory unit 95. Furthermore, even if an internal medal M2 has fallen into the acquisition hole 37, the control unit 96 does not pay out the external medals M1. Similarly, the control unit 96 counts the internal medals M2 that have fallen into the collection tubes 36L and 36R in accordance with the output of the detection unit 36a, and adds up the number of collected medals.

[0091] When the player wants to use the number of medals acquired to eject the internal medal M2 into the pusher base 35, the player tilts the left lever 32L in the left-right direction X (left side X1, right side X2) to determine the direction of the ejection port 34b, and then tilts the left lever 32L in the depth direction Y (rear side Y2 or front side Y1). The control unit 96 changes the insertion direction of the internal medals M2 of the left ejection device 34L in response to tilting operation of the left lever 32L in the left-right direction X, similar to the aforementioned insertion of the external medals M1. The control unit 96 consumes the acquired medals by subtracting the number of acquired medals in the memory unit 95 in response to tilting operation of the left lever 32L in the depth direction Y, and also supplies the internal medals M2 stored in the left hopper 40L from the ejection opening 34b to the pusher base 35, similar to the aforementioned insertion of the external medals M1. Note that while the left lever 32L is continuously tilted in the depth direction Y, the control unit 96 continuously supplies the multiple internal medals M2 one by one to the pusher base 35.

[0092] Although detailed explanation will be omitted, similarly, the control unit 96 controls the right ejection device 34R in response to tilting operation of the right lever 32R in the left-right direction X and the depth direction Y, and also supplies the internal medals M2 stored in the right hopper 40R to the pusher base 35. The medals acquired at station St1 are not distinguished between the left and right areas, and the memory unit 95 stores the total number of medals acquired at station St1. Therefore, regardless of whether the left lever 32L or the right lever 32R is operated, the control unit 96 consumes the medals acquired at station St1 and ejects internal medals M2 from the left ejection device 34L and the right ejection device 34R, respectively. In other words, the control unit 96 shares the number of medals acquired stored in the memory unit 95 for the internal medals M2 that are inserted into the play area F1 by the two ejection devices 34L and 34R in response to the operation of the levers 32L and 32R. In this embodiment, the control unit 96 is configured not to accept tilting operations of the levers 32L, 32R in diagonal directions in order to prevent erroneous operations such as inserting a medal while changing the orientation of the ejection opening 34b. However, without being limited to this, the control unit 96 may be configured to accept tilting operations in diagonal directions, thereby allowing insertion of a medal while changing the orientation of the ejection opening 34b.

[0093] (Payment of external medal M1) When the player wishes to end the game, he or she may operate the payout button 33. In response to the operation of the payout button 33, the control unit 96 controls the external medal hopper 41 to pay out to the payout port 39 the external medals M1 equivalent to the number of acquired medals stored in the memory unit 95. This allows the player to pay out to the outside the number of external medals M1 equal to the number of medals acquired in the game.

[0094] In this way, by inserting the external medal M1, which can actually be touched, into the insertion slots 31L, 31R, the player can play with the feeling that they are inserting the medal directly into the play area F, just like in the conventional game.

[0095] Furthermore, the player can play by consuming medals acquired in the game by operating the levers 32L, 32R in the depth direction Y. Therefore, when the player has used up all of the external medals M1, the player can play by consuming the medals acquired up to that point. In this case, the player can change the shooting direction of the left shooting device 34L and execute shooting by operating the left lever 32L with only the left hand. Similarly, the player can change the shooting direction of the right shooting device 34R and execute shooting by operating the right lever 32R with only the right hand. This allows the player to operate both the left shooting device 34L and the right shooting device 34R simultaneously by operating the levers with both hands, and can play while sharing and consuming acquired medals between both shooting devices. In this way, the game machine 1 is far easier to operate than conventional game machines.

[0096] (Internal medal M2 circulation) The control unit 96 controls the sending device 42a to send out the internal medals M2 that have fallen into the acquisition hole 37 and collection tubes 36L, 36R and stored in the internal medal hopper 42, by distributing them to the left hopper 40L, the right hopper 40R and the release hopper 43b. The internal medal hopper 42 can accommodate the largest number of medals, for example, several hundred medals. The control unit 96 sends medals to the left hopper 40L, the right hopper 40R, and the release hopper 43b as needed. The internal medal M2 is ejected from the left ejection device 34L when the player inserts a medal into the left insertion slot 31L or operates the left lever 32L. Similarly, the internal medal M2 is ejected from the right ejection device 34R when the player inserts a medal into the right insertion slot 31R or operates the right lever 32R. In addition, when a small jackpot is won in the game, the internal medal M2 is also ejected from the ejection devices 34L, 34R. For this reason, the control unit 96 controls the discharge device 42a of the internal medal hopper 42 so that the left hopper 40L and the right hopper 40R each contain, for example, approximately 100 internal medals M2, which is the quantity required to be inserted from the left discharge device 34L and the right discharge device 34R.

[0097] On the other hand, the control unit 96 does not store the internal medals M2 in the release hopper 43b during the normal stage. The control unit 96 controls the internal medals M2 of each station St to be sent to the release hopper 43b only when a mass release process is performed at each station St that has transitioned from stations St1 to St6 to the mass release stage as the game progresses (i.e., each station St that has been determined to perform a mass release). For example, when station St1 transitions to the mass release stage and performs mass release processing, the control unit 96 sends out the number of internal medals M2 won in the roulette lottery from the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1 to the release hopper 43b. Also, the control unit 96 does not drive the internal medal hoppers 42 of stations St2 to St6 other than station St1, and does not send out the internal medals M2 from these internal medal hoppers 42 to the release hopper 43b. Then, the control unit 96 further controls the release hopper 43b to supply the internal medals M2 sent to the release hopper 43b from the mass release port 25b to the pusher base 35 of station St1. For this reason, in the mass release process of station St1, only the internal medals M2 of the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1 are used, and the internal medals M2 of the internal medal hoppers 42 of the other stations St2 to St6 are not used.

[0098] In this way, the internal medals M2 of each station St are completely separated from the flow path of the external medals M1, and are not mixed with the internal medals M2 of other stations St. For this reason, the internal medals M2 of each station St do not move from each station St to other stations St, but circulate only within each station St. Therefore, the number of internal medals M2 held by each station St remains constant and does not change even as the game progresses. This makes it possible to prevent a shortage of internal medals M2 (so-called medal shortage) at each station St. In addition, the manager of the game machine 1 only needs to pay attention to the excess or deficiency of the quantity of external medals M1 and replenish or reduce the quantity, making medal management easy.

[0099] (Operation of the large-volume discharge port 25b during large-volume discharge) When a large amount of medals is to be released at each station St, the control unit 96 does not accept the operation of the ejection devices 34L, 34R by the levers 32L, 32R of that station St. In other words, even if the levers 32L, 32R are tilted, the control unit 96 is not subject to control over the change in the ejection direction of the internal medals M2 by the ejection devices 34L, 34R and the execution of the ejection. When a large amount of medals is to be released at each station St, the control unit 96 changes the orientation of the large amount of medals release port 25b by controlling the motor 43c in response to the operation of the levers 32L, 32R in the left-right direction X. As a result, the control unit 96 changes the release direction of the large amount of internal medals M2 to the left-right direction X (see direction X25b shown in FIG. 8). In this case, when both levers 32L and 32R are operated, the control unit 96 may, for example, follow the operation of the lever that was operated last.

[0100] When the levers 32L, 32R are tilted to the left X1, the control unit 96 accepts this operation and moves the large-volume discharge port 25b to the left X1. When the levers 32L, 32R are tilted to the right X2, the control unit 96 accepts this operation and moves the injection port 34b to the right X2.

[0101] In this way, in response to the mass release device 25 releasing the internal medals M2 into the play area F1, the control unit 96 switches the operation target of the lever operation from the ejection devices 34L, 34R to the mass release device 25. This allows the levers 32L, 32R to be used as both an operation device for the ejection devices 34L, 34R and an operation device for the mass release device 25. Furthermore, the control unit 96 can change the direction in which the internal medals M2 are released into the play area F1 by the mass release device 25 by accepting only the lever operation of the station St that performs mass release.

[0102] During the mass release, the player can control the release direction of the internal medals M2 from the mass release device 25, and can therefore control the position on the pusher base 35 at which the internal medals M2 are released. A ball 38 is placed on the fixed table 35b. Therefore, by manipulating the release direction of the internal medal M2, the player can play in such a way that the internal medal M2 hits the ball 38. The ball 38 moves on the fixed table 35b when it hits the released internal medal M2. In addition, the release range A25b of the internal medal M2 includes the entire surface of the fixed table 35b, which is the movement range of the ball 38, so this is an opportunity for the player to move the ball 38 advantageously. In addition, if a ball 38 falls into a winning hole 37 during a mass release, the player may be given a benefit such as processing that two balls 38 fall in response to the fall of one ball 38.

[0103] In other words, during the normal stage, the internal medals M2 ejected from the ejection devices 34L, 34R cannot directly hit the ball 38. During the normal stage, the internal medals M2 move in accordance with the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating table 35a, and the ball 38 moves little by little on the fixed table 35b in accordance with the movement of the internal medals M2. On the other hand, during mass release, the internal medals M2 from the mass release device 25 can hit the ball 38 directly, allowing the ball 38 to move a large distance. Also, since the release range A25b is the entire surface of the fixed table 35b, if the internal medals M2 hit the ball 38 so that the ball 38 moves to the near side Y1, the ball 38 can be moved in the direction of the winning hole 37.

[0104] When the mass release stage of station St1 ends, the control unit 96 transitions to the normal stage and resumes the normal stage. Accordingly, the control unit 96 switches the operation target of the lever operation of station St1 back from the mass release device 25 to the injection devices 34L and 34R. The injection devices 34L and 34R are not controlled during the mass release stage. Therefore, when the normal stage resumes, the state before the transition to the mass release stage is maintained, and the injection direction is maintained. Therefore, when the normal stage is resumed, the player can eject the internal medals M2 in the direction he or she aimed before the large amount of medals are ejected.

[0105] [Configuration related to the pusher base 35 and the collection tube 36] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of the collecting barrel 36 of the first embodiment, as viewed from the rear side Y2. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the tube body 55 of the collecting tube 36 of the first embodiment. FIG. 11(A) is a view of the tube main body 55 as seen from the upper side Z2. FIG. 11(B) is a cross-sectional view (BB cross-sectional view) of the cylindrical main body 55 as seen from the right side X2. FIG. 11(C) is a right side view of the cylindrical main body 55. FIG. FIG. 11(D) is a view of the tube main body 55 as seen from the back side Y2. FIG. 11(E) is a perspective view of the cylindrical main body 55. FIG. FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration in the vicinity of the collecting barrel 36 in the first embodiment when the collecting barrel 36 is placed in the inward rotation state and the outward rotation state. In FIG. 12, the ball guard 56 is omitted from the illustration in order to clearly explain the manner in which the medal M moves.

[0106] In the game machine 1, the configuration of the pusher base 35 and the two collection barrels 36L, 36R is approximately symmetrical in the left-right direction X. Below, the left collection barrel 36L on the left side X1 will be mainly described, and the collection barrels 36L, 36R will also be referred to as the collection barrel 36. The game machine 1 includes a pusher table 35, a collection tube 36 (a medal collection section), a surrounding wall 58, and a drive section 59. The pusher base 35 includes a reciprocating table 35a and a fixed table 35b. The upper surfaces of the reciprocating table 35a and the fixed table 35b are horizontal surfaces on which medals M can be movably placed. Side walls 34d are provided on the outsides of the reciprocating table 35a and the fixed table 35b in the left-right direction X (the direction perpendicular to the medal movement direction).

[0107] The reciprocating table 35a is driven by a drive unit (not shown) including a motor or the like so as to reciprocate on the fixed table 35b in the depth direction Y. In the state shown in Fig. 10, the reciprocating table 35a is disposed on the frontmost side Y1. The medals M supplied onto the reciprocating table 35a from the ejection device 34 or the like come into contact with the rear wall 50 (see FIG. 1) as the reciprocating table 35a moves back and forth. As a result, the medals M placed on the reciprocating table 35a gradually move toward the front side Y1 like a chain reaction. As a result, some of the medals M fall from the inclined surface 35c on the front side Y1 onto the fixed table 35b.

[0108] The fixed table 35b is fixed to the cabinet 2. In the embodiment, the shape of the fixed table 35b as seen from the upper side Z2 is rectangular, but this may be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the game machine, etc. The medals M and the like that have fallen from the reciprocating table 35a are placed on the fixed table 35b. Furthermore, the medals M that have fallen from the reciprocating table 35a come into contact with the front wall of the reciprocating table 35a as the table 35a moves back and forth. As a result, the multiple medals M placed on the fixed table gradually move toward the front side Y1 (the medal movement direction) like a chain reaction. As a result, some of the multiple medals M fall from the front edge of the fixed table 35b into the acquisition holes 37 or are collected in the collection tube 36.

[0109] The fixed table 35b has notches 52 at the corners on the front side Y1 (that is, at both left and right ends of the front edge). The notch 52 is an arc-shaped cutout at a corner of the fixed table 35b. The radius of this arc is equal to the radius of the cylinder of the collecting tube 36. In this way, the shape of the notch 52 corresponds to the outer circumferential surface of the collecting tube 36. Therefore, the collection tube 36 and the fixed table 35b are arranged contiguously within the play area F1, and the collection tube 36 can be rotated without interfering with the fixed table 35b.

[0110] Unlike conventional gaming machines, the side wall 34d is not provided with a hole (also called a parent hole) for the medals M to fall into. Therefore, the medals M placed on the fixed table 35b near the side wall 34d are likely to move along the side wall 34d toward the near side Y1. As will be described later, the area on the fixed table 35b near the side wall 34d is an easy-movement area 61b (see FIG. 14(A)) where the medals M are likely to move. Furthermore, since the collection tube is provided so as to be continuous with the side wall d, the medals M moving along the side wall d in the vicinity of the side wall d can be efficiently guided to the collection tube .

[0111] A ball 38, which is a game medium different from the medal M, is supplied onto the fixed table 35b. The ball 38 moves on the fixed table 35b in accordance with the movement of the medal M on the fixed table 35b. The diameter of the ball 38 is larger than the diameter of the medal M.

[0112] The collection tube 36 is a member that collects the medals M that have moved on the fixed table 35b. The collection tubes 36 are arranged so that a portion of each is accommodated in the notch 52 of the fixed table 35b. That is, the two collection tubes 36 are provided at the front edge of the fixed table 35b, on the left side X1 and the right side X2 in the left-right direction X (orthogonal direction) (see FIG. 8). The collection tubes 36 are also provided on the front side Y1 of the side wall 34d so as to be continuous with the side wall 34d. The game machine 1 is not provided with any member for concealing the collection tube 36. Therefore, unlike the drop holes of conventional game machines, the collection tube 36 is exposed to the upper side Z2 within the play area F1 and is positioned so that it can be easily seen by the player. A ball guard 56 (ball movement suppression member) is fixed to the upper side Z2 of the collection barrel 36.

[0113] The shape of the tube body 55 of the collection tube 36 will be described with reference to Figure 11. In the description of the tube body 55, for convenience, the central axis C35 of the cylinder is set to the vertical direction Z, and the flat surface 55b is positioned facing the rear side Y2. 11 indicates the position in the vertical direction Z of the surface of the fixed table 35b in a state where the cylinder main body 55 is attached to the game machine 1. In FIG. The tube main body 55 has a shape in which a part of the upper part of the cylindrical member has been scraped off to have an opening 55j that opens toward the back side Y2. The hollow part of the cylinder also forms a collection hole 55h into which the medals M fall. The diameter of the collection hole 55h is larger than the diameter of the medals M.

[0114] The cylindrical body 55 includes a drop surface 55a, a flat surface 55b (easy drop surface), a raised surface 55c (hard drop surface), an upright surface 55d, an inner wall 55e, and a top surface 55f. The drop surface 55a guides the medals M that have moved from the flat surface 55b, the raised surface 55c, etc., to the collection hole 55h by sliding them down. The drop surface 55a is inclined downward Z1 as it approaches the collection hole 55h.

[0115] The flat surface 55b and the raised surface 55c are formed on the upper surface of the cylindrical main body 55. The flat surface 55b is formed on the outer edge of the cylindrical main body 55 and is a surface surrounded by the arcs and chords of the outer periphery of the cylindrical main body 55. The flat surface 55b is a plane and a horizontal surface. In the vertical direction Z, the flat surface 55b is disposed at the same position as the surface of the fixed table 35b. Furthermore, the outer edge of the flat surface 55b coincides with the table arrangement line 55i. The raised surfaces 55c are surfaces formed on the outer edge of the tube main body 55. The raised surfaces 55c are provided on the left and right outer sides of the flat surface 55b. The raised surface 55c is formed so as to extend from the table arrangement line 55i toward the recovery hole 55h (i.e., toward the central axis C35 of the cylinder) to the upper side Z2 (i.e., so as to protrude above the surface of the fixed table 35b to the upper side Z2).

[0116] The upright surface 55d is a wall surface extending from the side portion on the front side Y1 of the raised surface 55c to the top surface 55f. The upright surface 55d is a surface that is substantially parallel to the vertical plane (XZ plane). The inner walls 55e are side walls extending from the outer left and right sides of the falling surface 55a to the raised surface 55c. Top surface 55f is a surface that forms the uppermost part of tube main body 55. Top surface 55f is a horizontal surface.

[0117] 12, when the collection tube 36 is attached to the game machine 1, the flat surface 55b is disposed so as to be continuous with the surface of the fixed table 35b. Furthermore, the flat surface 55b forms a surface that is continuous with the collection hole 55h without protruding from the surface of the fixed table 35b. Therefore, the flat surface 55b can easily guide the medals M that have moved along the fixed table 35b into the collection hole 55h, that is, can constitute a portion that makes it easy to collect the medals M. The raised surface 55c is continuous with the surface of the fixed table 35b and is arranged to form a surface that protrudes from the surface of the fixed table 35b. Therefore, the raised surface 55c makes it more difficult for the medals M that have moved on the fixed table 35b to be guided into the collection hole 55h than the flat surface 55b, and thus can form a portion that makes it more difficult to collect the medals M.

[0118] The portion where it is easy to collect the medals M (the easy-to-drop portion) may not be formed only by the flat surface 55b, but may be formed by a combination of the flat surface 55b and other surfaces. Similarly, the portion where it is difficult to collect the medals M (the difficult-to-drop portion) may be formed by a combination of the raised surface 55c and other surfaces.

[0119] 10, ball guard 56 is a member that prevents balls 38 on fixed table 35b from entering recovery hole 55h. Ball guard 56 is fixed to top surface 55f of tube main body 55. For this reason, ball guard 56 is positioned on upper side Z2 above flat surface 55b and raised surface 55c. Ball guard 56 is an annular plate material. When viewed from the upper side Z2, the outer diameter of ball guard 56 is equal to the outer diameter of tube main body 55. The height from fixed table 35b to ball guard 56 is smaller than the diameter of ball 38, and in this embodiment, this height is equal to the radius of ball 38. Ball 38 moving on fixed table 35b abuts against ball guard 56 before contacting tube main body 55. As a result, ball guard 56 can prevent ball 38 from reaching flat surface 55b and raised surface 55c.

[0120] The diameter of the inner diameter portion of the ball guard 56 is larger than the diameter of the medal M. Here, for example, when a large amount of medals M are released, the medals M may bounce off the pusher base 35 and fall from the upper side Z2 toward the collection tube 36. Such medals M pass through the inner diameter portion of the ball guard 56 and fall into the collection hole 55h. In this way, the ball guard 56 can prevent the ball 38 from reaching the tube main body 55, and also allows the medal M to pass through even if it moves in an unusual manner.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 10, a ball guide plate 57 is provided on the side wall d to guide the ball on the pusher base 35 so that the ball does not move in the direction of the collection tube . The ball guide plates 57 are provided so as to protrude inwardly from the side walls 34d on the left and right. However, to ensure that the ball 38 does not reach the collection receptacle 36, it is necessary to make the ball guide plate 57 larger and to install the ball guide plate 57 close to the collection receptacle 36. In this case, the ball guide plate 57 will hide many of the medals M on the fixed table 35b, and it will be difficult to observe the movement of the medals M near the collection receptacle 36. For this reason, the game machine 1 is configured so that the ball 38 may reach the collection receptacle 36 even if the ball guide plate 57 is provided.

[0122] The surrounding wall 58 is a wall portion that surrounds the front side Y1 and left and right outer portions of the collecting tube 36. In the left-right direction X, a back portion 58a of the surrounding wall 58 is located between the collecting tube 36 and the fixed table 35b. The drive unit 59 is a device that rotates the collection tube 36 around an axis in the vertical direction Z, and includes, for example, a motor. The collection tube 36 is driven by the drive unit 59 to rotate back and forth around the central axis C35 within a range of approximately 90 degrees.

[0123] Therefore, in the depth direction Y, the part of the collection tube 36 that continues to the notch 52 of the fixed table 35b (i.e., the edge of the leading edge of the fixed table 35b in the medal movement direction) changes between the flat surface 55b and the raised surface 55c. As a result, the state of ease of dropping the medal M changes between an easy drop state (state of FIG. 12(A)) and a difficult drop state (state of FIG. 12(B)).

[0124] (The movement of Medal M that reached Collection Cylinder 36) As shown in FIG. 12(A), in the easy-drop state, the portion of the opening 55j where the flat surface 55b is formed is positioned so as to face the rear side Y2, and is therefore positioned so as to face the medals M moving on the fixed table 35b to the front side Y1. In addition, in the left-right direction X, the outer end 55k (shown by a black circle) of the flat surface 55b is positioned at the same position as the side wall 34d. Therefore, the medals M moving on the fixed table 35b are likely to move onto the flat surface 55b. As a result, in the easy-drop state, the medals M on the fixed table 35b are likely to be collected into the collection tube 36.

[0125] As shown in Figure 12 (B), in the difficult-to-drop state, the flat surface 55b is arranged to face the right side X2 (inner side on the left and right). Therefore, the part of the opening 55j where the flat surface 55b is formed is arranged to face the right side X2 (i.e., the direction perpendicular to the front side Y1, which is the direction of medal movement). Also, the part where the raised surface 55c is formed is arranged to face the back side Y2. Furthermore, a part 55m of the outer peripheral surface of the tube main body 55 is also arranged to face the back side Y2. Therefore, medals M moving on fixed table 35b tend to climb onto raised surface 55c or move along the bottom of raised surface 55c, and are therefore less likely to move onto flat surface 55b. Furthermore, medals M that come into contact with part 55m of the outer circumferential surface of tube body 55 cannot enter collection hole 55h. As a result, in the difficult-to-drop state, medals M on fixed table 35b are less likely to be collected into collection tube 36.

[0126] Here, the medals M that have reached the collection tube 36 are further moved by the collection tube 36 being driven to rotate. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the medals M are moved by the collection tube 36 in the first embodiment. The manner in which the medals M move is complex, as it depends on the number of medals M, the state of movement of the medals M accompanying the reciprocating movement of the reciprocating table 35a, etc. Fig. 13 shows a typical example of the manner in which the medals M move. As shown in FIG. 13(A), if a medal M positioned on the flat surface 55b in the easy-to-drop state moves further toward the front side Y1, it will fall into the collection hole 55h. However, when the collection barrel 36 rotates clockwise to change from this state to the difficult-to-drop state, the medal M may come into contact with the inner wall 55e. As shown in FIG. 13(B), this may cause the medal M to move inward as the collection barrel 36 rotates. Therefore, the medal M that the player expected to be collected in the collection barrel 36 may not be collected.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 13(C), when a medal M is in the easy-to-drop state and positioned on the raised surface 55c, if the collection barrel 36 rotates clockwise from this state, it will be returned to the fixed table 35b. However, when the collection barrel 36 rotates clockwise in the same manner as above, this medal M may become caught on the inner portion 58a of the surrounding wall 58. If the medal M rotates in this caught state, it may climb over the raised surface 55c and fall into the collection hole 55h, as shown in FIG. 13(D). Therefore, a medal M that the player expected not to be collected in the collection barrel 36 may actually be collected.

[0128] As shown in Figure 13(E), in the difficult-to-drop state, a medal M that has landed on the raised surface 55c temporarily remains in a state where it cannot fall into the collection hole 55h. When the collection tube 36 rotates counterclockwise to change from this state to the easy-to-drop state, as shown in Figure 13(F), the medal M that has landed on the raised surface 55c continues to rotate and may come into contact with the side wall 34d, move to the flat surface 55b, and then fall into the collection hole 55h. In this way, the manner in which the medal M falls into the collection hole 55h can be made more interesting.

[0129] Since the collection tube 36 is exposed, the player can enjoyably observe the movement of the medals M. The player can also observe the medals M passing through the inner diameter portion of the ball guard 56 and falling into the collection hole 55h.

[0130] (Operation after medal collection into collection tube 36) As described above, the medals M collected in the collection tube 36 are detected by the detection unit 36a (see FIG. 9). Here, as described above, the gaming machine 1 can efficiently guide the medals M on the fixed table 35b to the collection cylinder 36, so the opening area of ​​the collection hole 55h can be made smaller than the opening area of ​​the master hole of a conventional gaming machine. Therefore, the area through which the medals M collected in the collection cylinder 36 pass can be made smaller. This makes it easier for the detection unit 36a to detect the collected medals M.

[0131] The control unit 96 drives the ball supply device 70 in response to the output of the detection unit 36a to raise the balls 38 from the ball raising device 71. The ball supply device 70 supplies the balls 38 to the fixed table 35b, and the balls 38 then fall from the fixed table 35b into the capture holes 37, which leads to a transition to the mass release stage. In this way, unlike the parent pitfalls of conventional game machines, the game machine 1 of the embodiment is configured to make it easy to detect collected medals M and actively show the player how the medals M are collected. Therefore, in the game machine 1 of the embodiment, the collection tube 36 not only serves as a substitute for the parent pitfall, but also allows the collected medals M to be used in progressing through the game. Furthermore, in conventional game machines, a blindfold is provided on the pusher table to hide the main pitfall so that it is difficult for the player to know that medals are being collected and the amount collected. In contrast, the game machine 1 is configured to show that medals M are being collected, so this blindfold is unnecessary. This allows the game machine 1 to give the player a sense of security.

[0132] The rotation period of the collection cylinder 36 does not have to be constant. For example, the control unit 96 may calculate the payout rate based on the number of inserted medals and the number of paid-out medals, and change the rotation period of the collection cylinder 36 based on the calculation result. In this case, the control unit 96 can increase the payout rate by extending the time that the collection cylinder 36 is placed in the easy-to-drop state, and can also adjust the payout rate to be lower by extending the time that the collection cylinder 36 is placed in the difficult-to-drop state. Also, for example, when the reciprocating table 35a is moving to the near side Y1, the medals M on the fixed table 35b tend to move to the near side Y1. Therefore, when the reciprocating table 35a is moving to the near side Y1, the control unit 96 can increase the payout rate by controlling the collection cylinder 36 to be in an easy-to-drop state, or can adjust the payout rate to be lower by controlling the collection cylinder 36 to be in a difficult-to-drop state.

[0133] [Configuration Related to the Pusher Base 35 and Ball Supply Device 70] The configuration relating to the pusher base 35 and the ball supply device 70 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10, 14, 15, etc. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the pusher base 35 and the ball supply device 70 in the vicinity of the first embodiment. FIG. 14A is a view of the configuration in the vicinity of the fixed table 35b as viewed from the upper side Z2. Figure 14(B) is a diagram explaining the positional relationship of the fixed table 35b, side structure 65, ball descent device 73, ball supply port 75, etc. when viewed from the front side Y1, and corresponds to the BB cross-sectional view of Figure 14(A). FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the configuration in the vicinity of the fixed table 35b and the ball supply device 70 of the first embodiment, as viewed from the upper right. 15 shows a state in which the transparent cover 71e of the ball ascent device 71, the transparent cover 73e of the ball descent device 73, the blind cover 74e, etc. have been removed.

[0134] The game machine 1 includes, as components related to the ball 38, a fixed table 35b, a ball supply device 70 (ball supply unit), and the like. 10, the ball supply device 70 is provided on the side structure 65, which is located to the left of the fixed table 35b at X1. The side structure 65 is a structure located on the left side of the play area F1 at X1. The right side surface of the side structure 65 is the side wall 34d.

[0135] (Easy-to-move area 61 and difficult-to-move area 62 of fixed table 35b) As shown in FIG. 14, the fixed table 35b includes a plurality of screws 60 (resistance applying members). The screw 60 is fixed in a stepped hole in the fixed table 35b. The screw 60 is a type of screw whose head surface has a gently curved surface (i.e., a large radius of curvature), such as a truss screw or a bind screw. Only the upper part of the curved surface of the head of the screw 60 protrudes from the surface of the fixed table 35b. The edge of the curved surface is located at Z1 below the surface of the fixed table 35b, and the outer circumferential surface of the head is also located at Z1 below the surface of the fixed table 35b. Therefore, when the medal M moving on the fixed table 35b passes through the installation portion of the screw 60, it climbs onto the curved surface without getting caught on the outer peripheral surface of the head of the screw 60, thereby providing resistance that makes it difficult to move. During play, the screws 60 are covered by the medal M and cannot be seen, so the player does not feel uncomfortable.

[0136] The installation range for the screws 60 is an area approximately in the center of the fixed table 35b. The outline of the installation range for the screws 60 is an isosceles trapezoid with the upper base on the back side Y2 and the lower side on the front side Y1. Furthermore, within this isosceles trapezoidal area, there is a smaller isosceles trapezoidal area where no screws 60 are installed. On the surface of the fixed table 35b, the area inside the small isosceles trapezoid and the area outside the large isosceles trapezoid are easy-movement areas 61 in which the medals M can easily move. In the embodiment, the area within the small isosceles trapezoid of the easy movement area 61 is also referred to as the easy movement area 61a, and the area along the side wall 34d is also referred to as the easy movement area 61b. The ball stopping range (described later) is located in the easy movement area 61a. The area obtained by removing the small isosceles trapezoid from the large isosceles trapezoid becomes a difficult-to-move area 62 in which it is more difficult for the medal M to move than the easy-to-move area 61.

[0137] In the easy-movement area 61, the resistance to the movement of the medal M is low, so the movement speed of the medal M is fast. On the other hand, in the difficult-movement area 62, the resistance to the movement of the medal M is greater than in the easy-movement area 61, so the movement speed of the medal M is slower than in the easy-movement area 61. For this reason, the medal M is more likely to stagnate in the difficult-movement area 62 than in the easy-movement area 61. 14(B), for this reason, the height of the medals M loaded on the fixed table 35b is higher in the difficult-to-move area 62 and lower in the easy-to-move area 61. In addition, the surface shape on which the medals M are loaded is like a caldera, with a recess in the easy-to-move area 61a and the difficult-to-move area 62 protruding and surrounding the periphery.

[0138] (Ball supply device 70) 10 and 15, the ball supply device 70 is a device that supplies the balls 38 onto the fixed table 35b. The surface of the balls 38 may be made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge. The ball supply device 70 includes a ball lifting device 71 , a bridge rail 72 , a ball lowering device 73 (ball moving section), a deceleration section 74 , and a ball supply port 75 . The movement path of the balls 38 within the ball supply device 70 is in this order, that is, the balls 38 move from the ball lifting device 71 toward the ball supply port 75. The ball lifting device 71 side is the upstream side, and the ball supply port 75 is the downstream side.

[0139] (Ball lifting device 71) The ball lifting device 71 is a device for lifting the balls 38 from a ball container (not shown) that stores the balls 38 to the upper side Z2 of the side structure 65. The ball lifting device 71 is provided upstream of the ball lowering device 73 on the ball movement path. The ball lifting device 71 includes a lifting guide rail 71a, a spiral screw 71b, and a transparent cover 71e.

[0140] The ascending guide rail 71a is a member that guides the ascending ball 38. The ascending guide rail 71a has two rod-shaped members that extend from the ball container toward the upper side Z2. The upper portion of the ascending guide rail 71a is located above the side structure 65 in the upper side Z2, and is therefore exposed to the play area F1. The helical screw 71b includes a rod member and an ascending blade 71c (abutment portion) which is a helical blade attached to the periphery of the rod member. The direction of the central axis C71b of the helical screw 71b is the vertical direction Z. The helical screw 71b is driven to rotate around the central axis C71b. The transparent cover 71e (see FIG. 10) is a transparent cover that covers the spiral screw 71b from the outside. The transparent cover 71e prevents the medal M from entering the inside of the ball lifting device 71.

[0141] With the above configuration, the ball ascent device 71 can raise the ball 38 contained in the ball container along the ascent guide rail 71a while abutting against the ascent blades 71c of the spiral screw 71b by rotating the spiral screw 71b. The player can see the ball 38 rising in this manner through the transparent cover 71e. A detection unit (optical sensor or the like) is provided at the top of the ascending guide rail 71a (near the top end of the range in which the ball moves up and down) to detect the ascending ball 38. In response to the detection by the detection unit, the control unit 96 can confirm that the ball 38 has ascended to the top end of the ascending guide rail 71a and moved to the bridge rail 72.

[0142] (Bridge Rail 72) The bridge rail 72 is a rail that moves the ball 38, which has been raised by the ball ascent device 71, to the upper part of the ball descent device 73. The bridge rail 72 is formed from a plurality of rod-shaped members, and is inclined downward Z1 as it moves from the ball ascent device 71 toward the ball descent device 73. This allows the bridge rail 72 to move the ball 38 toward the ball descent device 73 while rolling under the action of gravity in a manner that is visible to the player.

[0143] (Ball descending device 73) The ball descending device 73 includes a descending blade 73c and a transparent cover 73e. The descending blade 73c is a spiral blade attached to the periphery of a rod member. The axial direction of the rod member is the vertical direction Z. The shape of the descending blade 73c is the same as the shape of the ascending blade 71c of the helical screw 71b, that is, the two have corresponding shapes. Unlike the helical screw 71b, the descending blade 73c is not driven to rotate. The upper structure of the descending blade 73c is located on the upper side Z2 above the side structure 65, while the lower structure is housed in the side structure 65. Transparent cover 73e (see FIG. 10) is a transparent cover that covers descending blade 73c from the outside and has a thin cylindrical shape.

[0144] With the above configuration, a spiral descent path 73d (ball descent path), which is a passage that changes spirally around the center of the rod member, is formed between the inner wall surface of transparent cover 73e and descent blade 73c. ​​Ball 38 in spiral descent path 73d abuts on descent blade 73c and the inner wall surface of transparent cover 73e, and while abutting on these, moves while accelerating due to the action of gravity. In this way, the ball descent device 73 receives the ball 38 that has moved from the bridge rail 72 and passes it through the spiral descent path 73d, causing the ball 38 to descend while rotating. Furthermore, because the ball 38 accelerates due to the action of gravity, the ball descent device 73 does not require a drive device equipped with a motor or the like, and can have a simple configuration.

[0145] The ball 38 passes through a spiral downward path 73d and is guided to the deceleration section 74. 15, the terminal end of the spiral downward path 73d is disposed so that the tangent direction faces substantially in the left-right direction X. The ball 38 moves from the terminal end of the spiral downward path 73d toward the right side X2, substantially parallel to the left-right direction X.

[0146] As described above, the ball 38 moves dynamically and interestingly as it spins and accelerates as it descends at high speed. The player can see the ball 38 through the transparent cover 73e at the part of the ball descent device 73 that protrudes from the side structure 65, making for an interesting observation. The ball ascent device 71 and the ball descent device 73 have spiral blades of similar shapes, and are installed as a pair, side by side in the depth direction Y, so that they stand upright on the side structure 65. This allows them to be neatly arranged within the play area F1, and also creates an aesthetically pleasing appearance.

[0147] (Deceleration part 74) The deceleration section 74 is the section from the end of the spiral descent path 73d to the ball supply port 75, and its main function is to decelerate the ball 38 that has accelerated to a high speed on the spiral descent path 73d. The speed reducer 74 is provided inside the side structure 65 . The structure of the speed reducer 74 is concealed by a concealing cover 74e (concealing portion) so that it is not exposed to the play area F1 (see FIG. 10). Therefore, the aesthetic appearance of the play area F1 is not marred. The concealing cover 74e forms part of the top surface of the side structure 65.

[0148] The deceleration portion 74 includes a deceleration projection 74a and an inclined surface 74b. The deceleration protrusion 74a is a member that comes into contact with the ball 38 moving from the spiral descent path 73d, thereby decelerating the ball 38. As described above, the ball 38 has been accelerated on the spiral descent path 73d, and its speed is too fast to be released onto the fixed table 35b as is. Therefore, the deceleration protrusion 74a decelerates the ball 38.

[0149] The deceleration protrusion 74a is disposed on the movement trajectory of the ball 38 that has moved from the spiral downward path 73d. The deceleration protrusion 74a is fixed so as to protrude toward the rear side Y2 from the front inner surface of the deceleration part 74. The deceleration protrusion 74a may be formed of an elastic material (for example, sponge, rubber, spring, etc.) so as to prevent damage to the ball 38.

[0150] The inclined surface 74b is part of the bottom surface of the deceleration section 74. The inclined surface 74b is a surface that leads to the ball supply port 75 and is located immediately inside the ball supply port 75. The inclined surface 74b is inclined so as to reach the lower side Z1 as it approaches the ball supply port 75, so that the medal M can slide down. Here, when a large amount of medals M are released, medals M that bounce off the pusher base 35 or the like may get inside the ball supply port 75. The inclined surface 74b allows the medals M that have gotten inside to slide down and be discharged from the ball supply port 75 onto the fixed table 35b.

[0151] (Ball supply port 75) The ball supply port 75 is provided in the side wall 34d and is an opening for discharging the balls 38 onto the fixed table 35b. As shown in FIG. 14(A), in the depth direction Y, the ball supply port 75 is disposed at the same position as the easy movement area 61a.

[0152] (Movement of the ball 38 coming out of the ball supply port 75) 14(B), the ball 38 proceeds from the end of the spiral downward path 73d toward the right side X2 and exits toward the right side X2 from the ball supply port 75. After dropping onto the fixed table 35b, the ball 38 moves while rolling toward the right side X2 and stops within the easy movement area 61a, or drops into the easy movement area 61a and stops. In other words, the size, material, etc. of the deceleration protrusions 74a are set so as to decelerate the moving speed of the ball 38 moving along the spiral descent path 73d to such an extent that the ball stopping range will be within the easy movement area 61a when the ball 38 is placed on the fixed table 35b. The settings of the deceleration protrusions 74a can be changed as appropriate depending on the characteristics of the game machine, such as the size of the ball 38 and the speed of the ball 38 when it leaves the spiral descent path 73d. When a prototype of the game machine 1 was actually produced, it was confirmed that providing the deceleration protrusion 74a had the effect of stopping the ball 38 coming out of the ball supply port 75 within the easy-movement area 61a. Furthermore, without the deceleration protrusion 74a, the ball 38 would reach the opposing wall of the side wall 34d on the left side X1 because it would be traveling at high speed due to the spiral downward path 73d.

[0153] The height H75 from the fixed table 35b to the ball supply port 75 is set so that the falling speed of the balls 38 is within the ball stopping range. The height H75 from the fixed table 35b to the bottom of the ball supply port 75 is, for example, 30 mm or more and 50 mm or less. That is, if the position of the ball supply port 75 is too high, the ball 38 will again become too fast due to the action of gravity. Also, if the ball 38 falls onto the medal M on the fixed table 35b while moving at too high a speed, it will bounce in too irregular a direction, making it difficult to move in the direction of the easy-movement area 61a. Also, if the position of the ball supply port 75 is too low, it will be more likely that the medal M that bounces off the fixed table 35b will enter the ball supply port 75, which is undesirable.

[0154] In this way, the game machine 1 of the embodiment can stop the ball 38 dispensed from the ball supply port 75 in the side wall 34d within the easy-movement area 61a, which is the target position according to the game specifications. Therefore, the game machine 1 does not need to provide a large arm, rail, or the like on the fixed table 35b to guide the ball 38. This prevents clutter from forming in the play area F1, which is the area for playing the game, and allows for a neat and tidy play area. 8, the mass release device 25 releases a large number of medals M from the upper side Z2 of the fixed table 35b into an area on the upper surface of the fixed table 35b that includes the ball stopping area. The game machine 1 of the embodiment does not require the above-mentioned arms, rails, etc., and therefore does not interfere with the mass release of medals M. In contrast, conventional game machines are equipped with the above-mentioned arms, rails, etc., which makes the play area F1 cluttered, and when a large number of medals M are released, the medals M hit the above-mentioned arms, rails, etc., causing a nuisance.

[0155] (Ball supply timing) In the embodiment, when the number of medals collected in the collection tubes 36L, 36R reaches a certain number (for example, about 100 medals), the control unit 96 rotates the helical screw 71b to supply one ball 38 onto the fixed table 35b. The display unit 21 may display the ratio of the collected amount to the certain number of medals M using a gauge or the like. Furthermore, the control unit 96 may be configured to play a game using the display unit 21 when the number of medals reaches a certain number, and supply balls on the condition that the player wins the game. However, the method of supplying the balls can be set appropriately according to the specifications of the game machine 1, and for example, the helical screw 71b may be rotated a certain angle each time a medal M is collected, so that the ball 38 in the ball ascent device 71 rises little by little. In addition, the ball lifting device 71 may lift the ball 38 to the top of the lifting guide rail 71a, and use a locking mechanism to prevent the ball 38 from moving to the bridge rail 72, and then release this locking mechanism when the ball is to be supplied to move the ball 38 to the bridge rail 72.

[0156] [Lottery process following chukka wins] The slot lottery process following a chukka win will be described with reference to FIG. 8, FIG. 16 to FIG. 18, and so on. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the lottery process following a chucker win in the first embodiment. 17 and 18 are diagrams illustrating the slot screen 80 of the display unit 21 during the slot lottery process of the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 8, when a medal M enters one of three chuckers 90R (first winning hole), 90G (second winning hole), and 90B (second winning hole) provided on the inclined surface 35c of the pusher base 35, the control unit 96 displays a slot screen 80 (see Fig. 17) on the display unit 21 (see Fig. 1) and performs a slot lottery process (profit awarding lottery process). In other words, the control unit 96 grants the player the right to execute a slot lottery in response to the chucker winning. In the embodiment, this right is also referred to as stock. The edges of the chukka 90 are colored red (R), green (G), and blue (B) to indicate the attributes of the chukka 90G. In the embodiment, these color attributes of the chukka 90 are also referred to as winning colors. Inside each chucker 90, a detection unit (optical sensor or the like) for detecting the medal M that has been won is provided.

[0157] Based on the outputs of these detection units, the control unit 96 can determine whether or not a medal M has entered into which chucker 90. If the result of the slot lottery is a win, the control unit 96 ejects and supplies a number of medals M according to the winning result from the ejection devices 34L, 34R onto the pusher base 35. The number of medals to be supplied is, for example, 50 medals when the variable symbol is "777", 30 medals when three of the same odd numbers other than "7" are lined up, and 10 medals when three of the same even numbers are lined up. When the medals M are supplied onto the pusher base 35, the medals M (M2) and balls 38 on the fixed table 35b tend to fall into the winning holes 37. Therefore, winning in the slot lottery process is beneficial for the player.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 17(A), the control unit 96 displays a slot screen 80 on the display unit 21 during a slot lottery. The slot screen 80 includes a variable display section 81, a stock display section 82, and a lottery execution stock display section 83. The variable display unit 81 displays the lottery results by varying the numbers 0 to 9 in three display areas. The winning combination of the slot lottery corresponds to the combination of these three numbers.

[0159] The stock display unit 82 displays information about the stocks owned by the player as stock figures 85 (85R, 85G, 85B). In this embodiment, the stock figures 85 are circular figures having colors corresponding to the winning colors. In Figures 17 and 18, the colors of the stock figures 85 are indicated by the letters "R, G, B" within the stock figures 85. The stock figures 85 are displayed in order of winning from left X1 to right X2, and the stock is drawn starting from the stock figure 85 located furthest to the left X1. In Figures 17 and 18, the order of acquisition of stocks corresponding to each stock figure 85 is indicated by sub-numbers. The stock display unit 82 displays up to 10 stock figures 85. The lottery execution stock display section 83 displays a stock graphic 85 of the stock for which a lottery is currently being executed.

[0160] For example, FIG. 17A shows a scene in which a slot lottery is being held after 10 stocks have been consumed, the stock corresponding to stock figure 85R-0. Therefore, the stock figure 85R-0 is displayed in the lottery execution stock display section 83. Also, the number of stock figures 85 displayed in the stock display section 82 has decreased from 10 to 9.

[0161] (Slot lottery process flow) The flow of the slot lottery process will be described using the game progress in FIGS. 17 and 18 as an example. 16, in S1, the control unit 96 determines whether or not the medal M has won a prize based on the output of the detection unit of the chucker 90. If the control unit 96 determines that a prize has been won (S1: YES), the process proceeds to S2, whereas if the control unit 96 determines that a prize has not been won (S1: NO), the process proceeds to S1a. In S1a, the control unit 96 determines whether or not the user has stock by referring to the memory unit 95. If the control unit 96 determines that the user has stock (S1a: YES), the control unit 96 proceeds to S5, whereas if the control unit 96 determines that the user does not have stock (S1a: NO), the control unit 96 repeats the process from S1.

[0162] In S2, the control unit 96 determines the winning probability information corresponding to each prize by executing a lottery for the winning probability information. The winning probability information is stored in the memory unit 95. The winning probability information is information on the winning probability used in the slot lottery (S5 described later). The winning probability information has, for example, three types of information: high probability, medium probability, and low probability. The higher the probability, the easier it is to win a role with a large number of medals supplied, and the lower the probability of losing, which is advantageous for the player.

[0163] In S3, the control unit 96 associates the winning color with the winning probability information determined in S2 and stores the associated color as stocks in the memory unit 95. As a result, for each win in the chucker 90, multiple stocks are stored in the memory unit 95 in the order of the wins. The maximum number of stocks in the memory unit 95 is 10, which is the number corresponding to the stock display unit 82, and the control unit 96 will not store 11 or more stocks in the memory unit 95. Therefore, even if the player wins a new prize when there are 10 stocks, it will not be beneficial to the player.

[0164] In S4, the control unit 96 displays the stock graphic 85 corresponding to the stock in response to storing the stock in the memory unit 95. As a result, the stock graphic 85 is displayed on the stock display unit 82 for each winning win in the chucker 90. Furthermore, by checking the stock graphic 85, the player can confirm that he or she has the stock (i.e., that the stock is stored in the memory unit 95) and the winning color of the stock.

[0165] In S5, the control unit 96 displays the stock graphic 85 arranged on the leftmost side X1 so as to move it to the lottery execution stock display unit 83, and also performs a slot lottery process for the stock corresponding to this stock graphic 85. In the slot lottery process, winning probability information (e.g., high probability) associated with the stock is used. Furthermore, the control unit 96 erases the stock for which the lottery has been performed from the memory unit 95. As a result, the stocks are consumed in the order of winning, and slot lottery processes corresponding to each stock are carried out in sequence. 17(B), the control unit 96 erases the stock figure 85R-0 used in the slot lottery from the lottery execution stock display unit 83 in response to displaying the lottery result on the variable display unit 81. This allows the player to check the information on the slots consumed for the slot lottery process.

[0166] In S6, the control unit 96 determines whether the result of the lottery in S5 was a win. If the result was a win (S6: YES), the control unit 96 proceeds to S7, but if the result was a non-win (S6: NO), the control unit 96 repeats the process from S1. In S7, the control unit 96 performs a winning process. That is, the control unit 96 controls the ejection devices 34L and 34R to supply the medals M corresponding to the winning number onto the pusher base 35.

[0167] In Figure 17 (B), 50 medals are won in the slot lottery for the stock (each first lottery right) corresponding to stock figure 85R-0 (first right display of each first lottery right), so the control unit 96 supplies 50 medals M onto the pusher base 35. In S8, the control unit 96 determines whether or not there is a stock (another first lottery right) of the same winning color as the stock won in S6 among the stocks stored by referring to the memory unit 95. If the control unit 96 determines that there is a stock of the same winning color (S8: YES), it proceeds to S9, but if it determines that there is no stock of the same winning color (S8: NO), it repeats the process from S1 to draw the lottery for the next stock slot.

[0168] In S9, the control unit 96 performs a combo process (lump-sum profit award process) for the stocks of the same winning color. The combo process is performed in the following order. (1) As shown in Figures 17(C) and 18(A), the stock figure 85R-3 in the stock display section 82 is moved to the lottery execution stock display section 83. In addition, the stock display section 82 moves the stock figure 85 displayed on the right side X2 of the stock figure 85R-3 so as to fill the space created by the movement of the stock figure 85R-3. Furthermore, the stock corresponding to the stock graphic 85R-3 is deleted from the storage unit 95. When this stock is deleted, the number of stocks in the storage unit 95 decreases, and the number of stocks that can be newly stored increases.

[0169] (2) "Stock Combo! 50 medals x 2" is displayed on the display unit 21, and the same winning process as in S7 is performed for the stock corresponding to the stock figure 85R-3 moved to the lottery execution stock display unit 83 in (1) above. That is, the ejection devices 34L and 34R are controlled to supply 50 medals M onto the pusher base 35, as in the scene in Figure 17(B). (3) When the medal supply is completed, the stock graphic 85R-3 is erased from the lottery execution stock display section 83.

[0170] In this way, when the lottery result for the stock graphic 85R-0 is a win, the control unit 96 processes it as a win without performing slot lottery processing for the stock graphic 85R-3. Furthermore, in this case, regardless of the winning probability information (for example, low probability) associated with the stock of stock graphic 85R-3, the control unit 96 supplies the same number of medals M as the lottery result for the stock of stock graphic 85R-0 onto the pusher base 35. In other words, even if there is winning probability information associated with the stock of stock graphic 85R-3, the medal supply process can be performed for the stock of stock graphic 85R-3 without using this information, by reflecting the lottery result for the stock of stock graphic 85R-0 in the stock of stock graphic 85R-3. Furthermore, by processing the display of stock graphic 85R-3 as described above in (1) to (3), the control unit 96 can inform the player that medals related to stock graphic 85R-3 have been supplied following stock graphic 85R-0.

[0171] (4) When the supply of medals for the stock graphic 85R-3 is completed, the control unit 96 again refers to the memory unit 95 to determine whether or not there is a stock of the same winning color as the stock won in S6. If the control unit 96 determines that there is a stock of the same winning color, it repeats the above processes (1) to (3) again.

[0172] In the example of Fig. 18(A), a stock figure 85R-8 of the same color as the stock figure 85R-0 is displayed, so the player has a stock of the same color as the stock won in S6. As shown in FIG. 18(B), the control unit 96 therefore processes the stock corresponding to the stock graphic 85R-8 in the same manner as in (1) to (3) above. In this way, in the combo process, if there are multiple stocks of the same winning color, the stock display, medal supply, etc. are performed sequentially, so it can be presented as if they are linked to the first winning.

[0173] (5) After the medal supply process for stock figure 85R-8, there is no stock of the same winning color as the stock won in S6. As shown in FIG. 18(C), the control unit 96 therefore repeats the process from S1 for the stock of the stock graphic 85G-1.

[0174] Although the above processing has been explained with respect to the stock resulting from the winning of the chucker 90R, the same processing is also performed with respect to the stock resulting from the winning of the chucker 90G and the chucker 90B.

[0175] In this way, when the result of the slot lottery is a winning stock, the gaming machine 1 processes the winning stocks of the same winning color as the winning stock as a winning stock all at once without having to re-draw the slot lottery, thereby saving playing time. In other words, in a form that does not perform batch processing, unlike the embodiment, if the time it takes for the slot to stop in one lottery process is, for example, 5 seconds, it will take an extra 10 seconds to process the stock figures 85R-3 and 85R-8 in the above example. Furthermore, even if the maximum number of stocks is 10, batch processing can leave a sufficient amount of stock remaining. This reduces the chances of losing a winning combination, which is beneficial to the player. Furthermore, the gaming machine 1 supplies medals M corresponding to multiple wins onto the pusher table 35 in response to a win in one slot lottery, thereby increasing the player's motivation to play.

[0176] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description and drawings, parts that perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above will be appropriately assigned the same reference numerals or the same reference numerals at the end (last two digits), and duplicate descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. In the second embodiment, the configuration relating to the movement of the internal medals M2 within the game machine 201 and the operation during the mass release stage will be mainly described.

[0177] 19 and 20 are diagrams illustrating the internal configuration of a game machine 201 according to the second embodiment. 19(A) and 19(B) are views seen from the left side X1, the front side Y1, and FIGS. 20(A) and 20(B) are views seen from the right side X2, the back side Y2. FIG. 21 shows the main configuration of the flow path of the internal medal M2 in the second embodiment, and is a diagram for explaining the flow of the internal medal M2. 19 and 20 show the following configuration. The main components related to the flow path of the internal medal M2 are illustrated, and other components are omitted from the illustration as appropriate. Although only station St1 of the multiple stations St1 to St6 is shown in the figure, the other stations St2 to St6 have the same configuration. The discharge port 25b (supply port) of the mass discharge device 25 faces the station St1 (the front side Y1), and is in a state where it is possible to discharge a large amount of medals M to the station St1.

[0178] In this embodiment, in the mass release stage (mass supply state), releasing medals M from the release port 25b of the mass release device 25 and supplying them to the play areas F1 to F6 (areas where medal games are played in which players insert medals to actually win medals), and ejecting medals M from the ejection device 34 and supplying them to the play areas are also referred to as payout, as appropriate. In addition, in this embodiment, the configuration is mainly related to the internal medal M2, so the internal medal M2 is also simply referred to as the medal M.

[0179] In the first embodiment described above, the number of acquired medals (medals M that have fallen into the acquisition holes 37) is counted based on the output of the sensor 37a (see FIG. 9), whereas in the game machine 201 of this embodiment, the number of acquired medals is counted by the acquisition hopper 237a. The number of acquired medals may be counted by either the sensor 37a or the acquisition hopper 237a. When the acquisition hopper 237a is used, it has the effect of being able to accurately count medals even if the space through which the medals M that have fallen into the acquisition holes 37 pass is large.

[0180] (Mass release device 25) As explained in the first embodiment, the mass release device 25 is used in common by multiple stations St1 to St6. The mass release device 25 supplies medals M in a quantity corresponding to the winning details to the play area of ​​a station St (mass supply play section) that has won a winning combination, that is, won the lottery to move to the mass release stage (mass supply state), among the multiple stations St1 to St6. In other words, the mass release device 25 is a device corresponding to the mass release stage.

[0181] The mass release device 25 includes a model 25a (presentation section), a receiving section 225, a release hopper 43b, and rails 226. These components (components within the two-dot chain lines shown in Figures 19(A) and 20(A)) are installed on the rotating frame 12b (see Figure 5), and rotate together as a unit when the rotating frame 12b is rotated around the central axis C12.

[0182] The model 25a includes a joint portion 251 and a discharge port reservoir portion 252 (supply port reservoir portion). The joints 251 are devices that rotatably connect the support 251b and the skeleton 251a, and between adjacent skeletons 251a (see arrow θ251 in Figure 20(A)), and also rotate the upper body of the model 25a in the vertical direction Z (i.e., around a horizontal axis). Although detailed description will be omitted, the joint portion 251 includes a motor, bearings, a spring, a cam mechanism, etc., and drives the model 25a by the driving force of the motor and the biasing force of the spring.

[0183] The discharge port reservoir 252 is provided inside the discharge port 25b. The discharge port storage section 252 includes a medal storage section 252a and an opening / closing section 252b. The discharge port storage section 252 is a container-shaped portion that opens to the outside (the front side Y1 in FIG. 19, etc.) in the radial direction (the radial direction of a circle centered on the central axis C12). The discharge port storage section 252 can store at least 100 medals M. The opening / closing unit 252b is a device that opens and closes the opening of the medal storage unit 252a. The opening / closing unit 252b is equipped with an opening / closing door, a motor, bearings, a spring, a cam mechanism, etc., and drives the opening / closing door to open and close by the driving force of the motor and the biasing force of the spring. As shown in Figure 19(A), the opening of the medal storage unit 252a is in a closed state when the opening / closing door is placed in a closed state, and in an open state when the opening / closing door is placed in an open state.

[0184] The receiving section 225 is a ramp that slopes from the outside to the inside in the radial direction to the lower side Z1. The tip of the receiving section 225 is located directly above the discharge hopper 43b. The receiving section 225 is provided so as to protrude in the same direction as the head of the model 25a. In other words, the receiving side of the receiving section 225 and the discharge port 25b of the model 25a are arranged so as to face the same direction from the central axis C12 (see Figure 19(A) etc.). The receiving section 225 rotates around the central axis C12 as the mass discharge device 25 rotates. As a result, the receiving unit 225 is disposed at a position where it can receive the medals M via the rail 245 of one station St among the plurality of stations St1 to St6. Furthermore, the rail 245 that receives the medals M among the plurality of rails 245 of the plurality of stations St1 to St6 is controlled so as to be changeable. As a result, the discharge port 25b of the mass discharge device 25 is disposed so as to face the direction of the station St where the receiving unit 225 receives the medals M.

[0185] The discharge hopper 43b is disposed in the center of the game machine 201 in the XY plane, that is, when viewed from the upper side Z2. The rail 226 is a delivery path that connects the discharge hopper 43b and the discharge port storage unit 252, and leads the medals M delivered from the discharge hopper 43b to the discharge port storage unit 252. The rail 226 includes a vertical rail 226a extending from the discharge hopper 43b to the upper side Z2, and an upper rail 226b disposed inside the upper body of the model 25a. The upper rail 226b is divided into multiple sections, and adjacent sections are rotatably connected by joints. This allows the upper rail 226b to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the upper body of the model 25a.

[0186] (Station St) The plurality of stations St1 to St6 are arranged at equal angular intervals around a vertical central axis C12 so as to surround the mass release device 25 (see FIG. 2). Each station St includes an ejection device 34 (34L, 34R) (medal insertion device), an ejection hopper 40 (insertion hopper), an internal medal hopper 42, rails 245, a sorting section 246, and sorting paths 247a, 247L, 247R.

[0187] In the embodiment, when there is no need to distinguish between the left hopper 40L and the right hopper 40R, or when the left hopper 40L and the right hopper 40R are described collectively, they may be referred to as "injection hopper 40" or "injection hopper 40L, 40R", etc. The injection hoppers 40L and 40R store the medals M to be supplied to the injection devices 34L and 34R, respectively, and also send the stored medals M to the injection devices 34L and 34R.

[0188] As described above, in the normal stage (normal play state, normal supply state), the ejection device 34 supplies the medals M stored in the ejection hopper 40 by ejecting (throwing) them one by one into the pusher base 35 in response to the player's lever operation. That is, the ejection device 34 changes the throwing direction of the internal medal M2 ejected from the ejection device 34 in accordance with the tilting operation of the lever 32 (32L, 32R) in the left-right direction (second direction). This changes the medal supply position from the ejection device 34 to the pusher base 35. Then, the ejection device 34 ejects the medal M toward the pusher base 35 in accordance with the tilting operation (medal insertion operation) of the lever 32 (32L, 32R) in the depth direction Y (first direction). However, even in the mass release stage, the ejection device 34 may supply medals M to the pusher base 35. Details will be described later.

[0189] The internal medal hopper 42 stores medals M to be supplied to the play area of ​​each station St, and sends the stored medals M to the rail 245. The internal medal hopper 42 stores the medals M that have moved outside the play area of ​​each station St. That is, medals M that fall from the pusher base 35 into the acquisition holes 37 are guided to the acquisition hopper 237a by the inclined path 37b (see FIG. 19). The acquisition hopper 237a sends the medals M to the internal medal hopper 42. The medals M that fall into the collection tubes 36L, 36R are each guided to the internal medal hopper 42 by the inclined path. Although not shown in FIGS. 19 to 21, medals M that fall into the chucker 90 (see FIG. 8) are also guided to the internal medal hopper 42. In this way, the internal medal hopper 42 temporarily stores all medals M that have moved outside the play area F1.

[0190] The rail 245 is a sending path that connects the internal medal hopper 42 and the sorting unit 246, and sends out the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 toward the sorting unit 246. Some of the medals M sent to the rail 245 are sent to the mass release device 25. The sorting section 246 is provided at the tip of the rail 245 (the tip on the opposite side to the internal medal hopper 42 side). The sorting unit 246 sorts the medals M stored in the internal medal hopper 42 so that the destination can be changed to one of the three members, the receiving unit 225 and the injection hoppers 40L, 40R. The sorted medals M slide down the sorting paths 247a, 247L, 247R due to the action of gravity. For this reason, the sorting unit 246 is positioned at a sufficient height (in this embodiment, at a position higher than the pusher base 35).

[0191] The sorting paths 247a, 247L, and 247R are paths for guiding the medals M sorted by the sorting unit 246 to the receiving unit 225 of the mass release device 25 and the injection hoppers 40L and 40R, respectively. Of these, the sorting path 247a is inclined downward Z1 as it approaches the back side Y2 (i.e., the inside of the game machine 201, the side where the mass release device 25 is arranged). Furthermore, when the receiving section 225 of the mass release device 25 faces the station St1 side, the leading end (the radially inner end on the mass release device 25 side) of the sorting path 247a is located directly above the rear end (the radially outer end) of the receiving section 225. As a result, the sorting path 247a allows the medals M to slide down and move to the side where the mass release device 25 is arranged, and then the medals M can be dropped into the receiving section 225 of the mass release device 25 and handed over.

[0192] With the above configuration, the control unit 96 can selectively send out medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to either the injection hoppers 40L, 40R or the receiving unit 225 by controlling the injection hopper 40, the internal medal hopper 42, and the sorting unit 246. In other words, the internal medal hopper 42 is controlled so as to selectively send out medals M to one of the injection hopper 40 and the receiving unit 225, rather than sending out medals M to all three at the same time. During the normal stage, the control unit 96 controls the internal medal hopper 42 and the distribution unit 246 to replenish the ejection hoppers 40L, 40R with medals M, and controls them to store 200 medals each, for a total of 400 medals M. On the other hand, during the normal stage, the control unit 96 does not distribute the medals M from the internal medal hopper 42 to the receiving unit 225. For this reason, during the normal stage, medals M are not basically stored inside the release hopper 43b. The details of the allocation process of medals M in the mass release stage will be described later.

[0193] [Mass Ejection Stage Operation] 22 and 23 are diagrams illustrating the operation of the mass release stage of the second embodiment. The operation of the game machine 201 differs depending on the total number of medals to be supplied to the play area in the mass payout stage. In the embodiment, the total number of medals to be supplied to the play area in the mass payout stage is also referred to as the planned number. FIG. 22 shows the operation when the planned number of sheets is less than 300, and FIG. 23 shows the operation when the planned number of sheets is 300 or more. 22 and 23 explain the operation of the mass release stage, including the model operation, the destinations to which medals M are distributed by the distribution unit 246, the device that pays out the medals M, and the object to be operated by the lever 32. In the figures, the parts indicated by thick lines are the devices in operation, the target devices, etc. An example in which station St1 among the plurality of stations St transitions from the normal stage to the large amount release stage will be described below.

[0194] As explained in the first embodiment, when it is determined that station St1 will transition to the mass release stage, the control unit 96 executes a ball game using the lottery device 10. In this case, the head of the model 25a, the receiving unit 225, is located on the opposite side of station St (see FIG. 4, etc.). Therefore, while the ball game is being executed, the mass release device 25 does not send out medals M from the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1, nor does it supply medals M to the play area F1 of station St1.

[0195] When the number of medals to be paid out at the station St1 (also referred to as the planned number in the embodiment) is determined by the ball game or roulette lottery (see FIG. 5), the control unit 96 performs processing on the medals M according to the planned number. As shown in Figures 22 and 23, the control unit 96 determines whether the result of the roulette lottery is less than the planned number of coins, 300, and performs different processing depending on whether the planned number of coins is less than 300 or 300 or more.

[0196] However, the operation for payout numbers of 0-99 (i.e., 0 to 99, and so on) is the same whether the planned number is less than 300 or 300 or more. In the following description, the reference numerals indicating the steps and operations in FIGS. 22 and 23 will be written in parentheses as appropriate.

[0197] (0-99 sheets: common operation) ·Mass release device 25 (#11a, #21a) In response to the determination of the transition to the mass payout stage of station St1, the control unit 96 restricts the lottery device 10 and the mass payout device 25, which are devices related to the mass payout stage, to process the mass payout stage of station St1. As a result, the devices related to the mass payout stage, such as the lottery device 10 and the mass payout device 25, are unable to process the other stations St2 to St6.

[0198] ·Model movement (♯12a,♯12b,♯22a,♯22b) The control unit 96 controls the drive unit 12d (see FIG. 5) to rotate the mass release device 25 by 180 degrees around the central axis C12. This rotates the model 25a, and the head and receiving unit 225 face the station St1 side. After the rotational movement is completed, the control unit 96 then executes a non-rotational performance (interval performance) of the model 25a. The non-rotation effect is a effect in which, after transition to the mass release stage and during the interval when medals M are not being supplied from the mass release device 25 to the play area F1, the model 25a is produced without driving the drive unit 12d (see Figure 5) of the mass release device 25. In the non-rotation effect, the upper body of the model 25a moves vertically and left and right, the head moves left and right, and the sound of a dinosaur is output from a speaker, etc. This allows the game machine 201 to produce a flashy effect, such as a rampaging dinosaur.

[0199] · Actions related to sorting (#13a~#13c, #23a~#23c) While the mass release device 25 is rotating, the receiving section 225 is also rotating, so the control section 96 does not distribute the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the receiving section 225 (i.e., the release hopper 43b) side (#13a, #23a). On the other hand, during the non-rotational effect, the receiving section 225 is facing toward station St1 (as shown in Figures 19(A), 21, etc.), and therefore can receive medals M from the rail 245 of station St1 (#13b, #23b). In this way, the control unit 96 selectively connects the receiving unit 225 to the rail 245 of station St1 in response to station St1 transitioning to the mass release stage, thereby controlling the receiving unit 225 to be able to receive medals M from the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1.

[0200] Therefore, when the mass release device 25 has finished its rotational movement and has transitioned to the non-rotational effect period, the control unit 96 controls the distribution unit 246 and the internal medal hopper 42 to distribute the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the receiving unit 225. The control unit 96 distributes 100 of the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the receiving unit 225.

[0201] Furthermore, when medals M are ejected from the ejection device 34 in response to the player's operation while the mass ejection device 25 is rotating, the control unit 96 controls the sorting unit 246 and the like to replenish the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the ejection hopper 40. As a result, a total of 400 medals M are maintained stored inside the left and right ejection hoppers 40 (#13c, 23c).

[0202] Through the above process, station St1 is able to supply the medals M stored in its internal medal hopper 42 to its own play area F1. As a result, in the mass release stage executed in station St1, the medals M held by station St1 will not be mixed with the medals M held by other stations St2 to St6. Therefore, the number of medals held by each station St can be kept constant without increasing or decreasing.

[0203] · Actions related to dispensing (#14a, #24a) During the non-spinning effect, the control unit 96 controls the discharge hopper 43b to send the medals M that have slid down from the receiving unit 225 toward the discharge port 25b, and also controls the discharge port storage unit 252 to a closed state. As a result, the discharge port storage unit 252, which was empty during the spinning effect, can store 100 medals M during the non-spinning effect. In this way, the control unit 96 can control the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1, the sorting unit 246, the release hopper 43b of the mass release device 25, etc., to store the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 of station St1 in the release port storage unit 252 via the receiving unit 225, etc. Then, in response to the end of the non-rotation effect, the control unit 96 controls the discharge port storage unit 252 to an open state. As a result, the control unit 96 supplies the 100 medals stored in the discharge port storage unit 252 to the play area F1 of station St1 all at once (see FIG. 19(A) etc.). In this case, the control unit 96 rotates the upper half of the model 25a downward Z1 to create the effect of the dinosaur spitting out medals M. In this way, even if the mass release device 25 is configured not to constantly stock a large amount of medals M during the normal stage, after transitioning to the mass release stage, it can supply a large amount of medals M to the play area F1 all at once, just like in conventional games.

[0204] Lever 32 operation target (#15a, #15b, #25a, #25b) While the mass release device 25 is rotating, the control unit 96 controls the ejection device 34 to be operable by operating the lever (#14b, #15a, #24b, #25a), as in the normal stage. This allows the player to eject medals M from the ejection device 34 (normal ejection) by operating the lever, even while the mass release device 25 is rotating. On the other hand, the control unit 96 does not receive operation of the model 25a by lever operation during the rotational movement of the mass release device 25 (#15b, #25b). This is because the head of the model 25a is not facing the direction of station St1 during the rotational movement of the mass release device 25, and the mass release device 25 is not releasing medals M during this time, so this is not an appropriate period to operate the model 25a.

[0205] After the rotational movement of the mass release device 25 is completed, the control unit 96 does not accept any operation of the release device 34 using the lever 32 to release medals (medal insertion operation) until the mass release stage is completed. In other words, the play state after transitioning to the mass release stage (more precisely, the play state after the start of the non-rotational presentation has initiated the payout corresponding to the mass release stage) is a state in which medals M are not ejected from the ejection device 34 even if the lever 32 is tilted in the depth direction Y.

[0206] The processing after the 100 medals have been paid out differs slightly depending on whether the planned number of medals is less than 300 or 300 or more. Each process will be explained below.

[0207] (Planned number less than 300) First, the operation when the planned number of sheets is less than 300 will be described. (100-299 tickets: less than 300 tickets planned) ·Model movement (♯12c,♯12d) In response to the completion of the payout of the 100 coins, the control unit 96 performs a rotation effect of the model 25a (#12c). In this effect, the control unit 96 drives the drive unit 12d to rotate the mass release device 25, causing the model 25a to rotate once. As in the non-rotation effect, the control unit 96 also drives the upper body of the model 25a and outputs the sounds of the dinosaur, etc. This allows for a dramatic transition to the mass release stage.

[0208] After the model 25a has made one rotation, the control unit 96 controls the drive unit 12d to stop the rotation. Then, by driving the drive unit 43c, the head of the model 25a is rotated back and forth from side to side (#12d). This allows the gaming machine 201 to produce an effect in which the dinosaur is shaking its head from side to side (also referred to as a head shaking effect in the embodiment). The control unit 96 continues this operation until all payouts in the mass release stage (less than the planned number of 300 coins) have been completed.

[0209] · Actions related to sorting (#13d, #13e) As will be described later, when the number of medals is 100-299 (less than the planned number of 300), the control unit 96 performs payout only from the mass release device 25 and does not perform payout from the ejection device 34. Therefore, the number of medals in the ejection hopper 40 does not increase or decrease. Therefore, the control unit 96 controls the allocation unit 246 and the internal medal hopper 42 to prevent allocation to the ejection hopper 40 side (#13d). On the other hand, after the end of the rotation effect of the model 25a, in accordance with the start of the head shaking effect, the control unit 96 controls the allocation unit 246 and the internal medal hopper 42 to allocate the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the receiving unit 225 (i.e., the release hopper 43b) side (#13e).

[0210] · Actions related to dispensing (#14c, #14d) During the head-shaking effect, the control unit 96 sequentially sends out the medals M that have slid from the receiving unit 225 into the discharge hopper 43b toward the discharge outlet 25b, and controls the discharge outlet storage unit 252 to an open state. As a result, the medals M sent out from the discharge hopper 43b are not stored in the discharge outlet storage unit 252, but are directly released from the discharge outlet 25b. Also, because the model 25a is performing the head-shaking effect, the medals M released from the discharge outlet 25b are supplied to the play area F1, scattered one on each side (#14c).

[0211] On the other hand, during the head shaking effect, the ejection device 34 does not eject any medals M (#14d). As will be described later, the reason for ejecting medals M from the ejection device 34 during the mass release stage is to shorten the supply time of medals M during the mass release stage by supporting the medal supply of the ejection device 34. In contrast, when paying out less than 300 medals, after the aforementioned one-time payout of 100 medals, less than 200 medals remain. Therefore, since the supply time of medals M is sufficiently short when paying out less than 300 medals, the game machine 201 does not supply medals from the ejection device 34, but supplies medals only from the mass release device 25. This allows the player to fully enjoy the effect of the dinosaur model 25a releasing the medals M in a scattering manner.

[0212] Lever 32 operation target (#15c, #15d) When the planned number of coins to be dispensed is less than 300, neither operation of the ejection device 34 by lever operation nor operation of the model 25a is accepted. This is to allow the player to enjoy the above-mentioned effects of the model 25a by paying attention to them without being distracted by the operation.

[0213] (After all tickets have been paid out: less than 300 tickets planned) When all of the planned number of coins (less than 300 coins) has been dispensed, the control unit 96 shifts the station St1 to the normal stage. ·Mass release device 25 (#11b) When all payouts of the planned number of coins (less than 300 coins) are completed, the control unit 96 ends the processing for station St1 of the mass payout device 25. As a result, the devices related to the mass payout stage, such as the lottery device 10 and the mass payout device 25, are released from the processing for the mass payout stage of station St1, and become able to perform the processing for the mass payout stages of the other stations St2 to St6.

[0214] ·Model movement The control unit 96 ends the head shaking effect of the model 25a. Furthermore, if the transition to the mass release stage has not been confirmed at other stations St, that is, if all stations St are controlled to the normal stage, the control unit 96 controls the drive unit 12d to perform the normal stage effect, such as slowly rotating the model 25a.

[0215] - Actions related to sorting The control unit 96 controls the distribution unit 246 and the internal medal hopper 42 to complete distribution to the receiving unit 225 (i.e., the release hopper 43b) side, and controls the normal stage (i.e., to maintain 400 medals M in the ejection hopper 40).

[0216] - Actions related to payouts Since the large amount payout stage ends when all of the planned number of medals (less than 300 medals) has been paid out, the control unit 96 does not pay out any medals M related to the large amount payout stage.

[0217] Lever 32 operation target The control unit 96 controls the normal stage of the ejection device 34 (that is, changes the ejection direction in response to the lever operation, and executes ejection of the medals M).

[0218] (Planned number of tickets: over 300) Next, the operation when the planned number of sheets is 300 or more will be described. (100-199 tickets (planned number of tickets: 300 or more)) As shown in Figure 23 (100-199 sheets: planned number of sheets 300 or more), the operation is similar to the operation in Figure 22 (100-299 sheets: planned number of sheets less than 300) described above (see #22c, #22d, #23d, #24c, #24d, etc. in Figure 23). Therefore, for 100-199 sheets (planned number of sheets 300 or more), the same effects and advantages are achieved as for the above-mentioned 100-299 sheets (planned number of sheets less than 300).

[0219] (200-499 tickets (planned number of tickets: 300 or more)) ·Model movement (♯22e) When the payout of 199 coins has been completed, the control unit 96 performs a head swing effect on the head of the model 25a, or moves the head left and right in response to the lever operation. The head-shaking effect of the former is the same as that of cards 100-199. The left / right movement of the head in response to the lever operation is a movement corresponding to the player's operation, as will be described later. In this case, the control unit 96 controls the drive unit 43c in response to the lever operation. This allows the player to orient the discharge port 25b of the model 25a in a desired direction.

[0220] · Actions related to sorting (♯23d,♯23e) Following 100-199 medals, even for 200-499 medals, the control unit 96 controls the distribution unit 246 and the internal medal hopper 42 to distribute the medals M of the internal medal hopper 42 only to the receiving unit 225 (i.e., the release hopper 43b) side (#23e), and not to the injection hopper 40 side (#23d). In other words, the control unit 96 continues to distribute medals only to the receiving unit 225 side for the range from 200-499 medals (#23e).

[0221] · Actions related to payout (♯24e,♯24f) For the mass release device 25, following medals 100-199, the control unit 96 sequentially sends out the medals M that have slid from the receiving unit 225 into the release hopper 43b toward the release outlet 25b, and controls the release outlet storage unit 252 to be in an open state. Therefore, the medals M sent from the release hopper 43b are not stored in the release outlet storage unit 252, but are released one by one directly from the release outlet 25b (#24e). Furthermore, when the model 25a is performing the head shaking effect, as described above, the medals M discharged from the discharge port 25b are supplied to the play area F1 in a manner that they are scattered to the left and right. On the other hand, when the model 25a is performing a left-right head swing effect in response to the lever operation, the direction of the discharge port 25b is changed in response to the player's operation, as will be described later.

[0222] Furthermore, for the injection device 34L, the control unit 96 controls the injection hopper 40L to inject the medals M in the injection hopper 40L one by one from the injection device 34L (#24f). Similarly, for the injection device 34R, the control unit 96 controls the injection hopper 40R to inject the medals M in the injection hopper 40R one by one from the injection device 34R. In this case, the medals M ejected from the ejection devices 34L, 34R are those stored in the ejection hoppers 40L, 40R during the normal stage so as to maintain 400 medals. In this way, the control unit 96 supplies the medals M stored in the ejection hoppers 40L, 40R during the normal stage to the play area F1 in the mass supply stage.

[0223] In this way, when the planned number of medals is 300 or more, the control unit 96 controls the supply of medals M only from the mass release device 25 until the number of medals to be paid out from the start of payout reaches 200 (the number of medals at which both devices start supplying), and then controls the supply of medals M from both the ejection device 34 and the mass release device 25 to the play area F1 (supply from both devices) once the number of medals to be paid out reaches 200 (the number of medals at which both devices start supplying).

[0224] On the other hand, when the planned number of medals is less than 300 as shown in FIG. 22, even after the payout number reaches 200 medals, control is performed so that medals M are supplied only from the mass release device 25.

[0225] Lever 32 operation target (#25c~#25e) When dispensing 200-499 coins, the control unit 96 accepts the operation of the lever 32 and controls the mass release device 25 and the injection device 34 to be operable. The control unit 96 switches between operable devices by tilting the lever 32 in the depth direction Y (device selection operation) (#25c). In the embodiment, the control unit 96 selects the model 25a (i.e., the mass release device 25) by tilting the lever 32 toward the depth side Y2, and selects the injection device 34 by tilting the lever 32 toward the front side Y1. When the control unit 96 receives a selection operation for one device, it maintains the selected state of that device until it receives the next tilt operation in the depth direction Y.

[0226] When the lever 32 is tilted left or right while the mass release device 25 is selected, the control unit 96 controls the drive unit 43c to rotate the head of the model 25a left or right (#25d) (see Figure 8). This changes the direction in which the release port 25b faces, allowing the player to supply medals M one by one to the desired position within the play area F1. On the other hand, when the lever 32 is tilted left or right while the ejection device 34 is selected, the control unit 96 controls the drive unit 34c (see FIG. 8) to rotate the ejection port 34b (see FIG. 8) of the ejection device 34 in the depth direction Y (#25e). This allows the player to supply medals M one by one to desired positions on the reciprocating table 35a.

[0227] The control unit 96 receives the above selection operations from each of the left and right launchers 34L, 34R. Therefore, the player can perform the following operations, for example. The player tilts the lever 32L on the left side X1 toward the front side Y1 to select the ejection device 34L, and then tilts it left or right to change the ejection direction of the medals M from the ejection device 34L. On the other hand, the player tilts the lever 32R on the right side X2 toward the back side Y2 to select the model 25a, and then tilts it left or right to change the ejection direction of the model 25a from the ejection port 25b. In this way, the game machine 201 can accept simultaneous operation of one of the two ejection devices 34L, 34R and the model 25a. In addition, the game machine 201 can also be equipped with a function for simultaneous operation of the two ejection devices 34L, 34R when the two ejection devices 34L, 34R are selected by the two levers 32L, 32R.

[0228] Although the gaming machine 201 allows the player to actively participate in the game even in the massive payout stage by accepting the lever operation in this way, there is a concern that the player may not be able to enjoy the effects of the massive payout stage, etc. For this reason, the gaming machine 201 controls so as not to accept any lever operation until the payout number reaches 200 coins, thereby allowing the player to fully enjoy the effects of the massive payout stage, etc.

[0229] Here, when the planned number is 300 or more, the control unit 96 performs different processing depending on whether the planned number is less than 500 or 500 or more. (300 - When the planned number of tickets is paid out: the planned number of tickets is 300 or more and less than 500) Although not shown in the drawings, the control unit 96 shifts the station St1 to the normal stage in response to the completion of all payouts of the planned number of coins (that is, 300 or more and less than 500 coins). The processing in this case is almost the same as the processing described above (after all payouts have been completed: planned number of coins less than 300 coins). That is, the control unit 96 releases the mass release device 25 from processing related to the mass release stage of station St1. The control unit 96 also controls the normal stage, i.e., the rotational movement of the model 25a during the normal stage, for the model operation, the sorting unit 246, the operation related to dispensing, and the operation target of the lever 32.

[0230] (300 - When all planned numbers have been paid out: planned numbers are 300 or more and 500 or more) (After the payout reaches 500 coins: 300 coins or more) ·Mass release device 25 (#21b) When the payout number of medals M reaches 500, the control unit 96 releases the lottery device 10, the mass payout device 25, and other devices related to the mass payout stage from station St1. As will be described later, when the payout number reaches 500, the control unit 96 stops the supply of medals from the mass payout device 25 to the play area F1. This makes these devices available for processing related to the mass payout stages of the other stations St2 to St6. In this way, the gaming machine 201 can shorten the time that the mass payout device 25 is tied up at the station St1 even when the payout number exceeds 500. Therefore, even when the gaming machine 201 is waiting for a stage transition to the mass payout stage at another station St, the waiting time can be shortened.

[0231] ·Model movement Since the mass release device 25 is released from station St1, the control unit 96 will perform the normal stage performance in the other stations St2 to St6 if the transition to the mass release stage has not been confirmed, as described above (when all planned number of coins have been paid out: less than 300 coins).

[0232] · Actions related to sorting (♯23f,♯23g) Since the mass release device 25 is released from station St1, the control unit 96 ends allocation to the receiving unit 225 (i.e., release hopper 43b) side (#23f). In addition, the control unit 96 controls the allocation unit 246 to continuously supply medals M to the injection hopper 40 side (#23g). In this case, the control unit 96 sets the upper limit of the number of medals stored in the injection hopper 40 to 400, the same as in the normal stage.

[0233] · Actions related to dispensing (♯24g,♯24h) Because the mass release device 25 is released from station St1, the control unit 96 will not perform payout from the mass release device 25 after the payout number reaches 500. On the other hand, the control unit 96 continues to payout medals M one by one from the ejection device 34 even after the payout number reaches 500 (#24h). As a result, the play state transitions to a state in which medals M are supplied to the play area F1 only from the ejection device 34 (medal insertion device supply state).

[0234] Here, the number of sheets stored in the injection hopper 40 when the number of sheets to be dispensed reaches 500 will be described. Since the mass release device 25 supplies 100 medals M at once during the non-spinning effect, when the payout number reaches 500, the mass release device 25 and the injection device 34 (i.e., the injection hopper 40) will have supplied the remaining 400 of the 500 medals. The injection hopper 40 was originally storing 400 medals when the mass release stage was transitioned to. For this reason, if the injection hopper 40 supplied all of the remaining 400 medals, the stored number would be zero, but the mass release device 25 also supplies a portion of the remaining 400 medals. For this reason, when the payout number reaches 500, the injection hopper 40 will be storing the number of medals supplied from the mass release device 25 out of the remaining 400 medals. For example, if the mass release device 25 supplies 150 of the remaining 400 sheets and the injection hopper 40 supplies 250 of the remaining 400 sheets, then when the number of sheets dispensed reaches 500, 150 sheets will remain in the injection hopper 40, the same number as the number supplied by the mass release device 25.

[0235] That is, the game machine 201 sets this remaining number (400) to the same number as the number of medals stored in the injection hopper 40, 400, so that when the payout number reaches 500, the number of medals M supplied by the mass release device 25 (the number of medals out of the remaining 400) will remain in the injection hopper 40. As a result, the injection hopper 40 can continue to send medals M to the injection device 34 after the payout number reaches 500, and the injection device 34 can supply these medals M to the pusher base 35. Furthermore, after the payout number reaches 500, the distribution unit 246 distributes the medals M in the internal medal hopper 42 to the injection hopper 40, so there will be no shortage of medals M in the injection hopper 40.

[0236] Lever 32 operation target (♯25f,♯25g) Because the mass release device 25 is released from station St1, the control unit 96 stops the model 25a as the operation target of the lever 32 (#25f) and continues only the ejection device 34 (#25g). Therefore, the control unit 96 does not accept the tilt operation of the lever 32 in the depth direction Y, which is the operation for selecting the operation target, and only accepts the tilt operation in the left-right direction X. Then, the control unit 96 accepts the tilt operation of the lever 32 in the depth direction Y, that is, accepts the operation to change the medal supply position, and rotates the ejection port 34b of the ejection device 34 in the depth direction Y in accordance with that operation.

[0237] This allows the player to continue to supply medals M to desired positions on the reciprocating table 35a even after the payout number reaches 500 medals. Furthermore, the game machine 201 accepts an operation to change the direction of the ejection port 34b of the ejection device 34 at the end of the large-volume ejection stage (i.e., after the number of medals paid out is 500). Therefore, the player can enjoy a period in which it is easy to acquire medals even when a large number of medals M are randomly arranged on the pusher base 35 due to the supply of a large amount of medals.

[0238] (After all payments are completed: Scheduled number of tickets: 300 or more and 500 or more) The control unit 96 transitions station St1 to the normal stage when all payouts of the planned number of coins (planned number of coins equal to or greater than 300 and equal to or greater than 500) are completed. The process of transitioning to the normal stage is almost the same as (after all payouts are completed: planned number of coins less than 300), so detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0239] By being provided with the above-described configuration, the game machine 201 exhibits the following actions and effects in addition to the above actions and effects. (1) The ejection device 34 can be used not only for inserting medals into the normal stage but also for supplying medals in the mass release stage. Therefore, the medal supply in the mass release stage can be reinforced by the ejection device 34, and the medal supply time in the mass release stage can be shortened. Furthermore, the mass release device 25 can be used even in devices with low medal supply capacity, so it is low cost. (2) In the mass release stage, even if medals M are supplied from both the ejection device 34 and the mass release device 25, the ejection device 34 will not supply medals until the number of medals to be paid out reaches 200, so the medal supply time will not become extremely short and the spirit of the mass release stage will not be lost. (3) Because there is no need to store a large amount of medals M in advance in the normal stage to be supplied to the large-volume release stage, the number of medals held by each station St1 to St6 can be kept constant. This reduces the maintenance work, etc., required by store staff, etc., related to medal replenishment.

[0240] Although the configuration related to the external medals has been omitted from the above explanation, the control unit 96 performs control related to the external medals in parallel with control of the mass payout stage. For this reason, during the mass payout stage, for example, when the control unit 96 receives operation of the payout button 33 (see FIG. 8), or without receiving operation of the payout button 33, the control unit 96 can control the external medal hopper 41 to pay out the external medals M1 in the external medal hopper 41 to the payout opening 39. In this case, the player can get a real sense of winning medals, and can enjoy the atmosphere of a mass payout. Furthermore, in this case, the player can use the time of the mass payout stage to pay out the external medals M1, thereby shortening the play time. Although detailed description is omitted in this embodiment, the number of medals that fall into the winning holes 37 is added to the credit medals stored in the memory unit 95 as the number of medals won by the player. Note that the number of medals won in small wins in the normal stage, the number of medals won in the roulette lottery, etc. may also be added to the credit medals.

[0241] Furthermore, in addition to the effects described above, other effects may be added as appropriate to the effects during the mass release stage. For example, in response to medals M dropping into the winning holes 37, sound effects (such as the sound of medals dropping) may be output from a speaker, or illumination effects such as lighting may be used.

[0242] (Third embodiment) A third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a game system 301 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 25 is a perspective view showing the imaging unit 311 of the game machine 1 of the third embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal state image 325b and a normal state image 325c according to the third embodiment. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a composite video 351 according to the third embodiment. A game system 301 of the third embodiment is a system in which a player can remotely control the game machine 1, 201 of the above embodiments, and a server 320 can detect an abnormality in the game machine 1. In the embodiment, playing by a player remotely controlling the game machine 1 is also referred to as remote play. In remote play, credit medals stored in the storage unit 95 of the game machine 1 are used. Therefore, the player does not have to touch the actual medals. Various methods can be used to lend medals to the player, such as online payment by credit card or exchange of various points. The medals lent to the player in this way are stored in the storage unit 95 as credit medals.

[0243] The game system 301 includes a game machine 1, imaging units 311 to 316, a server 320, a player terminal 330, and an administrator terminal 340. The game machine 1, the imaging units 311 to 316 (operation information acquisition units), the player terminal 330, and the server 320 can communicate with each other as needed via a communication network 303 using the Internet or the like. The game machine 1 and the server 320 are located in the facility of the operator of the game system 301. This facility may be the same facility or may be in a different location.

[0244] The imaging units 311 to 316 are installed in the game machine 1. The player terminal 330 is a computer owned by the player, such as a personal computer or a highly functional mobile phone (a so-called smartphone). In the embodiment, an example will be described in which the player terminal 330 is a highly functional mobile phone. If the player is in a location where the player terminal 330 can connect to the communication network 303, the player can play remotely. The server 320 is a computer managed by a system administrator, operator, or the like. The administrator terminal 340 is a computer used by an administrator who manages the game machine 1. When the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state, the administrator performs work to restore the game machine 1 to a normal state. The administrator terminal 340 is a communication terminal similar to the player terminals 330.

[0245] (Game console 1) The game machine 1 of this embodiment differs from the devices of the above embodiments in the way it is played as follows: Note that the following explanation mainly shows an example in which the game machine 1 of the first embodiment is used, but the game machine 201 of the second embodiment can also be used in the same way. In the following explanation, the configuration and processing related to the station St1 will be mainly described, but the configurations and processing related to the other stations St2 to St6 are also similar.

[0246] Left inlet 31L, right inlet 31R (see Figure 8) In remote play, the medals used by the player for play are credit medals, and therefore medals are not inserted into the left insertion slot 31L or the right insertion slot 31R. Left lever 32L, right lever 31R (see Figure 8) In remote play, the left lever 32L and the right lever 31R are not operated. The game machine 1 accepts operations corresponding to tilting operations of the left lever 32L and the right lever 31R from the operation of the player terminal 330. This drives the motor 34c to rotate the ejection tube 34a, and also ejects the internal medals M2 within the internal medals M2 in the hoppers 40L, 40R (see FIG. 9) from the ejection port 34b. Dispensing button 33 (see Figure 8), dispensing port 39 (see Figures 1 and 25) In remote play, the payout button 33 is not operated, and therefore medals are not paid out to the payout port 39. The medals acquired by the player are stored in the memory unit 95 of the game machine 1 as credit medals.

[0247] (Image capture units 311 to 316) The imaging units 311 to 316 acquire imaging information of the game machine 1 in operation, that is, imaging information including the play field of the game machine 1. As shown in FIG. 25, the imaging unit 311 is installed inside the game machine 1, that is, inside the transparent window 2a, and is provided adjacent to the station St1. The imaging unit 311 includes three cameras 311a to 311c. Cameras 311a to 311c are fixedly disposed inside game machine 1. Cameras 311a to 311c may be disposed outside game machine 1 instead of inside. Camera 311a captures video of pusher table 35, camera 311b captures video of display unit 21, and camera 311c captures video of mass release device 25. The videos captured by cameras 311a to 311c are subjected to image processing to create composite video 351 (see FIG. 27). Similarly, imaging units 312 to 316 are also provided in the other stations St2 to St6.

[0248] (Server 320) The server 320 is a computer that manages the entire game system 301 . The server 320 performs processes such as transmitting operation information of the player terminal 330 to the game machine 1, and creating a play screen and distributing it to the player terminal 330. The server 320 also performs processes related to the images captured by the imaging units 311-316. The server 320 may be configured with multiple servers separated by function. These multiple servers may be located in the same facility or in different facilities and configured to be able to communicate with each other via the communication network 303.

[0249] The server 320 includes a storage unit 325 and a control unit 326 (anomaly determination unit 326a). The storage unit 325 includes an abnormality determination information storage unit 325a. The abnormality determination information storage unit 325a stores a program for determining an abnormality in the game machine 1 and information used for the abnormality determination based on the images acquired by the imaging units 311 to 316. The information used for the abnormality determination is an abnormal state image 325b (abnormal image information) and an image capacity threshold 325d (normal state related information, normal state compression information).

[0250] Abnormal condition images 325b-1 and 325b-2 in FIG. 26(A) are examples of the abnormal condition image 325b. As will be described later, the abnormal state image 325b is an image that the server 320 refers to when determining whether or not the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state (see S303 and 304 in FIG. 28). The abnormal state image 325b is an image that includes an error screen that is displayed on the display unit 21 of the game machine 1 in an abnormal state. In the embodiment, the abnormal state image 325b uses video that has been trimmed to a similar extent to the video that has been trimmed for game distribution, but is not limited to this as long as it includes the screen of the display unit 21, and it may also use video in an uncropped state, or it may also use video that has been trimmed to a different extent from the video that has been trimmed for distribution.

[0251] In the embodiment, an example will be described in which the abnormal state is a medal jam in each hopper. The system administrator or the like displays an error screen on the display unit 21 of the game machine 1 in advance, and captures an image of this using the camera 311b of the imaging unit 311. Then, the imaging information of the still image including the error screen is trimmed and registered (stored) in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a as an abnormal state image 325b. The error screen is set by the game program of the game machine 1 to be displayed when an abnormality such as a medal jam occurs. When displaying the error screen to register the abnormal state image 325b, the system administrator or the like may use, for example, a maintenance mode function of the game machine 1, or may actually manipulate the medals in the hopper or the like to forcibly cause a medal jam.

[0252] As will be described later, the image capacity threshold 325d is information that the server 320 refers to when determining whether or not the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state (see S301 and S302 in FIG. 28). The image capacity threshold 325d is the file capacity of a still image of a captured image. A system administrator or the like sets the image capacity threshold 325d based on the compressed capacity of a normal state image 325c, which is a still image of a captured image captured by the camera 311b, in a normal state. As shown in FIG. 26(A), in an abnormal state, the game machine 1 displays on the display unit 21 an error screen with simple text and a simple background indicating that an abnormal state has occurred. 26(B), the play screen in the normal state of the game machine 1 has more characters than the abnormal state and displays characters in various font styles. Furthermore, the background of the play screen in the normal state has various illustrations and is colorful. For this reason, the file size of the abnormal state image 325b is much smaller than the file size of the normal state image 325c. Furthermore, the display content of the error screen is simple. For this reason, the amount of reduction in file size during compression of the error screen is much greater than that of the normal play screen, and the change in file size due to compression is large. In this embodiment, the file size when the normal state image 325c is compressed (for example, JPEG compressed) is stored as the image size threshold 325d.

[0253] 27, control unit 326 performs processes such as trimming and compositing on the image information acquired by cameras 311a to 311c of imaging unit 311 to create composite video 351. Composite video 351 is an image in which pusher table video 351a, display screen video 351b, and mass release device video 351c are arranged in this order from bottom to top. The pusher table video 351a is a video including the pusher table 35, the display screen video 351b is a video including the display screen of the display unit 21, and the mass release device video 351c is a video including the mass release device 25.

[0254] The control unit 326 also includes an abnormality determination unit 326a. The abnormality determination unit 326a determines whether or not the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on the image information acquired by the cameras 311a to 311c of the imaging unit 311. The processing by the control unit 326 will be described in detail later.

[0255] (Player terminal 330) As described above, the player terminal 330 is a communication terminal owned by the player. Although not shown in the drawings, the player terminal 330 includes a game program for playing on the game machine 1 by remote play. This program may be downloadable from the server 320, a content server, etc. (Administrator terminal 340) As described above, the administrator terminal 340 is a communication terminal that is owned and used by the administrator.

[0256] [Operation of game system 301] (Basic operation of the game system 301) FIG. 28 is a flowchart of the abnormality determination process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a player terminal 330 of the third embodiment. As a prerequisite for remote play using the player terminal 330, the player performs an operation to connect the player terminal 330 to the game machine 1. In response to an operation of the player terminal 330, the server 320 connects the player terminal 330 and the game device 1 via the communication network 303. Communication between the player terminal 330 and the game device 1 is performed via the server 320, but is not limited to this, and some communication may not need to go through the server 320. As shown in FIG. 29(A), the server 320 displays a play screen 331a on the display unit 331 of the player terminal 330.

[0257] The play screen 331a displays a station display section 331b, an owned medal display section 331c, a game machine image display section 331d, and an operation section 331e. The station display section 331b displays the name of the station that the player will play in. Although a detailed description will be omitted, at the start of play, the server 320 accepts an operation from the player to select the station to play at from among six stations St1 to St6.

[0258] The owned medal display unit 331c displays the number of medals owned by the player, that is, the number of credit medals. Since credit medals are used in remote play, the number of medals displayed in the owned medal display unit 331c is the number stored in the storage unit 95 of the game machine 1.

[0259] The game machine image display unit 331d displays a portion of the composite image 351. The control unit 326 of the server 320 accepts an operation by the player to scroll the game machine image display unit 331d up and down. This allows the player to display on the player terminal 330 a desired range of the composite image 351 that is appropriate for the playing situation. For example, the scene in Fig. 29(A) is an example in which an area including a pusher table video 351a and a display screen video 351b (area A335d of the composite video 351 in Fig. 27) is displayed in a normal state, etc. Also, although not shown, during a lottery game, a mass payout stage, etc., the player can scroll the display area of ​​the composite video 351 upward to display an area including the lottery device 10, the mass payout device 25, the display unit 21, etc. on the player terminal 330.

[0260] The operation section 331e displays a left button, a middle button, a right button, a throw button, and a rapid fire button. The left button, the middle button, and the right button correspond to the injection units 34L and 34R (see FIG. 8), respectively. These buttons are used to determine the medal release position onto the pusher base 35. In response to the operation of the left button, the middle button, or the right button, the control unit 96 of the game machine 1 drives the motor 34c (see FIG. 9) and rotates the ejection tube 34a so that medals are ejected within the ranges of the left, center, and right sides of the pusher base 35.

[0261] The insertion button is a button that is operated by a player when ejecting one medal (internal medal M2) from the ejection tube 34a of the ejection devices 34L, 34R. In response to the operation of the insertion button, the control unit 96 of the game machine 1 drives the hoppers 40L, 40R (see FIG. 9) to eject the medal from the ejection tube 34a of the ejection devices 34L, 34R. The rapid-fire button is a button operated by a player when medals are continuously shot from the shot tubes 34a of the shot devices 34L, 34R. In response to the operation of the rapid-fire button, the control unit 96 of the game machine 1 continuously drives the hoppers 40L, 40R to continuously shoot medals. The control unit 96 may be configured to accept an operation such as a long press or double tap of the left or right button, and select the device that ejects medals from the two ejection devices 34L, 34R.

[0262] (Abnormality determination processing) The abnormality determination process is a process for determining whether or not the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on the imaging information of the imaging unit 311. In the embodiment, as the imaging information of the imaging unit 311, a trimmed display screen video 351b, which is an image captured by the camera 311b, is used, similar to the abnormal state image 325b. In S301, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 acquires the display screen moving image 351b of the game machine 1 in operation based on the image capture information of the camera 311b. Then, the abnormality determination unit 326a compresses a still image (also called a display screen still image) of the display screen moving image 351b. The compression method (compression standard, compression rate, etc.) of the display screen moving image 351b is the same as the compression method used to create the abnormal state image 325b.

[0263] In S302, the abnormality determination unit 326a performs a process (first determination process) of determining whether the file size of the display screen still image compressed in S301 (operational compression information) is equal to or smaller than the image size threshold 325d of the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a. If the file size of the compressed display screen still image is equal to or smaller than the image size threshold 325d (S302: YES), the abnormality determination unit 326a proceeds to S303, but if it is larger than the image size threshold 325d (S302: NO), the abnormality determination unit 326a repeats the process from S301. The abnormality determination unit 326a may repeat the process from S301, for example, after a few seconds have passed since the previous process of S301. Because abnormalities in the game machine 1 do not occur frequently, it is sufficient to check whether an abnormal state exists about once every few seconds. The same applies to the process (S306 → S301) described later.

[0264] The process proceeds to S303 when there is a possibility that the game device 1 is in an abnormal state. In S303, the abnormality determination unit 326a performs a process (second determination process) of comparing each abnormal state image 325b in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a with the still image displayed on the display screen in S301. This comparison process can utilize various image processing techniques (for example, a process of extracting and comparing characteristic portions). In S304, if the result of the comparison process in S303 indicates that there is an abnormal state image 325b that is similar to the display screen still image of S301 (S304: YES), the abnormality judgment unit 326a proceeds to S304a, but if there is no similarity (S304: NO), the abnormality judgment unit 326a proceeds to S305.

[0265] The process proceeds to S304a when there is an extremely high possibility that the game device 1 is in an abnormal state. In S304a, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 stores the display screen video 351b acquired by the camera 311b in the storage unit 325 in order to leave a history of the abnormal state. The time period for storing the video (i.e., the recording time) is, for example, up to 5 minutes after the determination of S304: YES. The stored video may be the composite video 351. For example, the administrator may refer to this video when carrying out recovery work the next time a similar abnormal state occurs. In S304b, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 notifies the administrator terminal 340 of the abnormality. This notification may be by email, for example, or an alarm may be output from the administrator terminal 340 to make it easier for the administrator to notice the notification.

[0266] In response to the abnormality notification from the administrator terminal 340, the administrator performs work to restore the abnormal state of the game machine 1. That is, the administrator opens the access door (not shown) of the game machine 1 and performs work such as removing the medal that caused the medal jam. In this case, as shown in FIG. 29(B), the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 displays 331g on the player terminal 330, indicating that recovery work is in progress, and also suspends play.

[0267] The control unit 96 of the gaming machine 1 may automatically perform the process for recovering from the abnormal state. In this case, the administrator associates the type of the abnormal state image 325b (i.e., the type of abnormal state) with the corresponding recovery action and stores them in the storage unit 95 of the gaming machine 1 in advance. Then, the control unit 96 performs the recovery action corresponding to the abnormal state image 325b determined to be similar in S304. The recovery action is, for example, vibrating a hopper or the like that may be causing the medal jam. After the administrator confirms that the game device 1 has recovered from the abnormal state, the administrator performs an operation on the administrator terminal 340 corresponding to the end of the recovery process.

[0268] If the process proceeds to S305, it is unlikely that the game device 1 is in an abnormal state, but it is possible that it is. For example, the administrator or the like may not be aware of an abnormal state that occurs very rarely. The abnormal state screen displayed in such an abnormal state may not be stored in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a. If such an abnormal state screen that is not stored in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a is displayed, the process may proceed to S305. Furthermore, the game machine 1 may sometimes display a simple play screen as a performance effect during play. In such a case, the process may proceed to S305 even if the game machine 1 is not in an abnormal state.

[0269] In S305, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 transmits the still image of the display screen of S301 to the administrator terminal 340. In this case, the administrator terminal 340 may output an alarm sound, similar to S304b. The administrator checks the still image on the display screen on the administrator terminal 340 to determine whether the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state. For example, if the display screen still image includes an abnormal state screen that has not been stored as described above, the administrator can determine that an abnormal state exists. If the administrator determines that an abnormal state exists, the administrator performs work to restore the abnormal state, as in the case of S304b. On the other hand, if the still image on the display screen includes a simple play screen due to effects during play, etc., the administrator can determine that there is no abnormality. The administrator then operates the administrator terminal 340 to input the result of the determination as to whether or not an abnormal state exists.

[0270] In S306, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 determines whether or not an input operation to the effect that an abnormal state has occurred has been performed on the administrator terminal 340. If an input operation to the effect that an abnormal state has occurred has been performed (S306: YES), the abnormality determination unit 326a proceeds to S307, but if an input operation to the effect that an abnormal state has not occurred, that is, if an input operation to the effect that an abnormal state has occurred has been performed (S306: NO), the process from S301 is repeated. If an input operation is made to indicate that an abnormal state exists, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 displays information indicating that recovery work is underway on the player terminal 330, as in S304b, and also suspends play.

[0271] In S307, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 stores the still image displayed on the display screen in S301 as a new abnormal state image 325b in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a. Then, the control unit 326 of the server 320 ends the series of processes (S308). In the subsequent abnormality determination process, this new abnormal state image 325b is also compared in S304. As a result, if this abnormal state occurs in the subsequent abnormality determination process, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 can determine that an abnormal state exists (S304: YES).

[0272] If the process proceeds to S308, the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state, so the administrator performs recovery work. Upon completion of the recovery work, the administrator performs an operation corresponding to the completion of the recovery work on the administrator terminal 340. In response to this operation, the control unit 326 of the server 320 performs processing such as restarting the abnormality determination process and resuming play.

[0273] As described above, the game system 301 of this embodiment can determine whether the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on imaging information obtained by capturing an image of the game machine 1, without requiring the game machine 1 to output an electrical signal or the like indicating an abnormal state. Here, in order for the game machine 1 to output an electrical signal or the like indicating an abnormal state, the game machine 1 needs to be modified, and an information terminal or the like compatible with the specifications of the game machine 1 is required to detect this output. Furthermore, the specifications of the game machine 1 vary depending on the model, manufacturer, manufacturing date, etc. The game system 301 is not limited to such specifications and can determine whether or not an abnormal state exists based on image capture information of the game machine 1. Therefore, the operator of the game machine 1 (such as the purchaser of the game machine 1) can build a system for determining abnormalities.

[0274] The system of this embodiment may be modified as follows. (1) In this embodiment, the gaming machine 1 is an example of a medal pusher game, but is not limited to this. The gaming machine 1 may be a gaming machine whose play field, appearance, play screen, etc. differs between an abnormal state and a normal state. The gaming machine 1 may be, for example, a crane game machine, or a video game machine for a fighting game, a shooting game, or the like.

[0275] (2) In the present embodiment, the game system 301 suspends the player's play in an abnormal state, but this is not limiting. In an abnormal state, the game system 301 may, for example, guide the player to move to another station St, thereby allowing the player to continue playing.

[0276] (3) In the present embodiment, the game system 301 determines whether or not an abnormal state exists based on the abnormal state image 325b, but this is not limiting. As described above, even in a normal state, a simple play screen may be displayed, and therefore even a play still image may have a small file size. Such a play still image may be stored as a normal state image in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a of the server 320, and the server 320 may perform a "normal state determination process of comparing the display screen still image with the normal state image" in addition to the process of "process of comparing the display screen still image with the abnormal state image 325b (S303, S304)." In the normal state determination process, if the display screen still image and the normal state image are similar, the process from S301 is repeated, and if they are not similar, the process proceeds to S305. This reduces the burden on the administrator of the task of determining whether or not the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on the display screen still image (see S305 above).

[0277] (4) In the present embodiment, the game system 301 determines whether the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on imaging information of the game machine 1, but this is not limiting. The game system 301 may acquire, with a microphone (output sound acquisition unit), output sound (output sound information) emitted from a speaker of the game machine 1 in an abnormal state, and determine whether the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state based on this output sound. That is, in an abnormal state, the game machine 1 outputs, for example, a warning sound or stops output of background music, etc., and therefore the output sound in an abnormal state and a normal state are different. In this case, the server 320 may store information about the abnormal state output sound emitted in an abnormal state in the abnormality determination information storage unit 325a instead of the abnormal state image 325b, and compare this information with the output sound during operation. Furthermore, the game system 301 may determine whether or not an abnormal state is occurring based on both the image information and the output sound of the game machine 1 that is in operation.

[0278] (5) In the present embodiment, the server 320 determines whether or not an abnormal state exists based only on the image capture information of the game machine 1, but this is not limiting. Instead of or in addition to the processing described in the embodiment, the server 320 may determine whether or not an abnormal state exists based on whether or not an action corresponding to an operation of the player terminal 330 is being performed on the game machine. In this case, the server 320 may, for example, previously store operation information of the insertion button of the player terminal 330 and a video (operation-corresponding imaging information) of the medal being ejected from the ejection tube 34a in the storage unit 325. Then, in response to receiving an operation of the insertion button from the player terminal 330, the server 320 may compare the video of the ejection tube 34a of the operating game machine 1 acquired by the imaging unit 311 with the video stored in the storage unit 325 through image processing, and determine whether the two operations match.

[0279] (6) In the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the game system stores information about the abnormal state image and the image volume threshold in the storage unit 325 in advance, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the abnormality determination unit 326a of the server 320 may determine whether the game console 1 is in an abnormal state based on the size of a still image of the video including the play screen of the display unit 21 acquired by the camera 311b. That is, when the game console 1 is in an abnormal state, the play screen of the display unit 21 may be in an unchanging state (a so-called frozen state). Note that in a scene where the play screen does not change in this way, it may become impossible to transition from, for example, various lottery screens to an error screen. During such a period when the display screen does not change, there is little (or no) change in the file size of the still image of the captured image including the display screen of the display unit 21. For this reason, the abnormality determination unit 326a may sequentially store still images including the display screen of the display unit 21 in the storage unit 325 at regular time intervals (for example, every second), and determine that the game machine 1 is in an abnormal state if the change in file size of the still images over a regular period (for example, five seconds) is equal to or less than a threshold value (determination criterion). In this case, the abnormality determination unit 326a may sequentially store at least one of compressed images of the still images, file sizes of the still images, and file sizes of the compressed still images, rather than the still images themselves, in the storage unit 325.

[0280] (6) In the present embodiment, the game system is exemplified by a game machine 1 installed in a facility of a system operator, but is not limited to this. The game system may also be a system for remotely controlling and monitoring game machines installed in amusement-related stores, etc.

[0281] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Note that the configurations of the above-described embodiments can be used only in part or in appropriate combination, but detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0282] (Variations) (1) In the embodiment, the planned number of 300 coins, which is the supply start number for both devices, and the planned number of 500 coins, which is the mass supply device stop number, are specific numerical values, but this is not limited to this. The gaming machine may be configured so that one of these two numerical values ​​can be changed by a manager such as a store clerk. In this case, the gaming machine may be provided with a setting operation unit with a numeric keypad, touch panel, etc., inside the maintenance opening 2h (see FIG. 1) that can set these numerical values. Furthermore, these settings may be made using a portable terminal carried by a store clerk or the like by communicating between the gaming machine and the portable terminal.

[0283] In this case, the store or the like can set the supply start number for both devices and the stop number for the mass supply device depending on, for example, the installation status of the game machines. That is, if the supply start numbers for both devices are set small, the medal supply speed (number of medals supplied per unit time in the mass release stage) will be faster, and if set large, the medal supply speed will be slower. Furthermore, if the number of medals to be supplied at the mass supply device is set to a small value, the medal supply speed will be slowed down, and if the number is set to a large value, the medal supply speed will be fast.

[0284] In this way, with a setting that allows for a fast medal supply speed, the time that the mass payout device of each mass payout stage is tied up is shortened, so even if a mass payout stage is being performed at one station, other stations can use the mass payout stage in a short time. This setting is effective in situations where there is a fast turnover of players and many players want to progress quickly through the game (for example, a shopping mall on a weekend, or a city store after a weekday evening, etc.). On the other hand, if the medal supply speed is set to slow, the time that the mass payout device of each mass payout stage is tied up will be longer, so when a mass payout stage is being performed at each station, it will take a long time for other stations to use the mass payout device. This type of setting is effective when the player rotation is slow and there are many players who enjoy playing at a leisurely pace (such as a suburban store on a weekday afternoon).

[0285] (2) In the embodiment, the control unit does not accept a lever operation to insert medals from the ejection device after the rotational movement of the mass ejection device has finished until the mass ejection stage has finished, but this is not limiting. For example, the control unit may accept a lever operation to insert medals from the ejection device during a period when the ejection device is not performing a payout related to the mass ejection stage (for example, during a non-spinning effect, a head-shaking effect, etc.).

[0286] (3) The model of the mass release device may be provided with an exhaust port for discharging air at the medal release port, etc. In this case, the model can scatter medals when they are dispensed. Also, if the exhaust port discharges air forcefully, medals placed on a pusher table, etc., can be moved by the pressure of the air and dropped into a winning hole, etc.

[0287] (4) In the embodiment, the receiving unit of the mass feeder selectively receives medals from one of the rails of a plurality of stations. However, this is not limiting. For example, the receiving unit may be an annular member centered on the central axis of the gaming machine. In this case, the receiving unit can receive medals from the rails of each station even when the mass feeder is rotating or when the discharge port is facing another station.

[0288] (5) In the embodiment, the mass supply device pays out medals to the play area only in the mass supply stage, but this is not limited to this. The mass supply device may temporarily pay out a large number of medals (e.g., 10 or more medals) in response to, for example, winning a sub-role in a slot machine lottery during a normal stage. In other words, the mass supply state is not limited to the mass supply stage, and is a concept that includes temporary states during a normal stage, as long as it is a state in which a large number of medals are paid out in accordance with the progress of the game.

[0289] (6) In the embodiment, the control unit does not replenish medals to the ejection hopper while medals are being supplied from the discharge port of the mass supply device, but this is not limiting. The control unit may also replenish medals to the ejection hopper during this time. In this case, the amount of medals supplied from the ejection hopper to the play area can be increased in the mass supply state.

[0290] (7) In the embodiment, the lottery device is used for a lottery regarding a large amount of prizes, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the lottery device may be used for a lottery for generating various events in a game (such as a lottery for the type of event).

[0291] (8) In the embodiment, the lottery device uses a roulette wheel for the lottery, but is not limited to this. For example, the lottery device may be configured to determine the winning result depending on the timing at which the ball is received in the receiving section, and may be configured to stop the random numbers when the ball is received in the receiving section.

[0292] (9) In the embodiment, the mass release device releases medals, but is not limited to this. The mass release device may be a device (game medium release unit) that releases game medium (spheres such as balls, capsules, etc.) other than medals.

[0293] (10) In the embodiment, the control unit ejects medals from the ejection device in the same manner regardless of whether the lever is tilted toward the front or the back. However, this is not limiting. The control unit may, for example, change the interval between medal ejection times (i.e., the number of medals ejected per unit time) depending on whether the lever is tilted toward the front or the back. In this case, the player can adopt a strategy such as changing the amount of medals supplied to the pusher base depending on the state of the medals placed on the pusher base. Furthermore, the control unit may, for example, change the medal ejection speed depending on whether the lever is tilted toward the front or the back. In this case, it is sufficient to make it possible to change the speed at which the left and right hoppers eject medals. Furthermore, when a medal is inserted into the medal insertion slot, the control unit can select whether to immediately eject the medal or to store it in the memory as a credit medal, and in the latter case, the credit medal can be consumed in response to lever operation to eject the medal from the ejection device. In this form, the player can select the playing method that suits them.

[0294] (11) In the embodiment, an example was shown in which the direction of medals being released from the outlet of the mass release device was moved left and right during mass release, but this is not limited to this. The direction of release from the outlet may be at least one of left and right and another direction. For example, the mass release device may be equipped with a motor (with a rotation axis that moves left and right, etc.) that moves the outlet up and down, and the control unit may control this motor in response to tilting operation of the lever in the depth direction to move the outlet up and down.

[0295] (12) In the embodiment, the collection cylinder has an example in which the easy-to-drop portion and the difficult-to-drop portion have a flat surface and a raised surface, but this is not limited to this. The easy-to-drop portion and the difficult-to-drop portion may have a form in which the ease of medal collection changes depending on the rotational movement of the collection cylinder. For example, the easy-to-drop portion may not have a flat surface, but the drop surface may extend to the outer periphery of the collection cylinder. Furthermore, the difficult-to-drop portion may be the portion of the outer periphery of the collection cylinder that is above the fixed table.

[0296] (13) In the embodiment, the deceleration portion includes a deceleration protrusion for decelerating the ball, but is not limited to this. The deceleration portion may include other components as long as they can decelerate the ball. For example, the deceleration portion may include a sheet material with a rough surface to increase the rolling resistance of the ball.

[0297] (14) In the embodiment, the resistance-applying member is a screw, but this is not limited to this. The resistance-applying member may be anything that applies resistance to the movement of the medal. The resistance-applying member may be, for example, a sheet material with a different surface roughness on part of the surface of the fixed table. Furthermore, the game machine may be configured such that an easy-movement area and a difficult-movement area are provided on the reciprocating table by providing a resistance applying member on the reciprocating table.

[0298] (15) In the embodiment, the control unit executes a lottery in response to a winning chucker to determine winning probability information (high probability, medium probability, low probability, etc.), but is not limited to this. In addition to this lottery, the control unit may execute an additional right lottery to determine whether to grant an additional right (for example, the right to supply 10 additional medals to the pusher machine when the slot lottery is won). If the granting of the additional right is successful, the control unit may associate the additional right and the stock and store them in the memory unit. This additional right may not be lost during the combo process. In other words, in the example embodiment, if the stock of the stock graphic 85R-3 and the additional right are associated, the control unit may add 10 medals for the additional right to the 150 medals related to the stock of the stock graphic 85R-3 during the combo process based on the stock graphic 85R-0, and supply them to the pusher table. This prevents the player from losing the benefits related to the additional right.

[0299] (16) In the embodiment, the combo processing involves sequentially moving stock figures and supplying medals for each stock of the same winning color, but this is not limiting. The combo processing may involve simultaneously supplying the entire number of medals corresponding to all stocks of the same winning color without moving the stock figures. This can further reduce the processing time for the combo processing.

[0300] (17) In the embodiment, the gaming machine that performs the combo processing of stocks of the same winning color is an example of a medal pusher gaming machine, but this is not limited to this. For example, in a gaming machine such as a pachinko machine, the combo processing may be performed by assigning a stock attribute to each winning. Also, the present invention may be applied to an electronic gaming machine that has a display unit such as a liquid crystal display device and deposits game media into a winning slot on the display unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0301] 1...Game machine 10...Lottery device 11...Ball 12...Inclined surface 14...Storage section 14a...First opening / closing arm 14b...Second opening / closing arm 14c...Ball detection section 15, 15A to 15D...Scattered protrusions 15a...Upright surface 15b...Inclined surface 16...Obstruction protrusion 16a...Curved surface 16b...Inclined surface 17...First arm 18...Second arm 19...Model stand 20...Lottery section 20a...Roulette 21...Display section 25...Mass release device 25b...Mass release port 31L...Left insertion port 31R...Right insertion port 31a...Detection section 32L...Left lever 32R...Right lever 34L...Left injection device 34R...Right injection device 34b...Injection port 34d...Side wall 35...Pusher base 35a...Reciprocating table 35b...Fixed table 36L...Left collection tube 36R...Right collection tube 37...Capture hole 37a...Detection unit 38...Ball 39...Payout port 41...External medal hopper 42...Internal medal hopper 43b...Discharge hopper 52...Notch 55...Tube body 55a...Drop surface 55b...Flat surface 55c...Raised surface 55h...Collection hole 56...Ball guard 59...Drive unit 60...Screw 61, 61a, 61b...Easy movement area 62...Difficult movement area 70...Ball supply device 71...Ball lifting device 71a...Lifting guide rail 71b...Spiral screw 71c...Lifting blade 71e...Transparent cover 72...Bridge rail 73...Ball descent device 73c...Descent blade 73d...Spiral descent path 74...Deceleration unit 74a...Deceleration protrusion 74b...Inclined surface 75...Ball supply port 85...Stock figure 90, 90R, 90G, 90B...Chucker 95...Memory unit 96...Control unit F0~F6...Play area M...Medal M1...External medal M2...Internal medal S15...Gap St, St1~St6...Station

[0302] 201... Game machine 225... Receiving section 226... Rail 237a... Acquisition hopper 245... Rail 246... Distribution section 247a, 247L, 247R... Distribution path 252... Discharge port storage section 252a... Medal storage section

[0303] 301... Game system 303... Communication network 311 to 316... Imaging unit 311a to 311c... Camera 311b... Camera 311c... Camera 320... Server 325a... Abnormality determination information storage unit 330... Player terminal 340... Administrator terminal

Claims

1. Game consoles and an output sound acquisition unit that acquires operating output sound information, which is output sound information from a sound output unit of the game machine while it is in operation; a storage unit that stores abnormality determination information for determining whether the game machine is in an abnormal state; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state based on the operation information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit and the abnormality determination information in the storage unit, The storage unit stores, as the abnormality determination information, Output sound information of the sound output unit in a normal state; and storing output sound information of the sound output unit when an abnormality occurs; The abnormality determination unit as a determination process based on normality information, the operating output sound information is compared with the normal output sound information of the storage unit, and when it is determined that the operating game machine is in an abnormal state, a determination process based on abnormality information is performed; As a determination process based on the abnormality information, the operating output sound information is compared with the output sound information of the storage unit when an abnormality occurs, thereby determining whether or not the gaming machine is in an abnormal state during operation. A game system characterized by:

2. The storage unit stores, as the abnormality determination information, Normal state capacity information, which is information about the capacity of the output sound information of the sound output unit in a normal state; storing abnormality capacity information, which is information on the capacity of the output sound information of the sound output unit when an abnormality occurs; The abnormality determination unit acquiring operating capacity information, which is information about the capacity of the operating output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit; as a determination process based on normality information, the operating capacity information is compared with normal capacity information of the storage unit, and when it is determined that the operating game machine is in an abnormal state, a determination process based on abnormality information is performed; As a determination process based on the abnormality information, the operating capacity information is compared with the abnormality capacity information of the storage unit to determine whether the game machine is in an abnormal state during operation.

2. The game system according to claim 1.

3. The storage unit As output sound information of the sound output unit in a normal state, normal state compression information which is information on the volume of compressed output sound of the sound output unit in a normal state is stored; The abnormality determination unit compressing the operating output sound image information acquired by the sound output unit to acquire operating compressed information, which is information on the volume after compression processing; As a determination process based on normal information, the operating compressed information is compared with the normal compressed information of the storage unit, and if it is determined that the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state, a determination process based on abnormal information is performed.

3. The game system according to claim 2.

4. Game consoles and an output sound acquisition unit that acquires operating output sound information, which is output sound information from a sound output unit of the game machine while it is in operation; a storage unit that stores abnormality determination information for determining whether the game machine is in an abnormal state; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state based on the operation information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit and the abnormality determination information in the storage unit, the storage unit stores abnormality output sound information, which is output sound information of the sound output unit when an abnormality occurs, as the abnormality determination information; the abnormality determination unit performs a determination process based on abnormality information to determine whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state, based on the operation output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit and the abnormality output sound information from the storage unit; the sound output unit outputs an abnormal state output sound indicating an abnormal state when an abnormality occurs, the output sound acquisition unit acquires operating output sound information including output sound information output from the sound output unit of the game machine in operation, The abnormality determination information in the storage unit includes an abnormal state output sound, The abnormality determination unit, as a determination process based on the abnormality information, compares the operating output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit with abnormality determination information including the abnormal state output sound stored in the storage unit, thereby determining whether the gaming machine in operation is in an abnormal state. A game system characterized by:

5. Game consoles and an output sound acquisition unit that acquires operating output sound information, which is output sound information from a sound output unit of the game machine while it is in operation; a storage unit that stores abnormality determination information for determining whether the game machine is in an abnormal state; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state based on the operation information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit and the abnormality determination information in the storage unit, the storage unit stores, as the abnormality determination information, normal state related information which is information related to output sound information of the sound output unit in a normal state; the abnormality determination unit performs a determination process based on normality information to determine whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state, based on the operating output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit and the normality-related information in the storage unit; the game machine receives operation information from the player terminal via a communication line and performs an operation corresponding to the operation information; the storage unit stores operation-responsive output sound information, which is output sound information of an operation of the game machine corresponding to operation information of the player terminal; The abnormality determination unit, as a determination process based on the normality information, determines whether the game machine in operation is in an abnormal state by comparing the operation output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit with the operation-responsive output sound information stored in the storage unit in response to receiving operation information from a player terminal. A game system characterized by:

6. The abnormality determination unit After determining that no abnormal state is present in the determination process based on the abnormality information, if an input operation indicating that an abnormal state is present is received from the information terminal, the operating output sound information used in the determination process based on the abnormality information is stored in the storage unit as new abnormal state output sound information.

5. The game system according to claim 1 or 4.

7. a game machine having a sound output unit that outputs output sound information during operation; an output sound acquisition unit that acquires operating output sound information, which is output sound information from a sound output unit of the game machine while it is in operation; a storage unit that stores abnormality determination information for determining whether the game machine is in an abnormal state; an abnormality determination unit that determines whether the gaming machine in operation is in an abnormal state based on the abnormality determination information in the storage unit, The abnormality determination unit The information relating to the operating output sound information acquired by the output sound acquisition unit is sequentially stored in the storage unit as the abnormality determination information; Whether or not the game machine is in an abnormal state is determined based on the volume of the operational output sound information sequentially stored in the storage unit. A game system characterized by:

8. The abnormality determination unit As information relating to the operation output sound information, at least one of the output sound information after compression processing of the operation output sound information and information on the volume of the operation output sound information after compression processing is stored in the storage unit in sequence.

8. The game system according to claim 7.

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