Simulcast pari-mutuel gaming machine with casino and lottery styled wagers for continuous play

• US 20040009812A1
• Filed: 07/10/2003
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Original Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Inventors: Krause, Lawrence A., Scott, Kenneth A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,803,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/28
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/106664 Blood serum or blood plasma standard or control

Abstract

An gaming machine for and method of par-mutuel wagering that allows individuals to continuously place multiple casino and lottery styled pari-mutuel wagers on simulcast live and/or recorded pari-mutuel race events. The gaming machine includes a display screen to provide a graphic display of a plurality of pari-mutuel gaming options to a player, and a selection device operable by the player to select at least one of the pari-mutuel gaming options displayed on the screen, the selection device operable by the player to input a wager corresponding to the selected at least one pari-mutuel gaming option. The gaming machine has the ability to be linked to a network of gaming machines in pari-mutuel and/or other wagering venues.

Claims

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

a display screen to provide a graphic display of a plurality of pari-mutuel gaming options to a player; and

a selection device operable by the player to select at least one of the pari-mutuel gaming options displayed on the screen, the selection device operable by the player to input a wager corresponding to the selected at least one pari-mutuel gaming option.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1, further including a tuner/receiver to receive a signal representing a live broadcast of a track selected by the player, the tuner/receiver communicates the signal to the display screen for viewing by the player.

3. The gaming machine of claim 2, further comprising a memory storage for recording the signal representing live broadcast of the track selection selected by the player and a processor for recalling the signal from memory storage to be displayed on the display screen.

4. A method of pari-mutuel wagering, comprising the steps of:

providing a pari-mutuel gaming machine;

displaying a plurality of pari-mutuel game options to a player; and

placing a pari-mutuel wager on at least one of the plurality of pari-mutuel game options displayed to the player.

5. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, comprising the additional step of:

recording the pari-mutuel wager placed; and

comparing the recorded pari-mutuel wager to an outcome of a pari-mutuel event.

6. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, wherein the step of displaying a plurality of pari-mutuel game options to a player includes the additional steps of:

displaying a plurality of track selections to the player;

selecting at least one of the plurality of track selections; and

displaying the plurality of pari-mutuel game options available at the selected track selection.

7. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 6, wherein the step of displaying a plurality of pari-mutuel game options to a player includes the additional step of returning to step of displaying a plurality of track selections to the player.

8. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 7, comprising the additional step of placing a second pari-mutuel wager on at least one of the plurality of pari-mutuel game options displayed to the player after returning to step of displaying a plurality of track selections to the player.

9. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, comprising the additional step of displaying a corresponding pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection corresponding to the pari-mutuel wager placed.

10. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

selecting a second pari-mutuel game option; and

placing a second pari-mutuel wager on at least one of the plurality of second pari-mutuel game options.

11. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, wherein the step of displaying a plurality of pari-mutuel game options to a player includes the additional steps of:

displaying a plurality of available game options to the player;

selecting at least one of plurality of available game options;

displaying a plurality of track selections corresponding to the selected game option;

selecting at least one of the plurality of track selections;

placing the pari-mutuel wager on a pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection; and

displaying the pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection corresponding to the pari-mutuel wager placed.

12. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 11, further comprising the additional steps of:

displaying the non-selected track selections; and

placing a second pari-mutuel wager on a second pari-mutuel event at one of the non-selected track selections.

13. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 11, further comprising the additional steps of:

displaying a plurality of alternative game options offered at the selected track selection; and

placing a second pari-mutuel wager on the pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection.

14. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, further comprising the additional steps of:

selecting at least one of the plurality of pari-mutuel game options; and

displaying a set of rules associated with a selected pari-mutuel game option.

15. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 4, further comprising the additional step of displaying a virtual assistant to assist the player in placing the pari-mutuel wager.

16. The method of pari-mutuel wagering in claim 14, further including the additional step of:

providing a plurality of pari-mutuel racing venues; and

staggering a start time of each pari-mutuel event at each pari-mutuel racing venue;

wherein the pari-mutuel events correspond to the plurality of pari-mutuel game options displayed to the player.

17. A method for facilitating the placement of pari-mutuel wagers on pari-mutuel events, comprising the steps of:

providing a display of a plurality of pari-mutuel game options to a player;

acquiring a selection of at least one of the game options from the player; and

receiving a pari-mutuel wager from the player on at least one of the plurality of pari-mutuel game options displayed.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising the additional steps of:

displaying a plurality of available track selections to the player;

receiving input of a track selection from the plurality of track selections;

displaying a plurality of options for placing a pari-mutuel wager; and

receiving a pari-mutuel from entered by the player.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising the additional steps of:

receiving at least one signal representing at least one simultaneous video display associated with the input of the track selection; and

recording the at least one signal representing at least one live video display in a memory storage.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising the additional step of staggering the recall of the at least one signal for viewing of the at least one video display of the track selection by the player.