APPARATUS FOR PARI-MUTUEL RACING GAME WITH FINISH ORDER BETTING

• US 20080227532A1
• Filed: 10/08/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Gelman, Geoffrey M., Alderucci, Dean P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,652,926 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/08 for weighing livestock
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/414 using electronic computing means only
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

In various embodiments, a device may test the health of race participants in order to ensure the fairness of a bet on an order of finish.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a computing device operable to:

receive a first set of bets for a first horse to win a race;

receive a second set of bets for a second horse to win the race;

determine, based on the first set of bets and the second set of bets, an order in which the first and second horses might finish the race;

receive from a bettor a third bet for the order to transpire;

determine actual results of the race; and

pay the bettor an amount which is based on the third bet, the order, and the actual results of the race.

2. The apparatus of 1 in which to receive a second set of bets includes to receive a second set of bets that total to less than the total of the first set of bets.

3. The apparatus of 2 in which to determine an order includes to determine, based on the first set of bets and the second set of bets, that the second horse will finish the race before the first horse.

4. The apparatus of 1 in which to pay the bettor includes to pay the bettor a positive amount which is based on the third bet if the actual results of the race match the order.

5. An apparatus comprising a computing device operable to:

determine a number of participants in a race;

determine if the number of participants exceeds a predetermined threshold;

receive, for each participant in the race, at least one bet that the participant will win the race;

determine, based on the received bets, a potential order for the participants to finish the race;

offer, if the number of participants exceeds the predetermined threshold, a fixed prize pool for any bet that is successfully made that the potential order will transpire;

receive a first bet from a first bettor that the potential order will transpire;

determine an actual order of the race;

determine whether the actual order matches the potential order; and

provide at least a portion of the fixed prize pool to the first bettor.

6. The apparatus of 5 in which to determine a number of participants in a race includes to determine a number of horses in a race.

7. The apparatus of 5 in which to determine a number of participants in a race includes to determine a number of one of:

(a) horses, (b) dogs, (c) cars, (d) camels, (e) sail boats, (f) people, (g) runners, (h) cyclists, (i) swimmers, (j) boats, and (k) computer generated characters.

8. The apparatus of 5 in which the computing device is further operable to cause to be displayed an indication of the size of the fixed prize pool.

9. The apparatus of 5 in which to offer includes to offer, if the number of participants exceeds the predetermined threshold, one million dollars to be divided among all bettors who successfully bet that the order will transpire.

10. The apparatus of 5 in which to determine a potential order includes to determine, based on the received bets, a potential order in which it is least likely that the participants will finish the race.

11. The apparatus of 10 in which to determine a potential order includes to determine an order such that the lower the total of bets placed on a given participant, the earlier the given participant will finish the race.

12. The apparatus of 5 in which the computing device is further operable to cause to be displayed an indication of the potential order.

13. The apparatus of 12 in which to cause to be displayed an indication of the potential order includes to cause to be displayed in indication that a first participant will finish first, that a second participant will finish second, that a third participant will finish third, that a fourth participant will finish fourth, that a fifth participant will finish fifth, that a sixth participant will finish sixth, that a seventh participant will finish seventh, that an eighth participant will finish eighth, that a ninth participant will finish ninth, that a tenth participant will finish tenth, that an eleventh participant will finish eleventh, and that a twelfth participant will finish twelfth.

14. The apparatus of 5 in which to provide at least a portion of the fixed prize pool to the first bettor includes to:

determine a number of bettors that had bet that the potential order would transpire;

divide the fixed prize pool by the number of bettors, thereby to generate a number of substantially equal portions of the fixed prize pool; and

provide to the first bettor one of the number of portions.

15. The apparatus of 5 in which to determine if the number of participants exceeds a predetermined threshold includes to determine if the number of participants exceeds seven.

16. An apparatus comprising a computing device operable to:

receive, for each participant in a race, at least one bet that the participant will win the race;

determine, based on the received bets that the respective participants will win the race, a first potential order for the participants to finish the race;

receive from a first bettor, after determining a first potential order, a first bet that the first potential order will transpire;

receive for a particular participant in the race, after receiving the first bet, an additional bet that the particular participant will win the race;

determine, based on the additional bet, a second potential order for the participants to finish the race;

determine an actual order in which the participants finished the race; and

provide payment to the first bettor based on the actual order and at least one of the first potential order and the second potential order.

17. The apparatus of 16 in which to provide payment includes to provide payment to the first bettor if the actual order matches the first potential order.

18. The apparatus of 16 in which to provide payment includes to provide payment to the first bettor if the actual order matches the second potential order.

19. The apparatus of 16 in which to determine a second potential order includes to determine, based on the additional bet, a second potential order for the participants to finish the race, in which the second potential order is different from the first potential order.

20. The apparatus of 16 in which to determine a second potential order includes to determine, based on the additional bet, a second potential order for the participants to finish the race, in which the particular participant finishes in a worse position in the second potential order than the particular participant finishes in the first potential order.