System and Method for Operating On-Line Governmental Lottery Games

• US 20090042633A1
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michael W. Yacenda
• Original Assignee: Michael W. Yacenda
• Inventors: Yacenda, Michael W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,192,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A method for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network includes receiving a request for mobile player terminal location information from an agent server, acquiring location information based upon distances between the mobile player terminal and a plurality of transmitters with known locations, transmitting the acquired location information to the agent server, determining whether the mobile player terminal is located within a lottery jurisdiction based on the transmitted location information, and processing the purchase of a lottery ticket when the location of the mobile player terminal is determined to be located within the lottery jurisdiction.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network, comprising:

receiving a request for mobile player terminal location information from an agent server;

acquiring location information based upon distances between the mobile player terminal and a plurality of transmitters with known locations;

transmitting the acquired location information to the agent server;

determining whether the mobile player terminal is located within a lottery jurisdiction based on the transmitted location information; and

processing the purchase of a lottery ticket when the location of the mobile player terminal is determined to be located within the lottery jurisdiction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a cellular telephone with a wireless connection to the Internet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cellular telephone is a smartphone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a portable computer with a wireless connection to the Internet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein wireless connection to the Internet includes a cellular telephone network radio, a WiFi adapter, or a WiMax adapter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein location information is acquired using GPS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein location information is acquired using cellular telephone localization.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the mobile player terminal is located within a lottery jurisdiction based on the transmitted location information includes analyzing latitude and longitude coordinates of the location information to determine whether the coordinates are within the boundaries of the lottery jurisdiction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the purchase of the lottery ticket is prevented when the location of the mobile player terminal is determined to be located beyond the lottery jurisdiction.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquired location information is encrypted, digitally signed, or digitally watermarked prior to being transmitted to the agent server.

11. A system for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network, comprising:

an agent server connected via said electronic network for receiving player and ticket information transmitted from a mobile player terminal, for transmitting said ticket information to a governmental lottery administrator, and for receiving a serial number issued by said governmental lottery administrator in association with a lottery ticket;

a database in said agent server for storing said player and ticket information and said serial number associated with said lottery ticket; and

a screening unit in said agent server, having player geographic location criteria by the governmental lottery administrator pre-stored therein, for verifying that a player satisfies said geographic location criteria prior to transmitting said ticket information to said governmental lottery administrator, wherein said screening unit;

receives location information based upon distances between the mobile player terminal and a plurality of transmitters with known locations; and

determines whether the mobile player terminal satisfies said geographic location criteria based on the transmitted location information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a cellular telephone with a wireless connection to the Internet.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the cellular telephone is a smartphone.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a portable computer with a wireless connection to the Internet.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein wireless connection to the Internet includes a cellular telephone network radio, a WiFi adapter, or a WiMax adapter.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein location information is acquired using GPS.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein location information is acquired using cellular telephone localization.

18. A system for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network, comprising:

a mobile player terminal including a location unit for automatically determining a present location, and a radio for connecting wirelessly to the Internet; and

a lottery agent server including;

a connection to the Internet across which the lottery agent server receives information pertaining to the determined present location of the mobile player terminal;

a processing unit for determining whether the present location of the mobile player terminal is within a lottery jurisdiction; and

an electronic lottery ticket processing unit for facilitating the purchase of a lottery ticket by a user over the mobile player terminal when it is determined that the present location of the mobile player terminal is within the lottery jurisdiction.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the location unit includes a GPS receiver, a cellular localization unit, or a WiFi localization unit.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile player terminal includes an encryption device for encrypting and digitally signing the information pertaining to the determined present location of the mobile player terminal.