System and method for determining the outcome of a wager for a gaming application

• US 6,887,151 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Interactive Games Limited (BGC Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Game Account Limited
• Inventors: Leen, Fergus A., Lawrence, Sam B., McNally, David M., Hetherington, Clive, McDowell, David M., O'Neal, Kevin R.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, JESSICA
• Application Number:
  US10/193,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20030050112A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 463 40- 42, 463/29, 463/12, 463/13, 463 16- 27, 463/1
• US Class Current: 463/16
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3225 Data transfer within a gaming system, e.g. data sent between gaming machines and users
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• 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 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3286 Type of games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A system for determining the outcome of a wager associated with a gaming application comprises a server, a memory remotely coupled to the server, and a processor coupled to the memory. The server hosts a gaming application for a plurality of users, and monitors a plurality of game events during the execution of the gaming application. The server further communicates event information associated with at least one of the plurality of game events. The memory stores a plurality of wager records. At least one wager record is associated with a wager between a first user and a second user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters. The processor receives the event information during the execution of the gaming application, and determines the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager parameters.

Claims

1. A system for determining the outcome of a wager associated with a gaming application, comprising:

a server that;

hosts a gaming application for a plurality of users;

monitors a plurality of game events during the execution of the gaming application; and

communicates event information associated with at least one of the plurality of game events;

a memory remotely coupled to the server that stores a plurality of wager records, at least one wager record associated with a wager between a first user and a second user and comprising a plurality of wager parameters; and

a processor coupled to the memory that;

receives the event information during the execution of the gaming application; and

determines the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a player of the gaming application.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a spectator of the gaming application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the wager parameters comprise a wager event and a wager value.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wager event comprises an action performed during the execution of the gaming application that changes the state of the gaming application.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor determines the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager event.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second server that;

hosts a second gaming application for the plurality of users;

monitors a plurality of game events during the execution of the second gaming application; and

communicates second event information associated with at least one of the plurality of game events;

wherein;

at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters; and

the processor;

receives the second event information during the execution of the second gaming application; and

determines the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the memory stores the wager records according to wager record identifiers;

the first event information is associated with a first server identifier;

the second event information is associated with a second server identifier; and

the processor identifies a first subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the first server identifier, and identifies a second subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the second server identifier.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first gaming application and the second gaming application are substantially similar.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the memory stores a first account associated with the first user and a second account associated with the second user; and

the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account based at least in part upon the outcome of the wager.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account during the execution of the gaming application.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account based further upon the outcome of a second wager between the first user and the second user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the server;

hosts a second gaming application for the plurality of users;

monitors a plurality of game events during the execution of the second gaming application; and

communicates second event information associated with at least one of the plurality of game events;

at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters; and

the processor;

receives the second event information during the execution of the second gaming application; and

determines the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor presents a wager window to the first user in response to at least one game event during execution of the gaming application to generate a wager offer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein, to establish the wager between the first user and the second user, the processor:

receives a wager offer from the first user during execution of the gaming application;

selects the second user based on wager records of the second user; and

presents the wager offer to the selected second user.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein, to establish the wager between the first user and the second user, the processor:

receives a wager offer from the first user during execution of the gaming application;

selects the second user based on wager preferences of the second user; and

presents the wager offer to the selected second user.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the wager preferences comprise preferred wager amounts.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the wager preferences comprise preferred wager types.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the wager preferences comprise preferred wager events.

20. A platform for determining the outcome of a wager associated with a gaming application, comprising:

a memory that stores a plurality of wager records, at least one wager record associated with a wager between a first user and a second user and comprising a plurality of wager parameters; and

a processor coupled to the memory that;

receives event information during the execution of a gaming application hosted by a remote server; and

determines the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager parameters.

21. The platform of claim 20, wherein the event information is associated with at least one of a plurality of game events monitored by the remote server.

22. The platform of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a player of the gaming application.

23. The platform of claim 20, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a spectator of the gaming application.

24. The platform of claim 20, wherein the wager parameters comprise a wager event and a wager value.

25. The platform of claim 24, wherein the wager event comprises an action performed during the execution of the gaming application that changes the state of the gaming application.

26. The platform of claim 24, wherein the processor determines the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager event.

27. The platform of claim 20, wherein

at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters;

and

the processor;

receives second event information during the execution of a second gaming application hosted by a second remote server; and

determines the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.

28. The platform of claim 27, wherein:

the memory stores the wager records according to wager record identifiers;

the first event information is associated with a first server identifier;

the second event information is associated with a second server identifier; and

the processor identifies a first subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the first server identifier, and identifies a second subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the second server identifier.

29. The platform of claim 27, wherein the first gaming application and the second gaming application are substantially similar.

30. The platform of claim 20, wherein:

the memory stores a first account associated with the first user and a second account associated with the second user; and

the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account based at least in part upon the outcome of the wager.

31. The platform of claim 30, wherein the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account during the execution of the gaming application.

32. The platform of claim 30, wherein the processor transfers money between the first account and the second account based further upon the outcome of a second wager between the first user and the second user.

33. The platform of claim 20, wherein

at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters;

and

the processor;

receives second event information during the execution of a second gaming application hosted by the remote server; and

determines the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.

34. A method for determining the outcome of a wager associated with a gaming application, comprising:

storing a plurality of wager records, at least one wager record associated with a wager between a first user and a second user and comprising a plurality of wager parameters;

receiving event information during the execution of a gaming application hosted by a remote server; and

determining the outcome of the wager based at least in part upon the event information and the wager parameters.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the event information is associated with at least one of a plurality of game events monitored by the remote server.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a player of the gaming application.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of the first user and the second user comprises a spectator of the gaming application.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the wager parameters comprise a wager event and a wager value.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the wager event comprises an action performed during the execution of the gaming application that changes the state of the gaming application.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein determining the outcome of the wager is further based upon the wager event.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters, the method further comprising:

receiving second event information during the execution of a second gaming application hosted by a second remote server; and

determining the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein:

storing comprises storing the wager records according to wager record identifiers;

the first event information is associated with a first server identifier;

the second event information is associated with a second server identifier; and

the method further comprising;

identifying a first subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the first server identifier; and

identifying a second subset of wager records using the wager record identifiers and the second server identifier.

43. The method of claim 41, wherein the first gaming application and the second gaming application are substantially similar.

44. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

storing a first account associated with the first user and a second account associated with the second user; and

transferring money between the first account and the second account based at least in part upon the outcome of the wager.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein transferring money between the first account and the second account is performed during the execution of the gaming application.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein transferring money between the first account and the second account is based further upon the outcome of a second wager between the first user and the second user.

47. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one wager record is associated with a second wager between a third user and a fourth user and comprises a plurality of wager parameters, the method further comprising:

receiving second event information during the execution of a second gaming application hosted by the remote server; and

determining the outcome of the second wager based at least in part upon the second event information and the wager parameters associated with the second wager.