Encryption in a secure computerized gaming system

• US 7,043,641 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Original Assignee: IGT (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Jackson, Mark D., Martinek, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US09/520,404
• Time in Patent Office: 2,253 Days
• Field of Search: 380/251, 713/187, 713/150, 713/168, 713/175, 713176-181, 713/189, 713/193, 713/194, 713200-202, 463/1, 463/29, 463 40- 43
• US Class Current: 713/187
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/123 by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2109 Game systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

An architecture and method for a gaming-specific platform are disclosed that features secure storage and verification of game code and other data, provides the ability to securely exchange data with a computerized wagering gaming system, and does so in a manner that is straightforward and easy to manage. Some embodiments provide the ability to identify game program code as certified or approved, such as by the Nevada Gaming Regulations Commission or other regulatory agency. These and other functions make use of encryption, including digital signatures and hash functions as well as other encryption methods.

Claims

1. A computerized wagering game apparatus, comprising:

a computerized game controller having a processor for executing a game program, a memory comprising a random access memory (RAM), and a nonvolatile storage, the computerized game controller operable to control the computerized wagering game apparatus; and

game program stored in the nonvolatile storage and copied into the RAM, wherein the game program copied to the RAM is verified during execution and play of the computerized wagering game apparatus by hashing with a one-way hash function to produce a resulting hash value that is compared to a reference hash value using a continuously executing program thread executing on the computerized game controller during play of the computerized wagering game apparatus to continuously ensure that game program copied to the RAM has not changed since calculation of the reference hash value.

2. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computerized wagering game apparatus is brought to a tilt state if the resulting hash value is not the same as the reference hash value.

3. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference hash value is stored in the nonvolatile storage.

4. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, wherein a system handler application loads and executes encryption functions which are subsequently used to securely load other game program from the nonvolatile storage.

5. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the game program is securely stored in the nonvolatile storage via encryption and is signed with a digital signature before said game program and signatures are copied to the random access memory.

6. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 5, wherein the digital signature comprises encryption of the gaming program with a signer'"'"'s private key.

7. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 6, further comprising the nonvolatile storage storing a public key corresponding to the signer'"'"'s private key.

8. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 5, wherein the digital signature comprises encryption with a signer'"'"'s private key of a hash value produced by hashing the gaming program with a one-way hash function.

9. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 8, wherein the nonvolatile storage storing a public key corresponding to the signer'"'"'s private key.

10. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 5, wherein the gaming program signed with a digital signature is signed with a digital signature from a regulatory organization, thereby signifying organization approval of the gaming program.

11. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computerized game controller is a general-purpose computer.

12. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 11, wherein the general-purpose computer is a PC-compatible computer.

13. The computerized wagering game apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a network interface connecting the computerized wagering game apparatus to a networked computer.

14. A method for continuously verifying authenticity of game data of a computerized wagering game apparatus, the method comprising:

copying game data stored in a nonvolatile storage of the computerized wagering game apparatus to a RAM of the computerized wagering game apparatus;

continuously hashing the game data copied to the RAM with a one-way hash function in a continuously executing thread to produce a resulting hash value;

comparing the resulting hash value to a reference hash value in a continuously executing thread to ensure that game the data has not changed since calculation of the reference hash value;

wherein the copying, hashing and comparing are carried out continuously during execution of the computerized wagering game apparatus.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising encryption of game data communicated via the computerized wagering game apparatus over a network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the game data communicated over the network comprises instructions to control the operation of the computerized wagering game apparatus.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the game data communicated over the network comprises shared objects for execution on the computerized wagering game apparatus.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the game data communicated over the network comprises game data reported by the computerized wagering game apparatus.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the reference hash value is stored in the nonvolatile storage that comprises a part of the computerized wagering game apparatus.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising bringing the computerized wagering game apparatus to a tilt state if the resulting hash value is not the same as the reference hash value.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising encryption of the game data copied to the RAM of the computerized gaming apparatus, the encryption comprises signing the game data with a digital signature.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein signing the game data with a digital signature comprises encryption of the game data with a signer'"'"'s private key.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein a public key corresponding to the signer'"'"'s private key is stored in the nonvolatile storage.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein signing the game data with a digital signature comprises:

computing a hash value from the game data produced with a one-way hash function; and

encrypting the hash value with a signer'"'"'s private key.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein a public key corresponding to the signer'"'"'s private key is stored in the nonvolatile storage.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the encrypting of the game data comprises use of a symmetric encryption algorithm to encrypt game data.

27. The method of claim 14, wherein the computerized wagering game apparatus comprises a general-purpose computer.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the general-purpose computer comprises a PC-compatible computer.

29. A computerized wagering game apparatus, comprising:

a computerized game controller having a processor, a main memory comprising a random access memory (RAM) and a nonvolatile storage and operable to control the computerized wagering game apparatus;

gaming program code and gaming program code signature stored in the nonvolatile storage, and

an authentication program stored in nonvolatile storage, wherein the authentication program, when executed, continually copies gaming program code and game program code signature from the nonvolatile storage to the RAM during execution of the gaming program code and continually verifies that the gaming program code has not changed by means of generating a message digest from the gaming program code copied to the RAM, decrypting the message digest using a first decryption program;

decrypting the gaming program code signature with a second decryption program and comparing the two decrypted messages to verify that they are identical, wherein the authentication program is continuously executed on the gaming program code copied to the RAM by a continuously executing program thread executing on the computerized game controller during play of the computerized wagering game apparatus by a player.