System, method, and article of manufacture for gaming from an off-site location

• US 7,128,652 B1
• Filed: 10/13/2000
• Issued: 10/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oneida Indian Nation
• Original Assignee: Oneida Indian Nation
• Inventors: Angell, Robert C., Santini, John A. Jr., Lavoie, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIM T
• Application Number:
  US09/689,841
• Time in Patent Office: 2,209 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/25, 463/40, 463/1, 463/17, 463/29, 463/41, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements

Abstract

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention allow a patron to play games from an off-site location via an online network. For example, a server may receive, from a first client terminal, a purchase request for at least one wager. The server may determine the results of the at least one wager and store the results of the at least one wager in a database. Then, the server may receive, from a second client terminal, a request to reveal the results of the at least one wager, for example, via an online network, and send the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal.

Claims

1. A gaming method, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a purchase request for at least one wager from a patron at a first client terminal before a game play has begun;

determining, at the server, results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

storing, at the server, the results of the at least one wager in a database before the game play has begun;

adjusting, at the server, an account of the patron based on the results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

receiving, at the server, from a second client terminal during the game play, a request to reveal the results of the at least one wager; and

sending, from the server, the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the server, a purchase request includes receiving a purchase amount.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the server, a purchase request includes receiving a purchase amount and a denomination value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the server, a purchase request includes receiving a number of wagers and a denomination value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the server, a purchase request includes receiving a purchase request from a client terminal located at a facility.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein sending, from the server, the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play comprises sending the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play in response to a request received via an online network connected to the server to reveal the results of the at least one wager during the game play.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending, from the server, the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play includes sending the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play via an online network.

8. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer to perform a gaming method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a patron identifier identifying a patron from a first client terminal before a game play has begun;

receiving, at the server from the first client terminal before the game play has begun, a purchase request for at least one wager;

debiting, at the server, an account balance of a patron account corresponding to the received patron identifier based on the received purchase request;

determining, at the server, a result of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

storing, at the server, the result of the at least one wager in a database before the game play has begun;

adjusting, at the server, the account balance of the patron account based on the result of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

receiving, at the server, a request to reveal the result of the at least one wager from a second client terminal during the game play; and

sending, from the server, the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play.

9. A computer readable medium containing instructions for causing a computer to perform a gaming method, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a patron identifier identifying a patron from a client terminal before a game play has begun;

receiving, at the server, a purchase request for a plurality of wagers from the client terminal before the game play has begun;

debiting, at the server, an account balance of a patron account corresponding to the received patron identifier based on the received purchase request;

determining, at the server, results of the plurality of wagers before the game play has begun;

adjusting, at the server, the account balance of the patron account based on the results of the plurality of wagers before the game play has begun;

storing, at the server, the results of the plurality of wagers in a database before the game play has begun;

receiving, at the server, a request to reveal the results of the plurality of wagers during the game play; and

sending, from the server, the results of the plurality of wagers to the client terminal during the game play.

10. A server connected to a plurality of client terminals in a gaming system, comprising:

a communications component for receiving, from a patron at a first client terminal, a purchase request for at least one wager before a game play has begun;

a wagering component for determining results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

an adjusting component for adjusting an account balance of the patron according to the results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

a database for storing the results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

a reveal component for receiving a request from a second client terminal to reveal the results of the at least one wager during the game play; and

a sending component for sending the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play.

11. The server of claim 10, wherein the communications component further comprises a database interface for retrieving the results of the at least one wager from the database.

12. A server connected to a plurality of client terminals in a gaming system, comprising:

means for receiving, from a patron at a client terminal, a purchase request for a plurality of wagers before a game play has begun;

means for determining results of each of the plurality of wagers before the game play has begun;

means for adjusting an account balance of the patron according to the results of each of the plurality of wagers before the game play has begun;

means for storing each of the results of the plurality of wagers before the game play has begun;

means for receiving a request to reveal the results of the plurality of wagers during the game play; and

means for sending the results of the plurality of wagers to the client terminal during the game play.

13. A gaming method, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a purchase request for at least one wager from a first client terminal before a game play has begun;

determining, at the server, results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun and after receiving the purchase request;

updating a player account based on the results of the at least one wager before the game play has begun;

storing, at the server, the results of the at least one wager in a database before the game play has begun;

receiving, at the server, from a second client terminal, a request for the results of the at least one wager during the game play; and

sending, from the server, the results of the at least one wager to the second client terminal during the game play.

14. A gaming method, comprising:

receiving, at a server, a purchase request for at least one wager from a first client terminal before a game play has begun, wherein the purchase request includes a purchase amount and a denomination value;

dividing the purchase amount by the denomination value to determine a number of wagers;

after the purchase request is received, determining, at the server, results of the number of wagers before the game play has begun;

calculating a wager pool based on the results;

while the wager pool is greater than zero,

determining results of additional wagers, and

updating the results of the wagers based on the results of the additional wagers; and

updating a player account based on the results before game play has begun.