Method of playing a game of chance including a computer-based game

• US 7,959,502 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2004
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gamelogic Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Herrmann, Mark E., Kane, Steven N., Sabet, Bijan, Hardy, Dow, LaRocca, Paul, Yanowitz, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/027,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20050250576A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,357 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463 9- 12, 463 16- 20, 463/25, 463/29, 463/42, 273/292
• US Class Current: 463/17
• 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 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A system and method are provided for playing a game of chance. The game of chance may include, for example, a lottery-type game. A result of the game of chance is revealed to a player in another medium. In one example, the result is revealed during multiple game instances of one or more online games. In one example, the online game includes a poker game. In another example, the poker game is coupled with a second level game in which the result is revealed. In a specific example, the second level game is a slot machine game.

Claims

1. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket associated with the game of chance and including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

providing for a player to authenticate the ticket by sending the code from a host computer to a ticket validating computer server through a communications network, the ticket validating computer server separate from the host computer;

randomly determining a game outcome of the game of chance associated with the ticket on a outcome generating server separate from the host computer, the determination of the game outcome performed after the ticket is issued and prior to play of a computer-based game associated with the ticket, the game outcome comprising a fixed payout;

providing for the player to play the computer-based game on different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the different medium includes the host computer, wherein the code is used to gain security access to obtain results of the game of chance by communicating the code over a communications network from the host computer to an outcome storage computer server on which the game outcome associated with the ticket is stored, the outcome storage computer server on which the game outcome associated with the ticket is stored being separate from the host computer, wherein the computer-based game involves a plurality of game instances of the computer-based game, and wherein the player plays the plurality of game instances within an interface of the computer-based game.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of issuing a ticket includes an act of issuing at least one of a lottery ticket, a scratch ticket, and a pull-tab ticket.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of providing for the player to play the computer-based game further comprises an act of providing a computer-based game which the player plays to reveal the results of the game of chance.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the act of providing a computer-based game further comprises an act of permitting access to the results of the game of chance by using the code as a decryption key to obtain the results.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising an act of storing, in a database of a computer system, a portion of a decryption key, the portion being used along with the code by the computer system to obtain the results.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising an act of obtaining, from the database of the computer system, the portion of the decryption key based on an identifier printed on the ticket.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the identifier is a serial number associated with the ticket.

8. The method according to claim 3, wherein the act of providing for the player to play the computer-based game includes an act of permitting access to a website to play the computer-based game.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of storing, on a server, the results of the game of chance.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of presenting, to the player, an interface in which the player is permitted to enter the code to obtain security access to the results.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computer-based game includes a poker game.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ticket discloses the number of game instances of the computer-based game awarded to the player.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the player is permitted to play, with each one of the game instances, a plurality of hands of poker.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize total for the ticket is predetermined, and the method further comprises an act of presenting the prize total as a sequence of reveals.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sequence of reveals is predetermined.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the reveals are randomly determined by the host computer.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the sequence of reveals is stored in a database of a server.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined by a predetermined game script.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising an act of determining a predetermined game script where a magnitude of prizes awarded for reveals associated with later win opportunities are progressively greater than the magnitude of prizes associated with reveals associated with earlier win opportunities.

20. The method according to claim 18, further comprising an act of determining, for an issued ticket indicated as a losing ticket, a game script comprising an indication that the player was substantially close to winning.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined dynamically by a game playing computer system.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of revealing, to the player, an item associated with a second level game.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the item is used to play a second level game.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the item is used by the player to reveal a prize won by the player.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the prize won by the player is at least one of cash, merchandise, and credit.

26. The method according to claim 24, wherein an indication of the prize won by the player is stored in a database of a server, and is downloaded to a computer presenting the computer-based game to the player.

27. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating, with the ticket, additional opportunities to win.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the additional opportunities to win include one or more additional reveals of results associated with the game of chance.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the one or more additional reveals of results are presented during play of an online game.

30. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing, by a first server associated with a first game, a result associated with the game of chance.

31. The method according to claim 30, further comprising an act of storing, in a memory of a computer system, the result associated with the game of chance.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising an act of associating the result with an indication of the ticket.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the indication of the ticket is unique among indicators of a plurality of tickets.

34. The method according to claim 30, wherein the first server further comprises a random number generator, and the random number generator performs an act of determining a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket.

35. The method according to claim 34, wherein the game of chance includes at least one of a Keno game and a bingo game, and the act of determining a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket comprises an act of selecting a predetermined number of numbers from a predetermined set of numbers.

36. The method according to claim 30, further comprising an act of determining a set of winning numbers associated with the game of chance.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising an act of determining the result of the game of chance based on a comparison of the set of numbers associated with the issued ticket and the set of winning numbers.

38. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing for the player to redeem the issued ticket without playing the game on the host computer.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein the player must wait a predetermined time period before redeeming the ticket.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before redeeming the ticket.

41. The method according to claim 38, further comprising providing for the player to redeem the ticket online.

42. The method according to claim 41, further comprising providing for the player to redeem the ticket to play one or more additional online games.

43. The method according to claim 42, further comprising an act of transmitting to the player an access code for playing the one or more additional online games.

44. The method according to claim 43, wherein the access code is transmitted electronically to the player.

45. The method according to claim 1, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before gaining access to obtain results associated with the ticket.

46. The method according to claim 1, wherein the issued ticket discloses a number of game instances awarded to the player.

47. The method according to claim 1, wherein a prize total for the ticket is determined after the ticket is issued to the player.

48. The method according to claim 47, further comprising an act of determining an outcome associated with the ticket based on a drawing.

49. The method according to claim 48, further comprising an act of providing for the player to play the another game in response to the act of determining the outcome.

50. The method according to claim 1, wherein a prize total for the ticket is determined prior to issuing the ticket to the player.

51. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing for the player to download a game program, the game program, when executed, renders an interface of the poker game in an interface of a game-playing computer system.

52. The method according to claim 51, wherein the game program does not require an installation of one or more components on the game-playing computer system.

53. The method according to claim 51, wherein the game program executes within a browser program window in an interface of the game-playing computer system.

54. The method according to claim 51, wherein the game program is programmed using Macromedia Flash programming.

55. The method of claim 1, wherein the outcome generating server is separate from the outcome storage computer server and the outcome generating server communicates a game outcome to the outcome storage computer server over a communications network.

56. The method of claim 1, wherein the host computer randomly determines a sequence of game states based on the results obtained.

57. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing for game play on the host computer that proceeds independently from the results obtained.

58. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-based game may not be played until the ticket is authenticated.

59. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the ticket further comprises the outcome storage computer server communicating a game outcome to the host computer in response to the ticket validating server computer receiving a valid code from the host computer.

60. The method of claim 1, wherein using the code to gain security access to obtain results of the game of chance further comprises the host computer retrieving intermediate reveal outcomes from the outcome storage computer server during play of the computer-based game when necessary.

61. The method of claim 1, wherein the game is executed on the host computer.

62. The method of claim 1, wherein game winnings are allocated across the plurality of game instances, the allocation determined by a combination of the outcome storage computer server and the host computer.

63. The method of claim 1, wherein upon completion of play of the computer-based game, a game play server sets status information that is checked by a point of sale server when the player attempts to redeem the ticket, wherein the point of sale server is separate from the game play server.

64. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket associated with the game of chance and including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

providing for the player to validate the ticket by sending the code from a host computer to a ticket validating computer server through a communications network, the ticket validating computer server separate from the host computer;

randomly determining a game outcome of the game of chance associated with the ticket on an outcome generating server separate from the host computer, the determination of the game outcome performed after the ticket is issued and prior to play of a computer-based game associated with the ticket, the game outcome comprising a fixed payout; and

providing for the player to play the computer-based game associated with the issued ticket on different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the code is used to gain security access to obtain the game outcome of the game of chance from the outcome generating server, and wherein the computer-based game includes a slot machine game.

65. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket associated with the game of chance and including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

randomly determining a game outcome of the game of chance associated with the ticket on an outcome generating server separate from a host computer, the determination of the game outcome performed after the ticket is issued and prior to play of a computer-based game associated with the ticket, the game outcome comprising a fixed payout;

providing for the player to play a computer-based game associated with the issued ticket on different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the different medium includes the host computer, a program for playing the game executed on the host computer, wherein the code is used to gain security access to obtain results of the game of chance from the outcome generating server, the results obtained by the host computer communicating with the outcome generating server over a communications network, and wherein the host computer randomly determines a sequence of game states in response to the results obtained;

revealing, to the player, an item associated with a second level game, wherein the item associated with the second level game is a spin provided in the computer-based game;

providing for the player, in the second level game, to spin a slot machine game, the slot machine game having an associated pay table;

determining and displaying an outcome of the slot machine game; and

awarding a prize to the player if the slot machine outcome matches at least one entry of the associated pay table, the prize comprising a fixed payout determined after the ticket is issued and prior to play of the computer-based game.

66. The method according to claim 65, further comprising an act of associating a spin achieved in a first level game with an outcome revealed in the second level game.

67. The method according to claim 66, wherein the outcome is independent of play of the computer-based game.

68. The method according to claim 65, further comprising an act of displaying, if the slot machine outcome matches the at least one entry of the associated pay table, the prize awarded to the player.

69. A method for playing a game of chance comprising acts of:

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket associated with the game of chance and including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

providing for the player to validate the ticket by sending the code from a host computer to a ticket validating computer server through a communications network, the ticket validating computer server separate from the host computer;

randomly determining a game outcome of the game of chance associated with the ticket on a outcome generating server separate from the host computer, the determination of the game outcome performed after the ticket is issued and prior to play of a computer-based game associated with the ticket, the game outcome comprising a fixed payout;

providing for the player to play the computer-based game on different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the code is used to gain security access to obtain results of the game of chance;

revealing, to the player, an item associated with a second level game in response to play of the computer-based game;

providing for the player to play the second level game using the item revealed in the computer-based game; and

awarding a prize to the player in response to the outcome of the second level game matching at least one entry of an associated pay table.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein the second level game is a slot machine game.