Method and apparatus for conducting a game of chance

• US 8,047,917 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Corporation
• Inventors: Herrmann, Mark E., Kane, Steven N., Hardy, Dow
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCLELLAN, JAMES S
• Application Number:
  US11/656,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20070259719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/17, 463/18, 463/19, 463/20, 463/21, 463/22, 463/29, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3267 Game outcomes which determine the course of the subsequent game, e.g. double or quits, free games, higher payouts, different new games
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

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 is a game in which elements are selected, and in response to the selection, a prize is revealed (or not) to the player. In another example, the player is permitted to predict the outcome of a characteristic of the online game, a game-playing computer determines an outcome to be displayed to the player that reflects a result of the game of chance. In one example game format, the player is permitted to predict the most frequently-occurring element in a group of drawn game elements.

Claims

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

issuing a ticket to a player, the ticket including a code printed on a surface of the ticket;

determining, after the ticket is issued to the player, a prize total associated with the ticket, such that the potential prize total of the ticket is unknown when the ticket is issued;

providing for the player to play a game on different medium than the issued ticket, wherein the code is used to gain access to obtain at least one result of the game of chance, and wherein the act of providing includes acts of;

permitting the player to select at least one graphical reveal element displayed within a computer interface; and

displaying, to the player in response to the selection, an indicia corresponding to each selected graphical reveal element, wherein the indicia indicate the at least one result of the game of chance;

wherein the at least one result of the game of chance is independent of the selection of the at least one graphical reveal element.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of determining an outcome associated with the ticket based on a drawing.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one result is determined at a Point of Sale (POS) of the issued ticket.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one result is determined prior to play of the game on the different medium.

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

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of providing further comprises an act of providing a computer-based game which the player plays the game to reveal the at least one result of the game of chance.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the act of providing a computer-based game further comprises an act of permitting access to the at least one result of the game of chance by using the code as a decryption key to obtain the at least one result.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of storing, on a server, the at least one result of the game of chance.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising storing, in a database of a computer system, a portion of an decryption key, the portion being used along with the code by the computer system to obtain the at least one result.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the act of providing includes an act of permitting access to a website to play the game.

11. The method according to claim 9, 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.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the identifier is a serial number associated with the ticket.

13. 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 at least one result.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the game is a game of chance.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein a selection of at least one reveal element in the game is determined by a random number generator.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the game is a computer-based game including a reveal element that, when selected by the player, causes a game-playing computer to display one or more prizes awarded to the player.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising an act of providing a pay table, the pay table having a plurality of entries distributed among one or more reveal elements.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein a prize total associated with the ticket is predetermined.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a sequence of results revealed to the player is predetermined.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein a sequence of results revealed to the player is randomly determined by the client.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the sequence of results is stored in a database of a server.

22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of entries of the pay table are distributed among a plurality of instances of the game.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising an act of increasing a value of available prizes distributed to later instances of the game.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the result of the at least one reveal element selection in the game reveals a prize won by the player.

25. 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.

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

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising an act of storing, in a memory of a computer system, the at least one result associated with the game of chance.

28. The method according to claim 27, further comprising an act of associating the at least one result with an indication of the ticket.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the indication of the ticket is unique among indicators of a plurality of tickets.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the first server further comprises a random number generator, and the random number generator performs an act of determining a set numbers associated with the issued ticket.

31. The method according to claim 26, further comprising an act of determining a set of winning numbers associated with the game of chance.

32. The method according to claim 31, 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.

33. The method according to claim 30, 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.

34. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of permitting the player to redeem the issued ticket without playing the game on the different medium.

35. The method according to claim 18, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined dynamically by a game playing computer system.

36. The method according to claim 1, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before gaining access to obtain the at least one result associated with the ticket.

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