System and method for personal wagering

• US 8,221,225 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven Laut
• Original Assignee: Steven Laut
• Inventors: Laut, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): DungBa Vo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Allen
• Application Number:
  US11/581,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/26, 463/42, 705/26
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

A method and a system to provide a medium for facilitating personal wagering for sporting or non-sporting events. Users wager against each other for events. Users can make their own odds and handicaps. Users can wager for property, goods, services, or items with non-monetary value. Alerts are automatically distributed to users informing them of available wager offers. Only users are responsible for completing the wager.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of servers coupled to a wide-area network having a plurality of wager content stored in at least one memory device;

a plurality of users that communicate with the wide-area network over a communications medium, the plurality of users having pre-selected event preferences;

the plurality of users each having a hyperlink browser to send HTTP requests to the plurality of servers and to render wager content returned in response to the HTTP requests;

wherein the plurality of servers automatically alert said plurality of users of selected wager content in response to the HTTP requests, wherein said plurality of users are automatically alerted based on;

a first user of the plurality of users selecting a wager on an event for a first outcome between a first opponent and a second opponent, wherein at least the first outcome and a second outcome are possible outcomes for the event and wherein the first outcome and the second outcome are different outcomes;

a second user of the plurality of users having previously selected second opponent preferences, wherein said plurality of servers determines that the second opponent is in the event with the first opponent selected by the first user; and

the plurality of servers automatically alerting the second user to accept the wager for the second outcome, based on the first user selecting the wager for the first outcome, wherein the alerting is further based on the second user'"'"'s preselected event type preferences, wherein the plurality of servers are configured for maintaining individual user wagering trends and for controlling individual user wagering by limiting individual user wager amounts based on the individual user wagering trends, and at least one user wagers against at least one other user in a personal wager.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second user further selects a price range for wager offers, and the second user is alerted to wager offers when the wager offers are within the selected price range and when the second user'"'"'s event type preferences are opposite of at least one event type preference selected by the first user, and wherein each user selects wagering amount limits and lost wager limits for the prevention of excessive gambling.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a wager can be accepted after an event has begun.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the wager is for goods, services, property, or a personal service, and only the at least one user and the at least one other user are responsible for completing the wager.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of users automatically receive alerts containing targeted new wager offers, wherein the targeted wager offers are selected from a database based on one of a user'"'"'s preferred athlete(s), team(s), event(s) or celebrity, polls, and what is wagered.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the hyperlink browser runs on one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a palm computer, and a notebook computer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein payments and non-payments of wagers effect user reputations in a community of users.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a biometric is associated with each user reputation to prevent identity change within the community of users.

9. A method comprising:

employing a processor for;

a first user using a website to make a wager offer for a first outcome for an event, wherein the event is between a first opponent and a second opponent, wherein at least the first outcome and a second outcome are possible outcomes for the event, wherein the first outcome and the second outcome are different outcomes and wherein the first user determines one or more of;

odds and points to include in the wager offer;

a second user having previously selected second opponent preferences, wherein a server determines that the second opponent is in the event with the first opponent selected by the first user;

automatically alerting the second user to accept the wager offer for the second outcome, based on the first user making the wager offer for the first outcome, wherein the alerting is further based on the second user'"'"'s preselected event type preferences, and wherein the alerting includes one or more of;

an email and a text message;

receiving a wager offer acceptance from the second user after being alerted to the wager offer made by the first user;

determining a winner between the first user and the second user based on an outcome of the event; and

alerting the first user and the second user of the winner.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying wager statistics for the first user and the second user on a display,

wherein the wager statistics are displayed in a hyperlink browser that runs on one of a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a personal computer (PC), a palm computer, and a notebook computer.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

maintaining top trends for offered wagers, and

adding an event to an event listing based on user poll results, wherein the user poll queries users whether users would offer or accept wagers on a particular event if the particular event was available as a wager event in the event listing,

wherein the user wagering trends are used to determine user wager habits to limit user wagering from exceeding a typical wagering amount.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second user pre-selects a price range and event preferences for wager offers, and the second user receives an alert for the wager offer when the wager offer is within the pre-selected price range and for the second opponent that comprises a user preselected team, athlete or individual that opposes the first opponent selected by the first user, and the first user and the second user each selects wagering amount limits and lost wagers limits for prevention of excessive wagering.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein a losing user of a wager directly transfers one of goods, services, a certificate for either goods or services, real property, photos, artwork, and fictional property to a winning user of the wager.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein one of the first user and the second user determine customized one or more of:

odds and handicap to give to the other user, and payments and non-payments of wagers effect user reputations in a user community on the website.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein a user transfers a wager amount to an agent and the agent makes a wager for the user.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the wager acceptance from the second user closes the wager from the first user.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein alerting the second user to accept the wager offer is made by displaying an alert on a personal user webpage, and alerting the first user and the second user of the winner is made by one of text and video.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the first user and the second user automatically receive alerts containing targeted new wager offers and targeted advertising,

wherein the targeted advertising is selected from a database based on one of endorsers/sponsors of user preferred:

athlete(s), team(s), event(s) or celebrity, wager value, user polls, and what is wagered.

19. A non-transitory machine-accessible medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to:

employ a processor to execute the steps of;

a first user using a website to select a wager offer for a first outcome for an event, wherein the event is between a first opponent and a second opponent, wherein at least the first outcome and a second outcome are possible outcomes for the event, and wherein the first outcome and the second outcome are different outcomes;

a second user of the plurality of users having previously selected second opponent preferences, wherein a server determines that the second opponent is in the event with the first opponent selected by the first user;

automatically alerting the second user to accept the wager offer for the second outcome, based on the first user'"'"'s selection of the wager offer for the first outcome, via one or more of;

email and text messaging, and wherein the alerting is further based on the second user'"'"'s preselected event type preferences;

the first user automatically receiving notification of an acceptance of the wager offer by the second user;

determining a winner between the first user and the second user based on an outcome of the event and alert the winner of the outcome of the wager offer;

wherein the second user further selects a price range and event preferences for wager offer alerts, and the second user automatically receives an alert for the wager offer made by the first user when the wager offer is within the selected price range and when the event preferences are opposite of at least one event preference selected by first user, and wherein the first user and the second user each select wagering amount limits and lost wagers limits to control total wagering amounts for preventing excessive individual gambling.

20. The machine-accessible medium of claim 19, wherein a losing user of a wager directly transfers one of goods, services, a certificate for either goods or services, currency, fictional items, photos, artwork, and credits to a winning user of the wager, and payments and non-payments of wagers effect user reputations in a community of users on the website.

21. The machine-accessible medium of claim 19, wherein the first user and the second user automatically receive alerts containing targeted new wager offers and targeted advertising,

wherein the targeted advertising is selected from a database based on endorsers or sponsors of one or more of:

user preferred;

athlete(s), team(s), event(s) or celebrity, wager value, user polls, and what is wagered.