Method and apparatus for conducting a game of chance

• US 8,393,949 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Scientific Games Holdings Ltd (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kane, Steven N., Hardy, Dow, Herrmann, Mark E., LaRocca, Paul, Sabet, Bijan, Yanowitz, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, David L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoel, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US12/653,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20100160019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 283/73, 283/17, 283/49, 283/903, 463 17- 19, 463/16, 463/20, 463/29, 273/269, 273/270, 273/272, 273/299
• 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 17/3248 involving non-monetary media of fixed value, e.g. casino chips of fixed value
• 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 slot machine game.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising acts of:

issuing, at a point of sale terminal, a ticket having a ticket based game on the ticket to a player, the ticket including a code printed on a surface of the ticket, wherein results of the ticket based game, which are obtained via game play of the ticket based game, are stored in a database of a server separate from the ticket and wherein the results are not encoded on the ticket;

using the code to access an entry stored in the database of the server to access a computer based game;

providing for the player the computer based game on a different medium than the ticket based game, wherein the player accesses a game interface of the computer based game that includes a computer based slot machine game configured to reveal the results of the ticket based game when the player plays the computer based game on the different medium; and

using the code to obtain, from the database, the results of the ticket based game, wherein the computer based game is a different game than the ticket based game and the results obtained from game play of the ticket based game are predetermined and independent of play on the computer based game and dictate the results of the computer based game.

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

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

issuing the ticket further comprises;

issuing the ticket having the ticket based game on the ticket to the player, the ticket based game having an overall prize value;

providing for the player the computer based game further comprises;

providing the computer based game configured to reveal the results of the ticket based game when the player plays a plurality of game instances of the computer based game on the different medium; and

using the code to obtain the results of the ticket based game further comprises;

using the code to obtain the results, wherein at least one prize awarded in response to play of the plurality of game instances of the computer based game accumulates to form the overall prize value.

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

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

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising 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 access the computer based game.

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

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of providing includes an act of permitting to a website to play the slot machine game.

9. 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.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the slot machine game is a game of chance.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one result of a spin of the slot machine game is determined by a random number generator.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the slot machine game is a computer-based game including a plurality of reels having a plurality of indicia that, when matched in any one of a plurality of combinations, provides points to the player.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising an act of providing a pay table that determines, based on a particular one of the plurality of combinations, the points provided to the player.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising act of:

accruing, by the player, points awarded by playing the slot machine game; and

advancing the player to play a second level game after a predetermined number of points have been accrued by the player, wherein the second level game reveals a prize won by the player.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein an indication of the prize won by the player is stored in the database of the server, and is downloaded to a computer presenting the computer-based game to the player.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein a prize total for the ticket is predetermined.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a sequence of reveals of the results of the ticket based game is predetermined and stored in the database of the server.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sequence of reveals is determined by at least one of a predetermined game script and dynamically by a game playing computer system.

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 16, wherein the reveals are randomly determined by a client.

22. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating with the ticket, additional opportunities to win, wherein the additional opportunities to win include one or more additional reveals of results associated with the computer based game that are presented during play of an online game.

23. The method according to claim 1, further comprising act of:

providing, from the database of the server, the results of the ticket based game; and

storing, in a memory of a computer system, the results associated with the ticket based game;

associating the results of the ticket based game with an indication of the ticket, wherein the indication of the ticket is unique among indicators of a plurality of tickets; and

determining a set of winning numbers associated with the ticket based game.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the 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.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the ticket based game includes at 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 or numbers from a predetermined set of numbers.

26. The method according to claim 23, further comprising an act of determining the result of the ticket based game based on a comparison of a set of numbers associated with the issued ticket and the set of winning numbers.

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

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the player must wait a predetermined time period before redeeming the ticket.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein the player must wait until a specific event has been completed before redeeming the ticket.

30. 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.

31. The method according to claim 1, wherein the issued ticket discloses a number of slot machine spins awarded the player, and wherein a prize total for the ticket is determined after the ticket is issued to the player.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising acts of:

determining an outcome associated with the ticket based on a drawing; and

permitting the player to play the other game in the response to the act of determining the outcome.

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

34. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing for the player to use the code on the ticket to initiate the slot machine game.

35. The method according to claim 1, wherein the results of the ticket based game comprise a predetermined outcome of the ticket based game.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the predetermined outcome is presented through the results of the ticket based game.

37. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using the code to gain access to the results of the ticket based game, wherein the results are generated at a predetermined time.

38. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ticket based game includes one of a scratch based lottery ticket game and a printed ticket based lottery ticket game.

39. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to the act of issuing the ticket, determining the results of the ticket based game by a server that stores ticket information.

40. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ticket based game is approved by regulators.