Simulcast pari-mutuel gaming machine with casino and lottery styled wagers for continuous play

• US 9,406,189 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2010
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Original Assignee: Cantor Index LLC
• Inventors: Scott, Kenneth A, Krause, Lawrence A
• Primary Examiner(s): D'AGOSTINO, PAUL ANTHONY
• Application Number:
  US12/888,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20110009190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3209 Input means, e.g. buttons, touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3246 involving coins and/or banknotes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3251 involving media of variable value, e.g. programmable cards, programmable tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3276 wherein the players compete, e.g. tournament
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/106664 Blood serum or blood plasma standard or control

Abstract

An gaming machine for and method of par-mutuel wagering that allows individuals to continuously place multiple casino and lottery styled pari-mutuel wagers on simulcast live and/or recorded pari-mutuel race events. The gaming machine includes a display screen to provide a graphic display of a plurality of pari-mutuel gaming options to a player, and a selection device operable by the player to select at least one of the pari-mutuel gaming options displayed on the screen, the selection device operable by the player to input a wager corresponding to the selected at least one pari-mutuel gaming option. The gaming machine has the ability to be linked to a network of gaming machines in pari-mutuel and/or other wagering venues.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory communicably coupled to the at least one processor and having stored thereon software instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, direct the at least one processor to;

cause a display screen to display a first pari-mutuel game option to a player;

receive from the player a selection of the first pari-mutuel game option displayed on the display screen;

receive from the player a first wager on an event at one of a plurality of tracks, wherein the first wager corresponds to the selected pari-mutuel game;

cause the display screen to display to the player a second option a selection of which by the player (i) results in the player choosing to play the same selected pari-mutuel game without the first pari-mutuel game option being redisplayed to the player, and (ii) causes the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play;

receive from the player a selection of the second option;

in response to receiving the selection of the second option, cause the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play, but not display to the player the first pari-mutuel game option;

receive from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections at which to play the selected pari-mutuel game; and

receive from the player a second wager wherein the second wager corresponds to a replaying of the selected pari-mutuel game on an event at the selected track.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a tuner/receiver operable to:

receive a signal representing a live broadcast of the event on which the first wager is placed; and

communicate the signal to a display screen for viewing by the player.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a memory storage for recording the signal representing the live broadcast;

and

wherein the software instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to recall the signal from memory storage for displaying on a display screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to display the first pari-mutuel game option to the player comprises to:

cause the display screen to display a plurality of track selections to the player;

receive from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections; and

cause the display screen to display a plurality of pari-mutuel game options available at the selected track .

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to display the first pari-mutuel game option to the player further includes to:

cause the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play;

receive from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections, the selected track being the track on which the first wager is placed; and

cause a display screen to display to the player the event on which the first wager is placed.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the software instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further direct the at least one processor to:

display a plurality of alternative pari-mutuel game options offered at the selected track at which the first wager is placed; and

receive from the player another wager on an event at the selected track at which the first wager is placed.

4. A method comprising the steps of:

causing a display screen to display a first pari-mutuel game option to a player;

receiving from the player a selection of the first pari-mutuel game option displayed on the display screen;

receiving from the player a first wager on an event at one of a plurality of tracks, wherein the first wager corresponds to the selected pari-mutuel game;

causing the display screen to display to the player a second option a selection of which by the player (i) results in the player choosing to play the same selected pari-mutuel game without the first pari-mutuel game option being redisplayed to the player, and (ii) causes the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play;

receiving from the player a selection of the second option;

in response to receiving the selection of the second option, causing the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play, but not display to the player first pari-mutuel game option;

receiving from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections at which to play the selected pari-mutuel game; and

receiving from the player a second wager wherein the second wager corresponds to a replaying of the selected pari-mutuel game on an event at the selected track.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

recording the first wager; and

comparing the recorded first wager to an outcome of the event on which the first wager is placed.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of displaying the first pari-mutuel game option to the player includes the steps of:

causing the display screen to display a plurality of track selections to the player;

receiving from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections; and

causing the display screen to display a plurality of pari-mutuel game options available at the selected track.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of causing to display on a display screen the event on which the second wager is placed.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of displaying the first pari-mutuel game option to the player includes the steps of:

causing the display screen to display to the player a plurality of track selections at which the selected pari-mutuel game is available for play;

receiving from the player a selection of one of the plurality of track selections, the selected track being the track on which the first wager is placed; and

causing a display screen to display to the player the event on which the first wager is placed.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

causing the display screen to display to the player a set of rules associated with selected pari-mutuel game.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of causing to be displayed to the player a virtual assistant to assist the player in placing the first wager.

11. The method of claim 4, further including the step of:

staggering a start time of each pari-mutuel event at each of a plurality of pari-mutuel racing venues;

wherein the pari-mutuel events correspond to the first pari-mutuel game option displayed to the player.

13. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one signal representing a live video of the event on which the first wager is placed; and

communicating the at least one signal representing the live video to a display screen for viewing by the player.

15. The method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from the player a selection of a second pari-mutuel game option; and

receiving from the player a wager on the selected second pari-mutuel game.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of recalling the at least one signal from memory storage for viewing of the live video by the player.