Sporting game of chance

• US 10,769,880 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2018
• Issued: 09/08/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Original Assignee: CFPH LLC (Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.)
• Inventors: Lutnick, Howard W., Alderucci, Dean P., Gelman, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US16/151,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20200051398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• 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 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3269 Timing aspects of game play, e.g. blocking/halting the operation of a gaming machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

In various embodiments a display may allow a secondary player to select a game of an appropriate primary player.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a computing device;

a communications link; and

a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a client device of a remote secondary player, a criterion for selecting a game;

receive, from a plurality of remote devices and through the communication link, first data describing a first plurality of games;

in response to receiving the criterion, process the first data to determine a first game of the plurality of games that matches the criterion, in which the first game is to be played at a first gaming table by a first primary player;

determine odds for wagers that a first event will occur in the first game;

present, to the remote secondary player through the client device, the odds;

receive, from the client device, a first bet by the secondary player, in which the first bet includes a bet that the first event will occur during the first game and is based at least in part on the odds;

receive, from a remote device of the plurality of remote devices and through the communication link, second indicating events in the first game;

in response to receiving the second data and the first bet, determine whether the first event occurs during the first game;

in response to determining whether the first event occurs during the first game, determine whether to provide a first payout to the remote secondary player;

receive, from the plurality of remote devices and through the communication link, third data describing a second plurality of games;

process the second data to determine that a second game to be played at the first gaming table does not match the criterion; and

in response to determining that the second game does not match the at least one criterion, present, to the secondary player through the client device, an indication that the second game does not match the criterion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the criterion is that the game is to be played by a primary player who has the highest net winnings of any primary player over a particular period of time.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which determining that the first game matches the at least one criterion includes determining that the first primary player has the highest net winnings.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion is that the game is to be played at a gaming table at which the most money has been won of any gaming table over a particular period of time.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, in which determining that the first game matches the criterion includes determining that the first game is to be played at a gaming table at which more money has been won than another gaming table.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion is that the game is to be played by a primary player who has won the last five games that he has played.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which determining that the first game matches the criterion includes determining that the first primary player has won the last five games he has played.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instruction cause the computing device to:

receive from the secondary player a second bet for a third game played by the first primary player, the third game played after the first game and before the second game;

determine a second outcome of the third game;

determine a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

add credits to the account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instruction cause the computing device to:

receive, after transmitting the indication that the second game does not match the criterion, instructions from the secondary player to find another game that matches the criterion;

determine a third game that matches the criterion;

receive from the secondary player a second bet;

determine a second outcome of the third game;

determine a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

add credits to an account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, in which the third game is not played by the first primary player.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instruction cause the computing device to:

determine a third game that matches the criterion, in which the third game is not played by the first primary player;

receive from the secondary player a second bet;

determine a second outcome of the third game;

determine a second payout based on the second bet and the second outcome; and

add credits to an account associated with the secondary player based on the second payout.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, in which presenting the odds includes displaying an interface through which the secondary may place the first bet.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the instruction cause the computing device to:

present an image to the client device that includes a visual representations of the first gaming table, the image further including a first arrow pointing to the first gaming table from the client device.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which presenting the image includes presenting a visual representation of a casino floor to the secondary player.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the at least one criterion can be met by only a single game at any one time.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one criterion includes that a game must be played on a gaming device that made the highest payout of any gaming device in a casino in the last hour.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the at least one criterion includes that a game must be played on a gaming device that provided the longest streak of consecutive outcomes that were winning for a primary player playing games on the gaming device of any gaming device in a casino in the last hour.