LOCAL ENVIRONMENT BASED WAGERING

• US 20100069144A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lemi Technology, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Concert Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Farrelly, Eugene Matthew, Helpingstine, Michael W., Curtis, Scott, Jennings, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 8,216,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3218 wherein at least part of the system is portable
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3279 wherein the competition is one-to-one, e.g. match
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing location-based wagering. In one embodiment, wagerable data associated with a location of a first user is identified. The wagerable data may be any type of data on which a wager may be based. Then, a wager recommendation is generated based on the wagerable data and returned to the first user. The first user defines a wager, and the wager is published to one or more second users located in proximity to the first user. Each of the one or more second users is enabled to accept the wager if desired. In addition, one or more winners and one or more losers of the wager may be identified and payout may then be effected.

Claims

1. A method of operation of a central server, comprising:

identifying wagerable data associated with a location of a first user;

generating a wager recommendation based on the wagerable data;

providing the wager recommendation to a user device of the first user;

receiving a wager based on the wager recommendation from the user device of the first user;

identifying a second user located in proximity to the first user;

publishing the wager to a user device of the second user located in proximity to the first user;

if the second user accepts the wager, receiving a response from the user device of the second user indicating that the second user has accepted the wager; and

notifying the first user that the second user has accepted the wager.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the wagerable data comprises searching one or more remote network sources for wagerable data associated with the location of the first user.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the one or more remote network sources are accessible to the central server via a global network.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the global network is the Internet.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the wagerable data comprises performing an Internet search for wagerable data associated with the location of the first user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wagerable data is a wagerable event.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the wagerable event is a sporting event, and the wager recommendation is related to the sporting event.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the wagerable data is weather data for the location of the first user, and the wager recommendation is related to weather at the location of the first user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the wagerable data is information forming a basis for a trivia question related to the location of the first user, and the wager recommendation is based on the trivia question related to the location of the first user.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the wagerable data is information forming a basis for a plurality of trivia questions related to the location of the first user, and the wager recommendation is based on the plurality of trivia questions related to the location of the first user.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a winner of the wager.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein identifying the winner of the wager comprises automatically determining the winner of the wager at the central server.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein identifying the winner of the wager comprises receiving information identifying the winner of the wager from the user device of the first user.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the first user determines the winner of the wager.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the user device of the first user automatically determines the winner of the wager.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein identifying the winner of the wager comprises receiving information identifying the winner of the wager from a user device of a user elected to determine the winner of the wager.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager is a monetary wager, and the method further comprises crediting a financial account of a one of the first and second users identified as the winner of the wager and debiting a financial account of an other one of the first and second users being a loser of the wager.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein a jurisdiction in which the first and second users are located imposes a tax on monetary wagers, and the method further comprises imposing the tax prior to crediting the financial account of the one of the first and second users identified as the winner of the wager.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the wager is a non-monetary wager, and the method further comprises crediting a total point value maintained for a one of the first and second users identified as the winner of the wager and debiting a total point value maintained for an other one of the first and second users being a loser of the wager.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a side-wager from the user device of the second user;

publishing the side-wager to the user device of the first user; and

if the first user accepts the side-wager, receiving a response from the user device of the first user indicating that the first user has accepted the side-wager.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the second user located in proximity to the first user comprises identifying the second user located within a defined distance from the first user.

22. A method of operation of a central server, comprising:

identifying wagerable data associated with a location of a first user;

providing at least a subset of the wagerable data associated with the location of the first user to a user device of the first user;

receiving, from the user device of the first user, a wager based on the at least a subset of the wagerable data;

identifying a second user located in proximity to the first user;

publishing the wager to a user device of the second user located in proximity to the first user;

if the second user accepts the wager, receiving a response from the user device of the second user indicating that the second user has accepted the wager; and

notifying the first user that the second user has accepted the wager.

23. A central server comprising:

a) a communication interface communicatively coupling the central server to a plurality of user devices via a network, each of the plurality of user devices associated with one of a plurality of users; and

b) a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

i) identify wagerable data associated with a location of a first user of the plurality of users;

ii) generate a wager recommendation based on the wagerable data;

iii) provide the wager recommendation to a first user device of the plurality of user devices that is associated with the first user;

iv) receive a wager based on the wager recommendation from the first user device of the first user;

v) identify a second user of the plurality of users that is located in proximity to the first user;

vi) publish the wager to a second user device of the plurality of user devices that is associated with the second user located in proximity to the first user;

vii) if the second user accepts the wager, receive a response from the second user device associated with the second user indicating that the second user has accepted the wager; and

viii) notify the first user at the first user device that the second user has accepted the wager.

24. A central server comprising:

a) a communication interface communicatively coupling the central server to a plurality of user devices via a network, each of the plurality of user devices associated with one of a plurality of users; and

b) a control system associated with the communication interface and adapted to;

i) identify wagerable data associated with a location of a first user of the plurality of users;

ii) provide at least a subset of the wagerable data to a first user device of the plurality of user devices that is associated with the first user;

iii) receive a wager based on the at least a subset of the wagerable data from the first user device of the first user;

iv) identify a second user of the plurality of users that is located in proximity to the first user;

v) publish the wager to a second user device of the plurality of user devices that is associated with the second user located in proximity to the first user;

vi) if the second user accepts the wager, receive a response from the second user device associated with the second user indicating that the second user has accepted the wager; and

vii) notify the first user at the first user device that the second user has accepted the wager.