System and method for operating on-line governmental lottery games

• US 8,192,269 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eLottery, Inc. (eLOT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: eLottery, Inc. (eLOT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yacenda, Michael W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Peter Dungba
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/192,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20090042633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 463/17, 463/41, 463/42
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3237 about the players, e.g. profiling, responsible gaming, strategy/behavior of players, location of players

Abstract

A method for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network includes receiving a request for mobile player terminal location information from an agent server, acquiring location information based upon distances between the mobile player terminal and a plurality of transmitters with known locations, transmitting the acquired location information to the agent server, determining whether the mobile player terminal is located within a lottery jurisdiction based on the transmitted location information, and processing the purchase of a lottery ticket when the location of the mobile player terminal is determined to be located within the lottery jurisdiction.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating governmental lottery play over an electronic network, comprising:

an agent server connected via said electronic network configured to receive player and ticket information transmitted from a mobile player terminal, transmit said ticket information to a governmental lottery administrator server distinct from the agent server, receive a serial number generated by said governmental lottery administrator in association with a lottery ticket, and send to the mobile player terminal the serial number associated with the ticket;

a database in said agent server for storing said player and ticket information and said serial number associated with said lottery ticket; and

a screening unit in said agent server, having player geographic location criteria by the governmental lottery administrator server pre-stored therein, for verifying that a player satisfies said geographic location criteria prior to transmitting said ticket information to said governmental lottery administrator server, wherein said screening unit;

receives location information based upon distances between the mobile player terminal and a plurality of transmitters with known locations; and

determines whether the mobile player terminal satisfies said geographic location criteria based on the transmitted location information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a cellular telephone with a wireless connection to the Internet.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the cellular telephone is a smartphone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile player terminal includes a portable computer with a wireless connection to the Internet.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein wireless connection to the Internet includes a cellular telephone network radio, a WiFi adapter, or a WiMax adapter.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein location information is acquired using GPS.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein location information is acquired using cellular telephone localization.