Methods and systems for betting with pari-mutuel payouts

• US 8,342,959 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HF Scientific Incorporated
• Original Assignee: HF Scientific Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Guy, Mahaffey, Clayton R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARSEN, CARL VICTOR
• Application Number:
  US11/998,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20080113816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,860 Days
• Field of Search: 463/28, 462/42
• US Class Current: 463/28
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3288 Betting, e.g. on live events, bookmaking
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A server for facilitating real-time betting, wherein the server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network. The server includes a memory storing an operating system, an instruction set, event data related to a sporting event, gambler data related to gamblers participating in a competition based upon the sporting event and site data related to electronic pages associated with the real-time para-mutuel betting. A processor runs the instruction set and communicates with the memory and the distributed computing network. The processor is operative to enroll the gamblers by presenting betting rules associated with the sporting event, collect wagering from the gamblers, accept predictions for discrete events within the sporting event from each gambler and determine a first winner of the competition based upon the predictions. Applications include lotteries with entries received from mobile devices.

Claims

1. A method for pari-mutuel betting, wherein a server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) enrolling gamblers in a server database for at least one pari-mutual wager event by presenting betting rules associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event on clients associated with the gamblers;

(b) assigning point awards to categories associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event as part of the betting rules;

(c) collecting wagers from the gamblers and updating the server database based on the wagers;

(d) forming a pool from the wagers, the pool being less than a total of the wagers and storing data representing the pool in the server database;

(e) accepting predictions from each gambler for discrete events within the categories for the at least one pari-mutual wager event, wherein the predictions are received from the clients by the server, which updates the server database based on the predictions;

(f) allocating points to the gamblers based upon the correct and incorrect predictions and updating the server database based on the points, wherein correct predictions are worth more points than incorrect predictions;

(g) in the server, determining rankings of the gamblers based upon the points allocated thereto; and

(h) distributing at least a portion of the pool according to the rankings, wherein the at least one event is a lottery where a subset of numbers are chosen sequentially from a preselected range by a method selected from the group consisting of reading manually completed sheets, receiving Internet submissions, receiving text message wagers and predictions, receiving wagers and predictions from mobile telephones and combinations thereof, wherein the lottery is multi-jurisdictional and progressive with a large initial payout, and at least one winner is determined by a lowest score based upon an accumulated sum for each drawn number of an absolute value of a difference between a predicted number and the drawn number.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of varying the points for a category in a predetermined manner in inverse proportion to a time elapsed in the lottery.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the lottery has multiple games that are selected for prediction of winners and final scores by a method selected from the group consisting of reading manually completed sheets, receiving Internet submission, receiving text message wagers and predictions, receiving wagers and predictions from mobile telephones and combinations thereof.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the wagers and predictions are received before and during the lottery.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of providing a number of players and a size of the pool for review by the gamblers on the clients.

6. A method for pari-mutuel betting, wherein a server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) enrolling gamblers in a server database for at least one pari-mutual wager event by presenting betting rules associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event on clients associated with the gamblers;

(b) assigning point awards to categories associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event as part of the betting rules;

(c) collecting wagers from the gamblers and updating the server database based on the wagers;

(d) forming a pool from the wagers, the pool being less than a total of the wagers and storing data representing the pool in the server database;

(e) accepting predictions from each gambler for discrete events within the categories for the at least one pari-mutual wager event, wherein the predictions are received from the clients by the server, which updates the server database based on the predictions;

(f) allocating points to the gamblers based upon the correct and incorrect predictions and updating the server database based on the points, wherein correct predictions are worth more points than incorrect predictions;

(g) in the server, determining rankings of the gamblers based upon the points allocated thereto; and

(h) distributing at least a portion of the pool according to the rankings, wherein;

the at least one event is a poker card game;

wagers are collected after commencement of the at least one event;

rules of the poker card game are stored in the server database;

each gambler receives a hand from a virtual deck associated with the respective gambler; and

each player improves upon the hand with at least one community card from a virtual community deck, and

further comprising the steps of splitting the pool between the gambler with a highest poker hand and the gambler a highest point allocation.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

varying the points for a category in a predetermined manner in inverse proportion to a time elapsed in the poker card game,

providing a number of players and a size of the pool for review by the gamblers on the clients, and

wherein the wagers and predictions are received before and during the poker card game.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein:

wagers are collected after commencement of the poker card game;

rules of the poker card game are stored in the server database; and

each gambler receives a virtual deck and makes predictions that are an outcome of a next card that is electronically turned over until all cards in the virtual deck have been turned over.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein when the virtual deck has four suits and thirteen cards persuit, four points are awarded for selecting a correct suit of the next card, and points are awarded based on selecting a card value according to a formula as follows:

points=13−

absolute value of(predicted value−

actual value).

10. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the poker card game has multiple games that are selected for prediction of winners and final scores by a method selected from the group consisting of reading manually completed sheets, receiving Internet submission, receiving text message wagers and predictions, receiving wagers and predictions from mobile telephones and combinations thereof.

11. A method for pari-mutuel betting, wherein a server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) enrolling gamblers in a server database for at least one pari-mutual wager event by presenting betting rules associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event on clients associated with the gamblers;

(b) assigning point awards to categories associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event as part of the betting rules;

(c) collecting wagers from the gamblers and updating the server database based on the wagers;

(d) forming a pool from the wagers, the pool being less than a total of the wagers and storing data representing the pool in the server database;

(e) accepting predictions from each gambler for discrete events within the categories for the at least one pari-mutual wager event, wherein the predictions are received from the clients by the server, which updates the server database based on the predictions;

(f) allocating points to the gamblers based upon the correct and incorrect predictions and updating the server database based on the points, wherein correct predictions are worth more points than incorrect predictions;

(g) in the server, determining rankings of the gamblers based upon the points allocated thereto; and

(h) distributing at least a portion of the pool according to the rankings,

wherein;

the at least one event is a poker card game;

wagers are collected after commencement of the at least one event;

rules of the poker card game are stored in the server database;

each gambler receives a hand from a virtual deck associated with the respective gambler; and

each player improves upon the hand with at least one community card from a virtual community deck, and

further comprising the step of creating a secondary pool based upon wagers on an outcome of a next card that is electronically dealt from a virtual deck associated with the gambler and a next card turned over from the virtual community deck.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

varying the points for a category in a predetermined manner in inverse proportion to a time elapsed in the poker card game; and

providing a number of players and a size of the pool for review by the gamblers on the clients, and wherein the wagers and predictions are received before and during the poker card games.

13. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein:

wagers are collected after commencement of the poker card game;

rules of the poker card game are stored in the server database; and

each gambler receives a virtual deck and makes predictions that are an outcome of a next card that is electronically turned over until all cards in the virtual deck have been turned over.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein when the virtual deck has four suits and thirteen cards persuit, four points are awarded for selecting a correct suit of the next card, and points are awarded based on selecting a card value according to a formula as follows:

points=13−

absolute value of(predicted value−

actual value).

15. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the poker card game has multiple games that are selected for prediction of winners and final scores by a method selected from the group consisting of reading manually completed sheets, receiving Internet submission, receiving text message wagers and predictions, receiving wagers and predictions from mobile telephones and combinations thereof.

16. A method for pari-mutuel betting, wherein a server communicates with clients via a distributed computing network, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) enrolling gamblers in a server database for at least one pari-mutual wager event by presenting betting rules associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event on clients associated with the gamblers;

(b) assigning point awards to categories associated with the at least one pari-mutual wager event as part of the betting rules;

(c) collecting wagers from the gamblers and updating the server database based on the wagers;

(d) forming a pool from the wagers, the pool being less than a total of the wagers and storing data representing the pool in the server database;

(e) accepting predictions from each gambler for discrete events within the categories for the at least one pari-mutual wager event, wherein the predictions are received from the clients by the server, which updates the server database based on the predictions;

(f) allocating points to the gamblers based upon the correct and incorrect predictions and updating the server database based on the points, wherein correct predictions are worth more points than incorrect predictions;

(g) in the server, determining rankings of the gamblers based upon the points allocated thereto; and

(h) distributing at least a portion of the pool according to the rankings, wherein;

the at least one event is a card game;

wagers are collected after commencement of the at least one event;

rules of the card game are stored in the server database; and

each gambler receives a virtual deck and the predictions are an outcome of a next card that is electronically turned over until all cards in the virtual deck have been turned over and when the virtual deck has four suits and thirteen cards persuit, four points are awarded for selecting a correct suit of the next card, and points are awarded based on selecting a card value according to a formula as follows;

points=13−

absolute value of(predicted value−

actual value).

17. A method as recited in claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

varying the points for a category in a predetermined manner in inverse proportion to a time elapsed in the at least one event; and

providing a number of players and a size of the pool for review by the gamblers on the clients, and

wherein the wagers and predictions are received before and during the card game.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the card game has multiple games that are selected for prediction of winners and final scores by a method selected from the group consisting of reading manually completed sheets, receiving Internet submission, receiving text message wagers and predictions, receiving wagers and predictions from mobile telephones and combinations thereof.