RO128013A2 - Interactive gambling game - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an interactive gambling game which allows the active taking part in the authorized gambling game of the interested persons. According to the invention, the game allows an organizer to transmit information about the contest through at least one TV channel, Internet or local displays and has a meter indicating the time up to starting an extraction; some players may play, by using a telephone line made available by the game organizer, at least a combination of k numbers of m possible numbers, the players desiring to take part in the extraction will create an account on the organizer's server, the players having to put a sum at least equal to the value of a game participation ticket into said account, preferably the account loading being made via an overcharge line made available by the game organizer, the player indicating through a telephone line connected to the server containing the player's account, the selected combination of numbers, the server blocking the access to the telephone line during the extraction and indicating this on the TV sets screens/displays, at the end of the contest the server operating the player's account, by increasing or lowering the value thereof according to the conditions stipulated in the game regulation, as the case may be, the players not having an account or having an amount in the account which is insufficient for an extraction, indicating the combination of numbers on the overcharge line, simultaneously with opening and loading the account, and the players having in the account an amount ensuring the participation in at least one extraction will play on a telephone line with normal charge, indicating the combination of numbers a player chose by SMS, through a numerical code introduced through the telephone keyboard or by indicating it as a response to a verbal questioning formulated by the server upon receiving the call, the combination being confirmed by an SMS transmitted to the player.

Description

Interactive gambling

The present invention relates to an interactive gambling, of the type of gold-plated games of chance, such as the game of oinco, otene, and the like: or, and in particular, to a game of chance that allows those interested in active participation in the games Authorized hazard, in which you bet on a limited combination of numbers from a lot of numbers, even when players are away from the event.

It is known that since ancient times, people have been interested in games in which various competitors competed, trying to determine the winning combinations, randomly selected from a lot of such possible combinations.

Such a game, for example, consisted of the simultaneous roll of two dice, each dice having six faces, the players trying to determine the combination that will result from the roll; In another variant, players tried to determine the number to be chosen from a lot of numbers, as a result of spinning a roulette wheel.

But the most representative game of this type is the lotto game, in which players must define the combination that will result from drawing numbers (for example 5 or 6) from a set of numbers (for example 45 or 49); In the examples presented above, we have lotto games known as "5 out of 45" and "6 out of 49" respectively.

In these types of games, the competition rules establish the order of winnings (for example, in category I - combinations (usually k numbers) that correspond to the combination drawn (also k numbers) in the order of numbers drawn, Category II a - combinations (k numbers) ) corresponding to the drawn combination regardless of the order in which the winning combination was drawn, category a iii a - combinations of “k-1” numbers from the “k” drawn, category IV a - combinations of “k-2” numbers from the "k" drawn, and so on, the rules of the competition also establish how, from the amount collected as a result of the sale of game tickets, the prizes due to each category are allocated.

in this type of game, as a rule, each player pays a fixed amount for each combination of "k" numbers chosen, the prizes by categories being variable and determined by dividing the value of the prize from a category by the number of winning combinations in that category. ; if the player has not indicated a winning combination, he loses the amount corresponding to the value of the game ticket. \

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In order to participate in the game, players must buy a ticket from the specialized agencies, inevitably placed in a limited number of places, the prizes will be collected from the cashier of the game organizer, after completing the necessary formalities.

This type of game has at least the following disadvantages:

- for centralization and data processing, ticketing agencies close long before the draw takes place, so that if a player fails to buy his game ticket in a timely manner, he can no longer participate in the draw;

- the system of collecting prizes is complicated, discouraging winners, especially if their winnings are not significant;

- the long time allocated to centralization and data processing can lead to a decrease in players' confidence in the correctness of the extraction: knowing the variants played, in underperforming extraction systems, these combinations can be avoided, having the effect of reducing the number of significant prize winners.

To eliminate these disadvantages, European patent application EP 0032410 (A63F 3/08) describes a game system that allows the active participation in the game of people who are far from the event and do not have access to a ticket agency.

Also in order to eliminate the mentioned disadvantages, in the European patent application EP 02911705 (G07C 15/00) a device is described to allow the participation in the game until shortly before the drawing of the winning numbers in lotto or other authorized games of chance.

For this purpose, at least one terminal, in fact a telephone, is connected to the telephone exchange of the game organizer, in order to give the necessary instructions to the subscriber who wishes to participate in the draw.

The telephone exchange is connected to a central computer, so that when the subscriber calls the exchange, it records the telephone number from which the call was taken, the combinations of numbers - or, in general, symbols, chosen to participate in the game, as well as the amount the subscriber played when accessing the phone number.

According to the description, after connecting the caller's line (actually the lottery player) to the organizer's computer, he receives instructions (voice) for entering the desired numbers and entering the numbers that "plays" the interested party is done from the phone keypad; after entering the combination of "k" numbers, the computer repeats the numbers entered to the player. \, a-2 Ο 1 1 - 0 0 4 5 0 -1 O -05- 2011 ^? '

If the player does not agree with the numbers communicated by the computer, they can delete them from the computer's memory with a certain phone key, other than the numeric ones, assigned for this purpose.

If the player confirms the number combination that was communicated, the computer converts the number combination into digital format and retains it in a memory.

In fact, the telephone number assigned by the organizer to take these calls is a surcharge number, the equivalent value of the numbers played will be found in the telephone bill.

After the draw, the winning numbers are entered into the computer and with specialized software it selects the winning combinations in various categories and identifies the winning players by phone number; according to the description, the payment of the winnings is made by "classical" means in itself known.

A similar solution is also described in patent applications FR 2553210 (G07C 15/00) and WO 97/31339 (G07C 15/00); according to them, after the registered numbers are communicated to the player, he must validate them, dialing the phone number of the caller, after validation the computer sending the information to a printer, to print the game ticket that will be sent to the player by mail.

Alternatively, in patent application WO 01/23056 (A63F 3/08) for account loading, players must purchase the value cards and communicate its code to the computer (also via the dedicated telephone line).

The main disadvantage of the described systems consists in:

errors that may occur after validation when converting communicated numbers (telephone) to numeric format

- and the fact that these errors can be notified by the player late, without being able to report them, the confirmation of the game registration being printed and sent to the player by mail (and to be received by him after a number of days, after the draw).

Interactive gambling, such as authorized games of chance, and in particular, a game of chance that allows those interested to take an active part in authorized games of chance, such as the lottery game or the game of bingo; however, we analyze, in particular those of the lottery type, in which a limited combination of numbers from a set of numbers is bet, even when the players are away from the event, according to the invention, it removes the disadvantages mentioned by the fact that \ r

C \ -l 0 1 1 - 0 0 4 5 0-- ζζ Z, o -05- 2011 the organizer transmits on at least one TV channel and / or on the internet and / or on local monitors the information about the contest and a meter indicating the time remaining until the start of the draw and in which players can play, using a telephone line provided by the game organizer, at least a combination of "k" numbers from "m", players wishing to participate in the draw will create a account on a server of the organizer, an account that the player must charge with an amount equal to at least the value of a participation ticket, in the game, preferably, the account is charged on a surcharge line provided by the game organizer , the player indicating, on a telephone line - connected takes the severity containing the player's account, the chosen combination of numbers, the server blocking access to the telephone line during the draw and indicating this on the TV / monitor screens, at the end the end of the contest the server operating the player's account, as appropriate, increasing or decreasing its value under the rules of the game, players who do not have an account or who have an account with an insufficient amount for a draw, indicating the combination of numbers through the surcharge line and uploading the account, and players who have an account with an amount to ensure participation in at least one draw will play through a regular rate phone line, indicating the combination that a player has chosen by SMS, by a numeric code, entered through the keypad of the phone or by indication in response to a verbal questionnaire formulated by the server upon receipt of the call, the confirmation of the played combination being made by an SMS sent to the player.

The invention has the advantage of being easy to apply and to allow a large number of people to participate in the game, without the need to be present at the competition, reducing the risk of registering erroneous combinations of numbers and increasing players' confidence in the game system.

The following are some examples of embodiments of the invention. The interactive game of chance according to the invention can be used in any type of game in which a combination of symbols is drawn, and in particular a combination of numbers, following the drawing a ranking of the winning combinations is made; In principle, the invention can be applied to any type of authorized gambling, in particular, but not limited to, lotto draws, pronosport games, casino games, etc.

The interactive gambling, according to the invention, involves the following steps:,,

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π first stage, the game organizer determines the number of symbols, "m" participating in the draw and the number of symbols "k" drawn in a draw, establishing by regulation the number and value of each prize category.

in the next stage, the prize categories and the value of each prize category are established, this information being displayed on locally installed monitors and / or being transmitted through television and / or internet systems to be accessible and remotely.

in parallel, the organizer provides a system, which players can access via a telephone line and in which they open an account and enter the necessary data in a system database: player identification data, the combination of symbols (in particular, numbers) played, the number of draws he wants to take part in - if several draws take place in a short period of time, the amount charged to the account, etc .; In principle, the system comprises a server, accessible via a telephone line, preferably mobile telephony, and software, known per se, which manages the database.

in the next stage, before the actual competition, players must upload their account from the user's server, and can be used for this purpose any of the known methods: payment of a sum of money at the cashier of the organizer, online, by card or by transfer bank, by using a number or an SMS with surcharge, for each call to load the phone bill from which the call was made with the surcharge, with prepaid phone cards, etc.

According to the invention, for the recognition of the player, the server will use the telephone number of the caller, and for making possible payments, it will also store the identification data (such as the personal numerical code) of the player; as an option, when prepaid cards are used, the card identification code will also have to be entered, in order to download and store the corresponding value.

After opening the account and loading it with a value that covers at least one game, a value established by the rules of the game, you can move on to the next stage, the player can participate, as appropriate, in one or more draws.

In the following, the game takes place as follows:

On the screens of the (local) monitors and / or TVs to broadcast, the information about the draw is displayed, such as: the total value of the winnings fund, the value of the winnings fund by categories, the share of drawing various symbols over a given period, etc. but the number / numbers that those interested can call to create an account \ _v o

C- -1 O 1 1 - 0 O 4 5 o - 1 O -05- 2011 and / or to play, respectively to indicate the combination of simooiun on which it is relied: also optionally, in one of the corners of the equan is a stopwatch is displayed that counts down the time remaining until the start of the draw (for example, 4 minutes and 50 seconds ;; players can record the combinations they play in the time displayed on the screen until the last 5 seconds before the start of the draw upon expiration of the time allotted for the registration of the combinations indicated by the players, respectively for 5 seconds plus the period of the draw, the server will no longer be able to access and will no longer register the registration requests, it will block all calls.

To enter the chosen combination of symbols, the player sends, via an SMS sent from the phone number registered in the server when opening the account, the data regarding the chosen withdrawal, the combination of symbols and, optionally, if the game system supports the variable amount. , the amount paid; based on the phone number, the server recognizes and registers the player and based on the time interval in which the message was received recognizes the draw in which the player is to participate.

Usually, in such games the game tickets have one or more fixed values, the player will choose the amount he plays from these fixed values.

Of course, for communication, mobile phones or "classic" telephone lines can be used, just as other means of communication can be used, such as internet or messenger telephone calling programs.

If the amount in the account does not cover at least the minimum value of a ticket, the player is notified and is not allowed to register the combination of symbols he has chosen; if the amount in the account is sufficient, the server registers the combination and notifies the player, via an SMS sent to the player's phone number about the recorded data (at least the player identification data, the draw number, the combination of symbols and, optionally, if the game system accepts the plant of a variable amount, the amount paid and the amount charged (equal, usually with the amount paid for participation in the draw plus the fee due to the organizer).

At the end of the competition, an operator enters into the server the combination of "k" symbols drawn in relation to this data, determining the winning and losing players as well as the winnings and losses of each, operating their accounts accordingly: the winners' accounts will be increased by an amount equal to the value of the win for the category / categories in which the player won, the accounts of the others being decremented by a value equal to the value of the taxed amount (the amount paid for participating in the draw the fee due to the organizer).

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Optionally, at the end of the competition, in an SMS sent to the player's phone number, he is informed if he has won or lost and what is the updated value of the account.

In accordance with the provisions of the game rules, players may withdraw from the account the amounts won and / or unused as they may be kept for use in other games.

Within the amount of the account, a player can participate in a number of games established by the draw rules.

We have shown that, in order to participate in the draw, the player sends, via an SMS sent from the phone number registered in the server when opening the account, the data regarding the chosen draw, the combination of symbols and, optionally, if the game system accepts a plan. variable amounts, amount paid; alternatively, from the phone number registered in the server it calls the server and when the server answers the call, based on a numeric code formed by the phone keypad, it transmits the combination of symbols (in this case numbers) chosen to participate in the draw.

On the same principles described so far, in another variant, the organizer allocates for each type of draw a surcharge number, the value of the surcharge corresponding to the price of a fixed value ticket for that type of bet, the lines being connected to the server controlling the game; for example, for types of withdrawals, three surcharge lines will be allocated, but, in general, as many surcharge lines will be allocated as there are types of withdrawals. In this way, when a player calls one of the surcharge numbers, the server automatically creates an account on the caller's phone number, which is actually the player's, and loads it with the surcharge value, which actually corresponds to the fixed value rSSpcÎÎVa draw game ticket.

under these conditions, when calling the surcharge number, the player will only have to transmit the chosen and optional symbol combination, the identification data, as in the case described above, the server having access to the rest of the data necessary to register the request, send the confirmation to the player; respectively the operation of the account, as the player lost or won; as in the general case described, for the transmission of data to the surcharge number, the player can use the SMS or a numeric code transmitted from the telephone keypad.

For players who have already created an account and who have in this account amounts that ensure at least the value of the ticket for a draw, in addition to the surcharge lines, the organizer will also allocate at least one line with a normal rate, which can be used

Λ- 2 Ο 1 1 - 0 Ο 4 5 Ο - 1 Ο -05- 2011 (SMS or numeric codes) in the general manner described above: in a preferred version, each line with surcharge will be doubled by one with a normal tariff , so that in order to participate in the draw, the player will have to indicate only the chosen combination of symbols.

Of course, for all systems that use the phone keypad to enter the data needed for the game, their indication can also be made in response to a predetermined questionnaire provided by the server when the line through which the player chooses one or more combinations of symbols is called.

Claims (4)

Interactive gambling, of the type of authorized gambling, and in particular, gambling that allows those interested to actively participate in authorized gambling, such as bingo or ioterie, in which a combination is bet limited numbers from a multitude of numbers, even when workers are remote from the event, by creating an account on the organizer's server and accessing it remotely to record the combination of numbers chosen by the player, characterized by the organizer transmitting on at least one TV channel and / or on the internet and / or on local monitors the information about the contest and, optionally, a counter indicating the time left until the start of the draw and in which players can play, using a telephone line provided by the game organizer , at least a combination of "k" numbers from "m", players wishing to participate in the draw will create an account on an organ server the account which the player must charge at least equal to the value of a game entry ticket, preferably the account being charged on a surcharge line provided by the game organizer, the player indicating on a telephone line - connected to the sever containing the player's account, the chosen combination of numbers, the server blocking access to the telephone line during the draw and indicating this on the TV / monitor screens, at the end of the contest the server operating the player's account, as appropriate, increasing or decreasing its value under the rules of the game, players who do not have an account or who have an account with an insufficient amount for a draw, indicating the combination of numbers through the surcharge line, once the account is opened and loaded, and players who have an account with an amount to ensure participation in at least one draw by playing through a normal rate telephone line, indicating the combination that a player has chosen by SMS, a numeric code, entered through the phone keypad or by indicating in response to a verbal questionnaire formulated by the server upon receipt of the call, confirmation of the combination played by an SMS sent to the player. Interactive gambling according to claim 1, characterized in that, upon receipt of a call, the server sends to the player, via an SMS sent to the number from which he indicated the combination of symbols, the data for which the chosen game was registered ( the number of the game, the combination of symbols played, the value of the ticket, etc.) and the server communicating to the players with insufficient amounts in the account ό'Τ 2 Ο 1 1 - 0 0 4 5 0 -1 o -05- 2011 failure to register the request, the end of the contest, after operating the accounts, the server notifying. under the same conditions, at least the winners about the account update. Interactive gaming according to claims 1 and 2 in which the opening and loading of the account is done, preferably by a telephone line with surcharge, provided by the game organizer whose rate corresponds at least to the price of a draw, or by -a prepaid card, characterized in that during the call for account creation and uploading the player indicating - by SMS, a numeric code, entered through the phone keypad or by indicating in response to a verbal questionnaire formulated by the server upon receipt of the call - the little the combination of symbols he played and, optionally, the player's identification data. Interactive gambling according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that, in a variant of the invention, fixed prices and as many surcharge lines are used for each type of game as there are types of games - for the creation and loading of accounts and for indicating at least the combination of symbols he played and optionally, the player's identification data, and at least one line with normal charge, but preferably also one line with normal charge for each type of game , for players who take into account at least the amount required for a draw, for them to communicate the combinations of symbols they have chosen and optionally, the player's identification data.