WO2021235948A1

WO2021235948A1 - Apparatus and methods for conducting a ranked-outcome event

Info

Publication number: WO2021235948A1
Application number: PCT/NZ2021/050084
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Anthony Reid; Kevin Mcgovern; James Lilwall RAMSHAW
Original assignee: John Anthony Reid
Priority date: 2020-05-22
Filing date: 2021-05-20
Publication date: 2021-11-25

Abstract

An electro-mechanical horse race is combined with printed (700) or virtual betting tickets displayed on VDUs (810) displaying the players choice of (a) the winning horse (900) and (b) a pair of matrices each containing cells populated with the symbols on the horses. The horse race is operated in such a way that randomly varying the current supplied to the electric motor (915) of each horse causes the horses (900) to move at random, so that the sequence of horses passing the finishing line (1120) is not predetermined. The sequence of horses passing the finishing line is recorded (1105 1106 1107), allowing players to see the number of links on each matrix to see if they have achieved a sufficient total number of links to gain a prize. Variations include the application to a real live horserace, or a virtual race.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONDUCTING A RANKED- OUTCOME EVENT

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the general field of betting, in which bets can be placed on the future outcome of a ranked outcome event. A popular example of a ranked outcome event is a racing game where the racers race against one another along or around a track. One example relates to the display of horse racing but the skilled person will readily recognise other applications for the game format of the present invention. It is immaterial if the items racing are mechanical, real horses or virtual horses, or real or virtual people, or race cars, or greyhounds or fictional characters such as animations depicting cartoon characters and the like.

Background Art

Games of chance are widely known and vastly popular. There are many types, versions and variations of games of chance. Lottery, Bingo and Keno are only a few of the more widely known and played examples of these.

In Keno-type games, a player places a bet as to a string of numbers that will appear in sequence when a random draw (typically comprising 20 numbers out of a possible 80) is carried out. Different variants of the game may allow players to choose the size of their wagered sequence - e.g., 4-Spot Keno, 10-Spot Keno, or 15-Spot Keno.

The odds associated with the conventional Keno format may tend to be heavily skewed. That is to say, the odds of successfully matching an entire sequence (or the better part thereof) are small relative to the odds of matching none, or only some, of the numbers in the sequence. This "skew" is particularly pronounced in the higher-Spot variations of the game (e.g., 15-Spot); however, it is significant even in the lower-Spot variations (e.g. 5-Spot). A provider may be prepared to offer a "huge" prize for an outcome that has a very small probability of actually occurring. Conversely, for more common outcomes only much smaller prizes, or none at all, can be offered. This dramatic skew in probability- and prize-distribution in conventional Keno games means that the vast majority of players will typically receive only a very small prize, if any. As such, players may tend to quickly become disheartened and lose interest in the game.

Ranked outcome events such as horse racing also disappoints many players as only one horse will win and the other 9 will not.

In providing a ranked outcome event such as a horse race there are a number of problems to be solved, including:

1. In a mechanical or real or virtual horse race, the player will lose interest as soon as the horses cross the finishing line. That is, the user's interest in the race expires when the outcome or ordering of the race is decided. This means that in a very short period of time, the user has a rush of either positive or negative emotion and may then lose interest in that race. If a horse starts to lag behind early on, a player may feel dejected and lose interest at that time.

2. User impatience. Not everyone is equally captivated by horse racing events. Most users will enjoy the sport and derive enjoyment from seeing horses compete and change positions on the track. Other users may be less interested in the race and see it as a mere delay before discovering whether they have won a prize.

3. To new comers, different horse races look relatively indistinguishable. They can be visually monotonous. Virtual races have partially solved this problem by implementing novel animations or racing objects. However, these too can be repetitive across multiple races. Existing systems are also sometimes limited by their library of animations. If a user is on the system for long durations, they might start to see patterns in the movements or the way in which the ordering of objects changes.

4. In virtual horse racing there is often a trade-off between graphics quality and an ability to have "on-demand" races. In virtual racing systems with high-quality graphics, the races are typically at more set intervals. That is, the more realistic the video of the race is, the less control the user has over the timing of the race.

Prior References

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinence of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications may be referred to herein; this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.

Related Applications:

The inventors have previously developed an improved game format that aims to address some of these problems. This involves a matrix-based game format, and is described in WO2016042489, W02016042490, and WO2019156573, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. A further New Zealand provisional application filed by the applicant -NZ 774290 - is also incorporated herein by reference.

Definitions

A ranked event - a competition between different objects/characters/people in which they are ranked at the completion of the event. In most examples the ranked event is a race over a distance, and the ranking is based on the sequence in which the objects/characters/people cross the finishing line. But other ranked events are possible, such as a contest between a number of participants/entities, with the last man standing, considered to be the winner, and the first person/entity to be eliminated, regarded as the last in the sequence, with the time of elimination of the other players/entities determining their reverse ranking. In all of these examples, whether a real-world event, or a simulated or virtual event, it is the ranking of the participants at the completion of the event, which is important.

Comprise - It is acknowledged that the term 'comprise' may, under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, the term 'comprise' shall have an inclusive meaning - i.e., that it will be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components it directly references, but also other non-specified components or elements. This rationale will also be used when the term 'comprised' or 'comprising' is used in relation to one or more steps in a method or process.

Display - Throughout the present specification, the term "display" (and related terms) will be understood to mean "to make known" (to a user or player), including by revealing the relevant information to the player visually, via audio signals, or via any other appropriate medium.

"Linka games" or "Linka Lotteries" refer to the applicant's earlier patent specifications mentioned above under "related applications" They are played using a set of non-repeating numbers where all the numbers are placed on cells in a matrix, the number of cells being equal to or greater than the size of the number set. For example a set of 9 numbers (from 1- 9) randomly placed on a 3x3 grid. Or a set of 16 numbers randomly placed on a 4x4 grid, and so on. In some of the examples round matrices are used.

Matrix - Throughout the present specification, the term "matrix" will be understood as being a defined area, whether square, circular, or of any other shape, partitioned into cells.

Objects - Throughout the present specification, the term "objects" will be understood as including any human, living being, virtual creation, or thing which can participate in a race or other ranked outcome event.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to further address the above-discussed problems with the prior art, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice. Disclosure of the Invention

In a first aspect the invention provides a method of conducting a ranked outcome event on which bets can be placed, the ranked outcome event having X objects which are ranked at the completion of the event, and wherein each object has a unique identifying symbol, the method comprising the steps of: making available to players a prize table based on the total number of links potentially achievable at the completion of the event, accepting bets from players in which each player nominates their choice of winning object; allocating a pair of matrices to each player, each matrix having at least X cells, each cell populated with one of the unique identifying symbols, so that each matrix contains all X symbols and the layout of symbols on each entry virtually always differs from the layout of the symbols on all the other entries, providing to each player an entry recording the player's choice of winning object, and the layout of the symbols on the pair of matrices as allocated to that player, closing betting, and conducting the ranked event and recording the sequential ranking of the objects at the completion of the event, wherein a link is formed when immediately sequentially ranking objects appear in adjacent cells on at least one of the matrices, and wherein prizes are allocated based on the prize table to players achieving the required number of links on their entry as a result of the sequential ranking of the objects at the completion of the event. In virtually every case the players will have different entries in which the layout of symbols appearing on one entry in the ranked outcome event differ from the layout of symbols in the other entries for that event.

This can be achieved in the most preferred version by the layout of the X symbols in each matrix being populated randomly or semi-randomly. In that case, the chance of two players having identical entries is negligible, particularly if the number of players betting on one ranked outcome event is small in proportion to the number of possible permutations of potential layouts.

In an alternative embodiment a set of Y unique pairs of matrices are stored with the layout of the X symbols in each pair of matrices differing from the layout of the X symbols in each other pair of matrices, and one of those stored pairs of matrices is allocated to a player on receipt of his bet. Such a pair being allocated once only for a given ranked event.

Preferably the ranked outcome event is a race between objects (as herein defined).

The inventive concept is the combination of betting tickets containing a pair of matrices showing symbols corresponding to the symbols of each object participating in the ranked outcome event (typically a race over a distance) and the symbol of the participant's selection of the proposed winning object, so that the player can enjoy the race and participate in a "Linka lottery" which uses the ranking of the objects at the completion of the ranked event to determine the number of links on each matrix as a result of the sequential ranking of the objects at the completion of the event. In almost every case each betting ticket is unique in that ranked outcome event.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for a game, the system comprising: a plurality of matrices, each of the matrices having r cells, wherein, in use, each of the cells of each matrix is populated with a symbol unique to that matrix, wherein the system is configured to receive from a player at least one principal wager, said at least one principal wager comprising at least one symbol from a set of at least r symbols, wherein the system is further configured to receive from the player a bet amount in association with each of the at least one principal wager, wherein, after the system has received the at least one principal wager, a sequential draw comprising the at least r symbols is effected, said sequential draw being random or semi random, wherein the sequential draw determines links between adjacent cells of each of the matrices, and a total number of links across all of the matrices is determined, wherein each of the at least r symbols represents a contender in a race or other ranked-outcome event, and wherein the sequential draw represents the order in which the contenders complete the race or other ranked-outcome event.

The following is with particular reference to Example 3 and Figures 6A- 6C, discussed below, which depict screenshots from the current best method of performing the game system of the invention as set out above.

Preferably, the game of the present invention is used to simulate the outcome of a horse race. Accordingly, reference will be made consistently with this throughout the remainder of this specification. However, this is not intended to be limiting and the skilled person will readily envisage many other suitable applications for the game of the present invention.

Preferably, the plurality of matrices is populated after the player has nominated the at least one principal wager.

Preferably, a total prize amount is determined based on: a link prize amount based on the total number of links; and if the at least one principal wager appears in a predetermined position in the sequential draw, a winner prize amount based on a pay-out factor associated with the at least one principal wager.

Preferably, there is a threshold total number of links below which the link prize amount is zero.

Preferably, at and above the threshold total number of links, a standard link factor is associated with each total number of links. Alternatively, in some embodiments a fixed monetary "standard prize amount" may be set by the game administrator for each total number of links at and above the threshold number of links.

More preferably, for each of the at least one principal wager, a winner link factor is associated with each total number of links at and above the threshold number of links.

Preferably, if the total number of links is above the threshold, the link prize amount is determined by: applying the standard link factor(s) to any bet amount(s) that do not correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw; and applying the winner link (s) to any bet amount(s) that correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw.

Preferably, the winner prize amount is determined by applying the respective pay-out factor to any bet amounts that correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw.

Preferably, the total prize amount is the sum of the link prize amount, if any, and the winner prize amount, if any.

Preferably, the pay-out factors, standard link factors, and winner link factors are visible to the player at the outset, to inform the player's decision as to which at least one principal wager and corresponding bet amount the player wishes to nominate.

Preferably, the at least one principal wager comprises one symbol, and the predetermined position in which the symbol must appear in the sequential draw is the first position, such that the principal wager in effect corresponds to the winning symbol.

Alternatively, the at least one principal wager comprises more than one unique symbol, wherein each symbol must appear in a different predetermined position in the sequential draw, such as the first and second position (corresponding to the winner and the runner-up).

Preferably, the player nominates at least one principal wager, having associated therewith a bet amount. Preferably, the player has access to a "probability chart" indicating the probability of each "horse" "winning" the "race" - that is to say, the probability of each number in the sequence being drawn first in the random sequential draw. The player may select their principal wager(s) based on the odds indicated on the probability chart.

Providing a probability chart in this manner may enhance user excitement and engagement, both by giving the player an added "degree of freedom" as such and, more specifically, by allowing them to set their desired "risk : reward" level.

Generally speaking, assuming a single principal wager (i.e., just one bet (with one corresponding bet amount) on a particular winning horse), there are four eventualities:

1) the nominated horse wins the race, and the total number of links is below the threshold;

2) the nominated horse wins the race, and the total number of links is above the threshold;

3) the nominated horse loses the race, and the total number of links is below the threshold;

4) the nominated horse loses the race, and the total number of links is above the threshold.

In each eventuality, a total prize will be calculated in accordance with the above statements of invention. For instance, let us assume the player has placed a single "principal wager" of $1 on Horse No. 4, Al Marina - that is to say, he has wagered that Al Marina will win the race.

Let us assume that outcome is that Al Marina has in fact won, and also the total number of links (wherein the total number of links is 11) is above the threshold. Accordingly, the total prize amount is calculated as follows:

For the successful principal wager (namely that Horse 4, Al Marina, will appear first in the sequential draw), determining a "winner prize amount" by applying the pay-out factor associated with that principal wager (x51, as shown in the "PAYS" column) to the bet amount corresponding to that principal wager - in this case the full bet amount, namely $1. So, the "winner prize amount" is 51x1 = $51. For the link prize amount, applying the winner link factor (x50, as shown in the "RUNNER NO. 4 WINNER" column) to the bet amount corresponding to the principal wager - again, in this case the full bet amount of $1. So, the "link prize amount" is 50x1 = $50.

Thus, the total prize amount is the sum of these, $101.

The same principles will apply in cases where multiple principal wagers are lodged, i.e., bets on several different horses winning the race, each wager having a corresponding bet amount lodged against it.

Assume, for instance, that the player has placed 3 separate principal wagers, each at $0.25, that Horses 3, 4 and 5 (respectively Happy Lad, First Again, and Chief Whip) will win the race (i.e., be drawn first in the sequence). Horse 4, First Again, does in fact place first. Thus, the winner prize amount is determined by applying the pay-out factor associated with Horse 4 (2.5) to the bet amount associated with Horse 4 ($0.25) - so the winner prize amount is $0.63.

There are only 8 links in total, which is below the threshold, so no link prize is awarded.

The link prizes that would have been won had the threshold been exceeded are shown in a "LINKA PRIZES" table. They are calculated as follows: taking, for instance, 14 links in total: the bet amount (0.25 + 0.25, = $0.50) corresponding to the two principal wagers (Horses 3 and 5) that did not win the race would be multiplied by the standard link factors associated with 14 links (not shown in the Figures, but in this case the standard link factor for 14 links is x5), yielding $2.50. In addition, the bet amount (0.25) corresponding to the successful principal wager (Horse 4) would be multiplied by the winner link factor associated with 14 links (being 1.5x the standard link factor of 5, i.e., x7.5), yielding $1.88. So, if 14 links had been achieved, the total link prize would have been $4.38. And the total prize amount would have been this link prize plus the winner prize of $0.63 as above.

For completeness, it is noted that the same principles would still apply if the game were configured such that the principal wager was not on a single, winning, horse, but, for example, on the two horses predicted to place first and second (as in Example 5, discussed below).

Imposing a threshold score may be advantageous in allowing the game provider to limit the number of outcomes that attract a prize, while still allowing multiple prize points to be offered. Imposing a threshold score may also enhance user engagement and excitement by enhancing players' perception of "near wins". The odds distribution, discussed further below, enables this. The threshold can be set, by the game administrator, in the "intermediate" zone, such as at 10 links. Outcomes of 6-12 links are relatively common, so setting the threshold at 10 links will achieve two things: relatively many players will experience "near wins" (i.e. a number of links just below the threshold, such as 9 or 8); and also relatively many players will win a small prize (such as for achieving 10 or 11 links), which, like "near wins", will enhance and retain user engagement.

Preferably, the matrices are circular or substantially circular; however, this is not intended to be limiting. The skilled person will appreciate that the exact odds distribution (i.e., the probability of achieving each of the possible number of links) will vary depending on the size and configuration of the matrices. However, the overall schema of the game remains the same.

The applicant, on 23 March 2021, filed a provisional application (NZ 774290) to an apparatus for a lottery-style game, in which circular matrices are described in detail. The contents of NZ 774290 are incorporated herein by reference. In brief, and as explained in detail in NZ 774290, circular matrices are "versatile" in that they allow the game operator to vary the number of adjacencies (and hence possible links) each cell has, by making relatively subtle adjustments to the layout / configuration of the matrices, and thereby retaining the underlying profile / schema of the game. Said subtle changes can include varying the number of cells each concentric "ring" is split into; making the size of the cells in each ring inequal, such that some are larger than others; and / or introducing "cell barriers", that is to say, gaps, between would- be neighbouring cells to prevent formation of a link therebetween. All of these changes are relatively subtle to the eye when done on circular matrices, and would not be possible (or would be much more difficult and / or conspicuous) if attempted on conventional square matrices. Thus, circular matrices give the game operator / administrator the ability to further tailor the probability distribution / odds of a given game. Preferably, the game comprises two matrices, each being a 3 x 3 matrix, i.e. each matrix having 9 cells. This allows the game to simulate a horse race having 9 competing horses (the first matrix) and 9 associated jockeys (the second matrix). Preferably, in use, the first and second matrix are each randomly populated with the numbers 1 to 9.

Preferably, the draw comprises the numbers 1 to 9 drawn in a random sequence. This simulates the placing of the 9 horses in the simulated race.

It is important to note that, in various embodiments of the invention, the draw may either be "conjured" or generated / simulated by the game administrator - such as by randomly drawing balls in a Lotto-style manner - OR, alternatively, the draw may actually be provided by, and correspond to, a real-life event.

For instance, cards could be printed (with randomly-populated matrices, as discussed above) in anticipation of a real-life upcoming horse-racing event. The horse-racing event (i.e. the horse race and its outcome) would then provide the "sequential draw" - the order in which the actual horses crossed the finish-line would provide the sequence of symbols, and the players would use this to identify links on their matrices and thus determine a link score (in addition to having bet on a winning horse in the manner also described above).

Thus, the "sequential draw" of the invention can either be generated / simulated artificially by the game administrator, OR it can be provided by a real-life event.

Preferably, a link is formed on a given matrix when a pair of sequentially-drawn numbers appear in adjacent cells on that matrix. In the case of a pair of 3x3 matrices, the maximum possible number of links on each matrix is 8, and the minimum possible number of links is 1. Accordingly, the maximum possible total number of links across both matrices is 16, and the minimum possible total number of links across both matrices is 2.

This may have significant advantages in terms of making a faster game, and more attainable top rewards, as compared to a pair of matrices that are circular and have 10 segments and hence potentially improving user interest and engagement. The odds of scoring either a very high number of links, or a very low number of links, are still relatively low. Thus, not only can large prizes still be offered for "winning" (i.e. scoring a high number of links), but also for what would be perceived by a player as "losing", i.e. scoring very few links. This is a unique advantage of the two-matrix setup (regardless of the shape of the matrices) of the present invention, and an important differentiating factor from conventional lottery games whereby, as discussed above, odds are skewed sharply towards "losing" (i.e. obtaining relatively low matches) and away from "winning" (i.e. obtaining relatively high matches).

Preferably, the total number of links of the player is the sum of the links across both matrices. For example, if 4 links are achieved in the first matrix and 3 links are achieved in the second matrix, this will give a total number of links of 7 links.

Preferably, prior to the random sequential draw occurring, the player also has the option of placing at least one additional bet.

Preferably, the provider of the game may establish prizes as appropriate in relation to these optional additional bets.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for a game network, the game network comprising a system for a game substantially as described above.

Preferably, the game substantially as described above may be offered at relatively frequent intervals on a recurring basis as part of the game network.

Preferably each game has a duration of less than or equal to 8 minutes from the time the objects are displayed and bets are accepted to the close of the race and the allocation of prizes. More preferably this duration is less than or equal to 6 minutes.

Preferably the time allowed for betting in a game is from 1 to 3 minutes and more preferably is about 2 minutes.

Preferably there is no more than about 1 minute from the close of bets to generate the ranked sequence and calculate which entries have won prizes, and to start generating the video of the race.

Preferably about 2 minutes is allowed to display the race video culminating in the racing objects crossing the finishing line in the ranked sequence.

Preferably about 1 minute is allowed to wind up the race and notify prize winners and publish the amount of the largest prize allocated.

In addition, an intermittent game (which may be referred to as, for instance, an "hourly game") may be offered as part of the game network. The intermittent game may have the same or different principles and rules as the above-described game, although preferably the prizes available to be won in the intermittent game may be higher (and the entry fee may accordingly be higher or it may even be set at one bet amount rate).

Preferably, the link prize associated with attaining the threshold score in the above-described game may be free entry into the intermittent game.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for facilitating the system for the game and/or game network substantially as described above, wherein the apparatus comprises at least: means for displaying the plurality of matrices to the player; and / or means for displaying the sequential draw to the player.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises a mechanical device, said device comprising physical pieces each representing one of the r contenders in the race or other ranked-outcome event, said device configured to provide an animation of the random or semi-random sequential draw corresponding to the race or other ranked-outcome event, said animation involving the physical pieces representing said r contenders acting out the race or other ranked-outcome event.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided an electro-mechanical table game comprising a table surface having a plurality of tracks, each track having a guide slot and a racing object movable by an electric motor, each track having associated conductors supplied with its own varying electric current, each racing object having associated electrical pickups which can contact the conductors so that in use its electric motor can be powered by the varying electric current to move the object around the guide track, and means for recording the ranked sequence of objects as they cross a finishing line.

Preferably the tracks are side by side.

Preferably each object is identified by an indicia.

Preferably the starting or finishing positions are staggered to ensure each object traverses an equivalent distance. Preferably each electric current is varied at random.

Alternatively, the current to each electric motor can be predetermined to adjust the position of the objects as they move around the tracks.

Preferably the table includes a plurality of player position each having a VDU.

Preferably each VDU is capable of displaying a pair of matrices each matrix populated with all of the indicia designating the individual objects, and a player's choice of the proposed winning object.

Preferably each VDU is capable of displaying the ranked sequence of objects at the end of a race.

More preferably each VDU is capable of displaying the links on each matrix as the ranked sequence is applied to each matrix.

Preferably the player positions have means for receiving payment for a bet.

Preferably the table or each VDU has a provision for displaying a prize table based on the number of potential links per player.

Alternatively, the apparatus comprises an electronic device such as a personal computer; a gaming machine; a tablet; a smartphone; or a handheld or portable electronic machine; said electronic device comprising a visual display unit configured to display the game.

Alternatively, the apparatus comprises a card upon which the plurality of populated matrices are printed.

As noted above, whichever form the apparatus takes (mechanical device, personal electronic device, or scratch card), the "sequential draw" may EITHER be generated artificially by the game administrator, OR it may correspond to a real-life racing event, like a horse-racing event. If a real-life horse-racing event is used as the draw, then: a) If the apparatus is a mechanical device, it can be made to replicate the actual horse race (such as in miniature); b) If the apparatus is a personal electronic device, the horse race can be virtually reproduced; c) If the apparatus is a printed card, then the card will have printed thereon the matrices, and each player will then watch the horse-race, with the finish-line sequence providing the "draw", and based on this will be able to determine any links on the matrices on their card.

Preferably, where the apparatus comprises a card, the card may be a scratch card, wherein the populated matrices printed on the card are concealed by a scratchable layer.

Preferably, the card may comprise a machine-readable code configured to transmit to a machine the populated matrices as printed on the card, wherein the machine is configured to display the populated matrices as printed on the card, wherein the machine is further configured to animate the random sequential draw and display links on the matrices in accordance with the rules of the game.

Preferably, the machine may further be configured to animate and/or display further aspects of the game as described above.

Preferably, the machine may comprise or be communicative with the visual display unit.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event comprising at least r contenders, the system configured to: display a simulation of the race or other ranked-outcome event, each of said at least r contenders being displayed with unique visual characteristics, prior to the simulation of the race being displayed, receive from a player at least one principal wager, said at least one principal wager comprising at least one of the at least r contenders and a corresponding bet amount, wherein the system also displays a plurality of matrices, each of the matrices having r cells, and each of the cells of each matrix being populated with a symbol corresponding to the unique visual characteristics of one of the at least r contenders, wherein the order in which the at least r contenders complete the race or other ranked- outcome event determines links on each of the matrices, wherein if a pair of contenders completing the race one after another appear in adjacent cells on one of the matrices, a link is formed on that matrix wherein a total prize amount is determined based on: a link prize amount based on the total number of links across the matrices; and if applicable, a winner prize amount based on a pay-out factor associated with the at least one principal wager.

As noted above, the race or other ranked-outcome event may either be artificially generated by the game administrator, OR it may be derived from / based on a real-life event, such as an upcoming horse race.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computerised system comprising a VDU for animating and displaying the system substantially as described above, said computerised system configured to: store in a memory of a server a plurality of provisional animations, each corresponding to a sequential draw of the at least r symbols; store in the memory at least r unique sets of data relating to visual characteristics; randomly or semi-randomly allocate a unique set of visual characteristics to each of the at least r symbols; display a thumbnail corresponding to the set of visual characteristics that has been allocated to each of the at least r symbols; after the at least one principal wager has been received, select, randomly or semi randomly, one of the plurality of provisional animations, and integrate the selected provisional animation with the set of visual characteristics allocated to each of the at least r symbols; and display to the player, on the VDU, the integrated animation.

It will be appreciated that the system referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph relates to embodiments of the invention wherein the sequential draw is to be artificially- generated by the game operator, as opposed to being based on a real-life racing event. Preferably, integration of the provisional animation with the visual characteristics associated with each of the at least r symbols is achieved using real-time rendering technology / real time computer graphics, or a variation of such techniques.

Preferably, the computerised system comprises or is provided by a smartphone, tablet, or other electronic device, configured to communicate with the server and to receive player inputs, including the at least one principal wager, and to display information to the player, including the thumbnail corresponding to the set of visual characteristics that has been allocated to each of the at least r symbols, and the integrated animation.

Preferably, the system is part of a game network such that games are effected at different times and on a substantially continuous basis.

In another aspect the invention provides a computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event comprising at least r contenders, the system configured to: a. display a simulation of the race or other ranked-outcome event, each of said at least r contenders being displayed with unique visual characteristics, b. prior to the simulation of the race being displayed, receive from a player at least one principal wager, said at least one principal wager comprising at least one of the at least r contenders and a corresponding bet amount, c. wherein the system also displays a plurality of matrices, each of the matrices having r cells, and each of the cells of each matrix being populated with a symbol corresponding to the unique visual characteristics of one of the at least r contenders, d. wherein the order in which the at least r contenders complete the race or other ranked-outcome event determines links on each of the matrices, wherein if a pair of contenders completing the race one after another appear in adjacent cells on one of the matrices, a link is formed on that matrix.

Preferably the hardware and software include: at least one Client device having a VDU, a processor, a memory, and means for connecting to the internet. Preferably the hardware and software include: at least one Server device having a VDU, a processor, a memory, a Database of bets comprising at least Bet IDs, a Database of Races comprising at least Race IDs, a Database of Users comprising at least User IDs, a Database of Horses comprising at least Horse ID, and a Database of Enclosures comprising at least enclosure IDs.

Preferably the hardware and software further include:

A database of "millionaire enclosures" capable of containing:

Race ID, User ID, First matrix ID, Second matrix ID, Enclosure ID, and Number of links.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of users, capable of containing:

User ID, User Name, Total payed in, and Total payed out.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of races capable of containing: Race IDs, Start time, Number of participants, Payed in, Payed out, and Horse 1 ID to Horse nID.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of bets, capable of containing Bet ID, Race ID, User ID, Horse ID, Amount, and Enclosure ID.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of horses, capable of containing: Horse ID, Race ID, Indicia ID, Odds, Name, Place, and Number.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of indicia, capable of containing Indicia ID, Indicia and design/image. Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Database of matrices, capable of containing: Matrix ID, Matrix design/image, and Program instructions.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Library of visual assets capable of containing:

Animations, Skins, Backgrounds, Lighting instructions, Screen layouts, Millionaire enclosure, Betting page, and Watching the race page.

Preferably the hardware and software further include: a Library of sounds including: Crowd noises, Winning noises, Losing noise, Semi-generic commentator snippets.

Preferably the hardware and software further includes a Rendering engine.

Brief Description of Figures and Examples

The Figures and Examples relate to preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.

The Figures are as follows, and are referred to variously in the Examples:

Figure 1 Shows a flowchart of the prize allocation method for a virtual racing system

Figure 2 Shows a flowchart of the sequence of events in a virtual racing system

Figure SA Shows the hardware configuration of a virtual racing system prior to the start of the race

Figure 3B Shows the hardware configuration of a virtual racing system as the race is being displayed to the player

Figure 3C Shows the hardware configuration of the client device after the race wherein the race outcome data is stored in memory

Figure 3D Shows the structure of the relational database for managing races

Figure 4 Shows a graph of distance against time to illustrate the overtaking mechanism for generating a realistic horse race

Figures 5A-5M Show possible configurations for the circular matrices and the possible link formations therein

Figure 6A Shows a screenshot of the player's display unit while bets are open (prior to the race) Figure 6B Shows a screenshot of the race outcome showing the first adjacent numbers and the corresponding links formed on the matrices

Figure 6C Shows a screenshot of a pay-out screen to be displayed to a player at the end of a virtual racing event

Figure 6D Shows a comparison between two embodiments of the invention Figure 6E Shows a "race card" Figure 6F Shows an example of the multipliers available for betting on the first two horses to finish

Figure 7 Shows the information displayed on a printed ticket for use in a real-world racing event

Figure 8 Shows a perspective view of a mechanical racing table Figure 8A Shows a schematic of a mechanical racing table Figure 9A Shows the back view of a mechanical mobile object Figure 9B Shows the side view of a mechanical mobile object Figure 9C Shows a schematic of the mobile object driving car Figure 10 Shows the circuit diagram of the mobile objects in a mechanical racing system Figure 11 Shows a simplified circuit diagram for detecting and recording the race outcome of a mechanical racing system

Figure 12 Shows a screenshot of the objects to be raced in the example designated raptor racing.

Figure 13 Shows how further, additional, wagers, may be placed in accordance with an earlier embodiment of the invention.

Figure 14 Shows how a Lucky Link prize may be won in accordance with an earlier embodiment of the invention.

Figure 15A Shows a chart comparing two embodiments of the invention including the top prizes available in each

Figure 15B Shows a race card Figure 16 Shows the timing of the sequence of events in a race and how multiple races are staggered

Examples

The Examples discussed below are as follows, with cross-reference to the relevant Figures: EXAMPLE 1 is an embodiment wherein the apparatus is provided by a mechanical device. Figure 4 is referred to, along with Figures 8 to 11 and Figures 6A - 6C in relation to the shape of the matrices.

EXAMPLE 2 is an embodiment wherein the sequential draw is based on / provided by a real-life racing event. Figure 7 and Figures 6A - 6C are referred to.

EXAMPLE 3 is an embodiment wherein the apparatus is provided by a virtual electronic device and the sequential draw is artificially generated by the game administrator. Figures 1 - 4, 6A - 6C, and 12 are referred to.

EXAMPLE 4 discusses a further embodiment wherein the apparatus is provided by a virtual electronic device and the sequential draw is artificially generated by the game administrator - in particular, discusses a possible alternative way in which the sequential draw could be generated and animated. Figures 6A and 6C are referred to.

EXAMPLE 5 is an earlier embodiment of the virtual racing game (i.e. an earlier version of the embodiment of Example 3). Figure 13 is referred to.

EXAMPLE 6 relates to the underlying principles of the applicant's matrix-based link-lottery games, and various iterations of same. Figure 14 is referred to.

Detailed Description of Examples

Example 1

In this example a mechanical horse race is used to determine the sequence of horses across the finishing line.

Figures 8 to 11 show how a number of labelled model horses and jockeys can be moved around a race track by variable electric motors. Each "horse" has its own fixed track which, unlike in a real horse-race, it is unable to deviate from, with the outer tracks having a greater distance/perimeter than the inner tracks. In order to ensure an equal track length for a race it is preferable to stagger the starting positions so that a "horse" on the shortest, innermost, track starts behind the "horse" on the next adjacent (outer) track - so that the "horse" on the outermost track will be positioned ahead of all other "horses" at the start line. Only a few horses are illustrated in these drawings for the purpose of explanation but preferably the mechanical race will allow for 9 or 10 horses each on its own oval shaped rail or track within the confines of the artificial racetrack. The number of "horses" will correspond to the number of symbols used in the link matrices. For example if 9 horses are displayed - then the link matrices can be two 3x3 matrices (or two matrices of any shape, so long as each matrix has 9 cells). If 10 horses are displayed then the matrices can be, for instance, substantially circular matrices as described in the co-pending patent application (NZ 774290) which describes the benefits of a pair of substantially circular matrices - called SPZs. Each of these matrices can have 10 cells populated with the symbols corresponding to the marking on each of the horses or jockeys - typically this will be numerals from 1 to 10. By way of illustration, Figures 6A - 6C show the use of round matrices (albeit in the context of a virtual racing embodiment).

Prior to a race each player will choose a primary bet (aka principal wager) - typically the identity of the winning horse. The organiser will accept bets recording the entry (the player's choice of horse/object and recording the layout of the symbols (horse numbers) in that entry, issue real or virtual tickets to each player recording their chosen bet and also displaying a random allocation of a pair of matrices as described above (which may be displayed on VDUs (810)).

The illustrated mechanical game allows each electrically propelled "horse" to race with a random outcome (by varying the current in each track as required so that some "horses" speed up or slow down). Each horse bearing identifying indicia - typically number from 1 to 10 (where n = 10). Determining the sequence of "horses" as they pass the finishing line and using this sequence of indicia/numbers to be displayed to each player to determine the number of possible links on each matrix and allocating prizes based on the total number of links on each player's ticket.

Figure 8 shows a perspective view of a mechanical racing table 800, with a plurality of visual display units 810 and a surface 801 whereon the racing mobile objects are visible. The table further comprises a starting position 805.

Figure 8A shows a schematic of the mechanical racing table. The table (800) is designed for N mobile racing objects and comprises an exposed surface (801), a hidden surface (950) (not pictured in 8A) supporting N powered strips (951), a mechanism for recording the outcome of the race, a central memory unit (820), a central processor (821), and a plurality of user systems.

The exposed surface has N slits wherein each slit has a width sufficient to allow the stalks of the mobile racing objects to move easily and be guided around he substantially oval track.

Each powered strip (951) comprises two components disconnected by a guide slot such that the only electrical contact between them is through a mobile racing object. This aspect of the invention (including the racing car object) is essentially a conventional slot car mechanism. The current in the powered strip is randomly varied by a thermistor (1004). For simplicity, figure 8A shows only a single powered strip, however, in a complete mechanical table N strips are connected to a common power source to ensure the currents in each strip do not vary too greatly.

The hidden surface also comprises a series of switches (1108) at the finishing line (such that there is one switch for each track) to record the outcome of the race. Each switch is connected to a loop counter and N AND gates. There are N memory cells in this system such that the first memory cell records the track number of the first horse to cross the finishing line and the Nth memory cell records the track number of the horse in last place. To achieve this, each memory cell is associated with a series of N AND gates, wherein the two input bits to the AND gate are the track number and the place/rank number. Initially, the loop counter is configured such that the "first place" bits will be activated (that is, the series of AND gates corresponding only to the first memory cell). When the first horse finishes the race and closes its switch (say it is on track 4), its track bit (the track 4 bit) in each series of AND gates is active. The fourth AND gate in the "first place" series will have two activate inputs and this will be what is recorded in the memory cell.

Each of the memory bits is connected to a central memory unit (CMU) (820) which is connected to a central processing unit (CPU) (821). The CPU is connected to a plurality of "seats", wherein each seat comprises a user processing unit (UPU) (822), a user interface (Ul) (823) and a visual display unit (VDU) (810). The Ul is configured to receive inputs from the user at that "seat", such as what the "principle wager". In some embodiments the Ul may be integrated into the VDU as a touch screen. Figure 9A shows the back view of a mechanical mobile object as may be used as the "object" on the table of Figure 8. A racing figure (901) is attached to a mobile object driving car (910) via a stalk (902). The wheels (911) of the mobile object driving car are powered by a motor shown in figure 9C which receives current via electrical contacts (920) which are in contact with powered strips (951). The two parallel surfaces (801) and (950) serve different purposes. The exposed surface (801) is merely to hide the mobile object driving cars and as such, has a plurality of slots (803) that the stalk (902) and racing figure (901) protrudes from. The hidden surface (950) has a plurality of powered strips and grooves. The rotatable blade (913) at least partially sits within the groove and guides the driving car (910) as in a standard slot car.

Figure 9B shows the side view of the mechanical mobile object / racing figure of Figure 9A. The racing figure (901) is attached to a mobile object driving car (910) via a stalk (902). The wheels (911) of the mobile object driving car are powered by a motor shown in figure 9C which receives current via electrical contacts (920) which are in contact with powered strips (951). The mobile object driving car (910) is hidden from onlookers and users by an exposed surface (801) with a plurality of slots vertically aligned with the rotatable blades (913) such that the stalk (902) of each mobile object is the only major visible component.

Figure 9C shows a schematic of the mobile object driving car (910) wherein a motor (915) rotates a gear (917) by drive shaft (916). The gear (917) is in contact with a second (perpendicular) gear (918) attached causing the rotation of axle (912) which in turn rotates wheels (911). The motor (915) is connected via wires (919) to electrical contacts (920).

Figure 10 shows the circuit diagram of the mobile objects in a mechanical racing system. A power supply (1001) provides power to a plurality of motors (1002) that are wired in parallel and are located within the plurality of cars driving the mobile objects. To start the race, a user pushes a button (1005) which completes the circuit. A plurality of thermistors (1004) randomly varies the resistance (and current) in each of the parallel wires (1010). These wires are then connected to power strips (951), carrying the randomly varied current to the motors (1002) such that they will run at different (though approximately equivalent) speeds. Typically, there will be 10 of the parallel units comprising a motor, powered strip and thermistor (1010). Figure 11 shows the mechanism whereby the results of the race are converted from a physical event to digital information for use in computer processing. Buttons or switches (1108, 1109, 1110) are placed below each of the plurality of tracks such that a mobile object driving car crosses the finishing line, it completes an electrical circuit. The buttons or switches are connected to a loop counter (1103) such that the position of the loop counter corresponds to the position of the horse currently crossing the finishing line. The wire connected to the button or circuit is also connected to a plurality of AND gates (1104), each corresponding to one of a plurality of memory units (1105, 1106, 1107) such that the AND gate will allow the current to pass into the memory unit dictated by the loop counter.

Alternatively, the race sequence will not be determined by random variation in temperature. That is, thermistors will not be the source of the "randomness". The CPU will determine a random or semi-random outcome of the racing event and assign finishing times to each of the horses (in figure 4, the time whereat d = df or final distance). Using these finishing times, the CPU computes a second series of times such that each horse will arrive at some other distance at that time. This process is repeated until all horses are at the starting line (di or initial distance) when t = 0s. Using this data, the current in each of the power strips (951) is varied by the system accordingly. This prevents the need for switches as the system has "pre determined" the outcome of the race in some sense. This data is then stored in each of the user memory units (824) but is not displayed on the VDU (810) (so is unknown to the player) until the races has finished.

Example 2

This is operated in a similar way to the mechanical race track but can use real horses at a real race track (in other words, the sequential draw is derived from a real-life event, as opposed to being simulated / generated artificially). Players can be present in person or can bet remotely and watch the race on television or via a streaming device such as a mobile phone connected to the internet.

In this example players can place a bet on the outcome of a horse race, typically involving 10 horses.

After placing a principal bet, players are issued a card displaying two matrices as previously described (which may be similar to the card depicted in Figures 7); for simplicity it is assumed that a primary bet will be an amount of money bet on the winning horse. This might be a fixed-odds bet or a totaliser bet depending upon the racecourse and the types of bets available or allowed in that country.

For those players present at the racetrack the card can be a printed ticket.

Figure 7 shows the information displayed on a printed ticket for use in a real-world racing event. It marked with an indication of the time and location of the race (701) and two matrices (702, 703). Also printed on the ticket is a table (704) of the matrix indicia (numbers), the identifying feature of the horse (letters) and the name of the horse. In preferred embodiments, the identifying feature of the horse will be patterned jockey apparel.

For those players betting remotely (via the internet) then the card with the bet and matrices can be displayed on their computer or mobile device. So, the apparatus can take different forms for different players.

The order in which horses cross the finishing line provides the "sequence of symbols", and thus determines any adjacencies on the matrices i.e. links.

If the total number of links formed on the two matrices is greater than the prize threshold number of links on their card, they can take their ticket to a ticket booth and receive a prize. The prize is in proportion to the number of links on the card and, if their principal wager is won, this amount can be multiplied by the specified amount if the organiserof the link lottery advertises this prior to the race.

In real horse races, there is no guarantee that all horses will cross the finishing line in a clear order. In order to make the present invention work, a sequence may need to be imposed onto the real-world event (or to supplement same). In preferred embodiments this may be done by treating each horse that falls over or collapses as having 'forfeited' the race such that the first horse to 'forfeit' comes in last place and the second horse to 'forfeit' comes in second to last. It may not always be obvious when a horse has forfeited so a strict definition such as "when any part of a horse, other than its hooves, touches the ground of the racetrack" may need to be applied.

In most preferred embodiments, when a clear ordering of the required number of horses does not occur (say 9 or 10 horses), any unallocated numbers are drawn at random. In some embodiments, when a clear ordering of a real world horse race does not occur, ambiguity may be resolved by ordering horses alphabetically.

In some embodiments, when a clear ordering of a real world horse race does not occur, ambiguity may be resolved by ordering horses by age, or some other criteria.

Example 3

This example relates to an online game (the current version) in which the horse race is generated and displayed to the players ("virtual racing"). This example refers to Figures 1 -4.

Similarly to the above, to assist with bet-placement the player is preferably presented with, in addition to information on the horses and jockeys, information on:

The odds of each horse;

The standard and winner link factors (i.e. multipliers) associated with each horse.

As above - when bets are placed each player is provided with a record of their primary bet (aka "principal wager") and also with a record of a pair of matrices corresponding to the number of horses to be displayed in the race (said matrices can again be substantially similar to those illustrated in Figures 6A - 6C). All entries are recorded in the promoter's database.

After bets are placed and betting has closed - the finishing sequence is generated at random, but is unknown to the players until the end of the race. This allows the promoter to concurrently determine the winning bets whilst the graphics are being generated and the race displayed to the players.

This is used to then generate the graphics associated with the race so that the horses cross the finishing line in the sequence that has already been generated (but is unknown at this stage to each player). Counterintuitively the race is generated in reverse order. Since the graphics need to display the finishing sequence, real time rendering is used in association with a number of partitions along the race track; that is to say, the race track is divided into n segments, distance-wise - for example 10 segments (although only 4 horses and 4 segments are shown in figure 4 (for brevity) with the uppermost line df showing the sequence as they cross the line).

Figure 4 shows a plot of distance against time used in the generation of a virtual racing game. The engine generating the video of the race sequence is given an ordering of horses as a variable input so must work backwards from this. In this example, it is known horse A comes in first place, horse C is in second place, horse B is in third place and horse D is in last place. Each of horses A, B, C and D are semi-randomly assigned finishing times (this must be semi random as it is constrained by how each horse places). The virtual race track is then partitioned into four distances such that at each partition, new times are generated for each of the horses. Again, this is not purely random. Obviously, each horse must be at the starting line when t = 0, (which is also shown as ti = t initial time or as di = d initial position) so the variation in times must, on average, converge as distance decreases. Another constraint is that the time of a horse at one partition is weighted by its time at the subsequent partition (df influences dB and d3 influences d2, et cetera). This is to ensure that the outcome of the race is not immediately predictable to the user. Horse C is initially in the lead then drops to third place and then finishes in second place.

Even at di it is possible to allow for one or more horses to "jump" out of the gate or to start just ahead of the others.

Ten different random or semi-random finish times are generated such that each finish time falls within a desired range (to prevent the race occurring too quickly or too slowly). These ten times are then mapped onto the known race outcome such that the longest finish time is associated with the contestant in last place and the shortest finish time is associated with the contestant in first place.

The initial set of random or semi-random finish times are associated with each race contestant as they cross the finishing line. However, this technique can be applied multiple times at different points (di to df) along the racetrack. The racecourse can be partitioned into numerous distances such that the speed or velocity of race contestants is varied with respect to time. At each partition, a new set of random times are generated and then semi-randomly assigned to each race contestant. The time assignment is done such that the new time assigned to each contestant is shorter than its previously assigned time and the contestant ordering is weighted according to the previous ordering. Obviously, this process must converge such that each horse is at the starting line (distance is equal to zero) at the start of the race (when time is equal to zero). The racecourse may be partitioned at evenly spaced distance intervals (such as quarters or fifths or any number) or randomly or semi-randomly spaced intervals. Furthermore, the partitions may differ for each horse. Table T1 below provides an example of this:

Table Tl:

The length of the video is dictated by the time of the losing horse. In some embodiments, the video also records the time the winning horse finishes the race, in order to allow the player to click 'skip' and avoid watching the entire race sequence.

The advantage of this approach is that the game is not taken from a pre-existing database but is created "on the fly" after betting closes, with the server (but not the players) knowing the outcome of the race since the video is created in reverse order. Contrast Example 4 below, which discusses a possible alternative protocol whereby a database of "skeleton races" are pre-stored, and overlaid with the "skins" of the race participants each time.

At the same time the server can also use the randomly generated outcome to check the entries and determine which player(s) has won a horse bet (first past the post) and which player(s) has won a links-based bet (the prize allocation can be determined by the promoter, and is not itself part of this invention as the inventor has provided the framework in which a promoter can present the race game in a number of different formats and different prize configurations).

Real-time rendering technology is known; for instance, techniques are described in "Real- Time Rendering, Fourth Edition" by Tomas Akenine-Moller, Eric Haines, Naty Hoffman (CRC Press, 6/08/2018), and at https://en.wikipedia.ore/wiki/Real-time computer graphics, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Real-time rendering is a computer graphics technique that rapidly generates images of a virtual world such that objects appear to move realistically. This is in contrast to displaying pre-rendered images stored in memory. A typical requirement for graphics to be real-time is that each frame is generated in under l/30^th of a second.

There are three stages to this process; application, geometry and rasterization. The application stage is responsible for motion. Any animation, collision between entities, or acceleration in the scene is calculated during the application stage. This is typically run on the central processing unit (CPU), to take advantage of multi-threading for reduced computation time. Secondly, the geometry stage determines what, where, and how to draw the various objects of the scene. Every object is reduced to simple geometric shapes (typically triangles) that are appropriately transformed (given that the "camera" is pointed in a particular direction) and shaded (according to the light sources), and any distortions caused by perspective are applied (other virtual-world visual properties are also handled at this stage). This is usually done on the graphics processing unit (GPU). Thirdly, the rasterizer stage renders the final two-dimensional image. Given the information from the geometry stage, rasterization does the final pixel computations for the resulting image. This is done exclusively within the GPU.

Machinima is a video-production technique that exploits real-time rendering. Typically, these are deterministic (much like videogame cut scenes). By "deterministic" is meant that the images being generated will not vary each time the animation is rendered. In deterministic machinima, the animator dictates all movements, colours, scenery, shapes, lighting, change in camera angle in much the same way as in traditional animation. This is not to say that a video file is stored in memory per se, but rather the instructions for generating the frames of a video.

This can be contrasted with "non-deterministic", by which is meant that the generated frames will be (or at least might be) different each time the animation is rendered. The difference between deterministic and non-deterministic machinima is the predictability of the resulting video. In non-deterministic machinima, the animator will not know precisely how the resulting video will appear. The animator has instead created a variety of movements, colours, shapes, or camera angles, et cetera. There is some uncertainty or random selection of movements, colours, or shapes. The animator creates the "elements" of the resulting animation, but does not control how they will be combined. Typically, in a video-game context, this uncertainty / randomness in frame rendering comes from the player's spontaneous decisions as they are playing the game.

The present invention uses non-deterministic machinima. However, in contrast to conventional video games of the kind discussed above, in the present invention the element of randomness / uncertainty comes not from the player's spontaneous decisions during the game. Rather, it derives from the random selection / allocation of the race sequence, in the manner discussed above.

In some embodiments of the virtual racing version of the invention, frequent games (races) are held, such as every few minutes, with a short queue (wait time) to enter a game. The queue allows time for the system to receive and process the player's entry, so as to render and display the virtual race a short time later (such as a few minutes later).

There can be are several independent game streams running in parallel; this will help facilitate said necessary short delay / wait time between closing bets and the starting of the race.

On first entering the game the player will be connected to the stream that has the longest time remaining in its preamble / betting phase (preferably not less than 20s). The betting phase will typically be 40-50 seconds in duration. Table T1A

Table T1A shows there can be at least seven racing channels to ensure bets can always be accepted. The times in T1A are merely illustrative but are indicative of actual timing of some embodiments. If a user joins the racing system, they will be directed to whichever channel is currently accepting bets. These "channels" can either be reused (such that as soon as the slow replay has finished, bets open for a new race) or the system can generate new "channels" for each race.

If player A joins at t=5, bets will be open in channel R0, so A gets directed there. If player B joins at t=29, the system will recognise that R0 is about to stop accepting bets so B will be directed to channel Rl. Meanwhile, player A is impatient and decides watching the full race is tedious and clicks "skip video" and goes to the pay-out screen. After seeing the results, player A decides to participate in another race at t=40. Both player A and player B will then be in channel Rl. At t=60, bets close in Rl and both players A and B start watching the race. Player B is patient and watches the race in its entirety. Player A is impatient and clicks "skip video" at t=50 to proceed to the pay-out screen.

Although each channel may have a cycle duration of less than 5 minutes (typically 3 to 4 minutes) the system allows a player to stay connected to the that channel to optionally replay the race or to view the links on the matrices for as long as needed (although a player cannot go back and bet). Once all players have left a channel then it is closed and cannot be re entered but it is stored for audit purposes. Alternatively, the channels may be virtual channels. That is, the 180-second sequences are only started upon request and data is generated on a race-by-race basis. The "channels" in this case only correspond to particular races or race outcomes. In this sense, it is more analogous to on-demand video streaming (with the caveat that any users obviously do not know what the outcome will be). Because of this, in such an embodiment, there is no fixed number of "channels". Moreover, when the race has finished, the "channel" is not reused. Each race is only generated and broadcasted.

A preferred implementation is set up as a pseudo instant game. The players experience is that when they launch the game, they enter the preamble of the next game available.

Linka Racing is a scheduled game designed in such a way that it can be played in a similar way to an instant game.

There will be several independent game streams running in parallel, as shown in figure 16 or table T1A. It is anticipated that there will be a minimum of 4 streams, but that may need to be extended to 6 in order to create the pseudo instant game. The durations of each stage and required number of streams will be determined by final game timings to be established by specific implementation details.

Note: There will need to be a short delay between closing bets and the starting of the race either within the pre-amble or the race phase to avoid stream sync issues. This must be kept as short as practicable.

The player will only be connected to one stream at a time. On first entering the game they will be connected to the stream that has the longest time remaining in its pre-amble / betting phase (not less than 20s).

If at Race Start the player has not placed a bet they will have the option of viewing the current Race and subsequent Linka Game (which must be identified as Demo) or they can press a Skip button that will take them to the next available stream that has the longest time remaining in its pre-amble / betting phase.

This button (and option to skip) remains on screen until pressed, or the start of the next pre amble / betting phase on that stream. If the player has placed a bet they will remain in the current stream until the race result has been announced.

From this point on they will have the option to Skip straight to the Linka Result, and from there, with another click, to the overall Game Result announce, and then another Skip to the next available stream.

In one variant, the game structure described herein can allow for scheduled future races. The races can be set up as far in advance as required and bets can be taken on those races.

Different virtual races may have different timings and lengths of race.

In one example, we allow:

2 minutes to show horses and accept most bets,

1 minute from close of bets to stat calculations and create video

2 minutes to display race and show the sequence at nd of race

1 minute to wind up and notify prize winners and publish the largest win

In another example , we allow:

60s preamble,

70s Race,

10s Race result presentation,

40s Linka Game presentation

10s Final result presentation.

The time between the close of bets and start of the race is generally small in virtual racing as most virtual racing engines will render the video dynamically and not wait for the whole race to be rendered before starting to show the video of the race to the player. In this implementation there are multiple race cycles happening on the back end at any time (starting every 60s). This is to ensure that when a player enters the game initially (or ends their last game) they enter a game cycle with enough time to place bets in the preamble but are not left waiting for too long before the next race.

For example a live race is being run now but the player will not see this channel, as they will be directed to the next available channel where there is sufficient time to place a bet. In the drawing this the 3^rd race of the day as it is about to open.

In this implementation the player only sees one race at a time (i.e. one channel) and can only bet on that race.

The game concept can also be used for scheduled races that are broadcast by TV, internet et cetera. It could also be run in bookmakers shops on internal or external broadcast networks as well as betting terminals. The concept can be implemented in any situation where virtual racing is run.

At the end of the race as the links are progressively displayed on the player's screen (in those implementations where the player is playing an online game) the prize table can be displayed on the player's VDU together with a light bar which progressively climbs the prize table as the player gains more and more links on his/her matrices as the ranking is applied to the player's matrices. This makes it easy for the player to see if they have won a prize or come close to winning a prize. Giving a repeat player a win or "near win" experience on almost all races. The VDU can also be used to show a representation of the order of some or all of the racers.

The present invention, particularly the virtual-racing version thereof, can be applied to different types of racing events. In alternative embodiments, the racing objects (the equivalents of horses) may be standard to that event or may be completely novel such that no real-world version exists - see for example Figure 12.

In some embodiments, the racing event may be a grey hound race involving six or eight dogs.

In some embodiments, the racing event may be a Formula One-style or a NASCAR-style race wherein the racing objects are cars and wherein for any given race, there are eight or ten cars on the track. In some embodiments, the racing event may be speed skating wherein there are six racing objects and wherein the racing objects are skaters (each with an associated country).

In some embodiments, the racing event may be a cycling event wherein there are eight racing objects and wherein the racing objects are cyclists.

In some virtual racing embodiments, the racing event may be novel mutation of the traditional horse race involving ten racing objects wherein the horses are substituted with dinosaurs and wherein the jockeys are substituted with robots.

The hardware and software of figures 3A - 3D include:

Client device o VDU o Processor o Memory o Internet connection Server device o Processor o Memory

Database (DB) of bets Bet ID Race ID User ID Horse ID Amount Enclosure ID

DB of "millionaire enclosures"

Race ID User ID First matrix ID

Second matrix ID (Matrix reloaded)

Enclosure ID

Number of links DB of users

User ID Name

Total payed in Total payed out DB of races Race IDs Start time

Number of participants

Payed in

Payed out

Horse 1 ID

Horse 2 ID

Horse 3 ID

Horse 4 ID

Horse 5 ID

Horse 6 ID

Horse 7 ID

Horse 8 ID

Horse 9 ID

Horse 10 ID

DB of bets

Bet ID

Race ID

User ID

Horse ID

Amount

Enclosure ID

DB of horses

Horse ID

Race ID

Indicia ID Odds

Name Place Number DB of indicia Indicia ID

Indicia design/image DB of matrices Matrix ID

Matric design/image Program instructions Library of visual assets Animations Skins

Backgrounds Lighting instructions Screen layouts o Millionaire enclosure o Betting page o Watching the race

Library of sounds Crowd noises Winning noises Losing noise

Semi-generic commentator snippets o Rendering engine

The system is able to minimise fraud by keeping a record of all bets placed on a race. Every race will have a race ID, with corresponding bet entries in the bet table. An entry in the bet table records the user that made the bet and the details (such as the horse, the bet amount, et cetera). The client devices can be separate from the server device or the two systems can be integrated into a single machine, as in the mechanical table

Example 4

Example 4 is a possible alternative way of generating / animating the virtual races, using a stored bank of "skeleton races".

This embodiment likewise uses non-deterministic machinima, but in a slightly different fashion than Example 3, namely the selection, prior to the virtual race being displayed to the user, of a) a particular horse paired with each of the r symbols (for instance, Horse 1 being Cantona and Horse 2 being First Again), and b) a particular race from the database of stored "skeleton" races. Once these two things are randomly allocated, the integrated race is generated and displayed using real-time rendering.

The "skeleton races" are abstract and only represent movement and the final outcome. For example, in one such abstract race, stored as a first "skeleton", the outcome of the race might be that A comes in first place, B comes in second place, and so on. For another such abstract race, stored as a second "skeleton", the outcome might be that A comes in seventh place and B comes in first place. For any given round, Cartona is randomly assigned to A or B, et cetera. Then, once the player has placed their bets, a "skeleton" race is randomly or semi-randomly selected. The movements of the abstract horse are premeditated (i.e. pre-programmed in the selected skeleton race), but processing must be done to generate real-time images of Cartona "performing" those movements.

Thus, real-time rendering is employed in a non-deterministic fashion, with the randomness / uncertainty deriving from random or semi-random selections of a number of variables prior to the race-proper commencing. A large database of "skeleton" races is stored which, once a particular race has been randomly selected, are integrated with the "skins" of particular horses (which have likewise been randomly paired to each of the r symbols) using rasterization. The detailed methodology and advantages of this are discussed next. This enables effective and efficient computerised simulation / animation of odds-based games having a random element and having a very large number of potential outcomes. The advantage of this animation / display system of this protocol is that it reduces, relatively speaking, the amount of data that the system must store. Assuming r = 10, i.e. 10 horses participating in each race, the number of possible sequences (i.e. sequences of the numbers 1 - 10) alone is imposingly large (particularly since different "race patterns" having the same sequence perse are possible as well - e.g. a "close-run" race versus a "dear-leader" type race, both with the same ultimate finishing sequence but different "race patterns"). Now add the further variable that each of those numbers can correspond to one of 10 different horses, with different visual characteristics whose data must be stored and animated - and the number of potential data combinations becomes orders of magnitude greater again. To attempt to pre-store each of these possible data combinations in its completed / rendered form would be prohibitive, in terms of data space required.

In contrast, the Example 4 protocol only stores the numerical sequences and race patterns per se, i.e. sets of "provisional animations" which each simulate a particular "race pattern" and finish-line sequence, but which assign only a provisional number to each of the participants, i.e. Horse No. 1 - 10, but with no visual characteristics shown. In other words, only bare outlines of the race participants are indicated in these "provisional animations"; all the participants appear identical and are identified only by number. This saves greatly on bandwidth.

Separately from this, the characteristics of each of the candidate horses (say 10, though there may be more in the overall pool, with 10 being randomly or semi-randomly selected to compete in each race) are also stored by the system. So, the system knows that, say, Cantona is white, with brown patches and a silver mane. These are the visual characteristics which Cantona (whichever number she is assigned) will need to be rendered with in a given race.

Once each number is randomly (or semi-randomly) matched with a particular horse ("randomly or semi-randomly allocate a unique set of visual characteristics to each of the at least r symbols"), and further once a provisional animation is randomly (or semi-randomly) selected, then the system extracts from storage data relating to Cantona's visual characteristics, and renders appropriately whichever horse number she has been assigned, i.e. superposes Cantona's visual characteristics onto the relevant horse number in the selected provisional animation. Importantly, this configuration means the visual characteristics of the horses only need to be stored once, and in a "passive" manner, rather than the system needing to store many thousands of fully-rendered animations showing the contenders finishing in various sequences and with various race patterns. This enables a significant reduction in required bandwidth.

A further advantage of storing the "visual characteristics" of the horses separately, is that the player can be shown a relatively low-bandwidth "promo" (as in Figure 6A) of each individual participant horse (and jockey), while they are placing their bets. The horses are shown one by one, animated in a simple manner (running). So, the "promo" simply requires extracting the "visual characteristics" data and overlaying it on a simple animation of an individual running horse.

In essence, the Example 4 protocol operates as follows:

The system stores a plurality of "provisional animations", each corresponding to a sequential draw of the at least r symbols.

Each provisional animation is an animation of "outlines", or "skeletons", of numbered horses, but with no distinguishing features. All that is "set", or predetermined, in these provisional animations is the finish-line sequence (by horse number only), and race progress in terms of how the race pans out (e.g. close-run versus clear winner, et cetera); but there isn't yet a particular horse allocated to Horses No. 1 - 10; i.e. they are all identical outlines at this stage, with no distinguishing characteristics. So, by way of example:

There can be a stored provisional animation showing a close-run race with the result 1-7-6-8-3-4-2-10-9-5.

There can also be another stored provisional animation with the same results sequence but the race pattern being very different - e.g. with Horse 1 having a clear lead from the start; or perhaps with Horse 7 leading through most of the race and being overtaken at the last minute by Horse 1.

Then there could also hypothetically be an identical -looking race to the above, but with a very different result sequence: 6-2-9-8-3-5-4-1-10-7. Such templates, i.e. "provisional animations" are stored in the system for all possible race patterns and sequences (or at least for a very large number of them).

For each game, i.e. each "iteration" of the system's operation:

1) The numbers (1-10) are randomly or semi-randomly "paired" with a particular horse - so, in a given game Horse 1 could be Cantona, and Horse 4 Broadhaven, while in the next game Horse 1 could be Bold Lad while Horse 4 is Chief Whip.

2) Once this pairing is done, the options are displayed to the player - i.e. horse no. 1 is Cantona, with a pay-out ofx50. The player sees, on the selection board, a "thumbnail" or preview, in this case in the form of the horse's name, as can be seen in Figure 6A (and in this embodiment they also see the jersey of the randomly- or semi-randomly- allocated jockey - see below). Note, the thumbnail could take other forms, such as an "avatar" or simplified depiction of each horse. Each horse has, of course, a constant set (from game to game) of visual characteristics corresponding to it, so seasoned punters can recognise their favourite horse by name (or, as the case may be, any other form the "thumbnail" takes).

In this embodiment, during the bet-placing phase the player is also shown a "promo" of the contender horses and their jockeys, as shown in Figure 6A. As noted above, since data relating to the visual characteristics of each horse is stored separately, these "promo" shots are relatively inexpensive in terms of data usage / bandwidth.

3) The player places their bets.

4) Then the 2^nd random or semi-random operation is effected by the system - namely, the choosing of one of the many stored "provisional animations".

Importantly, when choosing a provisional animation, the system may be configured to take into account the odds associated with each of the horses partaking in the race. Thus, if Cantona (who for this race has been designated as Horse 1 as above) has a good track record and hence has good odds of winning, the system will be configured to "favour" the selection of a provisional animation wherein Horse 1 wins or places well. The extent of this "favour" or skew should be proportional to, or reflective of, the odds associated with each participating horse. That is to say, the system will not necessarily select a race in which Horse 1 wins or places well; rather, the system will be configured to select such a race at a rate or frequency commensurate with Cantona's odds of winning.

It should be noted that there are other ways in which the system could be configured to factor in the odds associated with each competing horse. For instance, the odds could be taken into account at the stage of pairing the numbers 1- 10 with a particular horse (i.e. step 1 above), instead of, or in addition to, being taken into account at step 4 as discussed here. The skilled person may envisage still other ways in which the system may be configured to account for the odds associated with each horse.

5) Once a provisional animation is selected, it is then "filled in", using real-time rendering, with the (earlier randomly selected) visual characteristics corresponding to the horse allocated to each number. So, if in this round Horse 1 has been randomly or semi-randomly matched to Cantona, the system will randomly select one of the draw sequences (i.e. one of the provisional animations), and will then render the outline of Horse 1 with Cantona's characteristics. This integrated animation (i.e. the provisional animation, rendered with the visual characteristics of each horse) is displayed to the player.

Note, the system can be configured to store further characteristics. For instance, the jockeys can be paired with different horses from game to game. This, too, can be generated by the computer on a random or semi-random basis for each game. At the "thumbnail" stage, the jersey of the jockey who has been paired with each horse is displayed on the selection board.

Other variations are also possible. For instance, whereas the "skeletons" have been stated above as being identical, in some embodiments the respective participants in the race might be very different in appearance or other characteristics. For instance, each of the horses in the "pool" might have distinctive physical features other than simply their colouring (as well as possibly a distinctive gait, et cetera). For that matter, the participants might not be horses at all but some other "creatures" having very different characteristics from one another. For instance, the race might be between different "species" of dinosaur.

It is within the scope of the invention for the above protocol to be modified to account for such embodiments. This could be done in a number of ways. For instance, the database of "skeleton" races could remain as described above, and the individual distinctive characteristics of the participants could be superposed during the rendering process. Alternatively, the database of "skeleton" races could already reflect the various "geometries" of the participants. That is to say, the database might be expanded to contain all possible "race patterns" and results sequences, for all combinations of the different-shaped participants.

Note that a furthervariation could be the inclusion of one or more "interim sequential draws" throughout the course of the game, potentially even on a continuous basis. These interim sequential draws would correspond to the placement of the contenders at a particular point in the race. So, if Horse 5 is leading at a given point, 5 is displayed as the first symbol in the corresponding interim sequential draw. If Horse 5 is overtaken by Horse 8, the corresponding interim sequential draw will become "5, 8, . Optionally, the links corresponding to the interim sequential draw could also be displayed and / or tallied, and change as the interim sequence changes. This could further boost player excitement / engagement and promote the "near-win" feeling.

Example 5

This is an earlier version of the current virtual racing game of Example 3.

This version of the virtual horseracing game comprises 2 separate games: (1) a "regular" / "standard" game that the player enters in the normal way, (2) an "intermittent"/ "hourly" game, which the player may gain entry to in various ways depending on the particular rules imposed by the game operator. This is represented in Figure 6D.

In this version, the player's principal wager comprises betting on the first two-placed horses (i.e. which horse they think will place first and second). The player may be provided with a race card, similar to Figure 6E, to assist them in making their principal wager.

The game is played using two 3x3 matrices, with a corresponding odds profile (and a maximum possible 16 links), as discussed elsewhere in this specification.

In addition, in this version there may be a "multiplier" (in the sense discussed elsewhere in this specification), derived from: the odds that the two horses comprising the player's principal wager come first and second, in any order (in other words that the player correctly picks the first 2 horses). Examples of such a multiplier are given in Figure 6F, and in Table T23.

Furthermore, in this version the player may opt to place further, additional, wagers, for example as shown in Figure 13.

Example 6

This covers the underlying principles of the original dual-matrix, link-lottery game devised by the applicant (referred to as "Linka").

Linka games are played using a set of non-repeating numbers where all the numbers are placed on a grid containing positions equal to the size of the number set. For example a set of 9 numbers (from 1-9) randomly placed on a 3x3 grid. Or a set of 16 numbers randomly placed on a 4x4 grid, and so on.

The primary objective is to accumulate links between numbers on the grid, with the number of links used to determine winnings. The links are determined by, with reference to a sequence ("draw") of the numbers, seeing if any 2 immediately-sequential numbers appear adjacently on the grid.

The Linka method creates attractive base odds with numerous 'winning steps' from which to generate interest, player anticipation and prizes.

Further, each game's odds and play profile can be further enhanced with 'multipliers' and other interesting in game events (such as matching patterns, or achieving one or more runs of continuous links). This allows games to be created which are very engaging for players.

Top odds can match and surpass all recognised big prize lottery games. For instance, odds associated with conventional Keno lottery games are set out in Tables T2 and T3 below:

Table T2

Table T3

In contrast, example base odds (without "multipliers" or the like) for a single (non-circular) matrix of various Linka games are set out in Table T4 below: Table T4

One embodiment of the Linka invention is one version o the "KenoLinka" embodiment, using

9 numbers and the 3x3 Linka matrix - where KenoLinka players can select from a variety of different types of bets.

This embodiment of KenoLinka is centred on three standard games that each use 3x3 Card(s) - as set out in Table T8 below. Scoring of Links is by totalling the number of Links across all relevant Cards. Note: Because of the 3x3 matrix shape, each Card must always get at least 1 Link. As each Card has a maximum of 8 Links, then: Single Card games have a maximum of 8 Links

• Double Card games have a maximum of 16 Links

Triple Card games have a maximum of 24 Links

Table T5

As noted above, each game's odds and play profile can be further enhanced with 'multipliers' and other interesting in game events (such as matching patterns, or achieving one or more runs of continuous links). One instance of this is the so-called "Lucky Link", which is a pattern chosen by the player at the time of entering the game. If the pattern appears on one of the matrices, there is an extra prize or prize multiplier.

For instance, in Figure 14, a Lucky Link prize is won when the last two numbers drawn in the sequence form a link on the relevant chosen pattern, and it involves the middle square. Otherwise, the standard game prizes apply. Pattern "A" is the easiest to achieve at odds of 1 in 4.5, with Pattern "D" the hardest, at odds of 1 in 36.

Tables T6 - T8 below show the range of odds for achieving links for this KenoLinka example using a single card (i.e. single matrix), double card (i.e. dual matrix), and triple card (i.e. triple matrix) play, including for each of the 4 Lucky Link options.

Table T6

Table T7

Table T8

In use, the player first chooses how many matrices (1, 2, or 3) they wish to play. The player then chooses which Lucky Link pattern (if any) they wish to play.

In most of the aforementioned examples, the matrices are preferably circular matrices. Preferred embodiments of the circular matrices are seen in figures 5A to 5M. The odds for matrices 510A and 520A are in table T9A. The Hit Rate is the number of games a user would have to play before expecting to see the associated number of links (the probability is 1/1,587.4 = 6.2996 x 10³ or 0.0062996). The odds for a game involving both 510A and 520A are in table T9B. The chances of winning or of a "near win" are in table T9C.

Table T9A Table T9B Table T9C

The odds for matrix 510B are in table T10A, the odds for table 520B are in table T10B, the resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T10C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T10D.

Table T10A Table T10C Table T10D

Table T10B

The odds for matrices 510C and 520C are in table T11A and the resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table TUB, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T11C.

Table T11A Table TUB Table T11C

The odds for matrices 510D and 520D are in table T12A and the resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T12B, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T12C.

Table T12A Table T12B Table T12C

The odds for matrices 510E and 520E are in table T13A and the resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T13B, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T13C.

Table T13A Table T13B

Table T13C

The odds for matrices 510F and 520F are in tables T14A and T14B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T14C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T14D.

Table T14A Table T14C Table T14D

Table T14B

The odds for matrices 510G and 520G are in tables T15A and T15B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T15C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T15D.

Table T15A Table T15C Table T15D

Table T15B

The odds for matrices 510H and 520H are in tables T16A and T16B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T16C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T16D.

Table T16A Table T16C Table T16D

Table T16B

The odds for matrices 5101 and 5201 are in tables T17A and T17B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T17C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T17D.

Table T17A Table T17C Table T17D

Table T17B

The odds for matrices 510J and 520J are in tables T18A and T18B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T18C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T18D.

Table T18A Table T18C Table T18D

Table T18B

The odds for matrices 510K and 520K are in tables T19A and T19B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T19C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T19D.

Table T19A Table T19C Table T19D

Table T19B

The odds for matrices 510L and 520L are in tables T20A and T20B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T20C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T20D.

Table T20A Table T20C Table T20D

Table T20B

The odds for matrices 510M and 520M are in tables T21A and T21B, respectively. The resulting number of links for a game involving both matrices are in table T21C, and the chance of a win or a "near win" are in table T21D.

Table T21A Table T21C Table T21D

Table T21B

Optional SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT Feature:

Each of the above examples may also include a sweepstake feature.

Each Race may have a pre-determined event (or a combination of two events as shown) (the "RELEVANT EVENT")

The RELEVANT EVENT will have for each Race a known and calculatable set of odds that cannot itself be bet on. (The odds would alter for each Race if the horses have different chances)

As each player makes his/her total bets, the game automatically takes a small % of it, say 2- 5%, and allocates that towards funding the SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT prizes - which are automatically won by each player in Race, if the relevant event occurs. The SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT prize is shown as a multiplier of total stakes (total bet) and pays each player as appropriate. There may be variations and limitations, such as the SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT prize being shared in some portions, or limited to a maximum pay-out, or each player choosing the desired outcomes that trigger the SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT prize. Below the RELEVANT EVENT is the combination of EVENTS 1 and 2, both occurring. For example, for each 10 horse Race, the RELEVANT EVENT is:

Horse Numbers 1 and 2 coming in 1^st and 2^nd

AND

Anywhere from 14 Links or more also happening.

This is illustrated below in Table T22: Table T22

There can be displayed:

1. a main display screen that shows the five multiplier pay-outs (as exampled in the third column above)

2. On each bettors individual screen, there can be an actual SWEEPSTAKE or JACKPOT prize win amount relevant to that individual bettors total bet amount on that Race. Another multiplier variant is shown in the following Table T23 in which a multiplier is applied to the allocated prize based on a successful bet on the identity of the first two horses in a race.

With 9 horses per race (each with different odds) there are 36 possible combinations of the identity of the first two horses crossing the line in any order as shown in the second column. Assuming two 3x 3 matrices to accommodate all 9 symbols identifying the horses, the maximum number of links is 16 links and the multiplier to the outcome is shown in the last column.

Table T23

ADVANTAGES

Interest in horse racing has been declining in recent years, and this invention is a valuable addition to a promoters ability to attract more interest and hence more bets.

By combining the Linka cards (whether printed or displayed on a VDU) with an entry in a ranked outcome event, such as a horse race, it is possible to attract more bets by enhancing the players experience. Promoters of racing events in particular, wish to attract as many players as possible by offering a better "near win experience", and thus increasing the betting pool, and the return to the promoter.

Players are thus interested not only in the identity of the winning horse but also the entire finishing sequence of horses.

By encouraging players to bet on a ranked outcome event, typically a horse race, or other race over a distance, the player can choose the horse or other objects he thinks will be the first past the post, and at the same time can be issued with a ticket which records that bet, but also provides the player with a record of a pair of matrices which have been populated with a set of symbols where each symbol corresponds to assemble appearing on the horse or jockey or other object being raced. These symbols being randomly allocated to a pair of matrices, so that the location of the symbols of one matrix will be different from the overall location of the symbols on the other matrix. For example in the case of two round matrices with 10 symbols on each matrix, this allows for the possibility of up to 9 links per matrix or a maximum total of 18 links from the combination of the two matrices. This corresponds to 10 horses racing in a real life horse race, or 10 virtual horses racing in a simulated race. The outcome of the race is recorded as a ranked sequence of symbols, allowingthe playerto apply this ranked sequence to the pair of matrices and to count the number of links on his entry.

Based on the odds tables the promoter of the game can determine prizes based on the number of links achieved by a player, or for example the combination of the successful winning bet, if the player has chosen the horse which is first past the post, and this could be used as a multiplier on the published prizes allocated by the promoter to the number of links.

Promoters can use this invention either to enhance a real-life racing event, or it could be used as a broadcast or Internet series of virtual racing games, or used in casino machines to provide additional interest to players in the casinos, or it could be used as an interlude between real live races, by displaying virtual races between each real race. For example most countries have a television racing channel displaying real live racing events from one or more countries, but even so they often have a significant amount of "dead time" between the real racing events, and it is and is envisaged that this can usefully be filled with virtual races based on this invention. In the case of television broadcast of races, entries in these races might be combined with a smartphone App allowing players to easily place bets and receive entries showing the pair of matrices on the player's smartphone instead of obtaining printed ticket displaying the pair of matrices.

The promoter may use this invention for fixed odds betting, or for totaliser betting, either for the primary bet on "the first past the post", or the number of links, or both.

The real advantage of the inclusion of the pair of matrices is that the odds distribution of the likely number of links, will enhance the players "near win experience" making it more likely that the player will continue to place bets using this system.

The various embodiments of the invention solves the technical problems discussed in the preamble, noting that some of the problems are specific to the provision of short duration virtual races. The problems are repeated here with their solutions.

Problem:

In virtual horse racing there is often a trade-off between graphics quality and an ability to have "on-demand" races. In virtual racing systems wherein, the graphics is of a high-quality (such as the Virtual Grand National 2020), the races are at set times. That is, the more realistic the video of the race is, the less control the user has over when the race is run as the more resource-intensive it is. Solution:

To resolve this problem, the present invention utilises real-time rendering graphics technology and multiple race "channels" - this ensures that races are always available "on- demand". Arguably this is a mere trade-off as higher quality races may be more likely to be large scale events with many people watching them whereas the present invention is more "individual". That is, the present invention is not a large-scale event by design. However, the present invention is intended to maximize user engagement and enjoyment (rather than primarily act as a social activity). This shift in values makes it more successful in achieving its objective.

Problem:

In either a real horse race or a virtual horse race, the player will lose interest as soon as the horses cross the finishing line. That is, the user's interest in the race expires when the outcome or ordering of the race is decided. This means that in a very short period of time, the user has a rush of either positive or negative emotion and then want to participate in the next race. If a horse starts to lag behind early on in the race, a player may feel dejected.

Solution:

A user participates in the race in two ways; a principal wager and a secondary "random" wager. The secondary wager in the present invention is the matrix card/s. This ensures that even after every horse has crossed the finishing line, the "event" in some sense has not finished. When the ordering is known, the user must then look to the matrix card/s to discover the number of links that have been formed. This gives users a chance to "redeem" themselves. Unlike the racing event itself, wherein any given bet will on average lose money, the matrix card is specially designed to give the user a "near win" experience (despite the fact they will, on average, lose money on this too). Because of the layout of the matrices, the user is likely to have a "near-win" experience. The present invention perfectly strikes a balance between getting a small number of links (which does not return a prize, but could), an average number of links (which does not return a prize, but gives the illusion that a prize was attainable) and a large number of links (which does return a prize). This makes it more captivating than a regular real or virtual horse race. Problem:

User impatience. Not everyone is equally captivated by a horse racing event. Most users will enjoy the sport and derive enjoyment from seeing digital horses compete and change positions on the track. Other users may be less interested in the race and see it as a mere annoying delay before discovering whether they have won a prize.

Solution:

A "skip video" button. By letting users choose when they have seen enough of the race, they are more likely to be engaged with it. If someone has been playing for any reasonably long period of time, constantly watching horses run around the track could get tedious. It is expected that by giving them the "skip video" button, allowing them to also get to the secondary "random" wager (the "matrix" card/s) they are engaged for longer.

Problem:

To new comers, different horse races look relatively indistinguishable. They can be visually monotonous. Virtual races have partially solved this problem by implementing novel animations or racing objects. However, these too can be repetitive. Existing systems are limited by their library of entity-specific animations or racing videos stored in memory. If a user is on the system for long durations, they might start to see patterns in the movements or the way in which the ordering of horses changes.

Solution:

Real-time rendering and combinatorial skin, animation pairings. Instead of having a specific and limited set of animations for, say, a jockey riding a giraffe, the present invention can have a much wider library of jockey animations and jockey visual characteristics and combine them. This exploits the vast number of possible combinations and may produce unexpected and comical race sequences.

Furthermore, in traditional virtual racing systems there may be a problem of users recognizing how horses move relative to one another. The racing system works by either generating different finishing times for each of the horses and sometimes have minimal place changing. In such systems it is very transparent what is going on and greatly diminishes enjoyment. The solution to this is example 3, illustrated by figure 4. It is to take the randomly generated outcome of the race and "work backwards" towards the starting position. The track can be partitioned into areas wherein a horse's average velocity changes such that all horses make it to the starting line when t = 0. The curves of horse velocity can be "smoothed" to prevent jarring changes in speed. Furthermore, the partitions can be at different distances for different horses to prevent every horse accelerating or decelerating at the same points. This has two benefits: a) the user will never "recognize" a race sequence and b) it is much less memory intensive as animation sequences of skeleton races don't need to be stored in memory. All the relevant instructions are calculated as needed.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

By combining the use of cards or tickets (or smart phones) displaying a pair of matrices in combination with a ranked outcome event such as a horse race, the cards or tickets will typically be used in sports betting which are often state-owned, or state-controlled. The use of two matrices on a card enhances the players engagement by creating numerous "nearwin" experiences even if their choice of the first ranked horse or racing object is not successful.

EQUIVALENTS

The Invention may also broadly be said to consist in the parts, elements and features referred or indicated in the specification, individually or collectively, and any or all combinations of any of two or more parts, elements, members or features and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents such equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

VARIATIONS

The invention can be applied to any real or simulated or virtual ranked event. It need not be a racing event (though most examples refer to racing events). It could be the position in a table of different sports teams as a result of a series of games between teams - in a similar fashion to betting on "Football Pools". The examples and the number of objects racing and the type of race set forth are intended to be illustrative only and are thus non-limiting.

For example, the virtual-racing versions thereof, can be applied to different types of racing events. In alternative embodiments, the racing objects (the equivalents of horses) may be standard to that event or may be completely novel such that no real-world version exists - see for example Figure 12.

In some embodiments, the racing event may be a dog (typically a greyhound) race involving six or eight dogs. Although the term "objects" is used in the claim it can include humans racing or competing against one another in for example track and field events where the competitors are ranked at the end of the event. In some embodiments, the racing event may be a Formula One-style or a NASCAR-style race wherein the racing objects are cars and wherein for any given race, there are eight or ten cars on the track.

In some embodiments, the racing event may be speed skating wherein there are six racing objects and wherein the racing objects are skaters (each with an associated country).

In some virtual racing embodiments, the racing event may be novel mutation of the traditional horse race involving ten racing objects wherein the horses are substituted with dinosaurs and wherein the jockeys are substituted for robots.

The invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof. It will be understood that various modifications can be made to the above-mentioned embodiment without departing from the ambit of the invention. The skilled reader will also understand the concept of what is meant by purposive construction.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a ranked outcome event on which bets can be placed, the ranked outcome event having X objects which are ranked at the completion of the event, and wherein each object has a unique identifying symbol, the method comprising the steps of: making available to players a prize table based on the total number of links potentially achievable at the completion of the event, accepting bets from players in which each player nominates their choice of winning object; allocating a pair of matrices to each player, each matrix having at least X cells, each cell populated with one of the unique identifying symbols, so that each matrix contains all X symbols and the layout of symbols on each entry virtually always differs from the layout of the symbols on all the other entries, providing to each player an entry recording the player's choice of winning object, and the layout of the symbols on the pair of matrices as allocated to that player, closing betting, and conducting the ranked event and recording the sequential ranking of the objects at the completion of the event, wherein a link is formed when sequentially ranking objects appear in adjacent cells on at least one of the matrices, and wherein prizes are allocated based on the prize table to players achieving the required number links on their entry as a result of the sequential ranking of the objects at the completion of the event.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the layout of the X symbols in each matrix is populated randomly or semi-randomly.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a set of Y unique pairs of matrices are stored with the layout of the X symbols in each pair of matrices differing from the layout of the X symbols in each other pair of matrices, and one of those stored pairs of matrices is allocated to a player on receipt of his bet.

4. A method as claimed in any of claim 1 to claim 3, wherein the odds of each object winning the event are made available to the players before the published before betting is closed.

5. A method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the ranked outcome event is a race over a distance, and the sequential ranking is the order in which the objects cross a finishing line.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the race is a real world race.

7. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the entry is a printed ticket displaying the symbol of the players choice of winning object, and the layout of the symbols on the pair of matrices.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the matrices are substantially circular matrices.

9. A method as claimed in anyone of claims 4 to 8, wherein published rules are applicable to the race, said published rules enabling ranking in one or more of the following situations: two or more objects crossing the finishing line at the same time; and / or one or more objects failing to finish the race.

10. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the race is a virtual race, and the virtual race is broadcast or displayed on one or more VDUs.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a game server is connectable to the internet and displays the identity of the objects to be raced and accepts one or more bets from players, wherein on accepting a bet, the game server allocates the pair of matrices to the player and issues the entry to the player.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the game server closes the betting at a predetermined time and then conducts a random or semi-random draw of the X symbols identifying the objects.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the game server creates a video of the race ending with the objects crossing the finishing line in accordance with the draw of the X symbols.

14. A method as claimed in claim IB, wherein the video is created in real-time and displayed to the players.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein the video is created in reverse order in a series of segments.

16. A method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the video is created using real time rendering.

17. A method as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the game server determines the prize allocations based on the number of links achieved by each entry.

18. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein a series of virtual races are created at regular intervals and a player is not allowed to bet on a race where betting has closed or is about to close.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the duration of each ranked outcome event is less than or equal to 5 minutes from the time the objects are displayed and bets are accepted to the close of the race and the allocation of prizes.

20. A method as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the time allowed for betting in a game is from 40 to 60 seconds.

21. A method as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the time allowed for betting in a game is from 40 to 50 seconds.

22. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the race is conducted on a table game wherein objects are caused to move around tracks on a table by individual electric motors each supplied with a randomly variable power supply to produce a randomly ranked sequence of objects as they cross the finish line.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22, wherein published rules are applicable to the race, said published rules enabling ranking in one or more of the following situations: two or more objects crossing the finishing line at the same time; and / or one or more objects failing to finish the race.

24. An apparatus for facilitating a system for a game relating to a race or other ranked- outcome event, the system comprising: i. a plurality of matrices, each of the matrices having r cells, wherein, in use, each of the cells of each matrix is populated with a symbol unique to that matrix, ii. wherein the system is configured to receive from a player at least one principal wager, said at least one principal wager comprising at least one symbol from a set of at least r symbols, wherein the system is further configured to receive from the player a bet amount in association with each of the at least one principal wager, iii. wherein, after the system has received the at least one principal wager, a sequential draw comprising the at least r symbols is effected, said sequential draw being random or semi-random, iv. wherein the sequential draw determines links between adjacent cells of each of the matrices, and a total number of links across all of the matrices is determined, v. wherein each of the at least r symbols represents a contender in a race or other ranked-outcome event, and wherein the sequential draw represents the order in which the contenders complete the race or other ranked-outcome event vi. wherein the apparatus comprises at least: a. means for displaying the plurality of matrices to the player; and / or b. means for displaying the sequential draw to the player.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus comprises a mechanical device, a. said device comprising physical pieces each representing one of the r contenders in the race or other ranked-outcome event, b. said device configured to provide an animation of the sequential draw corresponding to the race or other ranked-outcome event, c. said animation involving the physical pieces representing said r contenders acting out the race or other ranked-outcome event.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein apparatus comprises an electronic device such as a personal computer; a gaming machine; a tablet; a smartphone; or a handheld or portable electronic machine; said electronic device comprising a visual display unit configured to display the game.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus comprises a card upon which the plurality of populated matrices are printed.

28. The apparatus of any one of claim 24 to claim 27, wherein the sequential draw is either generated artificially by the game administrator, or corresponds to a real-life racing event.

29. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the plurality of matrices is populated after the player has nominated the at least one principal wager.

30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein a total prize amount is determined based on: i. a link prize amount based on the total number of links; and ii. if the at least one principal wager appears in a predetermined position in the sequential draw, a winner prize amount based on a pay-out factor associated with the at least one principal wager.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein, if the total number of links is below a threshold number of links, the link prize amount is zero; and wherein, at and above the threshold total number of links, a standard link factor is associated with each total number of links.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein, for each of the at least one principal wager, a winner link factor is associated with each total number of links at and above the threshold number of links.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein, if the total number of links is at or above the threshold, the link prize amount is determined by: i. applying the standard link factor(s) to any bet amount(s) that do not correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw; and ii. applying the winner link factor(s) to any bet amount(s) that correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw.

34. The apparatus of any one of claim 30 to claim 33, wherein the winner prize amount is determined by applying the respective pay-out factor to any bet amounts that correspond to a principal wager appearing in the respective predetermined position in the sequential draw.

35. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 34, wherein the at least one principal wager comprises one symbol, and the predetermined position in which the symbol must appear in the sequential draw is the first position.

36. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 35, wherein the at least one principal wager comprises more than one unique symbol, wherein each symbol must appear in a different predetermined position in the sequential draw.

37. The apparatus of any one of claims 24 to 36, wherein the player nominates a plurality of principal wagers.

38. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event comprising at least r contenders, the system configured to: a. display a simulation of the race or other ranked-outcome event, each of said at least r contenders being displayed with unique visual characteristics, b. prior to the simulation of the race being displayed, receive from a player at least one principal wager, said at least one principal wager comprising at least one of the at least r contenders and a corresponding bet amount, c. wherein the system also displays a plurality of matrices, each of the matrices having r cells, and each of the cells of each matrix being populated with a symbol corresponding to the unique visual characteristics of one of the at least r contenders, d. wherein the order in which the at least r contenders complete the race or other ranked-outcome event determines links on each of the matrices, wherein if a pair of contenders completing the race one after another appear in adjacent cells on one of the matrices, a link is formed on that matrix.

39. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in claim 38, wherein the hardware and software include: at least one Client device having a VDU, a processor, a memory, and means for connecting to the internet.

40. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in claim 38, wherein the hardware and software include: at least one Server device having a VDU, a processor, a memory, a Database of bets comprising at least Bet IDs, a Database of Races comprising at least Race IDs, a Database of Users comprising at least User IDs, a Database of Horses comprising at least Horse ID, and a Database of Enclosures comprising at least enclosure IDs.

41. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in claim 40, wherein the hardware and software further include:

A database of "millionaire enclosures" capable of containing:

42. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in claim 40 or 41, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of users, capable of containing:

User ID, User Name, Total payed in, and Total payed out.

43. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40-42, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of races capable of containing: Race IDs, Start time, Number of participants, Payed in, Payed out, and Horse 1 ID to Horse nID.

44. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 43, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of bets, capable of containing Bet ID, Race ID, User ID, Horse ID, Amount, and Enclosure ID.

45. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 44, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of horses, capable of containing: Horse ID, Race ID, Indicia ID, Odds, Name, Place, and Number.

46. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 45, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of indicia, capable of containing Indicia ID, Indicia and design/image.

47. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 46, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Database of matrices, capable of containing: Matrix ID, Matrix design/image, and Program instructions.

48. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 47, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Library of visual assets capable of containing:

Animations, Skins. Backgrounds, Lighting instructions, Screen layouts, Millionaire enclosure, Betting page, and Watching the race page.

49. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 48, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Library of sounds including: Crowd noises, Winning noises, Losing noise, Semi generic commentator snippets.

50. A computerised system for simulating and displaying a race or other ranked-outcome event as claimed in any one of claims 40 to 49, wherein the hardware and software further include: a Rendering engine.