US20060234818A1

US20060234818A1 - Match-play version basketball process

Info

Publication number: US20060234818A1
Application number: US11/106,413
Authority: US
Inventors: Lee Wilson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-04-15
Filing date: 2005-04-15
Publication date: 2006-10-19

Abstract

The Match-Play-Version Basketball Process is a method of wagering on conventional basketball games, which is employed while observing conventional basketball games via television or in person at an arena. The product of the Process is called a “match” to distinguish it from the actual game, for wagering purposes only. It has no official standing. The process consists of dividing the official time limit into sixteen consecutive segments of equal duration, called “rounds,” and keeping score accordingly, by awarding one point to the team that scores the most points in each round. The winner of the most rounds wins the match. All wagers are based entirely and exclusively on the rounds; thus the total score of the game is irrelevant to the ad hoc match that it breeds.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the Gaming Industry in general, and to wagering on basketball games in particular. It provides the gaming industry with six new ways to bet on basketball games.
2. Description of Related Art
The practice of betting on the outcome, i.e., final score, of basketball games, is almost as old as the game itself, and, more recently, some Casinos have experimented with some contrived bets. Such bet are based directly on the score of the game. This invention creates wagers based on the score of artificial “matches” that are drawn from the game, and heretofore did not exist. The closest comparable art would be the practice of betting on match-play golf games.
I have long enjoyed watching the Ryder Cup, The Presidents Cup and other match-play golf events on television, while I find the majority of stroke-play events somewhat tedious. I have also never cared for watching basketball games on television for much the same reason. Some time ago I was struck by the whimsical thought that it was too bad that basketball games cannot be somehow set up as matches, a lá golf. That notion resurfaced occasionally until one day it occurred to me that basketball could, indeed, create its equivalent of golf's eighteen-holes by simply dividing its traditional time-limit into sixteen equal segments, called rounds, to borrow a boxing term. Thus the match-play basketball concept was born. It soon occurred to me that while the concept may never be considered seriously as an alternative to the century-old conventional time-limit game, it could be very useful as an ad hoc gaming device—a fringe benefit, as it were.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a process for creating “matches” from conventional basketball games by pretending that the official game time is divided into sixteen consecutive “rounds” of equal duration, for the express purpose of making wagers. All wagers are based on the number of points scored by each team in each round.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Not Applicable

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Heretofore, wagering on basketball games consisted almost exclusively of the age-old, conventional, win-or-lose bets on the final score. This invention creates the opportunities to make a variety of new wagers and thus increases the opportunities for legal gaming establishments to gain new revenue, not to mention the increased pleasure it brings to those who enjoy wagering on basketball games.
The process consists of dividing a conventional basketball game's official time limit into sixteen consecutive rounds of equal duration, and keeping score accordingly, All wagers are based on the rounds, similar to match-play golf games in which bets are based on the eighteen holes.
The process is conducted as follows:
(1) At the end of each round, by simple arithmetic, it is determined how many points each team has scored during that round. That is, a team's score for a round is an amount equal to the difference between its total score at the end of the round minus its total score at the beginning of the round. These numbers may be recorded on a scorecard.
(2) The team that scores the most points in a round is declared winner of that round.
(3) The team that wins the most rounds is declared winner of the match. The match is ended when one team's lead is greater than the number rounds remaining to be played, i.e., when it becomes impossible for one of the teams to gain at least a tie in the match.
The invention creates these six new wagers:
1. WINNER. The betttor predicts which team will win the match. In the event of a tied match, the house must refund to the customer a sum equal to the amount of his bet.
2. REVERSAL. The bettor predicts that the loser of the game will be the winner of the match.
3. DURATION. The match is ended as soon as it becomes impossible for one of the participants to gain at least a tie, while the actual game continues, of course. Thus, the duration bet requires the bettor to predict the number of rounds that will be completed in the match, from the maximum of sixteen rounds to the minimum of nine rounds.
4. SKINS. (A) No carry-overs: The bettor backs one of the teams throughout the match, and bets a predetermined amount of money on his team for each round. Halved (tied) rounds do not count. (B) With carry-overs: Same as (A) above except that bets on halved (tied) rounds are added to the bet on the next round. (C) Press: If the bettor falls three or more rounds behind, he may demand a second bet in the same amount as the main bet, on the next round. The house may not refuse the bet. All sixteen rounds are counted even though the match may end in fewer.
5. NASSAU. The bettor backs the same team for three equal bets: (1) The first eight rounds, (2) The second eight rounds and (3) All sixteen rounds. (See the sample scorecard below.) PRESS: If the bettor loses the bet on the first eight, he may demand a second bet in the same amount as the main bet, on the second eight. The house may not refuse. All sixteen rounds are counted even though the match may end in fewer.

6. PARLAY. The bettor bets that a designated team will win a specific set of rounds, consecutive or scattered, with accumulated winnings after each round bet on the next round. Halved rounds are treated as losses.

Match-Play Version Basketball

Professional Scorecard ©

Event: Regular Season Game

Date: Feb. 10, 2005

Place: Seattle, WA

TEAM A	SCORE	TEAM B	SCORE	MATCH WINNER	RATIO
Sacramento Kings	107	Seattle Sonics	115	Seattle	2/0

3-Minute Mark	9:00	6:00	3:00	0:00	9:00	6:00	3:00	0:00	9:00	6:00	3:00	0:00	9:00	6:00	3:00	0:00
Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16

Game	A Sac.	9	13	19	28	32	37	45	52	63	68	74	81	88	96	103	107
	B Seat.	6	11	14	26	36	42	46	54	54	67	73	77	88	96	102	115
Match	A Sac.	9	4	6	9	4	5	8	7	11	5	6	7	7	8	7	4
	B Seat.	6	5	3	12	10	6	4	8	0	13	6	4	11	8	6	13
	A Sac.	1	0	1	0
	B Seat.		0		0	1	2	1	2	1	2	2	1	2	2	1	2

Above is a sample of the form for recording an actual game score and the match-play score at the same time. It is the scorecard for the Seattle Sonics-Sacramento Kings game on Feb. 10, 2005. It shows that in the match the Sonics never held more than a two-round lead, and, adopting a golfing term, they were dormie after fifteen rounds. That is, they were one round ahead with one round to play, so the worst they could have done was to gain a tie in the match. Since Match-Play Version basketball is entirely a gaming industry device, unrecognized by organized basketball, ties go unresolved.

Claims

1. The petitioner claims patent protection equivalent to copyright protection afforded inventors of other forms of intellectual property, e.g., authors and composers.

2. The petitioner claims the right to prevent the use of The Match-Play Version Basketball Process for commercial gaming purposes by unauthorized persons or organizations.

3. The petitioner claims the right to grant licenses for use of the process to other persons or organizations for legal gaming activities.

4. The petitioner claims the right to charge reasonable fees for such licenses.

5. The petitioner claims the right to redress from unauthorized commercial users of the process.