US20110151963A1

US20110151963A1 - Gaming Device and Method for Providing Sporting Games Betting Services

Info

Publication number: US20110151963A1
Application number: US12/644,325
Authority: US
Inventors: Felix Roderick Zafra Doctor; Tuan Anh Vo
Original assignee: DOCTOR FELIX RODERICK
Current assignee: DOCTOR FELIX RODERICK
Priority date: 2009-12-22
Filing date: 2009-12-22
Publication date: 2011-06-23

Abstract

A gaming device for taking sports related bets wherein the house offers various sports games for betting, based upon the final score combination, allowing players to select desired game(s) to place bet by picking the slot(s) on the 10×10 matrix. At end of the selected sports game, a winning slot will be determined from the slots picked before the cut-off time. Spectators of such sports will get a higher sense of thrill and better sense of satisfaction along with the betting device and the method disclosed herein.

Description

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a gaming device and method of utilizing said gaming device for placing betting on sports games played. This type of sports betting mostly bases upon the various professional circuits such as NBA games or NFL games.
Sports-related betting is a huge industry, available in both in East Coast and West Coast cities including Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, etc., as well as in other statutorily carved-out regions in the United States. The betting activity increases the thrills of spectator participation more than simply watching the games being played, because the betters have real and personal stake in the outcome of the games. Though the odds of actually winning sports-related betting is hard to predict, spectators will surely gain higher sense of satisfaction if he/she wins, than simply watching the games and even rooting for a certain team.
Present invention provides an exemplary embodiment of a gaming device to playing sports-related bets that are easy for anyone, without a substantial learning curve that are intimidating for many people that are unfamiliar with the rules of play. As such, present invention creates an entertainment and revenue stream for the gaming/gambling industry, for wider and easier reception in user participation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the overall construction of present invention, with a Processing Control Unit (PCU) is centrally arranged to control games offered for betting, games reporting, timing, playing betting information update, interface to a computer file server unit, game close out and pay out.

FIG. 2 a shows the game module template for the 10×10 matrix of slots.

FIG. 2 b shows an embodiment of each slot for the 10×10 matrix, where the top portion is identified by the last digit combination, separate by a hyphen, of the two teams chosen for a particular betting board.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the 10×10 matrix, for a single team version.

FIG. 4 shows the progression of Display Unit along the timeline of a sports game being played and the betting being played.

FIG. 5 shows the logical flow chart for an embodiment of PIU (Player Intake Unit.)

FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the Processing Control Unit based upon the functional modules of Betting Module, Bet Cut-off Module, PIU Module, Event Processing Module, Game Creation Module, Message to Display Unit Module, HPB Module, File IO Module.

FIG. 7 shows the logical flow chart for an embodiment of HPB (House Processing Booth).

FIG. 8 shows the logical flow chart of game start up and ending.

FIG. 9 shows the logical flow chart of game processing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows the overall construction of present invention, wherein a Processing Control Unit (PCU) is centrally arranged to take player bets, store information to server unit, and display game and betting result on the Display Units. More details will follow later, to explain the modules and elements disclosed herein.
To play a sports betting game, the house will offer some games for players to bet on. These offered games would be displayed on the Display Unit. The Display Unit can be a big physical display module where partitions are made to show different sports games offered by the house for betting.
The Display Unit can also be a collection of smaller physical display device, such a large LCD TV monitor that is generally available on the market.
Each Display Unit, or a partition therefore, for a selected game to be betted on, contains, among others, 100 slots of players to pick to place their bet. The 100 slots are arranged in a 2-dimensional 10 by 10 matrix, as shown in FIG. 2 a.
The 10×10 matrix of Display Unit consists of a top row numbering from 0-9 (designating 10 columns from left to right), and a left column from 0-9 (designating 10 rows from top to bottom). So, for this matrix, there are actually 121 slots, but only the 10×10 slots (100 of them) are actually allowed for picking to place bets.
The top row, designating columns 0-9 (left to right), corresponds to the last digit of the reported score for a selected game (among the games offered by the house for betting) pertaining to a guest team. The left column, designating rows 0-9 (top to bottom), corresponds to the last digit of the reported score for a selected game pertaining to a home team.
The top row and left column can swap the home/guest team representation as the house sees fit and such swapping does not affect the substance of present application. This type of slot is referred to as “two-team last-digit slot” in present application.
FIG. 2 b further enters the last-digit combination into the top portion of each slot, so that it's easier for betters to know what last-digit combination is when the slot is picked. The programming implementation can enter the player (better) ID into each of the picked slot, so that incoming players/betters will know to pick other slots that have not been taken.
Alternatively, each offered game may have 100 slots comprised of a 10×10 matrix, where each slot contains a 2-digit number from 00 to 99, as shown in FIG. 3. In this manner, the bets are placed on the reported score of one team, and not combination of scores from 2 teams. For example, in a NBA game, a player can bet that the ending score of a certain team will end in the 08, when such team's ending score is 108. However, such alternative betting mode is inherently not suitable for baseball, soccer or hockey where the scoring typically does not go over 10 for each team. This type of slot is referred to as “one-team slot” in present application.
When a slot is picked, either the two-team slot or two-team slot, the bet player will receive his/her player ID, and such ID information will be displayed to the picked slot on the Display Unit for the selected game.
FIG. 4 shows the Display Unit as it goes through a cycle of bet-taking to winning bet-payout for a selected game, where players will get to pick a slot (or multiple slots) for the final score (either the home/guest team combo, or the alternative 2-digit one-team score), and the Display Unit will instantly show that pick, as well as any picks made by other players that place bets on the same selected game, during the allowable bet-taking period.
A status indicator light can be optionally built to the display unit, currently shown as a small circle on the upper-right corner, so that players can easily tell the status of the bet-taking at a glance by looking at the color of the light. The light of the indicator (the small circle, currently) will change along the timeline in colors of, for example, green, yellow, red and blue, as the game progresses.
FIG. 5 shows the Player-Intake-Unit operation.
From the sporting games offered by the house for betting, players can select a desired game to pick a slot, from the 10×10 matrix described above. Any slot (in a selected game for betting) is allowed to be picked once by only one player. However, a player, after confirming the picking of a slot, can go back and pick more slots in the same game for betting.
The operation in FIG. 5 pertains to one game being offered for betting by one player. Certainly, a player can simultaneously select many games offered by the house to place bet.
For each game being offered for betting, the House will assign a game ID for ease of identification and reference. For players, they will receive a player ID pertaining to each game selected to play, in addition to an individual personal ID.
FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of the Processing Control Unit based upon the functional modules of Betting Module, Bet Cut-off Module, PIU Module, Event Processing Module, Game Creation Module, Message to Display Unit Module, HPB Module, File IO Module.
It should be noted that most of these modules are intended to be implemented by software-based components, consequently, some modules may be combined and some modules may be split into more sub-modules, depending on other factors for actual implementation. However, the present invention should be understood to encompass all these variations, as long as the functional structure is as taught and disclosed herein.
As an enabling example, the game Betting Module could be implemented by the following algorithm:


	If a selected game's matrix is available

	Update matrix with Game ID and Player ID who submits bet
	Send confirmation message
	Update current betting load
	If current betting load does not reach maximum load

Set game status to “Go”

If current betting load is maximum betting load

	Set game status of “Full”
	Send message to Cut-off Module

Else

	Send unavailable betting slot message

The term “betting load” is defined as the measure of how many of the slots are taken on the 10×10 matrix. Maximum load will mean either all 100 slots are taken, or the preset ceiling number of slots (set by the House) has been taken.
The programming logic shown by an exemplary algorithm for the bet Cut-off Module could be:


(When there is a trigger of Time Event, or a game “Full” event)
If game (with game ID) is full

Broadcast “Game On” message

Else

For each available game

If game's count down

If game status is “Go”

Broadcast “Game On” message

Else

	Send game cancellation message (insufficient betting)

The programming logic shown by an exemplary algorithm for the Event Processing Module could be:


	If Player's “place bet” event

	Process bet
	Update game information database
	Send message to Display Unit

Else if House's event

If “create game” event

Create a new game

Else if “cancel game” event

Cancel an existing game

Else if “place bet” event

Process bet

Else if “cancel bet” event

Cancel an existing bet

Else if “process wining” event

Process player's winning

Else if Real-Time Event

Update game status

Else if Game Reporting Service's score event

Process game

	Update game information database
	Format and send message to Display Unit

The Game Reporting Service module sends all the real-time scoring to the Processing Control Unit, which will then send to the Display Units and the Timing Display; simultaneously the scoring information is also sent to the File Server.
Exemplary logical flow chart of House Processing Both is shown in FIG. 7.
Exemplary logical flow chart of games start up, ending and game processing are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.
Depending on actual implementation, the house will assign different format of player ID, when any slot is picked. Such picking slot information is instantly shown in the Display Unit for the game selected to place bet, among the games offered by the house for betting. Thus more players can choose the desired games to pick slots that have not been picked, until the 100 slots are all filled up, or until a pre-set cut-off time allowable for players to place bets.
The Processing Control Unit, in addition to sending to Display Unit, will store the slot-picking information to the File Server, which will be used, along with the scoring information stored, to determine winner and for processing winner pay out.
Optionally, the gaming device, and the method of playing, may include the house make a pick of the slots, either in the random fashion or an operator manually makes a pick just like other players, during the time allowed for placing bet, to increase the competiveness of the betting games.
The Timing Display unit may be separately set up in several different locations at the casino venue and may be combined to the Display Unit, depending on actual implementation, so that bets players have sufficient notice of the timing related to the games being offered for getting and the timing as each selected game progresses when more bets are being picked on a certain selected game.
Another optional feature is that the house can set a betting load threshold, where an offered game will be scraped if there is not enough betting load picked among the 100 slots, when the time before closing to taking bet reaches a certain pre-set limit.
The games offered for betting can have “boards” of varied slot values. For example, a board can be a $50 board where each slot will cost players $50 to pick. That way, the same game can have multiple instances of a $50 board, $100 board, $500 board, depending on how hot the sports game is for potential audience that is interested in placing bets.

Claims

1. A gaming device for taking sports related bets, comprising:

A House Processing Booth;

A plurality of Player-Intake-Units;

A plurality of Display Units where each containing 100 slots arranged in a 2-dimensional 10×10 matrix for a selected game being betted on;

A game reporting service module;

A file server unit controlled and enabled by a computer system;

A timing display module for displaying bet-taking timing for the games selected by individual players; and,

A Processing Control Unit interconnected with the units/modules of the gaming device and controls the opening of bet-taking, assigning and displaying player information, closing of bet-taking and bet-redeeming at end of each selected games.

2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein each of the Display Units shows offered game for selection to place bets, timing for taking and closing of bet-taking, status of bets being placed to the selected game and wining information, as the game time progresses.

3. The gaming device of claim 2, wherein the Player-Intake-Unit further comprised of input device of touch-screen or a computer mouse linked to a screen, whereby a player can enter his bet to his picked slot on the 10×10 matrix, for the game selected to enter bet.

4. The gaming device of claim 3, wherein the timing display module transmits timing information of each offered game simultaneously to each of the Display Unit and Player-Intake-Unit.

5. The gaming device of claim 4, wherein the File Server stores scoring information sent in by Game Reporting Module and all players' betting information, for Processing Control Unit to determine winning information and pay out.

6. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein the 10 rows and 10 columns of the 10×10 matrix on the Display Unit are numbered from 0 to 9, representing the last digit of the final game score for the home team and guest team respectively, related to the games offered by the House and selected by players for betting.

7. The gaming device of claim 5, wherein each of the 100 slots of the 10×10 matrix on the Display Unit represents the last 2 digits of the final score of an offered game for a chosen team.

8. A method of providing sporting game betting service utilizing the device herein, comprising the steps of:

a. A plurality of games being offered for betting and displayed on each Display Unit containing 100-slot matrix;

b. Players are invited to select games from the offered game for placing bets by picking slots;

c. The House continues to invite players to pick slots for the selected game, until a pre-set time to close bet-taking, or until all the slots are picked;

d. Processing Control Unit updates bet-taking information to server unit and causes the bet-taking information to be transmitted to Display Unit for each selected game;

e. Processing Control Unit determines winner slot, after receiving scoring information from game reporting module and proceeds with bet-redeeming for payout to the winner of each selected game.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the offered game is to pick the slot on the 10×10 matrix where the 0-9 numbered row/column correspond to the last digit of the home and guest teams respectively.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the offered game is to pick the slot on the 10×10 matrix where each slot is a 2-digit number representing the final score of a chosen team in an offered game.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the Processing Control Unit scraps an offered game for betting, if number of slots picked is lower than a pre-set limit after a pre-time into the progression of the offered game, so that another game is offered for betting.