Patent ID: 7780522
Filing Date: 2010-08-24
Classification: G06Q,G07F

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving by at least one server, an indication of a price of an item being paid by a person, wherein a merchant provides the item; receiving by the at least one server, an indication of an amount tendered by the person to the merchant to pay for the item, wherein the amount tendered by the person is greater than the price of the item by a difference, the difference comprising an amount of change due to the person; receiving by the at least one server, from the person, via a mobile gaming device in use by the person, an indication that the person wants to use the change as a bet in a game, wherein if the person achieves a winning outcome in the game, the player keeps the amount tendered and the item, thereby receiving the item for free, wherein if the person does not achieve a winning outcome in the game, the person loses the amount tendered, including the change, but retains the item, and wherein the at least one server and the mobile gaming device are communicatively coupled via a communications network; based on the amount of change, the price of the item and a desired house advantage for a casino providing the game, determining by the at least one server one or more possible winning outcomes for the game for the person such that the one or more possible winning outcomes result in the desired house advantage, wherein the one or more possible winning outcomes are inversely proportional to the price of the item and to the amount of change used as the bet in the game; generating, by the at least one server, one or more outcomes of the game using a random number generator; based on the one or more possible outcomes, determining, by the at least one server that the generated outcome of the game is a winning outcome; in response to determining that the generated one or more outcomes is a winning outcome, displaying by the at least one server to the person via the mobile gaming device that the person won the game, whereby winning the game the person retains the amount tendered by the person and the person keeps the item for free.