Patent ID: 6817948
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: A63F,G07F

Abstract:
A method of conducting a gaming tournament in which a plurality of players participate concurrently in play on individual gaming terminals, the method comprising the steps of:connecting a plurality of gaming terminals together to form a network of gaming terminals, wherein each gaming terminal is operative to execute a game of chance having equivalent win probability characteristics and each terminal is operative to receive and transmit the data required to control the play and report the results; determining which of the plurality of networked gaming terminals are enabled to participate in the gaming tournament; broadcast a message to the gaming terminals that the tournament will begin; determining that a predetermined start time for the tournament has been reached and that there are not at least a predetermined number of participating terminals; designating a number of unattended terminals to participate in the tournament so that the predetermined number of participating terminals is met; simultaneously starting tournament play at each of the participating terminals, including any unattended terminals; once started, permitting the players to concurrently and continuously play the game one or more times at each of the participating gaming terminals; once started, displaying on each of the gaming terminals a standing of the accumulated score of the player during the same time interval in view of the other participating terminals; simultaneously ending tournament play at each of the participating terminals, the players at each of the participating terminals having concurrently and continuously played the game over the same time interval; collecting from each of the gaming terminals the accumulated score during the same time interval to determine the highest score; displaying on each of the gaming terminals an ending standing of the accumulated score during the same time interval in view of the other participating terminals; and identifying the terminal whose player accumulated the highest score.