AN INTERACTIVE COMPUTER-BASED GAMING SYSTEM

Abstract: An interactive computer-based gaming system (10) includes a display screen (22) comprising a betting card which takes the form of a matrix divided into ten legs. The game commences once a series of ten numbers are drawn by a random number generator (12) and inserted into the legs of the betting card. Thereafter, a first string of winning numbers in a results card is generated, the first string corresponding to the first leg of the betting card. To determine whether a player has won anything involves comparing the winning numbers in each of the columns of the results card to the corresponding legs of the betting card to see whether there are any matching numbers. After the first string of winning numbers is generated, the player has an opportunity of either drawing further strings of winning numbers with a view to obtaining further matches, or withdrawing a portion or all the winnings to date.

Description: AN INTERACTIVE COMPUTER-BASED GAMING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION THIS invention relates to an interactive computer-based gaming system. Gaming systems and lotteries in which players actively participate in a game and win money according to the outcome of the game are hugely popular. Apart from lotteries, most games of this type are played in secured environments such as casinos, which are not accessible to everyone. One significant disadvantage of lotteries is that the player has minimal input, and has very little or no control both over manipulation of the odds and over manipulation of the outcome of the game. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided an interactive computer-based gaming system for playing a game, the system comprising: funds acceptance means for accepting funds from a player; funds delivery means responsive to the outcome of the game; user interface means for allowing the user to interact with the game; game control means for controlling the operation of the game, the game control means being responsive to the funds acceptance means, and including generator means for generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects; and game display means controlled by the game control means and the user interface means, the game display means including means for generating a plurality of legs, with each leg being arranged to receive at least one object drawn from the set of objects, wherein the game control means is arranged to compute a payout in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and the winning object string in respect of a particular leg and to allow the player selectively to receive at least a portion of the payout and/or to progress to the next leg. Preferably, the user interface means includes odds varying means for enabling the player to vary the odds in a particular leg during play The odds varying means includes drawn object varying means for dynamically varying the number of drawn objects in a leg during play In addition, the odds varying means further includes object string varying means for dynamically varying the number of generated objects in the winning string which are to be correlated with the at least one drawn object during play Advantageously, the gaming system includes dynamic withdrawal means for enabling a player-determined percentage of the payout to be withdrawn during the course of the game Preferably, the drawn objects are player-designated or drawn Typically, the winning object strings are randomly or pseudo-randomly generated number strings, with the objects being numbered from 0 - 9 In one form of the invention, the game display means is a printed ticket which is designed or selected by the player and printed prior to the payout being computed According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of accepting funds from a player, generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects, displaying a plurality of legs, each leg being arranged to receive at least one object drawn from the set of objects, computing a payout in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and the winning object string in respect of a particular leg, and enabling the player selectively to receive at least a portion of the payout and/or to progress to the next leg Preferably, the method further includes the step of varying the odds in a particular leg during play Advantageously, the odds can be varied by dynamically varying the number of drawn objects in a particular leg during play In addition, the odds can be varied by dynamically varying the number of generated objects in the winning object string which are to be correlated with the at least one drawn object during play Preferably, the method includes the step of enabling the withdrawal of a player-determined percentage of the payout during the course of the game Typically, the step of generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects includes the step of generating random or pseudo-random number strings, with the objects being numbered from 0 - 9 In one form of the invention, the method includes the step of printing a ticket comprising the plurality of legs prior to the payout being computed According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming ticket comprising a wager indicator for indicating the quantum of a wager laid by a player, a customized betting zone comprising a plurality of legs, with each leg comprising a plurality of sub-zones in which objects pre-selected by the player from a set of objects are printed; and a dynamic withdrawal indicator for allowing the player selectively to receive at least a portion of a payout and/or to progress to the next leg, the payout being computed in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and a winning object string subsequently generated. The gaming ticket typically includes a results card for receiving the winning object string from the set of objects. Preferably, the gaming ticket includes an odds varying indicator for indicating how the odds in a particular leg have been varied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a highly schematic block diagram of a computer- based gaming system of the invention; Figures 2A - 2J show typical printouts of an interactive display screen forming part of the gaming system and illustrating an exemplary game in progress; Figure 3 shows a flowchart illustrating the main routine which the gaming system of the invention follows; and Figures 4A to 4G show flowcharts illustrating the various sub-routines followed by the gaming system of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Referring first to Figure 1 , a gaming system 10 of the invention has at its heart a software-based game controller 12 for controlling the operation of the game. Funds acceptance means 14 such as a debit or credit card acceptance device, a cash acceptance device or a modem-link funds transfer device is connected to the game controller 12. Similarly, the game controller 12 is connected via an output to funds delivery means 16. The funds delivery means 16 may also form part of a modem-linked funds transfer system. An internal account database 18 is incorporated into the software of the game controller 12, and keeps track of the debit or credit status of the player's account. A user interface 20 is connected to the game controller 12, and may take the form of a keypad, a mouse, a joystick or any other conventional user interface device which interfaces with a screen 22 providing an interactive screen display of the type illustrated in Figures 2A to 2J and generated by the software at the heart of the game controller 12. The operation of the game will now be described with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 3 and 4A to 4G with reference to the typical display screen printouts of Figures 2A - 2J. In order to start a game, the details of a particular player are entered, as is shown in Figure 3, and the identified player is then required to enter some form of legal tender into the system via the funds acceptance means 14. This may be achieved in a number of ways, including physical notes and coins, a debit or credit card reader, a smart card reader or any other funds transfer routine from a player's account using a suitably secured funds transfer method. The value of the tender accepted by the funds acceptance means is stored in the internal account database 18 which keeps a running tally of the balance in the player's account. It is then created in the manner indicated in the Figure 4B sub-routine. In the exemplary example, the player has submitted a tender of R500 000, as shown in the Balance indicator 23. The display screen of Figure 2A shows a typical betting card 24 with the value of the player's tender shown at 26. The card 24 takes the form of a 10x10 matrix divided into 10 columns or legs 24.1 to 24.10. At the start of the game, the player has to lay his or her wager 27, as shown in Figure 2A, for that particular card, with the wager 27 being variable for each card 24. In the illustrated example, the player has wagered an amount of R1.00. For each wager 27 laid by the player, the card's background, or some other designated area of the card 24, becomes a colour which is specific to the amount laid in order to remind the player of the amount which has been laid. Thereafter, a series of 10 numbers are drawn by a random or pseudo-random number generator, as shown in Figure 2B. In the illustrated example, the number series 6 1 7 9 7 8 2 6 0 2 has been generated, with each successive number appearing at the head of each column 24.1 to 24.10. Figure 2B also clearly shows that as a result of the R1.00 wager, the Balance indicator 23 reflects an amount of R499 999 and the current value of the card 24 is R1.00, as shown at 26. There are a number of different ways in which the betting card can be customized to suit the needs of the player. As a first option, subtract and add "buttons" 28 and 30 can be used to increase or decrease the number of required numbers drawn per column. By way of example, by clicking on the add button 30 three times, the additional numbers 8, 9 and 3 appear in the first column 24.1 as shown in Figure 2C. Since the player has bet R1.00 for the initial series of 10 numbers it will cost the player an additional R1.00 to place each of the additional numbers 8, 9 and 3. The player then continues to prepare the betting card by adding a number (3) to the second column 24.2. Since R1.00 stakes are being used, the amount bet will effectively double to R8.00. The addition of the drawn numbers 0 and 5 in the third column 24.3 will increase the stake to R24.00, and the wager will be increased to R96.00 by addition of three more numbers in the fourth column 24.4. It can clearly be seen that the original R1 wager has been increased to R96 by virtue of the player increasing the chances of winning by 4x2x3x4=96. The R96.00 wagered amount corresponds to the current value of the card, and is indicated at 26, and a corresponding decrease of R96.00 in the player's balance is also indicated at 23. The player can still make further adjustments to the betting card 24, by using up and down arrows 32 and 34 respectively to further vary the odds, as will be explained with reference to Figures 2D and 2E. Figures 4C and 4D illustrate the sub-routines involved in doing so. These up and down arrows 32 and 34 are used to adjust, in a lower row selector square 36, the number of winning numbers to be considered, once the game is in progress, as will be explained in more detail further below. By way of example, in the first three row select squares 36.1 , 36.2 and 36.3, the first three rows of winning numbers have been selected as indicated by the brown, dark green and light blue bands 38. In the fourth row select square 38.4, the first four rows have been selected, with the addition of the purple band 38.1. This increases the winning odds, but as a result the goal or winning total is proportionately reduced. In the present case, for example, the winning total is reduced by a factor of 3x3x3x4=108, so that the original winning total of R100 000 000, as shown in Figure 2D, is reduced to R925 925.93 as shown in Figure 2E. Once the betting card has been set up, the start button 40 is clicked, and this has the effect of generating a first string of winning numbers 42 in a results card 44, as shown in Figure 2E. The results card 44 comprises a similar 10x10 matrix, with the various columns 44.1 to 44.10 corresponding to the columns 24.1 to 24.10. For ease of reference, each successive row in each of the columns is colour coded in the order brown, dark green, light blue, dark blue, purple, light green, red, violet, yellow and blue To determine whether a player has won anything involves comparing the rows or the so-called winning numbers in each of the columns 44 1 to 44 10 to the betting legs of columns 24 1 to 24 10 The number of rows of each results column 44 1 to 44 10 which are to be taken into consideration depends on the number of winning numbers the player has requested, using the up and down arrows 32 and 34 In the results columns 44 1 to 44 10, the numbers being considered are highlighted so as to distinguish them from the numbers in the results column which are not being considered In the particular Figure 2E example therefore, the first three winning numbers, namely 2, 0 and 6, are compared with the corresponding numbers appearing in the first column of the betting card, namely 6, 8, 9 and, with there being a match for number 6 The matched number is then highlighted on the betting card 24 so as to indicate that it is a winning number The effect of obtaining one matching number is to proportionately reduce the number of remaining active lines from 96 as shown in Figure 2D to 24, as shown in Figure 2E This figure is obtained by multiplying the 2 rows in column 2 by the remaining 3 rows in column 3 and again by the 4 rows in column 4 In addition, the current value of the card 24 has been reduced from R96 00 to R80 00, as indicated at 26 At this stage, the player has an opportunity of either drawing further results columns 44 2 to 44 10 with a view to obtaining further matches between the betting card legs and the results columns, or withdrawing a portion or all the winnings to date In the present example, we will assume that the player wishes to withdraw certain of his winnings This is done by clicking on the Take button 46, after which a withdrawal window 48, as shown in Figure 2F, appears on the screen allowing the player to vary the percentage of winnings from 0% to 100% that is to be withdrawn. By way of example, if the player in the present example wishes to withdraw 25% of his winnings to date, 25% of the winnings i.e. R20.00 is deducted from the current card value and added to the player's winnings box 50 and to the player's Balance indicator 23. Figure 4F indicates the payout sub-routine. If, however, the player opts not to withdraw any of the winnings, then he or she would cycle through each column in the results card 44 until the card 24 is full or until there are no more matches. As the player progresses, provided there is sufficient balance in the account for obtaining the result for a particular column, the player may adjust the number of winning numbers in each results column which are to be considered by manipulating the up and down arrows 32 and 34 respectively, as described above. In the present example, as shown in Figure 2H, the second column 44.2 in the results card 44 yielded two matched numbers in that both the 1 and the 3 of the betting card leg 24.2 appear in the first three rows of the results column 44.2. The effect of this is to increase the winnings to R246.67 and to keep the number of remaining active lines at 24, in view of the fact that both numbers of the column 24.2 were winning numbers. The player also has the option of activating the odds or evens "button" 52, which allows the player to wager an amount that the next number in the results card 44 will be either odd or even, as shown in the Odds/Even Wager window 54 of Figure 21. In the present example, the next number was an odd number, as shown in Figure 2J, which resulted in the wagered amount (R50.00) being added to the winnings and to the Odds/Evens box 56. The odds and evens sub-routine is illustrated in more detail in Figure 4E. The gaming system of the invention can be played in numerous different forms. For example, it may be a casino-based game, it can be played as a lottery, or it can be internet-based, in which case it can be downloaded from a central secured server onto a player's terminal. In one form of the invention, the card is purchased from selected outlets in the form of a printed ticket. Upon purchasing the ticket, the player may still customize the betting card, as described above. The main difference is that the player will need to decide beforehand at what stage, i.e. on which leg, the winnings are to be taken. It is envisaged that in this form of the invention the string of winning numbers would then be generated on a weekly basis, with all winning tickets then being taken to the various outlets to enable the player to collect the winnings. In a further form of the invention, the player may prefer to purchase predesigned tickets of varying denominations. Thus, for example, should the player wish to wager a total amount of R100, the card will automatically draw 5 numbers in the first leg, five numbers in the second leg and then 4 numbers in the third leg.

Claims: Claims 1. An interactive computer-based gaming system for playing a game, the system comprising: funds acceptance means for accepting funds from a player; funds delivery means responsive to the outcome of the game; user interface means for allowing the user to interact with the game; game control means for controlling the operation of the game, the game control means being responsive to the funds acceptance means, and including generator means for generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects; and game display means controlled by the game control means and the user interface means, the game display means including means for generating a plurality of legs, with each leg being arranged to receive at least one object drawn from the set of objects, wherein the game control means is arranged to compute a payout in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and the winning object string in respect of a particular leg and to allow the player selectively to receive at least a portion of the payout and/or to progress to the next leg. An interactive computer-based gaming system according to claim 1 wherein the user interface means includes odds varying means for enabling the player to vary the odds in a particular leg during play An interactive computer-based gaming system according to claim 2 wherein the odds varying means includes drawn object varying means for dynamically varying the number of drawn objects in a leg during play An interactive computer-based gaming system according to either one of claims 2 or 3 wherein the odds varying means includes object string varying means for dynamically varying the number of generated objects in the winning string which are to be correlated with the at least one drawn object during play An interactive computer-based gaming system according to any of the preceding claims which includes dynamic withdrawal means for enabling a player-determined percentage of the payout to be withdrawn during the course of the game An interactive computer-based gaming system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the drawn objects are player-designated or drawn An interactive computer-based gaming system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the winning object strings are randomly or pseudo-randomly generated number strings, with the objects being numbered from 0 - 9 An interactive computer-based gaming system according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the game display means is a printed ticket which is designed or selected by the player and printed prior to the payout being computed. 9. A method of playing a game, the method comprising the steps of: accepting funds from a player; generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects; displaying a plurality of legs, each leg being arranged to receive at least one object drawn from the set of objects; computing a payout in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and the winning object string in respect of a particular leg; and enabling the player selectively to receive at least a portion of the payout and/or to progress to the next leg. 10. A method of playing a game according to claim 9 further including the step of varying the odds in a particular leg during play. 1 1. A method of playing a game according to claim 10 wherein the odds can be varied by dynamically varying the number of drawn objects in a particular leg during play. 12. A method of playing a game according to either one of claims 10 or 1 1 in which the odds can be varied by dynamically varying the number of generated objects in the winning object string which are to be correlated with the at least one drawn object during play. 13. A method of playing a game according to any one of claims 9 to 12 which includes the step of withdrawing a player-determined percentage of the payout during the course of the game. 14. A method of playing a game according to any one of claims 9 to 13 wherein the step of generating a plurality of winning object strings from a set of objects includes the step of generating random or pseudorandom number strings, with the objects being numbered from 0 - 9. 15. A method of playing a game according to any of claims 9 to 14 which includes the step of printing a ticket comprising the plurality of legs prior to the payout being computed. 16. A gaming ticket comprising: a wager indicator for indicating the quantum of a wager laid by a player; a customized betting zone comprising a plurality of legs, with each leg comprising a plurality of sub-zones in which objects pre-selected by the player from a set of objects are printed; and a dynamic withdrawal indicator for allowing the player selectively to receive at least a portion of a payout and/or to progress to the next leg, the payout being computed in the event of a predetermined correlation existing between the at least one drawn object and a winning object string subsequently generated. 17. A gaming ticket according to claim 16 which includes a results card for receiving the winning object string from the set of objects. 18. A gaming ticket according to either one of claims 17 or 18 which includes an odds varying indicator for indicating how the odds in a particular leg have been varied.

Inventors: ZOCK JOE, ZOCK, JOE
Applicants: ZOCK JOE, ZOCK, JOE
Application year: 2000
Main classification: G07F17
IPC codes: A63F3, G07F17