Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02465027 2004-04-22
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR WIRELESS GAMING
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
0001 The invention relates to an improved system and method for wireless
gaming,
and in particular, to an improved system and a method for wireless access to
government-run lotteries.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
0002 In a conventional government-run lottery system a printed paper ticket is
issued to a player and the player must then use the paper ticket when
establishing the
game played, the numbers played, ownership of the winning ticket and proof fox
claiming winnings. In a conventional government-run lottery system, winnings
rnay
go unclaimed because either the holder of the winning ticket does not know
that they
have a winning ticket or they have lost or misplaced the winning ticket.
Furthermore,
problems may also occur regarding the ownership of a ticket as related to
when,
where and how a player may have obtained the ticket or the money that was used
to
purchase the ticket when playing, as it relates to a winning ticket that may
be claimed.
0003 Conventional government-run or otherwise regulated lottery systems are
generally not available to players wanting to play lottery games via mobile
wireless
terminals such as cellular phones, PDAs or the like, wherein the wireless
terminals are
connected to a wireless network. This is due, at least in part, to the need to
meet local
regulatory requirements for these games. Regulatory requirements may include
regulations regarding the eligible age of a player, the location of play,
maintaining a
player's privacy, and the like.
0004 Notwithstanding the above, various methods for mobile game and lottery
play
have been proposed. One such method involves providing games to players using
a
mobile radio device over a mobile radio network wherein a central play station
carnes
out games according to predefined game rules. In this method, a prepaid amount
is
stored in an account to be used to pay for wagers of differing amounts and
winnings
are correspondingly added to the account for a player in order for the player
to recoup
monies for future use and wagering. A player communicates using special short
messages with the central play station that hosts various lottery games.
Additionally,
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a mobile phone with a subscriber identity module ("SIM") card can be used to
identify a player and communicate directly with the central play station. The
money
from the account may also be stored on the SIM card to which funds can be paid
by
using standard means, and also by using credits from a phone card where a
mobile
phone is used. The instructions to play may also be stored on the SIM card and
can
further be received from the central play station.
0005 Another method involves a mobile wagering system for providing access to
casino gaming and sports booking that permits a gambler to place wagers using
a
mobile gaming unit through a wireless network. Herein, the mobile gaming unit
may
provide location information so that availability of games can be blacked out
in
jurisdictions with legal restrictions on gambling or the like. The gambler may
be
positioned anywhere there is an established local gaming server and may be
provided
access to the local server along with the games available in the local server
jurisdiction based on the location of the mobile gaming unit. In this system,
the
gambler also establishes a payment method through conventional means, such as
a
credit card or checking account for the purpose of paying for wagers and
receiving
winnings. The gambler' account is debited by the wagered amount and any
winnings
are credited to the account.
0006 Conventional methods and systems have several limitations both
individually
and collectively. These methods typically involve a central play station or
server that
manages all data regarding the players, the available games a player can bet
on and
pay out of winnings according to the game rules administered by the central
play
station. Accordingly, third party games of chance or events such as state
lotteries,
horse races or football games can be bet on by a player, but generally only in
a
manner where the central play station acts as a "bookie". In this case, the
central play
station typically pays out winnings directly to the player according to its
own set rules
for the event or game. 'therefore, the player does not typically participate
in the game
or event based on the rules for that game or event and receives winnings
disbursed by
a separate game or event organizer such as government run lottery or the like.
0007 Conventional methods and systems typically do not provide a sufficient
system required to implement the availability of government-run lottery from
wireless
terminals, while meeting related regulatory and player's privacy requirements.
While
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these systems may allow for play and pay scenarios, they typically do not
adequately
describe scenarios required for claiming winnings meeting the requirements of
government-run lottery systems. Furthermore, conventional systems and methods
lack sufficient network security requirements needed by third party lottery
providers
and government-run lottery systems which preclude use of public Internet
network for
communication as it exposes the lottery network to hackers and malicious
attacks.
0008 Criven the foregoing, a need exists for a system and method for wireless
gaming that overcomes at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
0009 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved
system and method for wireless gaming that overcomes at Least some of the
problems
identified above.
0010 According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided an
improved
system and method for wireless gaming that is intended to facilitate:
i. game/lottery play using mobile terminals such as cellular phones, personal
digital assistants (PDAs), and the like;
ii. game/lottery play over a mobile network, such as a cellular network;
iii. the meeting of regulatory requirements such as those with regard to age
of
the player and location of play;
iv. game/lottery play of local, national and international lottery games;
v. that no winning goes unclaimed because winners are notified of their
winnings;
vi. that a player does not lose their winning because they lost or misplaced a
ticket; and
vii. that player privacy is preserved.
0011 More specifically, according to an embodiment of the invention, there is
provided an improved method for wireless gaming using a wireless terminal over
a
wireless network, which includes: verifying and recording a player's age when
providing general authorization to access a wireless lottery gateway;
verifying a
player's age when providing new prepaid credit to be maintained in a prepaid
credit
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account associated with the player and used with the wireless lottery gateway;
requiring entry of an access code to access the wireless lottery gateway
through the
wireless terminal; requiring entry of a personal identification number to
access the
prepaid credit account; determining a player's location based on the wireless
terminal;
allowing access to games based on a player's recorded age, determined
location, and
authorized access to the prepaid credit account; notifying a player when they
have
won; and providing means for a player to verify that the player has won by at
least
one of presentation of a prepaid credit account number used to play the
winning
game and the associated personal identification number; presentation of a
reference
number provided with witming notification and the wireless terminal used to
play the
game; and presentation of photo identification and wireless network account
information for verifying ownership of the wireless terminal used to play the
game.
0012 The method of this embodiment includes verification of a player's age on
two
occasions to satisfy regulatory restrictions regarding age. In this case, age
is indicative
of a typical regulatory restriction or requirement, :however, other
restrictions of a
similar nature could generally be handled in a similar way. The method also
limits
access to both the lottery games and to the credit account via requiring entry
of codes
to provide two Ievels of security against unauthorized access by someone other
than
the player. The method also provides far notification of a win and vaxi.ous
ways to
claim winnings that are more secure than conventional paper ticket systems.
0013 According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a
method for wireless gaming over a wireless network, the method including:
determining and recording that a player is generally authorized to engage in
lottery
games and provisioning a wireless terminal with a lottery application program,
the
lottery application program including an access code; providing a registry of
lotto
cards, each lotto card including a lotto card number and a personal
identification
number and having a predetermined value, where, at the time of providing the
lotto
card to the player, a determination is made that the player is generally
authorized to
engage in the lottery games; requesting entry of the access code into the
wireless
terminal upon activation of the lottery application program; verifying the
access code;
allowing access to a lottery gateway through the wireless terminal and the
wireless
network based on the verification of the access code; determining if a lotto
card
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number having value available has been registered for the wireless terminal
and: if
not, requesting entry of a lotto card number having value available and
personal
identification number associated therewith, verifying the lotto card number
and
personal identification number and registering the lotto card number for the
wireless
terminal; and if so, requesting entry of a personal identification number
associated
with a registered lotto card number and verifying the personal identification
number;
determining a value available for the registered lotto card number;
determining a
geographic location of the wireless terminal; and providing access to play one
or more
lottery games of one or more lottery game providers based on the recorded
determination that a player is generally authorized to engage in lottery
games, the
determined location, and the value available for the registered lotto card
number.
OOI4 In a particular case, the determining and recording that a player is
generally
authorized to engage in the lottery games includes determining and recording
the
player's age.
OO1S In another particular case, the wireless lottery providers are lottery
providers
subject to governmental regulation.
0016 In another particular case, the providing access to play one or more
lottery
games includes: receiving information regarding a game to be played and
information
required for the game; communicating the game to be played and the information
required for the game to a lottery server of the one or more lottery
providers;
receiving confirmation information of the game played and the information
transmitted from the lottery server; and recording the confirmation
information in a
database related to the lottery card number.
0017 In this particular case, the method may further include communicating the
confirmation information to the wireless terminal such that the confirmation
information may be stored in two locations for additional security
0018 Also in this particular case, the method may further include: receiving
information about winning plays from a lottery provider; and informing or
notifying a
winning player of their winning. Preferably, this notification includes
periodically
reminding the winning player to collect their winnings so that a winner does
not lose
the chance to collect due to time restrictions on collection. Further
preferably, the
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s3
lottery provider may be provided with information for verifying an identity of
the
winning player.
0019 In the method of this embodiment, the winning player may verify their win
to
the lottery provider by at least one of presentation of a lotto card used to
play the
Winning game and the associated personal identification number; presentation
of a
reference number provided with winning notification and the wireless terminal
used
to play the lottery game; and presentation of photo identification and
wireless network
account information. Thus, a winner may claim winnings even if a lotto card
and/or
wireless terminal are lost or stolen.
0020 In yet another particular case, the wireless terminal is provisioned for
game
play by an authorized dealer at the time the wireless terminal .is first
provided to the
player. Thus, wireless network providers may pre-provision wireless terminals
for
promotional or other purposes.
0021 Preferably, the access code may be changed by the player and the lottery
application program includes a graphical user interface.
0022 According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a
wireless gaming system for playing lottery games over a wireless network
including:
a lottezy application program for running on a wireless terminal for allowing
access to
the wireless gaming system upon entering a valid access code on the wireless
terminal; a lotto card including a lotto card number and a personal
identification
number; a wireless lottery services gateway in communication with the wireless
terminal and lottery application program through the wireless network, the
wireless
lottery services gateway including: means for communicating with at Ieast one
of the
wireless terminal and the wireless network to deterrmine a geographical
location of a
player; and a mobile Pottery terminal gateway in communication with the
wireless
lottery services gateway and with a lottery servex fox a lottery game, the
mobile
lottery terminal gateway including: a database for storing lotto card numbers,
personal
identification numbers and game play information; means for verifying the
personal
identification number prior to play; and means for communicating with the
lottery
server to conduct lottery game play; and means to determine lotteries that the
player is
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authorized to play and to provide information about such determined lotteries
to the
wireless terminal for the player to play.
0023 Preferably, the mobile lottery terminal gateway, and thus, the wireless
gaming
system, appears substantially the same as a conventional lottery terminal of
each
lottery server to each lottery server involved.
0024 In various particular cases, the wireless gaming system may also include
the
lottery server for a lottery game, the wireless network andJor the wireless
terminals.
This will depend on the particular entity providing the wireless gaming system
and on
the overall configuration of the wireless gaming system as will be known to
one of
skill in the art.
0025 In another particular case, the wireless lottery services gateway may
further
include a database for storing wireless terminal identifiers and associated
access
codes. In this way, access to the lottery application program may be
controlled at
either the wireless terminal or wireless lottery services gateway level.
0026 In another particular case, the lotto card may further include a bar code
and
human readable code representing the lotto card number in order to allow
scanning or
reference to the lotto card number. Preferably, the ,personal identification
number is
physically detachable from the lotto card and lotto card number so that the
lotto card
cannot be used by a third party if lost or stolen.
0027 According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a
wireless gaming system for playing lottery games over a wireless network using
a
wireless terminal in communication with the wireless network, the wireless
gaming
system including: a wireless lottery gateway that is in communication with the
wireless network and a lottery server; a lottery application program on the
wireless
terminal, wherein provisioning of the lottery application program to the
wireless
terminal includes recording of a user's age; means for allawing the wireless
terminal
to access the wireless lottery gateway only upon entry of and verification of
an access
code associated with at Least one of the wireless terminal and the lottery
application
program; means for entering prepaid account infomnation into the wireless
terminal
for storage in the wireless lottery gateway for future game play, the prepaid
account
information including a prepaid account number and a personal identification
number;
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means for distributing lotto cards, each lotto card including a lotto card
number and a
personal identification number, the means of distributing further including
means for
determining that a player is generally authorized to engage in lottery games;
means
for determining a location of the wireless terminal; means for allowing the
wireless
lottery gateway to securely access one or more lottery servers that host one
or more
lottery games; means for allowing a user of the wireless terminal to select a
lottery
game to play based on the recorded user's age, the determined location, and
verification of a valid personal identification number for a prepaid account
associated
with the wireless terminal; means for recording game information about a
lottery
game played by the user an at least one of the wireless lottery gateway and
the mobile
terminal to later determine if a user of the wireless terminal is a winner of
a lottery
game played; means for determining if a user of the wireless terminal is a
winner of a,
lottery game played; and means for notifying the winner to collect winnings.
OOZg In a particular case, the wireless lottery gateway may includes: a
wireless
lottery services gateway in communication with the wireless terminal through
the
wireless network, the wireless lottery services gateway including a database
for
recording at least the user's age and also including means for interfacing
with the
wireless network provider and the means for determining a location of the
wireless
terminal through communication with at least one of the wireless terminal and
the
wireless network; and a mobile lottery terminal gateway in communication with
the
wireless lottery services gateway and to a lottery server for a lottery game,
the mobile
lottery terminal gateway including a database for storing prepaid account
information
and recording game information, means for verifying at least one of the
prepaid
account number and the personal identification number and means for
communicating
with the lottery server to conduct lottery game play, wherein the wireless
lottery
services gateway and the mobile lottery terminal gateway are separate and
maintain
separate databases for user information and for prepaid account and game
information, respectively to provide a division between a user's personal
information
and gaming information to protect user privacy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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0029 These and other features of the preferred embodiments of the invention
will
become more apparent in the following detailed description in which reference
is
made to the appended drawings wherein:
0030 Figure 1 illustrates a wireless gaming system according to an embodiment
of
the invention;
0031 Figures 2a and 2b illustrate a pouch for containing a lotto card and a
lotto card
removed from the pouch showing a label sticker for a PIN number, respectively;
0032 Figure 3 illustrates another example of a lotto card with detachable
portion for
a PIN number;
0033 Figure 4 illustrates a wireless terminal display during entry of an
access code
(Nokia is a trademark);
0034 Figure 5 illustrates a wireless terminal with a display illustrating an
example
of a lotto menu (Ericsson is a trademark);
0035 Figure 6 illustrates a wireless terminal with a display illustrating an
example
of a lotto menu (Nokia is a trademark);
0036 Figure 7 illustrates a wireless terminal display during entry of a PIN
number
(Nokia is a trademark); and
0037 Figure 8 illustrates a wireless terminal display exemplifying a game
verification/registration number (Nokia is a trademark).
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
0038 Figure 1 illustrates a wireless gaming system ("WGS") according to an
embodiment of the invention. As shown in Figure 1, the WGS may include a
wireless
terminal, a wireless lottery services gateway, a mobile lottery terminal
gateway, a
state/provincial lottery server or other lottery server (collectively "lottery
server"),
and lotto terminals. The wireless terminal can connect to the wireless lottery
services
gateway via a conventional wireless network and the wireless lottery services
gateway
is connected to the mobile lottery terminal gateway by a secure communication
link.
The mobile lottery terminal gateway is connected to the lottery server by a
secure
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communications link. The lottery server is also connected to conventional
lotto
terminals via a secure link. The elements of the WGS are described in the
following
sections and a description of a method of using the WGS is also provided.
0039 The wireless terminal is used to access and play a lottery through the
wireless
network and WGS. The wireless terminal may be a cellular telephone, a personal
digital assistant (PDA) or similar device. The wireless terminal will
typically have a
display and keypad function and preferably also has an ability to store and
run a
lottery application program that can be loaded onto the wireless terminal. The
wireless terminal also has a wireless terminal identifier such as a telephone
number,
electronic serial number (ESN), subscriber identity module (SIM) number or the
like.
The wireless terminal is preferably connected to a conventional wireless
network
through a wireless service provider, such as, for example, a cellular network.
0040 Through the lottery application program, the wireless terminal allows
interaction with a user locally for the selection and play of a lottery game,
moreover,
it should be noted that, in a preferred embodiment, the wireless terminal
communicates only indirectly with a lottery server.
0041 Preferably, each wireless terminal may be associated with an access code
required to run the lottery application program and/or connect to the wireless
lottery
services gateway.
0042 As illustrated in Figure 1, the wireless lottery services gateway is in
communication with the wireless network. The wireless lottery services gateway
may
be used to validate a user or player (hereinafter "player") to play lottery
games using
the wireless terminal. For example, the wireless lottery services gateway may
include
a database for storing each wireless terminal identifier registered for
lottery play or
for storing player information such as a player's age. The wireless lottery
services
gateway may also provide location information of a player when required, by,
for
example, having the location of a player determined using any of various
network or
handset/terminal based methods (for example, GPS methods) or by determining
the.
location of the nearest receiving cell tower through the player's network
service
provider. The location of a player is used to assist in the selection of the
lottery
games that are made available for play to a player.
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0043 Preferably, the wireless lottery services gateway is associated with a
telephone
number or network address or the like to facilitate connection with the
wireless
terminal.
0044 Preferably, the wireless lottery services gateway will not track
information
with respect to the amount of money a player has spent playing using the WGS,
thereby preserving a player's privacy. However, the wireless lottery services
gateway
may notify the network service provider that the wireless terminal has been
provisioned for and/or used for wireless gaming for the network services
provider's
billing purposes.
0045 It will be understood that separate wireless lottery services gateways
may be
required fox different wireless network providers, depending on, for example,
the
wireless technologies used and business or security needs.
0046 As further illustrated in Figure 1, the mobile lottery terminal gateway
is in
communication with the wireless lottery services gateway. The mobile lottery
terminal gateway is also in communication with one or more lottery servers,
preferably in a similar manner as a conventional lotto terminal. The mobile
lottery
terminal gateway provides games offered by the lottery servers to authorised
players
according to regulations and policies of the jurisdiction that a respective
lottery server
is operated in. Therefore, the mobile lottery terminal gateway may control the
games
that are made available to a player to be played depending on the player's
location
and any regulations and/or policies that govern the lottery server hosting the
game.
The mobile lottery terminal gateway will generally not implement and host any
lottery
game itself.
0047 It will be understood that separate mobile lottery terminal gateways may
be
provided for separate jurisdictions, depending on, for example, the
technologies used
and business or security needs. In a case where there are a plurality of
wireless lottery
services gateways and/or mobile lottery terminal gateways it is preferable
that these
elements are in communication.
0048 The mobile lottery terminal gateway include s a database that registers
one or
more lotto cards (as further described below) and preferably associates lotto
cards
with a wireless terminal identifier, such as a telephone number and/or an
electronic
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serial number (ESl~ and/or a subscriber identity module (SIM) number, of a
wireless
terminal used when registering a lotto card to allow a player to use the WGS.
The
mobile lottery terminal gateway may also store information related to
authorization to
play such as a player's age.
0049 The mobile lottery terminal gateway also manages the use of the lotto
card as
payment for games played by a player in conjunction with the wireless lottery
services gateway. Accordingly, the mobile lottery terminal gateway may draw
down
the amount of credit or value associated with the lotto card for games paid by
the lotto
card. Additionally, the mobile lottery terminal gateway records information
about
each play by a player when processing a game with a lottery server for
registration of
the play. The mobile lottery terminal gateway may, for example, register a
reference
number or the like as provided by a lottery server or the like in order to
determine
which player should be notified for winnings. The mobile lottery terminal
gateway
may also confirm with a user's wireless terminal, registration of play and the
reference numbers, once these matters are confirmed by the lottery server.
0050 Additionally, the mobile lottery terminal gateway may manage the winning
of
a free lottery game or cash by recording and conveying information included in
the
reference number of a winning play to a player's wireless terminal and may
inform
the player of their winnings. The mobile lottery terminal gateway may further
interact
with a lottery server or lottery provider to validate winnings being claimed
at a lotto
office or any other authorized lottery retail terminal.
0051 Preferably the mobile lottery terminal gateway does not track or require
the
name, address or other identifying information of a player for the player to
access the
WGS, thereby helping to preserve a player's privacy.
0052 Although the wireless lottery services gateway and mobile lottery
terminal
gateway are preferably separate in terms of databases for privacy and
practical
considerations, they may collectively be referred to herein as a wireless
lottery
gateway.
0053 Figures 2A, 2B and 3 illustrate various embodiments of a lotto card and
method of distribution. More specifically, Figure 2A illustrates a pouch that
may be
used to distribute a lotto card and Figure 2B illustrates a lotto card that is
distributed
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in the pouch. Figure 3 illustrates an alternate lotto card in which a PIN
number is on a
removable strip. It will be understood that other methods such as scratch off
material
could be used.
0054 The lotto card as illustrated in Figures 2B and 3 provides mechanisms of
payment for lottery games over a wireless network by using lotto credits on
the lotto
card. Lotto credits, dollar amounts, or some other value may be attributed to
a lotto
card and may, for example, represent currency of any country or organization
where
the WGS may be used or may represent game play units or some other value. In
one
preferred embodiment of the invention, the lotto card may not be re-charged or
winnings credited to it. Accordingly, the lotto card is a prepaid card having
a pre-
determined value used to pay for lottery play through the WGS.
0055 Lotto cards may be provided by a regulated lottery corporation or some
other
legitimate entity in order to pay for lottery games offered by the
state/provincial
lottery corporation and/or may be provided by an independent authority
allowing for
payment of games offered by different state/provincial lottery corporations,
in
addition to lottery games offered in various jurisdictions worldwide. however,
lotto
cards are preferably registered with the mobile lottery terminal gateway by
the
distributor for validation purposes. It is understood that lotto cards will
preferably
only be sold in approved areas in compliance with jurisdictional regulatory
requirements such as age restrictions or the like.
0056 As illustrated in figure 2B, a personal identification (PIN) number in
conjunction with a lotto card number may be provided with the lotto card.
Preferably,
the PIN number and lotto card number are used to authenticate the lotto card
and the
amount of credits remaining on or associated with the lotto card in order for
a player
to use the lotto credits on the lotto card while playing various lottery games
on the
WGS. The PIN number on the lotto card is preferably detachable, such that the
PIN
number may be stored in a safe place separate from the lotto card, thus making
the
lotto card unusable by anyone except the person who knows both the lotto card
number and the associated PIN number. An additional benefit with respect to a
lotto
card having a lotto card number as well as a PIN number is that once the lotto
card
has been registered, if there are lotto credits left on the lotto card, they
may be used
even when the physical card is lost or stolen as long as the PIN number is
retained by
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the player, since other identifying features are retained by the wireless
gaming system.
As such, the registered lotto card number is a prepaid account number and the
PIN
number provides access to credit in the prepaid account
0057 Since a lotto card is used with a PIN number it can be used to claim
winnings
for games paid for by that lotto card. Further, if someone finds a lost lotto
card or
steals one, the lotto card on its own may not be used because the associated
PIN
number of the lotto card is detachable and stored separately.
0058 The lottery application program is stored and runs on the wireless
terminal and
is used by a player to play lottery games. The lottery application program may
be
created in any of many programming languages or may be implemented as a
hardware
element or the like. The lottery application program provides a player with a
friendly
interface with which to play one or more types of lotto games on the wireless
terminal. Additionally, the lottery application program preferably also
provides a
user-friendly way in which a player may register a new lotto card for playing
available games in a jurisdiction. The lottery application program may include
a
graphical user interface ("GUI"), which will assist in guiding the player in
their game
play. The lottery application program also provides a means for allowing play
of a
lottery game by legitimate users only and not by unauthorized individuals such
as a
minor or a person finding a wireless terminal. Accordingly, the lottery
application
program is preferably programmed to connect to a wireless lottery services
gateway
upon application start-up and only function after an access code is entered by
an
authorized player.
0059 Since the WGS may offer local, national and/or international lottery
games on
the WGS by interfacing with lottery computers of different local, national
andlor
international lottery organizations in any jurisdiction, the lotto application
program
may further assist in providing access to lottery games based on the location
of a
player.
0060 In a particular case, the lottery application program or WGS may store or
relate the lotto card number with the wireless terminal for subsequent play,
thus
safeguarding the player if the lotto card is lost. This is a benefit to the
original
purchasing player since the lottery application program can store records
about lotto
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0
~a
cards and games played and the associated registration numbers that may then
be
accessed by entering a PIN number even if the lotto card is lost or stolen.
0061 After a player has played a game and the lottery draw or result is
determined, a
player will be advised when they have won a game by the WGS. Accordingly, the
player may have the option to choose how they would like to be informed of
their
winnings and the amount of their winnings. Various forms of communication to
the
player may be used, including e-mail, telephone, short message service (SMS),
regular mail or the like.
0062 Winnings may be claimed in various ways by a player, depending on
jurisdictional regulations or policies, winnings may be claimed: (a) at a
lotto
authorized retailer, (b) at a lotto or organization-identified office, or (c)
in the form of
a bank cheque. In this last case, the player may request a cheque be sent
directly to
their registered address. Each of the foregoing methods of payment may be
dependent on the amount of money to be collected by the player. For example,
lotto
authorized retailers may allow a user to claim winnings below a specified
amount
while a lotto or organization-identified office may deal with winnings above a
specified amount, depending on the lottery rules.
0063 Unlike conventional Lottery systems relying on the paper ticket as proof
of
play and to claim the winnings, a player using the WGS system does not loose
their
ability to collect their winnings if a ticket is lost and also avoids other
drawbacks in
ticket-based systems. The winnings can be claimed in many ways such as: (a) by
presenting the lotto card used to play the winning game and providing the
associated
PIN number when requested, (b) by presenting the reference number of the
winning
game and the wireless terminal used to play, or (c) by a photo identification
and
wireless network subscriber information in the event the player is not able to
provide
the PIN number associated with the lotto card or the wireless terminal has
been lost.
Additionally, if someone fords a registered player's wireless terminal or
steals one,
they will not be able to claim any winnings because they will not have the
access code
or the PIN number used with the lotto card to pay for the winning game.
Additionally, an access code is required to allow them to get into the lottery
application program for retrieving the reference number of the winning game
played
from that particular wireless terminal. Similarly a person finding a Lost
lotto card
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would not be able to provide the associated PIN number for claiming any
winnings
associated with the lotto card.
0064 The amount spent by a player may be tracked by the mobile lottery
terminal
gateway. Herein, the player's identity will preferably not be known to the
mobile
lottery terminal gateway but is known to the network service provider. The
network
service provider, however, will not be able to track the amount that a given
player has
spent as this will be tracked by the mobile lottery terminal gateway. Thus,
the mobile
lottery terminal gateway will track the amount of money spent by a given
player
without knowing the exact identity of the player, such as their name, address
and the
like. This further maintains the privacy of a player playing the WGS.
Additionally,
the WGS enhances the privacy aspect with respect to players as it reduces the
need for
a player to stand in line in a public place in order to play a
state/provincial or other
type of lottery game. Preferably, the WGS also maintains security of wireless
networks and lottery servers by separating the wireless lottery services
gateway and
the mobile lottery terminal gateway.
0065 The WGS is designed to be secure from hackers and intruders in that it
does
not utilize the public Internet network for communications.
0066 This embodiment provides the benefit that the wireless terminals used by
players will not be required to communicate directly with a lottery server
because the
wireless terminals communicate with a wireless lottery services gateway and a
mobile
lottery terminal gateway that are responsible for the required interfacing
with lottery
servers as indicated herein.
0067 Preferably, the complete network to support the WGS may be designed to
appear to a lottery server as a conventional lottery retail terminal, thus
requiring
minimal or no change to a lottery corporation's lottery server system.
Ultimately, the
complete set-up of the WGS may appear as a retail terminal to the lottery
server
whether the wireless lottery services gateway and mobile lottery terminal
gateway are
separate or combined.
0068 Wireless Gaming Method ("WGM")
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0069 A wireless gaming method according to an embodiment of the invention will
now be described with reference to Figures 4 to 8. Initially, a player will
provision a
wireless terminal such as a cell phone, PDA or a similar device, to play
lottery games
on a WGS by obtaining the lottery application program. The provisioning of a
wireless terminal may be done by, for example, having the player visit their
wireless
network service provider by calling the customer service deparhnent of their
wireless
network service provider, by dealing with the administrator of the wireless
gaming
system. Preferably the lottery application program will be loaded onto the
wireless
terminal over the air. In order to help regulate the use of the WGS by
authorized
players, the age, address, other ID or the like of a purchasing player and
wireless
network subscriber information may be checked at the time that the player's
wireless
terminal is provisioned for game play.
0070 After checking a player's age or the like, the provisioning of the
wireless
terminal includes the registration of the wireless terminal with the WGS and
with the
wireless network provider or the like and the installation and set-up of the
lottery
application program. By way of example, provisioning may include: (a)
registering
the player age and possibly other player-related information, electronic
serial number
(ESN) or subscriber identification module number (SIM) of a wireless terminal
with
the network lottery services gateway; (b) downloading a lottery application
program
into the wireless terminal; (c) enabling the wireless terminal for game play
with the
wireless network provider in a subscriber account or the like; (d) setting up
a default
access code for the lottery application program on the wireless terminal; (e)
registering player age, associated ESN or SIM number of the wireless terminal
and
preferred method other than the default to inform of winnings with the mobile
lottery
terminal gateway.
0071 The default access code set up by the network service provider may be
changed at a later date to personalize the access code after the provisioning
of the
wireless terminal. The default access code may initially be, for example, the
last four
digits of the user's cell phone number.
0072 Preferably the access code must be entered each time the lotto
application is
started on the mobile terminal to prevent unauthorized play by, for example, a
minor
with access to the mobile terminal. Fig. 4 shows a wireless terminal during
entry of
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CA 02465027 2004-04-22
an access code. The access code may also be stored in a database at the
wireless
lottery services gateway.
0073 The ESN or SIM and player identification (which may include the age and
preferred method to inform the player of winnings, if specified) may also be
stored in
the wireless lottery services gateway. This information may also be provided
to the
mobile lottery terminal gateway for providing verification of winnings.
0074 A wireless network service provider may provide access to lottery gaming
for
free or for a charge. Where a charge is to apply from the network service
provider,
the charge may be a monthly service fee or a per use fee that may be added
onto the
players wireless account. The wireless lottery services gateway may also be
used to
provide information to a service provider with respect to any charges on a per
call/per
game basis that may need to be charged to a player.
0075 It will be understood that the network service provider and the WGS
administrator may or may not be the same entity.
0076 After a wireless terminal is properly provisioned a player purchases a
lotto
card from an authorized dealer to facilitate the payment for the playing of
lotto games.
An authorized lotto card dealer may check the age of a purchasing player at
the time a
lotto card is sold to a player by way of identification, such as a driver's
license.
Moreover, lotto cards should only be sold in approved areas in, compliance
with
regulatory requirements.
0077 A lotto card may be delivered to the purchasing player in such a way that
the
PIN number required for registration and use of the lotto card is on a secure
and
tamper proof detachable portion of the lotto card. In this instance, the PIN
number
required for registration may only be uncovered/exposed by the purchasing
player. In
this regard the PIN portion of the lotto card will also act as a security
feature in that, if
there is any sign of tampering with the lotto card such that the PIN number is
prematurely exposed, the lotto card should not be sold or purchased. Upon
removal
of the PIN portion of the lotto card by the purchasing player, it may be
stored in a safe
location separate from the lotto card and/or the wireless terminal.
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0078 The lotto card may also include a denomination indication, a lotto card
number and a barcode printed on the lotto card along with a human readable
form of
the bar code. The lotto card number itself may be used for inventory and
distribution
control and clearing or other such required purposes.
0079 The bar code/lotto card number is preferably linked to the PIN number in
the
database maintained by the mobile lottery terminal gateway. Accordingly, the
mobile
lottery terminal gateway may register the lotto card after checking the
validity of the
entered lotto card and the PIN number.
0080 After a player has their wireless terminal provisioned for game play and
has
purchased a lotto card the user/purchaser may then begin to play lottery
games.
0081 In order to play lottery games on the WGS, the player must first turn on
the
wireless terminal and start up the lottery application program by entering
their access
code. As described, the lottery application program may include a GUI that
guides
the player for data entry, game play and the like on their wireless terminal
in order to
allow the player to interact with the WGS. Figs. 5 and 6 show wireless
terminals
displaying example lotto menus.
0082 As previously described, the lottery application program links the
wireless
terminal to the lottery services gateway, through the player's network service
provider
to verify conditions, such as, that the wireless terminal is registered and
authorized for
game play and that the wireless terminal, and hence the player, are in an
approved
area for game play. Once verification of these conditions is met, the
connection is
passed on to the mobile lottery terminal gateway (which is connected to the
lottery
services gateway via a secure link) for further processing and game play.
0083 When an individual first starts the lottery application program or when
there
are no valid lotto cards having remaining value for gaming maintained in the
mobile
terminal gateway database associated with a player's wireless terminal, the
player is
prompted via the lottery application program GUI to enter a new lotto card and
associated PIN number for registration and play since no balance will be
available.
The registration of the lotto card and its association with a wireless
terminal, such as a
player's cell phone ESN or SIM helps to protect against fraud and enable
multiple
ways in which a player may claim winnings (as described herein).
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0084 Preferably, a player does not have to enter the lotto card number each
time a
game is played after it is initially entered and only the entry of the
associated PIN
number required for game play may be needed, in order for the credit on the
lotto card
to be accessed, Fig. 7 shows a wireless terminal during request and entry of a
PIN
number. Accordingly, the player may play games on the WGS until the pre-
determined value of the lotto card is exhausted. In order to exhaust the value
of the
lotto card, it may take the player one or more sessions as the player's lotto
card is
debited with each play until there are no more credits left on the lotto card.
0085 If a player wishes to change their provisioned wireless terminal, in
order to use
remaining credits on a lotto card, the player would have to re-register the
lotto card, as
described above, using the new wireless terminal. The mobile lottery terminal
gateway registers the latest association of the lotto card with a wireless
terminal.
Preferably, only one wireless terminal may be used with each lotto card.
0086 The lotto application may further allow the registration of more than one
lotto
card at any given time.
0087 In addition to the foregoing, the WGS may include a check of the age and
location of a player to determine if the player is in an approved area for a
lottery
game. The location of the player may be checked by receiving location
information
regarding the wireless terminal; such as a cell phone, from the cellular
network
service provider via the wireless lottery services gateway. This may also be
done by
other means available such as directly from a wireless terminal equipped with
a global
positioning system (GPS) unit, or the like.
0088 Depending on the age and locale of a player, different games may be made
available to the player and these are displayed on their wireless terminal for
play.
Accordingly, the choice of games presented to the player through the game menu
on
the wireless terminal may depend on the age of the player and area in which
they are
located. The games available may further be dictated, in part, by regulatory
requirements.
0089 The player then chooses a game and enters lottery numbers or required
information in accordance with the rules of the game that the player has
chosen to
play. In particular, the lottery application program will guide the player in
the entry
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of numbers and play of the game, in accordance with the rules of the chosen
game or
lottery.
0090 After entry of play information, the mobile lottery terminal gateway may
again
verify the age and present location of a player (via the wireless lottery
services
gateway) in order to confirm the location of a player who is physically moving
and
thus may be present in a valid location at the start of access to the WGS, but
may be
in an invalid location at the time of submitting a game play request.
0091 Thereafter, the mobile lottery terminal gateway communicates the game
request to the appropriate lottery server. The communication between the
mobile
lottery terminal gateway and the lottery server is preferably by way of a
secure link.
IJpor~ acceptance and registration of a play by a lottery server, the lottery
server
provides information or confirmation about the play, such as a unique
reference
number to the mobile lottery terminal gateway. The mobile lottery terminal
gateway
then stores the information about the play along with the player's wireless
terminal/identifier, lotto card number or other information in a database for
future
reference. In particular, the player's information may include the lotto card
and I'IN
number, the ESN/SIM number, game played, numbers selected and the player's age
and location. The mobile lottery terminal gateway may also provide for similar
play
information to be stored in the player's wireless terminal for future
retrieval. Fig. 8
shows a wireless terminal displaying a reference number related to a lottery
play. It
will be understood that the lottery organization and the mobile lottery
terminal
gateway administration may or may not be the same entity.
0092 Next, a winning lottery number is drawn by the lottery organization. The
mobile lottery terminal gateway then receives information on a winning number
that
is drawn for a particular game from the lottery server. The mobile lottery
terminal
gateway then compares the information that it receives against the stored
plays for the
same game in its database. Once the comparison is complete the winner or
winners
may then be determined and the mobile lottery terminal gateway or its
administrators
inform the winner and/or winners using one or more methods, and preferably one
of
the methods indicated by the player during the provisioning of their wireless
terminal
for lottery play, as previously described.
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0093 Any one or more of the following methods may be available to establish
proof
of ownership to claim a winning game, if required:
(a) the presentation of a lotto card used to play the winning game and the
associated PIN number;
(b) the presentation of a reference number provided with winning
notification and the wireless terminal used to play the lottery game; or
(c) the presentation of photo identification and wireless network provider
subscriber information (that is, information related to the subscriber
account with the wireless network provider to verify ownership of the
wireless terminal that played).
0094 The winner and/or winners of a lottery game may collect their winnings
by,
for example, visiting an authorized lottery retailer (typically, where the
winnings are
under a certain pre-determined amount). Upon visiting the authorized lottery
retailer
the winner may collect their winnings by presenting the authorized lottery
retailer
with necessary information such as that noted above.
0095 The winner and/or winners may also receive their winnings by making a
request via their wireless terminal to the mobile lottery terminal gateway
administration that a cheque be sent to their registered home address,
provided that
winnings are under a certain pre-determined and/or amount this method of
payment is
permitted by regional lottery regulations in the jurisdiction that the
player/winner
resides and/or played. The winner may also collect their winnings from a
lottery
provider administration office (for example, if the winnings are over a
certain pre-
determined amount) or if the player/winner has lost and/or forgotten the PIN
number
of the lotto card andlor they have lost the wireless terminal that they used
to play the
winning game.
0096 The mobile lottery terminal gateway administration may on a periodic
basis
continue to remind a winner of their unclaimed winnings whenever there are
unclaimed winnings in the mobile lottery terminal gateway database.
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0097 The administration of the mobile lottery terminal gateway and the issuing
authority for the lotto cards may be an independent organization from the
lottery
organizations that are connected to the WGS in order to provide the games.
Additionally, the mobile lottery terminal gateway and the issuing authority
for the
lotto cards may be independent organizations from the cellular network '
service
provider of the player's wireless terminal.
0098 Some of the benefits of the WSG and WGM according to the embodiments of
the invention are that:
~ the PIN number for the lotto card is detachable from the lotto card and may
be
stored separately from the lotto card, making the lotto card unusable to
anyone
that obtains only the lotto card;
~ the purchaser of the lotto card can use all of the credits/value associated
with the
lotto card even if the lotto card is lost or stolen before all of the money is
used;
~ there is an access code needed to startup the lotto application on the
wireless
terminal which prevents unauthorized play by minors or others with access to
the
wireless terminal;
~ there may be a lottery application program running on the wireless terminal
providing local interaction with the player to select, guide and play a
lottery
game without using touch-tones as an input;
~ the use of location information in the mobile environment may be used to
restrict
access to a particular game;
~ the WGS allows for checking the age of the players to help satisfy
jurisdictional
lottery regulations;
~ the mobile lottery terminal gateway can allow players with access to lottery
games from multiple jurisdictions throughout the world;
~ winnings will be announced to a winner by the WGS and therefore there is
less
chance of winnings being unclaimed;
~ there may be multiple ways to inform a player of their winnings which if
unclaimed can continue in a persistent fashion;
~ the system is ticketless allowing winnings to be claimed without the
requirement
of a "paper ticket" which, in conventional systems, if misplaced, lost or
stolen
cannot be redeemed by the original player who won the game;
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~ the WGS only allows winnings to be claimed by the original player unlike the
current available method in which if a "ticket" is lost or stolen someone
other
than the original player can claim the winning;
~ the WGS and WGM will serve to enhance player privacy.
0099 It will be understood by one of skill in the art that the elements of the
WGS
may generally be implemented as software or hardware components or some
combination thereof. It will also be understood that the functions of a
particular
element may be performed alternatively by a related element. For example,
where a
wireless terminal has limited resources, such as memory, some of the functions
of the
lottery application program, such as verifying the access code, may be moved
to the
wireless lottery services gateway. Further, even though the terms server or
gateway
are used, these terms should be construed generally rather than in a narrow
technical
meaning.
OOI00 Further, it will be understood that the WGS does not necessarily include
and is
not limited to the elements in the described embodiments. For example, where
the
wireless terminal and wireless network are already provided by a wireless
network
provider and the lotto servers are already provided by a lottery corporation
or
provider, a WGS may provide the lottery application program, the wireless
lottery
services gateway, the mobile gateway, and the lotto cards. Other combination
and
subsets may also be possible.
00101 Although the invention has been described with reference to certain
specific
embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled
in the art
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in
the claims
appended hereto.
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