GAMING SYSTEM AND METHOD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a gaming system and to a gaming method to facilitate participation in a game of chance and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a gaming system and method for generating lottery numbers for participants and entering the participants in a lottery game.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Random number generators are well known and widely used. Random number generators are sometimes used by participants to generate a series of numbers for use in a game of chance such as a lottery game.
The randomly generated numbers are then submitted to the lottery organisers for a subsequent lottery draw. The numbers are submitted by marking them off on a lottery entry form.
US patent application number 2004/0224750 relates to a lottery system and a method for facilitating the purchase of lottery tickets and the dissemination of lottery information in real time. A central lottery system is provided that accepts lottery ticket purchasing orders from a remote terminal, such as a telephone, and disseminates the latest jackpot information to communication presentation devices, such as a television.
A disadvantage of this lottery system is that a participant participating in the lottery needs to communicate with the lottery system via a telephone and by means of speech recognition or a system responsive to key strokes enters the chosen lottery numbers. It is possible that a mistake could be made and that the chosen lottery numbers are entered incorrectly. A further disadvantage of this system is that billing takes place by means of a credit card number also entered via the telephone. A participant could therefore enter the incorrect credit card number.
Patent application number WO 2005/050574 discloses a lottery business system, in which a user accesses a lottery management system by using a portable personal terminal having a two-way function via a network, to purchase a lottery ticket and to check winning lottery numbers.
A disadvantage of this lottery business method is that, once a participant purchases a lottery ticket via the network, an amount of money needed for the purchase is stored in a billing database and transmitted to a banking server, in order for the banking server to authenticate the billing. This system is therefore relatively complicated and difficult to implement in practice, since it involves various different institutes.
Patent application number WO 02/054355 discloses a method and system in a telecommunication network for the conduct and management of lottery games. In accordance with this method, a plurality of users operating appropriate telecommunications devices connect intermittently to a lottery gaming server system implemented on a host platform within a data communication network. The users transmit text messages relating to the lottery game to the server system. The messages are processed, acknowledged and introduced into the lottery game. At predetermined time intervals lottery drawings are performed and the numbers drawn and compared to the messages. The participants are subsequently notified of the results.
A disadvantage of this method and system is that pre-registration of participants is required.
In this specification, when reference is made to a telephone number of a mobile telephone device or a portable communication device, it will be understood that the telephone number is in most cases associated with a SIM card used in the device and not necessarily with the device itself.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming system and gaming method for generating random numbers for use in a game of chance such as a lottery draw, with which the aforesaid disadvantages could be at least partially overcome or minimized. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming system comprising a gaming institution for receiving a message over a wireless communication network from a portable communication device having transceiver means, the gaming institution having association means for associating the message with an identity code corresponding to a prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device, and received as, or with the message transmitted with the portable communication device.
The association means may further associate the content of the message with the identity code.
The system may further include billing means for billing the prepaid airtime account associated with the identity code.
The message transmitted by the portable communication device may be a short message service (SMS) message or other text message.
The gaming institution may be selected from the group consisting of a lottery institution and a clearing house.
The system may include random number generator means for generating a series of randomly generated numbers to be used in a lottery draw.
The content of the message may indicate an amount of money to be used in the participation in the game, the arrangement being such that the amount of money is subtracted from the prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device.
Alternatively, the content of the message may indicate a selected set of numbers to be used in participation in the lottery draw.
In the case that the gaming institution is a clearing house, the clearing house may purchase lottery entries from the lottery institution on behalf of participants. There is provided for the message transmitted by the mobile communication device to be, or to include, an identification code corresponding to that device, to a user of such device or to the prepaid airtime account associated with the device.
A further feature of the invention provides for the portable communication device to be a mobile telephone and for the identification code to be the telephone number of that mobile telephone or the telephone number associated with a prepaid airtime account associated with the mobile telephone.
There is still further provided for the message to be transmitted to a predetermined telephone number such as a premium-rated telephone number.
The gaming institution may further include authentication code generating means, such that after the institution receives the message from the portable communication device, it generates an authentication code and sends the authentication code to the device.
The gaming institution may further include a transmitter for transmitting the authentication code together with the lottery numbers to the mobile telephone with which the identity code is associated.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming method implemented at a gaming institution, the method including the steps of: receiving a message from a portable communication device having transceiver means, over a wireless communication network; and associating the message with an identity code corresponding to a prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device.
The step of associating the message with the identity code may include the further step of associating the content of the message with the identity code.
The method may include the further step of billing the prepaid airtime account associated with the identity code.
The step of receiving the message may include the step of receiving the message in the form of a short message service (SMS) message or other text message. The gaming institution may be selected from the group consisting of a lottery institution and a clearing house.
The method may include the further step of generating a series of randomly generated numbers to be used in a lottery draw, upon receipt of the message.
The step of receiving the message may include the further steps of receiving the message of which the content indicates an amount of money to be used in the participation in the game and subtracting the amount of money from the prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device.
Alternatively, the step of receiving the message may include the further step of receiving the message of which the content indicates a selected set of numbers to be used in participation in the lottery draw.
In the case that the gaming institution is a clearing house, the method may include the further step of purchasing lottery entries from the lottery institution on behalf of participants, in accordance with the selected or randomly generated numbers of the participants.
There method may include the step of receiving an identification code corresponding to the device, to a user of such device or to the prepaid airtime account associated with the device, being transmitted by the mobile communication device together with the message.
The method may include the further step of providing a mobile telephone as the portable communication device, such that the identity code may be the telephone number of that mobile telephone or the telephone number associated with a prepaid airtime account associated with the mobile telephone.
The message transmitted from the device may be transmitted to a predetermined telephone number such as a premium-rated telephone number.
The method may include the further steps of generating an authentication code after receiving the message from the portable communication device and sending the authentication code to the device. The method may include the further step of transmitting the authentication code together with the lottery numbers to the mobile telephone with which the identity code is associated.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention there is provided a gaming method including the steps of: sending a message from a portable communication device having transceiver means, over a wireless communication network, to a gaming institute; and causing association of the message with an identity code corresponding to a prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device.
The step of causing association of the message with the identity code may include the further step of associating the content of the message with the identity code.
The step of sending the message may include the step of sending the message in the form of a short message service (SMS) message or other text message.
The gaming institution may be selected from the group consisting of a lottery institution and a clearing house.
The method may include the further step of causing the generation a series of randomly generated numbers to be used in a lottery draw, upon sending of the message.
The step of sending the message may include the further step of sending the message of which the content indicates an amount of money to be used in the participation in the game.
Alternatively, the step of sending the message may include the further step of sending the message of which the content indicates a selected set of numbers to be used in participation in the lottery draw.
The message sent from the device may be sent to a predetermined telephone number such as a premium-rated telephone number. The method may include the further step of receiving an authentication code and the lottery numbers from the gaming institute.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
One embodiment of the invention is described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a schematic diagram of a gaming system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
With reference to the drawing, a gaming system is generally indicated by reference numeral 1.
The gaming system 1 includes a portable communication device such as a cellular telephone 2, including transceiver means, for transmitting a message over a wireless communication network supported by a number of repeater stations 4, to a gaming institution, including a server computer 3. The gaming institution is a lottery institution, but it could be a clearing house, which purchases lottery entries from the lottery institution on behalf of participants.
The gaming institution includes association means for associating the message with an identity code corresponding to a prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device. The identity code is received as, or with the message transmitted from the portable communication device. The association means further associates the content of the message with the identity code of the device. The identity code could correspond to the device, being the cellular phone, to a user of such device or to the prepaid airtime account associated with the device. The message could be transmitted to a predetermined telephone number such as a premium-rated telephone number.
The system further includes billing means for billing the prepaid airtime account associated with the identity code and random number generator means for generating a series of randomly generated numbers to be used in a lottery draw. The message transmitted is in the form of a short message service (SMS) message or any other text message format and the content thereof indicates an amount of money to be used in the participation in the game. The arrangement is therefore such that the indicated amount of money is subtracted from the prepaid airtime account associated with the portable communication device, by the billing means.
A user could therefore send a message indicating an amount of money and the random number generator means then randomly generates number to be played in the lottery. Alternatively, the content of the message could indicate a set of numbers to be used in participation in the lottery draw, as selected by the user.
The gaming institution further includes authentication code generating means and a transmitter. The authentication code generating means generates an authentication code after the institution receives the message from the portable communication device and sends the authentication code together with the lottery numbers (as generated or selected) back to the mobile telephone with which the identity code is associated.
In use, the participant sends a message in SMS format from his cellular phone to a predetermined telephone number such as a premium-rated number of a clearing house over the cellular telephone network. The content of the message indicates an amount of money that the participant wishes to use in participating in the lottery.
At the clearing house the identity code is associated with the content of the message received from the participant and with the prepaid airtime account associated with the cellular phone. A series of randomly generated numbers corresponding to the indicated amount of money, such as a ten Rand (R10) or twenty Rand (R20) quick- pick number, are generated by the server computer 3. The numbers are associated with the telephone number of the cellular telephone or with another identification code such as a personal identification number corresponding to a user of cellular telephones. An authentication code and the generated lottery numbers are then sent to the participant. The indicated money is subtracted from the prepaid airtime account of the participant. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that an identification code, such as the telephone number of the mobile phone, is required to associate a person to the series of randomly generated numbers. The clearing house purchases lottery entries for the numbers on behalf of the participant and uses these numbers to participate in the lottery. The identification code is then stored in a data base of identification codes against the corresponding randomly generated numbers.
Upon a subsequent occurrence of a lottery draw, the randomly generated numbers are compared with the result of the lottery draw and if a series of randomly generated numbers corresponds to the numbers drawn in the lottery draw, or at least some of the numbers drawn during the lottery draw, a message including the amount of winnings is transmitted to the corresponding cellular telephone.
It is envisaged that the invention described herein will make it easy for participants in a lottery draw to participate in a draw without having to enter the draw at a point of sale. The numbers generated in this way are not chosen by the participant but are randomly generated by a service provider by use of the server computer 3.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various embodiments of a gaming system and a gaming method according to the invention are possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims.