Multilevel game competition

Abstract

To provide a device regarding competition.SOLUTION: A device comprises: a database for storing a video image; a network interface; and at least one processor. A method executed by the processor includes the steps of: recording multiple video images of multiple recorded races in the database; reproducing a video image of a first recorded race; preventing a player who is likely to be a winner from becoming clear before betting to a winner of the first recorded race is received by hiding a selected part of the first recorded race during reproduction of a video image; storing information expressing multiple difficulty levels of the first recorded race at least partially on the basis of a point of time when the betting is received; and receiving data expressing betting to a winner of the first recorded race from a first set of a remote mobile device via a network interface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a non-provisional continuation of U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61 / 721,181, filed November 1, 2012, 61 / 715,972, filed October 19, 2012, and 61 / 618,182, filed March 30, 2012, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Some embodiments relate generally to competition. [Background technology]

[0003] A game may involve risking an amount of money on the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event. A variety of events, such as horse racing, other sporting events, casino games, and non-sporting events, form the basis of games. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following should be understood as exemplary embodiments, not as claims.

[0005] A. A method comprising: accepting, by a computing device, bets from a first set of players to participate in a competition including a maximum number of rounds; accepting, by the computing device, for each round, from the remaining players in the competition, respective selections of winning participants for each of the events on which each round is based; conducting successive rounds of the competition by stopping accepting the selections from the remaining players at some point between the start and end of each event and determining that one or more winning players are one or more players who correctly select a winner for each event, wherein conducting the successive rounds includes continuing to conduct the successive rounds until at least one of: no players correctly select a winning selection; only one player correctly selects a winning selection; and the maximum number of rounds has been completed; and eliminating players who did not correctly select a winning selection from subsequent rounds of the successive rounds; and awarding, by the computing device, a prize to each of the players who correctly select a winning selection before the final successive round, the one player, and the remaining players after the maximum number of rounds has been completed.

[0006] A.1. The method of claim A, wherein accepting bets includes accepting buy-ins to the competition. A.2. The method of claim A, wherein allowing players eliminated from a previous round to buy-in to a subsequent round by placing another bet. A.3. The method of claim A, wherein determining the events for each round by selecting recorded events from a library of recorded events. A.4. The method of claim A, wherein selecting recorded events includes determining a desired difficulty level for the respective round and selecting recorded events tagged with that difficulty level. A.5. The method of claim A, wherein each event includes a race. A.6. The method of claim A, wherein each event includes portions of a single race. A.7. The method of claim A, wherein accepting each selection includes pausing presentation of each event for a period of time to allow players to enter their selections, and wherein stopping acceptance includes resuming presentation. A.8. The method of claim A, wherein conducting successive rounds includes displaying the first portion of each event before accepting each selection. A.9. The method of claim A, wherein pooling bets and awarding prizes from the pool.

[0007] B. A method comprising: accepting, by a computing device, a buy-in to a competition from each of a plurality of players; determining, by the computing device, for a first player in a first round, a recorded first event to be stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level associated with the first round; determining, by the computing device, for a second player in the first round, a recorded second event to be stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level; presenting, by the computing device, a first portion of the first event to the first player and a first portion of the second event to the second player; receiving, by the computing device, a first selection of a winner in the first event from the first player and a second selection of a winner in the second event from the second player; and determining, by the computing device, whether the first player advances to the second round of the competition depending on whether the first selection is correct based on the second portion of the first event and whether the second player advances to the second round of the competition depending on whether the second selection is correct based on the second portion of the second event.

[0008] B.1. The method of claim B, including tagging each event in an event library with a difficulty level based on the proximity of the event supporter at the end of a respective first portion of each event. B.2. The method of claim B, including presenting a second portion of the first event to a first player and a second portion of the second event to a second player. B.2.1. The method of claim B.2, including pausing the presentation of each of the first and second events between their respective first and second portions, and requesting that the first player make a first selection while the presentation is paused, and that the second player make the second selection while the presentation is paused. B.2.2. The method of claim B, wherein each second portion is presented in response to receiving the respective selection. B.3. The method of claim B, wherein the first and second events comprise respective horse races. B.4. The method of claim B, including concealing the presentation of the first portion of the first event and the first portion of the second event. B.4.1. The method of claim B.4, wherein concealing includes at least one of making adjustments to the recording, changing the color of the recording, and changing the sound of the recording. B.5. The method of claim B, including determining that a first and second player are in the same competition based on when buy-ins are received from each of the first and second players, such that the players are in the competition in response to submitting buy-ins at similar times.

[0009] C. An apparatus comprising: a computing device; and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions: causing the apparatus to accept bets from a first set of players to participate in a competition including a maximum number of rounds; for each round, accepting from the remaining players in the competition respective selections of winning participants for each event on which the respective round is based; stopping accepting the selections from the remaining players at some point between the start and end of each event; and conducting successive rounds of the competition by determining that one or more winning players are one or more players who correctly select a winner for each event, wherein conducting the successive rounds includes continuing to conduct the successive rounds until at least one of: no player correctly selects a winning selection; only one player correctly selects a winning selection; and the maximum number of rounds has been completed; and eliminating players from subsequent rounds of the successive rounds that did not correctly select a winning selection; and awarding prizes to each of the players who correctly selected a winning selection before the final successive round, the one player, and the remaining players after the maximum number of rounds has been completed.

[0010] D. An apparatus, comprising: a computing device; causing the apparatus to accept buy-ins for a competition from each of a plurality of players; determining a recorded first event for a first player in a first round, the recorded first event being stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level associated with the first round; determining a recorded second event for a second player in the first round, the recorded second event being stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level associated with the first round; and assigning a first portion of the first event to the first player and a first portion of the second event to the second player. and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions to cause players to present a first selection of a winner in a first event from a first player and a second selection of a winner in a second event from a second player, and determine whether the first player advances to a second round of the competition depending on whether the first selection is correct based on a second portion of the first event and whether the second player advances to the second round of the competition depending on whether the second selection is correct based on a second portion of the second event. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. [Figure 2] An example of some embodiments is shown. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] I. Illustrative Embodiments Generally, games may be referred to as gambling, although embodiments are not limited to the legal definition of gambling, which is limited to games of chance, but may instead include games of skill, fantasy games, games of chance, and / or any other type of game; therefore, the term game, rather than gambling, may be used when discussing some embodiments. A game may involve risking an amount of money on the occurrence of some event. Such risk may be skill- and / or risk-based, ledger-based, and / or pari-mutuel, and / or may take any form desired. A game may involve paying a fee to participate in a competition based on the occurrence of an event. Winners of such a competition may be awarded a prize (e.g., money based on the sum of the competition fees). Gambling may be used herein to refer to such skill- or risk-based games in some instances and should not be understood to be limited to one or other type of game unless otherwise specified. A game may include betting, wagering, risking money, paying an entry fee to participate in a competition, and / or any other form of gaming, as desired. The various embodiments may be applied to any type of game in any combination and / or arrangement.

[0013] Some embodiments may facilitate games involving the outcome of multiple events. In some embodiments, one or more events may be arranged in one round of a multi-level competition. Some embodiments may allow multiple players to play against each other across multiple levels of a multi-level competition. In some embodiments, a win at a lower level may allow a player to move to the next level of a multi-level competition. In some embodiments, a failure at a level may remove a player from the multi-level competition. A winner may be determined based on one or more remaining players in the competition.

[0014] While some examples herein may be provided with respect to horse racing environments and betting on horse racing, it should be appreciated that such environments are provided by way of non-limiting examples only. Various embodiments may include any type of event, such as political events, casino games, sporting events, card games, board games, reality TV outcomes, fantasy games, etc.

[0015] Some embodiments may include a game provider. The game provider may include a betting house, sportsbook, racetrack facility, marshal, etc. The game provider may include one or more computing devices capable of accepting money at risk in games, accepting entry fees, determining wagers, auditing events, verifying users, determining outcomes, tracking results, receiving information, maintaining account information, transmitting information, maintaining pari-mutuel pools, determining payout odds, and / or performing any desired action. Such computing devices may include servers operated on behalf of the game provider.

[0016] Some embodiments may include one or more user devices. Such devices may enable users to interface with a gaming operator to take gaming actions (e.g., place bets), play games, view information about games, access account information, view results, select race winners, etc. Such user devices may include smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, personal computers, kiosks, devices operated by game provider personnel, etc.

[0017] 1 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. It should be recognized that this exemplary method is provided by way of non-limiting example only. Other embodiments may include no method at all, a different method, a different order of methods, methods including alternative actions, methods including different actions, methods including additional actions, etc. Such methods may be implemented by a game operator, any component thereof, and / or any desired entity alone or in combination with any other entity.

[0018] Some embodiments may include hosting a game of a competition. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates an example hosting of a game that includes, at block 101, accepting bets from multiple players to participate in the competition. Hosting the game may include determining events for the competition, allowing players to risk money to participate in the competition, tracking games and / or game actions that occur in the competition, allowing users to access information and / or take actions related to the competition, etc. For example, in some embodiments, a gaming operator may determine that horse races taking place on a track for a day, a month, a week, and / or other period, horse races taking place on a set-off track, horse races that have taken place in the past, a number of times that have taken place, only races that will take place in the future but with no limit or limitations, etc. may be part of a certain competition, and may begin accepting money from users to participate in the competition.

[0019] The game provider's computing device may determine that risks of money and / or other gaming actions for a first competition must be accepted and may store information regarding such money and / or other actions, as well as information regarding the competition (e.g., determining the events that are part of the competition, database entries identifying players who participated in the competition, audit information identifying parameters of the pari-mutuel pool, selecting a winner for the competition, etc.). The user device may be controlled to display game options for the competition (e.g., buttons or other controls may be enabled and / or displayed on a user interface that allow players to take gaming actions for the competition, select a winner for a round of the competition, etc.). It should be understood that any desired action may be taken to initiate gaming related to the competition (e.g., displaying information to the user, identifying rules to the user, accepting money from the user, notifying the user, storing audit information, determining events to include in the competition, determining parameters of the competition, determining eligibility for participation in the competition, etc.).

[0020] Some embodiments may include accepting one or more entries into a competition. For example, a player may provide money to a game provider to participate in a competition (e.g., by transferring funds from an electronic gaming account, depositing funds with a game provider, placing a bet, etc.). Participation in a competition may involve paying or otherwise risking a fixed amount, which may be common to all players in the competition (e.g., purchasing entry to a competition for $1, $10, etc.). Paying such a fee and / or risking such other amount of money may involve a variable amount selected by the player and may affect the amount won by the player if the player wins the competition (e.g., a player may win a portion of a pari-mutuel pool proportional to the amount paid in some manner). Information regarding the buy-in to a competition may be stored by a gaming operator's computing device, for example, for auditing purposes and / or to assist in facilitating the competition.

[0021] In some embodiments, in response to receiving participation in a competition, a player may be given access to functionality that allows the player to participate in the competition and / or view information about the competition. In some embodiments, such information and / or functionality may otherwise be denied to the player. For example, a player may be given access to a user interface that allows the player to select a winner for one upcoming event (e.g., a round of the competition).

[0022] Some embodiments may include accepting a winner selection from one or more players for the first round of the competition. Block 103 shows an example of this occurrence in FIG. 1. For example, at block 103, all players remaining in competition in the current round of the competition may be allowed to submit a winner selection for the round of the competition. In some embodiments, the selections may be accepted by the game operator only before the round of the competition begins. In some embodiments, the selections may be accepted by the game operator only after the round of the competition begins. In some embodiments, the selections may be accepted by the game operator both before and after the round of the competition begins. Each player in a round of the competition may submit such a selection and / or may be required to submit such a selection in order to have an opportunity to move on to the next round of the competition.

[0023] Selecting a winner includes selecting a horse from among horses participating in an event, selecting a group of horses from among a series of horses participating in such event, any one of which may win, selecting horses from among such participating horses, any one of which may win, selecting any participant, series of participants, group of participants, team, etc. that may win the event, etc.

[0024] Various examples are provided regarding selecting a winner, but it should be recognized that these examples are not limiting. For example, some embodiments include selecting a loser, selecting a particular ranking and the particular participant who will place in that ranking (e.g., the fourth horse will place fourth), a particular order of participants, and / or any characteristics that may be determined at the end of the round.

[0025] Some embodiments may include receiving a selection of a winner for a round (e.g., an event) of a competition. For example, in some embodiments, a player may be presented with a user interface on a user device that lists options for selecting a winner for a round of the competition. Such a user interface may, for example, list valid winners and allow the player to select from among these valid winners (e.g., a single possibility, some maximum number of numbers one of which may be desired to win, a predetermined group of possible winners one of which may be desired to win, etc.). The player may select one or more winners and submit that information to a gaming operator via the user device (e.g., transmitting it over a communications network). The gaming operator may receive the information and store and / or otherwise analyze it as desired to determine the outcome of the round of competition and / or the entire competition. It should be appreciated that selecting one or more winners, receiving the information, processing the information, and / or operating the user interface are provided by way of non-limiting examples only.

[0026] In some embodiments, a winner may be required to be selected by a player of the competition within a defined period of time (e.g., before the start of a round, before a predetermined point in a round, before the end of a round, after the start of a round, etc.). In some embodiments, if a selection is not received and / or submitted by a player within that period of time, the player may be treated as having lost that round, may be disqualified from winning the competition, may be given an opportunity to make up the lack of submission, etc. For example, in some embodiments, a player who does not submit a winning selection for a round may be treated as having selected a losing participant for the round.

[0027] Some embodiments may include starting a first round of a competition (e.g., an event in which players make winner selections). Block 105 shows an example of this in FIG. 1. For example, in some embodiments, a horse race is started. In some embodiments, the horse race may be started by a game operator (e.g., by indicating that the gates will open, by indicating to the jockeys that the race has started, by playing a pre-recorded video of the horse race, by playing a virtual presentation of the horse race, etc.). It should be appreciated that there are any number of ways in which an event may be started that may or may not be in response to an event related to the competition. In some embodiments, a player may be notified of the start and / or upcoming start of an event related to the competition (e.g., being notified of the time and / or location of the event, being given directions to the event, being shown a video representation of the event, being shown a countdown to the start of the event, being shown the beginning portion of the event paused to accept a winner selection, being asked to select a winner, etc.).

[0028] In some embodiments, the time period during which bets to participate in a competition may end at the start of the first round. In some embodiments, the time period during which selection of a winner for a round may end at the start of that round. In some embodiments, the time period during which selection of a winner may be made may begin at the start of the first round. Information about when the first round begins may be collected by a gaming operator (e.g., through use of an electronic system monitoring racing or other events, through user input of information, through reading a data feed of information, etc.).

[0029] Some embodiments may include determining that a certain point in the first round related to the competition has been reached. For example, the certain point may include a halfway point, the leading horse reaching a predetermined location on the track, a predetermined amount of time having passed since the start of the race, a certain amount of points having been scored, a point differential exceeding a certain amount, a first portion of a record of the event being displayed, etc. Such a point being reached may trigger one or more actions. Determining that such a point has been reached may be in response to information that may be collected and / or analyzed by a game operator (e.g., a data feed describing the event, a person observing the event entering information about the event into a computer interface, an electronic event tracking system, etc.).

[0030] In response to determining that a threshold point for the first round has been reached, the time period during which players may select a winner for the first round may end. Block 107 of FIG. 1 illustrates one example of this occurrence. For example, the gaming operator may stop accepting winner selections from players remaining in the competition in response to reaching the threshold point. In other embodiments, such selections may be received until the end of the event, until the start of the event, etc.

[0031] In some embodiments, the display of a portion of an event may occur and then be paused to allow for a winner selection window. The pause may take any period of time (e.g., one minute, 30 seconds, five minutes, etc.). Once that period has elapsed, the winner selection window may be determined to have ended. Players in the competition may be required to select a winner before the pause period ends. In some embodiments, players may be able to select a winner before the pause period and / or there may be no pause period at all. After the pause period, the remainder of the event may be displayed and may form the basis for determining the winner. Thus, the threshold point may not necessarily be a point in the event itself, but may be some related point, such as the pause period ending 30 seconds after that point is reached.

[0032] In some embodiments, a time window for accepting money to participate in a competition may end in response to reaching a threshold point. In other embodiments, such points may be unrelated to such participation in a competition. Different points may be used for different actions and / or different competitions that may involve the same event (e.g., one competition may use first points to end a time window, a second competition using an overlapping event may use different points, and payment to participate in either competition may end before or after either of the other two points, or even at a third point).

[0033] It should be appreciated that the examples of points within a round and / or action related to these points are given by way of example only and are not limiting in any way. For example, any points before, during, or after may be used in various embodiments and may be the same or different in different rounds and / or different competitions. Such points may be linked to pause points (e.g., in a video gaming environment) and / or may not be so related (e.g., in a live on-site environment).

[0034] In some embodiments, a round may end, as indicated by block 109, and one or more winning combinations may be determined for that round. For example, a round may end when an event associated with that round ends (e.g., when a winner for the event is determined, when all participants in the event have finished, etc.). The winning combination for a round of a competition may be determined based on a match between a selected winner (e.g., block 103) and the actual winner of the round. For example, if a player selects horse number 4 to win the round and horse number 4 wins the round, the player may win that round. Conversely, if a player selects horse number 4 to win the round and horse number 4 does not win the round, the player may not win that round. The determination may be made for each player on whether they won the round, or may not be based on a comparison of the selection made for the winner of the round with the actual winner of the round.

[0035] In some embodiments, depending on the conditions of the competition and the outcome of the round of the competition, various actions may be taken, as indicated by decision blocks 111, 113, and 115.

[0036] For example, some embodiments may include determining whether any remaining players in the competition have won and finished the round of the competition. Such a determination may include determining whether the number of wins determined in block 109 is at least one (e.g., did at least one player in the competition select the correct winning number or some other number desired to be the final number of the round).

[0037] As shown in block 117, if there is no winning round, action may be taken (e.g., in response to a determination that no remaining players made a correct selection in the round of the competition). One example illustrated action may include awarding prizes to all players remaining in the competition at the time of the round in which there was no winning round. For example, if there are two players remaining in the competition at the time of a round and neither player selected the correct winner for that round, both players may be awarded prizes in some manner. The players to whom those prizes are awarded may be considered winners of the competition. Various examples of prizes and / or wins may be described elsewhere herein.

[0038] As another example action that may be taken in some embodiments, not shown in FIG. 1 , some embodiments may include conducting an additional round of the competition involving players who participated in a previous round of the competition (e.g., if two players did not select a winning horse in a round of the competition, those two players may be able to select a horse in another round of the competition). Such a subsequent round may act as a do-over of the previous round. In some embodiments, some maximum number of do-overs may be allowed. For example, a maximum number of total rounds may be allowed, and do-overs may be allowed until that number is reached. When the maximum is reached, the remaining players may be treated as winners and / or losers of the competition, as desired and based on the rules of the competition.

[0039] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, action may be taken if there are one or more winning combinations from a round (e.g., in response to a determination that at least one remaining player has made a correct selection in a round of competition).

[0040] One example illustrated action may be making a determination as to whether a round is the final round of a competition, as shown in block 113. Such a determination may result in a determination as to whether the competition has ended. For example, some competitions may be limited to a maximum number of rounds (e.g., rounds on a particular day, n rounds from the start of the competition, etc.).

[0041] It should be appreciated that the maximum number of rounds and the final round when the maximum is reached are given by way of example only. For example, some embodiments may not be limited to a maximum number of rounds. Such embodiments may continue, for example, until some other termination condition is reached (e.g., only one player remains in the competition, no player has selected the correct winner of a round of the competition, etc.).

[0042] As shown in block 119, if the final round has concluded, action may be taken (e.g., in response to determining that the final round has concluded and / or one or more remaining players making correct selections in the final round). One example illustrated action may include awarding prizes to all players remaining in the competition as of the final round. Players who are awarded these prizes may be considered winners of the competition. Various examples of prizes and / or wins may be described elsewhere herein.

[0043] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , if the round is not the final round, action may be taken (e.g., in response to a determination that the round is not the maximum number of rounds allowed in the competition, in response to at least one remaining player making a correct selection in that round of the competition).

[0044] One exemplary illustrated action may be making a determination of whether only one player made the correct selection in that round of competition, as illustrated in block 115. For example, such a determination may include counting the number of players who made the correct selection to determine if that number is greater than 1. It should be recognized that 1 is given as a non-limiting example only, and some embodiments may include any number of players (e.g., 5, 2, 10, etc.).

[0045] As shown in block 121, if there is only one player who made the correct selection, action may be taken (e.g., in response to a determination that only one player made the correct selection). One exemplary illustrated action may include awarding a prize to the player who made the correct selection. For example, if there are two players left in the competition at a point in a round and only one made the correct selection, that one player may be awarded a prize in some manner. The player who is awarded a prize may be considered the winner of the competition. Various examples of prizes and / or wins may be described elsewhere herein.

[0046] As an example not shown, some embodiments may continue the competition and / or require that certain rounds of the competition be completed by the player. For example, a player may not be considered a winner and / or a prize may not be awarded unless the player has hit and completed a minimum number of rounds of the competition (e.g., the same as or different from a maximum number of rounds that may be included in some embodiments).

[0047] As another non-illustrated example, a player may be able, but not required, to continue selecting winners in subsequent rounds (e.g., to obtain additional bonuses). For example, a player may be awarded and / or allowed to accept a prize for being the only winning player in a competition. The player may be able to forgo that prize and / or increase that prize by continuing to select winners in subsequent events. For example, with each subsequent win (e.g., up to a maximum or not), an extra prize may be added (e.g., the player's prize may be doubled, a larger percentage of the pool may be awarded if a certain number of wins is reached, up to the full pool, etc.). If a player fails to make the correct selection in such subsequent events, in some implementations the player may remain without a prize (e.g., the player may risk a smaller prize for a larger prize amount from a subsequent round). In other implementations, if a player fails to make a correct selection in such a subsequent event, the player may be awarded some prize (e.g., the original prize for winning the competition, the prize amount from a previous or subsequent round after winning the competition, the buy-in amount, some other amount, etc.). Playing such a subsequent round may be similar to playing a round of competition if other players remain (e.g., accepting selections during the event, treating the failure to make a selection as an incorrect selection), and / or may differ from such a round, as desired.

[0048] As shown in block 123, if there are two or more players who made the correct selection, then action may be taken (e.g., one player in response to a determination that the round is not the final maximum round of the competition, in response to a determination that two or more players made the correct selection, again given by way of example only). One example illustrated action may include eliminating players who did not make a correct selection in that round from the competition. For example, each player who did not make a correct selection in that round may be eliminated from future rounds of the competition. Such players may be considered losers of the competition. In some instances, if all players made the correct selection in a round, then no players may be eliminated.

[0049] It should be appreciated that the elimination of players who do not make a correct selection is merely a non-limiting example. For example, in some embodiments, players who make incorrect selections may be eliminated (e.g., allowing players who did not make a selection to continue). For example, in some embodiments, players may be allowed to skip several rounds of a competition without being eliminated from the competition (e.g., if a player is unsure about a particular round, they may skip it and remain in the competition for the next round). As another exemplary alternative, some embodiments may allow players to make several numbers of incorrect selections and still remain in the competition (e.g., each player may be given a single incorrect selection and remain in the competition), thus including eliminating from the competition players who make more than the allowed number f of incorrect selections.

[0050] Some embodiments may include returning and repeating to play another round of the competition. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 1, after eliminating a player from the competition, the method may return to block 103 and repeat to accept selections from the remaining players in the competition for the next round of the competition. A round of the competition may be for the same event as the previous round of the competition, or for a different event. A round of the competition may proceed similarly or differently from the previously described rounds of the competition. For example, some embodiments may include accepting selections, starting a round, ending a round, determining which players made correct selections in the round, and taking different actions based on the situation at the end of the round and / or the number of players who made correct selections in the round. Any number of rounds, whether limited or unlimited, may continue until a maximum number of rounds (if applicable) is reached, no players make correct selections in the round, only one player makes correct selections (or otherwise remains in the competition after the round), and / or any other desired competition ending condition is reached.

[0051] It should be appreciated that accepting selections and conducting rounds in a sequential loop as illustrated in FIG. 1 are provided by way of non-limiting example only. For example, in some embodiments, one round may overlap another round. An earlier round in a competition may be selected as the earlier round even if it starts, occurs, ends, etc. after a later round in the competition. For example, players may make selections for rounds simultaneously (e.g., all rounds in a competition, some set of rounds in a competition) so that eliminations can occur as desired, regardless of the order in which the rounds actually occur, end, start, etc. As another example, rounds may include pre-recorded rounds that are not live events and may be randomized to prevent cheating.

[0052] As another example, players may not play rounds based on the same event or similar events occurring at the same time, but may select winners for different events and / or events at different times and / or events occurring and / or displayed at different times. In either case, such players may still participate in play together in the competition. Each play selection may be tracked as part of a particular round of the competition, even if it occurs at a different time. Thus, in some embodiments, a player may end up winning a competition but not be aware of that victory until another player loses the competition through a round of the competition that occurs later in time from the round in which the player won the competition.

[0053] It should be appreciated that Figure 1 is illustrated as a non-limiting example only. Other embodiments may include alternative, different, the same, more, less, in a different order, none, all, etc., actions to those illustrated in Figure 1. For example, the determination and / or elimination of blocks 111, 113, 115, 123 may occur simultaneously, in a different order, etc.

[0054] According to some embodiments, which may include a method such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 , players may participate in a competition involving multiple rounds of selection decisions. The selection decisions may occur for a round during the event on which the round is based. An incorrect selection may result in the elimination of the player. A player may win the competition by surviving until the final round and / or by being the last player remaining in the competition. Thus, at the start of the competition, players may not know how long the competition will last. Thus, players may participate in a competition to select the greatest number of consecutive winners of an event (e.g., a race) that includes multiple (e.g., two, more than two) participants.

[0055] Some embodiments may include awarding a prize to one or more winners. For example, a winner may be awarded a monetary prize, a non-monetary prize, recognition, the ability to take some action, etc.

[0056] In some embodiments, monies risked and / or otherwise paid to participate in a competition may be pooled together in a pari-mutuel pool. In some embodiments, one or more winners of a competition may be awarded a prize from the pari-mutuel pool. For example, each winner of a competition may receive a share of the pari-mutuel pool proportional to the amount spent to participate in the competition. In embodiments where participation amounts are equal (e.g., there is one buy-in or entry fee amount for the competition), for example, winners may receive equal shares. In embodiments where participation amounts may vary, winners who paid a higher amount to participate in the competition may receive a larger share of the pool than winners who paid a lower amount to participate in the competition.

[0057] In some embodiments, money spent to participate in a competition may include book bets other than and / or in addition to pari-mutuel bets. For example, such money may be spent at a sportsbook. Such book bets may include payout odds and / or other characteristics that may be defined by the sportsbook and / or other gaming operators (e.g., 2-to-1 odds, 10-to-1 odds, 100-to-1 odds, etc.).

[0058] Awarding a player may include adjusting the account balance of a gaming account, providing money to a player, etc. For example, in some embodiments, a gaming account in which a user risks money in connection with a competition may be adjusted to include a payout in response to a winner winning the competition (e.g., via an electronic device such as a kiosk, mobile device, etc.). In some embodiments, a winner may present a physical ticket to a teller to receive a physical cash payout.

[0059] In various embodiments, any desired type of payout or prize may be offered on a pari-mutuel, ledger, or other basis, and it should be recognized that these examples of awarding prizes to winners are non-limiting.

[0060] Some embodiments may include offering losers a second opportunity to continue playing in the competition. For example, some embodiments may offer a prize to one or more second-place finishers in the competition. Such a prize may include a prize smaller than the winner's prize (e.g., 10% of such prize). In some embodiments, the second opportunity may allow a player to buy back in the competition (e.g., pay some fee that may be greater than, equal to, or less than the original buy-in to prevent elimination from the competition). Such buyback amounts may be available only in the first half of the competition and / or in the second half of the competition. Such buyback amounts may increase as the competition continues.

[0061] Some embodiments may include running a second race that starts later than the first race or includes losers of the first race. For example, the last n (e.g., 5) races may be a separate race in which losers of the first race may participate (e.g., no payout, payouts, only for those losers, etc.). The second race may overlap with the first race (e.g., a race may continue for all races of the day, and the second race may be for the last n races of the day, such that the last n races may overlap). Thus, losers of one of the overlapping races may or may not be able to participate in the second race. For example, a loser of the penultimate race of the day may participate in the second race as if they had won the previous round of the second race up to the final round of the second race. In other embodiments, participation in the second race may be terminated at the start of the second race. The second race may be run substantially similarly to the race described above. Such a second competition may include all losers of the first competition, and / or a mix of losers and new players who were not in the first competition. Some or all participants may be required to pay a fee that may or may not depend on their status as losers in the first competition (e.g., losers enter for free or with a lower wager than new players). The gaming operator may offer and / or track progression and / or participation in the second competition in response to the action and / or results of the competition to provide losers of the competition (e.g., losers who reach some point in the competition) with an opportunity to continue playing.

[0062] Some embodiments may allow a player to drop out midway through a competition. For example, if a player reaches the penultimate round of a competition, the player may take some prize to forgo a chance to win the competition. Such a prize may be determined based on the size of the potential prize for winning, the number of players remaining in the competition, and / or the probability that the player will win the competition. For example, a gaming operator may offer a player 90%, 110%, etc., of the expected value of remaining in the competition to drop out now.

[0063] While some embodiments are given with respect to taking game actions before a competition or round of a competition, it should be appreciated that such examples are non-limiting. For example, some embodiments may include allowing a player to participate in a competition by risking money during the first and / or subsequent rounds of the competition (e.g., before a cutoff to select a winner of the first round). As an example of participating in subsequent rounds, a player may pay some additional fee to participate in a competition in rounds after the first round. Such a fee may be determined by the game operator and / or may be based on the expected advantage the player will gain for participating in the subsequent rounds (e.g., may increase as the rounds progress and / or as other players lose).

[0064] Some embodiments may include live events and / or events at a single gaming venue. For example, some embodiments may include a competition related to a day or weekend of racing at a single racetrack. As another example, some embodiments may include rounds related to innings of a baseball game played at a single stadium (each round related to who will score the most runs in an inning, what events will occur in that inning, etc.). Such events may include live events that may occur simultaneously with such competitions. Such examples are non-limiting.

[0065] Some embodiments may include events that are not live events and / or not at a single gaming venue (e.g., a racetrack). For example, some embodiments may include a competition involving events from multiple venues (e.g., a competition including races at multiple racetracks, multiple arenas, etc.). Some embodiments may include events that are not live events and / or events concurrent with a competition. For example, some embodiments include selecting pre-recorded events and presenting them as competitive events (e.g., playing portions of the events through a display device).

[0066] Although some embodiments are described as including a single set of competitive events involving all users, such examples are non-limiting. For example, some embodiments may include different sets of events for at least some different players. For example, players at one venue may participate in a competition related to events at that venue, while players at another venue may participate in a competition including events at that venue. As another example, different pre-recorded events may be displayed to different players. Of course, the competitions may be the same and may involve the same pool and / or winning conditions.

[0067] In some embodiments, players may use mobile devices to participate in competitions and / or make selections. For example, a user may be present at the racetrack while watching the race and may input selections from the mobile device through a game interface presented on the mobile device. Using such methods, users may gain an advantage when they are able to make selections during the race. For example, a user may be able to see a larger portion of the race than if the user had to travel farther from the race to make their selection. Such additional race information may confer an advantage to the mobile device user (e.g., the user may know more about the race situation than other users by being able to see more of the race before making a selection). In some embodiments, when there are live events involving multiple selections for competition in a single event (e.g., selecting a leader at multiple points in the race), players playing on mobile devices may again have an advantage by being able to observe the race without having to travel farther from the event to a kiosk or other game playing device to take game action.

[0068] In some embodiments, racetracks and / or other gaming operators may receive a portion of the pool and / or other payouts for providing services. For example, in a ledger-based gaming environment, gaming operators may receive losing bets and / or set payout percentages such that they are expected to win more money than they pay out.

[0069] Figure 2 illustrates an example of some embodiments. For example, Figure 2 illustrates a venue 201 (e.g., a racetrack) where one or more rounds of a competition may occur. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary gaming system 203. Such a gaming system may be operated by a gaming operator, such as a racetrack operator, a multi-venue operator, a promoter, etc., to provide competition-related functionality. Figure 2 illustrates a mobile device 205 on which one or more players may take actions related to the competition. Figure 2 illustrates one or more other devices 207 on which actions related to the competition may be taken.

[0070] Venues 201 may include racetracks, betting parlours, sportsbooks, gaming establishments, sports venues, stadiums, etc. It should be appreciated that various embodiments are not limited to any particular venue. It should be appreciated that various embodiments are not limited to a single venue, but rather may include multiple venues (e.g., which may offer competition through a central operator, events may occur, may be associated with a single gaming operator, etc.).

[0071] The gaming system 203 may include a game server, a totalizer, a processor, or any computing device. The gaming system may include a server operated by a game provider offering a competition. Such a gaming system may make payout determinations, maintain account information, maintain audit information, determine outcomes, take action related to competitions (e.g., implement the method of FIG. 1), run one or more competitions, accept input from players, control devices to display interfaces that enable entry of information related to one or more competitions, resolve payouts, select pre-recorded events, track buy-ins, etc. It should be appreciated that such a system may run software and / or perform any action capable of facilitating a competition as described herein.

[0072] In some embodiments where multiple venues may be present, system 203 may include systems associated in some manner with the multiple venues. For example, such a system may include a totalizer such as that operated by AmTote International. Such a totalizer, or other system, that may operate across multiple venues to enable gaming at multiple venues may interact with and / or include a local system at the venue (e.g., a mobile device, a fixed device, a server, etc.). For example, the local system may receive buy-ins or other game actions and forward the buy-ins or other game actions to an intermediary's server (e.g., a racetrack server may receive buy-ins or other game actions and forward them to a totalizer). It should be appreciated that any arrangement of multiple computing systems into an integrated gaming system may be used as desired, and that various embodiments are not limited to any particular arrangement.

[0073] The mobile device 205 can interface with the gaming system 203 to facilitate gaming by one or more players. For example, the mobile device 205 can display information, transmit information, and / or receive information regarding a competition. Such information may be received and / or transmitted to the gaming system 203. The gaming system 203 can control the mobile device to perform a desired action (e.g., allowing a player to select a winner, showing a list of possible winners, displaying an account balance, allowing a player to buy-in to a competition and / or a second competition, displaying payout odds determined by the gaming system to a player, displaying an event and / or portions thereof, etc.). Such communication may occur over dedicated and / or public communication systems (e.g., the Internet, a cell network, a venue's Wi-Fi network).

[0074] Other devices 207 may include fixed devices such as kiosks, off-venue devices (e.g., devices outside the gaming venue, devices in the user's home, etc.), devices operated by tellers at the venue, etc. Such devices may include computing devices that may be used to interface with gaming system 203 in any manner (e.g., similar to and / or different from device 205).

[0075] It should be recognized that the arrangement of FIG. 2 is provided by way of non-limiting example only, and that various embodiments may include additional, different, alternative, more, less, different, none, all, etc. such components and arrangements and features in any combination as desired.

[0076] It will be understood that the techniques described herein for making, using, or practicing the various embodiments are only some of the possible techniques that may be used for the same or similar purposes. The particular techniques described herein should not be construed as limiting. Rather, the various embodiments contemplate alternative techniques for making, using, or practicing the various embodiments.

[0077] Past exclusion examples Some embodiments may include one or more elements that can increase the speed of the competition, facilitate decoupling from the race or other event environment, and / or separate the competition from the live event. For example, some embodiments may include a recorded event as the basis for the competition rather than a live event. As another example, some embodiments may include a competition that relies on portions of one or more events rather than an entire event.

[0078] In one example, at least a portion of one or more recorded events can form the basis of a competition. For example, events may be selected from a set of possible past events to form the basis of each round of the competition. For example, a horse race from 10 years ago may be selected as the basis for the first round of the competition. Such selection may be random selection, selection responsive to the start of the competition, selecting a set of events for the competition together, or selecting events for the round in response to the start of the round. Such events (e.g., the identity of the events) may or may not be known to players before and / or during the competition (e.g., the competition may be announced before the competition, the competition may not be announced, or the identity of the events may be concealed during the competition). Any combination of selection methods, live and recorded events, complete events and portions of events, etc., may be used together to form the basis of the competition in any arrangement.

[0079] Some embodiments may include determining the end of each event in each round of competition. For example, the end of an event in a round may be a past end of the event that actually occurred. In other embodiments, the end may be some intermediate point in the event. For example, the end may be the first lap, the first furlong, a random point, the first half, etc. For example, each round may include a beginning, middle, end, random, etc. portion of a recorded race. The portion may include a random time between 1 second and 50 seconds, and the portion may include a random or fixed end point or time, such as a random point in the race, such as when the leading horse reaches a random point.

[0080] Some embodiments may include determining the start of each event in each round of competition. For example, the start of an event in a round may be a past start of an event that actually occurred. In other embodiments, the start may be some intermediate point in the event. For example, the start may be the last lap, the last furlong, a random point, the second half, etc. For example, each round may include a beginning, middle, end, random, etc. portion of a recorded race. The portion may include a random time between 1 second and 50 seconds, and the portion may include a random or fixed starting point or time, such as a random point in the race, such as when the leading horse reaches a random point.

[0081] Some embodiments may include determining a pause or selection time for each event in each round of competition. For example, in some embodiments, recording of an event may be paused at some point in the round where selection is required, and / or selection may be required to occur before reaching some point in the event. The determination may include determining when that point should be. The point may be a fixed point and / or a variable point. For example, such a point may include the last minute of the event, the last lap of the race, the last furlong of the race, the last part of the event, etc.

[0082] In some embodiments, competitions using recorded or simulated events may operate similarly to other embodiments described herein. Some embodiments may include live events in this manner (e.g., live events that end at random points). By using such methods, more rapid competitions may be played (e.g., many rounds of 30 seconds each may be run over a 10-minute period, with rounds of a recorded or live event running that length, etc.).

[0083] In another example, a competition may include two or more rounds of one or more events. For example, one round may include a portion of an event (e.g., random, middle, first, last, etc.). A subsequent round may include a subsequent portion of the same event. Any number of rounds may be played in a single event. For example, the entire competition may be run in a single event. In such an example, at each of multiple points in the race, each player may be asked to select a winning participant for that point. Rounds may be run in the same event, similar to other described rounds but potentially at a more rapid pace. Using such an embodiment, players may be stimulated to pay attention to more than just the end of an event or round, and may be more focused on the race event, or may be involved in a competition involving multiple points throughout the race, rather than just the end of the race or event.

[0084] 3 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. The exemplary method may be used, for example, in playing a game based on past events. While examples are given with respect to past events, it should be appreciated that the exemplary method may be used with other embodiments as desired (e.g., with live events, simulated events, combinations of event types, etc.). Games may be played through mobile devices, kiosks, slot-machine-like machines, computers, servers, client devices, and / or any other device desired. Games according to one or more embodiments described herein may be referred to as elimination and / or survival games.

[0085] As shown in block 301, some embodiments may include determining players for an elimination game. For example, multiple players may risk money and / or otherwise buy in to a particular elimination game, and those players may be determined to be participating in the elimination game. The elimination game may start at a predetermined time such that players who take game actions during a period of time before that time can participate in the elimination game. From the time a player takes a first game action (e.g., pays a buy-in fee), they may participate in the next starting elimination game and / or may be given a choice of elimination games as to when to participate in the game.

[0086] In some embodiments, an elimination game may have a first event. For example, players who participate in an elimination game during some period before the elimination game begins may be assigned to the same game with the same first event. In some embodiments, an elimination game may not have a fixed time or event. For example, different players may play the same elimination game but display different events and / or start at different times. For example, the next set of people (e.g., 100 people, 10 people) may all be considered to be participating in the same elimination game even if they start play at different times. Players in such sets may play the same event and / or different events. Therefore, it should be appreciated that any manner of determining which players are in an elimination game together may be used.

[0087] As shown in block 303, some embodiments may include determining race events for use in one round of an elimination game. In some embodiments, the same race events may be used for all determined players. In some embodiments, different race events may be used for some participants (e.g., all participants). Determining the race events may include selecting race events from a library of race events stored in a race event database. The determination may be made randomly, procedurally, sequentially, based on a desired difficulty level, or otherwise, as desired. For example, in some embodiments, race events may be tagged with a difficulty level. For each event determination, an event tagged with a desired difficulty level may be selected. The difficulty level may increase as the competition progresses. If players play based on different events in a particular round, each event may be selected so that each player has the same difficulty level.

[0088] As shown in block 305, some embodiments may include presenting a portion of the determined race event to one or more players. For example, some embodiments may present 10 seconds of the race event to a player. The 10 seconds may be the beginning, middle, end, etc. of the race event. For example, in some embodiments, the first 10 seconds of the last eighth of the race may be selected. The same portion of the same event may be displayed to each player. The same amount of the race event may be shown to each player, but different events may be shown. Different portions, different times, and / or different events may be displayed to different players. Presenting the portion may include retrieving a database of race information by a server and transmitting the information to a device for display. For example, the server may maintain the race information, and the information may be transmitted to a kiosk, mobile device, etc. for display. The portion may include the portion between the determined start and the determined finish, the portion between the determined start and the determined pause and / or selection point, a fixed portion stored in a video library, etc.

[0089] Some embodiments may include synchronized presentation of the portion (e.g., a central server controlling client devices to display the portion at a desired synchronized system time). In some embodiments, information about the race may be stored locally for display, and the central server may instruct the client servers which information from that local information to display rather than transmitting the information itself. It should be appreciated that any manner of presentation of desired event information for the portion may be used in various embodiments as desired.

[0090] Some embodiments may include presenting handicap information of race participants to one or more players. For example, as race data is stored, the game server may maintain historical handicap data (e.g., pari-mutuel pools for the actual event, expert predictions made for the actual event, information about race participants that can be used to educate bettors, etc.). Such handicap information may be presented to one or more players to assist them in placing bets regarding one or more elimination rounds (e.g., by displaying the information through the device, in addition to the game interface, and / or in addition to the first portion of the race event).

[0091] As indicated by block 307, some embodiments may include pausing the presentation and / or otherwise ending the presentation of that portion. For example, a selection from the player may be solicited after the portion is presented. For example, the video of the race portion may be paused, and a betting interface may allow selection of the race winner after the portion is displayed. Each (non-eliminated / remaining) player may be asked to make such a selection. The selection may be required to be made within a certain period of time (e.g., 10 seconds before the presentation resumes). If a selection is not made, in some embodiments, the player may forfeit their entry, which may result in the player being eliminated. In some embodiments, the game may continue after the period of time and / or after all players have made their selections. In some embodiments, the presentation may not be paused, and instead, the selection interface may allow selection during the presentation until some point in the event. An indication of the time or distance remaining for selection may be shown.

[0092] As shown in block 309, some embodiments may include receiving a respective winner selection from each of the players remaining in the elimination game. Such selection may be made through a game interface on the device. Such selection may identify which race participant the player selected to win the event based on the portion of the event presented to the player. A correct selection may result in the player winning this round of the elimination game. An incorrect selection may result in the player being the loser of that round and potentially being eliminated from the elimination game.

[0093] As indicated by block 311, some embodiments may include presenting the remaining portion of the event (and / or, in some embodiments, multiple events) to the player. For example, the event may be presented to the player from the point at which the event is paused, which is considered the end of the selection period, or when betting on any point becomes necessary. This portion may be the remainder to the end of the race and / or some other determined and / or fixed end point. The point at which the presentation ends may be the point at which the winner of the race may be evaluated for the player's selection. In some embodiments, the end point may be some intermediate point. Presenting such information may include presenting similarly to the presentation of earlier portions of the race. Presenting information may be for the same or different events to the player based on the desires of the gaming operator (e.g., different final portions of different events may be presented in embodiments in which players are playing on different events). The presentation may be synchronized and may occur at different times, depending on the desires of the gaming operator.

[0094] As shown in block 313, some embodiments may include eliminating a player who makes an incorrect selection. For example, a player who did not correctly select the winning participant in the just-shown race may be eliminated. Other players may move on to the next round, win the game, etc. Special circumstances in which all players are eliminated are discussed elsewhere. Elimination may include removing a player from the game (e.g., ending the player's game, the player losing the game, etc.).

[0095] As shown in block 315, some embodiments may include determining whether the elimination game has ended. The game may end when there are no players remaining, when one player remains, and / or when some other termination trigger is reached (e.g., when some other number of players remain, when some number of rounds have passed, such as 10, etc.). If the game has not yet ended, the game may repeat back to block 303 for one or more subsequent elimination rounds, which may involve players not yet eliminated from the completed rounds.

[0096] If it is determined that the game is over, as shown in block 317, in some embodiments, one or more players remaining in the game may be awarded a prize. For example, such one or more players may be awarded money from a pool of buy-in money that players of the game paid to participate in the game. Some embodiments may include an outlet for awarding any prizes, prize amounts, etc.

[0097] In some embodiments, the rounds and player selections may occur simultaneously and / or substantially simultaneously (e.g., ignoring transmission, processing, and synchronization errors). In some embodiments, the presentation and selection may occur close in time and / or at different times, as desired. In some embodiments, one or more methods may be used to obscure the video and / or prevent collusion from one player to another if the timing is not similar or identical.

[0098] It should be appreciated that various embodiments may include different, none, similar, more, less, different orders, etc., actions as desired. For example, some embodiments may not display the first portion before a selection is requested. Various embodiments may be employed together in any combination. Games according to some embodiments may allow players to play quick elimination games using past game data rather than waiting for a new race to be run in order to play, and / or may be played in a manner that allows numerous players in various locations to participate.

[0099] Event selection example Some embodiments may include maintaining a library of races (and / or other events). For example, video footage from the race course may be transmitted to and / or received by a server. The information may be stored in a database and tagged in any manner for future retrieval.

[0100] Some embodiments may include categorizing race data for future use. For example, some embodiments may include tagging race data based on a difficulty rating so that races of a particular difficulty level can be accessed in the future if desired. For example, in some embodiments, three levels of difficulty may be maintained. Each difficulty level may correspond to the degree to which participants are close together at a point in the race when a selection is required. Each race may have multiple difficulty levels based on different points throughout the race. The closer participants are together at that point, the more difficult it may be to select a winner. For example, if one horse is far ahead at a selection point, the race may be an easy race because the information at that point provides a large amount of information to the player. If the horses are all the same at the selection points in the race, the race may be a difficult race because the information at that selection point may provide little information to facilitate a selection. Other methods of assessing difficulty may be used (e.g., if the selection point provides misleading information that may increase the difficulty).

[0101] Some embodiments may select the difficulty level of the elimination rounds, for example, the difficulty level may be selected randomly, the difficulty level may be selected to increase with each round, the difficulty level may be selected according to any desired order, and / or in any desired manner.

[0102] In some embodiments, a race of that difficulty level may be randomly selected from a library of races tagged with that difficulty level, and in some embodiments, higher quality videos may be preferred over lower quality videos if they are available for selection.

[0103] It should be appreciated that maintaining, capturing, categorizing, and / or selecting events may be performed in any manner desired, and the examples herein are non-limiting.

[0104] Some embodiments may include actual past races, while other embodiments may include fake races and / or virtual races. For example, in some embodiments, a difficulty level may be determined and a virtual race may be created to simulate a race of that difficulty level.

[0105] Examples of concealment Presenting portions of a race prior to a player's selection may allow cheating to occur. For example, a computer algorithm can be used to analyze a portion of a race to determine the actual race from which the portion originated. A similar process may be implemented using the smartphone application known as Shazam for analyzing musical pieces. With knowledge of which race the presented portion originated from, a user can then know who the winner of the race is and cheat at the selection point.

[0106] Accordingly, some embodiments may include concealing and / or selecting portions and / or races to discourage such cheating. One method of concealing may include removing original sounds from a race (e.g., replacing them with new game sounds or not including any sounds) so that the sounds cannot be used as input for cheating. One method of concealing may include adjusting the presentation to include a different color or additional / removed information (e.g., replacing orange with yellow, removing information from an area of ​​the screen, resizing the screen, manipulating the video to show only a predetermined portion of the recording). One method of concealing may include adjusting the quality of the video (e.g., reducing the quality from the original, reducing the resolution, reducing frames, etc.). One method may include prioritizing new races and / or not reusing races for a certain period of time. One method of concealing may include selecting a random selection point rather than a fixed selection point so that the analysis time for detecting the race may be unknown. One method of concealment may include ending the race at a random or otherwise non-fixed time (e.g., in the last eighth of the race rather than at the actual end of the race). It should be recognized that these are examples only and are not limiting in any way.

[0107] Single-race exclusion example As noted above, the elimination game can occur throughout a single event (live or past). For example, various portions of a race may be one round of the elimination game. The portions may be contiguous (e.g., one portion ends and the next begins immediately, such as eight consecutive races) and / or non-contiguous (e.g., after one eighth, a one-eighth break allows the user to select for the next eighth). The selection period may end one-eighth of a race before the decision point for the selection (e.g., when the first participant reaches the start of one-eighth). It should be recognized that eighths are given by way of example only; any desired portion, such as laps in a NASCAR race, may be used.

[0108] Examples of track events A computing device (e.g., a server) can receive information about the event, receive winner selections by players, determine winners of rounds and / or competitions, etc. Information about the event may be received from any source so the device can determine which players made correct selections and / or which players made incorrect selections.

[0109] The information may be received from a person discerning an event (e.g., a person pressing a button on a computing interface). For example, an employee of a game operator may enter the placement of race participants at the end of a race, enter when a race starts, enter when participants reach a certain point in a race, enter which participant will come first in a portion of a race, etc.

[0110] The information may be received from some type of computing device. For example, a GPS may be installed on each participant, and the GPS data may be used to determine locations and events (e.g., where each participant is on the track, when they reach various points, etc.). The information may be determined based on video monitoring and / or analysis of the race. Various electronic means of determining the locations of race participants may be used. One exemplary system is the Trakus system.

[0111] Free participation example Some embodiments may include an optional free-for-all. For example, during play of an elimination game (e.g., for any round of the game), one or more players may place a bet on that particular round. The player may be a player in the elimination game (e.g., previously eliminated, not eliminated), or some other player not involved in the elimination round. The player may then play a single round of the elimination game, similar to the other players in that round. The difference between play in this mode and play in an elimination game mode may be that the free-for-all mode may be a single-round mode. Winners of the free-for-all mode may split a prize pool with other players in that free-for-all mode, but may not have any impact on the elimination game. Thus, throughout a single round of play, multiple games and / or pools may be played based on a single event. In some embodiments, different bets may be placed in the free-for-all mode, and the denomination of each bet may be pooled with other bets of the same denomination into its own pool (e.g., a $5 pool, a $20 pool, etc., for the same free-for-all round).

[0112] N-exclusion selection example 4 illustrates an exemplary method that may be implemented in some embodiments. Such a method may enable an elimination game to include the ability to rejoin the game after elimination. Such a game may be particularly useful in longer events, such as NASCAR racing, where a player who is eliminated early in the game may want the option to rejoin the game later in the game. Such a method may be implemented by a game server, a computing device, a client device, etc.

[0113] As illustrated in block 401, some embodiments may include accepting buy-ins for an elimination game from multiple players. Players may buy-in at the start of the race. Some embodiments may require that players who intend to participate in the game must buy-in at the start of the race. Some embodiments may allow players to buy-in during the race (e.g., after any number of race selections for the elimination game have already been exceeded, but before any maximum number of race selections has been exceeded). A buy-in may include risking an amount of money (e.g., in cash, from a game account, etc.) for a chance to win the game. For example, at the start of a car race, players may use their mobile devices to place bets on the race-based competition from their game accounts and / or credit cards.

[0114] As shown in block 403, some embodiments may include pooling the accepted buy-ins into a prize pool for the elimination game. Such a pool may include a pari-mutuel pool maintained by the game operator. The game operator may receive some portion of the pool as compensation for running the event. The prize pool may be paid to one or more winners of the elimination game.

[0115] As shown in block 405, some embodiments may include accepting respective selections for the first portion of the event from multiple players. For example, before a car race begins, players may select who is in the lead, such as after the first lap, a set of laps, a portion of a lap, etc. The first portion may be any portion of the race and may not be limited to the beginning of the race (e.g., it may be a later lap). Selections may be required from all players and / or may not be required for a particular portion, depending on the desired implementation. Selections may be made through the mobile devices of players who may be watching the race. The portion may be the same or different for each player (e.g., all players may be required to make a selection for a particular portion, or players may choose the portion in which they wish to make a selection from a set of possible portions). For example, players may be required to make at least one selection every five laps rather than every lap, and / or may be required to make a selection every lap.

[0116] As shown in block 407, some embodiments may include eliminating players who make incorrect selections in the first portion from the elimination game. For example, if a player selects the wrong car to be in the lead at the end of the first lap, the player may be eliminated from the game. Some embodiments may allow a certain number of incorrect selections before elimination.

[0117] As shown in block 409, some embodiments may include allowing correct players to select a second portion of the elimination game without requiring an additional buy-in. For example, a player may be allowed to advance to the next round of the game for free because they made a correct selection. In some embodiments, the second portion may be the next portion, and each correct player may be required to make such a selection. In other embodiments, players may be allowed to select their own next portion by skipping some portions where selections are available (e.g., requiring a selection to be made every five laps, requiring at least some selections to be made throughout the entire race, etc.).

[0118] As shown in block 411, some embodiments may include allowing an eliminated player to re-enter the elimination game by buying into the prize pool and selecting a second portion of the elimination game. For example, after being eliminated, a player may use a mobile device interface to deposit money from a game account and / or credit card into the prize pool to buy back into the elimination game. In some embodiments, a player may be required to buy back the next portion of the game after their elimination or to forfeit a possible future buy-in. In some embodiments, a player may be able to buy back in future portions when desired. In some embodiments, a player may be prevented from buying back into the elimination game at some point in the game. For example, the final X (e.g., 10, 5) portions (e.g., laps) may not be eligible for buyback. This may provide a sufficient final portion of the elimination game to eliminate the player. Otherwise, the player could buy back on the last lap and win the game without having to fully participate. Some embodiments may include determining that the last set of portions has been reached and preventing buy-ins after that last set has been reached.

[0119] The device may continue to receive such selections, evaluate them, eliminate players, etc., until the end of the elimination game. Any number of elimination rounds may be performed or required in various embodiments, subject to game operator rules. For example, the elimination game may continue from the start of the race to the end of the race, or until only one player remains in the elimination game. Throughout the game, eliminated players may buy back elimination games (e.g., any number of times, a limited number of times, subject to any operator restrictions, until part of the last set, etc.).

[0120] Some embodiments may include allocating a prize pool among the players remaining in the elimination game at the conclusion of the elimination game, as indicated by block 413. The pool may include the original buy-ins and any subsequent re-buy-ins from the eliminated players.

[0121] The winner may be determined according to various methods. For example, in some embodiments, the above method may be used when the final player(s) are deemed the winner in the final round. In some embodiments, a number of correct selections by a player may be used to determine the winner (e.g., the winner may be the player who made the most correct selections during the game who remains at the end of the game, or the player who made the most correct selections even if that player does not remain at the end, etc.). Such embodiments may encourage players to make selections frequently and continue to offer buybacks to make more selections. Some embodiments may select a winner such that the winner has made at least some minimum number of correct selections. Such embodiments may allow a player to qualify for the final portion of the game by making a minimum number of correct selections. Some such embodiments may require a selection during the final portion of the game (e.g., the final X, 10 portion where buybacks are not allowed), but may not require a selection during all other portions (e.g., as long as the minimum is reached). Some embodiments may include awarding a bonus to a player based on the number of correct selections (e.g., for each correct selection, they get a larger percentage of the prize pool at the end, for each correct selection they get some amount of money, etc.).

[0122] Some embodiments may include a counter of correct choices versus incorrect choices. For example, a player may remain in the game as long as their correct choices outnumber their incorrect choices in some fashion (e.g., at least as large as, above some threshold, etc.). Thus, in some implementations, a player may not be eliminated for every incorrect choice.

[0123] It should be appreciated that the various embodiments and the illustration in FIG. 4 are given by way of example only.

[0124] It should be appreciated that the various examples herein are provided as non-limiting examples only. For example, while a race is described, it should be appreciated that some embodiments may not be so limited. Instead, any event may be used. For example, a player may be asked to select the winner of an ongoing soccer match, a single soccer game at various points, an arbitrary event, an arbitrary series of events, a fantasy game, a real game, etc.

[0125] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the methods without departing from the scope of the present invention. Methods may include more, fewer, or other steps. In addition, steps may be performed in any suitable order without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0126] While the present disclosure has been described with respect to certain embodiments, generally, related methods, substitutions, and rearrangements of the embodiments and methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of exemplary embodiments does not constrain the present disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, as defined by the claims herein.

[0127] The following sections provide guidance in interpreting this specification.

[0128] II. Terminology The term "product" means any machine, manufacture, and / or composition of matter, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0129] The term "process" means any process, algorithm, method, etc., unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0130] Each process (whether called a method, algorithm, or otherwise) inherently includes one or more steps, and thus any reference to a "step" or "steps" of a process has inherent antecedent basis in the mere recitation of terms such as "process." Accordingly, any reference in a claim to a "step" or "steps" of a process has sufficient antecedent basis.

[0131] "Invention" and like terms mean "one or more inventions disclosed herein" unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0132] The terms "an embodiment," "embodiment," "embodiments," "the embodiment," "the embodiments," "one or more embodiments," "some embodiments," "certain embodiments," "one embodiment," "another embodiment," and the like mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the disclosed invention," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0133] The term "variants" of the present invention means embodiments of the present invention, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0134] A reference to "another embodiment" when describing an embodiment does not imply that the referenced embodiment is mutually exclusive with the other embodiment (e.g., an embodiment described before the referenced embodiment), unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0135] The terms "include" and "comprise" and variations thereof mean "including, but not necessarily limited to," unless expressly stated otherwise. So, for example, the statement "the portfolio includes a red widget and a blue widget" means that the portfolio includes a red widget and a blue widget, but may also include something else.

[0136] The term "consisting of" and variations thereof mean "including and limited to," unless expressly stated otherwise. So, for example, the statement "The portfolio consists of red widgets and blue widgets" means that the portfolio includes red widgets and blue widgets, but nothing else.

[0137] The term "comprises" and variations thereof, unless expressly stated otherwise, means "to make up the components, constituent parts, or elements thereof." Thus, for example, the statement "The red widget and the blue widget comprise a portfolio" means that the portfolio includes the red widget and the blue widget.

[0138] The term "exclusively comprise" and variations thereof, unless expressly stated otherwise, means "exclusively making up, being only a constituent part of, or being only an element of." Thus, for example, the statement "The red widget and the blue widget exclusively comprise the portfolio" means that the portfolio consists solely of red widgets and blue widgets.

[0139] The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more" unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0140] The term "plurality" means "two or more" unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0141] The term "herein" means "herein, including any matter which may be incorporated by reference," unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0142] The phrase "at least one of," when such phrase modifies more than one item (an enumerated list of items), means any combination of one or more of those items, unless expressly stated otherwise. For example, the phrase "at least one of a widget, a car, and a steering wheel" means either (i) a widget, (ii) a car, (iii) a steering wheel, (iv) a widget and a car, (v) a widget and a steering wheel, (vi) a car and a steering wheel, or (vii) a widget, a car, and a steering wheel. The phrase "at least one of," when such phrase modifies more than one item, does not mean "one of each of" the multiple items.

[0143] Numerical terms such as "one," "two," etc., when used as a cardinality to denote some quantity (e.g., one widget, two widgets), mean the quantity denoted by the numerical term, but not at least the quantity denoted by the numerical term. For example, the phrase "one widget" does not mean "at least one widget," and thus the phrase "one widget" does not encompass, for example, two widgets.

[0144] The phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. That is, the phrase "based on" describes both "based only on" and "based at least on." The phrase "based at least on" is equivalent to the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0145] Terms such as "represent" are not exclusive unless expressly stated otherwise. For example, the term "represents" does not mean "represents only" unless expressly stated otherwise. That is, the phrase "data represents a credit card number" describes both "data represents only a credit card number" and "data represents a credit card number and data represents something else as well."

[0146] The term "whereby" is used herein only to precede a clause or other set of words that express only the intended result, purpose, or consequence of something previously expressly recited. Thus, when the term "whereby" is used in a claim, the clause or other words that it modifies do not establish any specific further limitations on the claim or limit the scope or meaning of the claim.

[0147] The term "for example" and similar terms mean "for example," and thus do not limit the term or phrase it describes. For example, in the sentence "a computer sends data (e.g., instructions, data structures) over the Internet," the term "for example" explains that "instructions" are an example of "data" that a computer can send over the Internet, and also explains that a "data structure" is an example of "data" that a computer can send over the Internet. However, both "instructions" and "data structures" are merely examples of "data," and things other than "instructions" and "data structures" can also be "data."

[0148] The term "respectively" and similar terms mean "individually." Thus, when two or more things "respectively" have a property, each such thing has its own property, and these properties may, but need not, differ from one another. For example, the phrase "two machines each have a respective function" means that the first such machine has the function and the second such machine likewise has the function. The function of the first machine may or may not be the same as the function of the second machine.

[0149] The term "namely" and similar terms mean "that is," and thus limit the term or phrase it describes. For example, in the sentence "a computer sends data (i.e., instructions) over the Internet," the term "namely" explains that the "instructions" are the "data" that a computer sends over the Internet.

[0150] Any given numerical range is intended to include integers and fractions within that range. For example, the range "1 to 10" is intended to specifically include integers between 1 and 10 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, ..., 9) and non-integers (e.g., 1.1, 1.2, ..., 1.9).

[0151] Where two or more terms or phrases are synonyms (e.g., because of an explicit statement that the terms or phrases are synonyms), the instance of one such term / phrase does not mean that another such term / phrase must have a different meaning. For example, if a statement indicates that the meaning of "including" is synonymous with "including but not limited to," the mere use of the phrase "including but not limited to" does not mean that the term "including" means anything other than "including but not limited to."

[0152] III. Decide The term "determining" and grammatical variations thereof (e.g., determining a price, determining a value, determining objects that meet certain criteria) are used in an extremely broad sense. The term "determining" encompasses a wide range of actions, such that "determining" can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, examining, referencing (e.g., referencing a table, database, or another data structure), identifying, and the like. "Determining" can also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. "Determining" can also include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0153] The term "determining" does not imply certainty or absolute accuracy; thus, "determining" can include estimating, inferring, predicting, guessing, and the like.

[0154] The term "determining" does not imply that mathematical operations must be performed, that numerical methods must be used, and that an algorithm or process must be used.

[0155] The term "determining" does not imply that any particular device must be used, for example, the determining need not necessarily be performed by a computer.

[0156] IV. Sentence Form If a limitation of a first claim includes one of the features as well as more than one of the features (e.g., a limitation such as "at least one widget" includes one widget as well as more than one widget), and in a second claim that depends from the first claim, the second claim uses the definite article "the" to refer to that limitation (e.g., "the widget"), this does not imply that the first claim includes only one of the features, nor does it imply that the second claim includes only one of the features (e.g., "the widget" can include both one widget and more than one widget).

[0157] When an ordinal number (such as "first," "second," or "third") is used as an adjective before a term, the ordinal number (unless expressly stated otherwise) is used simply to indicate a particular feature, such as to distinguish that feature from another feature described by the same or similar term. For example, a "first widget" may be so named simply to distinguish it from, for example, a "second widget." Thus, the use of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" does not indicate any other relationship between the two widgets, nor does it indicate any other characteristics of either or both widgets. For example, the use of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" does not (1) indicate that the order or location of either widget comes before or after any other widget, (2) indicate that either widget occurs or operates chronologically before or after any other widget, or (3) indicate that either widget is ranked higher or lower in importance or quality than any other widget. Additionally, the mere use of ordinal numbers does not define a numerical limit on the feature identified using the ordinal number. For example, the mere use of the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" before the term "widget" does not indicate that there must be no more than two widgets.

[0158] Where a single device, article, or other product is described herein, two or more devices / articles (whether or not cooperating) may alternatively be used in place of the single device / article described. Thus, functionality described as being possessed by a device may alternatively be possessed by two or more devices / articles (whether or not cooperating).

[0159] Similarly, where two or more devices, articles, or other products are described herein (whether in conjunction with one another or not), a single device / article may alternatively be used in place of two or more of the described devices or articles. For example, a single computer-based device may replace multiple computer-based devices. Thus, various functions described as being performed by two or more devices or articles may alternatively be possessed by a single device / article.

[0160] The functions and / or features of a single device described may alternatively be embodied in one or more other devices that are described but not explicitly described as having such functions / features. Thus, other embodiments need not include the described device itself, but rather may include one or more other devices that have such functions / features in those other embodiments.

[0161] V. Disclosed Examples and Terminology are Non-Limiting Neither the Title (at the top of the first page of this specification) nor the Abstract (at the end of this specification) shall be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the disclosed invention(s), nor shall they be used in interpreting the meaning of any claim, nor shall they be used in limiting the scope of any claim. The Abstract is included herein only as required under 37 CFR 1.72(b).

[0162] The title of this application and the section headings provided herein are for convenience only and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure in any way.

[0163] Many embodiments are described herein and are presented for illustrative purposes only. The described embodiments are not, and are not intended to be, limiting in any way. The invention(s) disclosed herein are broadly applicable to many embodiments, as will be readily apparent from this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and variations, including structural, logical, software, and electrical modifications, may be made to implement the disclosed invention(s). While particular features of the disclosed invention(s) may be described with reference to one or more specific embodiments and / or drawings, it should be understood that such features are not limited to use in the one or more specific embodiments or drawings described with reference, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0164] While one embodiment may be disclosed as including several features, other embodiments of the invention may include fewer than all such features. Thus, for example, a claim may be directed to fewer than the entire set of features in the disclosed embodiment, and such claim may include no other features than those features expressly recited in the claim.

[0165] No method step or product element embodiment described in this application constitutes, is essential to, or is not coextensive with the invention claimed herein, unless expressly so described herein or in the claims.

[0166] The preambles of the claims that follow recite only objects, advantages, and possible uses of the claimed invention and do not limit the claimed invention.

[0167] This disclosure is not a literal description of every embodiment of one or more inventions, nor is this disclosure a listing of one or more features of the invention that are required to be present in all embodiments.

[0168] Not all disclosed embodiments are necessarily covered by the claims (even if including all pending, modified, published, and canceled claims). In addition, an embodiment may be covered (but is not necessarily covered) by several claims. Thus, if one claim (whether pending, modified, published, or canceled) relates to a particular embodiment, this is not evidence that the scope of other claims does not also relate to that embodiment.

[0169] Devices described as communicating with each other need not be in continuous communication with each other unless expressly specified otherwise. Conversely, such devices need only transmit to each other as necessary or desired, and may not actually exchange data most of the time. For example, a machine that communicates with another machine over the Internet may not transmit data to the other machine for extended periods of time (e.g., weeks at a time). In addition, devices that communicate with each other may communicate directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries.

[0170] A description of an embodiment having several components or features does not imply that all or any of such components / features are required. Conversely, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide range of possible embodiments of one or more of the present inventions. Unless expressly specified otherwise, a component / feature is not essential or required.

[0171] Although process steps, algorithms, and the like may be described or claimed in a particular sequential order, such processes can be configured to work in different orders. In other words, any order or sequence of steps that may be explicitly described or claimed does not necessarily indicate a requirement that the steps be performed in that order. Steps of processes described herein can be performed in any order possible. Furthermore, some steps may be performed simultaneously despite not being described or implied as occurring simultaneously (e.g., because one step is described after another step). Furthermore, the illustration of a process by illustration in a drawing does not imply that the illustrated process is exclusive of other variations and modifications, does not imply that the illustrated process or any of its steps are required for one or more of the present inventions, and does not illustrate that the illustrated process is preferred.

[0172] Although a process may be described as including multiple steps, this does not imply that all or any of the steps are preferred, essential, or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of one or more of the present inventions include other processes that omit some or all of the described steps. Otherwise, unless expressly stated otherwise, no step is critical or necessary.

[0173] Although a process may be described in isolation, i.e., without reference to other products or methods, in one embodiment, the process may interact with other products or methods. For example, such interactions may include linking one business model to another. Such interactions may be provided to increase the flexibility or desirability of the process.

[0174] Although a product may be described as including multiple components, aspects, quantities, properties, and / or characteristics, this does not indicate that some or all of those multiples are preferred, essential, or required. Various other embodiments within the scope of the described invention(s) include other products that omit some or all of the described multiples.

[0175] An enumerated list of items (some numbered and some unnumbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, an enumerated list of items (some numbered and some unnumbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are inclusive of any category, unless expressly stated otherwise. For example, the enumerated list "computer, laptop, PDA" does not imply that any or all of the three items in the list are mutually exclusive, nor does it imply that any or all of the three items in the list are inclusive of any category.

[0176] An enumerated list of items (some numbered and some unnumbered) does not imply that any or all of the items are equivalent to or readily substituted for one another.

[0177] All embodiments are illustrative and do not imply that the invention or any embodiment has been made or performed, as the case may be.

[0178] VI. Computing Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the various processes described herein may be implemented, for example, by appropriately programmed general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, and computing devices. Typically, a processor (e.g., one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more digital signal processors) receives instructions (e.g., from a memory or similar device) and executes those instructions, thereby performing one or more processes defined by the instructions. The instructions may be embodied, for example, in one or more computer programs, one or more scripts.

[0179] "Processor" means one or more microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), computing devices, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or similar devices, or any combination thereof, regardless of architecture (e.g., chip-level multiprocessing / multicore, RISC, CISC, microprocessors with no interlocked pipeline stages, pipelined, simultaneous multithreading).

[0180] Accordingly, a description of a process is also a description of an apparatus for practicing the process. An apparatus for practicing a process may include, for example, a processor and input / output devices suitable for practicing the process.

[0181] Furthermore, programs (as well as other types of data) implementing such methods may be stored and transmitted in several ways using various media (e.g., computer-readable media). In some embodiments, hardwired circuitry or custom hardware may be used in place of, or in combination with, some or all of the software instructions that can implement the processes of various embodiments. Thus, various combinations of hardware and software may be used in place of software alone.

[0182] The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any medium, multiple of the same media, or combination of different media, that participates in providing data (e.g., instructions, data structures) that can be read by a computer, a processor, or a similar device. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks, magnetic disks, and other permanent memory. Volatile media include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typically constitutes main memory. Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled to a processor. Transmission media can include or convey acoustic waves, light waves, and electromagnetic emissions such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, a DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with a pattern of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM, Flash EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described below, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

[0183] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying data (e.g., sequences of instructions) to the processor. For example, data may (i) be sent from RAM to the processor, (ii) be carried over a wireless transmission medium, (iii) be formatted and / or transmitted in accordance with a number of formats, standards, or protocols, such as Ethernet (or IEEE 802.3), SAP, ATP, Bluetooth, TCP / IP, TDMA, CDMA, and 3G, and / or (iv) be encrypted in any of a variety of ways known in the art to ensure privacy and prevent fraud.

[0184] Thus, a description of a process is also a description of a computer-readable medium that stores a program for implementing the process. The computer-readable medium can store (in any suitable format) program elements that are suitable for implementing the method.

[0185] Just as the description of various steps in a process does not indicate that all steps described are required, apparatus embodiments include computers / computing devices operable to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described processes.

[0186] Similarly, just as the description of various steps in a process does not indicate that all described steps are required, embodiments of a computer-readable medium storing a program or data structure include computer-readable media storing a program that, when executed, can cause a processor to perform some (but not necessarily all) of the described processes.

[0187] Where a database is described, those skilled in the art will understand that (i) alternative database structures to the described structure can be readily utilized, and (ii) other memory structures besides a database can also be readily utilized. Any illustrations or descriptions of any sample databases presented herein are exemplary configurations of stored information representation. For example, any number of other configurations other than those suggested by tables shown in drawings or elsewhere may be utilized. Similarly, those skilled in the art will understand that any illustrated entries in a database represent only exemplary information, and that the number and content of entries may differ from those described herein. Furthermore, despite any description of a database as a table, other formats (including relational databases, object-based models, and / or distributed databases) may be used to store and manipulate the data types described herein. Similarly, methods or behaviors of objects in a database can be used to implement various processes as described herein. Additionally, databases can be stored in known manners, either locally or remotely to or from devices that access data in such databases.

[0188] Various embodiments can be configured to operate in a network environment including a computer in communication with one or more devices (e.g., via a communications network). The computer can communicate with the devices directly or indirectly via wired or wireless media (e.g., the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or Ethernet, token ring, telephone lines, cable lines, radio channels, optical communications lines, commercial online service providers, bulletin board systems, satellite communications links, or any combination of the above). Each device can itself comprise a computer or other computing device, such as one based on an Intel® Pentium® or Centrino™ processor, configured to communicate with the computer. Any number and type of devices may be in communication with the computer.

[0189] In one embodiment, a server computer or central authority may not be necessary or desirable. For example, the present invention may, in one embodiment, be implemented on one or more devices without a central authority. In such an embodiment, any functionality described herein as being performed by a server computer or data described as being stored on a server computer may be implemented on or stored on one or more such devices instead of the server computer.

[0190] Where a process is described, in one embodiment the process may operate without any user intervention, while in another embodiment the process includes some human intervention (e.g., the steps are performed by or with the assistance of a human).

[0191] VII. Continuing Applications This disclosure provides one of ordinary skill in the art with an enabling description of several embodiments and / or inventions, some of which may not be claimed in the present application, but may nevertheless be claimed in one or more continuing applications claiming benefit of priority to the present application.

[0192] Applicant intends to file additional applications to claim patents for subject matter disclosed and enabled but not claimed in this application.

[0193] VIII. 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph 6 In a claim, a claim limitation containing the phrase "means for" or "step for" means that 35 USC 112, sixth paragraph, applies to that limitation.

[0194] In a claim, a claim limitation that does not include the phrase "means for" or "step for" means that 35 U.S.C. 112, paragraph 6 does not apply to that limitation, whether or not the limitation recites a function without including a recitation of structure, materials, or acts for performing that function. For example, the mere use in a claim of the phrase "step(s) of" when referring to one or more steps in that claim or another claim does not mean that 35 U.S.C. 112, paragraph 6 applies to that step(s).

[0195] With respect to means or steps for performing a specified function pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 112, paragraph 6, the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in this specification, and its equivalents, may perform additional functions, as well as the specified functions.

[0196] Computers, processors, computing devices, and similar products are structures capable of performing a wide range of functions. Such products may be operable to perform specified functions by executing one or more programs, such as programs stored in the product's memory device or in a memory device accessed by the product. Unless expressly stated otherwise, such programs need not be based on any particular program, such as any particular algorithm, that might be disclosed herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that specified functions may be implemented via different algorithms, and that any of several different algorithms is merely a design choice for performing the specified function.

[0197] Thus, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112, paragraph 6, with respect to means or steps for performing a particular function, a structure corresponding to the specified function includes any product programmed to perform the specified function. Such structure includes a programmed product that performs the function, regardless of whether such product is programmed with (i) the disclosed algorithm to perform the function, (ii) an algorithm similar to the disclosed algorithm, or (iii) a different algorithm to perform the function.

[0198] Where a method recites a means for performing a function, the structure for performing the method includes a computing device (e.g., a general-purpose computer) that is programmed and / or configured with appropriate hardware to perform the function.

[0199] Also included are computing devices (eg, general-purpose computers) that are programmed and / or configured with appropriate hardware to perform their functions via other algorithms that would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0200] IX.Abandonment Many references to particular embodiments do not imply a disclaimer or denial of additional, different embodiments, and similarly, references to descriptions of embodiments that all include particular features do not imply a disclaimer or denial of embodiments that do not include the particular features. Any explicit disclaimer or denial in this application shall be preceded by the phrase "does not include" or the phrase "cannot be implemented."

[0201] X. Incorporation by Reference Any patents, patent applications, or other documents referenced herein are incorporated by reference into this patent application as part of this disclosure, but are solely for purposes of written description under 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 1 and enablement under 35 U.S.C. §112, paragraph 1, and should in no way be used to limit, define, or interpret any term herein unless the ordinary meaning would not have been ascertained by one of ordinary skill in the art without such incorporation by reference. Accordingly, one of ordinary skill in the art need in no way be limited by any embodiment provided by reference.

[0202] Any incorporation by reference does not, in itself, imply any endorsement, approval, or acquiescence of any statements, opinions, arguments, or features contained in any incorporated patent, patent application, or other document, unless expressly stated otherwise in this patent application.

[0203] XI. Review Process In interpreting this application (including the claims), those skilled in the art shall refer to the prosecution history of this application and not to the prosecution history of any other patent or patent application, regardless of whether there are other patent applications that may be considered related to this application or that share a claim of priority with this application.

[0204] [Appendix 1] accepting, by the computing device, bets from a first set of players to participate in a competition including the greatest number of rounds; by the computing device, for each round: accepting, from the remaining players in said competition, the respective selections of the winning participants for each respective event on which each round is based; ceasing to accept said selections from said remaining players at some point between the start and end of said respective event; determining that one or more winning players are one or more players who correctly selected a winner of the respective event; and conducting successive rounds of the competition by: conducting the successive rounds includes continuing to conduct the successive rounds until at least one of: no player correctly selects a winning selection; only one player correctly selects a winning selection; and the maximum number of rounds has been completed; and excluding players who did not correctly select a winning selection from subsequent rounds of the successive rounds; awarding, by the computing device, a prize to each of the players who guessed the winning selection before the final consecutive round, the one player, and the remaining players after the maximum number of rounds has been completed. [Appendix 2] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein accepting a bet includes accepting a buy-in for the competition. [Appendix 3] 2. The method of claim 1, including allowing a player eliminated from a previous round to buy in to a subsequent round by placing another bet. [Appendix 4] 2. The method of claim 1, comprising determining the events for each round by selecting recorded events from a library of recorded events. [Appendix 5] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting recorded events includes determining a desired difficulty level for each round and selecting recorded events tagged with that difficulty level. [Appendix 6] Each event will include one race, as described in Appendix 1. [Appendix 7] Each event comprises a portion of a single race, as set forth in Appendix 1. [Appendix 8] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein accepting each selection includes pausing presentation of each event for a period of time to allow the player to input a selection, and stopping acceptance includes resuming said presentation. [Appendix 9] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein conducting successive rounds includes displaying an initial portion of each event before accepting the respective selection. [Appendix 10] 2. The method of claim 1, comprising pooling the bets together and awarding a prize from the pool. [Appendix 11] accepting, by a computing device, buy-ins into a competition from each of a plurality of players; determining, by the computing device, for a first player in a first round, a recorded first event that is stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level associated with the first round; determining, by the computing device, a recorded second event for a second player in the first round, the second event being stored in the event library and tagged with the difficulty level; presenting, by the computing device, a first portion of the first event to the first player and a first portion of the second event to the second player; receiving, by the computing device, a first selection of a winner for the first event from the first player and a second selection of a winner for the second event from the second player; determining, by the computing device, whether the first player will advance to a second round of the competition depending on whether the first selection is correct based on a second portion of the first event, and whether the second player will advance to a second round of the competition depending on whether the second selection is correct based on a second portion of the second event. [Appendix 12] 12. The method of claim 11, comprising tagging each event in the event library with a difficulty level based on proximity of an event supporter at the end of each respective first portion of each event. [Appendix 13] 12. The method of claim 11, comprising presenting the second portion of the first event to the first player and the second portion of the second event to the second player. [Appendix 14] 14. The method of claim 13, comprising pausing the presentation of each of the first event and the second event between respective first and second portions, and requiring the first player to make the first selection while the presentation is paused, and the second player to make the second selection while the presentation is paused. [Appendix 15] 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the respective second portions are presented in response to receiving a respective selection. [Appendix 16] 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second events comprise respective horse races. [Appendix 17] 12. The method of claim 11, comprising concealing presentation of the first portion of the first event and the first portion of the second event. [Appendix 18] 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the concealing includes at least one of making adjustments to the recording, changing a color of the recording, and changing a sound of the recording. [Appendix 19] 12. The method of claim 11, comprising determining that the first and second players are in the same competition based on when buy-ins are received from each of the first player and the second player, such that the players are in the competition in response to submitting buy-ins at similar times. [Appendix 20] 1. An apparatus comprising: a computing device; The device comprises: accepting bets from a first set of players to participate in a competition involving the greatest number of rounds; For each round, accepting, from the remaining players in said competition, the respective selections of the winning participants for each respective event on which each round is based; ceasing to accept said selections from said remaining players at some point between the start and end of said respective event; determining that one or more winning players are one or more players who correctly selected a winner of each of the events; and conducting successive rounds of the competition by: conducting successive rounds of the competition, wherein conducting the successive rounds includes continuing to conduct the successive rounds until at least one of: no player correctly selects a winning selection; only one player correctly selects a winning selection; and the maximum number of rounds has been completed; and excluding players who did not correctly select a winning selection from subsequent rounds of the successive rounds; a non-transitory medium storing a plurality of instructions for causing a prize to be awarded to each one of a player who guesses a winning selection before a final consecutive round, the one player, and the remaining players after the maximum number of rounds has been completed. [Appendix 21] 1. An apparatus comprising: a computing device; The device comprises: accepting buy-ins into the competition from each of a plurality of players; having a first player in a first round determine a recorded first event that is stored in an event library and tagged with a difficulty level associated with said first round; having a second player in the first round determine a recorded second event that is stored in the event library and tagged with the difficulty level; presenting a first portion of the first event to the first player and a first portion of the second event to the second player; receiving a first selection of a winner of the first event from the first player and a second selection of a winner of the second event from the second player; and determining whether the first player advances to a second round of the competition depending on whether the first selection is correct based on a second portion of the first event, and whether the second player advances to a second round of the competition depending on whether the second selection is correct based on a second portion of the second event.

Claims

1. A database for storing video footage; A network interface; at least one processor; The at least one processor recording a plurality of video images of a plurality of recorded races in said database; playing video footage of a first recorded race of the plurality of recorded races; concealing selected portions of the first recorded race that reveal a potential winner before bets on a winner of the first recorded race are accepted; storing information representing a plurality of difficulty levels of the first recorded race based at least in part on when bets on the winner in the first recorded race were accepted; accepting data representing bets on the winner of the first recorded race from a first set of a plurality of remote mobile devices via the network interface; preventing further acceptance of data representing bets on a winner of the first recorded race at a particular time before an actual winner of the first recorded race is known; the first recorded race is completed before bets on the winner of the first recorded race are accepted; Device.

2. The device described in claim 1, wherein the step of concealing a selected portion of the first recorded race includes a step of manipulating a portion of the video footage of the first recorded race that reveals the potential winner, thereby causing at least a portion of the video footage to be played.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selected portion is hidden from all of the first set of the plurality of remote mobile devices.

4. A method of claim 1, comprising: storing, by at least one processor, video footage of a plurality of recorded races in a database; the at least one processor playing video footage of a first recorded race of the plurality of recorded races; the at least one processor concealing selected portions of the first recorded race that reveal a potential winner before bets on a winner of the first recorded race are accepted; the at least one processor storing information representing a plurality of difficulty levels of the first recorded race based at least in part on when bets on the winner in the first recorded race were accepted; accepting, by the at least one processor, via a network interface, data representing bets on the winner of the first recorded race from a first set of a plurality of remote mobile devices; the at least one processor preventing further acceptance of data representing bets on a winner of the first recorded race at a specified time before an actual winner of the first recorded race is revealed; the first recorded race is completed before bets on the winner of the first recorded race are accepted; method.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of concealing a selected portion of the first recorded race includes a step of manipulating a portion of the video footage of the first recorded race that reveals the potential winner, thereby causing at least a portion of the video footage to be played.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the selected portion is hidden from all of the first set of the plurality of remote mobile devices.

7. A non-volatile computer-readable medium storing a plurality of executable instructions, wherein execution of the plurality of executable instructions by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to: storing video footage of a plurality of recorded races in a database; playing video footage of a first recorded race of the plurality of recorded races; concealing selected portions of the first recorded race that reveal a potential winner before bets on a winner of the first recorded race are accepted; storing information representing a plurality of difficulty levels of the first recorded race based at least in part on when bets on the winner in the first recorded race were accepted; accepting data representing bets on the winner of the first recorded race from a first set of a plurality of remote mobile devices via a network interface; preventing further acceptance of data representing bets on a winner of the first recorded race at a particular time before an actual winner of the first recorded race is known; the first recorded race is completed before bets on the winner of the first recorded race are accepted; Medium.

8. The medium described in claim 7, wherein the step of concealing a selected portion of the first recorded race includes a step of manipulating a portion of the video footage of the first recorded race that reveals the potential winner, thereby causing at least a portion of the video footage to be played.

9. The medium described in claim 7, wherein the selected portion is hidden from all of the first set of the plurality of remote mobile devices.

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