Abstract: A betting terminal comprises a gaming server that regulates the progress of any one of a number of different selectable games, a user access facility usable by a player to select any one of the games for play and to place a wager thereon, a communication network providing communication between the gaming server and the gaming server, a watchdog controller configurable to disable the user access facility for play upon the occurrence of a predetermined event, and a reset facility activatable to re-enable the user access facility for play. The predetermined event con be configured to be any one of the effluxion of a configurable period of time, the completion of a configurable number of turns of any of the different games, and the earlier of the effluxion of the configurable period of time and the completion of the configurable number of turns of any of the different games.

Abstract: A gaming system comprises one or more player stations, a repository containing a number of different software programs, and a download server communicable with the repository and each one of the player stations by means of a communication network. Each player station is identified by a unique code and is operable by a respective player to play a corresponding game. Each software program in the repository is executable on any player station to generate a simulation of a different game. One or more of selected software programs contained in the repository are encrypted, remotely from any of the player Stations, as a function of the unique identification code of a particular of the player stations. The download server is responsive to the encryption and downloads the encrypted software program or programs to the particular player station whose unique identification code was used for encryption.

Abstract: A method and system for customizing a gaming machine by transferring software files from a download server to a gaming machine. The download server may store software files in three-tier hierarchical structure and execute program logic to determine which software files need to be transmitted to the gaming machine to customize the gaming machine. The method may include (i) determining a download signature for software files that correspond to the gaming machine and that are stored at the download server, (ii) determining a machine signature for software files stored at the gaming machine, (iii) comparing the download signature to the machine signature, and (iv) allowing the gaming machine to carry out gaming functions if the signatures match, or (v) if the signatures do not match, updating the gaming machine with gaming machine software files and, thereafter, allowing the gaming machine to carry out gaming functions.

Abstract: A gaming system comprises a primary wagering facility which is usable by a player to place an initial wager on a turn of a game of blackjack, and a secondary wagering facility which automatically places a side wager on the same turn of the game of blackjack. The system provides for two blackjack hands, a first one for the player and a second one for a dealer. The system includes an accumulation facility which accumulates a fixed portion of the wager in a pooled jackpot. The side wager relates to an outcome of a first three cards dealt in the player's hand. In particular, the side wager is deemed to be successful if one or more of the first three cards dealt in the player's hand is of a predetermined rank, or is of a particular suite, or both. In order to increase the appeal of the gaming system, the predetermined rank is selected to be a seven, and the particular suite is selected to be diamonds.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for playing poker are provided. The method includes a step of placing an ante bet for each of one or more hands to be played. The player may optionally place a side bet for each of the one or more played hands. The side bet is that a set of cards (e.g., two) to be dealt to such hand will have a predetermined ranking. In any event, the set of cards are dealt to each played hand. For each of the played hands, the player takes one of the following actions: a fold action, a call action, or a raise action. Then, one or more community cards are dealt (alternatively, the cards are dealt into each hand directly). Then, a ranking is done each of the played hands, each played hand formed of the initial set of cards dealt plus the community card(s). A payout occurs for each of the played hands according to the wager, the ranking, the result of any side bets placed, and a predetermined paytable.

Abstract: A central gaming server transmits game lobby pages to a multitude of distributed computing devices accessing a gaming website or websites over a network such as the Internet. To overcome scalability problems in keeping the lobby displays up-to-date and accurate in all the participating distributed workstations, particularly in a dynamic gaming environment where hundreds or thousands of games may be going on simultaneously, game or player data in the lobby displays is transmitted as individual pages along with icons by which the users of the computing devices can request additional pages. Updates are performed for only the displayed pages. This approach provides a significant improvement in server and network performance over prior techniques in which all game statistics for a particular selected type of game (or statistics on all the current players) was sent to each workstation and the workstation would scroll through the entire data set as necessary to view all the game or player data.

Abstract: A gaming system (1) comprises a primary wagering facility (6) which is us able by a player to place an initial wager on a turn of a game of blackjack, and a secondary wagering facility (7) which automatically places a side wager on the same turn of the game of blackjack. the system provides for two blackjack hands, a first one for the player and a second one for a dealer. The system includes an accumulation facility (10) which accumulates a fixed portion of the wager in a pooled jackpot. The side wager relates to an outcome of a first three cards dealt in the player's hand. In particular, the side wager is deemed to be successful if one or more of the first three cards dealt in the player's hand is of a predetermined rank, or is of a particular suite, or both. In order to increase the appeal of the gaming system, the predetermined rank is selected to be a seven, and the particular suite is selected to be diamonds.

Abstract: A jackpot wagering system includes a number of player terminals, a random event generator and an accumulation facility. Each player terminal is operable by a respective player to place a corresponding wager on one or more different turns of a game of chance, while the accumulation facility is responsive to placement of each wager to accumulate a portion thereof in an accumulation account; The random event generator is activatable by placement of each wager to generate a random event upon which an outcome of a turn of the game of chance is based, the outcome being one of a number of possible outcomes that includes a favourable outcome causing the player who placed that wager to win the contents of the accumulation account.

Abstract: A method for playing a multiple-play poker game includes the step of displaying a pool hand comprising a plurality of face up cards. The pool hand is not played, subject to wager, or subject to poker hand rankings. The pool hand is provided solely as a means for designation of none, one or more of the cards of the pool hand as held cards. Preferably, at the time of display of the pool hand and designation of held cards, playing hands are not displayed, keeping the player focused on the selection process. The method continues with reproducing the held cards in a plurality of playing hands, completing the plurality of playing hands with new face up cards, if any, and determining a ranking of each of the completed playing hands.

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure A gaming apparatus (1) includes three game display units (8a), each game display unit being capable of randomly selecting and displaying a set of indicia from a number of possible indicia sets. The number of possible indicia sets includes one or more winning indicia set. An activation facility is operable to cause activation of all of the game display units (8a) that independently and concurrently each select and display a corresponding indicia set from the number of possible indicia sets. The gaming apparatus (1) includes, further, a wagering facility that enables a user (7) to place a wager associated with each one of the game display unit (8a), and a detector means capable of detecting the selection and display of any winning indicia set by anyone of the game display units (8a).

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure A system for playing a zero-sum game includes a gaming server operable under program control to regulate the progress one or more instances of the zero-sum game such as multiplayer poker, and a number of portal websites on the World Wide Web of the Internet. The gaming server is also accessible on World Wide Web and enables participation in the instance of the zero-sum game by a predetermined number of players. The gaming server initiates further instances of the zero-sum game when all prior instances of the game have the predetermined plurality of participating players. Each player is able to access the gaming server by means of a corresponding Internet-enabled computer workstation, access for each player occurring through a respective one of the number of portal websites. The system maintains a register of players participating in the instance of the game.

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure A menu selection system (1) including a game server (2) and a user access facility in the form of a computer work-station (3) with an associated display (5) and a pointing device (5a). The workstation (3) is remotely located from the game server (2) and communication between the two is provided across communications network (4).

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure A gaming apparatus comprises a server and a client computer, each operating under stored program control and in communication with each other by means of a communication network. The client computer is usable by a player to place a wager on an outcome of a particular spin of a roulette wheel, as well as a side wager on a combined outcome of the particular spin of the roulette wheel and one or more immediately preceding spins of the wheel. A portion of each side wager is accumulated in a pooled jackpot. Once the wagers have been placed, the gaming server randomly selects the outcome of the particular spin of the roulette wheel, and evaluates the success, or otherwise, of the side wager. The side wager is successful if the outcomes of the particular spin of the roulette wheel and the immediately preceding spins are identical.

Abstract: Abstract of the Disclosure A system for concurrent gaming comprises a gaming server and a client computer connected to the gaming server by means of an open communication network. The gaming server is instructable by the client to randomly select multiple, concurrent hands of playing cards to a player in a turn of a game of Caribbean Stud poker. The compositions of the multiple, randomly selected concurrent hands is transmitted by the gaming server along the communication network to the client computer where they are displayed to the player, under program control as part of a simulation of the game of Caribbean Stud poker. Gaming server also generates the gaming server also randomly selects a hand associated with a dealer in the game, the composition of the dealer's hand being also transmitted by the gaming server to the client computer and displayed as part of the simulation.