Abstract: A gaming application is disclosed which is executable by a computer workstation such as a general purpose computer. The workstation is linked to a central gaming server over a network such as the Internet. The application includes a search facility whereby a player can enter search criteria (essentially player preferences) in order to identify available instances of games that have attributes of interest. The search criteria data is sent to the gaming server. The gaming server searches a database of current on-line game instances and responds by sending a datagram containing data for instances of games meeting the search criteria, which are then displayed on the workstation. In one form, the search facility includes a “quick start” feature whereby the user can request that they directly join an instance of a game in progress which meets the search criteria. If the player used the “quick start” feature, and the gaming server found a match, the player is taken directly to the game instance.

Abstract: A betting terminal comprises a gaming server (2) that regulates the progress of a number of different selectable games, a user access facility (3a, 3b), a communication network (9), storage means (10) and a logging facility (11) capable of logging transaction data relating to each wager placed by the player on the user access facility and to download the logged transaction data to the storage facility.

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: 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 system for the purchase of services comprises: a selection means operable by a purchaser to select one or more desired service providing means from a number of different available service providing means, each of the different service providing means being activatable to provide a corresponding service to the purchaser against the consumption of credit; a payment facility capable of receiving payment for the provision of the desired services; a dispensing facility responsive to receipt of payment from the purchaser to make available the selected one or more service providing means to the purchaser; and a credit supply means responsive to receipt of payment at from the purchaser to supply the purchaser with a predetermined amount of credit.

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 signalling system includes a gaming server operable under program control to regulate the progress of a multiplayer game in accordance with game play decisions made, in turn, by each of the participating players, a user terminal for each player, and a display monitor associated with each user terminal. Each user terminal is operable by a player to access the gaming server along a communication channel and to make game play decisions. Each display monitor is responsive to communication from the gaming server to display to a player an indicium, in the form of a graphic icon, representing a status of that player's participation in the game. The status is a pending state where that player is next in turn to make a game play decision, and a completed state where the player is not next in turn to make a game play decision.

Abstract: A multiplayer gaming system that is usable by a number of participating players to play a multiplayer game, comprises a plurality of player stations, each player station enabling a respective participating player to place a wager on an outcome of the multiplayer game and to play a separate instance of a same single-player game having a plurality of possible results, and an application web server communicable with each one of the plurality of player stations. The application web server is operable to determine an outcome of the multiplayer game as a function of the combined results of the separate instances of the single-player game played at the plurality of player stations. The outcome of the multiplayer game is either a favourable outcome if one or more participating players are determined by the application web server as being a winner of the multiplayer game, or an unfavourable outcome in which none of the participating players is determined as being a winner.

Abstract: A multiplayer gaming system facilitates play of a single-player game having a plurality of possible results. The system includes a gaming server communicable with the workstation. The server is operable to transmit data to the workstation comprising the outcome of multiple instances of a single-player game, including the game being played on the instant workstation as well as an instance of the game being played simultaneously on another workstation. The workstation may then display the outcome of multiple instances of the single-player game. Ordinarily, the display of the other instances is for presentation purposes only and the player does not wager on the other instances. Rather, the display of the other instances is provided to simulate a land-based casino experience. In one embodiment, it facilitates a play of a multiplayer game based on the outcomes of separate instances of a single-player game.

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: 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: a wager administration system comprises a primary wagering facility operable by a player to place an initial wager on a desired primary individual number in a turn of the game of roulette, and a secondary wagering facility instructable by the player to place an additional wager on an individual number adjacent the primary individual number on a layout of a roulette wheel. The secondary wagering facility is also instructable by the player to place additional wagers on each on of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15 or 16 individual numbers, selectively, located closest to the primary individual number and circumferentially to one side of thereof on a layout of a roulette wheel.

Abstract: A decision support system comprises a decision repository with at least one stored game play decision for a particular hand held by a player and a corresponding first card held by a dealer, in a game of blackjack, and a programming facility operable, selectively, by the player to amend the at least one stored game play decision. The decision repository has a stored game play decision for every possible combination of a particular hand held by the player and corresponding first card held by the dealer.

Abstract: A control system (1) for an online casino game has a man-machine interface (FIG. 1) operable by a player to regulate the progress of the game, and includes a switch means (8) operable by the player to selectively switch the man-machine interface between two modes in which the player may regulate the progress of the particular game. The two modes are a regular mode in which the interface is of a predetermined complexity, and an expert mode in which the interface is of an increased complexity relative to that of the regular mode.

Abstract: 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: A strategy support system (1) for a game of video poker includes a gaming facility (2) operable to deal a poker hand of five initial playing cards to a player, an evaluation facility (7) operable to predict the chance of obtaining a desirable and an undesirable hand of poker pursuant to substitution of any number of the five initial playing cards with other dealt cards, a goal selector (10) that can be activated by the player to select a desired goal for the hand of poker; and a controller (11) capable of automatically effecting a game play decision by causing substitution of any selection of one or more of the five initial playing cards as a function of the selected desired the goal and the chances predicted by the evaluation facility (7).

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.