AU2021107482A4 - Method of and system for fantasy gaming - Google Patents

Abstract

A fantasy gaming system and method wherein a game player is able to bet on race participants, such as race horses, using fantasy gaming units which are allocated on 5 line. The fantasy gaming units are virtual betting tokens which need not be purchased though monetary payment. Awards made though the fantasy gaming system, such as prize winnings for bets placed using fantasy gaming units, may be awarded as monetary payouts, or goods or services having monetary value. 10 Figure 1 18007355_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU 2/5 50 Provide on-line access to fantasy gaming server 52 Receive form information and make available on-line to players 54 Receive race event details and make available on-line to players 56 Receive race participant selections from players 58 Receive fantasy gaming unit stakes from players 60 Receive results of the race events 62 Allocate fantasy gaming units to the accounts of players that have selected winning participants using the results 64 of the race events and according to game rules Determine one or more winning players based on a comparison of the player accounts 66 Fig. 2

Description

2/5 50

Provide on-line access to fantasy gaming server 52

Receive form information and make available on-line to players 54

Receive race event details and make available on-line to players 56

Receive race participant selections from players 58

Receive fantasy gaming unit stakes from players 60

Receive results of the race events 62

Allocate fantasy gaming units to the accounts of players that have selected winning participants using the results 64 of the race events and according to game rules

Determine one or more winning players based on a comparison of the player accounts 66

Fig. 2

METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR FANTASY GAMING

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method of and system for fantasy gaming.

Background Art

In Australia, a person who wishes to place a bet on a race horse may do so through a registered TAB Agency or State Government-registered Bookmaker. Punters typically consult form guides published in daily newspapers and the Internet to determine the odds on particular horses winning a racing event. These published form guides may also provide information about the horse's performance in recent racing events as well as information concerning the condition of the race track. The analysis required of this information is one of the biggest barriers to the more wide-spread participation in TAB betting of the eighteen - forty year old market. This same age group is also the most computer and Internet savvy age group in the market place, as evidenced by the popularity of on-line activities by this age group. There is a need for alternative betting platforms.

Throughout this specification the term "comprising" is used inclusively, in the sense that there may be other features and/or steps included in the invention not expressly defined or comprehended in the features or steps subsequently defined or described. What such other features and/or steps may include will be apparent from the specification read as a whole.

Summary of the Disclosure

The present invention was developed with a view to providing an on-line fantasy "betting" game that will enable game participants to place fantasy bets on horse races, optionally based on an on-line analysis of form information. It will be apparent from the following description that the invention has application to other racing events such as dog racing and motor car racing, and is not limited to horse racing.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of on-line gaming facilitated by a fantasy gaming system accessible via a communication network, the method comprising:

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU enabling a player to be allocated fantasy gaming units on-line to a gaming unit account held in memory of the fantasy gaming system, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event; enabling a player to input instructions to the fantasy gaming system via a network connected user device to: select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units; determining the outcome of the at least one racing event; determining by the fantasy gaming system the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event; and, awarding a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

In this aspect, fantasy gaming units are non-monetary units, allocated to players without exchange of monetary payment or subscription fee. For example, players may be allocated fantasy gaming units on initial subscription, as prizes, or in return for engagement with the fantasy gaming system or promotions facilitated through the fantasy gaming platform.

In this aspect, the method may further comprise providing to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events. The form information may be received at the gaming system from a publisher in on-line communication with the gaming system. The form information may be based on available actual form information relating to the real race horses.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events and facilitating on-line access to the racing event details by a player. The racing event details may be received at the gaming system from an on-line source of racing events information.

In an embodiment, the method comprises storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for each player in a respective player account, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

In an embodiment, the method comprises an initial step of receiving a player subscribing

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU request and, allocating a defined number of fantasy gaming units to each player periodically during the term of the subscription.

In an embodiment, the method comprises at defined periodic subscription intervals, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic subscription interval, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic subscription interval.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises facilitating a promotion companies paying a fee to utilise their promotional competitions within the system. Promoters can engage with the fantasy gaming system via a promoter portal to, set up and run promotions facilitated by and/or in conjunction with the fantasy gaming system. Promoters may pay a monetary fee to the fantasy gaming system operator for this service, optionally promoters may also supply prizes for the promotion. For example, the prizes provided by the promoter may be in the form of monetary rewards (in cash or virtual currency), goods, merchandise, vouchers, tickets or services. That is, the revenue generated by the system is primarily from the promotional companies fees to utilise the system rather than a user paying subscriptions to use the system.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises the promotion companies after payment of a fee, accessing a portal to the system. The portal provides a user interface to enable promoters to configure aspects of the promotion to be facilitated through the fantast gaming system. For example, the user interface may provide a pick list for the promotion companies to choose which type of competition to run; define a set of rules for the competition; prize/s for the competition; a set of rules for the prize/s determination etc. The portal may also enable promoters to upload promotional content for presentation via the fantast gaming system. The portal may also enable a promoter to configure engagement rules and identify content to monitor for player engagement during the promotion for which players may be allocated credits in response to engagement with promotional content or participation in the competition.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises the fantasy gaming system operating with the configured promotion (competition, prizes and respective rules), so that the system monitors engagement of each player in the system and determines in accordance with the defined rules, the competition winners. In an embodiment, the method further comprises each player having a potential to earn

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU fantasy gaming units through participation/engagement in a promotional competition.

In a further embodiment, a fantasy bet option is incorporated into a promotional competition providing an opportunity to win fantasy gaming units.

In a further embodiment, the method further comprises awarding competition winners any one or more of fantasy gaming units, a prize of monetary value, merchandise, goods or services.

In one embodiment, the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

The race participants may be real race participants and the at least one racing event may be actual racing events. Alternatively, the racing events may be virtual racing events and the race participants may be virtual race participants.

The method may further comprise the steps of: offering game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.

The method may further comprise providing one or more analytical tools on-line that will facilitate on-line analysis of said form information by game participants via a graphical user interface (GUI).

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for on line gaming, the system comprising: a account management system arranged to enable a player to be allocated fantasy gaming units on-line, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event; a bet receiver arranged to enable a player to: select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units; and a results determiner arranged to determine the outcome of the at least one racing event; the system arranged to determine the value of any returns won on the fantasy

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event, and award a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

The system can further comprise a promotion management system to facilitate establishment of promotions, and monitoring subscriber engagement with promotions or advertising. For example, where gaming units may be allocated in response to user engagement with promotions or advertising. In some embodiments the promotional management system provides a portal for a promotor to establish a fantasy game event for which prizes may be awarded.

Description of the Drawings

In order to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of the invention a preferred embodiment of a fantasy gaming system and method will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a fantasy gaming system according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of gaming according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a gaming system according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of a simple process for a promotion; and

Figure 5 is a diagram representative of the interwork between the fantasy gaming system and external parties.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The present invention relates to a fantasy gaming system wherein a game player is able to bet on race participants, such as race horses, using fantasy gaming units which are allocated on-line. The fantasy gaming units are virtual betting tokens which need not be purchased though monetary payment, however, though the fantasy gaming system prize

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU winnings for bets placed using fantasy gaming units may be awarded as monetary payouts, or goods or services having monetary value. The gaming units may be non convertible in the sense that once allocated they are not directly convertible to a monetary amount. The gaming system may be implemented using any suitable computing device, such as a personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computer or smartphone, that connects to a game server via the Internet or any other suitable wide area network. The game can take place over a prescribed period of time, for example, a day, a week, a month or six months as determined by the game controllers. The game can also be played in clusters of game participants, with say five game competitions or ten game competitions playing concurrently.

All players who register with the system are typically allocated a defined number of fantasy gaming units that are allocated to the respective wagering accounts associated with the players. Typically, each player is required to subscribe and receives the same number of fantasy gaming units in each period of the subscription period. Fantasy gaming units may also be increased in number, that is earnt, by each player through participation in promotional competitions organised by the advertisers advertising on the gaming system. The competitions allow various different increases in the fantasy gaming unit amounts that a player may win or be otherwise allocated through participating in the promotional competitions.

Registration with the system may be conducted on-line using a web site associated with the operators of the system.

Using the website, registered game players can view information relating to the form of a plurality of race horses (form information) in a variety of horse racing events. The form information may include commercially available actual form information relating to real race horses which is available on-line. The game controllers'web site may provide access to the form information in a variety of presentation formats.

Conveniently, in this example, the race horses are real race horses and the one or more racing events are actual racing events.

However, it will be understood that instead of basing game outcomes on real race horses and real racing events, the race horses and racing events may be virtual, and the outcomes of the racing events for example determined randomly or pseudo randomly.

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

A player selects one or more race horses, for example based on whether, in the player's opinion, the selected horse(s) are likely to satisfy predetermined winning criteria established by the game controllers. Players can analyse the form information on-line and place fantasy bets on-line on the selected race horses in one or more racing events. Players can use any amount from their allocated fantasy gaming units up to the value held in their account or as otherwise determined by the game controllers. The game controllers'web site may be arranged to provide one or more analytical tools that can be accessed and used on-line via a computer to facilitate on-line analysis of the form information by players using a graphical user interface (GUI). This analysis may include, for example, historical information concerning the performance of a particular race horse over different race lengths in the last ten races in which that particular race horse ran. Detailed information concerning the race track at various racing venues may also be provided on-line. The manner in which information is presented to the players in the graphical user interface can be arranged to be modifiable by the players to suit their particular analytical needs.

Once the fantasy bets have been placed, the players must then await the outcome of the one or more racing events in which fantasy bets have been placed. Naturally, if imaginary race horses and imaginary racing events are employed the game controllers can commence the racing event at any time they select. However, when the race horses and racing events are actual race horses and events, the outcome of the racing event will not be known until the event has occurred. Naturally, all fantasy bets must be placed before the actual racing event is scheduled to occur. The fantasy bet can also be incorporated into the promotional competition so that if the player places a successful fantasy bet, the fantasy gaming units of the player will be increased, and even further increased if the competition indicated that its competition conditions of winning have been met.

When the outcome of the or each racing event is known, the game controllers will calculate the value of any returns won by players from their fantasy bets, and will credit or debit their account with the appropriate value of fantasy gaming units, depending on the outcome of the racing events and based on game rules determined by the game operators. For example, a player may be credited with fantasy gaming units based on whether a horse selected by the player wins a racing event, achieves a defined place in the racing event, or in any other defined way. Alternatively, the prizes awarded for a game may include money, goods or services, even though bets are placed using non monetary gaming units.

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

Prior to commencement of the game, the game controllers determine the game winning criteria. For example, the game winning criteria in a particular racing event may be to pick the horses which come second and third respectively in a particular racing event. Alternatively, the game controllers may, for example, make the winning criteria correct selection of the race horse which comes last in a particular racing event, or achieves any other defined outcome in the racing event.

At the end of the prescribed period of the game, or when the game clusters are completed, a comparison of the fantasy gaming unit account balances for each player will be conducted and a ranking of results determined by the game controllers. This ranking will be used by the game controllers to determine a winner, or group of winners, and to distribute prizes. Prizes may include goods, services or actual money prizes.

A preferred embodiment of a gaming system 10 for providing a fantasy "betting" game on line is illustrated in Figure 1.

The system 10 includes a game controller 12 arranged to operate several gaming sub systems. The game controller 12 in this example is implemented using at least one computer server remotely located relative to the players, and accessible on-line by one or more computing devices 14 associated with the players, for example through the Internet 16. In order to facilitate on-line access using the computing devices 14, the game controller 12 includes a web server 18.

The system also includes a form analysis system 20 arranged to receive form information on-line from a publisher 22, and make the form information available to players in a variety of presentation formats, and a game scheduling system 24 arranged to control scheduling of each game or game cluster which may be operating at any particular point in time. Multiple games may be played concurrently using the system.

The system 10 also includes an account management system 26 that controls the on-line transactions by which game players purchase fantasy gaming units and register with the system. The account management system 26 communicates with a user account repository that stores user accounts 28, each user account storing information indicative of a player, including login information; and information indicative of the amount of fantasy gaming units that the player has left. Embodiments may also store financial information useable to make monetary prize payouts to subscribers. The account management

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU system 26 also controls the value of fantasy gaming units in the user accounts 28 as games are played and fantasy gaming credits are credited to or debited from the respective user accounts 28. Fantasy gaming credits can be earned by a player through participation in promotional competitions run by the advertising companies advertising on the gaming system website. The more engagement a player has with the advertisements, the greater the increase in their fantasy gaming units.

The system 10 includes a promotion management system 42 to facilitate establishment and running of promotions via the fantasy gaming system 10. The promotion companies pay a fee or subscription (subscribe) to access the fantasy gaming system 10 to utilise promotional competitions within the system 10. Once the promotion companies have paid their subscription fee 100, the promotion company is granted access via a portal 110 for secure communication between the promoter system 44 and the fantasy gaming system 10. The portal provides a user interface to enable promoters to configure aspects of the promotion to be facilitated through the fantast gaming system. For example, the user interface may provide a pick list for the promotion companies to choose which type of competition to run; define a set of rules for the competition; prize/s for the competition; a set of rules for the prize/s determination etc. The portal may also enable promoters to upload promotional content for presentation via the fantast gaming system.

The portal may also enable a promoter to configure engagement rules and identify content to monitor for player engagement during the promotion for which players may be allocated credits in response to engagement with promotional content or participation in the competition. For example, advertising content may be uploaded and rules defined to award gaming units to players who engage with the advertising content. Engagement may include any one or more of monitoring dwell time viewing content, playing of games, answering questions, posting comments or content in response to a request in the content, accessing hyperlinks, sharing on social media, making purchases etc. The promoter may define rules for the award of gaming units, for example the number of gaming units credited for each different type of engagement, and/or duration of engagement.

It should be appreciated that the through a promotion the player interacts with the system and places bets utilising non-monetary fantasy gaming units, and by virtue of the promotion and competition configuration set by the promotor, the player may receive prizes in the real world, including goods and services and/or monetary prizes (including cash or convertible virtual currency, such as bitcoin) for placing winning bets.

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

In an embodiment the portal provides a pick list for the promotion companies to choose which competition to run; a set of rules for the competition; prize/s for the competition; a set of rules for the prize/s determination 120.

The promotion companies may provide cash and/or merchandise and/or services as prizes for promotional competitions. Promoters may also pay a fee or commission to the fantasy gaming system operator for access to the system for their promotions. Thus, revenue generated by the fantasy gaming system is primarily from the promotional companies'fees to utilise the system. This enables players/users to play using the system without requiring payment of a monetary subscription fee.

In an embodiment the promoter may pay a fee to the fantasy gaming system to purchase gaming units for allocation during the promotion. The number of units purchased may be variable, for example purchased in batches over the duration of the promotion. In other embodiments the promoter may be allocated a fixed number of gaming credits for allocation during the promotion. In another embodiment there is no limit on gaming units which may be allocated. In another embodiment, gaming units are not purchased by the promotor.

Once the promotion company has chosen its specific conditions in the portal, the system operating with the chosen set of conditions (competition, prizes and respective rules), runs a competition 130 for the players to place bets using their fantasy gaming units (virtual currency) 140. The fantasy gaming system can also monitors engagement of each player in the system. Monitoring engagement may be performed for a period of time preceding the time at which the player must place bets for the competition. For example, this time period may be configured by the promoter to enable organic growth of engagement with the promotion, for example through sharing on social media, in the lead up to the competition.

The fantasy gaming system determines the competition outcome in accordance with the defined rules, the competition winners 150.

It is noted that the fantasy gaming units or virtual currency, provide a lower risk engagement to players as the player is not utilising real currency. As such, a safe environment is maintained so that any losses or wins are not financially affecting the player. Further as the gaming units are a non-convertible currency they cannot be

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU cashed out to obtain monetary value, rather these are consumed by the gaming system as the player bets on competitions, for which winnings may include an award of a monetary value or merchandise or services. This also has the added benefit of ensuring that those who wish to gamble are not utilising personal or household finances to their or their household's detriment.

The system 10 also includes a fantasy betting system 30 arranged to control the placing of fantasy bets by each player 20. In this example, the fantasy betting system 30 includes a bet receiver 32 arranged to retrieve details 33 of races and associated race participants and odds, and communicate these to the players that are logged into the system 10, for example by serving details of the races to the players using the web server 18. The bet receiver 32 is also arranged to receive bets from the players by enabling the players to select race participants and to select the amount of fantasy gaming units that are desired to be wagered on the selected race participants.

The interface displayed to the player during bet selection may correspond in appearance to an interface used by conventional bet placing organisations such as registered TAB agencies or State Government registered bookmakers.

The fantasy betting system 30 also includes a results determiner 34 arranged to determine the results of the racing events that are relevant to the game using race results 36 retrieved from a remote source of race results information, and to allocate fantasy gaming units to the relevant user accounts 28 according to the race participants selected, the amount of fantasy gaming units wagered and the results 36 of the races.

The fantasy betting system 30 also includes a prize allocator 38 arranged, for example after a defined period such as corresponding to the period covered by each subscription period, to compare the total fantasy gaming units recorded in the user accounts 28 associated with the players, and allocate a prize, that may be a monetary amount, goods or services, to the player with the highest number of fantasy gaming units.

The system also stores data indicative of game rules 40 that define operation of the gaming system, and in particular operation of the process whereby a player is able to view available races and race participants, select one or more race participants and select an amount of fantasy gaming units to wager on the selected participants.

The game controller 10 has a modular structure, and additional gaming modules and

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU analysis modules can be added as the system expands and to increase the functionality of the game. Any number of players can register with the game controller 12 on-line.

A diagram illustrating the different operations in executing a competition promotion is illustrated in Figure 5. The fantasy gaming competition engine 510 is the core of the system, the portal linking to promoter systems 520 provides the source of advertising revenue and prizes for competitions, these being supplied by the promoters. Players subscribe to the fantasy gaming system to open an account 530 with the fantasy gaming system which stores the count of gaming units, the virtual currency of the fantasy gaming system, allocated to the player and enables the player to participate in promotions. The player may be allocated with gaming units, these may also be earned by participation in competitions or engagement in promotions 535. Players can participate in competitions by placing bets with gaming units 540, once a bet is created using the game units from the bet are deducted from the players game token balance stored in their account and applied to the competition 545, in addition odds for bets are input from sources such as betting agencies (for example TAB) or bookies 570 and applied in the competition. In some embodiments where the competition is a virtual horse race, the fantasy gaming system, may generate odds for bets based on actual historic odds data and input bets. Once the race (virtual or real) is run, bets placed using gaming units are assessed to determine successful bets 550, which contribute to competition status for assessment in relation to competition prizes. The successful bets for each player are associated with the relevant competitions to assess the competition winners and allocate prizes to winning players 580. It should be appreciated that one race may be associated with more than one promotion competition, for example one promotion may be associated with a fashion label and another with a beverage company, each promotion targeting different consumers, and each promotion utilise the same horse race as a betting opportunity as part of the promotion competition. The fantasy gaming engine 510 will assess which winning bet is associated with which promotion, based on data from the player account, and allocate prizes from the appropriate promotion. In an embodiment the player account may include gaming unit meters for each active competition the player participates in. A player may therefore be able to engage with more than one competition at a time, and nominate the competition with which a bet is to be associated.

An example method of gaming using the system 10 is illustrated in the flow diagram 50 in Figure 2.

In the example, on-line access to the system 10 is provided 52 by virtue of the web server

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

18, and prior to receiving bets from players the system 10 receives 54, 56 form information relating to race participants and racing event details from the publisher 22 and race events source respectively. The players have the option of reviewing the form information on-line, and prior to commencement of the relevant racing events the players place bets on selected race participants by selecting 58 the race participants and selecting 60 the amount of fantasy gaming units to stake on the selected race participants. The selected stake fantasy gaming units are deducted from the relevant player accounts.

After completion of each racing event, the results of the racing event are received 62 at the gaming system 10 from a source of race results, and fantasy gaming units are credited 64 to the relevant players accounts of the players that have selected winning participants according to the game rules. The number of fantasy gaming units to credit to the players is based on the stake and the relevant odds for the race participant. In an embodiment awards for a promotion may be set based on numbers of fantasy gaming units accumulated by players during a promotion. For example, the awards may be based on thresholds (for example, 500 gaming units wins a promotion logo ball cap, 5000 a promotional logo football, 50,000,000 a car) or ranking (for example, top ranked player wins a car, second ranked a holiday, third dinner at a specified restaurant, top 500 a merchandise prize). The nature of the prizes and rules for allocation being configurable by the promoter via the portal when configuring the promotion. The gaming units may be accumulated from multiple sources, including winnings form bets and rewards for engagement with the promotion.

After a defined period, the gaming system 10 then determines 66 one or more winning players based on a comparison of the player accounts and awards one or more prizes. The defined period may be configured by the promoter to provide a periodic determination and awarding of prizes throughout the promotion.

Figure 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the fantasy gaming system 50 according to the present invention. This system is very similar to the first embodiment, and therefore similar components and sub-systems have been identified with like reference numerals to that in Figure 1. The principal difference between the system illustrated in Figure 1 and that of Figure 3 is the addition of a "tipster" management system 52 as part of the game controller 12.

In this embodiment of the system, the game controller 12 determines a winner, or group

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU of winners, in a similar manner to that employed in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, prizes are not awarded to players having the highest number of fantasy gaming units. Instead, each winning game participant receives an offer to provide game winning services on-line to the game controller 12. The offer to provide game winning services is typically in the form of a service contract, which must be accepted by the winning game participant, to provide game winning tips in exchange for an agreed fee for services. In an embodiment, the fee for services is an allocation of gaming units to maintain the cashless nature of the player subscription and engagement with the fantasy gaming system outside of awards. If the game participant accepts the terms of the service contract, he/she becomes a game winning service provider (or "tipster"), and is responsible for providing game winning tips on-line to the game controller 12. In an embodiment where the agreed fee for services is monetary this may be paid directly into a bank account nominated by the game participant, and is typically received in instalments depending on the timely submission on-line by the tipster of game winning tips for a predetermined agreed number of racing events. Alternatively, the fee for services can be allocated by the game controller 12 as fantasy non-convertible gaming units which can be used to place further fantasy bets on selected race participants. All transactions involving service fees paid to tipsters are handled by the account management system 26.

Incentives may be offered to game winning service providers such as, for example, a success fee option, whereby a bonus fee is received depending on the number of racing events in which race participants were successfully tipped by the tipster. Tips are received on-line from game winning service providers and processed by the tipster management system 52. Other game participants are given the option of using game winning tips provided by a game winning service provider to enhance their chances of winning when placing fantasy bets on-line. The source of a particular tip may be identified by a pseudonym, identifying a particular game winning service provider, so that other game participants can gauge the reliability of the tip based on the success rate of tips provided by that particular game winning service provider.

Game winning service providers (tipsters) are provided access on-line to the same form information relating to race participants as other game participants, and are also provided with access on-line to game winning criteria as determined by the game controller.

It will be apparent from the above description of the second embodiment of the gaming system and method, that it facilitates a means of providing game participants with the

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU necessary incentive to continue playing the on-line fantasy "betting" game, without the need for prizes, whilst simultaneously adding value to the game for other game participants by potentially enhancing their chances of winning the game.

In one embodiment, the game participants place their bets on-line via the Internet. Alternatively, the placing of bets and financial transactions can be done through voice or manual input using a telephone handset or keypad rather than a computing device. In another embodiment of the invention the processing of fantasy bets and financial transactions will be done through tickets similar to TAB or Pari-mutuel operations, or stand-alone terminals similar to ATMs. In a still further embodiment of the invention the processing of fantasy bets and financial transactions can be done through any type of computer/data network, whether broad band or narrow band, wireless or land line or cable and embedded computer systems, such as interactive TV or mobile phones.

Numerous variations and modifications to the described fantasy gaming system and method will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the computer and gaming arts, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

18007351_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

Claims (28)

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A method of on-line gaming facilitated by a fantasy gaming system accessible via a communication network, the method comprising: enabling a player to be allocated fantasy gaming units on-line to a gaming unit account held in memory of the fantasy gaming system, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event; enabling a player to input instructions to the fantasy gaming system via a network connected user device to: select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units; determining the outcome of the at least one racing event; determining by the fantasy gaming system the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event; and, awarding a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, comprising providing to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, comprising receiving the form information on-line from a publisher.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising receiving racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events, and facilitating on-line access to the racing event details by a player.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, comprising receiving the racing event details from an on-line source of racing events information.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for each player in a respective player account, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

18007352_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising an initial step of receiving a subscription request from each player, and for each player in response to processing the player's subscription request allocating a defined number of fantasy gaming units to the player.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 further comprising allocating a defined number of fantasy gaming units to each player periodically during the term of their subscription.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, comprising at defined periodic subscription intervals, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic subscription interval, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic subscription interval.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each player has a potential to earn fantasy gaming units through one or more of participation in and engagement with a promotion.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the promotion is a competition and each player is eligible to place a fantasy bet using fantasy gaming units, wherein the fantasy bet is incorporated into the promotional competition to increase the fantasy gaming units of the player where it is determined based on the competition outcome that the fantasy bet is eligible for an award.

12. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the method further comprises awarding competition winners any one or more of fantasy gaming units, a monetary value prize, merchandise, goods and services.

13. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

14. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the race participants are real race participants and the at least one racing event are actual racing events.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the racing events are virtual racing events and the race participants are virtual race participants.

18007352_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

16. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: offering game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.

17. A system for on-line gaming, the system comprising: a account management system arranged to enable a player to be allocated fantasy gaming units on-line, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event; a bet receiver arranged to enable a player to: select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units; and a results determiner arranged to determine the outcome of the at least one racing event; the system arranged to determine the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event, and award a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the system is arranged to provide to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events.

19. A system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the system is arranged to receive form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events from a publisher in on-line communication with the gaming system.

20. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the system is arranged to receive racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events, and to facilitate on-line access to the racing event details by a player.

21. A system as claimed in claim 20, wherein the system is arranged to receive the racing event details at the gaming system from a source of racing events information in on-line communication with the gaming system.

18007352_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU

22. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 21, comprising a player account for each player, each player account storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for the player, the system arranged to compare the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and award a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

23. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the system is arranged to receive a subscription request from each player, and for each player in response to processing the player's subscription request allocate a defined number of fantasy gaming units to the player.

24. A system as claimed in claim 23, wherein the system is arranged to for each player at defined periodic intervals, compare the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic interval, and award a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic interval.

25. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

26. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 25, wherein the race participants are real race participants and the at least one racing event are actual racing events.

27. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 25, wherein the racing events are virtual racing events and the race participants are virtual' race participants.

28. A system as claimed in any one of claims 17 to 27, wherein the system is arranged to offer game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.

18007352_1 (GHMatters) P117139.AU