Betting terminal with logging facility

Abstract

A betting terminal comprises a gaming server ( 2 ) that regulates the progress of a number of different selectable games, a user access facility ( 3 a, 3 b ), 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.

1 . A betting terminal, comprising: 
 a gaming server operable under program control to regulate 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 number of different selectable games for play and to place a wager on any turn thereof;    a communication network providing communication between the user access facility and the gaming server;    a storage means communicable with the user access facility by means of the communication network; and    a logging facility associated with the user access facility, including:    a) a buffer memory capable of storing transaction data relating to the player's wagers on a plurality of turns of any of the different selectable games; and    b) a logging application software program operable to log transaction data in the buffer memory and to automatically download the logged transaction data from the buffer memory to the storage means when the buffer memory is full.    
   
   
       2 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 1  in which the gaming server is communicable with a plurality of different user access facilities by means of the communication network, each one of the plurality of different user access facilities having a corresponding unique identification code and a corresponding logging facility.  
   
   
       3 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 2  in which logged transaction data downloaded to the storage means by the logging facility in each of the plurality of different user access facilities is consolidated and merged in the storage means.  
   
   
       4 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 1  in which the transaction data relating to any wager includes data relating to a size and type of the wager, an outcome of the wager, the outcome of the wager being either successful or unsuccessful, a size of a prize won by the player when the wager is successful, and a corresponding identity of one of the number of different selectable games on which the wager was placed.  
   
   
       5 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 4  in which the transaction data relating to any particular wager also includes a unique identification code of a user access facility from which the player placed the wager.  
   
   
       6 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 1  in which the games are casino games.  
   
   
       7 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 1  in which the communication network is the Internet.  
   
   
       8 . A betting terminal as claimed in  claim 7  in which the user access facility is a computer workstation connectable to the World Wide Web of the Internet.  
   
   
       9 . A method of operating a betting terminal, comprising the steps of: 
 operating a gaming server under program control to regulate the progress of any one of a number of different selectable games;    selecting, by means of a user access facility, any one of the number of different selectable games for play and placing a wager on a turn thereof, the user access facility being communicable with the gaming server;    logging transaction data relating to each wager placed by the player on the user access facility;    logging transaction data relating to the player's wagers in a buffer memory capable of storing transaction data for a plurality of turns of any of the different selectable games; and    automatically downloading the logged transaction data from the buffer memory to a storage means remote from the user access facility when the buffer memory is full.    
   
   
       10 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  that includes a step of linking a plurality of different user access facilities to be communicable with the gaming server, each one of the plurality of different user access facilities having a corresponding unique identification code and logging transaction data in a corresponding buffer memory.  
   
   
       11 . A method as claimed in  claim 10  which includes the further step of consolidating and merging transaction data downloaded to the storage means from the buffer memory in each of the plurality of different user access facilities.  
   
   
       12 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  in which the transaction data relating to any wager includes data relating to a size and type of the wager, an outcome of the wager, the outcome of the wager being either successful or unsuccessful, a size of a prize won by the player when the wager is successful, and a corresponding identity of one of the number of different selectable games on which the wager was placed.  
   
   
       13 . A method as claimed in  claim 12  in which a unique identification code of a user access facility from which the wager was placed is included in the buffered transaction data relating to that wager.