Method and apparatus for interactive real time distributed gaming

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for playing an interactive real time distributed game including receiving at a scoring database a next play prediction for a sporting event from a remote terminal, determining an actual play outcome for the sporting event, transmitting an actual play outcome representation to the remote terminal, and scoring the play prediction based on the actual play outcome and a predetermined offensive scoring ruleset. In one embodiment, the sporting event is a football game.

1 - 19 . (canceled)  
   
   
       20 . An interactive distributed game comprising: 
 a game server adapted to determine a play-stopped-state and receive a next play prediction during a submit-prediction-mode over a communication interface, wherein said next play prediction is at least one of a yardage and scoring predictions;    a scoring database storing a participant score in a scoring memory; and    a remote terminal adapted to submit said next play prediction to said game server, the remote terminal responsive to an actual play outcome representation to update a participant score based on the actual play outcome and said next play prediction, and further responsive a defensive play outcome to update the participant score.