Wireless gaming method

A method for communicating gaming messages between a cellular mobile radio (CMR) gaming terminal and a central monitoring device over a cellular telephone network that includes wireless digital traffic channels and inter cellular serving area network channels, wherein the digital traffic channels comprise data traffic channels for transmitting voice and data signals and a control channel for transmitting control signals that manage access to and use of the data traffic channels, the method comprising:

• a) inserting a message comprising application specific data relating to gaming in a sequence of digits to be transmitted by the CMR gaming terminal in conjunction with a transmission of a call origination message;
• b) encoding a remote feature control request in the sequence of digits to invoke the forwarding of the sequence of digits, including the message, by a serving mobile switching center (MSC) upon detecting the remote feature control request;
• c) transmitting the call origination message and the sequence of digits to the serving MSC over the control channel, bypassing the voice channels, the call origination message specifying a mobile identification number (MIN) identifying the CMR gaming terminal;
• d) analyzing the call origination message and the sequence of digits at the serving MSC and detecting the remote feature control request;
• e) forwarding the remote feature control request and the message to the central monitoring device over an inter cellular serving area network channel, in response to detecting the remote feature control request, the inter cellular serving area network channel determined by the MIN;
• f) receiving the remote feature control request and the message at the central monitoring station;
• and
• g) extracting the message comprising application specific data relating to gaming.

A method for communicating gaming messages between a gaining terminal and a central monitoring station over a mobile satellite communications network that includes a voice channel and a control channel, wherein the voice channel conveys data messages and the control channel conveys control messages that manage access to and use of the voice channel, the method comprising:

• a) obtaining a message at the gaming terminal, the message comprising application specific data related to gaming;
• b) encoding the message in a sequence of digits associated with a control message to create an encoded message;
• c) encoding a remote feature control request in the sequence of digits associated with the control message to invoke the forwarding of the sequence of digits, including the encoded message, by a local mobile satellite communications switching center upon detecting the remote feature control request;
• d) transmitting the control message and associated sequence of digits to the local mobile satellite communications switching center over the control channel, bypassing the voice channel;
• e) detecting the remote feature control request at the local mobile satellite communications switching center;
• f) forwarding the remote feature control request and the encoded message over a communications channel to the central monitoring station in response to detecting the remote feature control request;
• and
• g) decoding the encoded message to retrieve the application specific data relating to gaming.