Simulcast pari-mutuel gaming machine with casino and lottery styled wagers for continuous play

1. A gaming machine, comprising:

a decoder/modem to communicate with a network of gaming machines;

at least one of a cash dispenser-acceptor device, credit card swipe device, and reward card swipe device to distribute winnings or receive wagers;

a tuner/receiver to receive signals representing live broadcasts of pari-mutuel race events;

a first terminal with a touchscreen to:

render a graphical display of a plurality of pari-mutuel race event options on the first terminal;

detect a selection of a pari-mutuel race event option displayed on the first terminal;

detect pre-defined customizable features and pre-defined training of a virtual character to assist in placing a wager;

render a graphical display of the character in accordance with the pre-defined customizable features and the pre-defined training;

at least one processor to transmit, via the decoder/modem, data indicative of a wager received via the cash dispenser-acceptor device, credit card swipe device, or reward card swipe device, the wager corresponding to a selected pari-mutuel race event; and

a second terminal to display a result of the selected pari-mutuel race event.

2. The gaming machine of claim 1 , further comprising a memory storage to record the signals representing live broadcast of the selected pari-mutuel race event and a processor to recall the signals from memory storage to be displayed.

3. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to:

render a plurality of track selections on the first terminal;

select at least one of the plurality of track selections; and

display the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options available at the selected track selection.

4. The gaming machine of claim 3 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to display the plurality of track selections on the first terminal.

5. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to display a corresponding pari-mutuel event corresponding to the wager on the first terminal.

6. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to:

display a plurality of track selections corresponding to the pari-mutuel race event options;

detect a selection of at least one of the plurality of track selections; and

display the pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection on the first terminal.

7. The gaming machine of claim 6 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to:

display a plurality of alternative game options offered at the selected track; and

detect input of a second pari-mutuel wager on the pari-mutuel event at the selected track.

8. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to display a set of rules associated with a selected pari-mutuel race event option on the first terminal.

9. The gaming machine of claim 1 , wherein the first terminal is further configured to render a plurality of pari-mutuel racing venues.

10. A method of pari-mutuel wagering, the method comprising:

communicating, by at least one processor, with a network of gaming machines using a decoder/modem;

receiving, by the at least one processor, signals representing live broadcasts of pari-mutuel race events from a tuner/receiver;

rendering, by the at least one processor, a graphical display of a plurality of pari-mutuel race event options on a first terminal;

detecting, by the at least one processor, a selection of a pari-mutuel race event option displayed on a touchscreen of the first terminal;

detecting, by the at least one processor, pre-defined customizable features and pre-defined training of a virtual character to assist in placing a wager;

rendering, by the at least one processor, a graphical display of the character in accordance with the pre-defined customizable features and the pre-defined training;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, data indicative of the wager to a network of gaming machines; and

displaying, by the at least one processor, an outcome of the selected pari-mutuel race event on a second terminal.

11. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 10 , further comprising: recording, by the at least one processor, the wager; and comparing, by the at least one processor, the wager to the outcome of the pari-mutuel race event.

12. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 10 , wherein rendering the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options further comprises: displaying, by the at least one processor, a plurality of track selections on the first terminal; selecting, by the at least one processor, at least one of the plurality of track selections; and displaying, by the at least one processor, the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options available at the selected track selection.

13. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 12 , wherein displaying the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options further comprises displaying, by the at least one processor, the plurality of track selections on the first terminal.

14. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 10 , further comprising displaying, by the at least one processor, a corresponding pari-mutuel event corresponding to the wager on the first terminal.

15. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 10 , wherein displaying the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options further comprises: displaying, by the at least one processor, a plurality of track selections corresponding to the pari-mutuel race event options; selecting, by the at least one processor, at least one of the plurality of track selections; and displaying, by the at least one processor, the pari-mutuel event at the selected track selection on the first terminal.

16. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 15 , further comprising: displaying, by the at least one processor, a plurality of alternative game options offered at the selected track; and placing, by the at least one processor, a second pari-mutuel wager on the pari-mutuel event at the selected track.

17. The method of pari-mutuel wagering of claim 10 , further comprising: displaying, by the at least one processor, a set of rules associated with a selected pari-mutuel race event option on the first terminal.

18. The method of pari-mutuel wagering in claim 17 , further comprising: rendering, by the at least one processor, a plurality of pari-mutuel racing venues on the first terminal; and staggering, by the at least one processor, a start time of each pari-mutuel event at each pari-mutuel racing venue, wherein the pari-mutuel events correspond to the plurality of pari-mutuel race event options that are displayed.