U.S. patent application number 10/368056 was filed with the patent office on 2003-08-28 for system and method for sports-based lottery game.
Invention is credited to Dawson, Robin Derwent.
Application Number | 20030162581 10/368056 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27740004 |
Filed Date | 2003-08-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030162581 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dawson, Robin Derwent |
August 28, 2003 |
System and method for sports-based lottery game
Abstract
An on-line sports-based lottery which can be played over a wide
area, designed to enhance consumer familiarity with icons and
details relating to a sport. The invention would thus attract
individuals who had previously expressed no interest in the sport,
thereby increasing audience size and awareness of the sport. The
game comprising two stages: a lottery draw, in which a
predetermined number of registered participants are drawn at
random; and a winning stage in which an icon relating to a
particular sport is assigned to each draw winner. The game is
played in association with the dissemination of information,
including icons and any other desired sports details or statistics,
relating to the sport on which the lottery is based. The
association of icons with the lottery provides incentive to members
of the general public who enjoy playing lotteries to become
familiar with the sport.
Inventors: |
Dawson, Robin Derwent;
(Toronto, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Mark B. Eisen
Dimock Stratton Clarizio LLP
20 Queen Street West, Suite 3202
Box 102
Toronto
ON
M5H 3R3
CA
|
Family ID: |
27740004 |
Appl. No.: |
10/368056 |
Filed: |
February 19, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/32 20130101;
G07F 17/3288 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
463/17 |
International
Class: |
A63F 009/24 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 26, 2002 |
CA |
2,373,370 |
Claims
We claim:
1. A method of conducting a sports-based lottery draw, comprising
the steps of: a) providing an on-line site for the receipt of
registration information from participants; b) in a first stage of
the game, selecting at random a plurality of participants from the
registered participants; c) in a second stage of the game,
assigning to each selected participant, an icon associated with a
sport; d) notifying the selected participants of their respective
icon assignments; and e) awarding a prize to each participant whose
assigned icon is associated with one or more achievements in the
course, of a game played in the sport following the selection of
participants.
2. The lottery of claim 1 including the step of disseminating
information relating to the sport to registered participants.
3. A system for conducting a sports-based lottery draw, comprising:
means for providing an on-line site for the receipt of registration
information from participants; means for selecting at random a
plurality of participants from the registered participants, in a
first stage of the game; means for assigning to each selected
participant an icon associated with a sport, in a second stage of
the game; and means for notifying the selected participants of
their respective icon assignments; whereby a prize is awarded to
each participant whose assigned icon is associated with one or more
achievements in the course of a game played in the sport following
the selection of participants.
4. The system of claim 3 including the means for disseminating
information relating to the sport to registered participants.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a game in the nature of a lottery.
In particular, this invention relates to a sports-based lottery
game, which enhances audience exposure to a sport.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many sports suffer from having a low profile, or appealing
only to a select audience. Often this is merely the result of lack
of awareness and knowledgeability on the part of the general
public. Familiarity with a sport, including its rules, and its
icons such as players and venues, and other details and features,
enhances audience awareness and thus increases audience interest in
the sport.
[0003] The relatively low profile of some sports is often due to a
lack of effective marketing, which results in poor exposure and
thus low audience interest. This becomes a vicious cycle: with a
low audience interest, it is difficult for the sport to attract
sponsors willing to expend significant amounts of money promoting
the sport (along with their product or service); yet without proper
funding, the sport is unable to develop and improve audience
interest to the point where a sponsor would be interested in
promoting the sport. Accordingly many sports, which might otherwise
attract significant interest from the general public, are
constrained to suffer continuously from a low profile and poor
exposure.
[0004] Horse racing, for example, is ignored by a large segment of
the general public. Although avidly followed by racing fans, others
who are unfamiliar with the names of icons in the sport such as
jockeys, horses, riding venues and industry moguls, and other
features and details of the sport, remain largely disinterested and
have no incentive to gain familiarity with the sport. Despite that
this information is readily available and widely publicized,
without any motivation or incentive to familiarize themselves with
icons and other details relating to the sport, most members of the
general public will remain disinterested.
[0005] If horse racing as a sport were able to attract a larger
audience, it would be in turn able to attract better sponsors and
more funding, which would enable the sport to quickly increase its
exposure and consumer awareness. This positive cycle can develop
substantial popularity in an otherwise obscure sport in a
relatively short time.
[0006] It would accordingly be advantageous to provide an incentive
for members of the general public who had previously failed to show
any interest in a sport, to familiarize themselves with icons and
other details and features relating to the sport, and thus to
potentially develop a continuing interest in the sport. This would
benefit the sport, by increasing the size of its audience and
thereby rendering sponsorship more appealing to funding
organizations, and individuals, whose interests are broadened by
their participation (as spectators) in a new sport.
[0007] Lotteries, in which participants are offered an opportunity
to win something of value on a purely chance basis, have become
very popular and appeal to a wide segment of the general
population. Technology has been developed for offering and playing
lotteries over a wide area, for example over a global computer
network such as the Internet.
[0008] It would accordingly be advantageous to take advantage of
the popularity of lotteries by associating them with icons and
other details and features relating to individual sports, such as
horse racing, motor racing, golf and tennis, and team sports such
as Soccer, Cricket, Baseball and Football, to thereby increase the
popularity of those sports.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The present invention provides an on-line lottery which can
be played over a wide area, for example over a global computer
network such as the Internet, which is designed to enhance consumer
familiarity with the icons and other details (for example
statistics) and features relating to a sport. Through the
invention, individuals would be attracted from a segment of the
general population that had previously expressed no interest in the
sport, which would increase audience size and awareness of the
sport. The invention can be implemented in connection with any
sport (team or individual) and be directed to any target audience,
and provides incentive for members of the target audience to
familiarize themselves with icons and details relating to the sport
and thus increase the popularity of the sport in general.
[0010] The invention accomplishes this by providing an on-line
lottery game comprising two stages. In the first stage, or "draw"
stage, participants log on to an online site on a computer network,
for example a web site on the Internet, and register for a lottery
draw. Registration gives the participant an opportunity to be a
winner in the draw. A predetermined number of draw winners are then
drawn at random. In the second stage of the game, or "winner"
stage, an icon relating to a particular sport is assigned to each
draw winner. For example, if the lottery is operated in association
with the sport of horse racing, each draw winner could be assigned
to a specific jockey or a horse. The icon may be assigned by the
lottery administrator, or each draw winner may be given the
opportunity to select an icon, given priority for example based on
the order in which the draw winners are drawn. A draw winner would
then win a prize each time the icon (jockey or horse in this
example) wins a race. Optionally a consolation prize may be
provided to draw winners who do not win a prize and a further draw
opportunity provided for all other entrants who have not originally
been drawn.
[0011] The lottery is played regularly, in association with the
dissemination of information, including icons and any other desired
sports details or features, relating to the sport on which the
lottery is based. The ability to play the lottery so simply and
potentially win a prize provides incentive to members of the
general public who enjoy playing lotteries, but have never
expressed an interest in the sport on which the lottery is based,
to become familiar with some of the icons and other details
associated with the sport. The increased familiarity with these
details, facts and features of the sport increases the likelihood
that a participant will be drawn to the sport and increase the size
of the audience. Accordingly, in the preferred embodiment,
participation in the lottery is free of charge, and prizes are
funded by the lottery administrator and/or sponsors and advertisers
(that may, for example, be associated with or compensated by an
administrative body governing the sport), in order to maximize
participation in the lottery.
[0012] In the preferred embodiment, information relating to icons
and other details and features of the sport is disseminated to
lottery participants through the same site at which participants
register for the lottery draw, for example at a web site accessed
through the participant's browser. In an alternative embodiment,
information can also be disseminated in any other fashion,
including in printed publications circulated generally or
specifically to registered participants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a
preferred embodiment of the invention,
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram showing the steps in a
preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The invention will be described in relation to the sport of
horse racing. However, the invention is not intended to be limited
thereby. It will be appreciated that the invention is equally
applicable to other sports (individual or team), by associating
draw winners with icons relating to each particular sport, which
would benefit in the same fashion as the sport of horse racing.
[0016] The invention, shown in FIG. 1, relates to a system and
method for conducting an on-line lottery which can be played over a
wide area, for example over a global computer network such as the
Internet. In the preferred embodiment, the system and method of the
invention comprises two stages.
[0017] In the first or "draw" stage participants log on to an
online site, for example a web site posted by the lottery
administrator. The web site comprises instructions for participants
and an interface into which participants can enter identifying
information in order to register for the lottery draw. In the
preferred embodiment the lottery draw is free to participants, who
need only register and provide an email address for notifications
(preferably with an agreement to accept email promotions relating
to the sport), and optionally a postal code or zip code which
allows the administrator to verify the geographic location of the
participant. Participants logging in for the first time must enter
any mandatory membership information required by the administrator,
and can also supply a pseudonym which will thereafter serve as a
member name which can be used in subsequent lottery draws, allowing
the participant to retain anonymity if desired.
[0018] The administrator's web site preferably also provides
information, including icons and any other desired sports details
or statistics, relating to the sport on which the lottery is based,
in this example horse racing. Thus, in the preferred embodiment the
web site serves not only as a user interface for the lottery game,
but also as an information dissemination vehicle for imparting icon
and other sports-based feature information to the registered
participants.
[0019] Entry times may be restricted or unlimited, but with a
cut-off time prior to the next upcoming event for which each draw
is intended. In the case of a horse race, for example, the
administrator may specify a cut-off time of 12:00 p.m. local time
on the day of the races. Participants logging in after the assigned
cut-off time would then be automatically entered into the next
following draw. One registration per registered e-mail address per
draw per day only gives the participant an opportunity to be a draw
winner; prizes are awarded only in the second stage of the lottery
game.
[0020] After the assigned cut-off time, a predetermined number of
draw winners are drawn at random from the pool of registered
participants. This may be done by computer, manually, by machine,
or in any other desired manner, and commences the second or
"winning" stage of the game, in which an icon relating to the
featured sport is assigned to each draw winner.
[0021] For example, in the example in which the lottery is operated
in association with the sport of horse racing, each draw winner
might be assigned to a specific jockey or a horse. The assignment
of an icon such as a jockey may be particularly beneficial in the
case of horse racing, since the reputation of a popular horse is
often short lived whereas the fame of a popular jockey can persist
for many years. However, which particular type of icon is chosen as
suitable for a particular sport is a matter of choice which may be
best made by those knowledgeable in the sport, but the types of
icons which can be selected is very broad and will vary from sport
to sport.
[0022] The icon may be assigned by the lottery administrator, in
which case the draw winners are notified of their respective icon
assignments after the draw, but before the game in the sport on
which the lottery is based and played; or each draw winner may be
given the opportunity to select their own icon. In either case, the
icons may for example be assigned or selected in priority based on
the order in which the draw winners are drawn during the first
stage of the game. In the second stage of the game, a draw winner
wins a prize each time the icon achieves a success; for example,
each time the jockey wins a race.
[0023] The linking or association of draw winners with icons
related to the sport is designed to enhance consumer familiarity
with the icons and other details (venues, statistics etc.) relating
to the sport, by giving otherwise disinterested or indifferent
consumers an opportunity to win a prize based on the performance of
an icon in which they now have a stake. The invention would thus
increase audience size and awareness of the sport, and interest in
the sport in general.
[0024] Many variations from the basic game are available. For
example, optionally a consolation prize or further draw opportunity
may be provided to draw winners who do not win a prize. Information
relating to icons, statistics and other details and features of the
sport may be disseminated to participants through any media
channel, and multiple media channels. This allows the information
dissemination aspect of the invention to be most beneficially
deployed through channels most appropriate for the particular sport
concerned. For example, in the sport of horse racing printed
periodicals, and particularly daily newspapers, are a preferred
information dissemination medium, given the frequency with which
and the number of local venues at which horse racing takes place.
In other sports television, radio, internet and/or other media
channels may be most appropriate. The ability to disseminate
information through any available means offers an opportunity to
provide a multi-media presence which affords saturation exposure
via newspapers, radio, television, and other media channels, in
addition to the Internet.
[0025] The sports based lottery according to the invention is easy
to play, and the results of the post-draw portion of the game can
be viewed, listened to or otherwise monitored live by participants,
which increases the excitement and enhances the viewer's feeling of
participation in the game. Further, as participants become familiar
with the sport through increased access to icons, statistics and
details relating to the sport, they will be more likely to seek out
further information (from the same and other media sources) in
order to enhance their knowledge and appreciation of the sport in
general. As the audience for the sport increases, through
participation in the lottery of the invention, the administrator
will develop a sizeable database that can be a valuable marketing
tool for many goods or services based companies. Revenues can thus
be generated not only by direct sponsorship and advertising, but
also by the distribution of customer lists through other marketing
entities.
[0026] In the operation of the example relating to the sport of
horse racing, during the actual draw ten registered participants
can be drawn at random, if desired, by computer, for each featured
racetrack. Each local racetrack may then be matched to local
participants using the postal code or zip code information provided
by each participant upon registration. The ten draw winners are
assigned the designated icons (for example jockeys or horses, or a
combination of the two), either in a particular order or at random.
For example, the first participant drawn can be assigned the
leading jockey at racetrack A, the second participant drawn getting
the second leading jockey at racetrack A, etc. The tenth person can
be awarded a "joker" which represents all other jockeys riding at
that racetrack on that date. Alternatively, the icons may be
selected by the winners, either in a particular order or at
random.
[0027] A prize can then be awarded to the participant associated
with each icon which achieves a success of some kind, for example
each jockey that wins a race, either once or every time the jockey
wins a race. Lesser prizes can be awarded for place and show, etc.
The number of possible permutations is essentially unlimited.
[0028] Various embodiments of the present invention having been
thus described in detail by way of example, it will be apparent to
those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be
made without departing from the invention. The invention includes
all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of
the appended claims.
* * * * *