U.S. patent application number 12/180163 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-28 for systems and methods for lottery-style games.
This patent application is currently assigned to Roboreus Limited. Invention is credited to Henry Edward Oakes, James Allan Oakes.
Application Number | 20100019453 12/180163 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41567938 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100019453 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Oakes; James Allan ; et
al. |
January 28, 2010 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOTTERY-STYLE GAMES
Abstract
Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed. In
one particular exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method
may comprise: establishing an online game that is scheduled to have
lottery drawings on a number of drawing days; accepting enrollment
of a plurality of players in the online game, each player being
assigned at least one unique identifier and being committed to
participate in a plurality of the lottery drawings; receiving, from
each player, a designated number of tokens to be entered for each
unique identifier in each lottery drawing said player is committed
to participate in, each designated number being at least one and up
to a predetermined maximum; and executing the online game on each
drawing day by conducting a drawing, from unique identifiers of the
participating players, to select one winner and by providing a
fraction of a jackpot to the selected winner based on a calculated
proportional value.
Inventors: |
Oakes; James Allan; (Rye,
GB) ; Oakes; Henry Edward; (Hastings, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
901 NEW YORK AVENUE, N.W.
WASHINGTON
DC
20001
US
|
Assignee: |
Roboreus Limited
|
Family ID: |
41567938 |
Appl. No.: |
12/180163 |
Filed: |
July 25, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
273/269 ;
463/17 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G07F 17/3237 20130101;
G07F 17/3272 20130101; G07F 17/32 20130101; G07F 17/3255 20130101;
G07F 17/3258 20130101; G07F 17/3248 20130101; G07F 17/3251
20130101; G07F 17/3211 20130101; G07F 17/329 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
273/269 ;
463/17 |
International
Class: |
A63F 9/24 20060101
A63F009/24 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for lottery-style games, the
method comprising: establishing an online game that is scheduled to
have lottery drawings on a number of drawing days, each lottery
drawing to take place on one drawing day; accepting enrollment of a
plurality of players in the online game, each player being assigned
at least one unique identifier and being committed to participate
in a plurality of the lottery drawings; receiving, from each
player, a designated number of tokens to be entered for each of the
at least one unique identifier in each of the plurality of the
lottery drawings said player is committed to participate in, each
designated number being at least one and up to a predetermined
maximum: and executing the online game by doing the following on
each drawing day: pooling tokens entered for said drawing by
players participating on said drawing day, together with tokens
carried over from one or more previous drawing days, if any, to
form a jackpot for said drawing day, conducting a drawing, from
unique identifiers of the players participating on said drawing
day, to select one winner, calculating a proportional value based
on: (a) the designated number of tokens the selected winner has
entered for said drawing, and (b) the predetermined maximum, and
providing a fraction of the jackpot to the selected winner based on
the calculated proportional value.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: rolling a
remainder of the jackpot over to a next drawing day.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the players
participating on said drawing day are not issued paper tickets.
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: rewarding
an existing player for an referral of a new player who enrolls in
the online game.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the existing player is
awarded one or more tokens for every drawing day on which the new
player participates in a lottery drawing.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the one or more awarded
tokens are automatically entered into the lottery drawing on behalf
of the existing player.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the drawing days are
consecutive calendar days, consecutive business days, or selected
days of each week.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein each player is
committed to participate in the lottery drawings for at least a
predetermined period of time.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein each token represents a
unit of value that is selected from a group consisting of: one or
more units of cash, one or more units of credit, and one or more
points that are exchangeable for things of value.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein each player enrolls in
the online game by funding at least partially the player's
commitment of participating in the plurality of the lottery
drawings.
11. A system for lottery-style games, the system comprising: a
processor; at least one storage device coupled to the processor; a
user interface coupled to the processor via one or more
communication networks; wherein the processor is adapted to
communicate with the at least one storage device and the user
interface to execute instructions to perform the following tasks:
establishing an online game that is scheduled to have lottery
drawings on a number of drawing days, each lottery drawing to take
place on one drawing day: accepting enrollment of a plurality of
players in the online game, each player being assigned at least one
unique identifier and being committed to participate in a plurality
of the lottery drawings; receiving, from each player, a designated
number of tokens to be entered for each of the at least one unique
identifier in each of the plurality of the lottery drawings said
player is committed to participate in, each designated number being
at least one and up to a predetermined maximum; and executing the
online game by doing the following on each drawing day: pooling
tokens entered for said drawing by players participating on said
drawing day, together with tokens carried over from one or more
previous drawing days, if any, to form a jackpot for said drawing
day, conducting a drawing, from unique identifiers of the players
participating on said drawing day, to select one winner,
calculating a proportional value based on: (a) the designated
number of tokens the selected winner has entered for said drawing,
and (b) the predetermined maximum, and providing a fraction of the
jackpot to the selected winner based on the calculated proportional
value.
12. A computer-implemented method for lottery-style games, the
method comprising: establishing a game that is scheduled to have a
number of lottery drawings; accepting enrollment of a plurality of
players in the game, each player being assigned at least one unique
identifier and being committed to participate in a plurality of the
lottery drawings by contributing tokens of value; receiving, from
each player, a designated number of tokens to be entered for each
of the at least one unique identifier contributes in each of the
plurality of the lottery drawings said player is committed to
participate in, each designated number being at least one and up to
a predetermined maximum; and executing the game by doing the
following for each lottery drawing: pooling tokens which are
contributed to said lottery drawing by players participating in
said lottery drawing, together with tokens carried over from one or
more previous lottery drawings, if any, to form a jackpot for said
lottery drawing, conducting a drawing, from unique identifiers of
the players participating in said lottery drawing, to select at
least one winner, calculating a proportional value based on: (a)
the number of tokens contributed by the selected at least one
winner to said lottery drawing, and (b) the predetermined maximum,
and providing a fraction of the jackpot to the selected at least
one winner based on the calculated proportional value.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the number of lottery
drawings in the game are scheduled according to a frequency
selected from a group consisting of: every hour: a number of times
every day; everyday; every business day; a number of times every
week; a number of times every month; and a number of times every
year.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the game is
implemented online via a website.
15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the game is
implemented online in connection with a social networking
website.
16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the game is
implemented in connection with a virtual reality game.
17. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least a portion of
the game is implemented in an offline environment.
18. The method according to claim 12, wherein each player makes
commitment to participate in the plurality of the lottery drawings
by depositing a predetermined amount of money.
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined
amount of money is worth at least a portion of a total number of
tokens said each player designates to contribute to the plurality
of the lottery drawings.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is related to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______, entitled "Systems and Methods for
Lottery-Style Games," filed concurrently herewith, which is
incorporated herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to
games of chance. More specifically, the present invention relates
to systems and methods for lottery-style games.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Lottery is a popular game of chance in which a number of
players contribute to form a jackpot that is later awarded, wholly
or partially, to one or more winners. The participating players pay
money or contribute other things of value in exchange for lottery
tickets. Typically, each lottery ticket bears a combination of
numbers or other symbols, and a winning ticket has to at least
partially match a randomly generated set of numbers or symbols. In
a properly operated lottery game, any one of the outstanding
lottery tickets could be selected in a random drawing as a winning
ticket, entitling its holder to some or all of the jackpot
prize.
[0004] Sweepstakes in United States may be considered one special
type of lottery games which are free to enter and are typically
sponsored by merchants for promotional marketing purposes. In
United Kingdom, a sweepstake is technically a lottery game in which
the prize is financed through the tickets sold. Small-scale
sweepstakes among private parties (e.g., colleagues and classmates)
may also be considered lottery games which are often related to
ongoing sports events.
[0005] Lottery games come in different formats. For example, the
jackpot of a lottery game may be either a fixed cash amount or a
certain percentage of ticket revenue. The combination of numbers on
each lottery ticket could be a unique one, or each player may be
allowed to select his or her own lucky numbers, making it possible
for multiple tickets to share a same combination. Lottery games can
be played either online or offline. The most popular lottery games,
such as Powerball.TM., Mega Millions.TM., and Euro Millions.TM.,
are mostly paper-based, requiring the purchase of actual tickets,
although some are now starting to open to online participants. A
few lottery games can be played completely online. That is, instead
of purchasing a paper ticket and filling in desired numbers with a
pencil, an online player can purchase an electronic (or virtual)
lottery ticket and select a desired combination via a web interface
such as an Internet browser.
[0006] In all traditional lottery games, lottery tickets are sold
in predetermined, fixed denominations, for example, one dollar per
ticket. Accordingly, one winning ticket will entitle its holder to
an entire unit of a corresponding winning prize. Proportional value
lottery games have been proposed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,296.569 and 7,351,142, but none appears to have been commercially
implemented. Both of those patents describe the issuance of
proportional denomination lottery tickets, online or at a point of
sale (POS). For example, in any transaction involving change under
a dollar, the change can be converted to a proportional
denomination share of a full-unit (one-dollar) lottery ticket. If
the full-unit lottery ticket is qualified for a prize, the holder
of the proportional denomination ticket will be entitled to a
fraction of the prize. For instance, if a one-dollar ticket
matching all the winning numbers would entitle its holder to a
jackpot amount, then a 25-cent proportional ticket entitles its
holder to 25% of the jackpot.
[0007] All the existing types of lottery games appear to share a
few common characteristics. First, they all have to issue some kind
of lottery tickets, whether paper or electronic, full-denomination
or proportional. The purposes for issuing lottery tickets are
two-fold. The tickets bear numerical combinations or patterns to be
compared to the randomly generated winning combination or pattern.
The tickets also serve as proof of participation in the lottery
games. However, the entire mechanism of generating, drawing, and
matching tickets could impose significant overhead costs on the
operation of lottery games.
[0008] Second, participation in traditional lottery games depends
heavily on player impulse or enthusiasm, which causes ticket
revenue to fluctuate. Except for a handful of gambling fanatics,
most people only purchase lottery tickets occasionally. A loss in
one game might cause an ordinary player to stop playing for a
while. Also, public sentiment towards a lottery game often varies
with the amount of jackpot prize available at the time. There seems
to be a general belief that a one-dollar ticket somehow has a
better chance of winning when the jackpot reaches several million
dollars or more. Therefore, when the total jackpot snowballs into
an unusually large amount, the public often become increasingly
interested in the game. Once the jackpot is won, a period of
stagnation typically follows the news-generating big win. For all
these reasons, ticket revenues from traditional lottery games tend
to swing with time and seldom generate a steady cash flow.
[0009] Third, players in a traditional lottery game have no direct
or perceivable incentive for bringing more players into the game.
Theoretically, an existing player may be indirectly benefited if
more players join the lottery game, because the increased
participation will increase the size of jackpot the existing player
could potentially win. However, that potential benefit may not be
tangible enough to encourage referrals of additional players. In
addition, the existing player's chance of winning does not increase
with the number of new players.
[0010] Furthermore, traditional lottery games including sweepstakes
are pure games of chance and typically do not require any player
skill or strategy. Every player's chance of winning is only
affected by the number of lottery tickets he or she buys. One
player's chance of winner is independent of another player's chance
of winning. As a result, there tends to be very little interaction
among lottery participants.
[0011] In view of the foregoing, it may be understood that there
are significant problems and shortcomings associated with
traditional lottery games.
SUMMARY OF TIE INVENTION
[0012] Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed.
In one particular exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented
method for lottery-style games may comprise: establishing an online
game that is scheduled to have lottery drawings on a number of
drawing days, each lottery drawing to take place on one drawing
day; accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the online
game, each player being assigned at least one unique identifier and
being committed to participate in a plurality of the lottery
drawings, receiving, from each player, a designated number of
tokens to be entered for each of the at least one unique identifier
in each of the plurality of the lottery drawings said player is
committed to participate in, each designated number being at least
one and up to a predetermined maximum; and executing the online
game by doing the following on each drawing day: pooling tokens
entered for said drawing by players participating on said drawing
day, together with tokens carried over from one or more previous
drawing days, if any, to form a jackpot for said drawing day,
conducting a drawing, from unique identifiers of the players
participating on said drawing day, to select one winner,
calculating a proportional value based on: (a) the designated
number of tokens the selected winner has entered for said drawing,
and (b) the predetermined maximum, and providing a fraction of the
jackpot to the selected winner based on the calculated proportional
value.
[0013] In another particular exemplary embodiment, a system for
lottery-style games may comprise: a processor; at least one storage
device coupled to the processor; a user interface coupled to the
processor via one or more communication networks; wherein the
processor is adapted to communicate with the at least one storage
device and the user interface to execute instructions to perform
the following tasks: establishing an online game that is scheduled
to have lottery drawings on a number of drawing days, each lottery
drawing to take place on one drawing day; accepting enrollment of a
plurality of players in the online game, each player being assigned
at least one unique identifier and being committed to participate
in a plurality of the lottery drawings; receiving, from each
player, a designated number of tokens to be entered for each of the
at least one unique identifier in each of the plurality of the
lottery drawings said player is committed to participate in, each
designated number being at least one and up to a predetermined
maximum; and executing the online game by doing the following on
each drawing day: pooling tokens entered for said drawing by
players participating on said drawing day, together with tokens
carried over from one or more previous drawing days, if any, to
form a jackpot for said drawing day, conducting a drawing, from
unique identifiers of the players participating on said drawing
day, to select one winner, calculating a proportional value based
on: (a) the designated number of tokens the selected winner has
entered for said drawing, and (b) the predetermined maximum, and
providing a fraction of the jackpot to the selected winner based on
the calculated proportional value.
[0014] In yet another particular exemplary embodiment, a
computer-implemented method for lottery-style games may comprise:
establishing a game that is scheduled to have a number of lottery
drawings; accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the
game, each player being assigned at least one unique identifier and
being committed to participate in a plurality of the lottery
drawings by contributing tokens of value: receiving, from each
player, a designated number of tokens to be entered for each of the
at least one unique identifier contributes in each of the plurality
of the lottery drawings said player is committed to participate in,
each designated number being at least one and up to a predetermined
maximum: and executing the game by doing the following for each
lottery drawing: pooling tokens which are contributed to said
lottery drawing by players participating in said lottery drawing,
together with tokens carried over from one or more previous lottery
drawings, if any, to form a jackpot for said lottery drawing,
conducting a drawing, from unique identifiers of the players
participating in said lottery drawing, to select at least one
winner, calculating a proportional value based on: (a) the number
of tokens contributed by the selected at least one winner to said
lottery drawing, and (b) the predetermined maximum, and providing a
fraction of the jackpot to the selected at least one winner based
on the calculated proportional value.
[0015] One technical effect of the systems and methods of the
present invention is that they facilitate more efficient and more
entertaining implementation of lottery-style games on modern
computers and communications systems. Another technical effect of
the systems and methods of the present invention lies in the
specialized computer devices and/or gaming kiosks that may be
configured and deployed to carry out the lottery-style games
disclosed herein.
[0016] The present invention will now be described in more detail
with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof as shown in the
accompanying drawings. While the present invention is described
below with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be
understood that the present invention is not limited thereto. Those
of ordinary skill in the art having access to the teachings herein
will recognize additional implementations, modifications, and
embodiments, as well as other fields of use, which are within the
scope of the present invention as described herein, and with
respect to which the present invention may be of significant
utility.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of the present
invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in
which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These
drawings should not be construed as limiting the present invention,
but are intended to be exemplary only.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method of
facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a lottery game operator in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a player in a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system
for facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software
and data-storage modules for facilitating lottery-style games in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 shows a grid map for an exemplary GeoSweep game in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0024] FIGS. 7A-B illustrate an exemplary payout structure in an
exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative payout structure in an
exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative payout structure in
an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention.
[0027] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative method of establishing a
grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 11 illustrates another alternative method of
establishing a grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep
game in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a flow chart illustrating
an exemplary method of facilitating lottery-style games in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] In step 102, a lottery game may be set up. The lottery game
may be an ongoing one that is scheduled to have a plurality of
lottery drawings over a period of time. For example, the lottery
drawings may occur on a periodic basis, such as once every hour,
one or more times every calendar day or every business day, one or
more times every week, or a predetermined number of times per month
or year. As the lottery game is set up, a set of rules, terms and
conditions may be published or otherwise communicated to potential
participants. The rules may define how the lottery game is operated
and how the lottery drawings are conducted, as well as calculation
and payout of prizes, as will be described in more detail below.
The terms and conditions may specify rights and obligations of
persons participating in the lottery game and lottery drawings.
[0031] In preferred embodiments of the present invention, the
lottery game is established online and accessible via an Internet
website. The lottery game may also be implemented in connection
with one or more social networking websites, such as Facebook.TM.,
MySpace.TM., or LinkedIn.TM.. Alternatively, the lottery game may
also be implemented in connection with one or more virtual reality
games such as Second Life.TM. or other multi-player video games.
The lottery game may be either an add-on or an integrated part of
an associated website, wherein participation in the lottery game
may enhance a player's experience at the associated website or vice
versa. According to some embodiments, the lottery game and lottery
drawings may be implemented at least partially offline, without
requiring every participant to have computer or Internet
access.
[0032] In step 104, players may be enrolled in the lottery game.
Each person wishing to join the lottery game may be required to
make a commitment to participate in a number of the scheduled
lottery drawings. In one exemplary enrollment process, a player may
(a) manifest consent to the set of rules, terms and conditions
established in the lottery game and (b) deposit or pledge some
amount of money or other things of value to be contributed to the
game. The amount of initial deposit or pledge may depend on such
factors as how many lottery drawings the player is obligated to
participate in, how much wager the player is to enter for each
drawing, the player's credit ratings, and so on.
[0033] Enrollment of players may be taken via a web interface, by
mail, or through other communication means. When the lottery game
is implemented in connection with a social networking website or
other membership sites, enrollment in the lottery game may be
simplified with the existing membership information. Alternatively,
the lottery game operator, administrator, or personnel may receive
and approve enrollment in person. In some instances, new players
may join through referrals and/or gift membership.
[0034] In step 106, each enrolled player may be assigned one or
more unique identifiers. Each player identifier (or player ID) may
be a text string, a serial number, or other symbols. According to
one embodiment, each player ID may be associated with a "Lucky
Star" of the player's choice. According to some embodiments, each
player ID may comprise a machine readable portion (e.g., an
alphanumeric string) and a human recognizable portion (e.g., a
logo, icon or catch phrase). For a player, one of the assigned
player IDs may be used as a username for logging into an
Internet-based lottery game. Or, the player may choose a different
username to log in but is still able to manage multiple player IDs
assigned to that player. The assigned player IDs may be imprinted
or encoded on a membership card.
[0035] In the drawings or games described herein, each registered
player can participate with one or multiple player IDs. When
participating with multiple player IDs, the rules regarding each of
the multiple player IDs are the same as if each player ID is owned
and controlled by a single player. For ease of illustration, it is
assumed in the following description that each player participates
with a single player ID.
[0036] In step 108, each player may designate the number of tokens
to enter for each drawing. That is, with respect to each lottery
drawing the player is committed to participate in, the player may
specify a wager amount that is typically measured in the number of
tokens. As used herein, a "token" may be or represent any physical
or virtual thing of value that can be counted or quantified. For
example, a token may be or represent one or more units of cash or
credit. Or, a token may be or represent one or more points that are
exchangeable for things of value. According to one embodiment of
the present invention, one token may be the equivalent of one cent
( 1/100 of a dollar). According to another embodiment, one token
may be or represent one value point that may be used to exchange
for music downloads, cell phone ring-tones, or for other online or
in-store purchases. According to yet another embodiment, one token
may represent one unit of a game score in an online video game or a
virtual society. According to still another embodiment, one token
may be or can be exchanged for one or more units of mobile
telephone airtime or long-distance telephone minutes.
[0037] The players may purchase tokens with their initial deposits.
They may set up electronic fund transfers and/or automatic credit
card payments to refill their accounts with tokens. A player's
account may be replenished automatically as soon as its balance
falls below a preset lower limit. Apart from winning or purchasing
refills, the players may alternatively or additionally obtain
tokens through bartering or by engaging in certain activities. For
example, a player may exchange credit card cash-back bonus points
for tokens. The player may also take part in online surveys, view
online advertisements, or increase activity level at social
networking or blogger websites to earn tokens.
[0038] The number of tokens designated for each lottery drawing
should typically fall within a certain range. For lottery drawings
that take place on a daily basis, for example, there may be a daily
minimum and a daily maximum for the number of tokens a player can
contribute per player ID. According to one embodiment of the
present invention, the daily minimum may be one token (e.g., one
cent or one pence) and the daily maximum may be one hundred tokens
(e.g., one dollar or one pound). The number of tokens that a player
designates for each drawing may be any of a fixed value between and
including the daily minimum and the daily maximum. Alternatively,
the player may configure the daily wager to be a variable amount.
To have a minimal level of participation in the lottery game (thus
a more predictable revenue from the game), the game system may be
configured to prevent players from lowering their preset daily
wager amount for any upcoming drawings.
[0039] For each lottery drawing, a jackpot prize may be formed, in
step 110, from two sources: (a) tokens contributed by players who
participate in that drawing, and (b) tokens carried over from one
or more previous drawings, if available. Tokens from the two
sources may be pooled together into one jackpot. The jackpot (or a
portion thereof) may account for a maximum payable amount for a
winner of that lottery drawing.
[0040] In step 112, a random drawing from the player IDs may be
conducted to select at least one winner. Note that the word
"random" does not require randomness in the most rigorous
statistical sense as such randomness is difficult to achieve.
Instead, the word "random" implies a fair drawing process that does
not appear to favor any one player more than any other player. The
random (fair) drawing from the player IDs may be achieved in a
number of computational methods as are well known in the gaming
industry. According to some embodiments of the present invention, a
single winner may be selected for each lottery drawing. According
to some alternative embodiments, two or more winners may be
selected for each drawing and they may share a prize fund on equal
footings or according to an award hierarchy.
[0041] Then, in step 114, a proportional value may be calculated
based on the number of tokens the selected winner(s) contributed
versus the maximum number allowed per player ID. Assuming there is
only one selected winner, the proportional value (F) may be
calculated by dividing the number of tokens the winner contributed
(n) with the maximum number a player is allowed to contribute (M)
to that individual lottery drawing. That is--
F = n M ##EQU00001##
If there are multiple winners, the proportional value may be
calculated for each winner. For example, if a selected winner
contributed the maximum number of tokens for that lottery drawing,
the proportional value for that winner would be one (1) or 100%. If
the selected winner contributed half of the maximum number of
tokens allowed, the proportional value would be 1/2 or 50%. The
proportional value calculated in this step may be represented with
either a fraction or a percentage.
[0042] In step 116, a fraction of the jackpot (or maximum payable
prize) may be provided to the selected winner(s) according to the
proportional value calculated in step 114 above. That is, whatever
the full prize amount (P) a winner might have been entitled to had
he or she contributed the maximum number of tokens (M), the actual
payout amount (p) may be reduced to a fraction of that full prize
amount in proportion to the number of tokens contributed (n). That
is--
p = F .times. P = n M .times. P ##EQU00002##
The same proportional payout rule applies to single-winner as well
as multiple-winner scenarios. The actual payout may be made by
depositing tokens into a winner's account in the game system.
Alternatively, the winner may receive the prize in the form of
cash, points, airtime or long-distance minutes, other things of
value, or a combination thereof. Other payout arrangements are also
possible.
[0043] In step 118, the remainder of the jackpot prize may be
rolled over to a next drawing. Unless one or more selected winners
happen to have wagered the maximum number of tokens and therefore
won the entire jackpot, there would always be some remaining
jackpot to add to the jackpot of the next drawing. In addition, the
enrollment rule ensures continuous participation in the ongoing
lottery drawings. As a result, the jackpot may quickly snowball
into a large amount, further increasing players' interest in the
game.
[0044] For business advantages, it may be preferable to set the
maximum number of tokens that each player ID can contribute to each
drawing at a relatively low value. For example, if the daily
maximum that can be entered for a daily drawing is one dollar, a
player can contribute as little as one cent but never more than one
dollar. The player will not feel any significant financial impact
or burden to continue playing the lottery game for many drawing
days. By wagering the equivalent of pocket change on a daily basis,
the player may still enjoy a decent chance of winning a substantial
amount of money.
[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a lottery game operator in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. For ease of illustration, it will be assumed
that lottery drawings in the lottery game occur on a daily basis.
On each drawing day, a pie chart 202 represents a jackpot prize and
sources thereof, whereas a pie chart 204 represents the same
jackpot prize (but shown separately for clarity) and disbursement
therefrom. The pie chart 202 indicates that a first portion of the
present drawing day's jackpot include tokens carried over from one
or more previous drawing days. The pie chart 202 also indicates
that second portion of the jackpot include tokens contributed by
individual players for the current drawing. The pie chart 204
indicates that at least a fraction of the jackpot prize may be paid
out to a winner of the day. Assuming there is a single winner and
that player contributed 40 tokens out of the maximum 100 allowed,
40% of the jackpot prize may be paid out to the winner. In that
case, tile remaining 60% of the jackpot may be rolled over to a
next drawing day.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates the flow of tokens from the perspective
of a player in a lottery game in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention. The exemplary player, Player K, may be
committed to participate in N lottery drawings occurring on N
consecutive days, wherein N is an integer greater than one. The
bucket of dollar-sign tokens represents an account balance for
Player K. Player K may have started with a "full bucket" of tokens
that were purchased upon enrollment. As described earlier, Player K
may designate one or more tokens to be contributed to each daily
drawing. The number of tokens designated may be constant or may
vary day-to-day. As drawing days go by, unless Player K wins in one
or more lottery drawings. Player K's account may be slowly depleted
and may have to be replenished. If Player K happens to be picked as
a winner in one of the drawings, the proportional payout from that
drawing may also replenish Player K's account to some extent.
[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention. Player
K may also enjoy another source of tokens--referral rewards. In
order to encourage Player K to refer additional players to join the
lottery game, Player K may be awarded a number of tokens for each
new player brought into the game. The referral rewards may be
simply deposited into Player K's account. Alternatively, the
referral rewards may be automatically entered into daily drawings
on behalf of Player K and in addition to Player K's own
contribution to the daily drawings. For example, for each new
player that Player K received, one or more tokens may be added to
Player K's daily wager amount. These additional tokens may be
awarded to Player K as long as the newly referred player remains an
active participant in the lottery drawings. Furthermore, the amount
of referral rewards may be linked to activity level of the new
player referred.
[0048] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system
400 for facilitating lottery-style games in accordance with one
embodiment of the present invention.
[0049] The system 400 may be or include a computer system. This
embodiment of the present invention may be described in the general
context of computer-executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules
include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures,
etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract
data types. A series of programmable instructions may be stored in
a computer-readable medium performing the lottery-style gaming
functions disclosed herein and to achieve technical effects in
accordance with the disclosure. More exemplary software and
data-storage modules will be described below in connection with
FIG. 5.
[0050] The lottery-style games described herein may be entered into
and/or played at one or more game terminals or kiosks on or near
the premises of a casino, a department store, a shopping mall, or
other suitable commercial sites. For example, potential
participants in a lottery-style game might be limited by laws which
prohibit online wagering with payment cards. It may be beneficial
for those participants to visit, or have someone else visit on
their behalf, a commercial outlet with above-mentioned game
terminals or kiosks where they can lawfully register and/or play
the lottery-style games. Once a player has registered and funded
his/her membership, he/she may continue monitoring the daily
progress of the game via Internet or other communication means. As
needed, the player may occasionally re-visit the game terminals or
kiosks to re-fill accounts associated with his/her player IDs.
[0051] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention
may be practiced with various computer system configurations,
including hand-held wireless devices such as mobile phones or
personal digital assistants (PDAs), multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,
minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. The invention may
also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks
are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through
a communications network. In a distributed computing environment,
program modules may be located in both local and remote computer
storage media including memory storage devices.
[0052] The computer system may include a general purpose computing
device in the form of a computer including a processing unit, a
system memory, and a system bus that couples various system
components including the system memory to the processing unit.
[0053] Computers typically include a variety of computer readable
media that can form part of the system memory and be read by the
processing unit. By way of example, and not limitation, computer
readable media may comprise computer storage media and
communication media. The system memory may include computer storage
media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as
read only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). A basic
input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help
to transfer information between elements, such as during start-up,
is typically stored in ROM. RAM typically contains data and/or
program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently
being operated on by processing unit. The data or program modules
may include an operating system, application programs, other
program modules, and program data. The operating system may be or
include a variety of operating systems such as Microsoft
Windows.RTM. operating system, the Unix operating system, the Linux
operating system, the Xenix operating system, the IBM AIX.TM.
operating system, the Hewlett Packard UX.TM. operating system, the
Novell Netware.TM. operating system, the Sun Microsystems
Solaris.TM. operating system, the OS/2.TM. operating system, the
BeOS.TM. operating system, the Macintosh.TM..RTM. operating system,
the Apache.TM. operating system, an OpenStep.TM. operating system
or another operating system of platform.
[0054] At a minimum, the memory includes at least one set of
instructions that is either permanently or temporarily stored. The
processor executes the instructions that are stored in order to
process data. The set of instructions may include various
instructions that perform a particular task or tasks, such as those
shown in the appended flowcharts. Such a set of instructions for
performing a particular task may be characterized as a program,
software program, software, engine, module, component, mechanism,
or tool. The system 400 may include a plurality of software
processing modules stored in a memory as described above and
executed on a processor in the manner described herein. The program
modules may be in the form of any suitable programming language,
which is converted to machine language or object code to allow the
processor or processors to read the instructions. That is, written
lines of programming code or source code, in a particular
programming language, may be converted to machine language using a
compiler, assembler, or interpreter. The machine language may be
binary coded machine instructions specific to a particular
computer.
[0055] Any suitable programming language may be used in accordance
with the various embodiments of the invention. Illustratively, the
programming language used may include assembly language, Ada, API,
Basic, C, C++, COBOL, dBase, Forth, FORTRAN, Java, Modula-2,
Pascal, Irolog, REXX, and/or JavaScript, for example. Further, it
is not necessary that a single type of instruction or programming
language be utilized in conjunction with the operation of the
system and method of the invention. Rather, any number of different
programming languages may be utilized as is necessary or
desirable.
[0056] Also, the instructions and/or data used in the practice of
the invention may utilize any compression or encryption technique
or algorithm, as may be desired. An encryption module might be used
to encrypt data. Further, files or other data may be decrypted
using a suitable decryption module.
[0057] The computing environment may also include other
removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage
media. For example, a hard disk drive may read or write to
non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media. A magnetic disk drive
may read from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk,
and an optical disk drive may read from or write to a removable,
nonvolatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM or other optical media.
Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer
storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating
environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape
cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital
video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The
storage media are typically connected to the system bus through a
removable or non-removable memory interlace.
[0058] The processing unit that executes commands and instructions
may be a general purpose computer, but may utilize any of a wide
variety of other technologies including a special purpose computer,
a microcomputer, mini-computer, mainframe computer, programmed
micro-processor, micro-controller, peripheral integrated circuit
element, a CSIC (Customer Specific Integrated Circuit), ASIC
(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a logic circuit, a
digital signal processor, a programmable logic device such as an
FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), PLD (Programmable Logic
Device), PLA (Programmable Logic Array), RFID integrated circuits,
smart chip, or any other device or arrangement of devices that is
capable of implementing the steps of the processes of the
invention.
[0059] It should be appreciated that the processors and/or memories
of the computer system need not be physically in the same location.
Each of the processors and each of the memories used by the
computer system may be in geographically distinct locations and be
connected so as to communicate with each other in any suitable
manner. Additionally, it is appreciated that each of the processor
and/or memory may be composed of different physical pieces of
equipment.
[0060] A user may enter commands and information into the computer
through a user interface that includes input devices such as a
keyboard and pointing device, commonly referred to as a mouse,
trackball or touch pad. Other input devices may include a
microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, voice
recognition device, keyboard, touch screen, toggle switch,
pushbutton, or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit through a user input interface
that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other
interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or
a universal serial bus (USB).
[0061] One or more monitors or display devices may also be
connected to the system bus via an interface. In addition to
display devices, computers may also include other peripheral output
devices, which may be connected through an output peripheral
interface. The computers implementing the invention may operate in
a networked environment using logical connections to one or more
remote computers, the remote computers typically including many or
all of the elements described above.
[0062] Various networks may be implemented in accordance with
embodiments of the invention, including a wired or wireless local
area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) wireless personal
area network (PAN) and other types of networks. When used in a LAN
networking environment, computers may be connected to the LAN
through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN
networking environment, computers typically include a modem or
other communication mechanism. Modems may be internal or external,
and may be connected to the system bus via the user-input
interface, or other appropriate mechanism. Computers may be
connected over the Internet, an Intranet, Extranet, Ethernet, or
any other system that provides communications. Some suitable
communications protocols may include TCP/IP, UDP, or OSI for
example. For wireless communications, communications protocols may
include Bluetooth, Zigbee, IrDa or other suitable protocol.
Furthermore, components of the system may communicate through a
combination of wired or wireless paths.
[0063] Although many other internal components of the computer are
not shown, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
such components and the interconnections are well known.
Accordingly, additional details concerning the internal
construction of the computer need not be disclosed in connection
with the present invention.
[0064] More specifically, the system 400 may comprise at least one
gaining server 402 coupled to one or more databases 404 and/or
other data sources. The gaming server 402 may run a plurality of
software modules to facilitate lottery-style games in accordance
with embodiments of the present invention. The database(s) 404 may
hold data records related to players and lottery drawings. One
additional data source may be a bank or payment provider (406) that
performs payment and/or credit services for the lottery game
operator and players. Via a network 401, the players may
communicate, locally or remotely, with the gaming server 402 in
order to enroll in the lottery game, participate in drawings, and
manage player accounts. The players may employ a variety of
computing devices 408 such as personal computers, mobile computers,
personal digital assistants or handheld devices for communication
with the gaming server 402.
[0065] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary software
and data-storage modules for facilitating lottery-style games in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The
exemplary modules may include a user interface module 502, an
enrollment module 504, an accounting module 506, a game execution
module 508, an administration/service module 510, a player data
module 512, and a game data module 514. These software modules may
be programmed or configured to communicate with one another or with
the data-storage modules.
[0066] The user interface module 502 may provide computer and/or
Internet access for players and game operators/administrators to
communicate with the other software modules. The enrollment module
504 may perform functions related to registering new players, such
as verifying player information, assigning player IDs, and creating
player records. The accounting module 506 may be responsible for
managing player accounts and handling debit and credit transactions
against the player accounts, including daily wagering and winner
payouts. The game execution modules may perform functions such as
scheduling and conducting lottery drawings, generating and
publishing drawing results, and calculating proportional values and
payout amounts. The administration/service module 510 may
facilitate administrative and customer service tasks to be
performed by an operator or personnel of the lottery game
system.
[0067] The player data module 512 may contain and manage data
records related to each player, such as player ID, personal
information, wager preferences, account history, and so on. The
game data module 514 may contain and manage data records related to
the lottery drawings, such as drawing results, winner IDs, jackpot
payouts, and roller amounts.
[0068] As variations of and/or improvement upon the above-described
lottery-style games, other embodiments of the present invention may
offer similar, membership-based games in connection with virtual
and/or real maps. This type of lottery-style games may be referred
to and arc intended to be marketed or promoted as GeoSweep.TM.
games. In a typical GeoSweep.TM. game, a grid pattern may be
overlaid over a map dividing a land into grid units. A player may
enroll in the game by taking virtual land ownership of one or more
grid units and becoming committed to participate in a series of
scheduled lottery drawings. The player may participate in a drawing
by contributing tokens of value on behalf of at least one grid unit
the player owns. During any of those drawings, if a grid unit owned
by the player is selected as a (first-prize) winner, that player
may receive a full or proportional prize amount. Additional winners
in that drawing may be selected to win lesser amounts than the
first-prize winner. Those additional winners are selected and their
payout amounts are determined based on map positions of the
additional winners with respect to the first-prize winner.
[0069] FIG. 6 shows a grid map for an exemplary GeoSweep game in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The game
may be referred to as "GeoSweep Texas," wherein a map of the State
of Texas is overlaid with a grid 602. Each grid unit 604 may be a
rectangle or a square of the same or similar size. In general, a
grid unit can take any other shape, such as triangle, hexagon
(honeycomb) or other polygon. In some GeoSweep games, the grid
units can have different shapes and/or sizes without substantially
affecting the operation of the games. As a result, the grid 602 may
divide up land of Texas into a plurality of small parcels with well
declined boundaries. Each of the parcels (or grid units 604) may be
uniquely identified.
[0070] To participate in the GeoSweep Texas game, a player may be
required to register to become a member. During registration, the
player may pick one or more of available parcels to become a
virtual owner thereof. There may or may not be an upfront cost for
"owning" a parcel. Both sole and shared ownership may be possible
for a parcel. In some instances, it might be beneficial to hold an
auction among multiple interested players to determine which player
gets a popular parcel. In addition, the player may make a
commitment to participate in a plurality of scheduled lottery-style
drawings involving the one or more parcels. The plurality of
scheduled lottery-style drawings may take place periodically, such
as once or more times a day, every other day or every few days, or
a number of times per week or month. In each drawing, each
participating parcel may be required to contribute a predetermined
number of tokens to a prize pool or jackpot. The predetermined
number may be a fixed one set by the game operator or
administrator, or, alternatively, a variable one to be designated
by each individual owner of the participating parcels. In any case,
upon registration, each player may be required to fund his or her
commitment to participate in drawings by depositing or pledging
some amount of money.
[0071] At each drawing, one or more parcels or grid units 604 may
be randomly selected as sole winner(s) or first-prize winner(s).
For ease of explanation, it is assumed hereinafter that each
drawing selects a single grid unit as a sole winner or a
first-prize winner. In the case of a sole winner, an entire amount
of jackpot or a calculated fraction thereof may be awarded to the
owner of that winning grid unit. More typically, in addition to a
first-prize winner, one or more winners of lesser amounts may be
determined based on their relative map positions with respect to
the first-prize winner. According to some embodiments, the drawing
may be limited to parcels that are already owned or claimed by
participating players, thereby ensuring at least one player will be
entitled to a prize as described in more detail below. According to
some embodiments of the present invention, the parcels or grid
units may each have the same chance of being drawn as a first-prize
winner. According to other embodiments, the parcels or grid units
may have varying chances of being picked as a winner. For example,
when a parcel costs more to own than others, it might enjoy a
better chance of winning.
[0072] The prizes in each drawing may comprise tokens of value
which have been contributed to that drawing by participating
parcels. The prizes may also comprise rollover prizes from a
previous drawing. In addition or as an alternative, the prizes may
comprise other things of value. For example, a marketing
partnership may be formed between the game operator and other
business entities. In return for promotional or advertising
activities on the GeoSweep game platform, the business partners may
contribute products and services to be awarded as prizes. If
justified by the cost or return on investment, an actual piece of
land or other real property may be awarded to a first-prize winner
or a sole jackpot winner.
[0073] FIGS. 7A-B illustrate an exemplary payout structure for the
GeoSweep Texas game described above.
[0074] FIG. 7A shows one grid unit that has been selected as a
first-prize winner. That first-prize winning grid unit has eight
neighboring grid units among which six are owned by participating
players while the other two (702 and 704) are not owned by any
player. Grid units 706, 708 and 710, which arc owned by some
players, do not share any common boundary with the grid unit
selected for the first prize.
[0075] Referring to FIG. 7B, the first-prize winning grid unit may
be allocated a prize amount that equals 20% of the jackpot
available for that drawing. The eight grid units which happen to be
the winner's neighbors may each be allocated 10% of the jackpot.
Thus, were all eight grid units of the winner's neighbors owned by
participating players, the entire jackpot would have been disbursed
among owners of the nine parcels (i.e.,
1.times.20%+8.times.10%=100%). However, since two of the winner's
neighbors (702 and 704) are not occupied or owned by any player,
the two 10% shares (i.e., 20% of jackpot) that would have been
allocated to owners of grid units 702 and 704 may now be deemed not
won by anyone and can be rolled over to the next drawing. The grid
units 706, 708 and 710, which are further away from the first-prize
winning grid unit than the winner's neighbors, do not win anything
in this round of drawing.
[0076] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the
GeoSweep game may include mechanisms to encourage player referrals.
For example, in a GeoSweep Texas game where Texas is divided into
20 million parcels, a player owning 20 parcels may be gifted an
additional unit for every new player that he or she refers. Each
parcel has an equal chance of winning the first prize. Thus, the
effect of the referral reward may be somewhat different from that
in a proportional lottery-style game described earlier. In a
lottery-style game, the referral reward has the effect of
increasing the proportion of the prize that a referring player
would win. Here, in a GeoSweep game, the referral reward has the
effect of increasing the chance of winning.
[0077] According to another embodiment of the present invention,
the GeoSweep game may also have a proportional lottery aspect to
it. In that case, at or shortly after registration, a player in the
GeoSweep Texas game may specify how many tokens to be entered for
drawings on behalf of a parcel the player owns. The number of
tokens entered for each drawing and on behalf of each parcel may be
within a predetermined range, for example, between 1 and 100
inclusive. In a drawing, if a parcel is selected as a first-prize
winner, then a proportional value may be calculated based on the
number of tokens that have been entered on behalf of that parcel.
For instance, if 100 is the maximum number of tokens that can be
entered for each parcel and 45 tokens are actually entered on
behalf of the first-prize winning parcel, then the proportional
value is calculated to be 45% (i.e., 45/100). Next, that
proportional value may be applied to whatever payout structure is
applicable, such that the owner of the first-prize winning parcel
will only be awarded a fraction (e.g., 45%) of the full first-prize
amount. According to some embodiments, owners of the winner's
neighboring parcels may be subject to the same proportional value
applied to the first-prize winner. Alternatively, according to some
other embodiments, the payout to a winner's neighboring parcel may
be subject to a different proportional value calculated based on
the number of tokens contributed on behalf of that particular
parcel. Therefore, the above-described map-based payout structure
may be used to determine full prize amounts for the winner's
neighbors, whereupon such full prize amounts may be reduced
according to the individual proportional values calculated for each
of those parcels.
[0078] It should be appreciated that the above description of the
GeoSweep Texas game is exemplary only. Numerous variations or
modifications may be applied to that exemplary game, such as payout
structure, grid geometry, and map subject.
[0079] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative payout structure in an
exemplary GeoSweep.TM. game in accordance with one embodiment of
the present invention. In a grid with rectangular or square shaped
units, cell D-6 may be selected as a first-prize winner during a
drawing. Then, four closest neighbors of cell D-6 (i.e., D-5, D-7,
C-6, and E-6), each of which shares one side with cell D-6, may
become entitled to second prizes. Four other neighbors of cell D-6
(i.e., C-5, C-7, E-5, and E-7), each of which shares only one node
with cell D-6, may be entitled to third prizes. The third prizes
may be of a lesser amount than the second prizes, and the second
prizes of a lesser amount than the first prize. For example, the
third prizes may each be 5% of a jackpot amount, the second prizes
may each be 10% of the jackpot amount, and the first prize may be
40% of the jackpot amount. According to another embodiment, the
first prize may be 60% of the jackpot, the second prizes may share
30% (i.e., 7.5% each), and the third prizes may share the remaining
10% (i.e., 2.5% each).
[0080] FIG. 9 illustrates another alternative payout structure in
an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance with one embodiment of the
present invention. In this embodiment, cell D-6 is again selected
as a single lirst-prize winner. The eight neighbors of cell D-6 may
become winners of second prizes. Further away from cell D-6, the
sixteen next closest neighbors of cell D-6 may be winners of third
prizes. For example, the first prize may be 68% of a jackpot, the
second prizes may share 16% of the jackpot (i.e., 2% each), and the
third prizes may share 16% of the jackpot (i.e., 1% each).
According to other embodiments, additional "rings" of neighbors may
be included as winners of even lesser prizes.
[0081] According to some embodiments of the present invention, two
or more grid units may be selected as first-prize winners. A set of
rules may be established to deternine which other grid units
qualify as second-prize winners, third-prize winners, and so on.
For example, grid units which are immediate neighbors of the
selected first-prize winners may win second prizes. Then, if the
first-prize winning grid units arc far apart from one another,
there may be multiple pockets or clusters of prize winners, each
pocket or cluster being centered around one first-prize winner.
[0082] FIG. 10 illustrates an alternative method of establishing a
grid or land boundaries in an exemplary GeoSweep game in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention. In this version of
the GeoSweep Texas game, rather than overlaying a uniform grid over
the Texas map, actual boundaries among the Texas counties may help
define grid units of various sizes and shapes. Alternatively,
actual land boundaries may define grid units for the GeoSweep game,
such that the GeoSweep grid units correspond to actual land
parcels. According to one embodiment, every grid unit (e.g., county
or smaller parcels) may still cost exactly the same to "own" and/or
have the same chance of being selected as a winner. According to
another embodiment, the grid units or counties may cost differently
and/or have varying chances of winning based on size and popularity
of each county or parcel. In sonic embodiments, game parameters
associated with a parcel on the GeoSweep map may be correlated to
or associated with the conditions, market value, and popularity of
the corresponding piece of land in the real world.
[0083] Since the grid units are irregularly shaped and in a
non-uniform grid, different grid units may have different number of
neighbors. For example, County A has eight neighboring counties,
County B has five, and County C has only one. Depending on which
grid unit is selected as a first-prize winner, there may be at
least one but up to eight immediate neighbors who may be entitled
to a second prize. One solution is to designate a fixed percentage
of the jackpot that each second-prize winner is entitled to. For
example, if each second-prize winner takes 2% of the jackpot, then
9 neighbors of the first-prize winner will share 18% of the jackpot
while 2 neighbors (if there are only two) will only take 4% of the
jackpot. Alternatively, a fixed percentage of the jackpot may be
shared among the second-prize winners regardless of how many
second-prize winners there may be. In that case, if a first-prize
winner has only one neighbor, such as the case of County C, that
single neighbor will be the sole second-prize winner taking the
entire amount that has been allocated to second prizes. The
first-prize winner has eight neighbors, such as the case of County
A, the eight neighbors will each take 1/8 of the entire amount that
has been allocated to second prizes.
[0084] Many variations of prize-sharing schemes may be implemented
for GeoSweep and/or proportional lottery-style games. In one
embodiment, players that were introduced to the game by an existing
player may share some of their winnings with that original
(referring) player. In a further embodiment, groups of players may
form prize-sharing clusters or syndicates.
[0085] Although a map of the State of Texas is used above as an
example, it should be appreciated that maps of other types of
geographic regions (e.g., township, city, county, country, ocean,
island, and continent) may also be appropriate in GeoSweep games in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention. For example,
there may be GeoSweep USA, GeoSweep Europe, GeoSweep London,
GeoSweep Hawaii, and so forth. In fact, a GeoSweep game may be
established for a tourist destination and help promote tourism by
offering prizes related to that destination or portions thereof.
For example, a GeoSweep Alaska game may offer free roundtrip
airline tickets as or in addition to a first prize. The game may
also offer free hotel accommodation in hotels that happen to be
located within a winning grid unit. Since the GeoSweep games are
map-based and/or location-specific, promotional opportunities and
variations are almost endless, as will be appreciated by those of
ordinary skill in the art of advertising and marketing.
[0086] FIG. 11 illustrates part of a New York City map to be used
in an exemplary game which may be referred to as "GeoSweep Big
Apple." As shown, the actual streets and avenues in mid-town
Manhattan may serve to define grid units for the GeoSweep game.
Local residents, business entities, and/or tourists may be
encouraged to participate in this game. Each potential group of
players may be offered different incentives. A local resident may
be interested in virtual ownership of a street block that he or she
actually lives on, and participation in the GeoSweep game may also
be a social networking opportunity with other community members. A
local business might be interested in sponsoring promotions and
placing its name on the GeoSweep map. In fact, the GeoSweep map may
be an online, interactive map with promotional and informational
features. A tourist may also be interested in the game for various
reasons, such as to get familiar with the area and to win
travel-related prizes offered by local businesses.
[0087] While the foregoing description includes many details and
specificities, it is to be understood that these have been included
for purposes of explanation only, and are not to be interpreted as
limitations of the present invention. It will be apparent to those
skilled in the art that other modifications to the embodiments
described above can be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications are
considered within the scope of the invention as intended to be
encompassed by the following claims and their legal
equivalents.
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