Patent Application
20160101348
The present invention relates to conducting second chance game events (e.g., bonus games) associated with a separate and independent primary lottery.
Lottery games have become a time honored method of raising revenue for state and federal governments the world over. Traditional scratch-off and draw games have evolved over decades, supplying increasing revenue year after year. However, after decades of growth, the sales curves associated with traditional games seem to be flattening out. Consequently, both lotteries and their service providers are presently searching for new methods of increasing sales and expanding the gaming experience for players.
In one attempt to increase sales, United States lotteries have adopted second chance games where the consumer can enter losing lottery ticket codes at lottery Internet sites to play instant second chance games (also referred to as “bonus games”) or to enter second chance drawings. However, for the most part, second chance games usually involve prizes of a minor nature compared to the main lottery games and, although having some impact, are generally not recognized as a significant promoter of sales of the primary game.
In an attempt to increase participation in the primary games, certain state jurisdictions in the United States have implemented “player clubs” wherein participants register loosing lottery game tickets from multiple primary games into an online player account. The losing tickets are treated as entries into periodic drawings for secondary prizes. For example, Georgia sponsors a “PLAYERS CLUB” program wherein registered participants enter non-winning Georgia Lottery instant tickets via an online account into a second chance drawing program. Monthly drawings are conducted for an array of different awards, such as a monthly grand cash prize, featured prizes, and “points” awards that may be redeemed at a number of participating sponsors.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009-0117966 describes another method to enhance a player's experience in a lottery game, and thus encourage increased participation in the game. According to this patent application, a raffle number is assigned to each lottery ticket to be used in a subsequent raffle drawing. The raffle is conducted in conjunction with an independent third party event that is unrestrained by the lottery and awards a prize that is independent of the lottery. A typical third party event may be, for example, a televised contest or game show wherein contestants compete for an award. The lottery raffle prize is a function of the winning contestant's award. For example, the raffle prize may have a value equivalent to the value of the contestant's award, or may have an increased value based on a multiplication of the winning contestant's award. The lottery game component may have a theme based on the game show, and the raffle drawing can be conducted in conjunction with the game show, and may be televised during or immediately after the game show.
The lottery industry is thus continuously seeking new and creative game scenarios, particularly in regards to second chance games, that provide increased entertainment value to players, entice new players, and expand play of lottery games into a multi-faceted gaming experience beyond the mere purchase of a lottery ticket
Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In a particular embodiment, a computer-implemented method is provided for conducting a primary lottery game having a televised bonus game component (e.g., a second chance game) associated therewith. The method includes establishing, by one or more processors, the primary lottery game wherein players are issued lottery tickets for play of the primary lottery game. The lottery tickets have a bonus game symbol associated therewith, for example by being printed on the game tickets. In another embodiment, the lottery ticket may provide instructions to the player as to how to acquire a unique associated bonus game symbol via a website. For initial entry into the bonus game component, the method requires the players to collect a predefined set of different ones of the bonus game symbols for entry into a bonus game drawing. The game method is not limited to any particular grouping technique or scheme relative to the bonus game symbols. For example, sets may be defined by color, theme, number, location on a board or matrix, and so forth, so long as the sets are readily understood and identified to the players.
Bonus game drawings are periodically conducted such that at least one of the players entered into the drawing is selected as a winner in each bonus game drawing and becomes eligible for further participation in the bonus game component.
The lottery game is coordinated with a televised game show so that contestants in the televised game show are the winners selected in the bonus game drawings, and a prize is awarded to winning contestants in the televised game show.
In one embodiment, the contestants in the televised game show are drawn from an audience assigned to the televised game show, wherein the audience, in whole or in part, is composed of winners from the bonus game drawings. The primary lottery game may be conducted in a plurality of different lottery jurisdictions, for example in a plurality of different states within the United States, with each jurisdiction conducting one or more respective bonus game drawings and having a defined minimum number of winners from their respective bonus game drawings present in the audience. The game show contestants may then be randomly drawn from the entirety of the audience.
In an alternate embodiment, each lottery jurisdiction may have a defined group of bonus game winners within the audience, wherein at least one game show contestant is randomly drawn from each of the groups. With this embodiment, each lottery jurisdiction has at least one contestant in the show, which may promote at-home viewing of the show within each respective jurisdiction. In addition, each jurisdiction may be assigned non-contestant audience member spots to be awarded or distributed within their jurisdiction as they see fit. For example, this audience spots may be randomly awarded to non-winning players of the bonus game component. The number of audience spots assigned to the jurisdictions may be a function of the respective jurisdictional participation in the primary lottery game, wherein jurisdictions having greater sales in the primary lottery game receive a greater number of audience spots. Thus, in these embodiments, the audience is composed of the non-contestant audience members and winners from the bonus game drawings, and the contestants in the televised game show are drawn from the bonus game winners present in the audience.
In an embodiment of the bonus game component, the players may be awarded a defined number of entries in the bonus game drawing, for example 3 entries, upon collecting the defined set of bonus game symbols. The defined number of entries may be multiplied as a function of a multiplier symbol earned by the player in a sub-component of the bonus game (e.g., a sub-game or drawing), or “purchased” by the player, for example with loyalty or club points earned by the player. In an alternate embodiment, the multiplier symbol is earned by the player in a separately conducted second primary lottery game that is linked to the first primary game through the multiplier symbol or other prize or odds enhancement mechanism. This embodiment may serve to generate increased sales in the second primary lottery game.
The method may include providing players with a bonus game board that tracks status of the bonus game symbols acquired by the player. This game or status board may be a virtual game board provided to the players via a website accessible by the players. This embodiment lends itself well to promoting a game theme, such as a MONOPOLY game theme, wherein the bonus game symbols identify sets of property locations on the MONOPOLY game board. The players may have individual player accounts that are accessible by the players via the website, wherein the accounts include the player's virtual game board updated with a status of the bonus game symbols accumulated by the player, as well as any other aspect of the player's involvement with the primary lottery game or bonus game.
It should be appreciated that the present game method is not limited to any particular type of first or second primary lottery games. In one embodiment, the primary game is a lottery draw game (e.g., a “Pick-4” or “Powerball” game wherein players attempt to match selected player indicia with four indicia randomly drawn from a field of indicia) and the lottery game tickets are lottery draw tickets having at least one entry into the draw game. These tickets may be purchased by players at an authorized lottery retail establishment, via the Internet, and so forth. The lottery tickets have one or more of the first bonus game symbols provided thereon (or otherwise associated therewith), such as an Ace-of-spades, where the first game symbols are divided into groups of playing cards and the players are required to collect a predefined set of cards for initial entry into the bonus game.
If a second primary lottery game is implemented, for example to provide multiplier factors or other prize/odds enhancement symbols related to the bonus game, such second primary game may also be a lottery game, including another independently conducted draw game with its own prize structure. In a particular embodiment, however, the second primary game is an instant ticket lottery game and the second game tickets are instant lottery tickets having a second bonus game symbol provided thereon that is visually linked to a particular one of the predefined sets of first bonus symbols. For example, the bonus symbol may be a “3× multiplier for ”, wherein a player's initial entry into the bonus game with a particular predefined set of spades is enhanced by a factor of three (e.g., an initial 10 entries becomes 30 entries).
A full and enabling description of the present invention is provided herein, with reference to particular embodiments depicted in the attached drawings and described below. Certain of the drawings and related description include depictions or reference to characters, images, trademarks, logos, and the like, associated with the well-known board game MONOPOLY. “MONOPLOY” and the related graphics in the drawings (including all names, characters, images, trademarks and logos) are protected by trademark, copyrights, and other Intellectual Property rights owned by Hasbro.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the inventive methods and systems, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each embodiment is presented by way of explanation of the invention, and not as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield still a further embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include these and other modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the invention.
In general, the present disclosure is directed to computer implemented methods and systems for conducting a second chance or bonus game component of a primary lottery game that is coordinated with a televised game show. For sake of example only, the following discussion relates to embodiments of the invention drawn to primary lottery games and bonus games sponsored by state or other jurisdictional authorities. It should be appreciated, however, that the system and method are just as applicable to a bonus game component linked to any manner of primary games, such as multiple primary games conducted within a gaming establishment (e.g., a casino) for patrons of such establishment.
As their name implies, second chance or bonus games are a means for a game player to win a prize with an apparent losing ticket from an initial or primary game. Traditionally, these bonus games are linked to non-winning instant (scratch-off) game tickets, and certain embodiments described herein relate to this scenario. It should be appreciated, however, that the present method and system are not limited to any particular type of primary lottery game, and may include, for example, a primary draw-type lottery game. In addition, the invention is not limited to non-winning tickets in the primary lottery game. Winning tickets may also be entered into the bonus game component.
Referring to
It should be readily appreciated that the gaming authority may employ, contract with, or otherwise cooperate with any other party or entity to implement the present method embodiments on behalf of the gaming authority, such as a game provider that prints lottery tickets or renders information/database management services to the gaming authority.
A bonus game 20 is established that is played separate from the first primary game 12. The bonus game 20 has its own set of rules and prize structure and is generally conducted completely independent of the primary lottery game. Various types of second chance or bonus games 20 are well known in the lottery industry, and any one or combination of these games may be utilized in the present invention. In the embodiment depicted in
Still referring to the embodiment of , K
, Q
, and J
. Group B corresponds to: A
, K
, Q
, and J
. Group C corresponds to: A♡, K♡, Q♡, and J♡. Group D corresponds to: A♦, K♦, Q♦, and J♦. In the embodiment of
The game symbols 30 on the game tickets 14 of and K♦, respectively. It should be appreciated that the game symbols 30 could be cards or items that are not within any of the predefined groups 32. For example, the game symbols 30 on game tickets 14 may be 10
or 8
, which are not face cards belonging to any one of the predefined groups 32 and thus have no value in the bonus game 20.
If the one of the groups 32 are satisfied by the player's accumulation of game symbols 30, then the player is entered into the bonus game 20 and is granted a defined number of entries into the bonus game drawing. For example, in the embodiment of
The players may enter their primary lottery game tickets 14 into the bonus game via a website maintained by (or for) the gaming authority. It is not a requirement that only non-winning tickets 14 can be entered. For example, all tickets 14 from the primary lottery game may be played, including winning tickets. The tickets are “entered” in the sense that each game ticket or entry 14 is uniquely identified by a code or other means that the player provides to the game authority or administrator, for example via a website maintained by the game authority or in person at an authorized game or lottery location. Once verified, the ticket 14 is entered into the bonus game 20 and the game symbol 30 associated with each tickets are recorded or credited in the player's account.
As discussed above, a particular embodiment of the primary lottery game may include the linking of a second primary lottery game to enhance the player's odds of success or prize in the bonus game. This embodiment is also illustrated in
The second game tickets 24 are “linked” to the bonus game 20 for the first primary game 22 such that players increase their chance of success in the bonus game 20 by entering the second game tickets 24 (winning or non-winning) into the bonus game 20. The primary games 12, 22 and bonus game 20 are conducted such that (i) play of the first primary game 12 does not require play of the bonus game 20 or the second primary game 22, (ii) play of the second primary game 22 does not require play of the first primary game 12 or the bonus game 20, and (iii) play of the bonus game 20 requires play of the first primary game 12 but not the second primary game 22. Thus, the gate to the bonus game 20 is play of the first primary game 12. The player cannot enter the bonus game 20 simply by playing the second primary game 22. Play of the second primary game 22 may, however, increases the player's likelihood of success or enhance a prize in the bonus game 20 by various means. For example, in one embodiment described in greater detail below, entry of game tickets 24 from the second primary game 22 may increase the number entries a player is granted in the bonus draw game 20, or increase a prize awarded in the bonus game 20, or increase the number of bonus games 20 the player is eligible to play, and so forth.
A second type of bonus game symbol 34 is associated with (e.g., printed on or accessible via a website) on the second game tickets 24. The second bonus game symbols 34 are visually linked to a particular one of the predefined groupings 32 of first bonus symbols to the extent that a player can readily visually associate the symbol 34 with a particular group 32. For example, referring to the embodiment of 3×” and “
4×”, respectively. A player can readily appreciate that “
3×” is a multiplier (factor of 3) associated with the Group A, and that “
4×” is a multiplier (factor of 4) associated with Group B.
The player's initial entry into the bonus game 20 (granted upon accumulation of one or more of the predefined sets 32 of first bonus game symbols) may be enhanced by one or more of the second bonus game symbols 34 accumulated by the player that are linked to the respective predefined set 32 of first bonus game symbols 30. For example, referring to
In certain embodiments, the player can accumulate multiple sets 32 of bonus game symbols between bonus game drawings, wherein the player's number of entries in the next scheduled bonus game 20 is the cumulative total from all of the accumulated sets. For example, if the player accumulates Group A and Group B, then he is granted 20 initial entries in the bonus game 20. These initial entries may be increased by any second bonus game symbols 34 acquired by the player that relate to Group A or Group B.
The embodiment of a multiplier that increases the player's odds of winning is only one example of an enhancement to play of the bonus game 20. In another embodiment, the second bonus game symbol 34 may increase the prize award in the bonus game 20 resulting from the player becoming a winning contestant in the televised game show. For example, a multiplier of 3× may apply to a prize award from the game show of $10,000, resulting in a final prize of $30,000. In still another embodiment, the second bonus game symbol 34 may identify an “add-on” prize that is in addition to the bonus game entries or bonus game price, such as a $500 shopping spree, and so forth. It should be appreciated that the type of enhancement provided by the second bonus game symbols 34 can vary within the scope and spirit of the invention.
A, ♦K, and ♦5. The
A entitles the player to 1 entry in the bonus game 20, and the ♦K entitles the player to 10 entries in the bonus game. The ♦5 does not match one of the predefined sets 32 and has no value in the bonus game 20. As with the embodiment of
Referring to
Referring again to the embodiment of
Periodically, the gaming authority, game provider, or combination of both conducts a bonus game drawing wherein one or more winners 62, 64, 66 are selected (e.g., randomly drawn) from the pools 56, 58, 60. For example, in the embodiment of
Each jurisdiction may be assigned a minimum number of winners in the groups 62, 64, and 66 (e.g. 100 hundred winners from each jurisdiction). Other factors may warrant assigning certain of the jurisdictions 50, 52, and 54 a greater number of winners, such as volume of participation by players within the jurisdiction that participated in the primary game, geographic size of the jurisdiction, revenue generated in the jurisdiction, and so forth. It should be understood that a respective pool 56, 58, and 60, or group of winners 62, 64, 66, may be one or more players.
In the embodiment of
Still referring to
In addition, referring to
In certain embodiments, the players are provided with a bonus game board 36 that tracks the first bonus game symbols 30 and second bonus game symbols 34 acquired by the player. In the embodiment of
In a particular embodiment, the game board 36 may be a virtual board accessed by the player via a website that automatically updates and visually associates the second bonus game symbols 34 with their respective predefined set 32 of first bonus game symbols 30, as in
As mentioned above, the bonus game 20 may be administered through a players' club, wherein players establish an individual account maintained by the lottery authority for the purpose of entering, tracking, and qualifying for and playing the bonus games. The players access their account via an Internet enabled device at the website address provided on the ticket 14. Each player may have an individual account number.
As mentioned above, the bonus game may include linking of a second primary game to the bonus game. In this regard, referring to
Referring to the figures in general, the present invention also encompasses a game system that embodies many of the methodology aspects discussed above.
Embodiments of the methods and systems disclosed herein may be executed by one or more suitable networked lottery gaming systems. Such system(s) may comprise one or more computing devices adapted to perform one or more embodiments of the methods disclosed herein. Such gaming systems and computing devices may access one or more computer-readable media that embody computer-readable instructions which, when executed by at least one computer, cause the computer(s) to implement one or more embodiments of the methods of the present subject matter. Additionally or alternatively, the computing device(s) may comprise circuitry that renders the device(s) operative to implement one or more of the methods of the present subject matter. Furthermore, components of the presently-disclosed technology may be implemented using one or more computer-readable media.
Any suitable computer-readable medium or media may be used to implement or practice the presently-disclosed subject matter, including, but not limited to, diskettes, drives, and other magnetic-based storage media, optical storage media, including disks (including CD-ROMS, DVD-ROMS, and variants thereof), flash, RAM, ROM, and other memory devices, and the like.
The present disclosure also makes reference to the transmission of communicated data over one or more communications networks. It should be appreciated that network communications can comprise sending and/or receiving information over one or more networks of various forms. For example, a network can comprise a dial-in network, a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), public switched telephone network (PSTN), the Internet, intranet or other type(s) of networks. A network may comprise any number and/or combination of hard-wired, wireless, or other communication links.
The host central computer system 122 may be a single networked computer, or a series of interconnected computers having access to the network 110 via a gateway or other known networking system. Generally, the central controller 123 configured to communicate with, manage, execute and control individual terminal units 104 within the lottery jurisdiction, and to interface with the network enabled devices 116a, 116b, and 116c of the players for entry into and play of the bonus games, as described herein. The central controller 123 may include a memory for storing gaming procedures and routines, a microprocessor (MP) for executing the stored programs, a random access memory (RAM) and an input/output (I/O) bus. These devices may be multiplexed together via a common bus, or may each be directly connected via dedicated communications lines, depending on the needs of the system 100.
The central controller 123 may be directly or indirectly connected through the I/O bus to any manner of peripheral devices such as storage devices, wireless adaptors, printers, and the like. In addition, a database (DB) may be communicatively connected to the central controller 123 and provide a data repository for the storage and correlation of information gathered from the individual terminal units 104 or devices 116. The information stored within the database may be information relating to individual players, games, or game card specific information.
Aspects of present system and method call for the players to interface with the host central computer system 122. This may be done directly, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, the player's network enabled device may be located at a point of sale location for the first or second primary game lottery tickets, and may even be a part of the terminals 104. In this embodiment, a player may interact with the system 122 immediately after purchasing or receiving a primary game ticket.
Each lottery jurisdiction may be differently configured for purposes of carrying out various lottery functions within its borders. For purposes of discussion, each lottery jurisdiction may be considered as a node. The lottery jurisdiction nodes 120, in turn, may be directly connected and/or multiplexed to the network 110 via direct network links. Further, the direct network links may be secure communications channels physically hardened against tampering and/or the communications may be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to information transmitted thereon.
With each lottery jurisdiction, a plurality of terminal units 104 may be provided at multiple locations and connected with a LAN or WAN. Further, the LAN and/or WAN connecting each of the terminal units 104 may include one or more separate and secure buses 108, routers 112, web servers 106, gateways and other networking equipment to provide continuous and/or redundant connectivity to the network 110. As discussed above, the network 110 may be communicatively connected to central host computers 122 and/or respective central controllers as well as associated databases to allow for implementation, storage, tracking and analysis of gaming and other features. The network 110 may also be connected to external systems (e.g., Facebook™, Twitter™, etc.) for different purposes. For example, the players may be notified through these external systems as to whether or not they won or lost in the primary or second chance games.
The terminal units 104 may be configured with any manner of hardware and software functionality to accept a player's entry and wager into a primary game, such as an on-line game or purchase of an instant game ticket. The terminal units 104 may also be configured for redeeming a player's game ticket after completion of the primary game, or completion of the second chance game of the player's choice. For example, the terminals may issue a credit slip that the player uses to collect their prize award at an establishment's cashier or an authorized lottery redemption center.
The terminals 104 may include any conventional feature known to those skilled in the art related to lottery terminals. The terminal 14 includes features and functionality to allow a player or retail clerk to enter the information required to participate in the lottery game. An exemplary terminal 14 includes a housing, one or more input devices, which may be a control panel having input keys, a display, a value input device such as a card reader, a play slip or ticket reader, and a ticket printer. The play slip reader is typically configured to read user selection marks, bar codes, magnetically stored information, or any other desired input information. Control panel input keys allow the player or retail clerk to select the game to be played, input the value to be wagered, manually enter selected lottery characters, and input any other information necessary to play the lottery game. The terminal may include a display which may be an LCD, a CRT, or touch-screen capable of receiving and displaying information related to the game. The value input device may include any device that can accept value or a wager from a customer, such as a card reader or an optical currency collector. The value input device may be integrated with external devices, such as a cash register or other retail terminals, to exchange information necessary to receive and record the wagering transaction. The game ticket printer may be used to print or otherwise encode game tickets with information selected or required to play the lottery game. The printer may provide game tickets that reflect a player's selection, or complete lottery slips if the selection was generated automatically by the terminal. It should be readily appreciated that particular embodiments of terminals 14 are not meant as a limitation of the invention, and that embodiments of the present invention may encompass any configuration of features and functionality to allow initiation and playing of a lottery game.
It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. It is intended that the present invention include such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/062,172, filed Oct. 10, 2014.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62062172 | Oct 2014 | US |
