Patent Application
20190099662
The present invention relates generally to a system of creating a lottery game, and a method of using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system of creating a national lottery game, and a method of using the same
The lottery has long been a popular pastime for individuals, resulting in a broad participant pool.
A first aspect of the present invention is a method for conducting a lottery game. The method provides a plurality of tickets acquirable by participants in the game, including an entry in a ticket Pool corresponding to a ticket acquired by a participant. A number of ticket drawings are distributed from a first drawing to an Nth drawing at predetermined intervals prior to an event. An entry from the ticket pool is randomly drawn as the first drawing, and a first prize is awarded to the participant to whom the first drawn ticket belongs. An entry is randomly drawn from the ticket pool as the Nth drawing, wherein the Nth drawing corresponds to a certain event; and an Nth prize is awarded to the participant to whom the Nth drawn ticket belongs. Tickets remain in the ticket pool from the first drawing to the Nth drawing.
A second aspect of the present invention is a method for conducting a raffle-type lottery game that is associated with a specific event. In some embodiments, participants in the lottery game acquire tickets, each ticket representing an entry into a series of drawings for one or more prizes. In some embodiments, if a participant's ticket is selected in one of drawings, a prize is awarded to that participant.
A third aspect of the present invention is a method for conducting a raffle-type national lottery game, the series of drawings are associated with a specific event, and distributed at predetermined intervals before the event, culminating in a final drawing in coordination with the event itself. In some embodiments, a ticket, once acquired, is eligible to win each subsequent drawing until the game ends. In some embodiments, a winner in each drawing is guaranteed, at least because the “winning” ticket is drawn from a pool including only participant-acquired tickets associated with the game.
The features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Hereinafter, unless otherwise defined, the term “national lottery game” means a lottery game having a full geographic United States scope or footprint, completely within the territorial limits of the United States.
Some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter are directed to a lottery game wherein participants play by acquiring tickets. In some embodiments, the participant is an individual. In some embodiments, the participant is a group of individuals. In some embodiments, the beneficiary of sales may be a charity. In some embodiments, the tickets are acquired via in-person purchase, e.g., where traditional lottery tickets are sold. In some embodiments, the tickets are acquired via online purchase. In some embodiments, the tickets are acquired as incentives to other acquisitions, e.g., included in the purchase of tickets for a sporting event, concert, etc. In some embodiments, the tickets are acquired by sending a text message, e-mail message, etc. to the game operators. In some embodiments, the tickets are made available for acquisition by a participant pool. In some embodiments, the participant pool is nationwide. In some embodiments, the number of tickets a participant is allowed to acquire for the game is limited. In some embodiments, the number of tickets a participant is allowed to acquire for the game is unlimited.
Each ticket corresponds to a ticket included in a ticket pool operated by the game operator, and each ticket represents a chance for the participant owning the ticket to have their ticket chosen during a series of drawings N from the ticket pool. In some embodiments, the tickets and the ticket pool are physical objects, and tickets are physically “drawn” from the ticket pool. In some embodiments, one or both of the tickets and the ticket pool are virtual. In some embodiments, tickets are drawn at random. In some embodiments, each ticket is given a number. In some embodiments, a ticket is registerable with the game operators. In some embodiments, a ticket becomes “registered” when additional biographical information of the participant is provided to the game operators. In some embodiments, a registered ticket has a higher likelihood of winning a prize, as will be discussed in greater detail below. In some embodiments, a single registered ticket counts as two or more corresponding tickets in the ticket pool.
In some embodiments, the series of drawings N are timed to correspond with a specific event (hereinafter, “Event”). In some embodiments, the series of drawings N are distributed at predetermined intervals prior to the Event. In some embodiments, the predetermined interval is every minute, hour, day, week, and the like. In some embodiments, the game concludes after a final Nth drawing (hereinafter, “Final Drawing”). In some embodiments, the Final Drawing coincides with the Event. In some embodiments, the Final Drawing occurs during the Event. In some embodiments, the Final Drawing has a greater or more desirable prize than other drawings in the game. In some embodiments, the game is offered at predetermined intervals, e.g., monthly, annually, etc. In some embodiments, after the game has concluded, non-winning tickets are marked as ineligible for future iterations of the game.
In some embodiments, at least one supplemental drawing is held during the game. In some embodiments, the supplemental drawings occur at different intervals from the predetermined drawings. In some embodiments, the supplemental drawings correspond to a second event associated with the Event. In some embodiments, a supplemental drawing is performed only for the first occurrence of the second event. In some embodiments, a supplemental drawing is performed for each occurrence of the second event. In some embodiments, the supplemental ticket is only eligible for the supplemental drawing corresponding to the occurrence of the second event. In some embodiments, the supplemental ticket is also eligible for subsequent drawings in the series of drawings N. In some embodiments, the supplemental ticket is also eligible for the Final Drawing. In some embodiments, a limited amount of time is provided for participants to acquire tickets for the supplemental drawing. For example, where the Event is a professional football game and the second event is a touchdown, participants might have only 5 minutes from the moment the score is confirmed in order to purchase supplemental tickets. In some embodiments, the supplemental drawing is performed after this limited amount of time. In some embodiments, the supplemental drawing is performed prior to the Final Drawing.
In some embodiments, when a participant's ticket is chosen during a drawing, the participant wins a prize. In some embodiments, the prize is monetary. In some embodiments, the prize is experiential, e.g., tickets, passes, memorabilia, etc., or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the money used by the participants to acquire the tickets is used to fund the prizes. In some embodiments, a portion of the money used by the participants to acquire the tickets is used to fund the prizes. In some embodiments, a ticket acquired by one participant can be transferred to another participant. In some embodiments, a ticket can be transferring to another participant by sending via text message, e-mail message, etc. In some embodiments, a participant can pre-donate any prizes to another participant, e.g., can commit to donating some or all of any future prize. In some embodiments, a portion of the money spent by the participants to acquire the tickets is dedicated to charity.
In some embodiments, tickets are acquirable at any time during the game. In some embodiments, tickets are pre-purchasable. In some embodiments, a ticket, once acquired, is eligible to win each subsequent drawing until the game ends, i.e., a ticket can be purchased half-way through a month-long game and be eligible for all drawings for the rest of the month. Because each drawing is from tickets associated with tickets actually acquired by the participants, a winner for each drawing in the lottery game of the present disclosure is guaranteed. In some embodiments, a purchased ticket remains eligible for all drawings during a game even if the ticket was selected as a winner in a previous drawing. In some embodiments, once a ticket is chosen as a winner in a drawing during the game, it is ineligible during subsequent drawings in that game, i.e. a single ticket cannot win more than one drawing during the game.
In some embodiments, participants accrue points for performing actions related to the game or the Event. Some examples of these actions include, but are not limited to, purchasing tickets, purchasing related merchandise, attending the Event, signing up for Event-related mailings, signing up for game-related mailings, participating in Event-related or game-related mini-games, participating in game- or Event-related forums, participating in game- or Event-related question and answer sessions, etc. In some embodiments, points increase the likelihood that a participant wins a drawing. In some embodiments, points are convertible into tickets at a predetermined exchange rate. In some embodiments, points do not expire. In some embodiments, points expire after a predetermined amount of time, e.g., yearly, monthly, etc.
By way of example, the Event is a major sporting event such as a Super Bowl®, the Daytona 500® race, a World Series® game, an NBA® finals game, an NHL® Stanley Cup® finals game, and the like. Of course, the Event may be an awards show such as the Oscars® or the opening of a play or movie. A series of drawings are made at predetermined intervals based on the occurrence of the Event, e.g., if the event was Super Bowl® 53, in some embodiments there may be 53 drawings that take place each day leading up to the Super Bowl® and culminate in the 53rd (or a 54th) drawing (Final Drawing), which occurs (by way of example) during the Event itself. Thus, in this example, the game lasts for a total of 53 (or 54) days. As discussed above, participant can purchase tickets at any time before or during the game so long as the game pool has not closed (predetermined by game organizer before game begins in game rules). As a result, tickets that are purchased earlier in the game or are pre-purchased have more chances to be chosen as a winner. The game may then be repeated for subsequent events, e.g., Super Bowl® 54, or implemented in relation to other events as described above.
The game according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been shown to be attractive to regular lottery players, to attract new or non-traditional participants to lottery-type games, and make it more likely that those participants would attend or watch the Event. As indicated by the focus group testing for the game of the present disclosure shown in Appendix A, these trends were found particularly among prospective participants who self-identify as millennial or Hispanic. Further, beyond being generally well received by the prospective participants, the concept of drawings at predetermined intervals, e.g., one winner each day, was found overwhelmingly favorable for participants compared to more clustered or batched drawings. Thus, the game of the present disclosure is surprisingly advantageous over traditional lottery games for not only the participants, but also the associated Event. Further, the tickets themselves present a sponsorship opportunity that can be monetized. The game can thus be utilized by Event coordinators to increase interest and/or viewership in the event, which results in increased ticket sales and advertising revenues.
The present teachings disclose a national lottery game, having a full geographic United States scope or footprint, completely within the territorial limits of the United States, that may be presented with an eye-catching theme or sponsorship meant to attract the attention of these prospective sponsors. Synergy between events and/or entertainment organizations and lotteries can be advantageous and lucrative. Since 2009, approximately 24 teams from the National Football League® have received licensing agreements through state-run lottery games. Further, $3.4 billion worth of revenue has been generated by all licensed sports scratch-off lottery tickets. Further 44 lotteries have over $70 billion in sales annually nationwide. This includes iconic lottery brands such as powerball and mega millions. Some lotteries have a nationwide distribution network.
The present teachings disclose a lottery game that may utilize professional services by
The present teachings disclose a lottery game that may have winning capital goals, e.g., create the first ever U.S. national lottery raffle draw game; and increase and attract new/non-traditional viewers to National Football League (NFL®) games, e.g. Super Bowl.
The present teachings disclose a national lottery game having:
Focus group and research
Overview & Key Findings
SocialSphere conducted N=1,069 online interviews with adults who live in states where lottery is sold. The objective was to understand the feasibility of a national raffle lottery game that will offer a $53 million guaranteed jackpot, an additional 50-$1 million winners, and sold for a limited time ahead of the 2019 Super Bowl. Following are the top 5 findings.
Benefits to National Football League (NFL)
Although the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to exemplary embodiments thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and additions may be made therein and thereto, without parting from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62565159 | Sep 2017 | US |
