System and method for implementing a lottery game having enhanced winnings with predefined threshold

Abstract

A gaming method in which a game is made of several sub-games of a main game, such as a lottery game, and the game payout depends on the payout of each sub-games is disclosed. A player submits a game slip containing game indicia for a plurality of sub-games. The game indicia of each sub-game are compared with lottery game indicia selected by the lottery authority. The winning matches for each sub-game are determined and a total winning match is determined for the game entry. The total winning match is used to select a multiplier, which is then used to compute the total winning for the game entry.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of the U.S. Provisional Patent Application, 60/722,855, Lottery Game Having Enhanced Winnings With Predefined Threshold, filed on Sep. 30, 2005, the content of which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference. This application also relates to the US Patent Publication 20050003884, filed Jul. 2, 2003, the content of which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of The Invention

The invention relates to a system and method for implementing a lottery game and, more specifically, relates to a system and method to enhance the payout of a lottery game.

2. Description of Related Art

In a typical lottery game, a player purchases one or more plays, each play comprising a set of indicia. These plays are memorialized, such as on a paper ticket, and coordinated with a lottery-sponsored event, such as by date and time. The event is a random determination of indicia that may apply to a group, such as one or more jurisdictions, or an individual event such as via the internet. The outcome of the lottery-sponsored event is a set of indicia. The player compares these lottery-produced indicia to the indicia for each of his plays and determines the number of matches for each play. For each play, he may be awarded a prize based on the number of matches for that individual play. For example, FIG. 1 shows a ticket 100 with three plays, one chosen by the player 102 and two are chosen by a computer through “quick pick” 104. Let's say that the lottery-produced indicia are 12, 47, 49, 50, and 56. The player would have three matches in the first play, two matches in the second play, and one match in the third play. Now from the prize table 200 of FIG. 2, the player would be entitled to $20 for the first play and $5 for the second play and a total of $25.

Some lotteries offer progressive value payouts where, for example, if nobody wins the jackpot associated with a drawing, the jackpot is rolled over to the next drawing. Frequently, the jackpot will build over multiple drawings before it is finally won. This can lead to a jackpot that is an appreciable sum of money, which increases player interest and lottery ticket sales.

These progressive value payout lotteries, however, often suffer from a lack of interest in drawings immediately after a large jackpot payout, because the jackpot immediately following a large jackpot can be much smaller in comparison. Many players do not participate in a lottery until the jackpot reaches a significant level. Thus, lottery ticket sales typically soar while the jackpot is high, and then drop significantly after the high jackpot is won.

Therefore, it is desired to have a lottery game method that maintains player's interest by offering enhanced payout in every drawing and it is to such method the present application is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, there is provided a gaming method in which a game payout to a game player depends on outcomes of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player. The method includes receiving at least two sets of sub-game indicia from the game player, generating a set of lottery game indicia, determining a sub-game match number for each set of sub-game indicia for matches between the set of lottery game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia, determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number, determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game, determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game, determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout, and awarding the game payout to the game player.

In another embodiment, there is provided a gaming server for playing a lottery game in which a game payout to a game player depends on outcomes of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player. The gaming server includes a game input device for receiving a game entry with game indicia for a plurality of sub-games, a storage unit for storing a game payout table and a multiplier table, and a controller. The controller is capable of generating a set of lottery game indicia, determining a sub-game match number for matches between the set of lottery game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia, determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number, determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game, determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game, determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout, and awarding the game payout to the game player.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art lottery game card.

FIG. 2 illustrates a prior art lottery game payout table.

FIG. 3 illustrates a threshold-multiplier table.

FIG. 4 illustrates a composite prize table.

FIG. 5 illustrates a lottery game card according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6-9 illustrates a first set of lottery game cards with different matching results.

FIG. 10 illustrates a lottery game card according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates a two-tier threshold-multiplier table.

FIG. 12 illustrates a composite prize for the threshold-multiplier table of FIG. 11.

FIGS. 13-14 illustrate a second set of lottery game cards with different matching results.

FIG. 15 illustrates another lottery game payout table.

FIG. 16 illustrates a multi-tier threshold-multiplier table.

FIG. 17 illustrates a composite prize for the threshold-multiplier table of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 illustrates a lottery game card according to yet another alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 19-21 illustrate a third set of lottery game cards with different matching results.

FIG. 22 is architecture of a system supporting the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart for a game server process.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

US Patent Application 20050003884 describes a lottery game wherein a player purchases multiple plays for one price. In addition to, or in lieu of, the total of his winnings for the individual plays, he is awarded winnings based on the pattern, or quantity, of matches for the ticket taken as a whole.

In particular, it is described in US Patent Application 20050003884 that prizes may be retrieved from a multi-dimensional look-up table or database. More precisely, the prize table is a set of sequences of coordinates with which prizes are associated. The length of each sequence is the number of plays and each coordinate indicates the number of matches for that particular play. For example, if a game comprises 3 plays, and the prize assigned (2,3,1) is $5, this means that if the player matches 2 on the 1^st play, 3 on the 2^nd play, and 1 on the 3^rd play, then the player wins $5.

This method of assigning prizes via a multi-dimensional look-up table, or database, can be further enhanced using the concept of a “threshold-multiplier” of the present invention. Briefly described, in one embodiment the invention is a gaming method in which a game is made of several sub-games and the game payout depends on the payout of each sub-games. For a lottery game with one or more threshold-multiplier pairs, a player totals his winnings for the individual plays or sub-games. If this total meets a particular threshold, he receives a multiplier that is applied to this total winning. There may be more than one threshold-multiplier pair, in which case, the player is awarded the highest multiplier for which he qualifies. If his total does not meet any threshold, his prize remains the total of his winnings for the individual sub-games (plays). The following embodiments illustrate this concept.

Embodiment 1: The player purchases 3 plays for $2. He chooses (or has quick-picked) a set of player game indicia, for example, 5 numbers out of 56. Two additional plays (player game indicia) are quick-picked and the ticket is non-cancelable. An example of such a ticket is in FIG. 5. The prizes for each individual play are indicated in FIG. 1. There is also a threshold of $50 and an associated multiplier of 500, as indicated in FIG. 3. This means that if the sum of the player's prizes for the individual plays is at least $50, then the total of the player's prizes is multiplied by 500. FIG. 4 is a composite prize table. Those skilled in the art of Mathematics can confirm that the payout for this game is 58.1% and the overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 6.1. Following are examples of tickets and draws for this embodiment

Example 1: If the draw, or the lottery game indicia selected, is 12 45 49 55 56, then the ticket in FIG. 6 wins $200 for the 1^st play (5 matches), $0 for the 2^nd play (1 match), and $0 for the 3^rd play (1 match). The total is $200+$0+$0=$200. As $200 is at least the threshold ($50), the player receives a 500 multiplier from FIG. 3. His prize is 500×$200=$100,000.

Example 2: If the draw is 12 45 49 55 56, then the ticket in FIG. 7 wins $20 for the 1^st play (3 matches), $20 for the 2^nd play (3 matches), and $5 for the 3^rd play (2 matches). The total is $20+$20+$5=$45. As $45 is less than the threshold ($50), the player does not receive the 500 multiplier. His prize remains at $45.

Example 3: If the draw is 12 45 49 55 56, the ticket in FIG. 8 wins $40 for the 1^st play (4 matches), $20 for the 2^nd play (3 matches), and $0 for the 3^rd play (1 match). The total is $40+$20+$0=$60. As $60 is at least the threshold ($50), the player receives a 500 multiplier. His prize is 500×$60=$30,000.

Example 4: If the draw is 12 45 49 55 56, the ticket in FIG. 9 wins $40 for the 1^st play (4 matches), $5 for the 2^nd play (2 matches), and $5 for the 3^rd play (2 matches). The total is $40+$5+$5=$50. As $50 is at least the threshold ($50) the player receives a 500 multiplier. His prize is 500×$50=$25,000.

Embodiment 2: The player purchases 5 plays for $5. He chooses (or has quick-picked) 5 numbers out of 56. Four additional plays are quick-picked and the ticket is non-cancelable. An example of such a ticket is in FIG. 10. The prizes for each individual play are indicated in FIG. 2. There are two thresholds with associated multipliers: (1) a $25 threshold with a multiplier of 5, and (2) a $50 threshold with a multiplier of 1,000 as illustrated by a two-tier threshold-multiplier table in FIG. 11. If the sum of the player's winnings for the individual plays is at least one of the thresholds, then the player receives the multiplier for the highest such threshold. This multiplier is applied to the sum of the player's prizes for the individual plays. FIG. 12 is a composite prize table. Those skilled in the art of Mathematics can confirm that the payout for this game is 60.0% and the overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 3.9. Also, notice that the prize table for the individual plays is the same as that in Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 2 is conceived as an enhancement to Embodiment 1 at a higher price and can be run concurrently with Embodiment 1 using the same draw.

Example 1: If the draw is 12 35 45 49 56, the ticket in FIG. 10 wins $0 for the 1^st play (1 match), $20 for the 2^nd play (3 matches), $5 for the 3^rd play (2 matches), $0 for the 4^th play (1 match) and $0 for the 5^th play (0 matches). The total is $0+$20+$5+$0+$0=$25. As $25 is at least the lower threshold ($25) the player receives a 5 multiplier. His prize is 5×$25=$125.

Example 2: If the draw is 12 35 45 49 56, the ticket in FIG. 13 wins $0 for the 1^st play (1 match), $40 for the 2^nd play (4 matches), $0 for the 3^rd play (1 match), $0 for the 4^th play (1 match) and $0 for the 5^th play (0 matches). The total is $0+$40+$0+$0+$0=$40. As $40 is at least the lower threshold ($25) the player receives a 5 multiplier. His prize is 5×$40=$200.

Example 3: If the draw is 12 35 45 49 56, the ticket in FIG. 14 wins $0 for the 1^st play (1 match), $40 for the 2^nd play (4 matches), $5 for the 3^rd play (2 matches), $5 for the 4^th play (2 matches) and $0 for the 5^th play (0 matches). The total is $0 +$40 +$5+$5+$0=$50. As $50 is at least the higher threshold ($50) the player receives a 1,000 multiplier. His prize is 1,000×$50=$50,000.

Embodiment 3: This embodiment is based on the lottery game Keno, in which the lottery draws 20 out of 80 numbers. The player purchases 10 plays for $10. He chooses (or has quick-picked) 5 numbers out of 80. Nine additional plays are quick-picked and the ticket is non-cancelable. An example of such a ticket is in FIG. 18. The prizes for the individual plays are indicated in FIG. 15. There are 4 thresholds with associated multipliers: (1) a $25 threshold with a multiplier of 4, (2) a $40 threshold with a multiplier of 10, (3) a $50 threshold with a multiplier of 500, and (4) a $60 threshold with a multiplier of 5,000, as illustrated by a two-tier threshold-multiplier table in FIG. 16. If the sum of the player's prizes for the individual plays is at least one of the thresholds, then the player receives the multiplier for the highest such threshold. This multiplier is applied to the sum of the player's prizes for the individual plays. FIG. 17 is a composite prize table. Those skilled in the art of Mathematics can confirm that the payout for this game is 69.4% and the overall chances of winning a prize are 1 in 1.57. This lottery draw applies to the following 3 examples.

Example 1: The ticket in FIG. 19 wins $0 for the 1^st play (2 matches), $0 for the 2^nd play (2 matches), $0 for the 3^rd play (1 match), $10 for the 4^th play (4 matches), $0 for the 5^th play (2 matches), $5 for the 6^th play (3 matches), $5 for the 7^th play (3 matches), $0 for the 8^th play (1 match), $0 for the 9^th play (0 matches) and $0 for the 10^th play (1 match). The total is $0+$0+$0+$10+$0+$5+$5+$0+$0+$0=$20. As $20 does not reach any of the thresholds, the player's prize is $20.

Example 2: The ticket in FIG. 20 wins $5 for the 1^st play (3 matches), $5 for the 2^nd play (3 matches), $5 for the 3^rd play (3 matches), $10 for the 4^th play (4 matches), $0 for the 5^th play (2 matches), $5 for the 6^th play (3 matches), $5 for the 7^th play (3 matches), $0 for the 8^th play (1 match), $5 for the 9^th play (3 matches) and $5 for the 10^th play (3 matches). The total is $5+$5+$5+$10+$0+$5+$5+$0+$5+$5=$45. The highest threshold met by $45 is the $40 threshold with an associated multiplier 10. The prize is 10×$45=$450.

Example 3: The ticket in FIG. 21 wins $5 for the 1^st play (3 matches), $5 for the 2^nd play (3 matches), $0 for the 3^rd play (1 match), $10 for the 4^th play (4 matches), $0 for the 5^th play (2 matches), $5 for the 6^th play (3 matches), $5 for the 7^th play (3 matches), $0 for the 8^th play (1 match), $20 for the 9^th play (5 matches) and $0 for the 10^th play (1 match). The total is $5+$5+$0+$10+$0+$5+$5+$0+$20+$0=$50. The highest threshold met by $50 is the $50 threshold with an associated 500 multiplier. The prize is 500×$50=$25,000.

This game could be adapted to feature a progressive multiplier. For example, for Embodiment 3, the top threshold is $60, assigned a multiplier of 5,000. An additional 5% per draw (bringing the overall return to 74.4%) could be contributed to a progressive multiplier fund. Once the fund had met a certain threshold, the multiplier could be increased. For example, a pari-mutuel cap of 3 winners could be established for the top prize. This would mean that an increase of the multiplier by 5,000 would increase the payout for the top prize by at most 3×5,000×$60=$900,000. That is, $900,000 would cover a 5,000 increase in the multiplier. When the top prize is hit, the fund is not necessarily depleted (e.g., there may not be enough winners to deplete the fund). The remainder of the fund could be used to seed the fund for the next top prize run.

It is clear that any of the above embodiments could be explicitly expressed by a multi-dimensional prize table, or database, as described in US Patent Application 20050003884. For example, Embodiment 3 could be expressed via a 10-dimensional look-up table. The table would have 60,466,176 entries. For example, the entry (3,3,3,4,2,3,3,1,3,3) corresponds to Example 2 of Embodiment 3, as the player matched 3 on the 1^st play, 3 on the 2^nd play, 3 on the 3^rd, 4 on the 4^th play, etc. It was determined that the player won $450. Therefore, (3,3,3,4,2,3,3,1,3,3) in the table would be assigned $450.

In an alternative embodiment, the multiplier can be chosen not based on the total payout (winning) of all the sub-games, but based on the total number of matches in a game entry. For example, if a player submits a game entry with 3 sub-games and matches 3 numbers in the first sub-game, 2 numbers in the second sub-game, and one number in the third sub-game. The player would win a prize for matching 3 numbers in the first sub-game and no prize for the second and third sub-games. However, the player has a total of 6 matches in the game entry and 6 matches may entitle the player to a multiplier. For example, if matching 3 numbers provides $2 and 6 matches provides a multiplier of 5, then the player would receive a payout of $2×5=$10, instead of $2. If the player matches 2 numbers in each sub-game and the minimum numbers to earn a payout in a single game is 3, then the player would be entitled to nothing even the total number of matches is 6 because the total payout for all sub-games is zero.

FIG. 22 illustrates a system 2200 according to the invention. The game of the invention can be played through a display device 2202. The display device 2202 may be a touch screen device capable of receiving user selection. Alternatively, the display device 2202 may also be equipped with a game input device (not shown) such as keyboard or game device through which a player may enter his selection. The display device 2202 may also be equipped with a scanning input device capable of receiving the user selection recorded in a play slip. The display device 2202 may be equipped with a device 2204 that takes wager from the player. The wager may be in form of credit card or cash. The display device 2202 is connected to a game server 2206. The server 2206 includes a controller that is capable of generating game symbols (game indicia) for the lottery authority and determine number of matches between the game symbols and player symbols. The server 2206 may also includes a storage unit for storing game entries received from the players and the multiplier and game payout tables. Alternatively, the game may be played through a remote terminal 2208 connected to the server 2206. The remote terminal may be a computing device located in a casino and may also be a computing device located in a player's home.

FIG. 23 is a game server process 2300. A game player participates in a lottery game by submitting his selections of game indicia for at least two sub-games in one single game entry to a lottery authority, step 2302. The player can place his bet directly at a lottery kiosk or at a lottery retail store. After the lottery authority receives all the game entries, the lottery authority generates a set of winning numbers, step 2304, and determines match numbers for each sub-game, step 2306. For each sub-game, the lottery authority also determines a payout for each sub-game, step 2308, and a total payout for each game entry, step 2310. After the total payout for each game entry is determined, the lottery authority can determine whether a multiplier is available for each game entry, step 2312. if the total payout of a game entry is not enough to qualify for a multiplier, the lottery authority will only award the total payout to the player, step 2318. If the total payout of a game entry is high and qualifies for a multiplier, the lottery authority determines a multiplier for the game entry, step 2314, calculates the game payout for the game entry, step 2316, and awards the game payout to the player, step 2318.

Those skilled in the art of Mathematics can confirm that the probabilities and other calculations in this description and in the related figures, whether explicitly mentioned in the description or not, are correct. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in the foregoing specification, it is understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to which the invention pertains, having the benefit of the teaching presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Moreover, although specific terms are employed herein, as well as in the claims, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for the purposes of limiting the described invention, nor the claims which follow below.

Claims

1. A gaming method in which a game payout to a game player depends on the outcome of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least two sets of sub-game indicia from the game player;

generating a set of main game indicia;

determining a sub-game match number for each set of sub-game indicia for matches between the set of main game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia;

determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number;

determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game;

determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game;

determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout; and

awarding the game payout to the game player.

2. The gaming method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a game payout further comprising the steps of:

determining a multiplier based on the total match number; and

multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

3. The gaming method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a game payout further comprising the steps of:

determining a multiplier based on the total payout; and

multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

4. The gaming method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a total payout further comprising the step of adding the sub-game payouts from each sub-game.

5. The gaming method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a total match number further comprising the step of adding the sub-game match numbers from each sub-game.

6. A gaming server for playing a main game in which a game payout to a game player depends on the outcome of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player, the gaming server comprising:

a game input device for receiving a game entry with game indicia for a plurality of sub-games;

a storage unit for storing a game payout table and a multiplier table; and

a controller capable of generating a set of main game indicia, determining a sub-game match number for matches between the set of main game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia, determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number, determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game, determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game, determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout, and awarding the game payout to the game player.

7. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller further being capable of determining a multiplier based on the total match number and multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

8. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller further being capable of determining a multiplier based on the total payout and multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

9. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller further being capable of adding the sub-game payouts from each sub-game.

10. The server of claim 6, wherein the controller further being capable of adding the sub-game match numbers from each sub-game.

11. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a computer program for playing a lottery game in which a game payout to a game player depends on the outcome of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player, the computer program comprising computer instructions that when executed by a computer performs the steps of:

receiving at least two sets of sub-game indicia from the game player;

generating a set of main game indicia;

determining a sub-game match number for each set of sub-game indicia for matches between the set of main game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia;

determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number;

determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game;

determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game;

determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout; and

awarding the game payout to the game player.

12. The computer program of claim 11 further performs the steps of:

determining a multiplier based on the total match number; and

multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

13. The computer program of claim 11 further performs the steps of:

determining a multiplier based on the total payout; and

multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

14. The computer program of claim 11 further performs the step of adding the sub-game payouts from each sub-game.

15. The computer program of claim 11 further performs the step of adding the sub-game match numbers from each sub-game.

16. A gaming server for playing a main game in which a game payout to a game player depends on the outcome of a plurality of sub-games played by the game player, the gaming server comprising:

means for receiving a game entry with game indicia for a plurality of sub-games;

means for storing a game payout table and a multiplier table; and

controller means capable of generating a set of main game indicia, determining a sub-game match number for matches between the set of main game indicia and each set of sub-game indicia, determining a sub-game payout for each sub-game based on the sub-game match number, determining a total match number based on the sub-game match number for each sub-game, determining a total payout based on the sub-game payout for each sub-game, determining a game payout based on the total match number and the total payout, and awarding the game payout to the game player.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the controller means further being capable of determining a multiplier based on the total match number and multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

18. The server of claim 16, wherein the controller means further being capable of determining a multiplier based on the total payout and multiplying the game payout by the multiplier.

19. The server of claim 16, wherein the controller means further being capable of adding the sub-game payouts from each sub-game.

20. The server of claim 16, wherein the controller means further being capable of adding the sub-game match numbers from each sub-game.