Multiple pricing in a lottery based on variable ratios

• US 20050165619A1
• Filed: 06/25/2004
• Published: 07/28/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lottery Dynamics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Integrated Group Assets Inc.
• Inventors: Wright, Robert J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,635,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A method of multiple pricing for a predetermined or progressive single jackpot in a single lottery game is disclosed. For instance, a lottery ticket purchased for one dollar can result in a ten million dollar win, a lottery ticket purchased for two dollars can result in a twenty million dollar win, a lottery ticket purchased for three dollars can result in a thirty million dollar win, etc. Further, different winnings increments can be used. For instance, the three-dollar ticket can result in a forty million dollar win to induce the purchase of higher-priced tickets. The potential distributions can be established according to a constant ratio, a variable ratio, or a combination of a constant ratio and a variable ratio. In addition, the lottery prize can also be a variable prize that progressively increases with a percentage of each ticket sold. The prizes are won from a single pool.

Claims

1. A method of inducing the purchase of a high price ticket in a multi-priced shared lottery, the method comprising:

providing a first price category in which a plurality of first price category lottery tickets can be purchased;

establishing a first distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of first-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number;

providing a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased; and

establishing a second distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of second-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the second prize is determined so that a first association between the first distribution and the first price category has a variable ratio with a second association between the second distribution and the second price category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first association is the first distribution divided by the first price category.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second association is the second distribution divided by the second price category.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the variable ratio is variable because the difference between the second association and the first association is a positive number.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the variable ratio is variable because the difference between the second association and the first association is a negative number.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the higher priced ticket is in the second price category.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first distribution is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of first-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second distribution is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of second-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising randomly selecting the winning lottery number.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first distribution and the second distribution are provided from a single shared jackpot.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a third-price category in which a plurality of third price category lottery tickets can be purchased.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising establishing a third distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of third-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the third distribution is determined so that the first association has a constant ratio with a third association between the third distribution and the third-price category.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the constant ratio is constant because the difference between the third association and the first association equals zero.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the third prize is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of third-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first distribution, the second distribution, and the third distribution are provided from a single shared jackpot.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the highest priced ticket is in the third price category.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising establishing a third distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of third-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the third distribution is determined so that the second association has a constant ratio with a third association between the third distribution and the third price category.

18. A method of inducing the purchase of a highest priced ticket in a multi-priced shared lottery, the method comprising:

providing a first price category in which a plurality of first-price category lottery tickets can be purchased;

establishing a first distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of first-price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number;

providing a second price category in which a plurality of second price category lottery tickets can be purchased;

establishing a second distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the second distribution is determined so that a first association between the first distribution and the first price category has a variable ratio with a second association between the second distribution and the second price category;

randomly selecting the winning lottery number;

providing a first price category intra-shared distribution of the first distribution if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the first category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first distribution according to a first price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a second price category intra-shared distribution of the second distribution of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the second category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second distribution according to a second price category intra-sharing distribution formula;

providing a divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first distribution, a divided second price category intra-shared distribution of the second distribution, and an inter-shared distribution of the first distribution if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first distribution according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second distribution according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, and wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets shares the first distribution with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to an inter-sharing distribution formula.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first price category intra-sharing distribution formula is an equal distribution.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the second price category intra-sharing distribution formula is an equal distribution.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the inter-sharing formula is an equal distribution.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the inter-sharing formula is a weighted distribution that provides a larger portion of the first distribution to winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a third price category in which a plurality of third price category lottery tickets can be purchased, wherein the third price category indicates a third distribution of a prize that can be won with lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing a third price category intra-shared distribution of the third distribution of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein the third price category is the only price category having a winning ticket, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third distribution of the prize according to a third price category intra-sharing distribution formula.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing the divided first price category intra-shared distribution of the first distribution of the prize, the divided second price category intra-shared distribution of the second distribution of the prize, the divided third price category intra-shared distribution of the third distribution of the prize, and the inter-shared distribution of the first distribution of the prize if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets has a winning number, if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets has a winning number, and if at least one of the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets has a winning number, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets shares the first distribution of the prize according to the divided first price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets shares the second distribution of the prize according to the divided second price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets shares the third distribution of the prize according to the divided third price category intra-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets and each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the first distribution of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the first price category lottery tickets according to a first triplet inter-sharing distribution formula, wherein each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the third price category lottery tickets shares the second distribution of the prize with each of the winning tickets in the plurality of the second price category lottery tickets according to a second triplet inter-sharing distribution formula.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the first association is the first distribution divided by the first price category.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the second association is the second distribution divided by the second price category.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the variable ratio is variable because the difference between the second association and the first association is a positive number.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the variable ratio is variable because the difference between the second association and the first association is a negative number.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein the higher priced ticket is in the second price category.

31. The method of claim 18, wherein the first distribution is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of first price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

32. The method of claim 18, wherein the second distribution is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of second price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

33. The method of claim 18, further comprising randomly selecting the winning lottery number.

34. The method of claim 18, wherein the first distribution and the second distribution are provided from a single shared jackpot.

35. The method of claim 18, further comprising providing a third price category in which a plurality of third price category lottery tickets can be purchased.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising establishing a third distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the third distribution is determined so that the first association has a constant ratio with a third association between the third distribution and the third price category.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the constant ratio is constant because the difference between the third association and the first association equals zero.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the third prize is the total distribution that is shared by holders of lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the first distribution, the second distribution, and the third distribution are provided from a single shared jackpot.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein the highest priced ticket is in the third price category.

41. The method of claim 35, further comprising establishing a third distribution that can be won with the lottery tickets in the plurality of third price category lottery tickets having a winning lottery number, wherein the third distribution is determined so that the second association has a constant ratio with a third association between the third distribution and the third price category.