SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONDUCTING A SWEEPSTAKES IN A GAMING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080039173A1
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Published: 02/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Original Assignee: Aristocrat Technologies Incorporated (Aristocrat Leisure Limited)
• Inventors: Walther, Steve, Berelowitz, Lael
• Granted Patent: US 7,744,456 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/17
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/081 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0209 Incentive being awarded or redeemed in connection with the playing of a video game
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3258 Cumulative reward schemes, e.g. jackpots

Abstract

Certain embodiments provide systems and methods for sweepstakes awards in a gaming environment. Certain embodiments provide a method including accumulating sweepstakes entries for a player based on at least one sweepstakes entry criterion and randomly selecting a winner from the pool of sweepstakes entries. The sweepstakes entries are associated with the player and incorporated in a pool of sweepstakes entries. In certain embodiments, the at least one sweepstakes entry criterion comprises at least one of one entry per player, accumulating points based on play, accumulating points based on machine outcome, and coin in. In certain embodiments, the method further includes determining eligibility of a player for the sweepstakes. In certain embodiments, eligibility is determined based on at least one of a player group, a machine group, a machine denomination, a machine type, a machine manufacturer, a game manufacturer, a game theme and a game title, for example.

Claims

1. In a gaming system having one or more gaming devices for play by players, a method for awarding promotional awards, said method comprising:

configuring, at a central computer, eligibility and at least one sweepstakes entry criterion;

monitoring activity of gaming devices within the system to determine eligibility and satisfaction of said sweepstakes criterion;

issuing virtual sweepstakes entries to players meeting the eligibility and sweepstakes criterion, said entries received stored electronically at a data structure to define a pool of tickets;

closing the pool to receipt of more entries and randomly selecting from the pool at least one winner.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one sweepstakes entry criterion comprises at least one of one entry per player, accumulating points based on play, accumulating points based on machine outcome, and coin in.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said eligibility is determined based on at least one of a player group, a machine group, a machine denomination, a machine type, a machine manufacturer, a game manufacturer, a game theme, a game title, a player wager amount, and a number of sweepstakes entries for the player.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a trigger to initiate random selection of a winner from the pool of sweepstakes entries based on at least one of a threshold award amount, an award type, a game device denomination, a game type, a game wager amount, a time, and a location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said sweepstakes award comprises one or more of cash, credit, promotional items, free game play, bonus or feature game play and comps.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a setup wizard to configure sweepstakes, sweepstakes criterion and eligibility criterion.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising announcing at least one of said sweepstakes and said sweepstakes award.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said announcing step further comprises announcing at least one of said sweepstakes and said sweepstakes award via a secondary display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said secondary display comprises at least one of a secondary display at a gaming device and a secondary display apart from a gaming device in a gaming environment.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of said monitor and said sweepstakes announcer further determines eligibility of a player for the sweepstakes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said eligibility is determined based on at least one of a player group, a machine group, a machine denomination, a machine type, a machine manufacturer, a game manufacturer, a game theme, a game title, a player wager amount, and a number of sweepstakes entries for the player.

10. A gaming system in communication with one or more gaming devices for play by players for providing sweepstakes awards, said system comprising:

a central authority including a computer processor and a data structure;

a network in communication with the gaming devices and central authority;

a configuration manager in communication with the network to configure eligibility and entry criterion for awarding a sweepstakes entry to a player;

said central authority configured to monitor the gaming devices in the gaming system and determine satisfaction of a sweepstakes entry criterion, generate an entry when said criterion is satisfied and store said entry in a pool arranged at said data structure, to randomly select from said pool at least one winning entry and to issue an award based upon said entry; and

a sweepstakes announcer randomly selecting a winner from the pool of sweepstakes entries based at least in part on a number of sweepstakes entries associated with the player.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said at least one sweepstakes entry criterion comprises at least one of one entry per player, accumulating points based on play, accumulating points based on machine outcome, and coin in.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said sweepstakes announcer further determines a trigger to initiate random selection of a winner from the pool of sweepstakes entries based on at least one of a threshold award amount, an award type, a game device denomination, a game type, a game wager amount, a time, and a location.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein said sweepstakes award comprises one or more of cash, credit, promotional items, free game play, bonus or feature game play and comps.

16. The system of claim 10, further comprising a setup wizard to configure sweepstakes, sweepstakes criterion and eligibility criterion.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said announcer further announces at least one of said sweepstakes and said sweepstakes award.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said announcer further announces at least one of said sweepstakes and said sweepstakes award via a secondary display.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said secondary display comprises at least one of a secondary display at a gaming device and a secondary display apart from a gaming device in a gaming environment.

20. A computer-readable medium having a set of instructions for execution on a processor, said set of instructions comprising:

a game monitoring routine for detecting activity at a gaming device in the gaming system, said monitoring routine determining satisfaction of a sweepstakes criterion by the award, said monitor routine accumulating sweepstakes entries for a player based on at least one sweepstakes entry criterion, said sweepstakes entries associated with the player and incorporated in a pool of sweepstakes entries; and

a sweepstakes announcement routine randomly selecting a winner from the pool of sweepstakes entries based at least in part on a number of sweepstakes entries associated with the player.