SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING GAMING ACTIVITIES

• US 20100227672A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SRG Enterprises Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: SRG Enterprises Pty Limited
• Inventors: Amour, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 8,065,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements

Abstract

Described herein are various systems and methods for providing gaming activities, these particularly relating to gaming activities implemented in conjunction with a flexible credit arrangement. In overview, a consumer is allocated one or more entries in a gaming activity based on a level of transactable flexible credit held by that consumer. For example, the allocation of entries is increased or decreased subject to a corresponding increase or decrease in transactable flexible credit held by the consumer. In some embodiments, one or more prizes for the gaming activity are funded in whole, or in part, by way of supplementary contributions realized on the basis of consumers'"'"' participation in a flexible credit infrastructure.

Claims

1. A method for providing a gaming activity, the method including the steps of:

receiving, subject to an interaction between a consumer and a supplier, data indicative of an account identifier and associated data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment;

querying a consumer account database to identify a consumer account corresponding to the account identifier, wherein each account includes;

data indicative of a level of transactable flexible credit; and

data indicative of an allocated none or more entries in relation to a risk free gaming activity;

updating the level of flexible credit in the identified consumer account based on the flexible credit adjustment;

updating the data indicative of the allocated none or more entries such that the allocation of entries corresponds to the updated level of flexible credit.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the transactable flexible credit includes one or more reward points in the context of a reward program.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes data indicative of a residual transaction amount.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes data indicative of an increase or decrease in value on a stored value card.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the transactable flexible credit includes gaming value in the context of a gaming value account.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the transactable flexible credit includes prepaid credit in the context of a prepaid credit arrangement.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the transactable flexible credit includes credit in an account with a financial institution.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes data indicative of one or more characteristics of the interaction between the consumer and the supplier.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the interaction includes a transaction between the consumer and the supplier, and wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes data indicative of a purchase amount for the transaction between the consumer and the supplier.

10. A method according to claim 8 wherein the interaction includes a transaction between the consumer and the supplier, and wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes data indicative of goods and/or services related to the transaction between the consumer and the supplier.

11. A method according to claim 8 wherein the data indicative of a flexible credit adjustment includes timing information for the interaction between the consumer and the supplier.

12. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of updating the data indicative of the allocated none or more entries is performed retrospectively.

13. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of updating the data indicative of the allocated none or more entries includes:

(i) determining whether the flexible credit adjustment is positive or negative;

(ii) in the case that the flexible credit adjustment is positive, increasing the allocation of entries; and

(iii) in the case that the flexible credit adjustment is negative, decreasing the allocation of entries.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein increasing the allocation of entries includes wholly or partially allocating one or more entries to the consumer account.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein decreasing the allocation of entries includes wholly or partially de-allocating one or more entries from the consumer account.

16. A method according to claim 1 including the steps of:

identifying one or more winning entries;

identifying a prize amount associated with each winning entry;

identifying one or more consumer accounts for which the data indicative of none or more entries is indicative of one or more of the winning entries;

distributing prizes associated with the winning entries between the identified consumer accounts.

17. A method according to claim 14 wherein the data indicative of none or more entries is indicative of a non-zero allocation proportion for at least one winning entry, and wherein a portion of a prize amount associated with that winning entry is distributed to that consumer account based on the non-zero allocation proportion.

18. A computer program product configured to perform a method according to claim 1.

19. A system including a processor configured to perform a method according to claim 1.

20. (canceled)