Promotion administration system and method

• US 7,867,079 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cork Group Trading Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Waterleaf Limited
• Inventors: Govender, Devan, Verardi, Francesco
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis; David L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ahmed; Masud
• Application Number:
  US10/550,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20070060303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 463/25, 463/29, 463 40- 43, 273/292, 273/293, 705/14.23, 705/17
• US Class Current: 463/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/06 Private payment circuits, e.g. involving electronic currency used among participants of a common payment scheme
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/227 characterised in that multiple accounts are available, e.g. to the payer
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/403 Solvency checks
• 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

A system for administering promotions in which a player is awarded promotion credit to be consumed in wagering activities includes a credit administration facility that maintains a player credit account, and a display means capable of displaying a composition of the player credit account on a display means. The promotion credit is either one or both of a priori and a posteriori promotion credit. The credit administration facility automatically determines the composition of the player credit account as a function of any credit purchases made by the player, wagers made by the player and their corresponding payouts, and any promotion credit awarded to the player.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a credit administration facility for administering any a priori promotion credit and any a posteriori credit associated with a player account, the credit administration facility being operable to compute;

(i) a total balance of the player account as a function of wagers made by the player on house edge services, in which a house acts as a banker, and wagers made by the player on peer-to-peer services, in which the house does not act as a banker but levies a transaction charge;

(ii) play through achieved for the any a priori promotion credit;

(iii) play through achieved for the any a posteriori promotion credit; and

(iv) a cashable portion of the total balance, wherein the cashable portion is affected by play through achieved for the any a priori promotion credit in accordance with a first play through requirement and by play through achieved for the any a posteriori promotion credit in accordance with a second play through requirement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein winnings arising from wagers made with the any a priori promotion credit contribute to the cashable portion when the first play through requirement is met.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the any a priori promotion credit does not contribute to the cashable portion at any time.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the any a priori promotion credit progressively contributes to the cashable portion as a function of wagers made by the player on house edge services.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the any a posteriori promotion credit contributes to the cashable portion when the second play through requirement is met.

6. A method comprising:

a server computer computing a total balance of a player account as a function of wagers made by the player on house edge services, in which a house acts as banker, and wagers made by the player on peer-to-peer services, in which the house does not act as banker but levies a transaction charge;

the server computer computing play through achieved for any a priori promotion credit associated with the player account;

the server computer computing play through achieved for any a posteriori promotion credit associated with the player account; and

the server computer computing a cashable portion of the total balance, wherein the cashable portion is affected by play through achieved for the any a priori promotion credit in accordance with a first play through requirement and by play through achieved for the any a posteriori promotion credit in accordance with a second play through requirement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein winnings arising from wagers made with the any a priori promotion credit contribute to the cashable portion when the first play through requirement is met.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the any a priori promotion credit does not contribute to the cashable portion at any time.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the any a priori promotion credit progressively contributes to the cashable portion as a function of wagers made by the player on house edge services.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the any a posteriori promotion credit contributes to the cashable portion when the second play through requirement is met.