Method and apparatus for providing player incentives

• US 8,029,361 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Issued: 10/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Scientific Games LLC (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Gamelogic Inc. (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Taylor, John E., Acres, John F., Herrmann, Mark E., Hardy, Dow K., Kane, Steven N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall; Arthur O.
• Application Number:
  US11/840,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 463 10- 13, 463 17- 19, 463 21- 22, 463/29, 463/16, 463/23, 273/138.1, 273/139, 273/142.B, 273/142.A, 273/142.J, 273/269, 273/304, 379/93.13
• US Class Current: 463/29
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3239 Tracking of individual players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3255 Incentive, loyalty and/or promotion schemes, e.g. comps, gaming associated with a purchase, gaming funded by advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A system and method is provided for incentivizing players to visit a gambling location. In one aspect, a qualified person is invited to play an electronic game which has a plurality of outcomes, at least one of which is a winning outcome. In one embodiment, the qualified person may be required to redeem the outcome at the gambling location. In another embodiment, the person may be required to redeem the outcome at a redemption location.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for conducting a computer-based game played by a player, the method comprising acts of:

notifying the player of an opportunity to win a prize;

permitting access to an operator'"'"'s website, after notification to the player, by the player through a user interface display on a host computer;

providing for the player to play a computer-based game on the operator'"'"'s website in the user interface display;

executing, by a game server, the computer-based game to be played by the player, the computer-based game configured to reveal the prize won by the player, wherein the prize won is independent of play of the computer-based game;

displaying a value of a potential value of the prize won by the player in response to the prize won by the player being revealed; and

determining, prior to notifying the player, the potential value of the prize, wherein the act of determining includes an act of calculating a value of the player by a computer system, and wherein the value of the player is based, at least in part, upon an estimated gambling volume attributable to the player for, at least in part, prior gambling participation of the player, and wherein the potential value of the prize is based at least in part on the calculated value of the player, and wherein the potential value of the prize increases with respect to an increase in the calculated value of the player.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of storing, on a server, the prize won by the player.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a coupon is provided with the notification of an opportunity to win the prize.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the coupon includes an access code, and the method comprises an act of permitting the player to enter the access code into a website of the operator to gain access.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification occurs in response to a player performing at least one of the group comprising entering frequent player information, and swiping a frequent player card at a kiosk.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the notification occurs by at least one of the group comprising mail, an e-mail, a telephone, and a fax.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize won by the player in each game is predetermined.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a sequence of reveals is predetermined.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the reveals are randomly determined by the client.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein a sequence of reveals is stored in a database of a server.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the total prize won by the player in all games played with the game credits is predetermined.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein game credits provided to the player are predetermined.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing a player an opportunity to enter a sweepstake.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising an act of entering the sweepstake by the player.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the player is immediately notified of winning or losing the sweepstake.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the player is entered into at least one of a next drawing, one or more future drawings, and a limited number of future drawings.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize includes a non-cashable credit.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the non-cashable credit is used by the player at a gambling location of the operator.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the non-cashable credit is used to obtain a free play of a game located at a gambling location of the operator.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the non-cashable credit can be used only at the gambling location of the operator.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize includes a complimentary offer.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the complimentary offer is redeemed only at the gambling location of the operator.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prize includes a promotional prize.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the promotional prize is redeemed only at the gambling location of the operator.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of notifying the player is performed using information associated with a frequent player membership.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the prize awarded to the player is limited by a predetermined range.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the amount of the prize is randomly selected by a computer system, the randomly selected amount being limited by the predetermined range.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the predetermined range is established based at least in part on a player based qualification.

29. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of determining, by the website, the prize won by the player, and notifying the operator of the determined prize.

30. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of determining, by the operator, the prize won by the player, and notifying the website of the determined prize.

31. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of providing to the player periodically a plurality of opportunities to win one or more prizes.

32. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of notifying the player of any prize won by the player.

33. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of identifying a new player, and wherein the act of notifying the player of an opportunity to win the prize is responsive to the act of identifying.

34. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of requiring the player to redeem the prize at a gambling location.

35. The method according to claim 1, further comprising estimating the gambling volume of the player by comparing attributes of the player with attributes of other players known to gamble at a particular volume.

36. The method according to claim 1, further comprising separating players into different categories based on their estimated gambling volume.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising offering at least one of different game outcomes, different outcome award structures, or different redemption opportunities in relation to the category into which the players are placed.

38. A system for conducting a game, the system comprising:

a notification component configured to notify a player of an opportunity to win a prize, wherein the notification is configured to provide a reference to a website to access;

a computer interface configured to permit the player to access an operator'"'"'s website, after notification to the player, through a user interface display on a host computer, wherein the computer interface is further configured to provide a computer-based game to be played by the player;

a game engine configured to execute the computer-based game, the computer-based game configured to reveal the prize won by the player, wherein the prize won is independent of play of the computer-based game;

the computer interface further configured to display a value of a potential value of the prize won by the player in response to the prize won by the player being revealed; and

a determination component configured to determine a value associated with the player by calculating the value associated with the player, wherein the value associated with the player is based, at least in part, upon an estimated gambling volume attributable to the player for, at least in part, prior gambling participation of the player, and wherein the determination component is further configured to establish the potential value of the prize based on the player valuation, and wherein the potential value of the prize increases with respect to an increase in the calculated value of the player.

39. The system according to claim 38, wherein the determination component is further configured to include at least one characteristic of the player in establishing the potential value of the prize.

40. The system according to claim 38, wherein the determination component is configured to establish the potential value of the prize within a range of values.

41. The system according to claim 38, further comprising a redemption component configured to require that an awarded prize be redeemed at a gambling location.