System, Method and Device for Enhancing Winning Opportunities in Gaming

Abstract

The present invention allows lotteries and players to engage in personalized, specialized, customized and/or localized jackpots separate from, or in addition to, standard gaming offerings. In one embodiment of the present invention, a gaming player identifier such as a lottery player card, for example, can be used to identify a player and associate a localized jackpot with the player's wager or gaming play. The jackpots can be funded in a variety of ways, including by taking a percentage of the player's wager for an ordinary lottery game, and attributing it to the localized jackpot. Localized jackpot wins can be instant wins payable immediately or delayed wins payable, for example, if the player were to win some other prize. The system of the present invention can generate random numbers used to determine whether a player will instantly win any jackpot for which he or she is eligible.

1 . A system comprising:
 a lottery data processing system having a localized jackpot management component capable of managing multiple localized jackpot games not available for play by the general public; and   at least one terminal in communication with the lottery data processing system, with the at least one terminal adapted for reading a gaming player identifier in order to identify a localized jackpot game available for play by a user associated with the gaming player identifier.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the localized jackpot game is a skill-based or perceived skill-based game. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1  wherein a transaction involving a transaction amount is conducted commensurate with the reading of the gaming player identifier, and wherein a portion of the transaction amount is applied to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1  wherein, upon the terminal reading the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user for a contribution to a localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1  wherein, upon the terminal reading the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user to apply a rebate or cash-back offer towards a gaming wager for a localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1  wherein, upon the terminal identifying a localized jackpot game, the terminal receives an initial wager associated with the gaming player identifier and prompts the user associated with the gaming player identifier for a commitment to attribute at least a portion of any winnings from the initial wager with a wager for the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1  wherein, upon the terminal identifying a localized jackpot game, the terminal receives an initial wager associated with the gaming player identifier for a jackpot unrelated to the localized jackpot game, and upon the initial wager resulting in a winning wager amount associated with the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user associated with the gaming player identifier for a commitment to attribute at least a portion of the winning wager amount with a wager for the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the lottery data processing system includes a player/account management component for receiving a sponsor contribution to a localized jackpot. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  wherein the at least one terminal receives a wager from the user for a jackpot game available to the general public, issues a ticket pertaining to the wager, and prompts the user to participate in the identified localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the at least one terminal prompts the user to participate in the identified localized jackpot game by contributing a portion of the wager for the general public jackpot game to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the at least one terminal prompts the user to participate in the identified localized jackpot game by contributing a portion of any winnings associated with the issued ticket to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the user provides a signal to the at least one terminal indicative of a wager in the localized jackpot game, and upon receiving the signal, the at least one terminal provides an indication to the user regarding whether the user won or lost based on the wager in the localized jackpot game substantially in real-time. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  wherein, upon receiving the signal, the at least one terminal communicates the wager to the lottery data processing system, whereupon the localized jackpot management component generates a random index into a prize pool associated with the localized jackpot game to determine whether the user won or lost based on the wager in the localized jackpot game, and communicates the determination to the at least one terminal. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 9  wherein the user provides a signal to the at least one terminal indicative of a wager in the localized jackpot game, and upon receiving the signal, the at least one terminal communicates the wager to the lottery data processing system, whereupon the localized jackpot management component associates the wager in the localized jackpot game with the issued ticket such that, if the issued ticket is a winner, then the wager in the localized jackpot game is a winner. 
     
     
         15 . A method for operating localized jackpot games, comprising:
 issuing a gaming player identifier to a user, wherein the gaming player identifier stores information identifying a localized jackpot game associated therewith;   managing, by a gaming processor associated with a lottery data processing system, multiple localized jackpot games not available for play by the general public;   associating at least one of the localized jackpot games with the gaming player identifier; and   reading, by a terminal, the gaming player identifier to indicate that a user of the gaming player identifier is capable of participating in one or more localized jackpot games.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a transaction involving a transaction amount is conducted commensurate with the reading of the gaming player identifier, and wherein a portion of the transaction amount is applied to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the portion of the transaction amount is applied as a deposit to the localized jackpot. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16  wherein the portion of the transaction amount is applied as a wager in the localized jackpot. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15  wherein, upon the terminal reading the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user for a wager in a localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15  wherein, upon the terminal reading the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user of the gaming player identifier to apply a rebate or cash-back offer towards a gaming wager for a localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 15  wherein, upon the terminal indicating that the gaining player identifier is capable of participating in one or more localized jackpot games, the terminal receives an initial wager associated with the gaming player identifier and prompts the user of the gaming player identifier for a commitment to attribute at least a portion of any winnings from the initial wager with a gaming wager for a localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 15  wherein, upon the terminal indicating that the gaming player identifier is capable of participating in one or more localized jackpot games, the terminal receives an initial wager associated with the gaming player identifier for a jackpot unrelated to the localized jackpot game, and upon the initial wager resulting in a winning wager amount associated with the gaming player identifier, the terminal prompts the user associated with the gaming player identifier for a commitment to attribute at least a portion of the winning wager amount with a wager for the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the terminal further receives a wager from the user for a jackpot game available to the general public, issues a ticket pertaining to the wager, and prompts the user to participate in the one or more localized jackpot games. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the at least one terminal prompts the user to participate in the identified localized jackpot game by contributing a portion of the wager for the general public jackpot game to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the at least one terminal prompts the user to participate in the identified localized jackpot game by contributing a portion of any winnings associated with the issued ticket to the localized jackpot game. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the user provides a signal to the terminal indicative of a wager in the localized jackpot game, and upon receiving the signal, the terminal provides an indication to the user regarding whether the user won or lost based on the wager in the localized jackpot game substantially in real-time. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26  wherein, upon receiving the signal, the at least one terminal communicates the wager to the lottery data processing system, whereupon a localized jackpot management component generates a random index into a prize pool associated with the localized jackpot game to determine whether the user won or lost based on the wager in the localized jackpot game, and communicates the determination to the at least one terminal. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the user provides a signal to the terminal indicative of a wager in the localized jackpot game, and upon receiving the signal, the terminal communicates the wager to the lottery data processing system, whereupon a localized jackpot management component associates the wager in the localized jackpot game with the issued ticket such that, if the issued ticket is a winner, then the wager in the localized jackpot game is a winner. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the lottery data processing system includes a player/account management component for receiving a sponsor contribution to a localized jackpot. 
     
     
         30 . A terminal, comprising:
 an interface capable of reading a gaming player identifier; and   a communications component for communicating with a gaming data management system having a localized jackpot management component, with the localized jackpot management component capable of managing multiple localized jackpot games not available for play by the general public, and further wherein the gaming data management system has a player/account management component for identifying at least one localized jackpot game associated with the gaming player identifier.   
     
     
         31 . The terminal of  claim 30  further including a printing element for printing a ticket associated with a jackpot game available to the general public and an interface for receiving a wager associated with the at least one localized jackpot, and wherein the localized jackpot management component includes programming for indicating that the received wager is a winner upon determining that the printed ticket is a winner. 
     
     
         32 . The terminal of  claim 30  further including an interface for receiving a wager associated with the at least one localized jackpot and an interface capable of displaying that the wager is a winner substantially in real-time upon receiving the wager. 
     
     
         33 . A system comprising:
 a non-lottery jackpot data processing system having a localized jackpot management component capable of managing multiple localized jackpot games not available for play by the general public;   at least one terminal in communication with the jackpot data processing system, with the at least one terminal adapted for reading a gaming player identifier in order to identify a localized jackpot game available for play by a user associated with the gaming player identifier, with the terminal further including an interface for receiving selections from a localized jackpot sponsor as to how the localized jackpot will be funded and how winnings will be paid out; and   a transaction processing component for processing localized jackpot funding transactions and localized jackpot winning payment transactions.