Systems and Methods for Lottery-Style Games

Abstract

Systems and methods for lottery-style games are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, a computer-implemented method may comprise: establishing a map-based game associated with a gameboard comprising a map of a geographical area, the map being divided into a plurality of units wherein each unit represents a geographic location in the mapped geographical area; providing at least a portion of the gameboard for display to a player via a personal computing device, thereby accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the map-based game; receiving from each player a selection of at least one geographic location of interest corresponding to at least one unit on the map; and for each lottery drawing, making a substantially random selection from some or all of the units on the gameboard to select at least one first unit to win a first prize.

1 . A computer-implemented method for lottery-style games, the method comprising using at least one processor and at least one storage medium for performing the following:
 establishing a map-based game that is scheduled to have a number of lottery drawings associated with a gameboard comprising a map of a geographical area, the map being divided into a plurality of units wherein each unit represents a geographic location in the mapped geographical area, and the gameboard being stored as digital data at least part of which are capable of visual display via a graphical interface;   providing at least a portion of the gameboard for display to a player via a personal computing device, thereby accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the map-based game;   receiving from each player a selection of at least one geographic location of interest corresponding to at least one unit on the map and a commitment to participate in at least one of the lottery drawings by contributing things of value on behalf of the selected at least one unit; and   for each lottery drawing, making a substantially random selection from some or all of the units on the gameboard to select at least one first unit to win a first prize.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein each said player has virtual ownership of the at least one unit on the map. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting one or more second units to win lesser prizes, the selection of the one or more second units being based on relative map positions of the one or more second units with respect to the at least one first unit.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the one or more second units comprise units that are neighbors of the at least one first unit. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 making the substantially random selection to select a first group of one or more units to win a first tier of one or more prizes and to select a second group of one or more units to win a second tier of one or more prizes.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said things of value comprise tokens or credits obtained by said each player by engaging in activities selected from a group consisting of:
 exchanging credit card cash-back bonus points;   exchanging one or more coupons;   taking part in one or more online surveys;   viewing one or more online advertisements; and   increasing activity level at a social networking website or a blogger website.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the first prize is selected from a group consisting of:
 tokens,   cash or cash equivalents,   value points for online or in-store purchases,   coupons,   downloadable music,   ring tones,   game score units in an online video game or a virtual society,   mobile telephone airtime,   long-distance telephone minutes, and   products or services sponsored by a business partner.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the map-based game is established in connection with one or more virtual reality games and/or multi-player video games. 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the geographical area comprises a virtual or fictional location. 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of units is of a size or shape that is different from at least another unit. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of units has a chance of winning that is different from at least another unit. 
     
     
         12 . A system for lottery-style games, the system comprising:
 a processor;   at least one storage device coupled to the processor;   a user interface coupled to the processor via one or more communication networks;   wherein the processor is adapted to communicate with the at least one storage device and the user interface to execute instructions to perform the following tasks:
 establishing a map-based game that is scheduled to have a number of lottery drawings associated with a gameboard comprising a map of a geographical area, the map being divided into a plurality of units wherein each unit represents a geographic location in the mapped geographical area, and the gameboard being stored as digital data at least part of which are capable of visual display via a graphical interface; 
 providing at least a portion of the gameboard for display to a player via a personal computing device, thereby accepting enrollment of a plurality of players in the map-based game; 
 receiving from each player a selection of at least one geographic location of interest corresponding to at least one unit on the map and a commitment to participate in at least one of the lottery drawings by contributing things of value on behalf of the selected at least one unit; and 
 for each lottery drawing, making a substantially random selection from some or all of the units on the gameboard to select at least one first unit to win a first prize. 
   
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein each said player has virtual ownership of the at least one unit on the map. 
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the processor is further adapted to:
 select one or more second units to win lesser prizes, the selection of the one or more second units being based on relative map positions of the one or more second units with respect to the at least one first unit.   
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 14 , wherein the one or more second units comprise units that are neighbors of the at least one first unit. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the substantially random selection causes to be selected a first group of one or more units to win a first tier of one or more prizes and a second group of one or more units to win a second tier of one or more prizes. 
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein said things of value comprise tokens or credits obtained by said each player by engaging in activities selected from a group consisting of:
 exchanging credit card cash-back bonus points;   exchanging one or more coupons;   taking part in one or more online surveys;   viewing one or more online advertisements; and   increasing activity level at a social networking website or a blogger website.   
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the first prize is selected from a group consisting of:
 tokens,   cash or cash equivalents,   value points for online or in-store purchases,   coupons,   downloadable music,   ring tones,   game score units in an online video game or a virtual society,   mobile telephone airtime,   long-distance telephone minutes, and   products or services sponsored by a business partner.   
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the map-based game is established in connection with one or more virtual reality games and/or multi-player video games. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein the geographical area comprises a virtual or fictional location. 
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of units is of a size or shape that is different from at least another unit. 
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of units has a chance of winning that is different from at least another unit.