WO2016141417A1

WO2016141417A1 - Method of and system for fantasy gaming

Info

Publication number: WO2016141417A1
Application number: PCT/AU2016/000087
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander AGUERO
Original assignee: Fantasy Gaming Corporation Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2015-03-12
Filing date: 2016-03-11
Publication date: 2016-09-15
Also published as: AU2022256188A1; AU2016228945A1

Abstract

A method of on-line gaming is described. The method comprises enabling a player to purchase fantasy gaming units on-line, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event, and enabling a player to select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units. The method also comprises determining the outcome of the at least one racing event, determining the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event, and awarding a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria. A corresponding system is also described.

Description

METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR FANTASY GAMING

Technical Field The present invention relates to a method of and system for fantasy gaming. Background Art

In Australia, a person who wishes to place a bet on a race horse may do so through a registered TAB Agency or State Government-registered Bookmaker. Punters typically consult form guides published in daily newspapers and the Internet to determine the odds on particular horses winning a racing event. These published form guides may also provide information about the horse's performance in recent racing events as well as information concerning the condition of the race track. The analysis required of this information is one of the biggest barriers to the more wide-spread participation in TAB betting of the eighteen - forty year old market. This same age group is also the most computer and Internet savvy age group in the market place, as evidenced by the popularity of on-line activities by this age group. Throughout this specification the term "comprising" is used inclusively, in the sense that there may be other features and/or steps included in the invention not expressly defined or comprehended in the features or steps subsequently defined or described. What such other features and/or steps may include will be apparent from the specification read as a whole.

Summary of the Disclosure

The present invention was developed with a view to providing an on-line fantasy "betting" game that will enable game participants to place fantasy bets on horse races, optionally based on an on-line analysis of form information. It will be apparent from the following description that the invention has application to other racing events such as dog racing and motor car racing, and is not limited to horse racing.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of on-line gaming, the method comprising:

enabling a player to purchase fantasy gaming units on-line, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event;

enabling a player to:

select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units;

determining the outcome of the at least one racing event;

determining the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event; and,

awarding a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

In this aspect, the method may further comprise providing to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events. The form information may be received at the gaming system from a publisher in on-line communication with the gaming system. The form information may be based on available actual form information relating to the real race horses.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events and facilitating on-line access to the racing event details by a player. The racing event details may be received at the gaming system from an on-line source of racing events information.

In an embodiment, the method comprises storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for each player in a respective player account, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player, allocating a defined number of fantasy gaming units to each player in response to payment of the fixed subscription monetary amount.

In an embodiment, the method comprises receiving a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player at defined periodic subscription intervals, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic subscription interval, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic subscription interval. In one embodiment, the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

The race participants may be real race participants and the at least one racing event may be actual racing events. Alternatively, the racing events may be virtual racing events and the race participants may be virtual race participants.

The method may further comprise the steps of:

offering game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.

The method may further comprise providing one or more analytical tools on-line that will facilitate on-line analysis of said form information by game participants via a graphical user interface (GUI).

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for online gaming, the system comprising:

a revenue management system arranged to enable a player to purchase fantasy gaming units on-line, the fantasy gaming units being usable to place fantasy bets on selected race participants in at least one racing event;

a bet receiver arranged to enable a player to:

select one or more race participants in the at least one racing event; and place one or more fantasy bets on-line on the selected race participants in the at least one racing events using the fantasy gaming units; and

a results determiner arranged to determine the outcome of the at least one racing event;

the system arranged to determine the value of any returns won on the fantasy bets based on the determined outcome of the at least one racing event, and award a prize to a player based on the respective betting performance of the players according to defined game winning criteria.

Description of the Drawings In order to facilitate a better understanding of the nature of the invention a preferred embodiment of a fantasy gaming system and method will now be described in detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a fantasy gaming system according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of gaming according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a gaming system according to the present invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

The present invention relates to a fantasy gaming system wherein a game player is able to bet on race participants, such as race horses, using fantasy gaming units which are purchased on-line. The gaming units may be non-convertible in the sense that once purchased they are not directly convertible back to a monetary amount. The gaming system may be implemented using any suitable computing device, such as a personal computer, laptop computer, tablet computer or smartphone, that connects to a game server via the Internet or any other suitable wide area network. The game can take place over a prescribed period of time, for example, a day, a week, a month or six months as determined by the game controllers. The game can also be played in clusters of game participants, with say five game competitions or ten game competitions playing concurrently. The system may be arranged to receive a defined monetary payment amount, for example periodically according to a subscription regime, from each player, and all players who pay the required on-line fees and register with the system are typically allocated a defined number of fantasy gaming units that are allocated to the respective wagering accounts associated with the players. Typically, each player is required to pay the same subscription fee and receives the same number of fantasy gaming units in each period of the subscription period.

Registration with the system may be conducted on-line using a web site associated with the operators of the system.

Using the website, registered game players can view information relating to the form of a plurality of race horses (form information) in a variety of horse racing events. The form information may include commercially available actual form information relating to real race horses which is available on-line. The game controllers' web site may provide access to the form information in a variety of presentation formats. Conveniently, in this example, the race horses are real race horses and the one or more racing events are actual racing events.

However, it will be understood that instead of basing game outcomes on real race horses and real racing events, the race horses and racing events may be virtual, and the outcomes of the racing events for example determined randomly or pseudo randomly.

A player selects one or more race horses, for example based on whether, in the player's opinion, the selected horse(s) are likely to satisfy predetermined winning criteria established by the game controllers. Players can analyse the form information on-line and place fantasy bets on-line on the selected race horses in one or more racing events. Players can use any amount from their allocated fantasy gaming units up to the value held in their account or as otherwise determined by the game controllers. The game controllers' web site may be arranged to provide one or more analytical tools that can be accessed and used on-line via a computer to facilitate on-line analysis of the form information by players using a graphical user interface (GUI). This analysis may include, for example, historical information concerning the performance of a particular race horse over different race lengths in the last ten races in which that particular race horse ran. Detailed information concerning the race track at various racing venues may also be provided on-line. The manner in which information is presented to the players in the graphical user interface can be arranged to be modifiable by the players to suit their particular analytical needs.

Once the fantasy bets have been placed, the players must then await the outcome of the one or more racing events in which fantasy bets have been placed. Naturally, if imaginary race horses and imaginary racing events are employed the game controllers can commence the racing event at any time they select. However, when the race horses and racing events are actual race horses and events, the outcome of the racing event will not be known until the event has occurred. Naturally, all fantasy bets must be placed before the actual racing event is scheduled to occur.

When the outcome of the or each racing event is known, the game controllers will calculate the value of any returns won by players from their fantasy bets, and will credit or debit their account with the appropriate value of fantasy gaming units, depending on the outcome of the racing events and based on game rules determined by the game operators. For example, a player may be credited with fantasy gaming units based on whether a horse selected by the player wins a racing event, achieves a defined place in the racing event, or in any other defined way. Prior to commencement of the game, the game controllers determine the game winning criteria. For example, the game winning criteria in a particular racing event may be to pick the horses which come second and third respectively in a particular racing event. Alternatively, the game controllers may, for example, make the winning criteria correct selection of the race horse which comes last in a particular racing event, or achieves any other defined outcome in the racing event.

At the end of the prescribed period of the game, or when the game clusters are completed, a comparison of the fantasy gaming unit account balances for each player will be conducted and a ranking of results determined by the game controllers. This ranking will be used by the game controllers to determine a winner, or group of winners, and to distribute prizes. Prizes may include goods, services or actual money prizes.

A preferred embodiment of a gaming system 10 for providing a fantasy "betting" game online is illustrated in Figure 1.

The system 10 includes a game controller 12 arranged to operate several gaming subsystems. The game controller 12 in this example is implemented using at least one computer server remotely located relative to the players, and accessible on-line by one or more computing devices 14 associated with the players, for example through the Internet 16. In order to facilitate on-line access using the computing devices 14, the game controller 12 includes a web server 18.

The system also includes a form analysis system 20 arranged to receive form information on-line from a publisher 22, and make the form information available to players in a variety of presentation formats, and a game scheduling system 24 arranged to control scheduling of each game or game cluster which may be operating at any particular point in time. Multiple games may be played concurrently using the system.

The system 10 also includes a revenue management system 26 that controls the on-line transactions by which game players purchase fantasy gaming units and register with the system. The revenue management system 26 communicates with a user account repository that stores user accounts 28, each user account storing information indicative of a player, including login information; financial information usable to instigate a periodic payment according to a player subscription; and information indicative of the amount of fantasy gaming units that the player has left. The revenue management system 26 also controls the value of fantasy gaming units in the user accounts 28 as games are played and fantasy gaming credits are credited to or debited from the respective user accounts 28.

The system 10 also includes a fantasy betting system 30 arranged to control the placing of fantasy bets by each player 20. In this example, the fantasy betting system 30 includes a bet receiver 32 arranged to retrieve details 33 of races and associated race participants and odds, and communicate these to the players that are logged into the system 10, for example by serving details of the races to the players using the web server 18. The bet receiver 32 is also arranged to receive bets from the players by enabling the players to select race participants and to select the amount of fantasy gaming units that are desired to be wagered on the selected race participants.

The interface displayed to the player during bet selection may correspond in appearance to an interface used by conventional bet placing organisations such as registered TAB agencies or State Government registered bookmakers.

The fantasy betting system 30 also includes a results determiner 34 arranged to determine the results of the racing events that are relevant to the game using race results 36 retrieved from a remote source of race results information, and to allocate fantasy gaming units to the relevant user accounts 28 according to the race participants selected, the amount of fantasy gaming units wagered and the results 36 of the races.

The fantasy betting system 30 also includes a prize allocator 38 arranged, for example after a defined period such as corresponding to the period covered by each subscription period, to compare the total fantasy gaming units recorded in the user accounts 28 associated with the players, and allocate a prize, that may be a monetary amount, goods or services, to the player with the highest number of fantasy gaming units.

The system also stores data indicative of game rules 40 that define operation of the gaming system, and in particular operation of the process whereby a player is able to view available races and race participants, select one or more race participants and select an amount of fantasy gaming units to wager on the selected participants. The game controller 10 has a modular structure, and additional gaming modules and analysis modules can be added as the system expands and to increase the functionality of the game. Any number of players can register with the game controller 12 on-line. An example method of gaming using the system 10 is illustrated in the flow diagram 50 in Figure 2.

In the example, on-line access to the system 10 is provided 52 by virtue of the web server 18, and prior to receiving bets from players the system 10 receives 54, 56 form information relating to race participants and racing event details from the publisher 22 and race events source respectively. The players have the option of reviewing the form information on-line, and prior to commencement of the relevant racing events the players place bets on selected race participants by selecting 58 the race participants and selecting 60 the amount of fantasy gaming units to stake on the selected race participants. The selected stake fantasy gaming units are deducted from the relevant player accounts.

After completion of each racing event, the results of the racing event are received 62 at the gaming system 10 from a source of race results, and fantasy gaming units are credited 64 to the relevant players accounts of the players that have selected winning participants according to the game rules. The number of fantasy gaming units to credit to the players is based on the stake and the relevant odds for the race participant.

After a defined period that may correspond to a subscription period, the gaming system 10 then determines 66 one or more winning players based on a comparison of the player accounts and awards one or more prizes.

Figure 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the fantasy gaming system 50 according to the present invention. This system is very similar to the first embodiment, and therefore similar components and sub-systems have been identified with like reference numerals to that in Figure 1. The principal difference between the system illustrated in Figure 1 and that of Figure 3 is the addition of a "tipster" management system 52 as part of the game controller 12. In this embodiment of the system, the game controller 12 determines a winner, or group of winners, in a similar manner to that employed in the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment, prizes are not awarded to players having the highest number of fantasy gaming units. Instead, each winning game participant receives an offer to provide game winning services on-line to the game controller 12. The offer to provide game winning services is typically in the form of a service contract, which must be accepted by the winning game participant, to provide game winning tips in exchange for an agreed fee for services. If the game participant accepts the terms of the service contract, he/she becomes a game winning service provider (or "tipster"), and is responsible for providing game winning tips on-line to the game controller 12. The agreed fee for services may be paid directly into a bank account nominated by the game participant, and is typically received in instalments depending on the timely submission on-line by the tipster of game winning tips for a predetermined agreed number of racing events. Alternatively, the fee for services can be "re-invested" with the game controller 12 in exchange for a requested value of fantasy non-convertible gaming units which can be used to place further fantasy bets on selected race participants. All transactions involving service fees paid to tipsters are handled by the revenue management system 26.

Incentives may be offered to game winning service providers such as, for example, a success fee option, whereby a bonus fee is received depending on the number of racing events in which race participants were successfully tipped by the tipster. Tips are received on-line from game winning service providers and processed by the tipster management system 52. Other game participants are given the option of using game winning tips provided by a game winning service provider to enhance their chances of winning when placing fantasy bets on-line. The source of a particular tip may be identified by a pseudonym, identifying a particular game winning service provider, so that other game participants can gauge the reliability of the tip based on the success rate of tips provided by that particular game winning service provider.

Game winning service providers (tipsters) are provided access on-line to the same form information relating to race participants as other game participants, and are also provided with access on-line to game winning criteria as determined by the game controller.

It will be apparent from the above description of the second embodiment of the gaming system and method, that it facilitates a means of providing game participants with the necessary incentive to continue playing the on-line fantasy "betting" game, without the need for prizes, whilst simultaneously adding value to the game for other game participants by potentially enhancing their chances of winning the game.

In one embodiment, the game participants place their bets on-line via the Internet. Alternatively, the placing of bets and financial transactions can be done through voice or manual input using a telephone handset or keypad rather than a computing device. In another embodiment of the invention the processing of fantasy bets and financial transactions will be done through tickets similar to TAB or Pari-mutuel operations, or stand-alone terminals similar to ATMs. In a still further embodiment of the invention the processing of fantasy bets and financial transactions can be done through any type of computer/data network, whether broad band or narrow band, wireless or land line or cable and embedded computer systems, such as interactive TV or mobile phones. Numerous variations and modifications to the described fantasy gaming system and method will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the computer and gaming arts, in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic inventive concepts. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1 . A method of on-line gaming, the method comprising:

enabling a player to:

determining the outcome of the at least one racing event;

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , comprising providing to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, comprising receiving the form information on-line from a publisher.

4. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising receiving racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events, and facilitating on-line access to the racing event details by a player.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, comprising receiving the racing event details from an on-line source of racing events information.

6. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for each player in a respective player account, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

7. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising receiving a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player, allocating a defined number of fantasy gaming units to each player in response to payment of the fixed subscription monetary amount.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, comprising receiving a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player at defined periodic subscription intervals, comparing the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic subscription interval, and awarding a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic subscription interval.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

10. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the race participants are real race participants and the at least one racing event are actual racing events.

1 1. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the racing events are virtual racing events and the race participants are virtual race participants.

12. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of: offering game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.

13. A system for on-line gaming, the system comprising:

a bet receiver arranged to enable a player to:

14. A system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the system is arranged to provide to a player form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the system is arranged to receive form information relating to the form of a plurality of race participants in racing events from a publisher in on-line communication with the gaming system.

16. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the system is arranged to receive racing event details indicative of racing events and participants in the racing events, and to facilitate on-line access to the racing event details by a player.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the system is arranged to receive the racing event details at the gaming system from a source of racing events information in on-line communication with the gaming system.

18. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 17, comprising a player account for each player, each player account storing a cumulative fantasy gaming unit total for the player, the system arranged to compare the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players, and award a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total.

19. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the system is arranged to receive a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player, and allocate a defined number of fantasy gaming units to each player in response to payment of the fixed subscription monetary amount.

20. A system as claimed in claim 19, wherein the system is arranged to receive a fixed subscription monetary amount from each player at defined periodic subscription intervals, compare the cumulative fantasy gaming unit totals of a plurality of players at the end of each periodic subscription interval, and award a prize to a player that has the highest associated cumulative fantasy gaming unit total at the end of each periodic subscription interval.

21. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 20, wherein the racing events are horse racing events and the race participants are race horses.

22. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21 , wherein the race participants are real race participants and the at least one racing event are actual racing events.

23. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 21 , wherein the racing events are virtual racing events and the race participants are virtual race participants.

24. A system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 23, wherein the system is arranged to offer game winning tips provided by a game winning participant to other game participants whereby, in use, other game participants can take into account said tips when placing fantasy bets on-line.